Pano roof brackets broken! Tesla won't repair due to salvage vehicle

[DARK_VADAR]

Im going to take my 2016 Tesla model S to Toyota dealership and ask them to fix it, let me know what you reckon guys? oh and here's a few photos of the damage lets hope there are a few people in here who know a little about cars and can say if the damage is significant enough to void the whole cars warranty , updates, supercharging, and support!

**** Today car refused to open with both keys , I called Tesla customer support they hung up on me 5 times and every time I called them back they were laughing saying "sorry we dont support your car" what do you guys suggest ? smash a window to get in ? or call Toyota ?

I am almost certain If not definite there are people from Tesla in this forum , in this post or someone who is connected to them. Many things I've mentioned In this post that Tesla was never told , was told to me today over the phone by there customer support, I will also screen shot the calls in case any of you feel "im peeling back layers of an onion"

Dont be scared to face the big guys, you paid over $100k for a car and let me tell you they are nothing special! Mercedes has it all over these cars everyday anyway, I would even as far as to go and say I would compare the build quality and design of this car to any standard car manufacturer , oh and if your thinking AUTOPILOT is not far off, you really did buy into a dream that would not be happening for many many years to come, nobody In there right mind will drive near a car that has nobody in it physically holding controlling the cockpit.

People buying a technology that isn't even promised to them , living in hope chasing a dream that is light years away of ever becoming , even if it is 5 years away , who buys a car with technology that is going to be used 5 years down the track??? AHHA "PEEL BACK THAT ONION"


Now all of you come back with your replies try to attack me for putting you all in your places and putting some sense into the 5 cells left up there

** oh here's another thing teslas not doing , keep this in mind guys when you sell your cars. They are refusing to put the car into my name or transfer it through there database, or even let me be able to customise the car and download the app , until the car is registered in my name, so in the meantime the previous owners music is all on here and many other details , I got his name , phone number, address thats how I got the second key actually and found out that the damage was nothing at all actually!!!!

So they won't transfer the car into my name until it is registered , however in order to be registered the car needs to be repaired , and in order to repair it I need someone who knows how to work on a Tesla, and I got some dash error for the 12V battery and AC cooling, who do you suggest I take the vehicle to plug into there "Toyota" computer HAHAHA

Lets just hope a police officer doesn't pull me over and tell me prove you own this car 2 minutes late in handcuffs because Tesla refuses to transfer ownership into my name based on a "Invoice, sale receipt , or bill of sale"

yes as you have seen I have many cars, and owned many, I dont speak from no experience , I speak from any car you can think of ive owned and never had these issues, I have no reason to come online and put down any company, and I actually have never In my 34 years of living!

 

[DARK_VADAR]

But you are wrong; Tesla will work on a salvage car, just not under warranty. And before they will work on any HV portion of the car you have to pay for, and pass, an HV inspection on the car. (Which costs ~$500 US.)

Directly from their site: Unsupported or Salvaged Vehicle Policy



It is possible that not all service center employees are aware of the change to Tesla's policy in regards to this. (I think it change ~6 months ago.)

HAHAH still siding with Tesla on this one ? I think you missed about a million other issues I raised in my reply your choosing to overlook. Send me a Toyota employee out soon bro to unlock my car , or should I brick the window ? let me know your thoughts. Your wrong I was told to my face by the manager at Tesla the car is not to come to his dealership or they will not work on it! Another apple "sorry sir that screen or battery is aftermarket we cant help you"

Have fun with your Toyota electric cars, go see the quality of a Mercedes or BMW or AUDI then get back into your Tesla "shakes my head""

I know it hurts to face the issue that im facing could possibly be you one day, but what I went through one day you will, I dont wish bad upon nobody , but this is a reality , my reality in my life right now I am facing. Having insurance doesnt say this will never happen to you, and if it does well then this car is useless to anyone who wants to buy one like I did and repair it knowing its not a major repair. Lets just say im ahead of all of you by about a $60k saving not sure if its worth it , what you reckon guys

 

[MP3Mike]

HAHAH still siding with Tesla on this one ? I think you missed about a million other issues I raised in my reply your choosing to overlook. Send me a Toyota employee out soon bro to unlock my car , or should I brick the window ? let me know your thoughts. Your wrong I was told to my face by the manager at Tesla the car is not to come to his dealership or they will not work on it! Another apple "sorry sir that screen or battery is aftermarket we cant help you"

As I said it is possible not all service center employees are up to current on the policy changes. Have you pointed them to the policy on their own site? (Or taken a printed copy of it to them?)

