used 2017 Model S

[CoolTech]

Hello, I decided to buy used Model S90D instead of buying a new model 3. I found the 2017 with enhanced autopilot.
Question1: does it matter whether or not I buy a 2017 Model S with 22,000 miles or 50,000 miles? How is the average longevity of the model s?

Question2: if I find a really nice 2017 90d am I better off waiting and being patient to find a 100d even if the 100d is 5000 more?

Question3: how much better is autopilot and self-driving on compared to 2017, 2018, and 2019.

Question4: how important is it that I have the Model S that I found at a Mercedes dealership inspected by an official Tesla Service station?

 

[KalJoMoS]

I also agree with @SoCal Buzz as have not heard of such concern about scratches on battery. If you are worried bout it then take a look at the front section of the battery frame. There should be that protective titanium bar that Tesla fitted for extra protection. On your photos that broken side rail cover is easy to change and would not cost much, around $100 a section even from service counter.

Also on the fourth photo you can see one section of the battery label that is seen behind the front left wheel. It can be seen also on ground if you turn the steering far left. You will see the battery label with size value and part # and serial #. That serial number should start with letter T and two numbers. If it’s original battery it should be T17L and followed buy the serial number of the battery.

If you can factor in the noted costs for the light and MCU and you are fine by the result then why not? That front braking noise is not that of a concern. Are the rear calipes separate or one unit, I mean is there two calipers for the rotor? If the latter then that separate parking brake can seize and this would bring issues. That front one can clean it self out or if not is cheaper to change than the rear parking brake calipers. They are hard to find second hand and tesla is asking quite a high amount for the fix.

 

[PCMc]

I am having the dealership run a battery test in the service section of the user interface by charging it all the way up to full capacity. Since this is not a Tesla dealership I had to provide instructions on how to test the battery and explained that the battery has to be less then 50% charge for test to work.

I'm not sure what instructions you gave the dealership, but having tracked apparent battery degradation on my mid-June 2016 build MS90D, just taking the ratio of displayed rated miles to SOC shortly after charging stops is a valid way get a decent reading of full battery capacity. Here is 7.5 years and 80k miles worth of charging history on my car. After 79,750 miles is would show around 268 miles or about 8.5% apparent battery degradation. About 45% of my total miles traveled and energy supplied came from superchargers.

That plot contains data points for about 1,425 datapoints. Of those, about 30 were charing to 100%. I'd challenge anyone to pick out the 100% charge points from any of the rest. There are a couple things which help with data quality; let the car charge to a fixed percent, like 80% and stop by itself. Make sure to get the reading within a few minutes, say 5. I also pull my data via the API which will report the RM to two decimal places. Also, if the car has been sitting outside so the battery is very cold, then you may see a little lower reading unless they charge for several hours, say 40-90%. You'll see a few outliers in my plot, with some of the low outliers dues to the colder battery.

I don't have the car anymore and never bothered to read the battery pn label, so I can't tell you the vintage of battery vs. the 2017 you're considering. But if anything, yours would be a newer/later version than mine.

Regarding the car having sat for longer periods not being used, for the past 4 years I spent most of my time overseas on assignment and my car would frequently sit for roughly 3 months at a time. That corresponds to the 60-80k mile section of the battery range charge I shared above. I got in the habit of charging the car to 80%, let it naturally drop down to about 50% over 6-7 weeks, and then recharge. You can interpret the chart for yourself, but it doesn't seem to have made any appreciable influence.

Good luck with your purchase. I sense from your tone that you've about convinced yourself to buy it. Hope it all works out well.

 

[CoolTech]

I'm not sure what instructions you gave the dealership, but having tracked apparent battery degradation on my mid-June 2016 build MS90D, just taking the ratio of displayed rated miles to SOC shortly after charging stops is a valid way get a decent reading of full battery capacity. Here is 7.5 years and 80k miles worth of charging history on my car. After 79,750 miles is would show around 268 miles or about 8.5% apparent battery degradation. About 45% of my total miles traveled and energy supplied came from superchargers.

