Seeking Advice on Purchasing Used Teslas

[Michael Connor]

Hi everyone,

I'm planning to purchase a couple of used Teslas and could really use some guidance on a few concerns I have:

1. Supercharger Access: I know that any Model S with the 40kWh battery is blocked from using Tesla Superchargers. However, I'm uncertain about other models and configurations. Is there a reliable way to determine if a specific Tesla is blocked from Supercharger access? Any tips or resources would be greatly appreciated.

2. Battery Information: One of the Teslas I'm considering mentions in the description that it is “missing the battery.” The seller doesn't know which battery this refers to; it's simply what they were told when they received the car. How can I determine whether this is referring to the 12V battery or the main drive battery? (The screens all turn on and the center screen says it is a p85, my understanding is that would not happen if the drive battery was missing. I was also told that the 12V runs the screen so I am lost on this one)

3. VIN Information: If I have the VIN for the vehicles, would contacting Tesla directly provide any useful information (such as possibly the answer to my questions previous)? I'm specifically wondering if Tesla can give me a detailed history or status report on the car, and if so, what is the best way to request this information from Tesla?

Any advice, resources, or personal experiences you could share would be incredibly helpful. Thanks in advance for your help!

Best regards,
The Mad Mechanic Mike

 

[Tam]

Hi everyone,

I'm planning to purchase a couple of used Teslas and could really use some guidance on a few concerns I have:

1. Supercharger Access: I know that any Model S with the 40kWh battery is blocked from using Tesla Superchargers. However, I'm uncertain about other models and configurations. Is there a reliable way to determine if a specific Tesla is blocked from Supercharger access? Any tips or resources would be greatly appreciated.

2. Battery Information: One of the Teslas I'm considering mentions in the description that it is “missing the battery.” The seller doesn't know which battery this refers to; it's simply what they were told when they received the car. How can I determine whether this is referring to the 12V battery or the main drive battery? (The screens all turn on and the center screen says it is a p85, my understanding is that would not happen if the drive battery was missing. I was also told that the 12V runs the screen so I am lost on this one)

3. VIN Information: If I have the VIN for the vehicles, would contacting Tesla directly provide any useful information (such as possibly the answer to my questions previous)? I'm specifically wondering if Tesla can give me a detailed history or status report on the car, and if so, what is the best way to request this information from Tesla?

Any advice, resources, or personal experiences you could share would be incredibly helpful. Thanks in advance for your help!

Best regards,
The Mad Mechanic Mike

1. 40 and 60kWh don't come with Supercharger enabled so an owner has to pay for it. Since it is software enabled, and you don't have a paper trail for the payment so it's uncertain. You can check on the car's screen to see if it's enabled.

2.Without 12V, there should be nothing active in the car: no locks, no lights, no screens... In your case, it's the 400V high voltage main battery that's missing.

3. Since Tesla doesn't have you as an owner for a VIN, they may not help you. If you are now an owner and asking why your supercharger, autopilot, FSD... Are not enabled, they would generically say you need to pay for it. You can ask for the receipt that the previous owner already paid for those but they won't give you any to "protect privacy. "

 

[gsmith123]

TIL in 2024 there are Teslas without Supercharger access when multiple other brands have access (and any CCS car can charge at CCS SCs both in North America and Europe).

That's absurd!

 

[Tam]

TIL in 2024 there are Teslas without Supercharger access when multiple other brands have access (and any CCS car can charge at CCS SCs both in North America and Europe).

That's absurd!

It's a matter of payment. It's up to a company to decide How a company would include a feature for "free" or not.

 

[Michael Connor]

It's a matter of payment. It's up to a company to decide How a company would include a feature for "free" or not.

Yeah I do think it is a little overkill with the older teslas though.

 

[gsmith123]

It's a matter of payment. It's up to a company to decide How a company would include a feature for "free" or not.

Sure, Tesla is well within their rights to do this.

It's just inconsistent. Why should some random Ford get Supercharger access (without paying up front) when that offer is not extended to some Tesla vehicles?

As far as funding the Supercharger network: non-Teslas either pay higher per kWh prices or pay a month membership. They should just extend that same deal to old Tesla's without SC access.

