My Tesla S P85d nightmare. I don't think I ever want another tesla ever again and want to get rid of this junk asap

[Pandas752]

I tried posting on reddit first but no lick in getting responses as to what to do. I don't see anyone else having this many problems with there tesla so I'm alarmed. I know it's old and probably needs some normal upkeep but this just sounds ridiculous at this point

Please, if anyone can help, I'd appreciate it because I can't keep this car if it's going to constantly be in service, and I don't know what to do anymore.

I purchased a used 2015 tesla s p85d from a 3rd party dealership in May 2021 out of state because it only had 16,000 miles on it and I figured that's too low of milage to have anything wrong with it. Biggest regret of my life. Never buy from APX Brokers in WA.

When it shipped to me, the center screen had a crack, the left turn signal was broken, it was covered in scratches (even more than my 2013 vw!), the seats were scratched, all four tires and rims had road rash... All not disclosed to me.

I spent over $2,000 on replacing the mcu, center screen, and left turn signal and then the Tesla mechanic told me there's a section that was repainted and the alignment is off. This makes me think it was in a car accident which makes me mad because I specifically asked the dealership I purchased it from if it was in an accident and they said "no, it has a clean title".

So that was back in July/August when I received the car. It's been to service some more times

Next, the coolant valve needed to be replaced, and then, not even a month later the electric heating battery, hv battery, and the 12v battery all die at the same time. It's crazy especially since I only drive it two times since that service appointment because of the holidays and I got covid....

Tesla wants $1,700 for all 3 of those battery replacements but I thought the hv would still be covered in the 8 year warranty?

Ugh this sucks. I purchased a tesla because all the online posts claim you never spend more than $100 in annual maintenance and I haven't even driven it 3,000 miles and it's seemingly constantly needing service.

It died when I was picking up my sick cat from the vet, and I live in the Midwest so it's cold here now... It was sitting at tesla for two weeks before they even looked at it, and I know this due to when I could see the 'last seen' in the app update.

Tesla hasn't given me a loaner or paid for my ubers. The towing is also really expensive

Do I have a lemon or are these common expenses? I don't want to shell out another $2,000 if another thing is just going to break in the next couple of months

I haven't even had this car for a year yet.

Help! What should I expect/do???! I'm really stressed out because my cat just got diagnosed with fatal jaw cancer today so please be nice. I know I was really dumb and purchased it from a 3rd party and out of state but I really thought low miles meant newish parts

 

[Pandas752]

*luck and their... Sorry bad auto correct

 

[Pandas752]

It just sounds like it's teslas fault these three batteries died. Like I can understand the 12v or even the battery heater dying but not the hv battery. This makes me think it was just sitting for two weeks with no charge in the cold and snow, which is bad for those batteries

 

[Midnightsun]

Sorry about your misfortunes but it is a used 7 year old car where problems, if not already there will surface more and more as it ages. Never trust a single word from a used car salesman, everything in writing.

With only 16,000 miles on the clock, it must have been simply left alone to discharge over time eventually ruining the HV battery. Most of the time a well maintained normal milage car is a better bet than a low milage one that just sits.

 

[Pandas752]

Sorry about your misfortunes but it is a used 7 year old car where problems, if not already there will surface more and more as it ages. Never trust a single word from a used car salesman, everything in writing.

Thanks yeah, I was so stupid just really scared there's going to keep being problems constantly

 

[Pandas752]

$500 labor for a $24 part sounds ridiculous

 

[byeLT4]

It sounds like APX would have sold you a junk ICE as well. Hard to know for sure on the battery situation but with everything else damaged and broken I doubt they would have disclosed any info on a bad battery as well. Teslas aren't perfect, I did my research and spent more on my used one going straight through Tesla so I could have a warranty. I have used it several times already. I wish you luck with the car.

What is your feline's name? How long have you had your cat? I don't think you have enough posts to post pics yet but I'd love to see him/her. I lost two of my three indoor cats last year and all I can say is shower your cat with love for their remaining days. I wish you and your kitty peace.

 

[JustJohn]

Any chance you bought a salvage (flood) car? Tesla has some issues but what you're describing sounds like a damaged car.

You might have some recourse if you have the dealer's disclosure of no accidents in writing but it's difficult to get resolution on things like that.

 

[brkaus]

$500 labor for a $24 part sounds ridiculous View attachment 760837

But the total parts at the bottom doesn’t say $24 parts. It says $640 parts.

Oh…. I see. Single related line item. The HV battery is huge/heavy. The price wouldn’t surprise me. And for good measure they use new mounting bolts each time.

But why did they remove / replace the hv battery? Are they putting in a new HV battery? Or was it to access some non battery related part.

 

[Huachipato]

I think there is some confusion on the Heater Battery part. I suspect it's actually the battery heater, in which case maybe that is why the dropped the HV battery (to replace the battery heater blanket)? That would not be a part covered under the 8 year warranty.

