New Model 3 died in midtown Manhattan during rush hour

[SageBrush]

Amazing value.

I suspect the Nissan calc was $400 a month for a LEAF, discounted $100 a month for CHAdeMO
In my world a LEAF is worth $300 a month and CHAdeMO is worth $(150) for a total reasonable value of ~ $150 a month

Perhaps we agree -- An amazingly BAD value
----
By the way, we own a 2013 LEAF and it is turning out to be good value. But that is because it was cheap to buy used, is cheap to insure and run, and it is not asked to drive more than 40 miles between charges. I think it will have cost us ~ $100 a month (all costs included) to own and run when all is said and done. It is not worth much more than that.

On the topic of Nissan, that company is the pits, in many ways worse than e.g. GM. That is saying something. The upcoming Arriya looks nice in photos and by spec but knowing it is Nissan puts it off my radar.

 

[SageBrush]

But do they finally have a battery management system in the leaf? They were breaking records in terms of rate of battery degradation because of no BMS. I heard that they were going to fix that but did they?

Not in any LEAF. The upcoming 'Arriya' is said to have liquid cooling in the Nissan reveal from last week.

By the way, I presumed you meant active cooling. The LEAF has a BMS; it even has a primitive TMS to avoid exploding. The failure is in cooling -- the closed pack relies on atmospheric cooling via heat conduction from its case. Hard to believe the pack cools down, no ? It does ... in about a day. And of course DC charging is like putting the pack on a hot plate.

 

[adrianp89]

One week update (one week after car last died, 3 weeks after first died, 5 weeks after purchase): still in the shop with no estimated completion date. Someone from Tesla did call to say they found that coolant had dripped onto the wires and that they thought that was the problem, but that was 2 days ago and I haven’t heard anything since.

As soon as you hit 30 days of TOTAL shop time (between all visits), file the lemon law paper work. Don't wait. I did a FL Lemon Law case by my self and it took several months but worked very much in my favor in the end.

 

[BillNYC]

Tesla Brooklyn finally got back to me with the information that the battery pack will need to be replaced, which will take another week. Knowing I will have met the New York Lemon Law criterion by then, they gave me a choice between keeping the car, in which case they would forgive 2 payments on it, or returning it for a refund. So now I need to decide what to do.

 

[adrianp89]

Refund, don’t even risk it.

 

[f308gt4]

Agree, return it.

 

[Margaritaboy]

I also agree. One month of service for a vehicle you’ve owned for only slightly more than that is a lot of headache to endure. So sorry this happened.

 

[sightman]

I also vote return it. Would you get another model 3?

 

[SigNC]

have them swap you for a new one if that's an option.

 

[C141medic]

Why didn’t they offer to replace it as another option?

 

[MP3Mike]

Why didn’t they offer to replace it as another option?

Because if you have a loan on the car most banks won't allow a substitution of collateral. So replacing it requires undoing the whole transaction and getting another loan.

 

[LionXng]

I vote return it too. And double vote for why didn't they offer to replace it? And what is this "forgive 2 payments on it"? Is the loan to Tesla? If so, they can substitute the bad vehicle for another one.

 

[N54TT]

Tesla Brooklyn finally got back to me with the information that the battery pack will need to be replaced, which will take another week. Knowing I will have met the New York Lemon Law criterion by then, they gave me a choice between keeping the car, in which case they would forgive 2 payments on it, or returning it for a refund. So now I need to decide what to do.

Covering two months payment is a decent compensation offer. Unless your downpayment was more than 1/2 purchase price lol.

 

[Watts_Up]

Tesla Brooklyn finally got back to me with the information that the battery pack will need to be replaced, which will take another week. Knowing I will have met the New York Lemon Law criterion by then, they gave me a choice between
- keeping the car, in which case they would forgive 2 payments on it,
- or returning it for a refund. So now I need to decide what to do.

Return it for FULL refund including taxes, transportation, and DMV license, and buy a NEW car.

Who know, if next week your car get totaled, better then to get insurance estimate based on a new car than an older car.

 

[MP3Mike]

Who know, if next week your car get totaled, better then to get insurance estimate based on a new car than an older car.

Because a two month old car would be worth so much less?

If he is happy with the body/paint on the car it is probably best to keep it rather than risk what he might get with the next car.

 

[Watts_Up]

Two days ago, my new Model 3 died in the middle of a busy street in midtown Manhattan during rush hour, tying up traffic for 45 minutes.

At least you didn't break down in middle of the Lincoln Tunnel during rush hour !!!

This was always my worry, when I was driving my previous car which had tendency of over heating when idling for a long time.
And I had to turn the heater with the blower at the max value with all the windows open...

 

[chdavis]

At least you didn't break down in middle of the Lincoln Tunnel during rush hour !!!

This was always my worry, when I was driving my previous car which had tendency of over heating when idling for a long time.
And I had to turn the heater with the blower at the max value with all the windows open...

Ha! At least the air is actually pretty fresh down there

 

[adrianp89]

Almost all banks will do a substitution of collateral. It is a simple as just changing the VIN.

I can't see any scenario where it is smart to keep a lemon. Tesla's production issues are far and few in between, getting another Model 3 shouldn't be a big deal. Sorry, the only scenario to even consider keeping it, would be if it is a stealth, but other than that get rid of this thing. Way to risky and will always be in the back of his mind if even the smallest thing occurs.

 

[Mattopotamus]

My personal experience with a bad vehicle is they force you to sue using the lemon law. When you get an attorney they inform you 30 days out of service, or 4 unsuccessful attempts to repair the vehicle. Then a demand letter to repair is sent to manufacturer. Most manufacturers have a department that handles the requests. It is in their best financial interest to to initiate a "goodwill" repurchase. By doing this the vehicle is not forever branded a lemon, saving some value. In my instance the vehicle was sent off to auction very far from the servicing dealer.
Note of interest, attorney advertise "If I am successful in winning the case you pay nothing". When the manufacturer offers you a re purchase that is not a successful lemon law case in the eyes of the lawyer....Meaning you pay them for the service.

I've gone through the Lemon Law before without an attorney. Pretty much every state has step by step instructions to follow, and in my case and what I've read online, they will offer you a buy back under the lemon law without the actual need to sue them. Like you said, that is a big reason to not use an attorney. It's a pain in the ass process that will take nearly 6 months to get paid back on.

OP, if you have met the 30 days you can just send in paperwork requiring them to repurchase or replace the vehicle, your choice. You only have to go through the final repair attempt If you have no met the 30 day total mark. Also, if the issue is deemed to be a safety concern you don't have to offer a final repair attempt.

 

[1windy]

It seems to me that they really had a difficult time diagnosing what the root cause is. What happens if it happens again ? IT really is an uncomfortable place to be. I would lean toward taking the buyback. The fact they didn't offer a replacement probably means they won't sell you another vehicle. If that is the case it really is unfair, which would only ensure that I would take the buyout. Who needs to be treated like that, if that is their stance?
Sometimes a do-over is a blessing in disguise.