How many UMC's have you been through?

[sublimaze1]

My car delivered on 8 Dec 2012. It has 39K+

First UMC worked well until about 13 months ago, when it started to run hot. Not so fast, peeps ... I know it runs hot, but to the point that the union between the NEMA 14-50 plug and the head connect having melting plastic falls into another definition of hot. Took it in. There was a short in the head (replaced)

Second UMC fine until last week when i noticed that the NEMA 14-50 would just slide off the head. The "resistance" pin holding the thumb knob in had bent and was not clicking (replaced)

This is the third UMC I am on. I have not moved it around very much at all and it stays plugged in at my house 99% of the time. I take it when I venture to hill country and my Brothers (League City - a little too far away from the Huntsville SC for comfort) but when I see my daughter in WACO, or visit Austin or San Antonio, it stays home.

So I am not terribly rough with the puppy, but I am on number 3

 

[ecarfan]

No problem with my UMC but earlier this year a tech from my local SC came to my house to replace my HPWC cable.

 

[JohnQ]

I spoke too soon. A ranger came out to replace my 12V and spent some time running diagnostics and generally giving the car a once over (including removing wheels and inspecting brakes and rotors). Oddly, I just had my annual in April. He also tested the UMC and proactively swapped it out for a new one. Didn't ask what the issue was.

So, between my first post that I was on my original UMC and this post I now can say I have had it replaced once ... oh, he also loaded 6.0 but that's for another thread.

 

[andrewket]

Original UMC from 5/2013, but I only use it for destination charging. HPWC at home, also original except for the fuses that were proactively replaced.

 

[Brass Guy]

On my third. (Primary charging method.) Got the clicking (bad button?) after about 5 months. Same happened within 2 weeks to the second one, which was described as "the new style."
Unfortunately, one year warranty on the UMC; so any more I'll have to pay for. Or have they changed that?

 

[swegman]

On my second, not because the UMC wouldn't charge, but because the button on it would not release the connector from the charge port until I actually opened a door on the car. At that point I would hear the click and I could pull out the connector. However, I think it is a bug in 5.14, as this problem started when 5.14 was installed. Tesla replaced the UMC and this problem went away, but has been replaced by a new problem in which an error message appears on the screen when the UMC is plugged into the charge port, and the ring turns yellow (orange). After several seconds, the ring turns green and the car starts charging. Tesla can not figure out the problem and said they sent a message to the engineers to look at what it could be. They know it is not the UMC, as they tried several UMC's in the shop with the same result, and it is not the charge port, as they checked that. It is felt it may be a 5.14 bug, but they apparently are unable to install 6.0 over 5.14. They told me I have to wait for an OTA update as I have 5.14 on the car.

 

[lolachampcar]

two cars (at any one time)
1 1/2 years
35k (almost all home charing) miles
ZERO failures

 

[StephenM]

19 mos. of ownership. First one worked until last month. Stopped charging. Service center gave me a new one.

 

[linkster]

No failures after 20 mos., 36K miles with a UMC permanently docked in garage on a 14-30 (always operates cool) with a 160-mile commute along with a spare 50' UMC kept in the trunk for wild charging.

 

[Amped-Up]

On #2. Replaced original in August, six months after purchase. 14-50 adapter fused to cable connector and could not remove. Original ran very warm at 40A; have since dialed down to 35A and no problems.

 

[Todd Burch]

18 months and I haven't had an issue with UMC or charging port.

 

[MS 60]

seven months in, and over 14 K miles. No issues with UMC.

 

[ThosEM]

Had to replace mine once after about six months. The connection to the car had become erratic, and was disrupted if the plug was disturbed the slightest bit.

 

[ToddRLockwood]

18 months/26K miles with 2 UMC's. No problems with either one of them.

Curious to know: What is the symptom? What happened to the charge port? Are you always seeing a blue charge port ring when you first plug in?

Many owners don't realize that the connector handle needs to be FIRMLY seated in the charge port for a good connection. I find that this requires leaning into the handle to get it fully seated. When properly seated, you'll hear a slight click as the contacts mate.

 

[Plug Me In]

Still on the original. I leave it outdoors 24/7 except for when I take it on road trips. About 3 weeks into ownership I accidentally ripped out the retaining clip for the adapter so now I have the added convenience of not having to push the button to take the adapter off.

Todd, just curious. Will you get a new UMC with your replacement car?

 

[mknox]

Curious to know: What is the symptom? What happened to the charge port? Are you always seeing a blue charge port ring when you first plug in?

In my case, the ring would just stay white. I'd plug in firmly and... nothing. Pull it out, push it in again and still nothing. Sometimes I could get it to work by inserting it, then going to the app and hitting the "Charge Now" button or getting in the car and hitting the "Open Charge Port" button" at which point I'd get the click and it would charge. They replaced the UMC once which helped for a week or so, then replaced both the UMC and the port on the car which seemed to do the trick.

 

[jerry33]

One replacement. Tesla was concerned about some power drops in the logs, so I had the current one tested yesterday--no problems. (The area I live in has questionable electricity.)

 

[aaronw]

I'm also on my original UMC from 5/2013. While I was using it I was limited to 24A since I had to use a NEMA 14-30 in my garage until I installed a HPWC where I now charge at 80A. I've used it a few times at 50A on road trips. Generally I didn't have any problems though there were a few times the connection to the NEMA 14-30 adapter was problematic. I think Tesla uses the thinnest wire they can get away with. I wonder if it would last longer if people charged at 30A instead of 40A.

I generally charge at 40A instead of 80 since there's much less of a voltage sag (though there's little sag at the meter or the rest of the house).

 

[AmpedRealtor]

The HPWC and UMC are both warranted for a period of 1 year from purchase, however the service center replaced my HPWC cord and handle twice - the last time was beyond 12 months from purchase. I feel that these devices should be included in the vehicle manufacturer's warranty.

 

[brianman]

The HPWC and UMC are both warranted for a period of 1 year from purchase, however the service center replaced my HPWC cord and handle twice - the last time was beyond 12 months from purchase. I feel that these devices should be included in the vehicle manufacturer's warranty.

Doesn't work if you buy them separately. That said, I think there should be a comparable warranty independently for both the HPWC and UMC that are quite a bit longer than 1 year.