Infinite Mile Battery Warranty [Now] Being Honored By Tesla [Issue Resolved]

[gilscales]

f I go up in flames one day I will have a bunch of witnesses on this site although by some of the responses I have received some would like to see me burn.

Not sure if they could actually stomach seeing it but hearing about it.......?.....probably, I think you have been getting a bad rap here on this thread and I believe you have a valid complaint, Tesla offered this unlimited mile battery warranty and they should not be able to choose who receives it, I will surely go down in flames with you on this post!

 

[Evoforce]

My old beater Focus has 340,000 kms. My FJ40 over 500,000 miles. Yes miles.
My old SD Ford had 380,000 when I sold it.

But....how many repairs is the real question.

 

[ricohman]

But....how many repairs is the real question.

Outside of routine service, nothing. I did replace the timing belt at 200,000 and the pump along with it for $45.
And its had new CVs at 250,000. But all cars have CV joints.

 

[gilscales]

Outside of routine service, nothing. I did replace the timing belt at 200,000 and the pump along with it for $45.
And its had new CVs at 250,000. But all cars have CV joints.

I have more repairs on a 2010 Accord I bought new and now only has 80,000 miles on it, of course I did give it to my son over 5 years ago when he turned 16, boy is he hard on SH$T!

 

[dgatwood]

In the event of a dendrite, you would likely not get a big BANG.

Correct. The vast majority of dendrites do just burn up, and you don't even know that it has happened. The danger comes when a big dendrite vaporizes; the localized heating can cause the cell to catch fire.

Just to be clear, I'm not saying you should be terrified to drive the car; I'm just saying you should strongly express concern about the safety of the battery, as an additional argument for why they should rebuild your pack.

Interesting side note: The right amount of heat can actually cause dendrites to heal themselves. It kind of makes me wonder if perhaps Tesla should let their batteries charge without kicking in the cooling system once in a while, just to reduce dendrite growth and perhaps improve capacity in the process.

 

[ran349]

That was very informative and put a new insight on how to handle this problem. This is why I came to this sight to try and figure out a way to resolve this problem with Tesla. I will go ahead and do the NHTSA complaint. If I go up in flames one day I will have a bunch of witnesses on this site although by some of the responses I have received some would like to see me burn.
By the way I did do a trip charge @ 100% last night and it has already dropped from the quoted "212" from Tesla to 200. That is a drop of 12 miles in just 2 days. I wish Tesla would just do the right thing like they have done in the past. Thanks for your input!


View attachment 378140

Enjoy your car while you can. At that rate, in a little more than two weeks you will be down to 0 rated miles.

 

[StealthP3D]

I have more repairs on a 2010 Accord I bought new and now only has 80,000 miles on it, of course I did give it to my son over 5 years ago when he turned 16, boy is he hard on SH$T!

If you give your kid a used gasoline-powered car, I think it teaches them a lot of good lessons. But only if you make it clear that all maintenance and repairs are on his dime. Of course the lessons will much more powerful if it already has 239,000 miles on it!

You will have an EV convert in no time.

 

[KidDoc]

GO AGS!!!! I use to make that College Station trip a lot. Unable to do so now obviously with my car’s battery capacity without charging. Tesla has been telling me for years that a SC was going in College Station. The last I heard from them was the end of 2017. Have you heard anything else on the College Station SC?

Nope nothing yet. The SC on 290 has helped me though since I make a drive down to Pearland area now and then and that would be impossible for me without the SC.

 

[HMARTINPT]

That is the exactly kind of attitude that turns people away. If you had written all caps, unintentionally or just as an expression of anger, that is perhaps understandable. But you made a calculated ploy by doing something that is frowned upon just to get attention and eyeballs. Some people behave like dicks - like the buffoon in the white house - to get attention. Are you one of them?

Enjoy your car while you can. At that rate, in a little more than two weeks you will be down to 0 rated miles.

Enjoy your car while you can. At that rate, in a little more than two weeks you will be down to 0 rated miles.

I hope that doesn't happen. The point I am trying to make is that is obviously more than a slow degradation of the battery. Thanks for your input!