Attached is the form for the HV inspection that has more details.

 

[SMAlset]

I don't understand why you aren't suing the person who sold you a salvaged car and getting your money back from them. Unless of course they disclosed this to you so you knew ahead of time it was salvaged.

I wouldn't be in your situation because I would never buy a salvaged car first off. Salvaged cars are I believe sold for their parts, not intended to be rebuilt. This is an EV with so much tech and specialty parts in it, not exactly a Toyota or Mercedes. If I found out someone sold me a car without disclosure, I would be taking them to court and accepting that I learned an expensive and frustrating life lesson. I assume when and if you can resell this car you will be disclosing it as a salvaged car. Sure by this time your local DMV has it marked as a Salvaged car too.

 

[DARK_VADAR]

As I said it is possible not all service center employees are up to current on the policy changes. Have you pointed them to the policy on their own site? (Or taken a printed copy of it to them?)

Attached is the form for the HV inspection that has more details.

I haven't taken a printed off copy to them no, I dont normally print there policy off there website, I like to assume this is the staffs job and responsibility. Six months is a very long time ago! I asked 4 employees on different occasions , different days and after hearing it four times I was not about to go download every information clause off there website. I would of assumed they were up to date, knowledgeable , correct and being HONEST! Especially when the service advisor team leader came out to tell me to my face, so my understanding is my vehicles not ever going to be supported with supercharging , but from my understanding it also states that if the high voltage system has been compromised. I am unsure how people in this forum then said that it is possible to get the supercharging reinstated on the vehicle, so does this mean Tesla will go against its own policy? now im very confused actually.

I would of thought what is deemed a salvage vehicle in the US the standard would differ around the world in different countries. In Australia you get a key mark on your car they deem it salvage title If the insurance company likes you eheheh

 

[DARK_VADAR]

As I said it is possible not all service center employees are up to current on the policy changes. Have you pointed them to the policy on their own site? (Or taken a printed copy of it to them?)

Attached is the form for the HV inspection that has more details.

That form you kindly attached I dont think will actually do anything for me other then get them to say ok we will fix 8 bolts of the fender to your car, $500 to get Teslas permission not including labour charges to fit a fender on I fit in 15 mins ? doesnt make sense! it really doesnt, dont for a minute think im a bit over board, the issue I have is that this company has been terrible from day 1 , im sure your all able to sense my frustration. They honestly would not sell me parts for about two weeks! they told me go to US eBay, and that I did, only to find out that each car is different part numbers to models , and needed to be matched to VIN numbers which Tesla was not willing to confirm either saying its privacy , and we will call you back, I didnt hear from them for weeks, even after I kept calling day after day, if you guys dont believe me try calling the parts department see how you go. I hope its not just a thing in Australia , because it was near impossible for me and very very frustrating

 

[MP3Mike]

That form you kindly attached I dont think will actually do anything for me other then get them to say ok we will fix 8 bolts of the fender to your car, $500 to get Teslas permission not including labour charges to fit a fender on I fit in 15 mins ? doesnt make sense! it really doesnt, dont for a minute think im a bit over board,

You're right, that doesn't make sense because that isn't what it says. And it isn't what I have told you. Try reading it again to see if you can understand what was actually said.

 

[Don85D]

This story sounds like an investment risk that didn't work out. I would accept the loss and move on.

I have towed home many cars over decades and repaired them for my use. I was able to buy iPhone parts on-line to make repairs. As long as you can work on layers of tiny circuits, phone repairs are simply plug in module swaps. I have had less success with digital cameras that were dropped so I now stay away.

Lessons get learned. Some in a positive way and some negative.

Just move on and learn what you can from this experience. It's like playing the market and anger is not good for your health. Just think about the investors in crypto currency who have investments lost in the ether because the company owner died and took the passwords with him. Life sucks sometimes.

I invested in Tesla to get an EV that I can run on sunshine (solar panels). It may be sunk money but if it gets other manufacturers to build EVs so that my grandchildren can have a cleaner world, I'm OK with that. You and I are both losers but for different reasons.

 

[Mark_T]

MP3Mike is trying to help you and that form is the first step to getting Tesla happy with the state of your car and at worst telling you what needs to be fixed to make it safe to work on.

You may also find some useful tips here : Salvage Car Owners Support Group.

You've willingly taken on a huge challenge but you can get help if you calm down enough to accept it.

