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Things to consider when shopping for a used roadster
- Thread starter Gabner
- Start date
Welcome to TMC. Plenty of threads on this topic. Start with these. The search feature is your best friend 
Buying a Roadster now - what to be aware of?
Buying a Roadster
Buying a 2010 Roadster, hoping for guidance
Buying a Roadster now - what to be aware of?
Buying a Roadster
Buying a 2010 Roadster, hoping for guidance
dhrivnak
Active Member
If you have specific questions feel free to ask or PM me. I have owned one now for 8 1/2 years and it has been a very good car. The one item I am not sure we as owners can service is the battery. Which is why I jumped on the 3.0 battery upgrade. I may have jumped too soon as it appears the original batteries are holding up better than expected. When coming from an Elise, just expect a lot more power and instantaneous power.
Marius
Member
Just a FYI. I have done with the original battery 362.000 km and I am now down to CAC 99 which means about 40% capacity loss. If you keep the battery mostly between 20 to 80% you can reach a high mileage with the original battery.
Enjoy it! Be prepared for folks staring at the car, and allocate some "Tesla Time" to answer questions. I have a 1-page summary of the car and EVs in general that I give out to folks that are interested. It's also a way to get back on your way without cutting off the questions.
As for the car, I think the key is realizing that these are limited-production prototypes. Every car has its own quirks and personality, which you will discover over time. But they all need to have their cooling channels cleaned out regularly (Tesla's annual maintenance), and be kept plugged in. Be mindful of getting the motor, PEM, and battery too hot. Don't over-fill the air conditioning fluid. Watch dips in the roadway (the car is lower than you think).
I also download the logs on a monthly basis, both as an archive, and to spot things that might be going wrong before they get too bad. You might also consider getting an OVMSv3 module, so you can keep tabs on the car remotely.
Marius
Member
Answering questions.
My standard range is down to 172km. However in the OVMS app it states 85% at this range. This is after charging on 30A. If I charge on 10A the range is 190km equalling 95%. When the battery was new the difference between charging on low or high current was just a few km. So this means that probably degradation causes higher internal resistance which not only reduce the maximum range but also enlarge charging time. I especially found out with the JdeMo unit. 1,5 years ago the tapering off on charging power would start going down from 40kW on 60% and now it already starts tapering off at 40%.
Yes the PEM is original. Never any problem with this. Important mentioning is that temperature never goes higher than 42 degrees Celsius due to charging on low amps, normally I use 24A and low power consumption during driving. Holland is flat with a moderate climate so no need to push for high power output. Full power from 0 to 100km and then 1 hour driving on the motorway at 110km per hour is easy on the PEM temperature.
By the way, the cooling fan for PEM and motor has been replaced 30.000 km ago.
To make the picture complete: my roadster is now at 399.000 km ODO. I got a new battery under warranty in 2011 at 36.000 km ODO. So PEM did 399.000 km.
My standard range is down to 172km. However in the OVMS app it states 85% at this range. This is after charging on 30A. If I charge on 10A the range is 190km equalling 95%. When the battery was new the difference between charging on low or high current was just a few km. So this means that probably degradation causes higher internal resistance which not only reduce the maximum range but also enlarge charging time. I especially found out with the JdeMo unit. 1,5 years ago the tapering off on charging power would start going down from 40kW on 60% and now it already starts tapering off at 40%.
Yes the PEM is original. Never any problem with this. Important mentioning is that temperature never goes higher than 42 degrees Celsius due to charging on low amps, normally I use 24A and low power consumption during driving. Holland is flat with a moderate climate so no need to push for high power output. Full power from 0 to 100km and then 1 hour driving on the motorway at 110km per hour is easy on the PEM temperature.
By the way, the cooling fan for PEM and motor has been replaced 30.000 km ago.
To make the picture complete: my roadster is now at 399.000 km ODO. I got a new battery under warranty in 2011 at 36.000 km ODO. So PEM did 399.000 km.
Marius
Member
Just a final note to add: The only not solvable issue next to the battery degradation and not receiving a new one from Tesla, is isolation fault #286. If you leave your car for a couple of days connected with a charge cable 1 time in 24 hours the car wakes up and starts balancing. Because of apparent humidity issues in the electronics eventually you get an isolation fault and the car refuses to charge. Solution is to drive a few km so don't let it drop too much on range to keep some charge left in case of this fault. (See other thread about this fault #286)
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