Touchscreen: Mositure/Leak?

[William13]

Vin520 here. Bubbles started at 55,000 miles and 3 years. Screen protector and brightness around 70% most of the time. Bubbles slowly worsening, no goo yet. Plan to replace if needed or at 95,000 miles before my extended warranty runs out.

 

[DFibRL8R]

Split it with you is better than full price!

$2900 is still the sticker I have been quoted. I took my touchscreen leak all the way up to regional service manager. I got a "split it with you" deal... Still deciding if its worth half price. No one left to complain to, no one left to care

50% off is not bad, what was your approach, that it is not a milage dependent part and shouldn't have failed so quickly?

 

[demundus]

Split it with you is better than full price!


50% off is not bad, what was your approach, that it is not a milage dependent part and shouldn't have failed so quickly?

Pretty much yeah. Manufacturing defect... Why would my touchscreen be leaking caustic commercial adhesive on a 3 year old car in coastal (moderate temp) california. 50% may not be bad, but thats basically my Model 3 deposit. Why am I paying for one of the most prominent interior feature's premature failure based on mileage alone? Aggravating to no end.

 

[jawdoc1234]

I have a recently discovered oozing of a sticky gell like material from under my screen with the appearance of bubbles and linear defects in the screen display. Bubbles are identical to those shown above. This is in a 2012 Model S Signature series. Is this a manufacturers defect? This just shouldn't happen.

 

[demundus]

I have a recently discovered oozing of a sticky gell like material from under my screen with the appearance of bubbles and linear defects in the screen display. Bubbles are identical to those shown above. This is in a 2012 Model S Signature series. Is this a manufacturers defect? This just shouldn't happen.

If you're still in warranty, go get it fixed NOW. If you're out of warranty, welcome to my plight.

 

[TSLA Pilot]

Split it with you is better than full price!


50% off is not bad, what was your approach, that it is not a milage dependent part and shouldn't have failed so quickly?

I've been thinking a bit about this. I'd recommend tweeting a picture of your screen (and any screen drippings!) to Elon and asking for an across the board policy change with this issue. Tesla really should be holding their suppliers feet to the fire on this--better for Tesla to spend more on parts' contracts going forward, BUT be able to aggressively go after bad parts by sticking it to the manufacturer--all doable if it's in their original contract (and it needs to be).

Should be a win-win: better quality parts going in, and much better customer service and loyalty. This is how long-term reputations are made....

 

[demundus]

I've been thinking a bit about this. I'd recommend tweeting a picture of your screen (and any screen drippings!) to Elon and asking for an across the board policy change with this issue.

Tried tweeting him, and Tesla's official twitter twice with pictures of the issue. I've also posted on their facebook, called the owner hotline 4+ times, talked to a SvC asst mgr, mgr, and district manager. Unless Elon or someone from corporate steps in, I am mostly stuck.

 

[sbgator90]

Vin520 here. Bubbles started at 55,000 miles and 3 years. Screen protector and brightness around 70% most of the time. Bubbles slowly worsening, no goo yet. Plan to replace if needed or at 95,000 miles before my extended warranty runs out.

Don't wait too long. It will start dripping a very nasty sticky glue all over your center console that will not come off!

 

[sbgator90]

Tried tweeting him, and Tesla's official twitter twice with pictures of the issue. I've also posted on their facebook, called the owner hotline 4+ times, talked to a SvC asst mgr, mgr, and district manager. Unless Elon or someone from corporate steps in, I am mostly stuck.

