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Looking for a replacement 12 volt battery

Discussion in 'Model 3: Battery & Charging' started by dennisvab, Jan 12, 2019.

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  1. dennisvab

    dennisvab Member

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    Does anyone have a source for a new 12 volt battery on the model 3. I did a brief search but did not find anything other than an expensive Li-on replacement. Something I don’t want.
     
  2. COrocket

    COrocket Member

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    Did Tesla not cover it under warranty? It’s something mobile service can swap
     
  3. dennisvab

    dennisvab Member

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    It doesn’t have a warranty after it’s accident. I’m rebuilding one
     
  4. GigaGrunt

    GigaGrunt Member

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    Watching.
     
  5. Bucfan11

    Bucfan11 Member

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    Any update on this? Has anyone found an acceptable replacement?
     
  6. lUtriaNt

    lUtriaNt Member

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    ? ever heard of ohmmu?
     
  7. Bucfan11

    Bucfan11 Member

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    Yes, I should have been more clear. A replacement battery that does not have it's own computer controlling it so our cars do not trip codes. It would also be nice to have one that is not ridiculously over priced.
     
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  8. AlanSubie4Life

    AlanSubie4Life Efficiency Obsessed Member

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    The Tesla Model 3 12V is quite affordable, as it's just a regular 12V battery AFAIK. Nothing special! It lists for $85 from Tesla as far as I can tell (installed, it is $124, but there's no reason to go to the trouble - you can simply replace it without any other work, based on the activities of the mobile service technician in my driveway on Friday - note he was NOT replacing the 12V). Pretty hard to beat that.

    Contact your service department and pick one up today! May as well get one that is a drop-in replacement (including the vent tube location), and if you really want to, you can get an extra after a couple years, when your battery is aging, and lug it around with you "just in case" (of course keeping it on a battery tender in the meantime).
     
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  9. XLR82XS

    XLR82XS D M C

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    TONS on the market in the correct size. Auto Zone, Advance, O'Reilly, NAPA, etc....
     
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  10. jeffbco

    jeffbco Member

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    What is the correct size? Thanks.
     
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  11. AlanSubie4Life

    AlanSubie4Life Efficiency Obsessed Member

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    #11 AlanSubie4Life, Oct 28, 2020
    Last edited: Oct 28, 2020
    But they are extremely expensive in the searches I have seen, due to them being AGM, etc. Typically over $150.

    Note that AGM require slightly different charging profiles than SLA, so the Model 3 may not optimize the lifetime of such an expensive battery (which should last longer than SLA, under optimal conditions).

    Also, the auto parts store searches don’t always seem to work correctly.

    Lots of discussion in this thread. Including auto parts store discussion.

    12v battery details from manufacturer

    It is a group 51R battery with SAE posts, and it is NOT an AGM, based on all available direct evidence (cost, manufacturer document).
    And it costs $85. Obviously you do not need to pay for labor if you do not want to; the replacement is straightforward.

    EBDD37A7-6B78-4A31-8E0D-007C8186F61D.png
     
    • Informative x 3
  12. Bucfan11

    Bucfan11 Member

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    I was asking mainly for those who do not live close to a service center and would need to go to the local walmart/auto parts store. I have not found a 51R Marine battery which is basically what Tesla uses. A marine battery is designed for deep discharge, a auto battery is not and would quickly fail.
     
  13. grmdl3

    grmdl3 Member

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    Is there reason to believe that the stock 12V battery faces regular deep discharge? I thought the system was kind of designed to prevent that.
     
  14. AlanSubie4Life

    AlanSubie4Life Efficiency Obsessed Member

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    Looks to me like it's not more than about 12Ah. Based on perhaps 24 hours at most at 0.5A at the very longest between sleep/wake cycles. That would be about 25% DoD.

    I don't know anything about marine batteries and why they are better than normal batteries. If they're AGM, it wouldn't be relevant, since the Model 3 battery is not apparently AGM.

    Anyway the other thread I linked has a lot of options, some of which appear to work, for those not near a service center. People should just keep in mind that these options are more than twice as expensive than the stock battery and if it's AGM (I haven't seen any that aren't) the charging profile probably won't be right (I have no idea how sensitive AGM is to an SLA profile).
     
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  15. grmdl3

    grmdl3 Member

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    I don't think it's necessarily "marine" that you'd be looking for if deep cycles are the risk. There are deep cycle batteries that aren't marine rated.

    Ohmmu is often cited here as a worthwhile replacement, but I imagine you've seen those threads. If not, search for that term.
     
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  16. AlanSubie4Life

    AlanSubie4Life Efficiency Obsessed Member

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    #16 AlanSubie4Life, Oct 30, 2020
    Last edited: Oct 30, 2020
    Yeah. Just seems like a lot of money, since you can buy 5 Tesla OEM batteries for the price of that battery (assuming you're within range of a service center of course). It seems like even if you pre-emptively replaced your Tesla battery every two years you'd end up winning.

    The other thing that is weird is I haven't been able to find the capacity of the Ohmmu battery anywhere. It is lighter, which I guess is good if you're drag racing.
     
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  17. P3dStealth

    P3dStealth Member

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    I've said this before and nobody believed me when I said the oem battery is only $85. Thanks for posting the cost sheet.

    It makes more sense to just keep an OEM spare or 5.
     
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  18. Rottenapplr

    Rottenapplr Member

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    Is there a time frame/mileage when tesla 12v battery fail? A failing 12v battery on a tesla is more inconvenient than a regular ICE car. It would seem to be smart preventative maintenance.
     
  19. P3dStealth

    P3dStealth Member

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    Seems like most people have it happen around 2 years. I might just keep a spare in my garage.
     
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  20. Rottenapplr

    Rottenapplr Member

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    I just hit 1 1/2 years.
     
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