Service says $22k for new battery on 2012 Model S

[Sig72]

So just a follow up on the battery situation. The battery has finally be properly replaced as of April 15th. Took a while, this all started November 26th, 2021. It took them until middle February to get the wrong battery pack installed. Then until April 15th to get the correct battery installed. However, the result is very positive. The car is fixed, it supercharges WAY better than the old 85 pack. And range has improved as well. Seems anecdotal, but my father claims the car has significantly more acceleration and power than it ever had... so I guess he is happy.

So it's officially a 2013 P90+. I assume there are a few P90+'s out there, but it's still a bit of a unicorn.

P90+ is a very cool configuration. ~$12k is a great price for that too. I paid a lot more to turn my car into a P90. I'm getting a range of about 270 at 100%

 

[henderrj]

Tesla offered me the same deal a few months ago for my out of warranty 85 kwh battery that has deteriorated to 210 miles max. I'm trying to hold out as long as possible before buying a new battery. Maybe the cost will come down in the future.

Have you talked with wk057.com? They might be able to beat Tesla's offer. I have the battery warranty with them, which I'll hopefully not have to use!

 

[Droschke]

Yes, they have been using them for about 2 years now. It's a 350v, ~90 kWh pack (100kWh pack less 2 modules). The latest rev is 1014116-00-C. Reportedly, it has ~275 RM.

Actually, the search result for 1014116-00-C in Tesla part catalog now shows only:

ASY,HV BATTERY,90L,SX 1088792-00-A

Not sure what happened to the 350V ones.

 

[AustinP]

Actually, the search result for 1014116-00-C in Tesla part catalog now shows only:

ASY,HV BATTERY,90L,SX 1088792-00-A

Not sure what happened to the 350V ones.

According to other posts, this 1088792-00-A is an "old" 90 v3.
Someone on the BeNe forum was only proposed a reman 85 for an out of warranty replacement, with Tesla claiming there is no new battery available.

I'm puzzled. I thought those new 1014116-00-C batteries were Tesla's solution for out of warranty replacements, but it does not look that way. I'm not out of warranty yet, but was "happy" with that option. If that's out of the table now... food for thoughts

 

[Droschke]

According to other posts, this 1088792-00-A is an "old" 90 v3.
Someone on the BeNe forum was only proposed a reman 85 for an out of warranty replacement, with Tesla claiming there is no new battery available.

I'm puzzled. I thought those new 1014116-00-C batteries were Tesla's solution for out of warranty replacements, but it does not look that way. I'm not out of warranty yet, but was "happy" with that option. If that's out of the table now... food for thoughts

I'm still under warranty and a battery replacement is in process for me. Of course, I'm not told what I'll be getting - hence my curiosity.

 

[FlatSix911]

Have you talked with wk057.com? They might be able to beat Tesla's offer.
I have the battery warranty with them, which I'll hopefully not have to use!

I agree, talk with 057 Technology about their HV Battery Service Plan.

HV Battery Service Plan | 057 Technology

057 Technology, LLC

warranty.057tech.com

 

[Sig72]

According to other posts, this 1088792-00-A is an "old" 90 v3.
Someone on the BeNe forum was only proposed a reman 85 for an out of warranty replacement, with Tesla claiming there is no new battery available.

I'm puzzled. I thought those new 1014116-00-C batteries were Tesla's solution for out of warranty replacements, but it does not look that way. I'm not out of warranty yet, but was "happy" with that option. If that's out of the table now... food for thoughts

Haha, I was told the exact opposite- no reman packs available- new only. My only complaint is the price tag. I think the new vs. used battery replacement is really a logistical/supply chain question for Tesla- they will offer whatever they have in market nearby. Doesn't really surprise me to hear that options in Belgium vs. California are different

 

[AustinP]

Haha, I was told the exact opposite- no reman packs available- new only. My only complaint is the price tag. I think the new vs. used battery replacement is really a logistical/supply chain question for Tesla- they will offer whatever they have in market nearby. Doesn't really surprise me to hear that options in Belgium vs. California are different

Thanks for you feedback. Got to read your story ( #786 ), glad to read how much it improved your car.
Yes, it's not like the new batteries are unheard of in europe (read @rns-e's story), but indeed you have a point.
Anyway, time will tell.

