My 2014 Model S died again… needs a 3rd HV battery! (No warranty left)😩

[timk225]

"Refurbished" doesn't mean what you think it means, nor does it mean what I'd like it to mean.

"Refurbished" in this case could very well mean that the battery case was never opened, nor were any parts changed. They could have gotten a battery from a used S, cleaned it, made it look pretty, ran a charge / discharge cycle on it, hooked it up to a computer testing machine, and it passed whatever test they gave it. Then they slap a sticker on it and you have a REFURBISHED battery! That's right, with not a damn thing done to it. It'll last until it doesn't last anymore, however long that may be.

There's a reason they don't call it "Rebuilt". The lawyers can have much more fun with the word "Refurbished".

 

[oakvillemike]

Ha funny I just saw this post the same day that my 2014 P85D was taken off my driveway and now enroute to the USA to get rid of the dead HV battery. Don't care for drama but the only issue I saw was Tesla here (Oakville) only had one course of action - a refurbed battery with no warranty. At least I've seen stories in the USA where folks can get a new battery (or play the refurb/new lottery) and get some sort of warranty? I asked and they said hellllll no.

Anyway, car is on the way down. Shipping is a serious pain in the a$$ as most transport companies here won't touch non-operating/able (non-ops) cars (not all carriers have the winch to bring the car onto the carrier). It's also significantly more expensive to ship since it's crossing a border (love brokerage fees that accompany UPS/Fedex packages coming in from the US). At least shipping within the USA is covered on the way back (closest for me would be Buffalo/Niagara Falls, NY and I can drive the car back across the border and clear taxes with customs. But when all is said and done, I save a few bucks, little intervention in the process for me (other than going to Buffalo and getting my wing and Buffalo-style pizza fix as a treat) and support some of the fine folks that provide another option to address our battery issues. And the refurb battery comes with a small warranty - it's something, at least! Though I shudder at the thought of having to ship the car back down to the USA again.

As for next steps, I'll realistically drive the S for a bit to at least enjoy the battery I paid for. I'm waiting for this darn Cybertruck, so I didn't initially intend on holding onto the S for this long but maybe sell and get an X anyway. I'm just glad I get to give the next owner of the S a good chance at using that battery for a bit - I'd feel absolutely gutted if the next owner had it die shortly after taking ownership. Apparently some outright appalling things have been going on already by some heartless souls looking to ditch their problems onto someone else though - so sad.

 

[oakvillemike]

An update to my battery replacement with Recell. Honestly can't say enough about how smooth the process was, once they got their hands on the car. Shipping the car down was a complete headache, but Recell was super helpful, very responsive, and even helped the trucker with finding their location. Definitely relieved a lot of the inner panic I was going through.

They took apart the battery, found a bunch of failed and failing battery modules, a lot of corrosion and water damage,, and I was lucky enough that the damage didn't get to the point of unacceptable core credit. I'm guessing they were a bit generous/lenient, but after install and test drive/supercharging test, the car was on a truck and shipped to Buffalo within 2 days. Impressive since half of that time from Schertz, TX to Buffalo, NY (in this case a super convenient truck stop adjacent to the Supercharging station south of Walden Galleria, for those of you familiar with the area),is the actual driving time.

I experienced, first-hand, how my car (not sure about newer cars) won't update the GPS location unless the car is actually driven. Hence the car was showing as still in Texas the whole time it was actually on a transport truck. Kinda funny and led to more inner panic but all was fine once the driver contacted me. The all-in price for the repair is quite reasonable, given return shipping (within the USA, but still awesome) is included in the repair price.

Thanks @Recell for being so detailed, informative, and quick! The car is back home and the family is happy to have it back!

 

[SO16]

An update to my battery replacement with Recell. Honestly can't say enough about how smooth the process was, once they got their hands on the car. Shipping the car down was a complete headache, but Recell was super helpful, very responsive, and even helped the trucker with finding their location. Definitely relieved a lot of the inner panic I was going through.

