Need Help: Rear Drive Unit Replacement $6k

[dwoo0418]

Need help and advice on this situation. A couple days ago, I got the "Vehicle May Not Restart" error message. Got the car towed to local service center and they diagnosed the issue as the rear drive unit. They said they will only replace and don't have the ability to open up the drive unit to fix the problem. The cost will be $6k.

My question is are there any other options to get the drive unit looked out initially without it being replaced?

 

[maximizese]

You really ought to post your model year, pack size, and drivetrain to help people help you. If you have a RWD model, there appears to be a common trend of a seal leaking leading to coolant intrusion and destroying the electrical components such as the inverter. $6K isn't the worst, but it's possible that the drive unit could be perfectly fine and perhaps some grounding and wiring components are at fault. There are a few local Tesla specialists who can give you a second opinion, such as:

EvFixMe in Costa Mesa

Tesla Maintenance & Repair Services by EV’s Republic

EV's Republic provides Tesla Maintenance & Repair to ensure all aspects of your car are running in top condition. Contact us to see how we can help.

www.evsrepublic.com

Good luck and I hope others can chime in to help.

 

[dwoo0418]

Thank you so much. It's a 2013 P85+. How do I figure out the drivetrain?

 

[lowtek]

$6k is high but not terrible, considering the age of the car.

You could also look for a replacement from a totaled 2013, probably your best bet ... if you can find someone willing to do the work. Telsa won't touch it afterwards though.

 

[howardc64]

Thank you so much. It's a 2013 P85+. How do I figure out the drivetrain?

P85+ has the high leak failure large drive unit (LDU)

You are in OC, luckily close to probably the only high volume LDU rebuilder in the country at QC Charge in San Diego. I think < $5k + shipping since car doesn't drive. They add future leak mitigation where as Tesla's reman LDUs do not have (so will happen again, YMMV on how long, we've seen < 5 years fairly often)

QC Charge - Home

If you want to look for and ask if someone can rebuild it, here is the LDU rebuild website @vanR and I made

Tesla LDU (google.com)

And yes $6k is not terrible price. I believe there is a 4 year/50k mi? warranty as well? It will be probably be a reman unit (Tesla probably using multiple contract rebuilders and quality maybe YMMV) unless you win the jackpot and they don't have any and put in a new one haha.

 

[demundus]

Holy hell QC charge is like walking distance from my house! Amazing!

 

[dwoo0418]

You really ought to post your model year, pack size, and drivetrain to help people help you. If you have a RWD model, there appears to be a common trend of a seal leaking leading to coolant intrusion and destroying the electrical components such as the inverter. $6K isn't the worst, but it's possible that the drive unit could be perfectly fine and perhaps some grounding and wiring components are at fault. There are a few local Tesla specialists who can give you a second opinion, such as:

EvFixMe in Costa Mesa

Tesla Maintenance & Repair Services by EV’s Republic

EV's Republic provides Tesla Maintenance & Repair to ensure all aspects of your car are running in top condition. Contact us to see how we can help.

www.evsrepublic.com

Good luck and I hope others can chime in to help.

Thanks for the resource. Just spoke

P85+ has the high leak failure large drive unit (LDU)

You are in OC, luckily close to probably the only high volume LDU rebuilder in the country at QC Charge in San Diego. I think < $5k + shipping since car doesn't drive. They add future leak mitigation where as Tesla's reman LDUs do not have (so will happen again, YMMV on how long, we've seen < 5 years fairly often)

QC Charge - Home

If you want to look for and ask if someone can rebuild it, here is the LDU rebuild website @vanR and I made

Tesla LDU (google.com)

Wow, thank you for this information. I am going down the rabbit hole of LDU. Didn't know this was such a big issue.

Big picture, if you were in my position, what would you do? Get the $6k Tesla repair, go to QC Charge to get the modification, and then live happy? Or just repaid and sell?

 

[ucmndd]

Thanks for the resource. Just spoke

Wow, thank you for this information. I am going down the rabbit hole of LDU. Didn't know this was such a big issue.

Big picture, if you were in my position, what would you do? Get the $6k Tesla repair, go to QC Charge to get the modification, and then live happy? Or just repaid and sell?

A rebuild from QC Charge probably isn't going to be significantly less expensive than the $6k you were quoted from Tesla.

The Tesla replacement comes with a 4 year 50k warranty, which is a pretty big value add.

