I've been an owner since 2013, originally a Model S 85, now a Model X P90D. Problems that arose with the S were dealt with well, overall. Last year the X died while plugged into 240V, just shut down and would not wake up again. It had to be taken on a flatbed to a service centre that takes about 4 hours each way to get to. It was there under repair for more than a week. While there, it was nearly impossible for me to get through to service by phone or by email. I of course ended up having to travel to the service centre to pick up the car when it was finally done.
That's the backstory.
Now I loaned the car to a friend who managed to run the battery down to 3% just outside a Supercharger. He figured that 3% should be enough to make it the last 800 metres. Apparently not, the car just shut down. I am not there, so I cannot vouch for exactly what happened, but it sounds like they ran down the 12V battery in the time between that happening and the tow (flatbed) vehicle arriving. The car was moved to the Supercharger, but it is now locked and unresponsive and cannot be charged. They have tried multiple times to "jump" the 12V (they have access to the frunk) but no luck, the car is just dead. Everything locked inside the car is stuck. What's Tesla's solution?
We might be able to get someone out there next week.
It's already been there for more than 24 hours.
Do you consider this reasonable for "roadside assistance"? Speaking of which, I tried phoning the roadside assistance number just now, and was on hold for 10 minutes before giving up. Calling the service centre I just get a recording that says the hold time is greater than 15 minutes. Calling the service centre a second time and choosing an option that really isn't true (to talk to someone about a car in service) I got through to someone who talked with the "lead technician" who just said the same thing, it needs a 12V boost. All they can do is the same thing I've been trying to get them to do, namely arrange for a tech to come out or to have the car towed. It would cost about $1500 to tow it to the service centre, and since the original problem had to do with running down the battery, the cost would not be covered under warranty.
I am more than a little bit frustrated. At the annual service two years ago it was the same story, I could not get hold of anyone the entire day, I had to go back to the service centre and try to get someone's attention in person. There seems to be zero recognition of the fact that some customers have to travel many hours to get to a service centre, and just coming back the next day is really not an option, rather I would have to get a hotel room for that night.
With massive model 3 deliveries I expect it to get even worse.
I love the car, but when it fails, it is a nightmare. I have never had a car break down twice on me before, and I'm talking about cars that are more than 10 years old, not cars that are 2 years old.
So, two main lines of inquiry for you:
1. Does anyone have any advice as to how to get the car unlocked and charging? What can be done if applying 12V does not solve the problem? I mean, if they had the car in the shop and it was unresponsive, what would they do?
2. Do you think the current situation counts as a "lockout" (covered) or an "out of range" (not covered) situation? The $300 cost to move the car 800 m to the Supercharger has been paid, but I would argue that the car should not have locked itself and become unresponsive under any circumstance. It's ridiculous. What if there was a pet in the car? What about valuable items left in the car? It's sitting at a Supercharger but can't be plugged in and can't be unlocked because the 12V system isn't working. Seems like a really poor design.
I have driven 200,000 km in the S and X, crossing the continent 4 times (the first time within months of doing so being possible), I have lived with the cars in cold climates and in an apartment with no charging and in a town that was an 8 hour drive from the service centre... I have been a big EV advocate for years but...
At this point I'm considering just giving up on Tesla altogether.
All feedback welcome.
That's the backstory.
Now I loaned the car to a friend who managed to run the battery down to 3% just outside a Supercharger. He figured that 3% should be enough to make it the last 800 metres. Apparently not, the car just shut down. I am not there, so I cannot vouch for exactly what happened, but it sounds like they ran down the 12V battery in the time between that happening and the tow (flatbed) vehicle arriving. The car was moved to the Supercharger, but it is now locked and unresponsive and cannot be charged. They have tried multiple times to "jump" the 12V (they have access to the frunk) but no luck, the car is just dead. Everything locked inside the car is stuck. What's Tesla's solution?
We might be able to get someone out there next week.
It's already been there for more than 24 hours.
Do you consider this reasonable for "roadside assistance"? Speaking of which, I tried phoning the roadside assistance number just now, and was on hold for 10 minutes before giving up. Calling the service centre I just get a recording that says the hold time is greater than 15 minutes. Calling the service centre a second time and choosing an option that really isn't true (to talk to someone about a car in service) I got through to someone who talked with the "lead technician" who just said the same thing, it needs a 12V boost. All they can do is the same thing I've been trying to get them to do, namely arrange for a tech to come out or to have the car towed. It would cost about $1500 to tow it to the service centre, and since the original problem had to do with running down the battery, the cost would not be covered under warranty.
I am more than a little bit frustrated. At the annual service two years ago it was the same story, I could not get hold of anyone the entire day, I had to go back to the service centre and try to get someone's attention in person. There seems to be zero recognition of the fact that some customers have to travel many hours to get to a service centre, and just coming back the next day is really not an option, rather I would have to get a hotel room for that night.
With massive model 3 deliveries I expect it to get even worse.
I love the car, but when it fails, it is a nightmare. I have never had a car break down twice on me before, and I'm talking about cars that are more than 10 years old, not cars that are 2 years old.
So, two main lines of inquiry for you:
1. Does anyone have any advice as to how to get the car unlocked and charging? What can be done if applying 12V does not solve the problem? I mean, if they had the car in the shop and it was unresponsive, what would they do?
2. Do you think the current situation counts as a "lockout" (covered) or an "out of range" (not covered) situation? The $300 cost to move the car 800 m to the Supercharger has been paid, but I would argue that the car should not have locked itself and become unresponsive under any circumstance. It's ridiculous. What if there was a pet in the car? What about valuable items left in the car? It's sitting at a Supercharger but can't be plugged in and can't be unlocked because the 12V system isn't working. Seems like a really poor design.
I have driven 200,000 km in the S and X, crossing the continent 4 times (the first time within months of doing so being possible), I have lived with the cars in cold climates and in an apartment with no charging and in a town that was an 8 hour drive from the service centre... I have been a big EV advocate for years but...
At this point I'm considering just giving up on Tesla altogether.
All feedback welcome.
