Mysterious "goo" suddenly appeared around the binnacle

[Jaff]

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.

I had this same goo appear in exactly the same spot about 2-3 years ago...not long after I had the Service Center replace my binnacle with the CF version.

The bottom line was the SC had no idea what it was, or where it came from.

I asked them to have a go at cleaning it off...they were able to remove the goo so well, you'd have never know it ever existed.

If your service center has an issue with trying to clean it, let me know and I'll get a contact name for you in the TM Mississauga SC so your SC folks can chat with them and let them know how they removed it.

 

[ecarfan]

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.

I got out my heat gun, warmed the goo just a bit, and was able to carefully peel it off with a disposable plastic knife. Didn't damage the dash top surface. I can still see it under the edge of the binnacle on each side.

So now to decide if will follow @JohnGarziglia's excellent instructions on how to remove the binnacle, and take a look. On the one hand, I want Tesla to fix it so they can see how they screwed up (in my opinion, remains to be demonstrated conclusively) but then I have to take the car in, which even though I am very close to my SC, is a hassle.

If I take the binnacle off I can always take photos before cleaning things up and show the pics to the SC. No time today for that project, maybe later.

@Jaff, thanks for your post, good to know that this is not the first time this has happened! So even after your SC removed your binnacle and cleaned up the mess they had no idea where it came from?

 

[dhrivnak]

If I recall there may be an antenna there and I wonder if it was attached with hot melt glue. So it may be just the glue melting off in the summer heat.

 

[Jaff]

I got out my heat gun, warmed the goo just a bit, and was able to carefully peel it off with a disposable plastic knife. Didn't damage the dash top surface. I can still see it under the edge of the binnacle on each side.

So now to decide if will follow @JohnGarziglia's excellent instructions on how to remove the binnacle, and take a look. On the one hand, I want Tesla to fix it so they can see how they screwed up (in my opinion, remains to be demonstrated conclusively) but then I have to take the car in, which even though I am very close to my SC, is a hassle.

If I take the binnacle off I can always take photos before cleaning things up and show the pics to the SC. No time today for that project, maybe later.

@Jaff, thanks for your post, good to know that this is not the first time this has happened! So even after your SC removed your binnacle and cleaned up the mess they had no idea where it came from?

Yep, that's right...I didn't push it with them simply because they did such a good job of removing it and I had more pressing issues on the go.

 

[NigelM]

That definitely looks like glue stick from a hot glue gun. FWIW, the temps here in Florida get much higher than in NorCal and I've never seen that goo before. Your car was kept garaged for most of it's life pre you buying it but I can't imagine that's the first time it has experienced higher temps.