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My Model S 85D and Tesla life at 100K miles

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Back in July 2018, I wrote this post:


It concluded with, "Looking forward to the next 50,000 miles." My car (2015 S85D) passed that milestone (100,000 miles) a little over a week ago! Updated stats (and comparison to prior post):

Miles on odometer: 100,026 (was 50,069 in prior post)
Lifetime average wH/mi: I gave up trying to track this, but the prior guesstimate of 312-317 wH/mi is probably still accurate
Door handle replacements: 5 (was 3)
Half-shaft replacements: 1 (no change)
Unique Superchargers visited: 186 (was 36)
HV Battery degradation: 270 Rated Miles -> 240 RM (was 264 RM)
12V Battery replacements: 2 (was 0)
Software updates: 83 (from 6.2(2.4.160) to 2021.24.28) (was 43)

Notable service issues so far (all covered under original warranty or extended warranty):
* MCU replacement (probably caused by eMMC failure)
* Battery coolant heater replacement [in an earlier version of this post I mistakenly called this a coolant pump]
* Liftgate cinching actuator replacement (2)
* Door handle replacements (5)
An important point is that I've never gotten stranded by any of these problems.

I indulged myself with a few general thoughts on my experience so far in my 50K post. I still think all of those are true, so I won't repeat them. Instead, here are a few things I've learned over the years.

* You need to take it on yourself to be informed about your car. For various reasons, Tesla doesn't do as much in this area as they used to. Nowadays, it's up to you find a trusted source of information (a friend, owners club, TMC). Conversely, try to help others when you can.

* You might know more about your car than the Tesla employee you're speaking to. They can still help you and are still worthy of respect.

* There are no absolute "must haves" when it comes to accessories.

* Make sure you have a plan for charging your car before taking delivery. If possible, try to have home charging or workplace charging. You might need to get creative if you live in an apartment or condo complex, or only have street parking.

* Road-tripping a Tesla can be fun! It's a little different from doing a road-trip with an ICE, so be prepared and develop the right intuition. Don't "fill up" at your charging stops unless you really need to. Work rest breaks or meal stops into charging stops. Have backup plans for charging because charging stations aren't as ubiquitous as gas stations.

* Try to do your own trip-planning if you can. The in-car software, as well as various third-party tools, get the job done, but they probably don't know about the Supercharger with your favorite restaurant, or the one with the cleanest restrooms.

* Remember that all of the Autopilot-type systems from Tesla (including AP, EAP, FSD, and FSD Beta) are driver assist systems. You still need to pay attention but you're supervising the car driving, rather than doing the driving yourself.

* OTA upgrades let Tesla install new functionality or bug fixes. They also allow Tesla to make a change you don't like or add bugs.

* People come to the Tesla brand for many different reasons ("green"-ness, cost savings, performance, tech, etc.). Other owners you meet (on-line or in real-life) might've had different paths to Tesla-hood, and have different needs and wants from you.

* Owning a Tesla can still make you do unexpected things, like competing with other owners to see how many Superchargers you can visit.

Oh yeah, still love the car, things are great.

Bruce.

IMG_8235.JPG
 
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120k 2015 S here.
Just had these replaced:
- Front shocks
- Front left and right control arms
- front/rear Aft links, Fore link bushings
- Driven hub
- other parts cleaned due to corrosion form winter salt
- iShaft Steering link (stiff steering wheel-they say not part of recall)

Car’s arms/legs replaced with mine.
Hmm I’m at 138k on 2015 as well. Haven’t changed brakes or suspensions yet. How do you know when to replace the suspensions?
 
Hmm I’m at 138k on 2015 as well. Haven’t changed brakes or suspensions yet. How do you know when to replace the suspensions?
I think we have it a little easier with pretty consistent mild weather. Areas that see rain and snow are going to have more rust and pothole issues. Typically a worn suspension would wear out your tires faster, give the driver a sloppy/wandering feeling when driving at higher speeds, and would make more clunking sounds over bumps.

Whenever the car is lifted, you should grab the wheels and check for any wiggle or play which would indicate bad wheel bearings/ball joint/tie-end rods. Then give the control arms a few shakes to see if there's any noticeable movement which would indicate the bushings are giving out. Every car model is different so it's nice to see if we can predict when a suspension refresh is necessary. I know in my old 2001 VW Golf TDI, the original control arm bushings were good for about 120K before most owners experience slop; folks upgrade to the R32/TT bushings and never looked back. I've got about 220K miles on the later.
 
