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Today's Roadster Orphan

Onepointfive

Member
Jul 22, 2017
18
34
Silicon Valley

Interesting comment by Carl Medlock re 1.5 Roadsters on that page:
I have refurbished and updated over 75 of Roadster PEM’s. PEM’s in the early cars are far more robust than after vin 500. The components and materials used in the early cars the one here for example are better. Open the cover of that PEM and it looks like high dollar electronic jewelry. Open a later one and you can see the difference.
 

CruzInVA

#1422 Silver
Jul 20, 2014
61
10
Vienna, VA
Interesting comment by Carl Medlock re 1.5 Roadsters on that page:
I have refurbished and updated over 75 of Roadster PEM’s. PEM’s in the early cars are far more robust than after vin 500. The components and materials used in the early cars the one here for example are better. Open the cover of that PEM and it looks like high dollar electronic jewelry. Open a later one and you can see the difference.

Pardon my ignorance, but who is Carl Medlock, does his opinion carry any weight, and is there any validity to the assertion that post-500 PEMs are of lower quality?
 

hanknum

Member
Dec 7, 2018
209
87
Santa Barbara
Sold long ago. Don't know why they advertise it.
Probably just to increase their phone traffic...

If it were a 911 or Corvette, I could see that, because they would just say that they sold the vehicle in the ad and try and sell you on something else they have in inventory. But, I think the Roadster would be pretty specialized and someone looking for one could not be talked into another sports car.
 

DeedWest

2008 VP & 2011 2.5 Sport
Feb 5, 2014
852
882
Dallas, TX
Pardon my ignorance, but who is Carl Medlock, does his opinion carry any weight, and is there any validity to the assertion that post-500 PEMs are of lower quality?

Carl was one of the original service technicians in the early days of Tesla, who likely performed repairs on many, many Roadsters - even before starting his own shop in Seattle after support dwindled. That video above lead me to send my 2.5 Sport to him, which returned in better condition than I could've expected. It's safe to say his work speaks for itself, and I am now a believer.

There are many references to the specifics of the differences between 1.5 PEMs and 2.X PEMs here on the forum by those smarter than I, but to outline a few -

The 1.5 PEM featured military grade quick connections and most importantly, an internal PEM fan - which keeps temperatures lower during charging and coincidentally sucks up less debris & dirt from the road, leading to a longer PEM life. When the 2.X went into production, many cost-saving measures were taken, which reduced reliability. The PEM fan especially, which was relocated down lower to the road, improved cooling during performance drives, but reduced reliability in charging and stop & go traffic, due to the car needing to be in motion to generate more airflow for the fans.

According to the only Roadster-certified tech in my area, he's seen four times as many PEM / PEM fan replacements on 2.X Roadsters in his lifetime than 1.5's, which is a staggering amount.
 
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Reactions: Sig72

markwj

Moderator, Asia Pacific
Apr 10, 2011
4,584
1,180
Hong Kong
According to the only Roadster-certified tech in my area, he's seen four times as many PEM / PEM fan replacements on 2.X Roadsters in his lifetime than 1.5's, which is a staggering amount.

Not disagreeing with the premise (that 2.x PEMs are better built than the 1.5 version), but there are four times as many 2.x cars as 1.x.
 

DeedWest

2008 VP & 2011 2.5 Sport
Feb 5, 2014
852
882
Dallas, TX
Not disagreeing with the premise (that 2.x PEMs are better built than the 1.5 version), but there are four times as many 2.x cars as 1.x.

Correct. However, this technician was referring to NA Roadsters, to which there are twice as many 2.X vehicles than 1.5s here.
 

DeedWest

2008 VP & 2011 2.5 Sport
Feb 5, 2014
852
882
Dallas, TX
1339 6.PNG

2011 Roadster 2.5 Base - Very Orange
VIN -
1339
Mileage - 26,919
Price - message if seriously interested

At the request of a good friend, I am facilitating the sale of this impeccable 2.5 with nearly every factory option imaginable, plus over $40,000 in upgrades (both factory and third party Roadster shop upgrades). Please message if interested for more details. Serious interest only. Follow the link above to the TMC listing in the Classifieds section.
 

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