Leaky Touchscreen!

[LIMITLESS]

Hey guys,

I’m new to the Forum and was wondering if anyone knows what to do. 6 mo. Ago a purchased a pre-owned 2013 model S I noticed at the top corner of the screen there were bubbles 3mo. Ago. Now the bubbles have gotten quite Large along both sides and it’s leaking at the bottom of the screen with this goo like jell, that’s collecting at the center of the console. Very messy and hard to clean up. Is this a defective part? I’m under 50k miles....would Tesla take care of this or is this on my dime? Answers would be appreciated.

Thanks for the Help Guys...

 

[Superendo]

Hey guys,

I’m new to the Forum and was wondering if anyone knows what to do. 6 mo. Ago a purchased a pre-owned 2013 model S I noticed at the top corner of the screen there were bubbles 3mo. Ago. Now the bubbles have gotten quite Large along both sides and it’s leaking at the bottom of the screen with this goo like jell, that’s collecting at the center of the console. Very messy and hard to clean up. Is this a defective part? I’m under 50k miles....would Tesla take care of this or is this on my dime? Answers would be appreciated.

Thanks for the Help Guys...

I suppose that Tesla will help you under warranty. But why ask here en not Tesla?

 

[LIMITLESS]

I suppose that Tesla will help you under warranty. But why ask here en not Tesla?

Just curious to see if there're other S owners that have come across this same issue. Good to know how they where able to solve this problem. And I hope it can be done through the warranty...Thanks for your response.

 

[Derek Kessler]

Yes, that is obviously a defective or damaged piece of hardware. No LCD screen should have visible air bubble, much less seepage. You should get it replaced immediately — but only Tesla can tell you how much it will cost.

 

[Evoforce]

Should be Warranty item. You can ask them to update to 4G while they are in there for a fee.

 

[MP3Mike]

That is a common issue for cars that old, and would be covered under warranty. As @Evoforce said you should ask them to upgrade you to LTE, if you don't already have it, at the same time, which you might get for free if they replace the entire MCU, or might get at a greatly reduced price because almost all the labor would be paid for by the warranty repair.

On second thought isn't the warranty 4 years or 50k miles? In which a 2013 would likely be out of warranty at this point.

 

[ecarfan]

I’m under 50k miles....would Tesla take care of this or is this on my dime?

No one on TMC can answer your question if 100% certainty. You say you purchased a CPO Model S that was built in 2013. What warranty did Tesla provide with your car? It is over 4 years old but the mileage is less than 50K.

Go to your local Tesla Service Center, show it to them, and then you will have your answer.

 

[MP3Mike]

You say you purchased a CPO Model S that was built in 2013.

Actually he didn't say he purchased a CPO Model S. He just said pre-owned, I assumed a private party sale and that the warranty would likely be expired now. If it was a CPO purchase then he would likely still have warranty coverage.

 

[voidptr]

It's a known defect on those MCUs, the adhesive they used to bond the touch panel to the display fails in the heat after ~5 years. If it's got a CPO warranty or ESA it should be covered.

Our local service guy quoted me "about 3k" (didn't get the formal quote) to fix mine out of warranty, since the whole MCU needs to be replaced - newer VINs they can replace just the screen but the older ones are one FRU. I'm living with it since it's not leaking out the bottom, and I'm planning on trading it in shortly.

 

[LIMITLESS]

Yes, that is obviously a defective or damaged piece of hardware. No LCD screen should have visible air bubble, much less seepage. You should get it replaced immediately — but only Tesla can tell you how much it will cost.

Thanks Derek, I’ll give the Tesla Service Center a Call tomorrow...

 

[LIMITLESS]

No one on TMC can answer your question if 100% certainty. You say you purchased a CPO Model S that was built in 2013. What warranty did Tesla provide with your car? It is over 4 years old but the mileage is less than 50K.

Go to your local Tesla Service Center, show it to them, and then you will have your answer.