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Nice. I have a 2015 S with 147k miles. I bought it with 48k just over 5 years ago. I’ve had to change the 12V 3 times, only once under warranty. I had $2k worth of suspension work done because of worn parts. It’s an amazing car and I want to keep it for many more years but tbh I’m a little worried about the battery warranty ending!
Our car is from 2015 also with vin 85xxx.
Following wk057’s shared experience with old batteries, where he observed vin before 70xxx were/are more prone to battery failure due to moisture ingress, it has built for me confidence in keeping the car beyond the 8y warranty.
I’m not naively thinking it won’t fail, it probably will someday. But risk seems fairly lower to fail right after 8y. Time will tell.
 
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Care to share which suspension parts wore, at what mileage point, and where you sourced the parts (assuming OEM from Tesla). I haven't had any suspension issues with alignment or breakage but I know these bushings don't last forever. Would be nice if there was place that offered a core-swap with some good bushings already pressed it.

2k was for all four suspensions?

Front lower control arms, front toe arms, front endlink, sway bar, integral link. Third party shop with mainly third party parts.
 
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Good write up Bruce - and now I'm happy to report that I have joined you with my 2015 85D reaching 100,000 miles. Its been a great car; I think (luckily) having an 85D I avoided the large rear drive motor problems and the issues with the early 90 packs, while still getting metallic black paint, opening sunroof, leather next gen seats (personal choice I know), fantastically smooth AP1, perfect main beam dipping, effective auto-windshield wiping etc. So here we go:
  • Cracked 21 inch Turbines - 2
  • Door handles - 1 (driver door, changed for Gen 2.1 this year)
  • Rear upper suspension links both changed (under original warranty, during routine service - when that was a thing!)
  • 12v batteries - 1 (lasted over 5 years which I think is fine, changed on the drive by ranger service)
  • Frunk catch - 1
  • MCU2 upgrade (definitely worth it - also includes the LTE/4G upgrade which I needed sometime, although rear camera poorer at night, vampire drain increased and rear speaker bass changed radically - I think for the better)
  • Tuner 2 upgrade (reinstates radio with MCU 2 - useful for UK digital radio)
  • HV degradation - 248 miles down from 265 when new so less than 7%
  • Although "charge gate" increased the tapering off for supercharging, one thing that gets little mention is that the peak charge rate was actually increased from 120kW (when car was new) to 130kW now. It is only at low SOC, but its still cool. (see picture below for evidence from last month).
  • CCS combo 2 upgrade - its a must here in the UK, in order to use V3 superchargers as well as 3rd party networks. I have the CHAdeMO as well - used to be essential but its rarely used now. I have the 22kW charger hardware too, but have never activated it - no need. Have FUSC.
  • Windshields cracked - 2
  • Squashy original wheel lug nuts replaced with mark 2 version - supplied at reasonable cost by SC
Overall - excellent performance and 100% availability. Regrets? Well, whilst the 85D turned out to be a great choice (I bought it ex inventory in 2017), I went for one with coil springs as I (wrongly) thought air suspension might be a liability. Also, it turns out that whilst the 21 inch turbines look cool, they are a bit fragile.

I have a "classic" (we don't say "old") nose cone car. This is a personal taste thing but I have noticed that most of the Tesla stories in the mainstream media have been accompanied by photographs of nose cone model S - even now. That is a car which has not been manufactured for 7 years! It is an iconic model and more distinctive than the newer model S, which looks similar (to the uninitiated) to a model 3. YMMV. (and btw mine has been 345 Wh/mile) :).

Here's to your next 50000 Bruce!
130kW 85D March 2023.jpg
 
2015 January build 85D, 115k miles on Eastern canadian coast.
Still on original battery with around 250 miles for 100%, charges up to 130kW at low SOC, drops like a rock after
As replaced suspension parts….all, they were all replaced (except front tie rods):
4 air struts (corroded air connection)
Front upper control arms (2 times)
Front aft (once and one failed in 1 year and was replaced again)
Front fore replaced once
Front stabilizer links once
Rear LCA (once)
Rear toe arms (2 times)
Rear upper (once)

Then the following:
Front motor once early days
Front half shafts
A gear reduction for front motor
Battery fuse cover (was rusted, no water ingress).
All door handles
MCU2 upgraded

Most of the work was done on warranty/extended warranty (good think it was transferrable). Now warranties are gone, hoping for the best