Today I learned "rattles" are not covered under warranty (Estimate attached)

[DWdrum]

Well, on the recommendation of someone here (name withheld cause it doesn't matter as they were only trying to help) I decided to call and get the seat belt rattle serviced. Appointment is for tomorrow and I received this work order moments ago.

LMFAO.....Needless to say, I didn't sign it and cancelled the appointment. I'll figure something out myself.

Just a little disappointing and surprised something as simple as this wouldn't be covered on a vehicle with 2,000 miles on it.

 

[tvad]

A fixed rattle would easily be worth $180 to me, but I understand your position. It should be covered under warranty for a period of time.

 

[insaneoctane]

Seems ludicrous to me.

I think I would ask service if they know how to fix the problem first. If they say "yes" well that's interesting isn't it....

 

[DWdrum]

It should be covered under warranty for a period of time.

Yeh...we noticed it day 1, but understanding it was a new car, we decided to let the car break in a little and see if it goes away.

 

[woodisgood]

A while ago that mileage limit was higher. Guess they've been gradually reducing it.

 

[rickdogg82]

DIY project if this is the same rattle you are experiencing.

 

[DWdrum]

A while ago that mileage limit was higher. Guess they've been gradually reducing it.

Could have been at over 2k when I called 2 weeks ago. We have about 2400 on it now

 

[woodisgood]

Could have been at over 2k when I called 2 weeks ago. We have about 2400 on it now

Yeah if you search rattle threads on here, maybe 6 months ago people were being told ~10K for rattles, squeaks, etc. to be covered under warranty. So it's something they've gradually dialed back, presumably because they feel confident in better build quality and QC.

 

[DWdrum]

DIY project if this is the same rattle you are experiencing.

Thanks a bunch....just started searching and saw your reply. Saved me some time. I love DIY projects, thanks again

 

[acarney]

HOLY COW! I didn't know this was a *known* thing! I just really was annoyed about this on a recent ~400 mile trip I took. Honestly it might be worth ~$200 to me to have fixed, if it actually gets fixed, but I only have 1,100 miles on my car (and can show I put 400 miles on it in the last two days), I wonder if that would be "low enough" that it would be covered.

Think this is something mobile rangers can handle, or do I need to drive another 150 miles to get to my service center? Did anyone request service for this via the app?

 

[PWlakewood]

All sc have a budget that they can tap into for courtesy repairs or fixes. Need to ask though as they dont just offer it upfront

 

[woodisgood]

It's worth noting that Tesla sends out those invoices as a courtesy estimate to give you a heads up on what it may cost, but when they have the car in hand have the discretion to call something a warranty fix, especially if a known issue. So I wouldn't necessarily assume they WOULDN'T cover it, but there's also no way to know beforehand.

If there's a DIY fix and you're a DIY person, that's a reasonable alternative.

 

[Kmartyn]

Well, on the recommendation of someone here (name withheld cause it doesn't matter as they were only trying to help) I decided to call and get the seat belt rattle serviced. Appointment is for tomorrow and I received this work order moments ago.

LMFAO.....Needless to say, I didn't sign it and cancelled the appointment. I'll figure something out myself.

Just a little disappointing and surprised something as simple as this wouldn't be covered on a vehicle with 2,000 miles on it.

I have this same seat belt adjuster rattle. Is this a known Tesla issue?

It is right by your ear, and can get annoying.

 

[iPlug]

Interesting, seems to be some variation in practice.

9/5/2019 I brought my SR+ in at 4113 miles for a rattling noise that turned out to be from the front left underbody; could be heard at >40mph. They said it was missing a fasting clip or something similar. It was covered under the basic vehicle limited warranty.

 

[Az_Rael]

Yeh...we noticed it day 1, but understanding it was a new car, we decided to let the car break in a little and see if it goes away.

Well, if it helps any I had the SC fix mine under warranty a year ago and it is rattling again now. So whatever the SC is doing may not be a permanent fix unless they have updated repair parts.

 

[acarney]

Interesting, seems to be some variation in practice.

9/5/2019 I brought my SR+ in at 4113 miles for a rattling noise that turned out to be from the front left underbody; could be heard at >40mph. They said it was missing a fasting clip or something similar. It was covered under the basic vehicle limited warranty.

Well they said in that invoice that if it was deemed a warranty issue they would zero out the charge. Missing a clip (without it looking like road damage caused it) would certainly fall under warranty issue (defect in craftsmanship). If Tesla deemed these seat belt adjusters were not manufactured correctly then they could issue a service bulletin and this would always be considered warranty work.

 

[GeoX750]

My front struts were rattling, replaced under warranty at 16,000 miles.

 

[Camera-Cruiser]

Well they said in that invoice that if it was deemed a warranty issue they would zero out the charge. Missing a clip (without it looking like road damage caused it) would certainly fall under warranty issue (defect in craftsmanship). If Tesla deemed these seat belt adjusters were not manufactured correctly then they could issue a service bulletin and this would always be considered warranty work.

Yup. This.

Service just has to write up something so that both parties acknowledge what the potential problem is. It will be a warranty thing, otherwise they will have to show how you somehow broke loose whatever is loose. They fixed my S this way. All under warranty.

That said, when you get to service they should take a quick drive with you to hear the rattles.

 

[chinnam3]

Based on conversation with Service manager a while ago, rattles are covered for the first year (1 year from purchase date). Many manufacturers recently changed their policy on rattles to 1 year only. Rattles are not covered under bumper to bumper typical 3-4-5 year warranty. As far as I know premium brands like BMW, Lexus etc, they do cover rattles for 4 years. Probably Tesla is so backed up with service requests, they reduced it. They used to fix all in Model S before. Not sure if they updated that policy for Model S also.

BTW, Tesla send estimate to any sounds/rattles even it is covered under warranty just to let you know if not covered under warranty for any reason this is how it is going to cost. Recently I got Axle click noise fixed. Got the estimate just like everyone else, but I did not get charged for the actual fix.

 

[focher]

There’s no such thing as “rattles” warranty coverage. If you report a defect within the warranty period, it’s covered unless it’s excluded as wear and tear. Personally I’d refuse to sign that service order but still leave the car. If they demanded anything in writing, I’d tell them I don’t pre-authorize any work after their inspection and quote. If they don’t inspect, then I’d file a small claims action after repair from another service provider. I’m a shareholder, and I’m not particularly receptive to claims of outright crappy service about Tesla, but that’s just plain not industry standard practice.

Rattles have always been investigated in my experience by service.