Model S Technical / Mechanical Issues

[cinergi]

@Amped, @gg, @mep, @mknox -- check this out: My 12,500 service - Page 5

Sounds like the same issue. I know of others with the same issue (personally rode in their car) and the DU was replaced and all is well again. I suggest a service visit.

 

[mep]

Thanks cinergi. That is reassuring. At the next visit to the service center I will ask them to look into this issue.

 

[Duckjybe]

I agree with you there. Others have reported horrible fogging issues with the original vent, and so I'm torn. If I wait until I find out if I have problems, it may be too late. I had a few cold days in March when I got my car and was able to keep it under control by directing all air to the defroster and leaving the fan on high. But that was March, not January or February!

And the other thing that bugs me a little (and I now notice it on other makes of cars as well) is that the new vents are very noticeable as a reflection in the windshield on sunny days. The original clean grill's reflection is not as noticeable. However, I was having fogging issues last winter and the new vent corrected that. Its too bad they couldn't have made the original grill work but I do like a fog free windshield.

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I took my car to the local service center to have the tires changed. I noticed the S85 loaner was much quieter at freeway speeds - my car had a "humming" noise coming from the rear that noticeably increased between 65 MPH and 75 MPH. I thought it was tire/road noise, but mentioned it to the service center just in case. They drove it and concluded that it was noisier than it should be. Engineering sent a special instrument with which to record the sound in the back of the car, and after hearing the noise Tesla Engineering advised the service center to replace the "drive inverter". They have those in stock, oddly enough, and I should have my car back on Friday or Monday. They have to send it out for an alignment after replacing the drive inverter, as the entire rear end of the vehicle comes down and the alignment gets messed up.

My car was just over 2 weeks old when it went in to service on Monday with 600 miles. Service has been excellent, diagnosis of the issue was extremely fast and the service manager called me to ensure everything was proceeding to my satisfaction. He said there was nothing technically wrong with the drive inverter, but that it should be quieter. The defective part will be shipped back to the manufacturer for analysis and to determine how to prevent this from happening again.

Uh Oh, I just took mine in for a humming noise happening at about 103 km/h (about 65 mph) as well, plus a hatch alignment, creak in the right dash, and steering click (again). Apparently its been at the body shop all week and they haven't looked at the other things yet. Its a good thing they dropped off a P85+ loaner (that has no hum whatsoever and it corners like a dream!). Did anybody else get a loaner with 3G access because this one doesn't? I am missing slacker and showing off the big nav screen.

 

[efusco]

And the other thing that bugs me a little (and I now notice it on other makes of cars as well) is that the new vents are very noticeable as a reflection in the windshield on sunny days. The original clean grill's reflection is not as noticeable. However, I was having fogging issues last winter and the new vent corrected that. Its too bad they couldn't have made the original grill work but I do like a fog free windshield.

I've noticed that too, needs to be a more matte finish so they're not as reflective. Already toying with various ideas on how to dull them down a bit to reduce that reflection. Glad my windows won't fog as badly but it's unfortunate there wasn't a more elegant solution.

 

[ddruz]

Do polarized sunglasses help with the reflection of the vents? They have done so on my prior cars that had a strong reflection of the dash in the windshield.

 

[wycolo]

> Repeating "computers make our lives easier" over and over isn't nearly as satisfying as it should be.
Maybe I should try more cursing. [Newscutter]

_ should get a MAC _

[scurries back into woodwork]
--

 

[EKnight47]

Picked up my Model S last Thursday. Absolutely love it. However, I got in the car this morning, pressed the brake and the seat belt chime almost blew the doors off it was so loud and distorted (exaggerated a bit). Not only that, slacker was crackling like crazy and the parking sensor chime, phone ring and directionals are also all very loud and distorted. FM is totally fine and speakers sound great. Very strange. I called service center and they're looking into it, but curious if this has happened to anyone else. Thx

 

[EKnight47]

Picked up my Model S last Thursday. Absolutely love it. However, I got in the car this morning, pressed the brake and the seat belt chime almost blew the doors off it was so loud and distorted (exaggerated a bit). Not only that, slacker was crackling like crazy and the parking sensor chime, phone ring and directionals are also all very loud and distorted. FM is totally fine and speakers sound great. Very strange. I called service center and they're looking into it, but curious if this has happened to anyone else. Thx

FYI - dropped into my service center, they updated my car to the latest version (.05?) and that did the trick. All set. They had never seen this issue before though.

 

[AmpedRealtor]

All of my issues have been resolved and to my complete satisfaction. Primacy tires are on, vehicle has been aligned, all suspension bolts have been checked and no issues found (factory did great), new backup camera was installed and appears better than the first, Alcantara is perfect, front nose/lip replaced, and the most important of all... CAR HAS NO INVERTER OR MOTOR NOISE!