That I'm aware of, the car only has 2 batteries - the 12V battery and the HV Battery.

 

[Solarman004]

If the used car dealer misrepresented material facts about the condition of the vehicle, you have a strong case for legal recourse. I'm really sorry for all the trouble you've been through. Tesla service is frustrating and slow, but your case sounds more like an issue with a shady car dealer.

 

[glide]

“Maintenance-free” EV’s are a myth.

My P85D needed $40K+ worth of repairs (thankfully under warranty).

The fact of the matter is these were just really poorly built. I would not touch anything pre-2019 from Tesla.

 

[ucmndd]

1) Sorry you got duped into buying a junker from a shady used car dealer. That sucks. I'm further sorry you got led to believe that "$100 in annual maintenance" was a realistic prospect for this car (or any car really). That was never going to be the case.

2) It's hard to understand exactly what they did without seeing the entire invoice. That said, reading between the lines it sounds like they replaced your 12v battery, potentially the battery coolant heater, and possibly something else that required them to remove/replace the high voltage battery (a labor-intensive process).

$1,700 is not absurd for those repairs. Nor is that an unreasonable amount to spend on a 7 year old car that originally cost well north of $100,000.

 

[Pandas752]

It sounds like APX would have sold you a junk ICE as well. Hard to know for sure on the battery situation but with everything else damaged and broken I doubt they would have disclosed any info on a bad battery as well. Teslas aren't perfect, I did my research and spent more on my used one going straight through Tesla so I could have a warranty. I have used it several times already. I wish you luck with the car.

What is your feline's name? How long have you had your cat? I don't think you have enough posts to post pics yet but I'd love to see him/her. I lost two of my three indoor cats last year and all I can say is shower your cat with love for their remaining days. I wish you and your kitty peace.

Thanks! Yeah I learned my lesson and won't keep a car past warranty now. I named her Pikachu because I was watching pokemon and she kept coming into my room and meowing when they said Pikachu (I'm really young). She's only about 13. I didn't have her as a kitten so she could be older. I had her since she was about 5 from someone who couldn't take care of her. I never had a cat before her. These were taken about a month ago when we thought she just had an upper respiratory cold. Cancers terrible. It's just so sudden. And I'm sorry to hear that about your cats

 

[Pandas752]

1) Sorry you got duped into buying a junker from a shady used car dealer. That sucks. I'm further sorry you got led to believe that "$100 in annual maintenance" was a realistic prospect for this car (or any car really). That was never going to be the case.

2) It's hard to understand exactly what they did without seeing the entire invoice. That said, reading between the lines it sounds like they replaced your 12v battery, potentially the battery coolant heater, and possibly something else that required them to remove/replace the high voltage battery (a labor-intensive process).

$1,700 is not absurd for those repairs. Nor is that an unreasonable amount to spend on a 7 year old car that originally cost well north of $100,000.

True. I guess I'm just frustrated everything is breaking at the same time while I'm having issues with my pet and thanks for confirming. Yeah it's just the battery heater and then the 12v must have gone, I just don't know anything about cars so I really appreciate the confirmation that this sounds normal

 

[Gumball]

Sounds like the car had some real troubles before you bought it. A normal used Tesla with only 16.000 miles should not be this bad, unless it was drained to 0% and left like that a longer time or something like that.

Sorry to hear about your cat, make sure to enjoy every single minute you have with her. Lost a few cats and dogs myself over the years, never gets any easier.

 

[JohnRamboJedi]

Really sorry about your cat :-(.

Really stinks to hear about your experience with your first Tesla. I purchased a 2016 Model S P90D with way more mileage than yours (120k) back in September. Put another 7k miles on it so far with absolutely zero issues. Really hoping that once you fix up whats on the service invoice you can really start to enjoy the car.

 

[Psionic001]

What did you pay for it?
And In your country do dealers have to warrant a used car? In Australia they have to provide 3 months minimum, and often offer up an extra year for a small fee.

 

[dustinfl]

no, it has a clean title

For future reference, a clean title doesn't mean no accidents. It just means the car has never been declared a total loss.

As I'm sure you've realized though, an accident-free car isn't necessarily a damage-free car. Abuse or neglect by the owner, vandalism, small children,
big smelly dogs, smoking, vomit, a bad mechanic, potholes, dirt roads, salt... it's all common stuff we'd rather not have in our cars' history.

I'm sorry I don't have anything actionable for your current situation. But whether you decide to bail on the car now or hang on to it - I think the wisdom you gain from this will absolutely pay off with your next purchase.

 

[leoita]

Why would you buy a Tesla from a shady dealer without even seeing it in person? I rarely buy cars, but when I do, I sure want to see it personally and definitely don't want shipped to me.

On these cars, mileage don't matter much... It's a $100k vehicle and it will cost a lot of money to maintain it.