Model S Technical / Mechanical Issues

[mknox]

For #2, do you have coil suspension or air? How can you feel a difference in an eighth to a quarter of an inch from one side of the car to the other? Pics will help.

I noticed something similar on my car. It seemed to be lower on one side than the other when approaching from the rear. At first, I just figured one wheel was in a depression or something. Later, I realized I could fit 3 fingers between the top of the wheel and the fender on one side, but only 2 fingers on the other. Not very scientific, but I had Service look at it. They told me that the suspension was working fine and is perfectly level, but that the body could still be off by a bit depending on how it was assembled (or something like that).

 

[JRP3]

They told me that the suspension was working fine and is perfectly level, but that the body could still be off by a bit depending on how it was assembled (or something like that).

A half inch or so difference in the body seems like a lot.

 

[lalainyourface]

It's been raining today so I couldn't get great pictures. But the plastic underportion is deformed. Don't know if you guys have this issue. I tried to circle it in red. I will post better ones Sunday as it will be raining most of tomorrow in the bay.

- - - Updated - - -

Coil Suspension. I had a delivery specialist measure from the wheel rim to the arc and he said it differed 1/8th an inch, but I think it may be more. They said there isnt a safety issue, but I scheduled an appointment to have the bottom cover replaced as it is deformed. They will check out the suspension then.

 

[fstech]

Mine is set up a little differently. We have a Roaming Network, so the SSID's are identical for both Routers. I did try Forgetting the Network and setting it up again, and was able to get it to connect to the stronger Router. Briefly... By the next morning it was back on the old one again. So it will connect to it, it just doesn't seem to be wanting to stay on it. Weird...

I use Ubiquti unifi ap enterprise (sold on Amazon) you can buy two and have a true roaming network, works much better than any product I've seen. It's expandale to use as many access points you need to cover any given area. I have three ubiquti access points one in my garage and two in my home my devices always connect to the strongest access point. It's shows up as one ssid and you can see the devices connect to each ap via the included software. It's also poe and you can see all users signal strength so adjustments can be made in your layout configuration. Hope this helps!

 

[bareyb]

I use Ubiquti unifi ap enterprise (sold on Amazon) you can buy two and have a true roaming network, works much better than any product I've seen. It's expandale to use as many access points you need to cover any given area. I have three ubiquti access points one in my garage and two in my home my devices always connect to the strongest access point. It's shows up as one ssid and you can see the devices connect to each ap via the included software. It's also poe and you can see all users signal strength so adjustments can be made in your layout configuration. Hope this helps!

Oddly enough, the problem has resolved itself. It now consistently connects to the stronger router.

 

[Pilot_51]

Temperature got up to a very comfortable 50F today and my car was hot (83F before I started pre-cooling), so when I got to my car, I opened the sunroof to vent. When I decided that wasn't enough and tried to open it further, it wouldn't budge, so I closed it and tried opening again and it wouldn't move, as though the software knew something was wrong and disabled it to prevent damage. I drove the whole way home with all 4 windows cracked open, which I almost never did last year when the sunroof was working. After I got home, I tried venting it remotely and noticed it moved slightly, a few millimeters with a slight overlap over the rear pano glass.

I remember a post somewhere about this issue (or similar) with a simple solution involving a seal that I could probably do myself, but I'm having trouble finding it again. It must be somewhere in this thread.

Update:
Got a voicemail from Cody at Cleveland service about my "sunroof concern" just before I left work. They really stay on top of the forums. :smile:
I was just going to wait for my June annual service if it continued to be a problem, since it's only a nice-to-have, not worth having a ranger come out when I have the annual coming up in 3 months.

When I got out to my car and called back at 5:35pm, no answer. Maybe they were busy or got off a little early. I'm not one to leave voicemails unless necessary, so I'll just try again tomorrow.

Anyway, the good news is that when I tried opening it this time, it opened with a little resistance and sort of a pop, and quickly improved as I opened and closed it a few times. I suspect the issue might have something to do with the grease not being lubricated for a few freezing months and/or a seal that I noticed was slightly sticky. I'll mention it to service and I'm sure they'll take a look at it on the annual to prevent it from happening again.