 

[dwoo0418]

A rebuild from QC Charge probably isn't going to be significantly less expensive than the $6k you were quoted from Tesla.

The Tesla replacement comes with a 4 year 50k warranty, which is a pretty big value add.

Yeah, cost is about the same, but Tesla said the warranty is 1 year.

 

[howardc64]

Thanks for the resource. Just spoke

Wow, thank you for this information. I am going down the rabbit hole of LDU. Didn't know this was such a big issue.

Big picture, if you were in my position, what would you do? Get the $6k Tesla repair, go to QC Charge to get the modification, and then live happy? Or just repaid and sell?

I think can't just consider LDU in abstract post warranty honeymoon. There is the "other" huge ticket item. THE BATTERY...

What is your mileage and battery history? LDU might hurt now... but that battery is 2-3+x price and seems like random lottery with Tesla supply reading the threads.

BTW, with modifications, it doesn't mean LDU never fail again. It just means seal leak (and they will leak) don't accumulate and cause collateral damage as aggressively. Will it wash out the nearby bearing and get into the stator after a long while? no body knows.

A rebuild from QC Charge probably isn't going to be significantly less expensive than the $6k you were quoted from Tesla.

The Tesla replacement comes with a 4 year 50k warranty, which is a pretty big value add.

If someone can prove drilling weep hole is possible with LDU in car... Tesla's option would look even better. I'll need to find another LDU needing rebuild and find an experienced machinists to test haha. That or start with some Homedepot aluminum test blocks...

DIY Tesla Drive Unit Repair | Page 4 | Tesla Motors Club

 

[ucmndd]

Yeah, cost is about the same, but Tesla said the warranty is 1 year.

Tell them to read their own parts, body, and paint repair warranty, which explicitly lists a replacement drive unit warranty at 4y/50k.

https://www.tesla.com/sites/default/files/downloads/tesla-parts-accessories-body-repair-limited-warranty-en-us.pdf

 

[bigslick]

Thank you so much. It's a 2013 P85+. How do I figure out the drivetrain?

I have a 2014 Model S with 206,000 miles on it, my drive unit was replaced in November 2021 under warranty, no charge, that one lasted until August of 2022, again they replaced it, no charge, now 5 months later it needs replacing again, now it's out of warranty, and they want $5,800 to replace it, with a 4 year transferable warranty. What is with these drive units failing. Has anyone heard of such a thing? I'm going to sell this car, and at least the drive unit warranty will go with the car. I'm also having the first brake job done, with new rotors, that's a lot of miles before a brake job was needed, adding $1600 to the bill. Plus having the infotainment system upgrade installed adding another $1740 to the bill. All these expenses will be added to my asking price for the car. Anyway, expensive week for me, at least they gave me a 2018 Model X as a loaner, and I love it, that might be my next Tesla, cause I'm not giving up on the brand, model S or X for me.

 

[howardc64]

I have a 2014 Model S with 206,000 miles on it, my drive unit was replaced in November 2021 under warranty, no charge, that one lasted until August of 2022, again they replaced it, no charge, now 5 months later it needs replacing again, now it's out of warranty, and they want $5,800 to replace it, with a 4 year transferable warranty. What is with these drive units failing. Has anyone heard of such a thing? I'm going to sell this car, and at least the drive unit warranty will go with the car. I'm also having the first brake job done, with new rotors, that's a lot of miles before a brake job was needed, adding $1600 to the bill. Plus having the infotainment system upgrade installed adding another $1740 to the bill. All these expenses will be added to my asking price for the car. Anyway, expensive week for me, at least they gave me a 2018 Model X as a loaner, and I love it, that might be my next Tesla, cause I'm not giving up on the brand, model S or X for me.

Was the 206k miles first drive unit? Can you provide the part number and line description of replacement drive units on the paperwork? It will say if REMAN (remanufactured) and Revision number.

I'm guessing (just a conjecture based on observation) original drive units were 1) assembled by robots 2) used a better coolant seal. But most of these drive units were removed early on due to forward/reverse loading clunking problem and non ceramic bearing milling noise problem. Then under warranty replacements started receiving REMANs (assembled by human and maybe distributed contract rebuilders?) and often used a less robust coolant seal.

Perhaps the high mileage drivers that got the new drive units post clunking and milling noise revision are the ones with drive unit longevity. Seems like lots of REMANs are failing much faster rate and most have a weaker seal when disassembled.

