Please Help! Drive unit seal not covered under warranty as part of drive unit??

[Naekuh]

OP are you still covered by the original 4 yr / 50k warrenty?
I assume not, hence why your trying to see if the Drivers Train is covered separately?

Because how its going is if its not even covered by the drivers train, is it covered by the main factory?
Because the reason they are giving you means it shouldn't even be covered by that.

 

[Tam]

OP are you still covered by the original 4 yr / 50k warrenty?
I assume not, hence why your trying to see if the Drivers Train is covered separately?

Because how its going is if its not even covered by the drivers train, is it covered by the main factory?
Because the reason they are giving you means it shouldn't even be covered by that.

If Tesla says the seal is not covered then it doesn't matter it's within 4 yr / 50,000 miles or 8 yr / 125K miles.

If Tesla says the worn gear (that's wear and tear exclusion) inside the drive unit is not covered then it doesn't matter it's within 4 yr / 50,000 miles or 8 yr / 125K miles.

If Tesla says it doesn't cover knocks and rattles then it doesn't matter it's brand new 1 day car or 1 year old car, no coverage means no coverage if they specifically specify the exclusions!

 

[whitex]

It sounds like Elon is further innovating on Tesla warranty, "clarifying" the drive train warranty like he did on the yellowing screens (6 month old screens going yellow are no longer covered by warranty according to Tesla, they used to be until it was clarified that now it's considered wear and tear). So what's next, battery warranty. "8 year battery warranty only covers that the battery doesn't fall out from under the car in 8 years, if the battery dies or drops to 10% of its original capacity however, that's wear and tear and not covered"?

 

[OhioKG1987]

New update: just got off the phone with tesla, they checked with their lead tech and another service center location. They are telling me that even if the drive unit failed which it has not. The seals still wouldn’t be covered and I would incur the cost to replace them. We’re at a stale mate. I’ll ask them to escalate the claim. Should I just pay so I can get my car or should I wait?

 

[kimvellore]

You can escalate all you want but Tesla will not given in and set a precedence. You also will be given no other contact to escalate other than the service manager. Looks like if something starts failing in many cars it will be taken off warranty or tesla will try to weasel out with adding bogus terms. I am curious how old is the car and how many miles it has on it.

 

[OhioKG1987]

You can escalate all you want but Tesla will not given in and set a precedence. You also will be given no other contact to escalate other than the service manager. Looks like if something starts failing in many cars it will be taken off warranty or tesla will try to weasel out with adding bogus terms. I am curious how old is the car and how many miles it has on it.

2015 85 D 58k fully serviced every year

 

[Doanster1]

2015 85 D 58k fully serviced every year

Are you still within the orig warranty period or not?
My front motor was leaking and they replaced the seals and oil under warranty without question. That was after they discovered the leaks while working on a diff issue. My SC has always been fantastic though. For you to hear that seals aren’t covered is surprising to me. Even more so if you’re still under the factory warranty.

 

[sorka]

New update: just got off the phone with tesla, they checked with their lead tech and another service center location. They are telling me that even if the drive unit failed which it has not. The seals still wouldn’t be covered and I would incur the cost to replace them. We’re at a stale mate. I’ll ask them to escalate the claim. Should I just pay so I can get my car or should I wait?

Replacement drive units have the seals already installed and even if they weren't, you still have to remove the axles to replace the drive unit so all the labor costs would already be included in that.

This is just going further and further down a rabbit hole. Someone is going to have to force arbitration on this.

Based on the service manual, the procedure is about 45 minutes per side for my current skill level but I've replaced rear diff seals on other cars in the past.

 

[2101Guy]

If you think you've been absolutely wronged/Tesla is NOT abiding by warranty terms, and that your only option is to pay them to fix/get back on the road? Then assuming you opted out of arbitration, then you can simply file a case in small claims court. Again, I am only suggesting doing this if you truly feel that Tesla is not abiding by contractual terms.

