Looking for roadster guru in San Rafael area!

[Rotarypower]

So, looks like I'm making a quick trip to SFO and San Rafael, CA this weekend to look at a roadster for sale. Looks like Saturday would be the day I will get to see the car. Was wondering if anyone in the area that has a good working knowledge of roadsters would be willing to check out the car with me? Not looking for a crowd, just one person who would consider themself as extremely knowledgeable about the workings of the car, obviously, prefer an owner. Thanks!

Patrick

 

[Roadster]

Fingers crossed for you with #1345, @Rotarypower! Why not take it to the San Rafael SC and have Tesla perform the PPI for you? They'll also be able to review the past service records and properly check the health of the ESS. $$$ well spent, IMHO. They're open Sat from 9am - 5pm but I'd suggest calling them first thing this morning to see if they have any availability to squeeze in the inspection. Let them know you're flying in to town from out of state for this car so hopefully they can accommodate you.

That's a beautiful part of the state you're heading to, BTW. Should make for a gorgeous test drive! Best of luck!

 

[Rotarypower]

Thanks for the suggestion @Roadster, it's a great point. Didn't realize they had a service center in San Rafael and that it would be open on Saturday. I am at the mercy of the owner, on a holiday weekend, but we will see if that is a possibility.

 

[DeedWest]

I second the well-informed @Roadster on those topics. That would absolutely be worth the money and peace of mind if you can schedule something for Saturday. Best of luck!

 

[bonnie]

Thanks for the suggestion @Roadster, it's a great point. Didn't realize they had a service center in San Rafael and that it would be open on Saturday. I am at the mercy of the owner, on a holiday weekend, but we will see if that is a possibility.

Even if they can't do it on Saturday, the owner may be willing to take it over there next week and you could pay remotely.

 

[Roadster]

Hey Patrick, how'd it go today? Were you able to join the ranks of the Roadsterati?

 

[Rotarypower]

So, what a strange trip it's been. Thanks to my airline, I got rerouted ( mech. issue on orig. flight) from Raleigh to Miami, yes, wrong way, then from Miami to San Francisco. That was one of the worst flights in a long time, made it in about 2am. Checked out the car in San Rafael on Saturday. Car certainly is stunning, kinda took my breath first time I saw her (that may not be PC but the car is beautiful)! So, turns out the broker had already put her in the Service Center and had everything checked out just a few weeks ago. There were some things that needed attention. 12V battery replaced, coolant flush, brake fluid replaced, cleaned condenser, new rear tires, new wiper, cleaned megapode heat sinks, cleaned PEM fan, updated firmware, replaced instrument cluster (Canadian km/hr to US miles/hr), replaced HV battery service plug, plus all the other inspections. They had inspected the TPMS, and thought it was ok. Luckily, during my test drive, it faulted out. So, the car is already back at the SC to get this taken care of. I'm aware this will keep returning as an issue, but at least it will be taken care of in the short term. As with any car, there were issues that I found and were already disclosed, so I can live with these. Overall, it's a beutiful car, and I think a rare combination of the color and options, with the full carbon inside and out, I could not resist making an offer. After going back and forth, we agreed on price and shook hands on the deal! Very Orange here I come!

Oh, and the CAC is 151.79Ah.

@DeedWest was a big help, so huge kudos to him, as he let me text and call him during his holiday weekend (thank you Thomas)!

So, a few questions for the masses.....

Car was originally a Canadian spec car. Other than the instrument cluster that has already been taken care of, are there any other changes to the car that are required? I didn't ask about any paperwork when the car was brought into the states, is there anything I should be concerned about here? Do Canadian cars get special consideration from all the US import requirements?

Car will be shipped in an enclosed carrier. What precautions should be taken to ensure battery isn't allowed to drain? Should it be range charged, or just standard charge? Estimate 7-10 days to go from California to North Carolina.

 

[Rotarypower]

Oh, by the way, the trip (once here) was great! Gonna get my dream car, celebrated by walking the Golden Gate Bridge into the city (on its 80th birthday, by the way), and ate tacos at Tacolicious on Chestnut St......wow, those were some great tacos!

 

[DeedWest]

@Rotarypower - it was an absolute pleasure to help you acquire such a beautiful car. Congratulations, once again!

Others may have had different experiences, but the four times I've had my Roadsters shipped (they took 4-8 days), the cars lost as little as 3 miles, and as many as 11 miles. That being said, a Standard Charge should be well over enough needed to get the car to you safely in North Carolina.

 

[pharma5]

Car will be shipped in an enclosed carrier. What precautions should be taken to ensure battery isn't allowed to drain? Should it be range charged, or just standard charge? Estimate 7-10 days to go from California to North Carolina.

Congrats on your pickup!

Just a standard charge - 7-10 days is not a long time unplugged.
Also, leaving the car range-charged for that duration is more stressful to the battery...often ppl range charge shortly before driving and using the extra juice.

Good luck and enjoy!

 

[redan]

@Rotarypower - it was an absolute pleasure to help you acquire such a beautiful car. Congratulations, once again!

Others may have had different experiences, but the four times I've had my Roadsters shipped (they took 4-8 days), the cars lost as little as 3 miles, and as many as 11 miles. That being said, a Standard Charge should be well over enough needed to get the car to you safely in North Carolina.

Congratulations!

I'll jump in and second both points.

First, Thomas is an invaluable member of the community who was entirely instrumental in assisting me with my purchase of 728.

Second, standard charge is fine. Vampire drain on Roadsters is tiny. I was worried about shipping 728 as it was only about 50% charged when shipped, yet it only lost a handful of miles coming from Dallas.

 

[Roadster]

@DeedWest was a big help, so huge kudos to him, as he let me text and call him during his holiday weekend (thank you Thomas)!

Thomas is arguably one of the most, if not the most, thoughtful Roadster enthusiasts you'll ever meet. His evangelism, devotion, and love of these cars is contagious as I'm sure you've found from your conversations with him!

I didn't ask about any paperwork when the car was brought into the states, is there anything I should be concerned about here?

Did it have CA plates and current tags when you inspected it at the dealership? If so, whomever commissioned the original import to the U.S. seems to have done the legwork and provided the correct customs forms and supporting documents already since the CA DMV registered it. However, if you have any lingering suspicions or concerns, definitely talk to the dealer and get assurances in writing before signing over the final funds. Regardless, it would be good to have a copy of those docs in case the NC DMV flags your VIN; which should have a "6" in the sixth position denoting Region = Canada. It's also good to have for the overall provenance of the vehicle when the time comes to sell her again.

 

[Rotarypower]

Hi @Roadster, it's a California car now, so not sure about the Florida info you mention? Can you elaborate?

 

[Roadster]

Whoops, my bad. Meant CA DMV (edited the original post). Basically, it's in the U.S. so it seems like it made it back across the border somehow. Assuming it has current CA plates/tags, I'd assume you're good since CA DMV is very particular about reviewing and inspecting imported vehicles; not to mention even out-of-state cars due to our strict emissions regulations. However, it would be prudent to triple check with the NC DMV to see what their requirements are for out-of-state registration before finalizing things. Anyway, congrats and more pictures please!