 

[VifferFun]

Are there certain model years that aren't impacted by drive unit failures as much as other model years?

 

[howardc64]

Are there certain model years that aren't impacted by drive unit failures as much as other model years?

Its not model year (other than 2021+). According to Tesla's online service manual / parts listing, all RWD and P*D through 2020 is same basic rear LDU design (base or sports LDU but basically same design). So only non performance dual motor models don't use LDU in the rear.

 

[VifferFun]

Its not model year (other than 2021+). According to Tesla's online service manual / parts listing, all RWD and P*D through 2020 is same basic rear LDU design (base or sports LDU but basically same design). So only non performance dual motor models don't use LDU in the rear.

Thanks! Since I have a 2015 P85DL, then I guess a read drive unit might be in my future sometime I have warranty until August 2028, so if it's going to fail, hopefully it's before that

 

[geordi]

I have a 2014 Model S with 206,000 miles on it, my drive unit was replaced in November 2021 under warranty, no charge, that one lasted until August of 2022, again they replaced it, no charge, now 5 months later it needs replacing again, now it's out of warranty, and they want $5,800 to replace it, with a 4 year transferable warranty. What is with these drive units failing. Has anyone heard of such a thing? I'm going to sell this car, and at least the drive unit warranty will go with the car. I'm also having the first brake job done, with new rotors, that's a lot of miles before a brake job was needed, adding $1600 to the bill. Plus having the infotainment system upgrade installed adding another $1740 to the bill. All these expenses will be added to my asking price for the car. Anyway, expensive week for me, at least they gave me a 2018 Model X as a loaner, and I love it, that might be my next Tesla, cause I'm not giving up on the brand, model S or X for me.

If you can, cancel the brake job - that's a MASSIVE profit margin item for any shop. You VERY LIKELY do not need rotors unless they are very warped, and doing the pads is at best 15 minutes per wheel and about $200 in parts and tool if you don't already have it.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00Z6LM73G/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DFP5V38/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FTUN9EK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Seriously - It's 2 18mm bolts after you get the wheel off, and you don't even have to pull the disc if you don't need to. Stupidly easy.

 

[Dawave]

Thank you so much. It's a 2013 P85+. How do I figure out the drivetrain?

Have the same car as you and same issue. 2013 s p85+. Replacement performance ldu was very hard to find and old firmware was nightmare to deal with. Car was at shop for 6+ months and had to go back to Tesla to fix it. (7k)

Sorry but Tesla is the only place to go from my experience.

 

[Fgpalmer71]

Just stumbled upon this thread whipe searching for alternatives to the $7.5k estimate Tesla is quoting me for the replacement of the LDU. 2014 60 with 131k miles.

I had no idea that this was a known issue. The drive unit was replaced by the previous owner ~ 1 year before I bought it, so less then 3 yrs ago now. This just happened last night and all of my options are awful. Option 1) pay Tesla $7500 for what seems as though it'll be a reman unit. 2) I live in AZ and Gruber Motors will replace it with a used unit for 6-7k. Lol, yeah right. 3) Source my own unit and pay Gruber ~ $800 for installation.

I had planned to sell/trade it in next year for a new LR Model 3 and sinking $7.5k into it seems like a terrible idea. Why would they be quoting me that as opposed to the $6k or less that I'm seeing others have been quoted in this thread?

 

[airborne spoon]

Just stumbled upon this thread whipe searching for alternatives to the $7.5k estimate Tesla is quoting me for the replacement of the LDU. 2014 60 with 131k miles.

I had no idea that this was a known issue. The drive unit was replaced by the previous owner ~ 1 year before I bought it, so less then 3 yrs ago now. This just happened last night and all of my options are awful. Option 1) pay Tesla $7500 for what seems as though it'll be a reman unit. 2) I live in AZ and Gruber Motors will replace it with a used unit for 6-7k. Lol, yeah right. 3) Source my own unit and pay Gruber ~ $800 for installation.

I had planned to sell/trade it in next year for a new LR Model 3 and sinking $7.5k into it seems like a terrible idea. Why would they be quoting me that as opposed to the $6k or less that I'm seeing others have been quoted in this thread?

Get a remanufactured one from Tesla thats what i did when mine went out last month. It's much cheaper and it has the same 4 year warranty Tesla gives on a new drive unit if they were to install it for you.