It would be great to consolidate as many people effected by this and approach TESLA in mass and followed by the press if need be. I think this would get the desired result. This is a very high profile aesthetic of the look and sales positioning of the car. A 17" screen leaking copious amounts of glue and now looking like it is submerged in a fish tank- I took mine in yesterday to get it documented, but will not get it repaired until they take care of this absurd manufacturing defect as they should have long ago put out a service bulletin on this matter! I do believe this problem is going to grow exponentially for them over the next year and they will be forced to deal with it. I hope all of this glue doesn't fry the circuitry of the screen before then

 

[DFibRL8R]

It would be great to consolidate as many people effected by this and approach TESLA in mass and followed by the press if need be. I think this would get the desired result. This is a very high profile aesthetic of the look and sales positioning of the car. A 17" screen leaking copious amounts of glue and now looking like it is submerged in a fish tank- I took mine in yesterday to get it documented, but will not get it repaired until they take care of this absurd manufacturing defect as they should have long ago put out a service bulletin on this matter! I do believe this problem is going to grow exponentially for them over the next year and they will be forced to deal with it. I hope all of this glue doesn't fry the circuitry of the screen before then

Hopefully the version of the touch screen they are using now is an improvement over the original in this regard. Time will tell. Honestly that is part of why I have yet to have mine fixed even though the bubbles have increased. I figure holding out as long as the screen works and the dreaded glue drip has not started will buy me a better screen when it finally has to be replaced. Plus I am out of warranty so no hurry to spend the cash if Tesla continues to take the stance that a touch screen failure at year 3 is a mileage-based warranty issue not a manufacturing defect that should be corrected under goodwill.

 

[demundus]

Hopefully the version of the touch screen they are using now is an improvement over the original in this regard. Time will tell. Honestly that is part of why I have yet to have mine fixed even though the bubbles have increased. I figure holding out as long as the screen works and the dreaded glue drip has not started will buy me a better screen when it finally has to be replaced. Plus I am out of warranty so no hurry to spend the cash if Tesla continues to take the stance that a touch screen failure at year 3 is a mileage-based warranty issue not a manufacturing defect that should be corrected under goodwill.

I am of the opinion that, because they used a metallic trim around the screen, it conducts and retains heat more than the rest of the dashboard, thus the delamination around the edges. Next time you get in the car, touch the metal near the screen... its friggin hot.

I don't believe they've changed the border around the screen, so I suspect we'll see more of this with later owners.

 

[DFibRL8R]

I am of the opinion that, because they used a metallic trim around the screen, it conducts and retains heat more than the rest of the dashboard, thus the delamination around the edges. Next time you get in the car, touch the metal near the screen... its friggin hot.

I don't believe they've changed the border around the screen, so I suspect we'll see more of this with later owners.

Hopefully they have improved the adhesive or whatever else can be done. Intuitively, with the adhesive dripping out that you experienced it would point to a failure of this, likely temperature related. I tried (and continue to) to keep the screen brightness low and keep the interior cool (out of direct sun). My failure coincidentally happened on a hot day when the car was parked in the sun with the sun roof open.

By the way, did you replace yours? If not, how have you dealt with the dripping goo problem?

 

[demundus]

Hopefully they have improved the adhesive or whatever else can be done. Intuitively, with the adhesive dripping out that you experienced it would point to a failure of this, likely temperature related. I tried (and continue to) to keep the screen brightness low and keep the interior cool (out of direct sun). My failure coincidentally happened on a hot day when the car was parked in the sun with the sun roof open.

By the way, did you replace yours? If not, how have you dealt with the dripping goo problem?

They did not replace mine. I got all the way to the regional service manager who agreed to split half with me ($1250). I had also heard there is development underway for a fix that doesnt involve replacing the screen, but they were only rumblings... no timing yet.

I deal with the dripping goo by leaving a towel in the car. I wipe the leaking area with a damp papertowel every morning (from holding my smoothie, so no waste!)

Also, when I complained this shouldn't be a wear item, they said that the screen use produces heat, which is true. However my rebuttal is that Tesla now automatically controls brightness... so I trust they know whats best? Arggggg

 

[DFibRL8R]

I deal with the dripping goo by leaving a towel in the car. I wipe the leaking area with a damp papertowel every morning (from holding my smoothie, so no waste!)

