New Battery or New Car?

[springdaisy82]

I own a 2016 Model S 70D. It currently has 161,000 miles on it. I love the car, and am hoping the battery lasts a LONG time. It currently charges to 214 miles, which is fine for me.

My question for discussion is this: When the battery finally does die, should I buy a new car or upgrade the battery? Honestly, the car is great, I don't need a new one just to have a new or different car. So if I can get a P90 or even P100 battery in it later, that would be amazing. However, would I be shooting myself in the foot? I have heard the drivelines in this model generally last longer, but it would be a bummer to get a new battery and then have the drivelines fail. Are there other large dollar items that I am risking failing?

Any thoughts and opinions are welcome!

 

[dwbv]

I think it's difficult to predict versus making the decision when it happens. If you are perfectly good with your car then it would be overall cheaper to just replace the battery then buying a new/used car altogether. A replacement battery will always be cheaper than a new/used car (at least as of today). You could also factor in new drive units and it may still be cheaper.

The unknown here is the prices of replacement new/used cars and/or parts when your car actually dies. This factor alone may be a deal breaker or a deal maker.

Also, don't forget that there may be more EVs out there that you may be interested in to transition over to. If my P85D takes a crap now, I'm shifting over to Taycan, R1S, or Lightning. I'd be heading towards a new experience.

 

[springdaisy82]

I think it's difficult to predict versus making the decision when it happens. If you are perfectly good with your car then it would be overall cheaper to just replace the battery then buying a new/used car altogether. A replacement battery will always be cheaper than a new/used car (at least as of today). You could also factor in new drive units and it may still be cheaper.

The unknown here is the prices of replacement new/used cars and/or parts when your car actually dies. This factor alone may be a deal breaker or a deal maker.

Also, don't forget that there may be more EVs out there that you may be interested in to transition over to. If my P85D takes a crap now, I'm shifting over to Taycan, R1S, or Lightning. I'd be heading towards a new experience.

That makes sense for sure, and by the time my car dies, I may feel the same. But I also love the idea of keeping the car and saving the money.

 

[aesculus]

I am going for a new battery. Don't need the headaches of breaking in a new car, especially a Tesla.

 

[BitJam]

In three years when the car is 10 years old, I would opt for a new car.

 

[LoudMusic]

If "buy a new car" is a genuine option for you and your current car has 161,000 miles on it I would put in an order for a new car now and sell this one when the new one arrives.

But if you want to save money I'd say replacing the battery is the way to go. If your car is well cared for and you aren't going "boy racer" at all the traffic lights then getting a 100kwh battery might be really nice.

 

[Dzsink]

I own a 2016 Model S 70D. It currently has 161,000 miles on it. I love the car, and am hoping the battery lasts a LONG time. It currently charges to 214 miles, which is fine for me.

My question for discussion is this: When the battery finally does die, should I buy a new car or upgrade the battery? Honestly, the car is great, I don't need a new one just to have a new or different car. So if I can get a P90 or even P100 battery in it later, that would be amazing. However, would I be shooting myself in the foot? I have heard the drivelines in this model generally last longer, but it would be a bummer to get a new battery and then have the drivelines fail. Are there other large dollar items that I am risking failing?

Any thoughts and opinions are welcome!

I think on the chassis of the older versions such yours and 60, 85 it is different in some ways. Where large pack will not get installed or replaced by Tesla. Some control modules, air bag timing and some structural members are different that the 90 and 100kwh packs. If course aftermarket shops might can do a trick to have the large packed installed in your car.

 

[TLLMRRJ]

Might be worth considering your insurance implications.

In a few years, if your 2016 with a ton of miles is worth something like $25K in perfect running order and it gets totaled (think distracted teen driver t-boning you through no fault of you own), you'll get a $25K check from the insurance company.

However, if you had just put in a $20K battery, the car is really worth $45K to you, but if it gets totaled, you'll still only get $25K from insurance. If you try to buy another 2016 with that 25K, it may not be as well cared for, and it may need a new $20K just after you buy it.

Something to think about. You could have bought a much nicer car for that $65K.

 

[WallysRide]

Might be worth considering your insurance implications.

In a few years, if your 2016 with a ton of miles is worth something like $25K in perfect running order and it gets totaled (think distracted teen driver t-boning you through no fault of you own), you'll get a $25K check from the insurance company.

However, if you had just put in a $20K battery, the car is really worth $45K to you, but if it gets totaled, you'll still only get $25K from insurance. If you try to buy another 2016 with that 25K, it may not be as well cared for, and it may need a new $20K just after you buy it.

Something to think about. You could have bought a much nicer car for that $65K.

The insurance issue is very important to consider, especially because an older Tesla can get totaled by even a minor accident due to the high costs of certified Tesla body work.

 

[NewbyMaybe]

When the warranty expires you will be better off if an independent EV tech is nearby. Newer car is better if you aren't near an ev service center.

 

[jmcdono362]

I own a 2016 Model S 70D. It currently has 161,000 miles on it. I love the car, and am hoping the battery lasts a LONG time. It currently charges to 214 miles, which is fine for me.

My question for discussion is this: When the battery finally does die, should I buy a new car or upgrade the battery? Honestly, the car is great, I don't need a new one just to have a new or different car. So if I can get a P90 or even P100 battery in it later, that would be amazing. However, would I be shooting myself in the foot? I have heard the drivelines in this model generally last longer, but it would be a bummer to get a new battery and then have the drivelines fail. Are there other large dollar items that I am risking failing?

Any thoughts and opinions are welcome!

