VIN discrepency?

[braoudap]

Could use the collective wisdom of the Forum here. I'm looking at a 2013 Model S that's in great condition, low miles at a local car dealership that I trust implicitly. I test drove the car today and it was great. However, the battery seems to drain very, very quickly. The first thing I noticed is that there was no badge in the back of the car indicating the battery capacity as is customary, and I thought that was odd. But when I looked at the vehicle information screen in the car, it definitely said it was an 85. But when I got home, I did a VIN search on the car, and it's showing a 40kw battery (which would certainly explain why it drained so fast.). VIN Decoder - North American Motoring

So my question is, is it possible for the VIN to show one thing and the screen in the car to show another regarding the battery size? Is it normal to not have the 85 badge on the back of the car? The dealer listing also shows that the vehicle has a Subzero package but I found no evidence of that whatsoever in the vehicle. I really like this car, but I've got to know that what I'm getting and what is reality match up!

Any help here would be deeply appreciated!

 

[ucmndd]

It may have started life as a 40 that had its battery replaced with an 85 under warranty. Whatever the car reports in the MCU/IC is the most authoritative source as to the battery installed.

Lots of owners remove the trunk badges, so that’s not terribly uncommon.

Tesla service may or may not be able to give you some indication as to the service history before you buy.

I’d also ask the dealer to charge the car to 100% and see what the reported range is.

 

[swegman]

Also, early 2013 cars did not come with the trunk badge on them. My car was produced in March 2013 and arrived without the badge. It was not until I took the car in for service that the P85 badge was installed on the trunk.

 

[David.85D]

I’d also ask the dealer to charge the car to 100% and see what the reported range is.

Second this. See if it will supercharge if there is one near you. See what it charges to set to 100% - a healthy 85 kWh battery should get to around 265 miles of range. You don’t want to stumble into a “banned” car.

 

[braoudap]

David.85D, what is a "banned" car?

 

[braoudap]

Speaking of supercharging ... when they let me drive the car off the lot, I did go to a supercharger and the chargers (I tried two different ones) would not charge the vehicle. The charger color remained blue instead of the pulsating green. I even asked a couple of the other Tesla owners who were charging their cars for some help and no one could figure out why it was not charging. So I took it back to the dealership and why they plugged it into their charger (not a Tesla supercharger) it immediately started charging just fine. My theory is that the Supercharger does not recognize the vehicle since this dealership wiped clean the pervious ownership, therefore it won't dispense a charge. Am I making that up or is that a thing?

 

[ucmndd]

My theory is that the Supercharger does not recognize the vehicle since this dealership wiped clean the pervious ownership, therefore it won't dispense a charge. Am I making that up or is that a thing?

Not a thing. Something is not right with this car.

 

[richrootes]

If it did used to be a 40 and the bit isn’t set right in the configuration, it won’t supercharge (AFAIK no 40s could supercharge, only 60s and up)

 

[whitex]

David.85D, what is a "banned" car?

Rebuilt salvage car cut off from supercharging and all warranty.

 

[David.85D]

David.85D, what is a "banned" car?

Or even one with a tampered MCU that Tesla has detected.

When I bought my used P85D, I wrote into the contract that the seller warrants that it was fully supported by Tesla (e.g. not banned), that the warranty was in effect, and was entitled to supercharging. (Note: are you aware that Tesla doesn’t transfer warranty after a vehicle is sold by an Indy dealer? They will transfer it for third party private sales).

That gave me recourse against the seller if I later discovered something bad and Tesla refused to support it (I think that is the language - Owners tend to say “banned”. Tesla uses “not supported”)

Guess it’s worth, in case you didn’t know, saying that the supercharger talks to the car and will only charge after identifying the vehicle.

 

[braoudap]

Very helpful, everyone. Thanks so much. I guess I’m still wondering, though, why the charging worked perfectly when I got it back to the dealership and refused to work at the superchargers. If there was something wrong with the charging of the vehicle, wouldn’t it stand to reason that it shouldn’t accept a charge anywhere?