 

[KalJoMoS]

Battery Information: One of the Teslas I'm considering mentions in the description that it is “missing the battery.” The seller doesn't know which battery this refers to; it's simply what they were told when they received the car. How can I determine whether this is referring to the 12V battery or the main drive battery? (The screens all turn on and the center screen says it is a p85, my understanding is that would not happen if the drive battery was missing. I was also told that the 12V runs the screen so I am lost on this one)

You can easily get confirmation if the battery is actually there or not, here is one article:

Decoding Your Tesla Battery Pack Version

Is there a difference between the Tesla A battery pack from the B pack? A Tesla battery pack label/sticker is affixed to the front right side of the battery pack.

www.teslarati.com

 

[Jughead135]

Possibly silly question: Since you have indications that both the 12V & drive batteries are present…

…could the “missing” battery be referring to the key fob?? That’s a $4 fix, if so….

 

[FatFalcon]

FWIW there are very few Teslas still on the road since new without supercharger access. Very few were sold and most have gone off the road or been upgraded already. You are more likely to find Teslas that can't supercharge because they are blacklisted due to being totaled/having salvage titles. If you are looking at a Tesla without a clean title, you need to make sure they can provide the Tesla official high-voltage safety inspection done and the fast-charging safety inspection. If not, cost is around $1000.

You haven't mentioned which vehicle you are talking about, but it should be pretty obvious if the HV battery is there. For one thing, the vehicle will be riding crazy high since 800lbs is.missing from the floor. Also even the slightest glimpse under the car will tell you. If there is a giant empty space 6" deep, there is no HV battery. If the bottom of the car is flush with the aero shields, the battery is there.

If the HV battery was gone, the screen would work for a few minutes only, then the low-voltage battery would die and everything would be black. A vehicle with a missing LV battery could be jumped and then the HV would take over to run the LV system. A vehicle with a dead LV and no HV would have to be hooked up to a LV maintainer to keep the screens on.

 

[livesmith]

Well... If I was worried about the battery not being there I wouldn't trust the bottom of the car being flush to mean the battery is there. That just means the case is there. I could easily see someone pulling the modules out and selling them and putting the battery case back in.

I would think that if the main battery wasn't present the car would be dead unless it had a constant 12v power source. It seems everyone says that the 12v does not last long once the big battery is not charging it...

 

[Michael Connor]

FWIW there are very few Teslas still on the road since new without supercharger access. Very few were sold and most have gone off the road or been upgraded already. You are more likely to find Teslas that can't supercharge because they are blacklisted due to being totaled/having salvage titles. If you are looking at a Tesla without a clean title, you need to make sure they can provide the Tesla official high-voltage safety inspection done and the fast-charging safety inspection. If not, cost is around $1000.

You haven't mentioned which vehicle you are talking about, but it should be pretty obvious if the HV battery is there. For one thing, the vehicle will be riding crazy high since 800lbs is.missing from the floor. Also even the slightest glimpse under the car will tell you. If there is a giant empty space 6" deep, there is no HV battery. If the bottom of the car is flush with the aero shields, the battery is there.

If the HV battery was gone, the screen would work for a few minutes only, then the low-voltage battery would die and everything would be black. A vehicle with a missing LV battery could be jumped and then the HV would take over to run the LV system. A vehicle with a dead LV and no HV would have to be hooked up to a LV maintainer to keep the screens on.

FWIW there are very few Teslas still on the road since new without supercharger access. Very few were sold and most have gone off the road or been upgraded already. You are more likely to find Teslas that can't supercharge because they are blacklisted due to being totaled/having salvage titles. If you are looking at a Tesla without a clean title, you need to make sure they can provide the Tesla official high-voltage safety inspection done and the fast-charging safety inspection. If not, cost is around $1000.

You haven't mentioned which vehicle you are talking about, but it should be pretty obvious if the HV battery is there. For one thing, the vehicle will be riding crazy high since 800lbs is.missing from the floor. Also even the slightest glimpse under the car will tell you. If there is a giant empty space 6" deep, there is no HV battery. If the bottom of the car is flush with the aero shields, the battery is there.

If the HV battery was gone, the screen would work for a few minutes only, then the low-voltage battery would die and everything would be black. A vehicle with a missing LV battery could be jumped and then the HV would take over to run the LV system. A vehicle with a dead LV and no HV would have to be hooked up to a LV maintainer to keep the screens on.

Yes I get all of that, the issue at hand is that I don’t have access to check under the car.

 

[David Harvey]

Buying a used Model S:

 

[Michael Connor]

Buying a used Model S:

I actually did most of that and have the car now… issue may have been easier than I expected!