Also, when I complained this shouldn't be a wear item, they said that the screen use produces heat, which is true. However my rebuttal is that Tesla now automatically controls brightness... so I trust they know whats best? Arggggg

Thanks for the tip, I am on goo watch lately. I really babied my screen with ridiculously low brightness settings figuring that would prolong screen life but alas, the bubbles came. I disabled the auto brightness adjust on mine as I was constantly turning mine down only to have the car turn it right back up again.

 

[sbgator90]

It would be great to consolidate as many people effected by this and approach TESLA in mass and followed by the press if need be. I think this would get the desired result. This is a very high profile aesthetic of the look and sales positioning of the car. A 17" screen leaking copious amounts of glue and now looking like it is submerged in a fish tank- I took mine in yesterday to get it documented, but will not get it repaired until they take care of this absurd manufacturing defect as they should have long ago put out a service bulletin on this matter! I do believe this problem is going to grow exponentially for them over the next year and they will be forced to deal with it. I hope all of this glue doesn't fry the circuitry of the screen before then

UPDATE-
Got a very good deal for them to replace the touchscreen and problem solved for now on that. Have another hugely expensive ridiculous problem now. When I gave them the car for the touchscreen repair my air conditioning was working perfectly fine as it has for its entire life (3.5 yrs and 63k miles.) When I picked-up the car the a/c wasn't working and so I took it back in as soon as I could get another appointment explaining that it stopped working while they had the car! The diagnosis was that the DCDC unit had a shorted fuse and so the entire unit has to be replaced at about $2,500++ and that they suspected that the a/c compressor might be binding and will need to be replaced at the same time for another $1,800++. I talked to them about how suspicious and coincidental it is that the a/c stopped working at the time of the touchscreen replacement. They are absolutely adamant that the short in the DCDC unit could not have come from anything they did in replacing the touchscreen. They proceeded to replace the DCDC unit and the compressor was working fine. Their story then switched to the compressor might intermittently bind causing the short to the DCDC fuse and that if I don't replace the compressor that I am told is working fine than I might have the same problem again. So.... currently out of pocket for $2,500 and they're suggesting to spend another $1,800 to replace the working compressor for a total of over $4,300++ all in... or drive off now and after the $2,500 sunk currently maybe days from now, if it is the compressor, I'd have potentially another $4,300 on top of the $2,500 to fix an air conditioner in a 3 year old car that stopped working while they were making another repair. I wish somebody that knows anything about the electronics of this car would weigh in and tell me if any of this makes sense? Or, if it is possible to get a short in this DCDC fuse in any other way, especially from something they did while replacing the screen or is it a total coincidence? For anyone weighing the purchase of a TESLA, let me tell you the cost of repairs that have been done to my car in just the past 11k miles (less than 1 year) after the warranty expired and their was plenty before that. 2 headlamps, 4 door handles, 1 Touchscreen, 1 DCDC unit (whatever that is) 1 recommended a/c compressor and a few other odds and ends--- at service center quoted prices over $11,000 (some I have paid for, some have been waived and some we have met somewhere between.) And, I was thinking with the motor and battery fully covered for eight years what else could possibly be a big enough problem to shell out $4,000 for an extended warranty?? Before this Tesla, my last four cars were a BMW 535, BMW 545, BMW 550 and another BMW 535 that in total I drove 380,000 miles and paid less than $2,000 in repair bills (not including regular maintenance) without an extended warranty on any of them....

 

[DFibRL8R]

