We didn't negotiate on it. They gave us a p90dl as our loaner and that seemed fine enough. Once we came to peace with it being random bad luck my husband and I chilled out. I think they technically could have charged us for a loaner since it wasn't a warranty covered repair but they didn't.
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Warranty for Radiator Leak
- Thread starter enantiomers
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We didn't negotiate on it. They gave us a p90dl as our loaner and that seemed fine enough. Once we came to peace with it being random bad luck my husband and I chilled out. I think they technically could have charged us for a loaner since it wasn't a warranty covered repair but they didn't.
I wonder if anyone has made an aftermarket screen for this on Teslas? This is also happens to Volts (for even higher repair costs), and an ingenious soul over on the Volt forums designed a little screen that was perfectly cut to cover the radiator grill. You just zip tied it to the grill and it looked mostly stock.
I had one on my Volt just in case.
VoltScreen
I had one on my Volt just in case.
VoltScreen
not a bad idea I think. I'd def buy one
Yea, but then they could claim that adding the screen reduced the air flow and cooling and now the battery and DU warranty has been invalidated
Jeff4155
Member
It happened to me with my previous Ice vehicle a Touareg V10, looked like a bullet hole perfectly round went right through the hard plastic strait into one of the smaller radiators and I didn't hear a thing, cars warning lights started going on and lucky for me I was about a km away from VW service center, cost me a penny or two, but was just bad luck, chances are if you do get a screen protector it will never happen to you, I still wonder at what speed that stone/ bullet had to go to make a perfect round hole in the hard plastic and radiator
Yea, but then they could claim that adding the screen reduced the air flow and cooling and now the battery and DU warranty has been invalidated
Possible. Luckily the Volt had a rock solid battery system, so it wasn't really a worry that you might run afoul of the battery warranty since so few batteries failed. I also wouldn't worry about a Tesla battery failing, since that appears to be pretty rare as well.
However, Tesla drive units are something I expect to see a few of in my warranty period, so yeah, maybe I will take my chances with the rocks.
Edit: Maybe what we need is a clip on one. Then you could remove it prior to going to the SC just like ICE modders do with ECU flashes and stuff when they need warranty work.
CHG-ON
Still in love after all these miles
@Gizmotoy:
Side question: I was under the impression that the louvers in front of the radiators are mostly closed during normal driving. They only open fully when parked and charging, or the car is being pushed hard. Looking online, I couldn't find any pictures of a Model S in motion with the louvers open. Anyone recall if that's the case?
I have mine open when I have gotten home from a mild 25 min coimmute in mild weather. Mild elevation change of 350ft.
Side question: I was under the impression that the louvers in front of the radiators are mostly closed during normal driving. They only open fully when parked and charging, or the car is being pushed hard. Looking online, I couldn't find any pictures of a Model S in motion with the louvers open. Anyone recall if that's the case?
I have mine open when I have gotten home from a mild 25 min coimmute in mild weather. Mild elevation change of 350ft.
That's the same question I asked the service specialist, and the answer is that louvers sometimes are open to cool the car/battery...So, that's how my radiator got hit...one out of one million chances.....
I'm going through this exact same situation right now. Well, not exact....I didn't notice a leak, so I was fortunate enough to have the car simply power down while I was stopped at a light on my way to work this morning! Without much notice either...maybe 10sec. Put it in tow mode and got help pushing off to the side of the road. Took about an hour for tow truck and Tesla service rep to arrive to give me a ride. No loaners either so had to sit at enterprise for 30min, and now I'm driving a ford explorer...woohoo.
Just got a call from service guy saying road debris punctured radiator....$460 parts and labor. I asked him to send pic but nothing yet. Ugh
Just got a call from service guy saying road debris punctured radiator....$460 parts and labor. I asked him to send pic but nothing yet. Ugh
I mentioned it earlier in the thread but this happened to my radiator twice in 20 years in my old CR-V. During that those 20 years, I never had a flat...but the day I drove my new Model S home, the TPMS went off and it turned out there was a screw in the tire. Due to the location, it wasn't repairable so I had to buy a brand new tire. A couple weeks later, I got a screw in another tire.
Sorry to hear about the damage to your radiator. Stuff happens.
Mark Z
Active Member
My 2017 MS 90D got hit by road debris on the northbound 55 freeway in Costa Mesa. Put a diagonal gouge on the top headlight edge and chipped the thin red paint on the hood. Most likely it was vehicle parts dropping off an ICE vehicle in front of me. Once everyone has a Tesla, this problem should be greatly decreased.
My three month old, 2017 Tesla model S, with 6000 miles leaked a turquoise liquid on my garage floor. The car was immediately picked up at my home and a loaner was dropped off! They found the front radiator had been punctured by some sort of object. There was absolutely no damage to the body and this was considered a freak accident. I’m told by the service department that this rarely happens at all. The radiator was replaced under their goodwill coverage at no cost to myself. Talk about GREAT customer service!
My 1 month old s75 just did the same thing......
Service guys showed me the "damage" and it was a tiny knick, about a 1/16th of an inch deep.....Really???
This seems to be an awfully vulnerable pice of equipment they have traveling 8 inches above a speeding freeway.
They also told me they have never heard of this happening..... Guess they haven't swung by here lately.
Service guys showed me the "damage" and it was a tiny knick, about a 1/16th of an inch deep.....Really???
This seems to be an awfully vulnerable pice of equipment they have traveling 8 inches above a speeding freeway.
They also told me they have never heard of this happening..... Guess they haven't swung by here lately.
wow, I have the exact same problem and they're charging me for it. The car is 6 months old with 3800 miles on it and last week I noticed a warning that said vehicle coolant low and sure enough I also noticed the puddle of coolant in the garage floor. They said it was leaking due to some type of impact (most likely a rock). I know I surely haven't hit anything and noticed no body damage either. What a freak accident it must've been. They're asking for $480 to replace it though... wish they would've covered with "goodwill" too.
Asymmetry
Member
Never hear of a raditor damaged from freeway use. usually accidents. Does Tesla need to ad a radiator shield?
So I'm in the club as well...
Coolant lost during a trip. Started with coolant level low, power reduced, front drive disabled, car shutting down ... I drove around 70km (90kmh) till the car stopped.
Not covered as the radiator was damaged from debris.
.
There is of course no damage at on the plastic grill in front of the radiator. Weird.
Coolant lost during a trip. Started with coolant level low, power reduced, front drive disabled, car shutting down ... I drove around 70km (90kmh) till the car stopped.
Not covered as the radiator was damaged from debris.
.
There is of course no damage at on the plastic grill in front of the radiator. Weird.
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Don85D
Member
If Tesla won't cover it consider your insurance as this is no different than a stone hitting a windshield for a comprehensive claim. In another vehicle years ago we passed over a piece of concrete that fell off a dump truck and the concrete punctured the transmission pan. Insurance covered it because the debris was in motion as would have been any stones passing through the grill to damage your rad.
It's worth checking.
It's worth checking.
I haven't had to replace the radiator on my Tesla yet but with my old CR-V, I had to replace it twice in 20 years. It cost way less than the insurance deductible to just pay the $300 to $350 to have the radiator replaced. In posts above, they mentioned prices of $400 to $500 to replace the radiator on a Tesla so I doubt it's worth making an insurance claim.
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