View attachment 1006800

That plot contains data points for about 1,425 datapoints. Of those, about 30 were charing to 100%. I'd challenge anyone to pick out the 100% charge points from any of the rest. There are a couple things which help with data quality; let the car charge to a fixed percent, like 80% and stop by itself. Make sure to get the reading within a few minutes, say 5. I also pull my data via the API which will report the RM to two decimal places. Also, if the car has been sitting outside so the battery is very cold, then you may see a little lower reading unless they charge for several hours, say 40-90%. You'll see a few outliers in my plot, with some of the low outliers dues to the colder battery.

I don't have the car anymore and never bothered to read the battery pn label, so I can't tell you the vintage of battery vs. the 2017 you're considering. But if anything, yours would be a newer/later version than mine.

Regarding the car having sat for longer periods not being used, for the past 4 years I spent most of my time overseas on assignment and my car would frequently sit for roughly 3 months at a time. That corresponds to the 60-80k mile section of the battery range charge I shared above. I got in the habit of charging the car to 80%, let it naturally drop down to about 50% over 6-7 weeks, and then recharge. You can interpret the chart for yourself, but it doesn't seem to have made any appreciable influence.

Good luck with your purchase. I sense from your tone that you've about convinced yourself to buy it. Hope it all works out well.

Excellent answer.. Very helpful! I hope I get it and nothing ends up making my change my mind. Thank you!

 

[ChooseFreedom]

This of great information. Is there an 800 number to call or service center for Tesla to have them check the VIN and verify what the car came with? For example, it says on one part of the Carfax that the battery warranty is good for another 21 months or $85,000 miles

The only way to see that warranty info prior to buying is to be in the car.

 

[ChooseFreedom]

Here's a picture I took showing the hardware and software information does this help at all? I'm going to go back and look at the car again today to investigate but I'm pretty sure based on the year and the fact that it was bought September 2017 that it's going to be MCU l1. This car comes with self-driving and the interconnectivity package

Based on that software version (2022.8.10), I'd say it's MCU1.

I recently upgraded from MCU1 to MCU2, and my software version went from that similar one (2022.8.10?) to a newer 2023.44...

 

[scgaskill]

1) Battery age and how it was treated is more important than mileage.

2) This is a personal choice. What fits your budget? How important is range to you?

3) I think most 2017's are going to have cameras, which can be upgraded. I agree with KalJoMoS, FSD is not worth paying extra.

4) I bought my '15 70D from a Toyota dealership. They took it as a trade in. It's a risk because they do not have access to the history, and Tesla will not even look at the car unless you are the owner. Even then, after you buy and get it transferred to you, as I found out, they will still not give you previous owner's history. The best you can do is, before you buy, put it in service mode and see if there are any current error codes.

I bought a 2014 MS 60 about 4 months ago, it has 42K miles. You're right that Tesla will only look at it if you're the owner but you can do what I did and have the dealer take it for an inspection that I paid for - $200 paid to the dealer.

Tesla found that on mine, the front suspension needed about $1000 worth of work and the passengers rear door handle wasn't presenting, apparently a common problem for that vintage. I used this as leverage to get the dealer (non-Tesla) to fix them.

Tesla also assured me my battery pack still had 95% of its life left, giving me some comfort. I also bought a CarShield service contract covering the battery pack, electric motor/drivetrain, basically bumper to bumper. Cost me $90 a month for peace of mind.

The dealer charged me $315 for the parts saying as a dealer they could get them at a discount, then had their mechanic install them saving me $1000 in Tesla labor. Unfortunately, 2 months later, the car started to "shimmy" when I accelerated. I took it back to Tesla, now being the owner.

They told me the rear suspension and front suspension needed about $2000 of work. They confirmed that the dealer did actually replace the parts called out during the inspection, but other parts needed to be replaced.

WTF?!?!?! Why didn't they find that 2 months earlier so I could have tried to get the dealer to fix that too! I'm sure it didn't rapidly deteriorate in the 2 months I owned it, and worked from home, not driving it much! So I had to eat that cost.

I thought about the CarShield warranty but suspension is normal "wear and tear" not usually covered so I decided to hold off and use it for something more major down the road.

 

[scgaskill]

I bought a 2014 MS 60 about 4 months ago, it has 42K miles. You're right that Tesla will only look at it if you're the owner but you can do what I did and have the dealer take it for an inspection that I paid for - $200 paid to the dealer.