 

[StealthP3D]

If I go up in flames one day I will have a bunch of witnesses on this site although by some of the responses I have received some would like to see me burn.

No need for drama queen theatrics here. No one here wants to see you burn. We might read a warranty in a logical, legal, manner but we are not on a witch hunt right out of colonial America!

Besides, if a cell did catch fire, the battery pack would know about it pretty damn quick. It's not like a Tesla is a an airplane flying at 35,000 feet with no place to pull over. If a battery catches fire you just pull over and walk away. I can't believe how theatrical people are here. Battery fires start out slow and spread to adjacent cells. They have metal casings so additional batteries don't catch on fire until the heat has time to soak into them. It's not like the car is full of 10 gallons of gasoline that could erupt into an instant fireball/explosion. And actually, I have seen that happen. I was passed three times by youngsters on an icy road in a VW going excessively fast. I was in a long line of cars going 45 mph due to extreme slipperiness and less than 2 minutes after they passed me for the final time I drove by a huge fireball on the side of the road. Not all made it out alive.

But, no, battery fires take time to spread to adjacent cells. You can pull over and get out in plenty of time.

By the way I did do a trip charge @ 100% last night and it has already dropped from the quoted "212" from Tesla to 200.

Wow! That's pretty good! After 239,000 miles your battery is still good for 200 miles. I wish my gas cars could say the same! You should be counting your blessings, not upset that the "unlimited mileage" warranty specifically doesn't cover gradual battery degradation/aging. Only defects. If you had read the warranty you would know that. Actually, I know "unlimited" warranties are always limited by something. Nothing lasts forever except perhaps a diamond. To think a company could stay in business forever is kind of a stretch, particularly if they have to provide someone with a lifetime supply of the product being warrantied.

My point is, even if you didn't read the actual warranty, you should have known they wouldn't just keep replacing the battery forever.

 

[StealthP3D]

My old beater Focus has 340,000 kms.

You see, that's less than the 239,000 miles the OP has on his Model S. And you're making my point for me by calling it "an old beater" with 210,000 miles.

 

[HMARTINPT]

I HAVE BEEN A LOYAL TESLA OWNER SINCE 2013. MY FAMILY CURRENTLY OWNS A 2012 TESLA MODEL S 85, 2016 TESLA MODEL X 90 AND JUST MOST RECENTLY PURCHASED A 2018 MODEL S 100. THE MOST IMPORTANT REASON WE CONTINUE TO PURCHASE FROM TESLA IS THE INFINITE MILE BATTERY AND POWER TRAIN WARRANTY. MY 2012 TESLA MODEL S WAS PURCHASED IN 2013 AND THEREFORE THE WARRANTY DOESN'T EXPIRE UNTIL 2021. TESLA HAS REPLACED THE POWER TRAIN 3 DIFFERENT TIMES SINCE 2013 FOR THE MODEL S WITHOUT ANY PROBLEMS IN HONORING THE WARRANTY. IN JANUARY OF 2019 WE BROKE DOWN ON THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY WITH 16 MILES LEFT ON THE RANGE INDICATOR AND ONLY 139 MILES ON THE CURRENT TRIP BEING TAKING. THE ONLY WARNING THE CAR GAVE ME AT THAT TIME WAS "BATTERY VERY LOW, NEEDS CHARGING" ONCE WE HAD BROKE DOWN. I HAD BEEN HAVING PROBLEMS FOR YEARS WITH THE DECREASING BATTERY RANGE AND TESLA JUST SAYING IT IS DEGRADATION OR THE WAY I DRIVE IT. I DRIVE ALL OF THE VEHICLES THE SAME. THE ONLY DIFFERENCE IS THE AMOUNT OF MILES THE 2012 ACTUALLY GETS WHEN DRIVING. THE BATTERY CAPACITY WAS GETTING AROUND 175 MILES PER TRIP CHARGE BEFORE THE MOST RECENT BREAK DOWN. TESLA IS NOT WAVERING ON NOT REPLACING THE BATTERY. THE HOUSTON NORTH SERVICE CENTER ACTUALLY RESPONDED THAT THE WARRANTY CLEARLY STATES DEGRADATION ISN'T COVERED. MY ARGUMENT WAS THIS IS CLEARLY MORE THAN DEGRADATION BUT THEY SAID THIS IS WHAT UPPER MANAGEMENT HAS TOLD ME TO SAY. I TOLD THEM THAT I HAVE READ IN OTHER ARTICLES THAT BATTERIES HAVE BEEN REPLACED FOR THE SAME ISSUES THAT I AM HAVING BUT THE RESPONSE I GOT WAS STILL THEY WOULD NOT REPLACE THE BATTERY. I ASKED HOW LOW THE BATTERY HAS TO GET FOR THEM TO HONOR THE WARRANTY AND THE RESPONSE I GOT WAS IF IT ISN'T A HARDWARE ISSUE THAT THEY WOULDN'T REPLACE THE BATTERY. I RESPONDED BY SAYING SO THE CAR COULD GET DOWN TO 50 MILES OF BATTERY RANGE AND YOU COULD SAY IT IS JUST DEGRADATION. THE RESPONSE WAS YES. I DESPERATELY WOULD APPRECIATE ANY SUGGESTIONS TO GET TESLA TO HONOR THE WARRANTY AND TO WARN OTHERS ABOUT TESLA'S NEW POLICY ON BATTERY REPLACEMENT.

