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Power Conversion System (PCS) failure

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Ouch. I completely feel your pain. Look at my post a few messages up for tips. If you car is in the scope of the service bulletin, that's likely the easiest path to a free replacement.
Thanks. I looked at that service bulletin, and the devils' in the details. I took delivery of my Model 3 on April 28, 2018, and the first units specified in the bulletin date from June 1, i.e., 34 days later. Pisser. What really irks me is that Tesla's warranty states it covers "the battery pack and components," but does NOT specify what those components are. How is the battery's charging hardware NOT one of its components? What good is a battery without its charging hardware? Tesla needs to LIST what the covered components are, then. I am truly livid over this fiasco. No way should the Power Conversion System fail so soon in an EV. Hell, I had my 2012 Nissan LEAF for over six years, and it's still charging just fine for its new owner. I never would have believed Tesla was capable of installing poor quality equipment in its vehicles —let alone not stand behind this battery COMPONENT under warranty.
 
Pisser. What really irks me is that Tesla's warranty states it covers "the battery pack and components," but does NOT specify what those components are. How is the battery's charging hardware NOT one of its components?
Your best bet is to file an arbitration claim. On the original S&X the charger wasn't inside the pack so it wasn't covered under the battery warranty. In arbitration ask if a replacement pack comes with a PCS or if they move the one from the old pack. Even if they move it the warranty doesn't specifically exclude it so I would think that you have a good chance. And it costs you nothing but time. (But it costs Tesla ~$2k plus staff time.)
 
Your best bet is to file an arbitration claim. On the original S&X the charger wasn't inside the pack so it wasn't covered under the battery warranty. In arbitration ask if a replacement pack comes with a PCS or if they move the one from the old pack. Even if they move it the warranty doesn't specifically exclude it so I would think that you have a good chance. And it costs you nothing but time. (But it costs Tesla ~$2k plus staff time.)
Any advice on how to file an arbitration claim…? Is there a specific contact or phone number for such cases?
 
Any advice on how to file an arbitration claim…? Is there a specific contact or phone number for such cases?
The details would be in your order agreement and warranty documents. Here is the current warranty: https://www.tesla.com/sites/default/files/downloads/tesla-new-vehicle-limited-warranty-en-us.pdf

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Current order agreement: https://www.tesla.com/order/download-order-agreement?redirect=no&country=US&model_code=m3

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Note: The details may be different in your warranty/order agreement as Tesla has changed them over time.
 
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You understand the third party narrative on that site is not a legally binding warranty document, right? The 8 year Tesla battery warranty is pretty explicit that it covers one part - the high voltage lithium ion battery.
Sure. But the explicit warranty is legally binding, and states "The Battery and Drive Unit in your vehicle." I purport that the PSC is, indeed, part of the battery's drive unit.
 
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Sure. But the explicit warranty is legally binding, and states "The Battery and Drive Unit in your vehicle." I purport that the PSC is, indeed, part of the battery's drive unit.

Your purporting is not correct.

The drive unit is another very specific part, the electromagnetic motor(s) that propel your car.

The battery does not have a drive unit.

Your car has a battery, and it has a drive unit (or maybe two drive units). Those two parts are covered under the 8 year warranty. That’s it.
 
Okay. I take it that you're defending Tesla, then, and it's just "tough frijoles" for me in this instance. Well… I might just have to just see what arbitration decides, then. There's one thing for sure, however: Tesla's Power Conversion System is a poor quality component to have this happen in less than four years. After all my advocacy and support of the company for years, I've apparently been wasting my time and energy.
 
I'll probably need the luck, thanks, as a lowly owner facing a huge corporation. But I most certainly will be letting other potential customers know of my experience with it.
If it's any consolation, I didn't end up paying for mine...and my car was almost identical in age to yours, I think I got it earlier in April so 45-50 days ahead of the known issue in the TSB where they were indeed replacing for free.

Note if you search around on the forums, you'll find folks who had cars like ours (same age, +mileage out of 4yr warranty) that got their PCUs replaced under warranty. I was able to use this to show them that they did replace others under the Battery Warranty (was clearly called out on the invoice) for other owners who had the same issue.

Given how many occurrences of this I've seen in nearly the same age car + the TSB, I'm willing to bet the defective PCUs (as explained in the TSB) are actually in a broader time frame than they call out.
 
TSBs are only instructions for how to deal with an issue. They don't extend the warranty.
True they don't extend the warranty, however they do provide evidence of a known issue in cars. Especially in this case, it specifically calls out: "For certain Model 3 vehicles, the power conversion system needs replacement." If they have a TSB that calls out the PCU needs replacement, and your car falls within the expected dates, then I'm quite sure you will win any arbitration with ease (even after your cars warranty expires, since they knew it was an issue). Several folks who had their PCUs replaced at no charge DMed me after saying they had no idea there was a TSB and their service advisors didn't tell them.
 
Sure. But the explicit warranty is legally binding, and states "The Battery and Drive Unit in your vehicle." I purport that the PSC is, indeed, part of the battery's drive unit.
I also had this extended discussion with the regional service manager (not about the drive unit, but about the "Battery"). To be exact in the Tesla warranty agreement the only definition of the "Battery" is "The Tesla lithium-ion battery (the "Battery")..."

You can find online that the PCU in the model 3 is under the penthouse cover of the battery pack. I was able to confirm that when they replace a "Battery" they will replace the entire "Battery Pack" which includes the PCU which is in the penthouse. I went so far as to ask them to send me their technical definition of the "Battery" through some technical diagrams and such. At first they agreed to send me some technical documents, but finally said they'd just cover the PCU and they can't send me internal docs.
 
Note to self plug into my friends new 40A circuit, Tesla Gen 3 Wall Connector, at about 45K miles/4 years and 6 months. I verified it would charge at 40A the other day. it would probably be best to charge at 48A for several hours over two charging sessions to verify proper functionality. I have read several posts on various forums where M3 owners have had this fail and replaced under warranty. I wonder if there could possibly be a design error or a bad lot of boards? or charging at the full 48A in very hot conditions causes premature failure? I feel you pain! Wish I had a good suggestion good luck.

Regards, Ron
For anyone reading this post it should have been 3 years and 6 months, since the warranty is 4 years or 50K miles whichever comes first. I will be verifying my warranty replaced PCS before the 4 year mark to confirm it still charges at 48A. Like others, I can't believe some of the early units did not have a design flaw. I hope the later rev units do no fail after a few additional years (outside of WARRANTY)! This $1800+ repair charge basically cancels out much of the operational savings of an EV over ICE cars. Is anyone aware of the PCS board failing more than once???
 
If you do pay for this repair, be sure to ask for all the parts removed from your car. There is a good chance that someone with some skills could repair your PCS and you could recover a significant portion of your repair cost by selling the repaired part to someone else who has suffered the same failure. The fact that you are serious about getting the parts back might also encourage them to "goodwill" your repair.
 
If you do pay for this repair, be sure to ask for all the parts removed from your car. There is a good chance that someone with some skills could repair your PCS and you could recover a significant portion of your repair cost by selling the repaired part to someone else who has suffered the same failure. The fact that you are serious about getting the parts back might also encourage them to "goodwill" your repair.
Tesla is finally getting wise to that and setting high core charges on the parts, so that it doesn't make sense for you to try to keep it. (I don't know if they have done that on the PCS yet or not.)