M3 Gone Wrong

[plisken]

I think it may be time to apply some pressure.

Definitely...

and coming from a car manufacturer that had supply issues (waited 2 months on an alarm module for my current car), I'm not so sure I want a repeat with Tesla.

M3s are being shipped without certain features, like the inductive phone charging pads. Tesla have said they will be fitted when available.

I bought a new television yesterday which doesn't have a power supply, they said it will be fitted when available

 

[Peter 224]

Well... not a good day today.
Drove up to Huntingson, great drive despite starting at 6am....
When I came to leave at about 2pm the e-call and sat-nav crashed, as previously.
Returning home without satnav from somewhere I don't know well wasn't fun, the mobile phone on its charging platform with Google Maps running isn't ideal....
As darkness fell I began to discover the full horror of the situation...

No e-Call
No Sat Nav, the car doesn’t know where it is.
No Cameras anywhere, so:

No TACC or any other aids, including automatic obstacle avoidance​

No Speed limit display​

No parking guidance,​

No Cruise control function,​

No Auto wipers,​

No Auto main beam/dip,​

No Rear-view mirror dip, inside and out.​

No Auto dimming of display,​

No Display switch from day to night colours.​

​

Fortunately I got home before full darkness, as it is I consider the car to be unsafe in the dark on modern roads.
I have a Ranger coming tomorrow morning (Well Done Tesla Winchester) to do a 12V re-set. 50/50 chance of success.
This has been going on since 5 October. Tesla has informed me that they "hope" to have a new Car Computer to fit by Feb 2022. This isn't good enough.
If the 12V re-set fails then I'll take the Car to Winchester and demand a loan car as the car, as it is, is not fit for purpose.
If they refuse I will take advice on rejecting it.

A brilliant car let down by parts availability.

 

[GtiMart]

So, like a pre-2000 car like we still see on the road and which are "safe" enough? I'm half joking but seriously, the car still works. The only dangerous thing would be a bright white screen directed to your eyes...but that can be fixed manually by setting it black I think instead of auto.

To be clear, I hope your issue gets solved in a timely manner, but the car works.

 

[Neilda]

It would be easy to lose faith in a Tesla being reliable if functions start failing one by one..... I really would not want to be stuck with a dead Tesla somewhere. Hopefully this can be resolved and Winchester can get you into a loaner. Maybe they even read these boards?

 

[Peter 224]

It would be easy to lose faith in a Tesla being reliable if functions start failing one by one..... I really would not want to be stuck with a dead Tesla somewhere. Hopefully this can be resolved and Winchester can get you into a loaner. Maybe they even read these boards?

All the issues are consequential of issues with the main processor board, so once that is fixed the issues should disappear. Reading between the lines it seems that there can be a hardware/software problem, where the processor locks up, rather like the early versions of Windows where ALT-CONTROL-DEL was a regular means of unfreezing the computer.
I think that the Ranger Technician will do a version of such a procedure, I'll be watching so I can replicate the procedure, if needed.

I also wonder if the delay in supplying a new board is because Tesla has had to make "improvements" to the board to properly solve he problem.

 

[Peter 224]

It would be easy to lose faith in a Tesla being reliable if functions start failing one by one..... I really would not want to be stuck with a dead Tesla somewhere. Hopefully this can be resolved and Winchester can get you into a loaner. Maybe they even read these boards?

I'm not losing faith, it is intrinsically a stunning car.
You are right, the car is perfectly usable (just like my Morgan) I just need to set the screen to "night mode" and buy a screen holder for my phone so I have sat nav!!

 

[Peter 224]

The Ranger Technician was unable to solve the issue, so I now have to sit and wait for a new part, probably mid January.
Nice young man, driving a Model S90 premium, 110,000 miles and no issues. Real world 220 mile range.
I like the leather inside.....

 

[Kietrax]

Parts shortage in China… that old excuse. Point out Tesla are building a million cars a year, they have parts, they just prefer to put them in new car builds.