UPDATE-
Got a very good deal for them to replace the touchscreen and problem solved for now on that. Have another hugely expensive ridiculous problem now. When I gave them the car for the touchscreen repair my air conditioning was working perfectly fine as it has for its entire life (3.5 yrs and 63k miles.) When I picked-up the car the a/c wasn't working and so I took it back in as soon as I could get another appointment explaining that it stopped working while they had the car! The diagnosis was that the DCDC unit had a shorted fuse and so the entire unit has to be replaced at about $2,500++ and that they suspected that the a/c compressor might be binding and will need to be replaced at the same time for another $1,800++. I talked to them about how suspicious and coincidental it is that the a/c stopped working at the time of the touchscreen replacement. They are absolutely adamant that the short in the DCDC unit could not have come from anything they did in replacing the touchscreen. They proceeded to replace the DCDC unit and the compressor was working fine. Their story then switched to the compressor might intermittently bind causing the short to the DCDC fuse and that if I don't replace the compressor that I am told is working fine than I might have the same problem again. So.... currently out of pocket for $2,500 and they're suggesting to spend another $1,800 to replace the working compressor for a total of over $4,300++ all in... or drive off now and after the $2,500 sunk currently maybe days from now, if it is the compressor, I'd have potentially another $4,300 on top of the $2,500 to fix an air conditioner in a 3 year old car that stopped working while they were making another repair. I wish somebody that knows anything about the electronics of this car would weigh in and tell me if any of this makes sense? Or, if it is possible to get a short in this DCDC fuse in any other way, especially from something they did while replacing the screen or is it a total coincidence? For anyone weighing the purchase of a TESLA, let me tell you the cost of repairs that have been done to my car in just the past 11k miles (less than 1 year) after the warranty expired and their was plenty before that. 2 headlamps, 4 door handles, 1 Touchscreen, 1 DCDC unit (whatever that is) 1 recommended a/c compressor and a few other odds and ends--- at service center quoted prices over $11,000 (some I have paid for, some have been waived and some we have met somewhere between.) And, I was thinking with the motor and battery fully covered for eight years what else could possibly be a big enough problem to shell out $4,000 for an extended warranty?? Before this Tesla, my last four cars were a BMW 535, BMW 545, BMW 550 and another BMW 535 that in total I drove 380,000 miles and paid less than $2,000 in repair bills (not including regular maintenance) without an extended warranty on any of them....

That stinks. Great that they gave you a deal on the touchscreen replacement, bad news about the other repairs. I thought fuses were supposed to protect the expensive parts that surround them? I am definitely not the guy to figure out why this happened but certainly the timing is coincidental.

 

[qwk]

UPDATE-
Got a very good deal for them to replace the touchscreen and problem solved for now on that. Have another hugely expensive ridiculous problem now. When I gave them the car for the touchscreen repair my air conditioning was working perfectly fine as it has for its entire life (3.5 yrs and 63k miles.) When I picked-up the car the a/c wasn't working and so I took it back in as soon as I could get another appointment explaining that it stopped working while they had the car! The diagnosis was that the DCDC unit had a shorted fuse and so the entire unit has to be replaced at about $2,500++ and that they suspected that the a/c compressor might be binding and will need to be replaced at the same time for another $1,800++. I talked to them about how suspicious and coincidental it is that the a/c stopped working at the time of the touchscreen replacement. They are absolutely adamant that the short in the DCDC unit could not have come from anything they did in replacing the touchscreen. They proceeded to replace the DCDC unit and the compressor was working fine. Their story then switched to the compressor might intermittently bind causing the short to the DCDC fuse and that if I don't replace the compressor that I am told is working fine than I might have the same problem again. So.... currently out of pocket for $2,500 and they're suggesting to spend another $1,800 to replace the working compressor for a total of over $4,300++ all in... or drive off now and after the $2,500 sunk currently maybe days from now, if it is the compressor, I'd have potentially another $4,300 on top of the $2,500 to fix an air conditioner in a 3 year old car that stopped working while they were making another repair. I wish somebody that knows anything about the electronics of this car would weigh in and tell me if any of this makes sense? Or, if it is possible to get a short in this DCDC fuse in any other way, especially from something they did while replacing the screen or is it a total coincidence? For anyone weighing the purchase of a TESLA, let me tell you the cost of repairs that have been done to my car in just the past 11k miles (less than 1 year) after the warranty expired and their was plenty before that. 2 headlamps, 4 door handles, 1 Touchscreen, 1 DCDC unit (whatever that is) 1 recommended a/c compressor and a few other odds and ends--- at service center quoted prices over $11,000 (some I have paid for, some have been waived and some we have met somewhere between.) And, I was thinking with the motor and battery fully covered for eight years what else could possibly be a big enough problem to shell out $4,000 for an extended warranty?? Before this Tesla, my last four cars were a BMW 535, BMW 545, BMW 550 and another BMW 535 that in total I drove 380,000 miles and paid less than $2,000 in repair bills (not including regular maintenance) without an extended warranty on any of them....