 

[PWlakewood]

I went to a dealership near me to check out a 2013 MS which was listed as a 60 by them so I wasnt too excited as I was looking for at least an s75. As soon as I got in I noticed that the display said 75 not 60. Come to find out the battery had been replaced in 2017 with the 75 kwh pack and the dealership had no clue. Also the previous owner had the MCU updated as well to the newest one at the time. All of this they didnt know but I did so of course I went ahead and purchased it and I also checked to make sure the supercharger worked, which it does and it's also free. No regrets at all. Tesla can tell you when and if the battery was replaced and if there is any warranty left. I still have 2 and a half years of warranty with unlimited mileage on my battery so you may be in a similar situation. Supercharging should work though since the 85kwh pack supports it but if the car won't charge at one I would ask Tesla if they updated the software to recognize the larger pack.

 

[swegman]

Very helpful, everyone. Thanks so much. I guess I’m still wondering, though, why the charging worked perfectly when I got it back to the dealership and refused to work at the superchargers. If there was something wrong with the charging of the vehicle, wouldn’t it stand to reason that it shouldn’t accept a charge anywhere?

Regular Level 2 charging (ie, 240V at 40A) sbe supercharging are 2 different animals. Supercharging essentially be passed the car’s internal chargers. Fir supercharging yo work, the car communicates with Tesla when it is connected to the supercharger to get permission to charge. If the permission is not granted, the car will ge unable to supercharge. Further, the car has to be configured to allow supercharging. S40 cars were never allowed to supercharge. Early S60 cars could pay to enable supercharging. All S70 and higher cars come from the factory with supercharging capability enabled.

I have no idea whether you have a S40 with an $85kWh battery upgraded by Tesla or a third party or if the MCU was just incorrectly configured. If it was an S40 upgraded by Tesla, they may have upgraded the battery for the previous owner but not allow supercharging.

You can look at the battery sticker to determine what battery the car has.

If the car is classified as a salvage vehicle Tesla will not grant supercharger access to the vehicle.

 

[darxsys]

Or even one with a tampered MCU that Tesla has detected.

When I bought my used P85D, I wrote into the contract that the seller warrants that it was fully supported by Tesla (e.g. not banned), that the warranty was in effect, and was entitled to supercharging. (Note: are you aware that Tesla doesn’t transfer warranty after a vehicle is sold by an Indy dealer? They will transfer it for third party private sales).

That gave me recourse against the seller if I later discovered something bad and Tesla refused to support it (I think that is the language - Owners tend to say “banned”. Tesla uses “not supported”)

Guess it’s worth, in case you didn’t know, saying that the supercharger talks to the car and will only charge after identifying the vehicle.

I don't think this is true. Factory warranty transfers, but you can't get extended warranty.

 

[ucmndd]

I don't think this is true. Factory warranty transfers, but you can't get extended warranty.

You’re right. It would be illegal in the US for Tesla to deny factory warranty transfer to a new owner.

The ESA does specifically exclude dealer transfers:

“This Vehicle ESA may not be transferred to a vehicle dealer or to the customer of a vehicle dealer”

 

[Jashev]

Very helpful, everyone. Thanks so much. I guess I’m still wondering, though, why the charging worked perfectly when I got it back to the dealership and refused to work at the superchargers. If there was something wrong with the charging of the vehicle, wouldn’t it stand to reason that it shouldn’t accept a charge anywhere?

Supercharging requires two way communication between the car and the SuC in order for charging to begin. If the SuC doesn't recognize the car or if its a vehicle that never had supercharging enabled (such as a 40kw car) the SuC will not start. Using a NEMA 14-50 outlet or a HPWC to charge the car, does not require that confirmation so you would be able to charge at home with no problem.

 

[braoudap]

How do i find out definitively if the car is capable of Supercharging? I’m certainly not buying it if it’s not.

 

[darxsys]

How do i find out definitively if the car is capable of Supercharging? I’m certainly not buying it if it’s not.

Call/email Tesla?

 

[appleguru]

FWIW, I don’t think you can actually tell battery capacity from a VIN.

My 75D shows up as a 90D on the decoder...

 

[Chaserr]

Since you have physical access to the car you can look in the front passenger side (assuming LHD) wheel well, there's a sticker on the battery that is visible in that corner.

No supercharging means that the car has supercharging disabled (normal on S40 cars, or 60 cars that didn't pay for that addon) or something is broken. Every 85 car ever built can supercharge unless it's broken or it has been salvaged and tesla turned it off after the fact, so something is wrong.