I have received top notch service from all the folks at Tesla's Phoenix service center. My special thanks go to Nicholas, the service manager, who took personal charge of my vehicle and saw it through all the various stages. Tim Boado, my service advisor, kept me apprised of the vehicle on a daily basis either by phone or via email. I have never had such a pleasurable service experience in my life, ever, with any other vehicle manufacturer. Tesla's service showed exemplary attention to detail and a great concern for making sure the vehicle was as close to perfect as possible. One additional item was performed, something having to do with the rear driver side window regulator.

The car is current on all service bulletins and I could not have asked for a better experience. I was so happy, in fact, that I brought the guys and gals a dozen donuts from a local shop near my house that makes fresh, fluffy and yummy delights!

MY TESLA GRIN IS BACK!

This is how happy I am... I received two bits of bad news on a couple of my real estate transactions today and I couldn't have cared less! Anything could happen to me today and I would still be smiling, happy and in a state of utter bliss. I've been smiling all day...

 

[bareyb]

Glad to hear it all worked out AR. Makes me feel good every time I read a story like this.

 

[nlc]

and the most important of all... CAR HAS NO INVERTER OR MOTOR NOISE!

Did you had explanations about this curious problem !? Because I don't understand how inverter can do a "humm" noice, getting worse time after time. Maybe it's not really an inverter problem but rather a powertrain/gearbox mechanical problem !?

 

[AmpedRealtor]

Did you had explanations about this curious problem !? Because I don't understand how inverter can do a "humm" noice, getting worse time after time. Maybe it's not really an inverter problem but rather a powertrain/gearbox mechanical problem !?

I'm not sure what you are referring to. I had a loud, low frequency hum at freeway speeds in excess of 60 MPH. Service center and Tesla engineering, using a recording device, diagnosed the issue as a noisy inverter and replaced it. Car is now silent at the same speeds. Happy camper I am!

 

[kendallpb]

I went in for the rear passenger window falling down (when not in use) and not going back up. I'd read about this before, so I wasn't concerned. But wow, headache-inducing buffeting/resonance over 30 MPH until I lowered the opposite window, though; I wasn't expecting that (and haven't experienced the like in any other car). Weird. Anyway, I was happy Tesla took it seriously and wanted me in that day, if I could make it (I could).

They took care of 6-7 other service bulletins while I was there, including a steering wheel click, and mentioned that and the 12-volt to me early on while I was waiting. I'd just noticed the steering click only this week, when turning sharply; I hadn't thought to mention it, but they asked me if I'd noticed it, LOL. I was like "oh yeah!"

Also, they proactively replaced my 12-volt battery. I was never contacted about this, but I know they contacted others. Are they just replacing everyone's, or had they just not gotten around to contacting me, I wonder? The new battery's a different type (I'm not a car guy; slow gin fizz depth charge or something, I think they said).

The other service items were Front Bumper carrier Bolt Replacement, Rear Window Regulator Reinforcement Clip (plus fixing the broken regulator, it seems), C-Pillar Brightwork Creak, A-Pillar Wind Noise, and Floor Mat Update (yay, updated mats and the new rear mats). Will I notice an even quieter ride from the pillar fixes, or are these just things that could become problems?

I'd found a random screw on the floor of my car a week ago and put it into the door handle; I guess they found it (and hopefully put it where it belongs!), because it's gone now. ;-) Heh.

I mentioned my occasional pano roof creak (very hot weather; goes away after a short drive), but they didn't have time to address that. I don't mind at all, since it's minor, though I was bummed when I first noticed it earlier this year. Anyway, I've read plenty about it, so I know it's a known issue. I said if they could fix it when I bring the car in for regular service/maintenance, that'd be fine. (I want to wait till I've had the car a year, though, and not bring it in months early; I have just over 10,000 miles on it and pre-paid the service.)

They also gave it a much-needed wash, and unlike my old Mazda dealer, I don't believe Tesla used a dirty rag to make swirls. ;-)

Overall, a great service experience in Rockville! Nathan's a champ, as always, and the new folks seem great: Jonathan (new to me, but seems like he's been there a little while) and Andy (Andi? sounded like she was pretty new). Everyone was friendly and seemed to really care about even minor issues. There were a lot of cars there, and more were dropped off while I was there. Unofficially, it sounds like Tesla's sold most or all of the rest of the year's production! Sorry to new buyers, I'd rather people have to wait a while, than having production outstrip demand. Oh and Nathan mentioned a couple of people in the area have traded up, one getting a car from...Oregon? and another from somewhere in the midwest, I think. Great if you can spend more on your car, but I'm very happy with my S85. The Tesla grin doesn't fade.