 

[AmpedRealtor]

I would say that leaking DU seals would be considered a "defect", no? And those seals are an integral part of the DU, are they not? So how is this not covered by the 8 year, unlimited mile DU warranty? Tesla says this on its warranty page under the DU warranty:

These warranties cover the repair or replacement necessary to correct defects in the materials or workmanship of any parts manufactured or supplied by Tesla, which occur under normal use.​

Here is the link: Vehicle Warranty

I would show this to Tesla and inform them that pursuant to their own warranty terms, the seal must be covered unless they can show that failure was due to abnormal use of the vehicle. You can certainly file an arbitration over this, as others have over the yellowing screen issue. Owners prevailed in the screen issue, you may prevail here as well.

 

[Battpower]

I would say that leaking DU seals would be considered a "defect", no? And those seals are an integral part of the DU, are they not? So how is this not covered by the 8 year, unlimited mile DU warranty? Tesla says this on its warranty page under the DU warranty:

These warranties cover the repair or replacement necessary to correct defects in the materials or workmanship of any parts manufactured or supplied by Tesla, which occur under normal use.​

Here is the link: Vehicle Warranty

I would show this to Tesla and inform them that pursuant to their own warranty terms, the seal must be covered unless they can show that failure was due to abnormal use of the vehicle. You can certainly file an arbitration over this, as others have over the yellowing screen issue. Owners prevailed in the screen issue, you may prevail here as well.

So, if some splines on a shaft shear off when you do a ludicrous launch, it is a catastrophic failure that shouldn't have happened because the parts should stand the load. But your actions made the failure happen and if you launched many times, you are putting wear and tear on the car, so I can at least see an argument even though it would be a drive train failure within wty period.

A rubber seal however just sits there, sealing. May be a bit more heat or cold depending on use and location, but no way of loading the seal 'extra' in any significant way. It should last the warranty life of the transmission imo. If a relatively passive seal is considered a service item then it should / must have a service life like a timing belt - because it is bound to wear out and need replacement in a predictable and predetermined way.

No way can you say it isn't part of the transmission unless of course you can ignore the seal's condition and drive as normal.

Now if you ignored an oil leak and ran the car with no lube, I could see that would be owner negligence and maybe out side wty but even then, since Tesla don't mandate servicing to a schedule, how can you be sure these things will get spotted before they cause a problem?

What about an ICE head gasket? That can be replaced but unless you abuse the motor by over heating or whatever, the head gasket should not fail and certainly not during wty. Neither can the owner's normal use of the car put any significant wear and tear on the head gasket.

Should be warranty without question. Except we know Tesla's written warranty terms are stacked in their favor, and with no traditional dealer to argue on your behalf, you're stuck with taking whatever Tesla offer, try a different service centre, escalate within Tesla (good luck!) or go legal.

 

[mjmiron]

So, if some splines on a shaft shear off when you do a ludicrous launch, it is a catastrophic failure that shouldn't have happened because the parts should stand the load. But your actions made the failure happen and if you launched many times, you are putting wear and tear on the car, so I can at least see an argument even though it would be a drive train failure within wty period.

A rubber seal however just sits there, sealing. May be a bit more heat or cold depending on use and location, but no way of loading the seal 'extra' in any significant way. It should last the warranty life of the transmission imo. If a relatively passive seal is considered a service item then it should / must have a service life like a timing belt - because it is bound to wear out and need replacement in a predictable and predetermined way.

No way can you say it isn't part of the transmission unless of course you can ignore the seal's condition and drive as normal.

Now if you ignored an oil leak and ran the car with no lube, I could see that would be owner negligence and maybe out side wty but even then, since Tesla don't mandate servicing to a schedule, how can you be sure these things will get spotted before they cause a problem?

What about an ICE head gasket? That can be replaced but unless you abuse the motor by over heating or whatever, the head gasket should not fail and certainly not during wty. Neither can the owner's normal use of the car put any significant wear and tear on the head gasket.

Should be warranty without question. Except we know Tesla's written warranty terms are stacked in their favor, and with no traditional dealer to argue on your behalf, you're stuck with taking whatever Tesla offer, try a different service centre, escalate within Tesla (good luck!) or go legal.

