Model S Technical / Mechanical Issues

[stephenpace]

3) My screen shows 19inch wheels while my car has 21 inch wheels - this was fixed by Nick.

Just curious, did Nick say how he fixed that? And do you have v4 firmware? I have the opposite problem--mine show 21" wheels and not 19". Using the dev menus my Ranger attempted to fix that, but even changing the option didn't update the display when you exited the dev menus. I'm wondering if this was fixed in later firmwares (e.g. Rangers can now fix this). My Ranger said that he thought that they locked a few of these settings at the factory and that Rangers were not able to override them, but I'm wondering if that functionality was just broken in earlier versions.

 

[Mike_Schlechter]

UPDATE.. They just called and we have a date set for 4pm today.

I sure hope things have been sorted!

 

[Doug_G]

Nit-pick: it's "same leg". With rare exception, home services are center-tapped, single-phase.

They're 180 degrees out of phase, right?

 

[MikeK]

Since I have the same issue, can you please either take a picture or describe exactly where you found this extra sealant?

Same here! Now that the wind deflector is fixed, I'm noticing this issue. I cycled the roof a few times when I picked the car up from service and it didn't do this, but it's happening today...

 

[steve841]

Here's the final verdict with bonus features....

Bad 12v Battery (bad or just dead) ..... Still no 4.0 in case anyone at Tesla is reading.

Now for the bonus, the bad 12v allowed me to unlatch the rear hatch which, after getting the new battery, refused to activate and re-latch. Techs had to tear apart the rear trim and get to the latch assembly and trip something that let it start working again.

Now for the worst site to witness short of a dent or an accident ....

 

[Zextraterrestrial]

Every time I get in the car I either get this message or the one about the washer fluid. Really annoying. My car has horrible body panel gap issues too. I can't believe that they're delivering brand new cars with these kind of issues. Many of my friends have changed their mind about getting a Model S now. Sad.

My body panel gaps are all perfect and the chrome is aligned very well. The gaps are not the tightest I've seen but they are all very equal. I was actually pretty impressed with the panel alignments when I washed my car and was looking really closely at it

 

[FlasherZ]

Relative to neutral, yes, the amplitude of leg 1 and leg 2 are opposite each other. However, that doesn't make them multiple-phase.

 

[Todd Burch]

Every time I get in the car I either get this message or the one about the washer fluid. Really annoying. My car has horrible body panel gap issues too. I can't believe that they're delivering brand new cars with these kind of issues. Many of my friends have changed their mind about getting a Model S now. Sad.

William, can't you have Tesla realign those panels that are off as part of the warranty?

 

[wycolo]

> Nit-pick: it's "same leg". With rare exception, home services are center-tapped, single-phase. [FlasherZ]

I'm guessing he meant to type: it's same "leg", i.e. "leg" clearer than "phase".

center-tapped, single-phase (well said!!)
--

 

[strider]

Here's the final verdict with bonus features....

Bad 12v Battery (bad or just dead) .....

Steve,

So did they replace your 12V battery or just charge it? If they replaced it did you watch them? How did they get to it?

 

[steve841]

They replaced the battery.

I didnt actually watch as it was too traumatic for my month old car.

But, I can say (being a minor mechanic) it looked like the 12v placement was an afterthought. They were contorting regularly to get to it and take it out...

One interesting thing ... Removed by request ....

 

[stevezzzz]

Yesterday my S developed a variant of the previously reported sunroof opening glitch. Since I've had my car for 2-1/2 months and this was the first time I'd opened the sunroof since installing 4.0, I assumed at first it was a software 'feature'. Here's the rundown:

1. Dragged down on the graphic in the Sunroof page on the touch screen: the sunroof panel popped up and stopped. After I released my finger from the screen the graphic returned to showing the sunroof as closed.

2. Dragged down on the graphic again: sunroof opened to the selected position and the graphic update appropriately. Dragged up on the graphic: sunroof closed normally.

3. Repeat 1. and 2.: same behavior.

4. Called Ownership and described behavior. Tesla rep at first claimed it was a new feature of 4.0 and said he thought it was kind of 'abrupt' the way it now worked. Asked me to try using the slider control instead of dragging down on the graphic. Same behavior: sunroof pops up and stops; slider graphic returns to 'Closed' indication. Second swipe opens the sunroof to selected position.

5. I notice that on the initial attempt the sunroof pops up, but only part way to the 'Vent' position. Coupled with the 'Closed' indication, I argue that it can't be a feature, but must be a glitch: Ownership rep agrees to write it up.