I like your idea of upgrading the battery if it dies. 057 Tech actually offers that service at their shop. You can upgrade your 70 to a P100D i believe. They have a whole diagram on upgrades on their site. No matter what, it'll still be way cheaper than a new car.

 

[wk057]

I like your idea of upgrading the battery if it dies. 057 Tech actually offers that service at their shop. You can upgrade your 70 to a P100D i believe. They have a whole diagram on upgrades on their site. No matter what, it'll still be way cheaper than a new car.

Upgrade Your Tesla | 057 Technology

057 Technology, LLC

upgrades.057tech.com

 

[springdaisy82]

I like your idea of upgrading the battery if it dies. 057 Tech actually offers that service at their shop. You can upgrade your 70 to a P100D i believe. They have a whole diagram on upgrades on their site. No matter what, it'll still be way cheaper than a new car.

Yea! I have been looking at their site, and that is cool. I wish they had a shop on the west coast though!

 

[Dukeybootie]

For those of us with no battery issues so far and closing in on 8 years, how do you decide between electively replacing a functioning pack through a third party vendor (recell, wk057) and waiting until it dies to replace it (through Tesla or anyone else)? I am having a hard time with this decision. My understanding is the third party vendors' advertised prices are only good when replacing a functioning pack -- I assume the cost would go up significantly if the pack were not functional. Would love everyone's thoughts on this.

 

[Trebek1762]

Vote to replace the pack. I'm holding onto my 2018 MS til they pull it from my dead hands since it has a sunroof, free supercharging and STALKS. I will not buy another S until they bring back the stalks and would rather spend 20k to get a 100D battery on my 18 than give Elon another cent.

 

[Trebek1762]

For those of us with no battery issues so far and closing in on 8 years, how do you decide between electively replacing a functioning pack through a third party vendor (recell, wk057) and waiting until it dies to replace it (through Tesla or anyone else)? I am having a hard time with this decision. My understanding is the third party vendors' advertised prices are only good when replacing a functioning pack -- I assume the cost would go up significantly if the pack were not functional. Would love everyone's thoughts on this.

IT's all about cost. What's Tesla gonna charge you for a reman pack? What's 057 gonna charge you for the same pack?

If you're at a point where you don't like the degradation level you're at, or want more range, then get to 057 tech.

 

[Dukeybootie]

IT's all about cost. What's Tesla gonna charge you for a reman pack? What's 057 gonna charge you for the same pack?

If you're at a point where you don't like the degradation level you're at, or want more range, then get to 057 tech.

Currently, I have minimal degradation and don't need more range (85 pack). So it is hard to justify replacing it at this point with no obvious issues (176k miles and counting with regular supercharging).

The only 057 option available is the 100 pack upgrade for $22k, plus cost of round trip vehicle transportation from CA. As noted, this price/option is only available while my current pack is still functioning. I love the idea of the 100 pack and faster supercharging but am how do you justify spending $22k in this situation?

If I continue to drive/use my existing pack until it malfunctions and have my local Tesla service center replace it for $15k with a 4yr/50k warranty, doesn't that make more sense? Unless I am missing something here.

 

[aesculus]

If I continue to drive/use my existing pack until it malfunctions and have my local Tesla service center replace it for $15k with a 4yr/50k warranty, doesn't that make more sense? Unless I am missing something here.

As you noted you can get a 100 from 057 where Tesla is going to give you a reman 85. I am going to seriously look at the 100 option when my warranty expires in 2 years. Hoping 057 has a Nor Cal shop by then.

 

[Dukeybootie]

As you noted you can get a 100 from 057 where Tesla is going to give you a reman 85. I am going to seriously look at the 100 option when my warranty expires in 2 years. Hoping 057 has a Nor Cal shop by then.

Yes but the 100 from 057 is a reman as well. So either a reman 100 for $22k plus $3500 shipping versus a reman 85 for $15k (and no shipping). That $10k difference is not small. Plus the latter option through Tesla allows me to keep driving indefinitely, extending the useful life of my car and starting the clock on the replacement battery as late as possible.

And the main question I have still remains: why replace a perfectly well functioning pack for such a high cost? Just because the warranty expired from one day to the next?

 

[wk057]

Not sure where you got $3500 shipping, but that's far from the norm. We've moved cars from the other side of the world and back for that much. Anywhere in the US for a car that runs is wayyyy less than that. Absolute worst case (middle of no where Washington State) is like $1600 each way, but from places within 300-500 miles of the I-40 corridor it can be substantially less, especially if you're +/- a week flexible on timing.

Tesla's pretty unlikely to have a battery in-stock ready to go anyway, based on what I've heard from customers over the years. We usually beat them on turnaround time even with cross-country shipping.

As for the why, with our upgrades you can actually... well upgrade. Instead of getting a remanufactured pack with the same capacity as you already have, you can instead spend a couple extra bucks and bump that to the max your car can physically handle.

Also, keep in mind our upgrade pricing is priced per vehicle, as our database has a pretty good handle on which pack types would be the core type, so the number will not be the same for everyone which is why I don't post prices here and instead direct people to the upgrades page to check their own cars. Pricing for upgrades with a failed battery are higher, but not insanely so. We generally do suggest that if you're planning on upgrading that you do it before you run into issues, though, since it saves you money. Especially on pre-2015 vehicles which I expect are going to have a pretty high pack failure rate over the next few years.

And of course, we can usually do like-replacements for less than Tesla does also, even when factoring in shipping.

Hoping 057 has a Nor Cal shop by then.

If we did that, the upgrades and other services would have to be able triple the price... so extremely unlikely, since absolutely no one would buy at those prices. Why spend $50k+ on an upgrade when you can buy a whole car?