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Mysterious "goo" suddenly appeared around the binnacle

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ecarfan

Well-Known Member
Moderator
Fellow Roadster owners, I'm hoping that someone can identify the stuff shown in these photos on each side of the binnacle in my car. It appeared suddenly yesterday morning. I've owned my 1.5 for over 1 1/2 years and this is something new. It looks as if it has flowed out from under binnacle on each side, much more on the passenger side. When temperatures are cool, it is pretty hard, if the car has been out in the sun it softens just a bit but is still firm. I have never removed the binnacle or any dash pieces. I suspect it is something that Tesla used when earlier this year my 12V switchpack board was replaced, and for some reason it liquified, flowed out, and then hardened. This afternoon I took my car into my local Service Center and had the manager look at it. He said he had never seen anything like it. I reminded him of the 12V switchpack board replacement, since the board is located right under the binnacle and Tesla removed the binnacle and the dash top to replace the board. The Service Center is so busy that they can't look at it until July. It's certainly not urgent, so I will bring it in then but wondered if anyone had ever seen anything like this. Note: my car works just fine. Thanks.
 

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From the photo and your description of how it behaves, it looks very much like improperly (wrong proportions) mixed epoxy glue. I would suggest that you have them replace the glue with GE Silicon II caulk/glue: GE's product is rated to withstand -60 to 400 degrees F. It is also flexible, better than the brittleness of epoxy (when properly mixed), considering how our Roadsters flex a bit.
 
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Tesla calls the domed cover above the instrument cluster a "binnacle". I recognize that is not how the word is traditionally used.

The Ghostbusters reference made me chuckle, thanks. :)

The service manager said that he wasn't aware of any substance like that being used under the dash or during my recent 12V switchpack board replacement. But in my opinion, clearly that substance came from below the binnacle cover and it seems almost certain to be related to that recent repair.

I doubt that it can be cleaned up without damaging the binnacle or the dash top surface.
 
Under the binnacle toward the front of it, there is a plastic footing or brace of with a surface area of maybe 1-1/2 inches by 1/2 inch, that has Velcro stuck to it. The other side of the Velcro is stuck to the dash and the plastic footing keeps the front part of the binnacle down.

My surmise is that when the binnacle was last removed, the Velcro glue had lost its adhesion, and to re-stick it to either the binnacle plastic footing, to the dashboard, or both, a glue was used that has now melted.

It is easy to remove the binnacle. There are four rather small Phillips head screws holding on the plastic cowl beneath the steering column (the plastic piece with the odometer reset and through which the ignition key goes). One screw on each side and two very tiny screws on the bottom. Remove those screws and with some gentleness in getting it around the ignition key assembly and disconnecting the wires for the odometer reset, that cowl will drop off. The plastic cover above it then also comes off. The binnacle is held on by two clips and said Velcro. Just pull straight out (toward the steering wheel) on the binnacle and the clips should release (and may come off their plastic tabs but they are easy to put back on).

Your call on how to stick the Velcro back on if it indeed has become separated from its mounted position. You obviously do not want to use whatever is the sticky goo that is now leaking out.
 
John, thanks for your post. Your hypothesis certainly seems possible, but if that is the explanation Tesla used a remarkable quantity of glue to fix the Velcro in place.

Problem is that the mystery goo is quite firm and I do not know if the binnacle can be readily removed: the goo has formed a broad connection at two locations between the binnacle and the dash surface, as illustrated in my photos. There is the distinct possibility of damage occurring when pulling on the binnacle.

Since the problem seems to be related to the recent 12V switchpack board replacement performed by Tesla (as MileHigh noted, "what else could it be?") I am going to let Tesla try to correct the problem.

I could not have created the problem since I have never removed the binnacle or the dash top. Of course I cannot prove that Tesla caused the problem. So I am hoping for a good faith repair.
 
That's what it looked like to me, too. Easy enough to test, with a hair dryer? Get it warm, it should soften and kind of peel off.

Then the question is, what was it holding in place that's now loose?
 
Easy enough to test, with a hair dryer? Get it warm, it should soften and kind of peel off.
I have a heat gun. You're tempting me to try it out...
Techs should be required to have a permit and proper training to bring a glue gun to the job.
You guys are killing me with the "goo" jokes! I did think about using the word "slime" in my thread title...
 
Before you attack the goo, a thought came to mind... Let's say it is hot melt glue. It is May, and nicely sunny, but is that really enough to melt it? And melt it enough for it to flow out in a nice little puddle?

What I'm wondering is, could there be something under there that's getting a lot hotter than it should?
 
I work at various hospitals in the SF Bay Area. I first noticed the "goo" this Tuesday after I had parked outside for several hours. It was cloudy and cool, no sun. Typical gloomy May day a few miles from the coast in Daly City. However, last Friday I was in San Anselmo and parked outside for 6 hours in the sun. I put my "shower cap" on as I normally do protect my Visium top and block UV from reaching the dash. Of course the car interior gets warm in the sun with or without the cap. I suspect the goo flow occurred that day, I just didn't notice it until this week. I didn't drive my Roadster over the weekend.