Official: Roadster Extended Service Announced

[hcsharp]

$10K was mentioned earlier in this thread. I don't remember the price myself.

The battery replacement program started at 15k and they lowered the price later to 12k which is what I paid in 2011, but it's pro-rated. If you replace it after 5 yrs you have to pay an additional 2k. At 8 yrs you pay nothing more. If you can wait until year 10, they give you 2k back.

The battery warranty, which is different, does not guarantee against capacity loss unless it is caused by failure of one of the components. In theory if you can start the car, and drive out of your driveway before running out, it's still a good battery. Of course it wouldn't do that unless there was something else wrong with it.

 

[Pantera Dude]

I am about to purchase a 2008 Roadster with about 15,000 miles and the warranty running out in April. Any suggestions here? Is it really that expensive to maintain the car and what do I need to look out for? I know that the car had only 1 owner and was garage kept and well maintained. I will be putting a lot of miles on the car. Probably between 20 and 25,000 miles a year.

Speaking from experience, mark the day on your calendar when the warranty ends. Take the time to go over the car with a fine tooth comb. If you see something that bugs you even a little, get it fixed. Go through the owner's manual and test everything! There may be things that don't work that the owner isn't aware of because they never used that function. Drive it plenty to see if there is anything that doesn't seem perfect. I bought my car with about two weeks of warranty remaining. Had I done what I am recommending to you, I could have saved a LOT of money!

 

[bart513]

Thanks so much for that advice. Assuming that the deal goes through (still waiting on pins and needles) I will do exactly that. I'll have to leave my house and go to some remote corner of town as that stuff drives my wife crazy. She doesn't appreciate the importance of those details but I love her anyway!!

 

[strider]

The most recent quote from Tesla to replace a dead battery (including labour) is $40K, although this is expected to come down over time and some owners have pre-paid for a battery replacement at $14K.

Is this quote from the bricking incident? We have to assume that $40K is for a new battery without a "core charge" of a battery that simply has decreased capacity. I wonder what the price of a new battery if I'm turning in a battery with say a 100-mile standard mode range?

- - - Updated - - -

My understanding is the battery "warranty" covers a battery failure but NOT loss in capacity. For example if one were to plunk down the $7.5K for the 3 year extension if your battery dies in 2 1/2 years then they will fix or replace it. But if your range is say 100 miles, less than 50%, that is not covered. Please correct me if I am wrong.

I wrote a longer post on this in a Model S thread but suffice to say that if all the bricks/sheets in your battery are at the same capacity and your range is 100 miles then yes, that is not a warranty item. If you have a brick or sheet fail such that your range is 100 miles but the other bricks/sheets are ok then that is a warranty item and Tesla will replace that brick/sheet that failed.

- - - Updated - - -

My thinking is that I will get neither of these plans. If a PEM goes I'll just upgrade to the "sub-3 second" package that is coming. I'm not worried about the battery as I only drive 50 miles/day. I could lose a LOT of capacity before I need to replace it.

 

[Doug_G]

Is this quote from the bricking incident? We have to assume that $40K is for a new battery without a "core charge" of a battery that simply has decreased capacity. I wonder what the price of a new battery if I'm turning in a battery with say a 100-mile standard mode range?

The number I heard was $38k for a replacement battery with brand-new cells, installed.

 

[Eberhard]

i just did more than 131.00km within 28 months. If i would apply for the extended warrant, i would have to pay more than €15.000 per year. Better I save my money and go to get a new one in 5 years. or buy a crashed one for useable parts.

 

[hcsharp]

...
My thinking is that I will get neither of these plans. If a PEM goes I'll just upgrade to the "sub-3 second" package that is coming. I'm not worried about the battery as I only drive 50 miles/day. I could lose a LOT of capacity before I need to replace it.

I've been leaning that way. We really need more info before making this decision though. For example, the "sub-3..." performance package might require a battery upgrade to have cells that can handle a higher C rate of discharge.

Extended warranties usually carry a very high profit margin. It's not uncommon for car buyers to walk into a dealer armed with the "invoice" price and negotiate a great deal only a couple hundred over. The dealer does OK by selling an extended warranty with a much larger markup than the car, and a kickback on the financing.

 

[vfx]

I've been leaning that way. We really need more info before making this decision though. For example, the "sub-3..." performance package might require a battery upgrade to have cells that can handle a higher C rate of discharge.....

One thing I did hear was that the car has to be a 2.0 or higher.

 

[strider]

The number I heard was $38k for a replacement battery with brand-new cells, installed.

