Power Steering falling apart

[trayloader]

Rusting of the rear lift gate attachment points

 

[comanchepilot]

Not so. Without an electrolyte there is no electron migration/ corrosion. The U.S. penny, for instance is copper plated zinc. Copper plus zinc plus a lemon is a battery, but a penny is stable.

but the zinc never touches the acid - so - no reaction.

 

[mongo]

but the zinc never touches the acid - so - no reaction.

Yah, I overreacted to the use of "all". If things stay dry they should not react, but in the realm of an underhood bolt, is that really a realistic viewpoint for me to have (probably not)? I'm very much a fan of using compatible metals.

 

[Drone Flyer]

Really nice video and I want your jacket! Great color on you too. BTW looks like your two hose clamps are corroded and would have been nice to replace when you had it apart. From today's recall it looks Bosch supplied the bolts and it's on them. Doubtful when installed by Tesla there was rust on them at that point.

Yes, thank you. The hose clamps are being replaced.

 

[Jpballer88]

Well, I just got an email back from the service center. I am disappointed.
He thanked me for the pictures and information. He suggested the gasket may be compromised, this may happen again, and they recommend replacement. (Right, big surprise.)

The rest of the email was essentially a quote:
$1920 steering rack
$30 tie rod ends, 2 @ $15
$175 one hour labor (estimate, parts)
$175 one hour labor (alignment, alignment, test, firmware)
$2300 + tax.

I was hoping to find out if this was a common occurrence, or if maybe they should be looking for this in other cars. Best case, I was hoping they'd say something like, "We're going to get you a new rack and all the hardware, and we're going to check with the engineers as to how this could happen." I knew that first part was a long shot, but maybe at least the 2nd half.
Why are the bolts shearing off? Is 4 years really that old for a steering rack? The rack internals work fine, it's the structural assembly I worry about.

This is not unlike a year ago when they told me I needed to replace my front calipers, rotors all around, dust shields, and pads all around, to the tune of about $3500; when all that was wrong was a pad stuck to a caliper. I freed it up and cleaned it off in a couple of hours. Rotors are all smooth, calipers all work fine, pads have little wear. But I digress.

Well, I'm still hoping for another few hundred thousand miles. It may not be as smooth as I'd hoped though.

This is what I'm talking about... $1920 for a damn steering rack? Even my S550 steering rack isn't that expensive. I think after the warranties start expiring, people will start to realize the true build quality of these cars. I am doubtful at the moment.

 

[Drone Flyer]

I would suggest we all bring our cars in for service just as the warranty is about to expire. Just tell service I need a new this and I need a new that. This item is rattling and this window is leaking and I have wind noise. Should keep the car rolling for a couple of extra years!

 

[AmpedRealtor]

I would suggest we all bring our cars in for service just as the warranty is about to expire. Just tell service I need a new this and I need a new that. This item is rattling and this window is leaking and I have wind noise. Should keep the car rolling for a couple of extra years!

Not if service cannot replicate the issue. You don't just start making things up, that's not cool.

 

[jaguar36]

This is what I'm talking about... $1920 for a damn steering rack? Even my S550 steering rack isn't that expensive. I think after the warranties start expiring, people will start to realize the true build quality of these cars. I am doubtful at the moment.

Not sure where you're getting your numbers from. Maybe for an older model? Current S550 Steering rack is $2240 for a remanufactured unit. Steering rack on a BMW 5 or 7 series is $3500 So Tesla parts are actually pretty cheap!

 

[Ottawa too]

Just had my 80,000km March 2015 85D suffer the same fate. Sheared bolt on the ground in my driveway. Currently the car is in the Montreal service centre waiting for a new rack.

 

[jdw]

Hope you were lucky enough to get a decent loaner ... I'm number 5 in line at the Montreal SC and entering the second week of waiting for parts.

 

[Brass Guy]

Just had my 80,000km March 2015 85D suffer the same fate. Sheared bolt on the ground in my driveway. Currently the car is in the Montreal service centre waiting for a new rack.

It's a shame they won't just bolt it back together so you can drive it until a replacement comes in.

 

[JRP3]

The problem is the teeth on the belt may have been stripped when the bolts broke so just putting it back together may not work, or it may soon fail if the rest of the teeth are partly worn down.

 

[Kalud]

Yeah it worked fine for my car (re-installing with new bolts), but Tesla insisted in replacing the rack anyway. I probably got one of the last in-stock steering rack in Montreal... Sorry guys... And with the end of quarter usual loaners sellout hope you guys didn't end up with Entreprise rentals...

 

[TrackDayHookey]

My steering rack failed two weeks ago just before the recall (March 2013 P85, 27k miles). The service center in Santa Barbara has had the car since then, with no ETA on replacement parts. They also think that it would be cool if I paid $2800+ to fix it. Their position is that since the recall covers only replacing the bolts, when the bolts fail and the rack dies the damage is not covered by the recall. Awesome service Tesla! I got the 8 year extended warranty, which appears to only cover annual inspections and not repairs to anything.

I advise anyone with a Model S covered by the recall to start making a lot of noise in Tesla's direction immediately. Tesla plans on putting the cost of failures of parts that are supposed to last for the life of the car squarely on backs of the early adopters. Don't let them.

 

[mongo]

My steering rack failed two weeks ago just before the recall (March 2013 P85, 27k miles). The service center in Santa Barbara has had the car since then, with no ETA on replacement parts. They also think that it would be cool if I paid $2800+ to fix it. Their position is that since the recall covers only replacing the bolts, when the bolts fail and the rack dies the damage is not covered by the recall. Awesome service Tesla! I got the 8 year extended warranty, which appears to only cover annual inspections and not repairs to anything.

I advise anyone with a Model S covered by the recall to start making a lot of noise in Tesla's direction immediately. Tesla plans on putting the cost of failures of parts that are supposed to last for the life of the car squarely on backs of the early adopters. Don't let them.

Suggestion:
Use My Tesla app and do an executive escalation.

 

[Kalud]

My steering rack failed two weeks ago just before the recall (March 2013 P85, 27k miles). The service center in Santa Barbara has had the car since then, with no ETA on replacement parts. They also think that it would be cool if I paid $2800+ to fix it. Their position is that since the recall covers only replacing the bolts, when the bolts fail and the rack dies the damage is not covered by the recall. Awesome service Tesla! I got the 8 year extended warranty, which appears to only cover annual inspections and not repairs to anything.

I advise anyone with a Model S covered by the recall to start making a lot of noise in Tesla's direction immediately. Tesla plans on putting the cost of failures of parts that are supposed to last for the life of the car squarely on backs of the early adopters. Don't let them.

The service bulletin for the recall states that if any of the old bolts are defective then the service center has to replace the whole steering rack.

 

[MP3Mike]

I got the 8 year extended warranty, which appears to only cover annual inspections and not repairs to anything.

That sounds like you bought the prepaid service/maintenance plan instead of the "Extended Service Agreement".

The 4-year prepaid service plan costs ~$2,500, while the 4-year ESA costs ~$5,000.

 

[lunitiks]

The service bulletin for the recall states that if any of the old bolts are defective then the service center has to replace the whole steering rack.

Correct

 

[AWDtsla]

I got the 8 year extended warranty, which appears to only cover annual inspections and not repairs to anything.

WHAT??!!!!?

 

[Ottawa too]

Yeah it worked fine for my car (re-installing with new bolts), but Tesla insisted in replacing the rack anyway. I probably got one of the last in-stock steering rack in Montreal... Sorry guys... And with the end of quarter usual loaners sellout hope you guys didn't end up with Entreprise rentals...

Enterprise Ford shitbox