S

No need for drama queen theatrics here. No one here wants to see you burn. We might read a warranty in a logical, legal, manner but we are not on a witch hunt right out of colonial America!

Besides, if a cell did catch fire, the battery pack would know about it pretty damn quick. It's not like a Tesla is a an airplane flying at 35,000 feet with no place to pull over. If a battery catches fire you just pull over and walk away. I can't believe how theatrical people are here. Battery fires start out slow and spread to adjacent cells. They have metal casings so additional batteries don't catch on fire until the heat has time to soak into them. It's not like the car is full of 10 gallons of gasoline that could erupt into an instant fireball/explosion. And actually, I have seen that happen. I was passed three times by youngsters on an icy road in a VW going excessively fast. I was in a long line of cars going 45 mph due to extreme slipperiness and less than 2 minutes after they passed me for the final time I drove by a huge fireball on the side of the road. Not all made it out alive.

But, no, battery fires take time to spread to adjacent cells. You can pull over and get out in plenty of time.



Wow! That's pretty good! After 239,000 miles your battery is still good for 200 miles. I wish my gas cars could say the same! You should be counting your blessings, not upset that the "unlimited mileage" warranty specifically doesn't cover gradual battery degradation/aging. Only defects. If you had read the warranty you would know that. Actually, I know "unlimited" warranties are always limited by something. Nothing lasts forever except perhaps a diamond. To think a company could stay in business forever is kind of a stretch, particularly if they have to provide someone with a lifetime supply of the product being warrantied.

My point is, even if you didn't read the actual warranty, you should have known they wouldn't just keep replacing the battery forever.

Oh my gosh! Where did I ever say Tesla should replace my battery forever? I will once again reiterate that Tesla has replaced batteries for multiple owners just last year for the two problems that I initially sited(range indicator malfunction,sudden loss of greater than 10% battery capacity).

I have read the owner's manual and know that it states that the warranty doesn't cover degradation. I think we can all agree that degradation occurs slowly over time. Can you please explain how my vehicle has lost 6% of battery capacity since picking up from the service center on Friday? As stated before the car went from the 212 miles that Tesla quoted on Friday to 200 miles on Sunday.

Thanks for your input about that I will have plenty of time to get out of my car before it completely blows up. Tesla should start advertising that instead of an "8 year/infinite mile warranty of the battery and drive train" if they don't plan on honoring it.

You and others keep implying that I should be happy about having 239,000 miles on my car and the range I get. Tesla is the one that promotes the 8 year/inifinite mile warranty so I don't see your point at all when you keep siting the number of miles I have on the car. It isn't my warranty policy. It is Tesla's and once again that is the primary reason why we continued to buy from Tesla.