 

[Pilot_51]

The first time I tried opening the sunroof after washing my car today, it got stuck just as I had previously mentioned. It also got stuck immediately after the last two times I took it to a touchless wash, suggesting water makes it worse. This time I got out to see if I could find the cause and saw the weather seal pulled up by the sunroof. I closed it again before I thought to take a photo and couldn't get it to stick again, but it was still catching while opening. I caught it on video and here's a frame grab of the seal being lifted.

Has anyone else experienced this and know an easy fix? I'll make sure Tesla takes care of it on my annual service in a couple months. It doesn't bother me too much, otherwise I would have found the cause much earlier.

 

[cmjohnsondds]

Service will fix it! My 2013 did this and also presented with the seal not perfectly seated in its channel. I didn't watch what they did, but it was fixed and it never happened again. (Just ordered my 2015 dual motor P85 and will trade in the chocolate brown "60" 2013! Love the car)!

 

[Forty Creek]

Not sure if anyone has posted this before.... the motor that tilts the passenger side mirror runs non stop whenever I put the car in reverse. It has probably been doing that for some time but with the nicer weather I opened the windows and could hear it right away. Close the windows and it's barely audible.

 

[mknox]

Not sure if anyone has posted this before.... the motor that tilts the passenger side mirror runs non stop whenever I put the car in reverse. It has probably been doing that for some time but with the nicer weather I opened the windows and could hear it right away. Close the windows and it's barely audible.

It shouldn't do that. It seems like it "thinks" the tilt point is beyond the range of the mirror's ability to tilt. I'd try re-setting it, or saving a higher position and see if that helps.

 

[pmoa]

I opened my fuse box in the frunk and had to reseat just about half of my fuses. Any ideas as to why?

 

[AudubonB]

I opened my fuse box in the drunk and had to reseat just about half the fuses. Any ideas as to why?

Perhaps because of the typo?

 

[pmoa]

Perhaps because of the typo?

Haha! Bazinga! Damn auto correct.

 

[mknox]

I opened my fuse box in the frunk and had to reseat just about half of my fuses. Any ideas as to why?

I had heard about the fuses not being fully seated back when I got my car in early 2013. Back then I found the same thing and had to push half or more of them fully into their sockets. I haven't checked it since. Maybe I'll take another look to see if they have worked their way loose.

 

[RAM_Eh]

So how do you know when you have a lemon?

I have had the following replaced.

drive unit
pano roof
mirrors
head lights
countless rattles and sounds
and now my AC does not work.

Car has been in the shop at least 12 times.

are the newer vin numbers any better? I am thinking 50K plus.

 

[mknox]

So how do you know when you have a lemon?

I have had the following replaced.

drive unit
pano roof
mirrors
head lights
countless rattles and sounds
and now my AC does not work.

Car has been in the shop at least 12 times.

are the newer vin numbers any better? I am thinking 50K plus.

My list is way longer than that (early 2013 car) but I wouldn't characterize it as a "lemon". I'm an early adopter and fully expected that there would be issues. It was a brand new car, of a brand new design from a fairly new company. The saving grace is that Tesla has been great about dealing with issues and getting me fixed up.

 

[pmoa]

So far my VIN 8000 series has been okay, but I reported fraying cloth headliner, leak on the driver side rear ceiling and stained my headliner blue, loose fuses, and vibrating compressor that shakes the driver wheel and footwell area.

 

[RAM_Eh]

I'm sure there are a lot of owners with more problems and Tesla service has been outstanding, but there are lemon laws.

For the record I love my car, but my question remains.

 

[qwk]

Your list is tiny, and most items sound like cosmetic replacements. So, no not a lemon.

 

[shelbri]

Lemon laws typically protect when manufacturers can't fix a specific item after several attempts, not that several unrelated items need resolution. Having an issue that is then fixed is not a lemon, otherwise GM would be out of the game long ago.

FWIW, my vin 50406 has 22k miles and no visits to the service center except for installation of winter tires.