But it's apples and oranges to compare a complete battery replacement to the warranty. The battery warranty being offered here will NOT give you a new battery. It will protect you in case a few bricks or a sheet fails or degrades before the rest of the pack. Tesla will replace that sheet under this warranty. They MAY swap the pack if it's cheaper for them but you won't get a new pack - they'll give you a pack w/ the same capacity.

What we have to weigh is the cost to swap out a sheet with labor vs the warranty.

 

[Doug_G]

Isn't (IIRC) it something like 2 days effort to remove and install a Roadster battery pack? At their labor rates that's a couple of grand.

 

[dhrivnak]

In looking close at the battery warranty it appears if you have even done a 1/4 mile or autocross then you could be out of luck. That does not make sense to me unless they can show you were repeatedly stressing the car. And you need to ensure the car is regulary serviced.

To maintain the validity of this Battery ESA, You must follow correct operations procedures and have Your Vehicle serviced as recommended by Tesla. If requested, proof of required service, including receipts showing date and mileage of the Vehicle at the time of service, must be presented before any repairs under this Battery ESA commence. Service within 1,000 miles and/or 30 days of Tesla’s recommended intervals shall be considered compliant with the terms of this Battery ESA.

Part of the exclusions:
If Your Vehicle is used for racing on or off road, competition, speed contests or autocross;

Does this mean if they conclude through the logs you ran flat out for 1/4 mile the warranty is void?

 

[Mitrovic]

So my car ran out of the guarantee and at the last day I was able to take a guarantee prolongation it gave me an error of the ABS, the traction control and the recuperation system. So of course I took a two year prolongation warranty. At the same time when they were servicing my car they made some measurements of the battery pack and noticed some higher values. Those higher values indicate that some sensors are getting loose. This can cause the battery to become defective, so I tokk a one year battery prolongation, too....

 

[Doug_G]

Yow, nice timing!

 

[PRJIM]

So my car ran out of the guarantee and at the last day I was able to take a guarantee prolongation it gave me an error of the ABS, the traction control and the recuperation system..

I have seen this error on about a half dozen Roadsters. Most of the time this is due to a failing 12v battery.

 

[Jackyche]

My warranty will be up in September, so I've been putting in a bit of thought on the two options.

I was planning to go with the general extension for $5k-3years since it covers everything, including PEM and such. I figure the battery will just have gradual degradation.

However, after speaking with a local Tesla tech, he mentioned that the 1.5 PEM is built like a tank and shouldn't be an issue at all so he'd go with the battery extension.

Oh so confused now .....

But I'll prob still go with the general extension.

 

[jbadger]

However, after speaking with a local Tesla tech, he mentioned that the 1.5 PEM is built like a tank and shouldn't be an issue at all so he'd go with the battery extension.

My PEM just failed, I'm upgrading it because Tesla at Fremont said its a lot less likely to fail. It's going to cost just under $1600.

 

[Gary1M]

My warranty expires soon so this week I brought the Roadster in for service to fix a couple of minor issues and installation of the Stage 2 sound reduction kit. I had given a lot of thought about the two offered extended service agreements and their respective duration options. I look at these ESAs in a risk management context similar to insurance in that it limits the financial downside should something break over the next 1 – 3 years. Problem was I wasn’t sure how long I would keep the Roadster since we have a Model S on order and there are only so many parking spots in the garage.

While talking with the Tesla service rep there was a large bang in front of the service center. We ran out and found a red Roadster had been hit nearly head on by an oncoming SUV as the Roadster was pulling into the service driveway. The SUV had actually driven over the front of the Roadster causing extensive damage and debris all over the road. The driver of the Roadster climbed out unharmed. Amazing… and a testament to the remarkable engineering that went into this very special car many of us are fortunate enough to own.

I opted for the 3 year option for both ESAs. I intend to keep this car as long as I can manage to get in and out of it. Besides, there’s room in the driveway for our less remarkable cars.

 

[PRJIM]

While talking with the Tesla service rep there was a large bang in front of the service center. We ran out and found a red Roadster had been hit nearly head on by an oncoming SUV as the Roadster was pulling into the service driveway. The SUV had actually driven over the front of the Roadster causing extensive damage and debris all over the road. The driver of the Roadster climbed out unharmed. Amazing… and a testament to the remarkable engineering that went into this very special car many of us are fortunate enough to own.

View attachment 21227

wow that is crazy. I wonder if it was a Tesla trade in or a customers car?

 

[Gary1M]

I spoke with the driver briefly afterwards. He is the owner of the Roadster and a Model S.

 

[Jackyche]

My PEM just failed, I'm upgrading it because Tesla at Fremont said its a lot less likely to fail. It's going to cost just under $1600.

Yours was the fan that failed right? And you're upgrading with the double fan? It's not that you are upgrading to the version 2.0 PEM right?