For those of you that keep siting that I should be happy with the number of miles I have driven, please post me once you have driven that many miles or refer back to this post before saying I should be happy with the miles driven!

 

[HMARTINPT]

You see, that's less than the 239,000 miles the OP has on his Model S. And you're making my point for me by calling it "an old beater" with 210,000 miles.

Ford doesn't have an 8 year/infinite mile warranty on the drive unit/battery on their vehicles either do they. They also don't charge 6 figures for a Ford Focus last time I looked!!!

 

[ricohman]

You see, that's less than the 239,000 miles the OP has on his Model S. And you're making my point for me by calling it "an old beater" with 210,000 miles.

It is 18 years old. So it really is an old beater. I bought it off an older lady many years ago for $3500 when it had few miles.
I figure I got my moneys worth already.

 

[gilscales]

I know "unlimited" warranties are always limited by something

In this case it seems like only time and degradation, just different opinions here as to what is reasonable for Tesla to do in a situation that they have dealt with in different ways before.

 

[ricohman]

S

Oh my gosh! Where did I ever say Tesla should replace my battery forever? I will once again reiterate that Tesla has replaced batteries for multiple owners just last year for the two problems that I initially sited(range indicator malfunction,sudden loss of greater than 10% battery capacity).

I have read the owner's manual and know that it states that the warranty doesn't cover degradation. I think we can all agree that degradation occurs slowly over time. Can you please explain how my vehicle has lost 6% of battery capacity since picking up from the service center on Friday? As stated before the car went from the 212 miles that Tesla quoted on Friday to 200 miles on Sunday.

Thanks for your input about that I will have plenty of time to get out of my car before it completely blows up. Tesla should start advertising that instead of an "8 year/infinite mile warranty of the battery and drive train" if they don't plan on honoring it.

You and others keep implying that I should be happy about having 239,000 miles on my car and the range I get. Tesla is the one that promotes the 8 year/inifinite mile warranty so I don't see your point at all when you keep siting the number of miles I have on the car. It isn't my warranty policy. It is Tesla's and once again that is the primary reason why we continued to buy from Tesla.

For those of you that keep siting that I should be happy with the number of miles I have driven, please post me once you have driven that many miles or refer back to this post before saying I should be happy with the miles driven!

I think Tesla should offer replacement batteries at a reasonable price.
What's going to happen to all the high mileage cars in the years to come? Subsequent owners are not going to spend tens of thousands on a battery. Dispose of the cars? What a waste.
An engine for an older combustion vehicle can be bought for 500 bucks and installed by whoever wants to turn the wrenches.

 

[StealthP3D]

In this case it seems like only time and degradation, just different opinions here as to what is reasonable for Tesla to do in a situation that they have dealt with in different ways before.

That's true, Tesla has been very generous with "goodwill" warranty replacements when they were a smaller, younger company. They can't afford to do that in every situation as they make more and more cars every year. To think that previous generosity obligates them to be continuously generous forever is naive to such a degree that I don't know where to begin.

If I were the OP, I would take them up on the 15% off ($21K) and get another 239,000 miles out of that Performance Model S!

 

[StealthP3D]

I think Tesla should offer replacement batteries at a reasonable price.
What's going to happen to all the high mileage cars in the years to come? Subsequent owners are not going to spend tens of thousands on a battery. Dispose of the cars? What a waste.
An engine for an older combustion vehicle can be bought for 500 bucks and installed by whoever wants to turn the wrenches.

LOL! That's not a factory new engine, that's a third-party rebuild. In time I bet third parties will rebuild battery packs too (with new cells). There just isn't enough demand yet to make for a good business.

 

[ricohman]

LOL! That's not a factory new engine, that's a third-party rebuild. In time I bet third parties will rebuild battery packs too (with new cells). There just isn't enough demand yet to make for a good business.

That's not even a rebuild. Its a junkyard motor.
Tesla is very proprietary. They will have to loosen up some to keep the older cars on the road.

 

[gilscales]

They will have to loosen up some to keep the older cars on the road.

Agreed, there is no way in hell I would put that money into that old of a car and I think that vast majority would have to choose to part it out or junk it if it came down to that.