Gruber Motor Company (GMC) is fortunate to have extensive background in servicing complex electronics, often without the support of OEMs which ends up making us even more skilled since without schematics and documentation support, we have to reverse engineer and develop our own.
The seemingly simple bent pin fix was an arduous process starting with lengthy reverse engineering process, switching to observing signal flows, firmware commands, and culminating in a initially less than obvious bent pin issue.
The broken connector block could have happened to anyone. As we have noticed, Roadster parts and sub-assemblies are aging, becoming compromised with age, and we are trying to stay ahead of the curve by sourcing or recreating parts. This connector block is unique to the PEM, and no replacements are available. Once we have recreated this part, it will become part of our PEM upgrade.
The Scottsdale Tesla SC happens to be staffed with top notch, knowledgeable and tenured Roadster techs. They do not typically work inside the PEMs or board level repair complex Roadster electronics.
As is usually the case, Tesla eventually always does the right thing. At lower levels, policies, protocols often dictate how things are handled.
As issues percolate upstream, Tesla is very generous extending goodwill gestures, as they did in this case. Between GMC and Tesla, this customer is no longer out of pocket, deservedly so.
What may not be readily apparent, is that Tesla corporate is filled with leadership that is very much committed to the early adopters and owners of the first significant Tesla vehicles, the Roadster. A sense of nostalgia surrounds this vehicle within the Tesla ranks, and the roots that made Tesla what it is today, is not forgotten. Granted, challenges still abound, but I assure you there is a dedicated team of people working on first gen Roadster issues, including ourselves.