Tesla found that on mine, the front suspension needed about $1000 worth of work and the passengers rear door handle wasn't presenting, apparently a common problem for that vintage. I used this as leverage to get the dealer (non-Tesla) to fix them.

Tesla also assured me my battery pack still had 95% of its life left, giving me some comfort. I also bought a CarShield service contract covering the battery pack, electric motor/drivetrain, basically bumper to bumper. Cost me $90 a month for peace of mind.

The dealer charged me $315 for the parts saying as a dealer they could get them at a discount, then had their mechanic install them saving me $1000 in Tesla labor. Unfortunately, 2 months later, the car started to "shimmy" when I accelerated. I took it back to Tesla, now being the owner.

They told me the rear suspension and front suspension needed about $2000 of work. They confirmed that the dealer did actually replace the parts called out during the inspection, but other parts needed to be replaced.

WTF?!?!?! Why didn't they find that 2 months earlier so I could have tried to get the dealer to fix that too! I'm sure it didn't rapidly deteriorate in the 2 months I owned it, and worked from home, not driving it much! So I had to eat that cost.

I thought about the CarShield warranty but suspension is normal "wear and tear" not usually covered so I decided to hold off and use it for something more major down the road.

Oh and after I bought the car, like you said, the service center still wouldn't tell me any of the previous service history.

 

[scgaskill]

Well, basically all Tesla cars with activated AP hardware are capable for self-driving. Even the very first version AP1, some say it far better that the next generation as EM has intervened with the evolution too much and the later versions started to get more driver annoyance than before. I have knowledge of only the first version which is very good in my opinion. Why I emphasise the activation is because if the car is just pre fitted with the hardware then to be able to use it you need to pay Tesla. What I think of you description is the car has EAP activated. If you liked this, then it‘s good.
About that burned out headlight (LED eyebrows especially) is the weak point of the facelift that the car had in 2016. Some say newer produced lights does not have it any longer. I can’t be sure, mine is with Xenon discharge version lights which have far better reliability.
You did asked how to contact Tesla, well basically you can only walk in the service and ask questions. You might get some answers but they will never give you any data of the car you are interested of. Does your state require vehicle safety inspection? If so take the car for the inspection and make your decision according to this. When I purchased mine I used MOT service (the one here in EU) to get clear picture of what state the car was. Mine had no issues, all checked green.
For the MCU version you need to be in car and select “Additional vehicle Information“ on the screen to see if its Intel Atom or NVIDIA Tegra - first is MCU2 and second is MCU1 version. You car should look like this:

View attachment 1006492
p.s. your photos seems to be not attached..

Also note at the top of the picture the LTE - that's 4G cellular which is included in MCU2.

My 2014 MS 60 had MCU1 when I bought it 4 months ago and still had 3G cellular which is no longer supported so I had no maps when I left home and disconnected from WiFi. My instrument cluster display also had bubbling.

The service center quoted the MCU2 upgrade at $2750 which includes replacing both displays as well as the MCU computer mounted behind the main display. This would have fixed the IC bubbling and given me 4G LTE but MCU2 doesn't have FM radio which I still listen to.

For about $410 I bought a used IC display w/o bubbling and a 4G LTE card off eBay and replaced them myself. The IC display worked but had a message on it saying it needed a firmware upgrade. I had a SC appt for another issue and they did the firmware upgrade and charged me a half hour labor ( included in the $410). The 4G LTE worked without issue, just be sure you buy one with a SIM.

It's a bit daunting tearing apart your dash to replace these but if your handy it really not that hard. There's a great YouTube video showing where all the hidden screws are making it pretty straightforward.

So, I've still got the older MCU1 computer but I have LTE and still have FM radio, at no additional cost, and the IC is bubble free. Oh, and I still have $2340 in my wallet. True, I don't have Hulu and games and I really don't care, I don't have kids and don't watch movies in the car!