6. After several more experiments where it takes two attempts to open the sunroof, suddenly it starts working as it always has up to yesterday: one swipe, and the sunroof opens to the selected position with appropriate indications on the touch screen. Since then I've tried it half a dozen times over several hours: the anomalous behavior of 1. and 2. hasn't recurred.

So I take away from this that while there may have been a software change with 4.0 that affects sunroof behavior, it's not necessarily intentional and it certainly isn't consistent. BTW, the rep told me that there will be a 4.1 rev coming out in the next few weeks. He also responded to my queries about the smartphone app by saying that the ball is in the App Store's court: the iPhone version, at least, is released and awaiting Apple's approval.

 

[dflye]

One interesting thing ... I watched them play in the developer screen. There are a myriad of options hidden in there for options like crash avoidance, front camera, ultrasonic sensor, and many other things that may signal future options.

I could definitely make good use of a front camera, the S is huge compared to the little Saab 9-2x Aero I used to drive, only a matter of time until I mash up the nosecone I'm afraid! Although likely a race to see if I get curb rash first. A bit over 2k miles on the odometer so far, a lot of it freeway driving, so still "parking challenged" to say the least. :tongue:

 

[dsm363]

My pano roof wouldn't open after the 4.0 update (one version of it at least) but they were able to remote in and recalibrate and it is working again.

 

[stevezzzz]

They replaced the battery.

I didnt actually watch as it was too traumatic for my month old car.

But, I can say (being a minor mechanic) it looked like the 12v placement was an afterthought. They were contorting regularly to get to it and take it out...

One interesting thing ... I watched them play in the developer screen. There are a myriad of options hidden in there for options like crash avoidance, front camera, ultrasonic sensor, and many other things that may signal future options.

I had the exact same thing happen with my Roadster a couple of years ago: came out to the car after a doctor's appointment and found it dead, dead, dead. The towtruck driver had to skid the R onto his flatbed. At the service center they determined the 12V battery needed replacing.

At the time, I thought it odd that a 12V battery could suddenly fail like that, with no warning of any kind from the car. I still think it's an engineering miss, in a system that depends so heavily on 12V to function at any level, that the car apparently doesn't monitor the health of the 12V battery.

- - - Updated - - -

My body panel gaps are all perfect and the chrome is aligned very well. The gaps are not the tightest I've seen but they are all very equal. I was actually pretty impressed with the panel alignments when I washed my car and was looking really closely at it

Ditto.

 

[FlasherZ]

When I open the pano roof, I don't touch-and-drag because I didn't like the user interface behavior (what some of you are seeing). Instead, I just tap the slider somewhere near where I want to open it, and the default positions (closed, vent, 80%, 100%) are all handled fairly well.

 

[kishdude]

Yesterday my S developed a variant of the previously reported sunroof opening glitch. Since I've had my car for 2-1/2 months and this was the first time I'd opened the sunroof since installing 4.0, I assumed at first it was a software 'feature'. Here's the rundown:

1. Dragged down on the graphic in the Sunroof page on the touch screen: the sunroof panel popped up and stopped. After I released my finger from the screen the graphic returned to showing the sunroof as closed.

2. Dragged down on the graphic again: sunroof opened to the selected position and the graphic update appropriately. Dragged up on the graphic: sunroof closed normally.

3. Repeat 1. and 2.: same behavior.

4. Called Ownership and described behavior. Tesla rep at first claimed it was a new feature of 4.0 and said he thought it was kind of 'abrupt' the way it now worked. Asked me to try using the slider control instead of dragging down on the graphic. Same behavior: sunroof pops up and stops; slider graphic returns to 'Closed' indication. Second swipe opens the sunroof to selected position.

5. I notice that on the initial attempt the sunroof pops up, but only part way to the 'Vent' position. Coupled with the 'Closed' indication, I argue that it can't be a feature, but must be a glitch: Ownership rep agrees to write it up.

6. After several more experiments where it takes two attempts to open the sunroof, suddenly it starts working as it always has up to yesterday: one swipe, and the sunroof opens to the selected position with appropriate indications on the touch screen. Since then I've tried it half a dozen times over several hours: the anomalous behavior of 1. and 2. hasn't recurred.

So I take away from this that while there may have been a software change with 4.0 that affects sunroof behavior, it's not necessarily intentional and it certainly isn't consistent. BTW, the rep told me that there will be a 4.1 rev coming out in the next few weeks. He also responded to my queries about the smartphone app by saying that the ball is in the App Store's court: the iPhone version, at least, is released and awaiting Apple's approval.