Been waiting for a new car computer since early August and getting more frequent eCall/camera/nav failures (now it's colder maybe?) - if it is really going to be February before spares are available that'll be over 6 months broken, 2 months working for my M3LR - really, really poor customer service when, as you point out, Tesla will have built many 100's of thousands of new cars in that time so it's not that the parts are unavailable, they just don't care once they have your money!

 

[Peter 224]

Been waiting for a new car computer since early August and getting more frequent eCall/camera/nav failures (now it's colder maybe?) - if it is really going to be February before spares are available that'll be over 6 months broken, 2 months working for my M3LR - really, really poor customer service when, as you point out, Tesla will have built many 100's of thousands of new cars in that time so it's not that the parts are unavailable, they just don't care once they have your money!

Interesting that your car has intermittent faults, mine is just dead and this time has been so since Monday. Back in October it was a partial fail, and all activities recovered over a few days. This time is is resolutely dead and I'll be avoiding driving it after dark.

 

[MrBadger]

From personal experience, can I advise temporarily not using pin to drive and parking the vehicle in a location that can be easily recovered by a large recovery truck and/or relatively flat area that motorised wheel dollies can be used - ie not a multi storey car park.

 

[Peter 224]

Well, what a surprise this morning, the car is functioning normally!
For how long?
Has Tesla stealthily sent a patch over the ether?
I'm booked in to the Service centre in late January, fingers crossed until then!

 

[Katic1972]

Well, what a surprise this morning, the car is functioning normally!
For how long?
Has Tesla stealthily sent a patch over the ether?
I'm booked in to the Service centre in late January, fingers crossed until then!

To add weight to peters assertion above, mine too! I can now wake the car with the app successfully.

 

[Kietrax]

Interesting that your car has intermittent faults, mine is just dead and this time has been so since Monday. Back in October it was a partial fail, and all activities recovered over a few days. This time is is resolutely dead and I'll be avoiding driving it after dark.

Yeah - happened twice so far to mine over 2 weeks or so - both times "failed" overnight on Friday, stayed broken all day Saturday and into Sunday then started working again when I get in to drive it on Sunday afternoon. What I find "interesting" is that while it's in the "broken" state that car manages to sleep for hours at a time which it doesn't do when it's "working" so it confirms it's the car computer that runs cameras, nav etc that is stopping it sleeping.
Mine is booked in for the latest thing at the end of December but given what you have been told about spares availability I expect that'll get pushed back, again as I can't see how the 2 behaviours are not linked by a single faulty module.

 

[Peter 224]

Well, it was too good to be true....
e-call requires service warning appeared twice today, but corrected itself.
What's next?

 

[Katic1972]

Well, it was too good to be true....
e-call requires service warning appeared twice today, but corrected itself.
What's next?

Eeek not good news, I was about to cancel my SC visit 21/12 as my issue seems to mainly have resolved itself since early on 14/12.

 

[Peter 224]

I'd keep the SC appointment!

 

[Durzel]

Been waiting for a new car computer since early August and getting more frequent eCall/camera/nav failures (now it's colder maybe?) - if it is really going to be February before spares are available that'll be over 6 months broken, 2 months working for my M3LR - really, really poor customer service when, as you point out, Tesla will have built many 100's of thousands of new cars in that time so it's not that the parts are unavailable, they just don't care once they have your money!

How is it that it takes you and @Peter 224 several months to get a car computer, but Tesla are delivering whole cars with these computers every 3 months at least?

 

[Peter 224]

Because that is the way of the auto industry.... they have our money.... repairing costs them money.

 

[Kietrax]

How is it that it takes you and @Peter 224 several months to get a car computer, but Tesla are delivering whole cars with these computers every 3 months at least?

Well what do you know - maybe they are reading this thread! Just had a new appointment arranged by Park Royal for Tuesday next week as "the parts are available and in stock" for my issue. Checked the estimate and the first item is definitely the Car Computer! Yay - happy Christmas to me (either a fixed car or a loaner for Christmas travels). Now to find out why they want to charge me £70 for the Sentry not recording anything issue, when it is most likely related to the car computer issue as it's the camera side of that that is not working right ...

 

[Peter 224]

And now the GOOD NEWS....
The team at Tesla Winchester has confirmed that my 12 Jan Appointment will take place and that the parts are available!!