 

[scgaskill]

Good evening, thank you so much for answering. It's not a matter of budget. I test drove the car. It did have self-driving capability. I pulled twice forward on the left side steering wheel column control arm and the vehicle did stop at a red light and proceed driving forward once the light turned green and it also proceeded off the highway. It also stopped and made a right turn for me. I was pretty happy with it. It is 2.0 though. Does that sound right? Here is some pictures of the

If the car appears to be really clean and there's no noises is it worth buying even though the one front headlight has it burned out LED on the top? The actual miles in this car is 37,000 mi.


Most important question do you think I should go through the trouble of having it inspected at a Tesla Service center?

Do you know what number I would call at Tesla to check the VIN number? Would that be the service center?

No, it's actually 2.0 but it is full self-driving. When I pulled twice on the left side of the steering wheel column control arm the car stopped at a red light and then proceeded forward at green. It also made a right turn and proceeded off exit off highway. Do you know a phone number to call for Tesla to check a vin number? Would that be the service center? Thank you for answering my questions. I am super excited, but it does seem like there's a lot of Model s's out there somewhere between 25,000 and 35,000.

I recently purchased a 2014 MS 60 with just 40K miles when I bought it so know what you're going through. See my other reply regarding the inspection, work with the dealer to get one.

My MS60 is a "bare bones" model - no SuperCharging, no Navigation, no Tech Package, basic interior, audio, etc. The only "extras" I have are lifetime premium connectivity and the panoramic roof.

The Tech Package gives you the ability for the door handles to automatically "present" themselves, i.e. extend out from the body automatically when you walk up to the car by detecting the key fob. Without it, you need to use the key fob or mobile app to unlock the car and present the handles.

See my other post about the MCU. One of the easiest ways to tell is if the main display shows LTE. But if you read my post, it is possible to have an MCU1 with LTE! But if it doesn't show LTE then it's an MCU1. The upgrade is a bit pricey at $2500-$2750, see my DIY option.

SuperCharging is probably enabled on the car your considering but if it isn't it's another pricey license. I was verbally told it was $2500 to license, but later, told it was actually $12K but that includes free lifetime unlimited SuperCharging.

Today I went to a second service center to get a "second opinion" on what it will take to enable SuperCharging - there's not a chance in hell I'm paying $12000 for it! The kid there said he had to check with corporate to confirm. Fingers crossed. Suddenly, $2500 doesn't seem so bad!

W/o SuC, I'm limited to level-2 charging, which is fine for home overnight, but if I exceed my range, which is short for my 60kW battery pack, I'll be stuck at a destination charger for a couple hours to get enough charge to get back home. At home I charge at 9kWh, but the destination chargers I've used are often in the 5-6kWh range and it takes an hour to add about 12-15 miles of driving! That's a nightmare you don't want to have!

 

[KalJoMoS]

Also note at the top of the picture the LTE - that's 4G cellular which is included in MCU2.

My 2014 MS 60 had MCU1 when I bought it 4 months ago and still had 3G cellular which is no longer supported so I had no maps when I left home and disconnected from WiFi. My instrument cluster display also had bubbling.

The service center quoted the MCU2 upgrade at $2750 which includes replacing both displays as well as the MCU computer mounted behind the main display. This would have fixed the IC bubbling and given me 4G LTE but MCU2 doesn't have FM radio which I still listen to.

For about $410 I bought a used IC display w/o bubbling and a 4G LTE card off eBay and replaced them myself. The IC display worked but had a message on it saying it needed a firmware upgrade. I had a SC appt for another issue and they did the firmware upgrade and charged me a half hour labor ( included in the $410). The 4G LTE worked without issue, just be sure you buy one with a SIM.

It's a bit daunting tearing apart your dash to replace these but if your handy it really not that hard. There's a great YouTube video showing where all the hidden screws are making it pretty straightforward.

So, I've still got the older MCU1 computer but I have LTE and still have FM radio, at no additional cost, and the IC is bubble free. Oh, and I still have $2340 in my wallet. True, I don't have Hulu and games and I really don't care, I don't have kids and don't watch movies in the car!

I’m not the OP, I just answered the questions asked. I’m fine by mine.

 

[scgaskill]

I’m not the OP, I just answered the questions asked. I’m fine by mine.

No worries, my comments were more for the OP noting the LTE in your picture, not really directed to you.