 

[MP3Mike]

MP3Mike is trying to help you and that form is the first step to getting Tesla happy with the state of your car and at worst telling you what needs to be fixed to make it safe to work on.

The form is only necessary if you want Tesla to reenable updates and/or to work on/touch the high voltage system. They will do other repairs to the car without getting the HV system inspected.

 

[Mark_T]

The form is only necessary if you want Tesla to reenable updates and/or to work on/touch the high voltage system. They will do other repairs to the car without getting the HV system inspected.

Sorry, I should have been clearer, yes, they should work on other repairs without it, but for whatever reasons they have told him that they won’t.

Using the form to prompt them to do the HV check (which is something he should want to do anyway) should get him over the first problem and once they have acknowledged that the car is ‘safe’, it should be easier to get them to do other work if he needs it.

This isn’t the first time that I’ve seen comments about the Australian end of Tesla not following policy on salvage titles, so he may have to do more than usual to get what he needs.

 

[DARK_VADAR]

As I said it is possible not all service center employees are up to current on the policy changes. Have you pointed them to the policy on their own site? (Or taken a printed copy of it to them?)

Attached is the form for the HV inspection that has more details.

That form you kindly attached I dont think will actually do anything for me other then get them to say ok we will fix 8 bolts of the fender to your car, $500 to get Teslas permission not including labour charges to fit a fender on I fit in 15 mins ? doesnt make sense! it really doesnt, dont for a minute think im a bit over board, the issue I have is that this company has been terrible from day 1 , im sure your all able to sense my frustration. They honestly would not sell me parts for about two weeks! they told me go to US eBay, and that I did, only to find out that each car is different part numbers to models , and needed to be matched to VIN numbers which Tesla was not willing to confirm either saying its privacy , and we will call you back, I didnt hear from them for weeks, even after I kept calling day after day, if you guys dont believe me try calling the parts department see how you go. I hope its not just a thing in Australia , because it was near impossible for me and very frustrating. You guys are missing the whole point here really im talking to a brick wall, forget about it, anyway clearly none of you know anything about your cars or how to work on them, so not sure what you do in this forum lol , or do you just join up to say hi I got a Tesla too lol. This companys a joke and rubbish, my high voltage system doesn't need to be looked at by Tesla for $500USD , its perfectly fine! I actually feel real sorry for you guys, just wait until your car one day needs Tesla to work on it , and you'll know what I mean. You guys are thinking you bought "spaceships" what you bought was a car that is trying to push ahead of all the other companies in terms of autopilot , yet they are offering and or copying what Mercedes has in there cars already since 2014! They are offering autopilot 2 hardware but it is not even able to be used like its intended to be! the minute self driving becomes legal, you will see the actual real big boys like Benz and beamer all over it ! Tesla is selling dreams, it is just an electric car nothing else, dont kid yourselves. They sold you that dream, now go buy technology 5 years in advance , purpose of doing so ? I would not have the slightest idea , each to own I guess. Dont for a minute think im in deep water in purchasing my car, the cars repaired and drivable , a fender was replaced and a control arm! and yes I got it maybe $60k less then what you paid for all of yours and I still think the car is a heap of junk, just personal opinion.

 

[DARK_VADAR]

Update , god forbid you should ever break your pano roof or the brackets, replacing it is a joke, I attempted it today. So far the procedure to replace $25 bracket that slides your panoramic roof Here it is:

Remove front seatbelt trims both passenger and driver sides , Remove front dashboard trims both passenger and driver sides, Remove rear headrest seat trims both passenger and driver sides, remove outside roof roof rack trims both sides, remove both passenger and driver sun visors, , remove roof lining clips x 8 inside of car, unbolt 12 x 10mm bolts inside of car, remove driver and passenger roof curtain airbags (this will put a airbag error on dash ‍‍, fold down rear passenger seats open boot and remove both passenger and driver side rear trims behind seats 12mm security torx head bit, unplug roof wire harness from front end of vehicle to rear end! And it doesn’t stop here now you come to realise that the track for the panoramic roof is pop riveted in! Yes no bolts it’s rivets and glue!!!!, go get heat gun heat up glue each corner for 7 mins (glue will not give!!!!), final step! Give up on Tesla get glue and close down the roof permanently , rendering a sunroof on a brand new car which claims to be the most advanced automobile currently in the market useless. Oh and while your doing all this make sure you don’t dare to touch your white roof it is not cleanable!!!! I now see why Tesla didn’t want to warranty this car because this repair would of cost them thousands, I also now see why the parts for the roof they sold to me only $17 each and now I see why they have stopped making panoramic roofs in there cars Way to go Tesla, your car is a joke! Moral of this comment ? The roof can’t be repaired and can’t be removed ! Unless you cut it out ! Which is probably why there is no write up on this actual repair here are some photos

 

[Don85D]

Thanks for sharing your findings. Having a test vehicle provides you with knowledge and the freedom to explore. There are benefits which is why I like cars that are well beyond the warranty period. They are perfect for creation of an alternate fix to a problem.