Did they do a software update while fixing the screen? I bet that's the culprit. The newer software causes problems with older parts more often than not. This isn't a big deal when under warranty, but will make Tesla a ton of cash for out of warranty cars.....

 

[demundus]

UPDATE-
Got a very good deal for them to replace the touchscreen and problem solved for now on that. Have another hugely expensive ridiculous problem now. When I gave them the car for the touchscreen repair my air conditioning was working perfectly fine as it has for its entire life (3.5 yrs and 63k miles.) When I picked-up the car the a/c wasn't working and so I took it back in as soon as I could get another appointment explaining that it stopped working while they had the car! The diagnosis was that the DCDC unit had a shorted fuse and so the entire unit has to be replaced at about $2,500++ and that they suspected that the a/c compressor might be binding and will need to be replaced at the same time for another $1,800++. I talked to them about how suspicious and coincidental it is that the a/c stopped working at the time of the touchscreen replacement. They are absolutely adamant that the short in the DCDC unit could not have come from anything they did in replacing the touchscreen. They proceeded to replace the DCDC unit and the compressor was working fine. Their story then switched to the compressor might intermittently bind causing the short to the DCDC fuse and that if I don't replace the compressor that I am told is working fine than I might have the same problem again. So.... currently out of pocket for $2,500 and they're suggesting to spend another $1,800 to replace the working compressor for a total of over $4,300++ all in... or drive off now and after the $2,500 sunk currently maybe days from now, if it is the compressor, I'd have potentially another $4,300 on top of the $2,500 to fix an air conditioner in a 3 year old car that stopped working while they were making another repair. I wish somebody that knows anything about the electronics of this car would weigh in and tell me if any of this makes sense? Or, if it is possible to get a short in this DCDC fuse in any other way, especially from something they did while replacing the screen or is it a total coincidence? For anyone weighing the purchase of a TESLA, let me tell you the cost of repairs that have been done to my car in just the past 11k miles (less than 1 year) after the warranty expired and their was plenty before that. 2 headlamps, 4 door handles, 1 Touchscreen, 1 DCDC unit (whatever that is) 1 recommended a/c compressor and a few other odds and ends--- at service center quoted prices over $11,000 (some I have paid for, some have been waived and some we have met somewhere between.) And, I was thinking with the motor and battery fully covered for eight years what else could possibly be a big enough problem to shell out $4,000 for an extended warranty?? Before this Tesla, my last four cars were a BMW 535, BMW 545, BMW 550 and another BMW 535 that in total I drove 380,000 miles and paid less than $2,000 in repair bills (not including regular maintenance) without an extended warranty on any of them....

What was your good deal? Also yes, all those other things are pretty insane. My A/C has been acting a little funny, hopefully its not that, and is the dummy sensor instead.

I decided to buy a salvage touchscreen and replace the digitizer myself. I'll be doing a write up soon for others. You should consider grabbing a salvage compressor, paying the fee to access the repair manuals (Massachusetts friend?) and do it yourself if you're a little handy and brave.

 

[apacheguy]

The AC compressor is HV, it does not even pass through the DCDC.

 

[SeminoleFSU]

IMO Tesla should be repairing these on Goodwill at a minimum at no charge to the owner. The 17" touch screen is the HALLMARK/TOUCHSTONE of the freaking car and if another car company started having these kinds of problems with the primary (and in the case of many settings only) user input and control surface the driver relies on to interact with the vehicle, it would be huge deal. I like the idea of owners who are having these problems (especially the goo) tweeting all their pics to Elon and Tesla motors. I'm willing to bet some changes would happen at that point. Living in the SE (Georgia) this is deeply concerning to me even though I have the windows tinted and usually have it parked in a covered area.