I have/had this exact same issue with my newly delivered Model S. The Tesla ranger came and took a look at it and it is definitely not an intended behavior. What is happening is that when the roof is going past the vented position to the open position, there is an increase in force needed for the roof to get over this position. The motor has a safety mechanism that causes it to stop when it reaches what it perceives as an obstruction. Somehow the force required to "get over this hump" is being perceived as an obstruction and the roof is stopping in the vented position. This for my roof was aggravated by some excess sealant near the track that the roof was bumping against. After removing the excess sealant, the roof moves without stopping at the vent position most of the time. There are still some times when it stops at vented and I have to do a second request for it to open fully. I think that they need to decrease the sensitivity of the obstruction sensing especially for opening since it is not quite as much of a problem as closing. I'll post some pictures of where I found the sealant later.

- - - Updated - - -

Just curious, did Nick say how he fixed that? And do you have v4 firmware? I have the opposite problem--mine show 21" wheels and not 19". Using the dev menus my Ranger attempted to fix that, but even changing the option didn't update the display when you exited the dev menus. I'm wondering if this was fixed in later firmwares (e.g. Rangers can now fix this). My Ranger said that he thought that they locked a few of these settings at the factory and that Rangers were not able to override them, but I'm wondering if that functionality was just broken in earlier versions.

He had to get into the "password protected" area and change some setting. I had to turn around when he entered the password. I do have the latest 4.0 software.

 

[Sparrow]

So are they replacing everyone's 12 volt battery? I got an email that said they have ordered one for me. I haven't had any issues with it and the ranger just said he was contacted by Tesla to get it swapped out.

 

[Zythryn]

...
At the time, I thought it odd that a 12V battery could suddenly fail like that, with no warning of any kind from the car. I still think it's an engineering miss, in a system that depends so heavily on 12V to function at any level, that the car apparently doesn't monitor the health of the 12V battery.

The Model S does monitor the health of the 12v.
Now, I don't know why Steve didn't get a low voltage warning before the 12v died, and it may be that the reporting needs to be tweaked. But I can tell you for a fact that there is at least one case of the 12v getting low, and the Model S flashing up an alert message to have it replaced/serviced, as it happened to me.

As for the placement, the position is elegant, but the earlier poster is correct in that it isn't simple to get to. I got to see them take out the cover to the frunk. The packaging of the 'guts' of the car is amazingly well done to my non engineering point of view.

 

[DrComputer]

Yesterday my S developed a variant of the previously reported sunroof opening glitch. Since I've had my car for 2-1/2 months and this was the first time I'd opened the sunroof since installing 4.0, I assumed at first it was a software 'feature'. Here's the rundown:

1. Dragged down on the graphic in the Sunroof page on the touch screen: the sunroof panel popped up and stopped. After I released my finger from the screen the graphic returned to showing the sunroof as closed.

2. Dragged down on the graphic again: sunroof opened to the selected position and the graphic update appropriately. Dragged up on the graphic: sunroof closed normally.

3. Repeat 1. and 2.: same behavior.

4. Called Ownership and described behavior. Tesla rep at first claimed it was a new feature of 4.0 and said he thought it was kind of 'abrupt' the way it now worked. Asked me to try using the slider control instead of dragging down on the graphic. Same behavior: sunroof pops up and stops; slider graphic returns to 'Closed' indication. Second swipe opens the sunroof to selected position.

5. I notice that on the initial attempt the sunroof pops up, but only part way to the 'Vent' position. Coupled with the 'Closed' indication, I argue that it can't be a feature, but must be a glitch: Ownership rep agrees to write it up.

6. After several more experiments where it takes two attempts to open the sunroof, suddenly it starts working as it always has up to yesterday: one swipe, and the sunroof opens to the selected position with appropriate indications on the touch screen. Since then I've tried it half a dozen times over several hours: the anomalous behavior of 1. and 2. hasn't recurred.

So I take away from this that while there may have been a software change with 4.0 that affects sunroof behavior, it's not necessarily intentional and it certainly isn't consistent. BTW, the rep told me that there will be a 4.1 rev coming out in the next few weeks. He also responded to my queries about the smartphone app by saying that the ball is in the App Store's court: the iPhone version, at least, is released and awaiting Apple's approval.

I too have had the exact same issue. I saw that someone on here posted that service found some extra sealant was causing the problem so I went out to the car last night to look for where the sealant could be. When I opened the sunroof the first time it stopped like you described, and then I continued to open it further by pressing the slider again. I searched for extra sealant but couldn't find anything. I closed the sunroof and opened it again. It repeated the stopping problem. But on subsequent times it opened and closed normally. I must have opened and closed it 15 more times and it worked perfectly every time.

So, I'm not sure if it is just a calibration problem or maybe there is some resistance with some hidden sealant that got worked out when I opened and closed it many times. I'm going to go try it again this morning now that it has been sitting untouched for 10 hours.