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Poor old Essie towed again

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Doug_G

Doug_G

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Apr 2, 2010
17,888
3,421
Ottawa, Canada
#1
I love my Model S, but she's one of the first built and has always been a bit temperamental.

IMG_5337.JPG

Last night on the way home the steering suddenly started making loud clicking and even screeching sounds when I turned the wheel. I don't know if this is serious or minor, but I wasn't comfortable driving the car; just imagine loss of steering control at highway speeds! So I returned to the office and arranged for a tow. I've been trying to get it in for a problem with the parking brakes failing to actuate, so at least both issues will be dealt with. (I've also got water in the reversing lights again, but they don't have the part in stock so next time.)

Fortunately my Roadster was in storage at the office, and this was the perfect excuse to pull it out!
 

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#2
Doug_G said:
I love my Model S, but she's one of the first built and has always been a bit temperamental.

View attachment 172372
Last night on the way home the steering suddenly started making loud clicking and even screeching sounds when I turned the wheel. I don't know if this is serious or minor, but I wasn't comfortable driving the car; just imagine loss of steering control at highway speeds! So I returned to the office and arranged for a tow. I've been trying to get it in for a problem with the parking brakes failing to actuate, so at least both issues will be dealt with. (I've also got water in the reversing lights again, but they don't have the part in stock so next time.)

Fortunately my Roadster was in storage at the office, and this was the perfect excuse to pull it out!
Click to expand...


Sorry to hear this Doug...hope whatever the issue is, it's minor.

Looks like a perfect weekend weatherwise for Roadster driving though!
 
#4
Sorry to hear it. I had a very similar problem with popping/clicking whilst turning with mine, after a tow truck ride to Vancouver they found that the lower control arm on one side had gone bad. A simple part which unfortunately requires dropping the battery pack to remove (!). Hopefully your issue is a simple fix.
 
#5
Curious where they towed it to? Your home and then you made arrangements with Tesla Montreal or did they tow it directly to SC? Did you have to pay for the tow service? I have a few concerns that there is no SC in Ottawa and I expect my X some time this summer.
 
#6
I limped the car back to my office where, at the time, my Roadster was in storage. I called Roadside Assistance and arranged for a tow to Montreal, and then took the Roadster home.

I have the no-longer-available "anywhere service plan", which provides service anywhere the car is located at no extra cost. I don't know what the tow to Montreal would have cost otherwise. Tesla is supposed to be building a new store location in Ottawa.

Turns out Montreal service is extremely busy right now, and especially their valet service, so I won't be getting my car back for a while. It looks like it will be in Montreal for 10 days or more.
 
#7
Doug_G said:
I limped the car back to my office where, at the time, my Roadster was in storage. I called Roadside Assistance and arranged for a tow to Montreal, and then took the Roadster home.

I have the no-longer-available "anywhere service plan", which provides service anywhere the car is located at no extra cost. I don't know what the tow to Montreal would have cost otherwise. Tesla is supposed to be building a new store location in Ottawa.

Turns out Montreal service is extremely busy right now, and especially their valet service, so I won't be getting my car back for a while. It looks like it will be in Montreal for 10 days or more.
Click to expand...

Yikes. That sounds like quite the ordeal. Do they arrange to have a local rental available to you?
 
#11
Oh by the way, Essie came back on Saturday. I was out of town but Tesla dropped it off in my driveway. Per my instructions they left the fob in the frunk. All I had to do was unlock it with my phone. Anyway she's working great, and nice to have her back. Tessie is a lot of fun, but Essie is more practical when you're hauling stuff!
 
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#12
Glad you got your car back and all fixed up, Doug. Now it's my turn...

I've been noticing a squeaking/creaking sound at low speeds going over bumps or when turning the steering wheel. It was very rare until recently, but in the past week it got much worse, to the point where I'm not comfortable driving it. It seems like a ball joint squeaking, or something else in the front right suspension. A broken ball joint is not something I want to have happen (see Suspension Problem on Model S) so I called Tesla Montreal today. They said the soonest they could send a trailer with a loaner was May 18, so I opted to have them tow it to Montreal. The tow truck from Montreal was here in about 2 hours, and the Enterprise rental guy came a bit later. So now I'm driving a minivan (ugh) until it's fixed. (I could have got a smaller car, but I need room for a ladder and golf clubs;)). I also told them that my HPWC cable was not making a good connection again (it has been replaced twice). They said I could just take the cable off the HPWC and put it in the car, and they would send a new one back with my car. Works for me! The only problem is I need to drive to Montreal in the minivan to get my car when it's done. Oh well - better than waiting 3 weeks.
 
#14
xcvbn said:
Expect to pay $3/km (~$600 Ottawa/Montreal) to have Tesla pickup your Model X each time you have a problem.
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I won't be paying that (confirmed with Tesla), because my car wasn't safe to drive. I assume that's because it falls under Roadside Assistance. As Doug pointed out, if you have the "Anywhere" service plan, which is no longer available, that also covers towing. And I sure hope they would tell us in advance if there's going to be a charge for towing. Worth asking any time Tesla is arranging a tow, though.
 
#15
@Doug_G did they tell you what was wrong? Not saying this is what happened, but I know someone who described a similar circumstance and it was a rock stuck between the brake rotor and pad. Scary sound, but thankfully easy fix. I just wonder if maybe that was it (and thus, others could know) since you mentioned you had actuation failures too.

Either way, I am happy Essie is back!
 
#16
Essie had two problems. The first one, for which I had already been waiting over a month for a slot, was failed actuators for the parking brakes. They had not failed completely; they were simply failing to actuate periodically, and the problem was slowly getting worse. The brakes would release if I did P-D-P-D-P-D. They replaced the assemblies on both sides, though I think only the right one was actually failing to release. Cause of failure was not described.

The second problem was a failed steering rack. They don't crack the unit open to investigate, so I don't know exactly what the failure mode was there either. They said that a complete failure would only result in power steering failure. Maybe... if you had heard the sounds it was making you wouldn't drive the car either.
 
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