Just to be clear: I consider all of this minor stuff (even including the 12-volt battery replacement, since it was proactive; I know it's not minor if it dies on you, though!). The car's still awesome after almost 8 months!

 

[jerry33]

But wow, headache-inducing buffeting/resonance over 30 MPH until I lowered the opposite window, though; I wasn't expecting that (and haven't experienced the like in any other car).

It normal in any car with very good aerodynamics. You can either open the window on the other side, or only open the window a short way on one side.

 

[JPP]

FWIW, I was at the San Rafael service center yesterday to get the fog lights installed (...separate story). They went through all applicable SB:

Steering click - only if you notice a noise (so not for me)
Rear window regulator clips
A pillar brightwork foam tape
C pillar brightwork issue
!2V only if you have one of the bad batteries or a warning (not applicable to my vehicle/VIN)
TPMS receiver repositioning- only if you have the problem
Pano roof tune up--interesting that the SC had to actually note that my S did not have a pano roof and thus the fix was not applicable.
No front bolt issue/SB for me.
Rear seat belt issue-I have no complaints, so no fix for me.

YMMV.

 

[Bugeater]

I went in for the rear passenger window falling down (when not in use) and not going back up. I'd read about this before, so I wasn't concerned. But wow, headache-inducing buffeting/resonance over 30 MPH until I lowered the opposite window, though; I wasn't expecting that (and haven't experienced the like in any other car). Weird. Anyway, I was happy Tesla took it seriously and wanted me in that day, if I could make it (I could).

I had the falling window thing happen on my 5540 mile Western US trip in May - June. It happened on day 18 of 21. The trick I quickly found was to use a newsprint type of paper (Grand Canyon south rim map to be precise) and get it a little wet. Then wedge it into the bottom of the window until the window feels solid. Make sure to pull the window up AFTER closing the door or you might crack the window! That would hold it in place for 4 - 8 hours! And yes, we got back on a Friday night / Saturday and they took us in first thing Monday!

Today, my problem is that they just replaced the passenger side rear door handle to fix a random door opening by itself issue. When I pulled the car into my driveway this evening, I noticed that the driver side rear door handle won't extend any more... Oh well, I'll call them tomorrow or maybe e-mail them tonight.

Just noticed JPP's post. Yep, on my "old" S they replaced the 12V battery for me!

 

[kendallpb]

It normal in any car with very good aerodynamics. You can either open the window on the other side, or only open the window a short way on one side.

Ah! So it's a sign of quality! :-D Seriously, thanks; I didn't know that.

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!2V only if you have one of the bad batteries or a warning (not applicable to my vehicle/VIN)

Aha, that explains it, then; I must have one of them, since they did replace it. I'd figured a while ago that they'd've contacted me (as they had some others) if mine were in that batch. Well, I guess I'm glad I had the window issue, so the battery got replaced and I didn't develop a problem on the road.

 

[woof]

12V Battery Low

We went to go out to dinner yesterday. I was about to unplug the UMC and I noticed the Red Ring of Death, then checked the dash and saw "12V battery low" warnings. I pulled the UMC connector out, counted to 10, plugged it back in. The ring went green and the 12V warnings went away. We took the ActiveE out instead.

I e-mailed Tesla after we returned. They called within an hour and said all seemed well now, and the 12V battery was reading 14V (I believe the traction pack was still being charged at the time), but they were going to pull the logs and send them to engineering. They said the car was okay to drive, and today all seems well.

It would be REALLY nice if the Tesla App added a push notification when there is a fault like this while charging. We might not have noticed it wasn't charging and that could have left us in a bind. Also, I presume Tesla get's near-realtime notification of this kind of thing (if not, they should!), and they could've called us to let us know.

 

[mknox]

Here's a new one for me: Popped open the charge port with the UMC's button, ring is white. Plug in cable and ring turns immediately to green, but does not lock in place, blink or start to charge. Dash is still saying "Charge Port Open" "Plug in to Charge" or something like that. I can pull the handle out without pressing the button and the port turns back to white. Repeatable.

I am used to the ring staying white and having to futz with it a bit to get it to lock and start charging, but this immediate to green thing is new...

 

[Doug_G]

I had problems with my UMC not latching into the car, and replacing it resolved the issue.

Tesla came by the other day for some minor service, and when the Ranger arrived he surprised me by saying that he had a lot of work to do. I gave him a quizzical look and he told me that engineering had advised that my 12V battery needed replacement. This is shortly after my car spent several days at the service center!

A couple of days later a friend of mine wasn't so lucky and his car actually died due to the 12V battery. Tesla sent a Ranger to replace it.