I agree i think you need to point out the warranty where is specifically states if its covered and if that service center does not listen bring it somewhere else. I got my battery replaced here in MN by working with the service center manager and kept complaining. If i was you and i could not get any help locally and i needed the car i would have them fix it and document EVERYTHING. Then go to small claims court or arbitration after it was fixed. Sorry that happened Tesla will fail if they cannot keep up with servicing the cars already on the road and be fair.

 

[OhioKG1987]

Are you still within the orig warranty period or not?
My front motor was leaking and they replaced the seals and oil under warranty without question. That was after they discovered the leaks while working on a diff issue. My SC has always been fantastic though. For you to hear that seals aren’t covered is surprising to me. Even more so if you’re still under the factory warranty.

Not under factory 4 year just 8 year so they won’t cover it! Seal is in catelog for parts so not covered lol. Love the logic. According to my paperwork I should be covered but nothing I can do but fork over $700 for three seals that didn’t blow sounds like a bad joke

 

[mjmiron]

I think this is key from the warranty page this is obviously a Failure

“Failure” means the complete failure or inability of a covered part to perform the function(s) for which it was designed, due to defects in material or workmanship of the part manufactured or supplied by Tesla, which occur under normal use. Failure does not include the gradual loss in operating performance due to normal wear and tear.

 

[Naekuh]

So, if some splines on a shaft shear off when you do a ludicrous launch, it is a catastrophic failure that shouldn't have happened because the parts should stand the load.

Tesla has already stated this sort of breakage is wear and tear...
Frame Failure called "Normal Wear and Tear" by Tesla Service

Sigh....
When i bought my car i assumed everything normal would be "Warrenty", but i was made into an ASS out of U and Me, because Tesla said not warrenty, WEAR AND TEAR!

:\

Now chalk this up as "wear and tear".
These cars are turning not into cars, but more expensive toys which one has to treat almost disposably.

 

[N..8]

The seals are on a normal DU when they receive it for replacement. It's part of the DU so it's covered, if you have time to argue the point then do so. Also if they say it's not part of the DU warranty then any dealership of good rep can replace them for way cheaper. Tell them to provide the parts and take them to another dealer. I suspect they will say they can't sell them to you and if that's the case then they will need to do the work under warranty.

 

[Battpower]

Tesla has already stated this sort of breakage is wear and tear...
Frame Failure called "Normal Wear and Tear" by Tesla Service

Sigh....
When i bought my car i assumed everything normal would be "Warrenty", but i was made into an ASS out of U and Me, because Tesla said not warrenty, WEAR AND TEAR!

:\

Now chalk this up as "wear and tear".
These cars are turning not into cars, but more expensive toys which one has to treat almost disposably.

Yes, that frame failure deal was unbelievable. Like 'use of your car puts everything outside of warranty cover'.

But I think there is some mileage in assuming nothing except that somewhere there is a logical, reasonable Tesla employee who will put forward a good case on your behalf. Sometimes you have to put the reasoning and logic under their nose. I would ask 'what is actually covered under the drive train wty and why?' If neither frames at one end (just as an example - not suggesting frame = drive train) nor seals at the other are covered, what actually is? What components exactly on a 7 year old car do they regard as not subject to wear and tear?

Following their approach, failure of a motor drive pcb would be wear and tear as long as they could find the part listed individually. Guess what? Cars are made up of parts! The point of a wty is that those parts should - in normal use - do their job to a reasonable degree for the duration of wty period.

 

[Chaserr]

It sounds like Elon is further innovating on Tesla warranty, "clarifying" the drive train warranty like he did on the yellowing screens (6 month old screens going yellow are no longer covered by warranty according to Tesla, they used to be until it was clarified that now it's considered wear and tear). So what's next, battery warranty. "8 year battery warranty only covers that the battery doesn't fall out from under the car in 8 years, if the battery dies or drops to 10% of its original capacity however, that's wear and tear and not covered"?

"Clarifications" to the battery warranty is already an ongoing legal problem for Tesla we're calling "batterygate"

 

[OhioKG1987]

I recently had to pay this for a failed seal. I would have preferred that it be included in the warranty on the motor, but I got the same response.

What did u pay $700

 

[George Marley]

Arf arf