They took apart the battery, found a bunch of failed and failing battery modules, a lot of corrosion and water damage,, and I was lucky enough that the damage didn't get to the point of unacceptable core credit. I'm guessing they were a bit generous/lenient, but after install and test drive/supercharging test, the car was on a truck and shipped to Buffalo within 2 days. Impressive since half of that time from Schertz, TX to Buffalo, NY (in this case a super convenient truck stop adjacent to the Supercharging station south of Walden Galleria, for those of you familiar with the area),is the actual driving time.

I experienced, first-hand, how my car (not sure about newer cars) won't update the GPS location unless the car is actually driven. Hence the car was showing as still in Texas the whole time it was actually on a transport truck. Kinda funny and led to more inner panic but all was fine once the driver contacted me. The all-in price for the repair is quite reasonable, given return shipping (within the USA, but still awesome) is included in the repair price.

Thanks @Recell for being so detailed, informative, and quick! The car is back home and the family is happy to have it back!

Hopefully that is a long term fix. @wk057

 

[richyrich]

An update to my battery replacement with Recell. Honestly can't say enough about how smooth the process was, once they got their hands on the car. Shipping the car down was a complete headache, but Recell was super helpful, very responsive, and even helped the trucker with finding their location. Definitely relieved a lot of the inner panic I was going through.

They took apart the battery, found a bunch of failed and failing battery modules, a lot of corrosion and water damage,, and I was lucky enough that the damage didn't get to the point of unacceptable core credit. I'm guessing they were a bit generous/lenient, but after install and test drive/supercharging test, the car was on a truck and shipped to Buffalo within 2 days. Impressive since half of that time from Schertz, TX to Buffalo, NY (in this case a super convenient truck stop adjacent to the Supercharging station south of Walden Galleria, for those of you familiar with the area),is the actual driving time.

I experienced, first-hand, how my car (not sure about newer cars) won't update the GPS location unless the car is actually driven. Hence the car was showing as still in Texas the whole time it was actually on a transport truck. Kinda funny and led to more inner panic but all was fine once the driver contacted me. The all-in price for the repair is quite reasonable, given return shipping (within the USA, but still awesome) is included in the repair price.

Thanks @Recell for being so detailed, informative, and quick! The car is back home and the family is happy to have it back!

@oakvillemike curious how much this cost?

 

[oakvillemike]

@oakvillemike curious how much this cost?

Sent you a pm.

 

[Recell]

Hopefully that is a long term fix. @wk057

given that we were able to replace the entire pack. yes, definitely a long term fix.

 

[kirkusss]

We need @Recell or other similar service in Canada
@oakvillemike , you had to pay taxes at the reentry in Canada?

 

[oakvillemike]

We need @Recell or other similar service in Canada
@oakvillemike , you had to pay taxes at the reentry in Canada?

Right - like any other car repair done in the US, you'd need to declare the value and pay tax on it upon reentry. Or gamble

 

[Recell]

I experienced, first-hand, how my car (not sure about newer cars) won't update the GPS location unless the car is actually driven. Hence the car was showing as still in Texas the whole time it was actually on a transport truck

@oakvillemike, we definitely understand this. we’ll often get an owner worried that their car hasn’t departed yet for our service center, or vice versa. it’s perfectly understandable of course, and we know these cars mean a lot to their owners.

the reality is that the car has simply gone to sleep - it is in Park after all - and the GPS is no longer updating location. Often it will be pulling up to our service center just as we get an inquiry as to why the car is still sitting in [insert your city]

 

[cdswm3]

Unfortunately, many expensive cars are one repair from being mechanically totaled. You buy some very expensive cars cheap because of this. I have a friend who bought a SL55 cheap. An amazing car until the suspension went out and repairs were more than the car cost.

 

[richyrich]

Unfortunately, many expensive cars are one repair from being mechanically totaled. You buy some very expensive cars cheap because of this. I have a friend who bought a SL55 cheap. An amazing car until the suspension went out and repairs were more than the car cost.

You don't buy German luxury vehicles outside of warranty. Total gamble. You get the odd good one but many that are money pits.

 

[cdswm3]

You don't buy German luxury vehicles outside of warranty. Total gamble. You get the odd good one but many that are money pits.

Mercedes have parts that stop working after a predetermined amount of time or miles. They say it is to give the owners the best driving experience. I think it is to get the cars off the road and make the owners buy new ones.