Thanks ecarfan, I’ll call up the Service Center near me and see what happens. BTW, purchased the car at a GMC dealership pre-owned guess someone traded it in. The car is in excellent condition, minus the touchscreen now. No accidents, clean title etc. Guess the next one I get, I’ll get a CPO...Thanks again

 

[LIMITLESS]

It's a known defect on those MCUs, the adhesive they used to bond the touch panel to the display fails in the heat after ~5 years. If it's got a CPO warranty or ESA it should be covered.

Our local service guy quoted me "about 3k" (didn't get the formal quote) to fix mine out of warranty, since the whole MCU needs to be replaced - newer VINs they can replace just the screen but the older ones are one FRU. I'm living with it since it's not leaking out the bottom, and I'm planning on trading it in shortly.

Thanks voidptr, yeah don’t have a CPO warranty or ESA... Looks like it’s on my dime, but I’ll make an appointment tomorrow and give it a go...

 

[Chop110]

How much did they quote you for the repair? I just had it happen to me last week (Mine is a 2014). Apparently the constant thermal cycling of hot-cool will cause the seal around the bonded LCD screen to expand and contract. Over time, the glue fails and the bubbles/gel leak happen. Supposedly a windshield sun deflector helps protect against this.

Clorox wipes will clean it up, btw.

 

[swegman]

It happened to my 2013 a few months ago. Called the service center saying I wanted to send a picture of the issue. They said no need to do that, they were familiar with the problem. They ordered a new screen that came in a week later. The ranger then came to me, pulled out the MCU with the screen, removed the old screen and installed the new screen to the MCU and put the car back together. While process took about 1 hr. I do have the extended warranty (not the term Tesla uses), but they did not charge me the deductible.

 

[Jazbo]

I thought I had a crack in my 2012 screen and the SC said, no, it is a bubble, and it is not a problem until the screen starts leaking. It is now leaking and the approximate quote first was $1,500 for the screen, or $3,500 for screen and MCU upgrade to LTE. Latest quote was $1,200 for the screen and a couple thousand more for MCU upgrade. Question - is the upgrade worth the expense?

 

[Tam]

...MCU upgrade to LTE...

If you want to see a review of how much faster LTE is, just connect your present Tesla to wi-fi and see if there's any improvement between 3G and Wi-fi.

Wi-fi can easily be at 150+ Mbps while LTE is 5-10 Mbps.

 

[Fxyz]

Having the same issue with my 2013 Model S with 46K miles. Contacted Tesla Tech Support. I hope Tesla fix it under warranty since I am an early Tesla car owner and it seems to be an issue with all early Model S.

The clear liquid is very sticky and is very difficult to clean. It feels like tree sap. It took me awhile to realize that the screen was leaking.

 

[MP3Mike]

Having the same issue with my 2013 Model S with 46K miles. Contacted Tesla Tech Support. I hope Tesla fix it under warranty since I am an early Tesla car owner and it seems to be an issue with all early Model S.

The clear liquid is very sticky and is very difficult to clean. It feels like tree sap. It took me awhile to realize that the screen was leaking.

Wouldn't you be out of warranty? So you are really wanting them to cover it under goodwill?

 

[Fxyz]

You are right. Should be covered under goodwill since it is a well know issue.

Looks like the main display still working ok but I don't know if it will last. For now I sealed the bottom display gap, where it is leaking, with clear 3M tape.

I emailed Tesla Tech support few days ago but I have not received any reply, yet.

 

[joebevatl]

Hey guys,

I’m new to the Forum and was wondering if anyone knows what to do. 6 mo. Ago a purchased a pre-owned 2013 model S I noticed at the top corner of the screen there were bubbles 3mo. Ago. Now the bubbles have gotten quite Large along both sides and it’s leaking at the bottom of the screen with this goo like jell, that’s collecting at the center of the console. Very messy and hard to clean up. Is this a defective part? I’m under 50k miles....would Tesla take care of this or is this on my dime? Answers would be appreciated.

Thanks for the Help Guys...

I have the same exact problem. They're replacing the screen and computer for a cost of $2000. This seems like it should be a recall issue to me given how many people have the exact same situation.