Tesla door handle failure - pivot gear (anyone have one I can buy?)

[Xenoilphobe]

I also used credit cards to center the handle before I torqued everything down.

 

[KIKGAZ]

Outstanding narrative. One tip to help - you can completely retract the exterior handle into the assembly by using the adjustment screw to retract the handle completely into the assembly. This will give you the necessary room to remove it without the window issues and it will protect the chrome exterior from possible scratches (I did what you did too with blue painters tape) to protect the chrome.

One you have torqued down the handle basket with the four bolts, you can then re-adjust the handle flush mount position using the center screw in the handle basket to adjust as necessary. Now that I know how to do this I noticed one of my other handles is not flush with the door and will pull the trim to adjust to flush when closed.

Did not know about the flush mount position screw. Great tip, thanks.

 

[DFibRL8R]

Had a break from the frigid temps and decided to replace the broken paddle gear in my rear left door today. Great information in all the videos/posts was very helpful. It is tricky in places, took me about 3 hours start to finish. Very happy to repair this for $1 which beats the heck out of the one I paid Tesla $895.74 to fix for "a faulty pin switch assembly" which was actually a broken paddle gear when I examined it

Removing the upper right bolt for the handle assembly was definitely the trickiest given the glass in the way. I was able to get a flat 10 mm wrench in there without removing the the window but very hard since the nut is recessed into the plastic molding of the handle assembly. All the other bolts I could get to with a socket wrench by feel. The whole removal process is very awkward. I struggled a bit with the plastic clips that make the connections to the door lightning etc but eventually got them all apart and intact.

Also, saw some mention of difficulty replacing the plastic spacers which look like this:

This is the area where the new paddle gear with spacers goes:


Initially I tried to install them in this orientation:

They won't fit this way so I moved them to the inside and they fit:

The spacers are in a few different spots so take note as you are pulling things apart. They seem to keep the metal parts from rubbing together so seems good to try to save them.

Also my little ring retainer clip was also rusted but salvageable.

I would probably try to get some to install a fresh one next time though the metal rod that they secure is in pretty tight so I'm not sure how necessary they are.

 

[Lasttoy]

Not sure why, but mine was corroded real bad. There has been water in my mechanism. Make sure to WD40 when you re install.
Dyna mat in doors helps.

 

[robby]

This thread reminds me of an old idea which is to get an open source Tesla service manual together. There is so much great info out there, but it's scattered and lacks the helpful self-referential steps of a Haynes or official manual (e.g. having "remove door panel" described once in detail rather than briefly in seventeen places for everything that requires removing a door panel). I held out hope we'd get a Haynes manual, but given the pace at which Tesla makes changes, I think the tinkerers among us will always be ahead of third party publishers.

 

[DFibRL8R]

This thread reminds me of an old idea which is to get an open source Tesla service manual together. There is so much great info out there, but it's scattered and lacks the helpful self-referential steps of a Haynes or official manual (e.g. having "remove door panel" described once in detail rather than briefly in seventeen places for everything that requires removing a door panel). I held out hope we'd get a Haynes manual, but given the pace at which Tesla makes changes, I think the tinkerers among us will always be ahead of third party publishers.

Completely agree. While the individual posts and videos were great (I'm sure I would not have attempted this without seeing those), it was difficult to piece the steps together and there were some steps missing (at least in my head) as I went through from memory. Having the definitive step by step guide would be very nice.

 

[Edo102]

Thanks to everybody on this thread and youtube videos for all the info! I just completed this fix and it all went well.
I had ordered a replacement gear from SC after seeing part # on this thread. At first I was told a few days, which turned into a few weeks. Got them this week and they are a new version (B)! See photos below.
A quick question about the plastic covers (over the handle mechanism and hole in the door), what options are there for getting them to stick back on better? Especially the handle cover, it was all falling off and bunched up. Would I be better off getting Dynamat (?) and covering the hole door a-fresh rather than trying to re-glue the existing covers?

 

[mmccord]

I had a roll of this in my drawer:

https://www.amazon.com/Gorilla-6003001-Tough-2-88-Inch-30-Yards/dp/B003KTLRUA

I used ample amounts of it to secure the back cover to the handle mechanism. This was only a few months ago, so I don't know yet how it'll hold up over time.

 

[MP3Mike]

Got them this week and they are a new version (B)! See photos below.

Hopefully this version will be longer lasting!

 

[Edo102]

I had a roll of this in my drawer:

https://www.amazon.com/Gorilla-6003001-Tough-2-88-Inch-30-Yards/dp/B003KTLRUA

I used ample amounts of it to secure the back cover to the handle mechanism. This was only a few months ago, so I don't know yet how it'll hold up over time.

Thanks!

 

[Drewflux]

The closest stuff I have found https://www.amazon.com/3M-08620-Window-Weld-Ribbon-Sealer/dp/B0039752R2

The trick to reusing the original sealer is to gently pull back the weather seal and use a razor blade to cut the sealer as it streachs. After that a bit of heat and it sticks like new

 

[vizik8]

New motor gear

 

[chr20]

Also problems with broken motor gears?

 

[vizik8]

Same problem as pivot gear. We have encountered a few broken ones in Hong Kong, therefore we decided to produce this in stainless steel as well.

 

[robby]

Haven't seen that one before. Just curious, where does it fail?

 

[vizik8]

just one example:

 

[chr20]

Happened with the stainless pivot gear or standard original Tesla?

 

[cwerdna]

They really should do a recall for these -- I'm waiting to see the dude that gets torched in his car because the pivot gear doesn't present the handle or the microswitch fails and doesn't release the latch... kinda crazy that a 50 cent part is causing these issues. If Space X used these on a door handle, I would never fly with them...

Recalls are generally for safety defects or non-conformance with FMVSS. And, I've seen recalls for incorrect phone numbers in manuals.

They are almost never because some non-safety related part is prone to failure.

 

[vizik8]

it happens on original parts

 

[strider]

Hi everyone. Driver door stopped presenting a few days ago. Called up my Ranger and he had a paddle gear in stock. I wanted to get 3 (right rear door handle assembly was replaced a few months ago, before we could get the gears) but he said the warehouse was showing them as out of stock. Perhaps it's because they are switching over to the B version? Unfortunately the one he had in stock was an A but the original one lasted 5 years and 67k miles so I'll take it. Will be attempting the repair later today.

Thanks to @KIKGAZ for the notes. I'm dreading taking the window out but we'll see how it goes.

One thing I did think about (may only be an option if you are remote and have a good relationship w/ your Ranger) was to pay for a couple hours of shop labor and have Tesla remove the handle, I would swap the paddle gear, then have Tesla re-install. I also thought I read somewhere that Tesla could swap the gear too so maybe they're moving in that direction. That would only be a few hundred dollars vs the $700+ I paid for the one rear handle.

Anyway, wish me luck!