The solid roof attachment does make some sense as it's no different than spot welding panels together to create a rigid structure. The roof keeps the box structure from twisting and bending which is what you want. Convertibles have reinforced frames in an attempt to keep the car rigid and controllable in high load conditions. I always preferred a car with a solid roof.

So if you had dissimilar materials that you had to join to create a rigid box structure and welding is not possible. Glue and rivets make sense, in my opinion.

Your solution to glue down the sliding section and give up that feature is one that I would have done too.

 

[swegman]

Is that disassembly procedure what is set forth in the Tesla service manual that many people have downloaded? I’ve seen Tesla technicians at the shop remove cracked pano glass to replace and it didn’t seem as complicated as you set it out to be.

 

[MP3Mike]

Give up on Tesla get glue and close down the roof permanently , rendering a sunroof on a brand new car which claims to be the most advanced automobile currently in the market useless.

Really? A 2017 car that has been totaled is a "brand new car"?

 

[Mark_T]

It shouldn't be too much of a surprise that some aspects of repairs on a write-off are challenging or time-consuming, if they were really all fixable with a few hours effort it wouldn't have been a write-off in the first place...

 

[DARK_VADAR]

Don85D:

the roof being permanently glued in is not an automotive standard! , the roof on standard cars is only sheet metal and it is the frame structure that is reinforced , this isn't the first convertible or sunroof car I have had or worked on, none are designed this way! well there actually isn't a design, it isn't removable unless I am missing something here completely , other then drilling out pop rivets to remove drainage tanks at both the front and Rear of the sunroof cassette this part was never going to be able to be removed.

Swegman:

this is what this whole post was asked about, now you say you know about this procedure show me, because I undid the top of the roof from the exterior of the car and the interior of the roof from under the roof lining , all I could see was a glued cassette sunroof with pop rivets, it doesn't appear to be a part replaceable without cutting it off the actual vehicle !

MP3MIKE: your right its not brand new its 1 year old and 12k miles SMFH, I know cars from 1997 that are still serviceable and usable after multiple collisions, this technology was released just over a year ago, so yes it is a "NEW" car!!!! not sure what you consider "OLD"

Mark-T:

This car was not a write off because a stupid Tesla designed sunroof lets get that straight, the faulty roof has nothing to do with a front left fender and scratched bumper bar.


Did people in this forum actually pay $70k US upwards for these cars? HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAH

 

[Don85D]

I was at our local scrap yard a couple of months ago and parked there were two brand new Genesis cars waiting to be crushed. The yard boss was allowed to remove the battery and wheels but the rest of the beautiful new cars was going to the crusher under the watchful eyes of accountants. It was a shame to see two cars waiting to be destroyed but financially it had to be done and perhaps there was some safety issue that wasn't visible. Life is like that. Cars are just material things that have declining value.

It's a financial transaction that is annoying you and you need to get over it.

BTW, the purchase price of a Tesla to allow me to run it on sunshine and replace existing ICE vehicles was worth it. There is nothing to laugh about that financial transaction. It's real and it works.

 

[swegman]

this is what this whole post was asked about, now you say you know about this procedure show me, because I undid the top of the roof from the exterior of the car and the interior of the roof from under the roof lining , all I could see was a glued cassette sunroof with pop rivets, it doesn't appear to be a part replaceable without cutting it off the actual vehicle !

I’m not doubting what you said, I’m just asking if that is the procedure outlined in the service manual. I am not a Tesla technician. I was merely relating what I saw when I was at the service center.

If you haven’t done so yet, may I suggest you search the web for the Tesla service manual. I have read on this forum that it is available. And that copies may also be purchased on eBay. I don’t know whether this is legit or an infringement of Tesla’s copyright. Just relaying what I’ve read here.

If I recall correctly, when the Model S was tested for safety, it broke the machine that attempted to crush the roof, and no other car had ever done that (broke the crushing test machine). So what you consider a crazy installation of the sunroof may have been an intentional design to increase the safety of the car (and the roof in particular).