 

[rsg123]

I suspect it's more that they're in the phase of company/technology growth where they have a lot of incentive to be overly cautious and not many to push the boundaries.

Every EV fire or battery incident becomes front page news right now, and contrary to the old saying that IS indeed bad press. The great majority of cars are still in warranty, so if they make the conscious choice to be overly cautious and end up doing more pack replacements on their dime, they seem to have accepted that as a calculated risk for now.

Seems like the sort of thing they could relax over time after they have more data and analytics showing the real world safety, etc.

Except that we are starting to see a lot of batteries fail right around warranty expiration. This gives credence to the planned obsolescence theory.

 

[CyberGus]

Except that we are starting to see a lot of batteries fail right around warranty expiration. This gives credence to the planned obsolescence theory.

Isn't it more likely that the warranty is designed to cover the expected lifetime of the part? It's certainly not intended to provide replacement parts forever, and I'm skeptical that anyone would (or even could) design a battery to last "exactly X months but not X+1 months".

 

[Pcm888usa]

If my battery lasts up to the warranty end without serious deterioration, I should be thankful.

 

[Baumisch]

If my battery lasts up to the warranty end without serious deterioration, I should be thankful.

Well, mine did - it's 1 month left for my 2014 P85+
I'm on the second pack - let's see how this goes.

 

[henderrj]

Except that we are starting to see a lot of batteries fail right around warranty expiration. This gives credence to the planned obsolescence theory.

Where are we seeing these? What is "a lot"? Not necessarily disagreeing, just wondering if the data is statistical or more of a narrative.

 

[DarkMatter]

If it were 'a lot' I would have expected to see more than one pre-facelift S at the service center the last time I was there. That was not the case even with dozens of cars in the lot.

 

[TwistedGray]

If it were 'a lot' I would have expected to see more than one pre-facelift S at the service center the last time I was there. That was not the case even with dozens of cars in the lot.

They certainly sold a lot more cars post-nose cone than pre-cone. Could it be explained simply by total volume sold then vs today?

 

[DarkMatter]

They certainly sold a lot more cars post-nose cone than pre-cone. Could it be explained simply by total volume sold then vs today?

Anything is possible. None of us have data except wk057, and for obvious reasons I don't expect him to share it.

However if this were happening in huge numbers, I would also not expect wk057 to be able to offer a two year service plan for $2k. Given that includes room to make a profit, it suggests that pack failures are happening at a noticeable but not overwhelming rate. Maybe we are at the start of the bath-tub curve, with at least a few more years before the rate starts really ticking up.

 

[rsg123]

Where are we seeing these? What is "a lot"? Not necessarily disagreeing, just wondering if the data is statistical or more of a narrative.

You’re right, I don’t have any hard data, just what I’m hearing on the forums, Reddit and a few of my family members who got their 2014-2015 S batteries replaced.

 

[wk057]

Percentage wise, it's not a lot. It seems to be a lot since we see the posts about battery failures.... but everyone with a working battery isn't also making a thread here or on Reddit noting that their battery is working.

So, take stats based on how many failure posts you see with a helping of salt. Yes, I think they're failing at higher rates than they probably should be, especially the earlier builds (2012-2014), but it's not an alarming amount, percentage wise.

 

[kirkusss]

@wk057 how hard is to source the 90kwh 350V packs? I suppose upgrading to a newer pack will increase the time until the next failure Have wrote you a PM about this possible upgrade.

 

[DarkMatter]

For long term confidence purposes I think at some point one of the manufacturers will want to put in a prorated plan. So maybe it's 100% coverage the first 8 years as required by CARB, then 50% coverage the next two years, 25% the following two years. If the packs are well designed it wouldn't cost a huge amount over the existing warranty, and it would help to bolster consumer confidence even further.