Low Voltage battery replacement

[P100D_Me]

Hi Everyone,

My 2017 Model-S put up the 'Low Voltage Battery warning' tonight so it looks like I'm going to need that replaced.
I don't want to have it done at Tesla because this will be out of warranty and I imagine will cost a bomb (and I'll have to wait a while to get in and time is not on my side with this fault). I'm ok working on cars and the YouTube videos I've watched it is pretty straight forward so I'm fine to do it myself.

My question to everyone though is does anyone know of a good auto parts store that might stock a suitable replacement?

Unfortunately I am not in the RACV otherwise I'd just call them out to do it.

Thanks.

 

[BCTS]

Tesla will sell you the battery… it’s actually pretty reasonably priced when I bought one… around $200.

Any other solution tends to mean bodying the mounting hardware etc….

 

[meloccom]

In August I paid just over $300 for Tesla to supply and replace my 12V battery in my driveway. Part of the process involved using the Tesla Toolkit program to change the type of battery installed In the car’s software. For the sake of $100 I would get Tesla to do it.

 

[P100D_Me]

Thank you, I'd be more than happy to have it done for $300.
I've started the service process with them via the app but I couldn't book in a mobile service call, I've scheduled it with a (not so) local service center in the hope I can actually message someone to say I'd like the driveway service instead.

Edit: I just got an Email saying at home appointment is booked for about 10 days away, hope the battery holds out until then. And they will do the bonnet latch recall / check as well at the same time.

 

[Onshore]

Hi Everyone,

My 2017 Model-S put up the 'Low Voltage Battery warning' tonight so it looks like I'm going to need that replaced.
I don't want to have it done at Tesla because this will be out of warranty and I imagine will cost a bomb (and I'll have to wait a while to get in and

Tesla actually has quite reasonable pricing for 12V battery replacement, including supply and install.

Check out what BMW charges!

 

[PC__LoadLetter]

Tesla charged me $117.68 for the replacement battery on my 1/2020 SR+, plus $27 in labour, when I needed a new 12V battery in July. Add GST and you get $159.14. To say I was out of warranty is an understatement - my odometer at the time was 172,710km!

 

[Maximillan]

$300 installed is very cheap, not far off what you'd pay for decent quality stop start car battery, and

Tesla charged me $117.68 for the replacement battery on my 1/2020 SR+, plus $27 in labour, when I needed a new 12V battery in July. Add GST and you get $159.14. To say I was out of warranty is an understatement - my odometer at the time was 172,710km!

I can't imagine that I'd walk out of Battery World with an installed replacement car battery for less than $159.14.

 

[Vostok]

What about Li-Ion replacements? What are the pros/cons?

 

[doggy1]

What about Li-Ion replacements? What are the pros/cons?

Firstly, you would go for LFP rather than Li-Ion.
The key issue will be the battery BMS. It will disconnect the charge if a cell goes high (which WILL likely happen when the battery is fully charged and the DC-DC converter is still feeding it.) If you were really lucky and the DC-DC converter voltage never exceeded 14.4V AND the balancing was good so all cells were close then this might not happen. However, if charge is disconnected you would want to be happy that the DC-DC converter would behave with essentially no battery to "ballast" it, just any active 12V loads.
Given I think the DC-DC converter is a Buck converter, suddenly disconnecting the battery (by BMS) might be okay. But If it was me, I'd be wanting to hear someone else had done it successfully without anything blowing up.
As it happens, at the moment, I am fitting LFPs to my boat to replace a big AGM bank. Because i do not want the BMS to suddenly disconnect the battery when I least expect it, I am having to modify my engine alternator regulator plus two MPPT solar controllers to "talk" with the BMS and to throttle back and stop charging before the BMS does it for me. So the battery BMS is simply a fallback if something else fails.
It's a pity Tesla did not use LFP starting some years ago and integrate it properly. Would have been a big winner and make 12V auxiliary battery very long lived.

 

[cafz]

Firstly, you would go for LFP rather than Li-Ion.

LFP is a Lithium-ion chemistry.

 

[doggy1]

It's a peripheral answer to Vostok's question. Whereas I would not put a lithium battery into a Tesla which has lead-acid, if I could find one that fitted with okay specs, I WOULD be prepared to put in an AGM. I did precisely that with my Zoe over a year ago when the lead acid battery (which was a cranking battery) started to consume over 1% SOC per day (normally Zoe is 1-2% per month "vampire drain"). I found one that fitted physically, had about the same CCA and was higher amp-hours. I checked the DC-DC converter to make sure it was not too high voltage. The AGM has much less parasitic loss, higher charging and discharge efficiency, higher tolerable DOD (depth of discharge). They do not like heat so I would not put one near a petrol or diesel engine but an EV should be fine.

For the Zoe, the cost was about 40% higher; the weight was higher by about 6kg and the results over the past 14months have been excellent. Ultra low "vampire drain" and trouble free. I'm hoping for 8-10yrs life. Others in the UK and France have done the same and are into 5 years now and going well. AGMs I have installed in two of my boats have given me 11 and 13yrs respectively. We'll see. I suspect the hard part will be finding a form factor that fits.

For the Zoe battery, I found a couple from Europe that would physically fit but then had to troll through Australian companies until I finally found what I needed and then the Battery World Company obtained what I want. In that case, they said the market was largely petrol cars that start-stop-restart at every traffic light or stop sign.

 

[P100D_Me]

Tesla actually has quite reasonable pricing for 12V battery replacement, including supply and install.

Check out what BMW charges!

Yeah all things considered to have the battery replaced in my driveway just over $300 is surprising.
As for BMW, I have owned one before. I never needed the battery changed but the pain of the brake costs (multiple times) was enough to convince me to never consider another one.

 

[P100D_Me]

Just to close this one out, Tesla came out and replaced the battery with an AGM type, P/N 1480221-00-A = $232.
It also involved 'Vehicle configuration update' for the different battery type.
Great service, can't complain.

 

[Onshore]

Thanks for reporting back. Always good when an OP closes off the loop with some real world data.

 

[doggy1]

Just to close this one out, Tesla came out and replaced the battery with an AGM type, P/N 1480221-00-A = $232.
It also involved 'Vehicle configuration update' for the different battery type.
Great service, can't complain.

Excellent they gave you an AGM and updated the config (probably a fine tune of the voltage set points for bulk/absorb/float). I would expect it to last a lot longer than a normal SLA. Based on my cost for the AGM for my Zoe, that is a very good price you were charged

 

[Brissienew]

I got mine replaced by Tesla free of charge. There is one negative though, my boot lid trim is now loose. I think the tel he technician broke the trim clip.

 

[Vostok]

There is one negative though, my boot lid trim is now loose. I think the tel he technician broke the trim clip.

Two of my frunk trim clips broke for no reason (actually I think the trim is slightly misshapen and places extra stress on the clips) and Tesla replaced them FoC when I took it in for its 2 year service.

If the tech broke it, Tesla should definitely replace them for you. Put in a service request.

 

[comm3000]

$241 Mobile tech, replace battery with 2nd gen AGM in about 15 min. GA USA

 

[PC__LoadLetter]

GA USA

Irrelevant.

 

[Tasdoc]

Thursday night the car showed a message that low voltage battery needs to be replaced. Requested service through Tesla app straight away, the request was reviewed within an hour and mobile service booked for the following morning.

Next morning had another message for quote approval. Tesla technician arrived at ~10am, took about 30mins. Paid $344 through the app as quoted. 2017 Model S 75D in Melbourne. First time low voltage battery replacement