Drive Unit Failure

Unlike most other early Model S drivers, my Tesla hummed along without any drive unit failure for 71,000 miles.  For a few months it had a very small whine, but other than that was quiet as can be.  I know the very early rotors like mine were machined by hand.  The drive unit is covered by an 8 year unlimited mile warranty.

But one late afternoon while driving up a steep hill, the Tesla ground down to a quick halt without any warning.  Fortunately this hill is my own long street with little traffic.  I tried to drive the car forward to no avail.  The car made 3 different spurious click clack and whirling sounds, and I quickly knew my drive unit was gone.  I tried to punch it three times before rolling back down closer to the curb to call Tesla.

At first Tesla could not confirm the drive unit failure because it had not yet reported its demise to the cloud.  We restarted the touchscreen, and then the failure was apparent.  A toe truck was called and I fortunately could walk home and wait the hour.

Tesla service fixed my car in only a few days to my surprise.  They also rotated my 19” wheels which are holding up well.  I also never had to set foot in the service center, which I appreciate a lot.  They simply valeted my car back.

The only fault with the service was that they did not automatically send me my service record.  I like to have a “written” electronic record.  I don’t have a great memory for details such as mileage, dates, and names, and I need a record to check when to rotate my wheels. The lack of service record was minor but it was enough to not give a glowing report on survey.  I subsequently received my service record.

I have kept most of my cars about 10-12 years.  I run them to the ground usually until they are not worth fixing anymore.  I am very happy with the Model S except its width, and I just don’t see any upcoming reason to replace it in the near future.  I suspect if my drive unit fails after the 8 year warranty, replacing the drive unit may not make financial sense, and then I might get a new car.  The cost to replace a drive unit at this point is unknown but could be quite significant.

Squeaky Car

Back in May I replaced my 21” wheels with a new set of 19” wheels.   I am very happy with the decision and really do not miss the 21” or their related headaches.

Immediately after the replacement, my car began to squeak, and squeak really loudly.  The noise was most noticeable when turning at very low speeds.  The worst of the noise sounded like furniture or house settling noises, but quite loud and easy to reproduce.  The sound was most noticeable in the morning when the air was colder than mid day.

When I went to the service center, an advisor verified the noises along with some bystanders.

“verified customer concern.  Creaking, popping, and clicking noise coming from the front suspension area when turning the steering wheel left to right or right to left”.

Tesla’s solution was to replace two bolts and two friction shims.

Unfortunately, when I picked up the car and even before driving out of the parking lot, I could reproduce the noise.  Instead of taking the car home, I left it at Tesla.

The next fix which thankfully worked was

“Replaced control arm and checked torque on suspension bolt, found camber arm bolts loose, tightened and steering rack bolts loose.  Loosened shield and cleaned, no more noise at this time.”

All the parts that were replaced or tightened had to do with the suspension in the car except for the shield, which protects the battery.

I strongly suspect that the squeaking was a result of the replacement of the tires and somehow the suspension got a little out of whack.  Since this incident I have driven about 3,000 miles with no more noise.

My Model S 50,000 Mile Service Record

Consumer Reports surveyed 1,400 Tesla owners and lowered their prediction of reliability from average down to worse-than-average.  Tesla stock has dropped on this news today.

Consumer Reports sites problems with display screen freezes, replacements of the cars’ electric motors and sunroof leaks.  Most early Tesla owners such as myself have experienced a number of problems, but newer Model S cars appear to have had less issues as Tesla has made the car more reliable.  Buying a brand new platform from a new car company with a below 5,000 VIN number, I knew I was an early adopter and expected some problems to crop up.

What Consumer Reports did not mention is that Tesla service is stellar.  They valet your car to your home or office with a loaner Model S (in most but not all cases).  Appointments are not always fast if the issue is not urgent, but they treat their customers universally well.  Part of the company culture is treating their customers with respect which is the opposite of most car companies.  I have only been inconvenienced once with this level of service in the 6 1/2 years driving Teslas.

During my 50,000 miles 2 1/2 year journey with the Model S, I have had a series of seven issues with my car all of which I have documented on this blog.

1. Serious problems with tire alignment ruining tires
2. Door handles that would not open
3. Bluetooth issues connecting to the iphone
4. Faulty tire pressure warning sensors
5. Panoramic roof liner had exposed adhesive
6. Roadster adapter cable failed completely
7. 12 Volt battery replacement

My issues have been both serious and minor with some difficult to diagnose and fix.  I am hoping to report on the tires soon.  The door handle problems were with the first design of the handles, and new cars do not have these issues. I have not had my motor replaced due to any noise issues although I can hear it a tiny bit more than when I first bought the car. The drive unit is under warranty for a total of 8 years and infinite miles. I won’t think of replacing it unless the noise is a lot more than barely perceptible.

Can I say my car has been as reliable as average?  As much as I adore my car and Tesla, the true answer is no. I think even achieving an average or close to average rating is fabulous for a brand new car company.  I would not expect a great reliability from a new company doing something radically different in the first 10,000 cars they produce.

Ironically today my car is in for the service of the bluetooth.  I have had intermittent problems connecting to the phone along with the 17” screen telling me the bluetooth needs to be serviced.  I had to wait several weeks for an appointment, but I have a loaner in the driveway.  Unfortunately it is an older P85+ without autopilot.  I was hoping to test the autopilot and write my impressions here on this blog.  Even with these issues, Tesla employees are great to deal with and they make servicing the car painless.  I can’t imagine going back to dealing with an ICE as my daily driver.

My only question is should I buy the extended warranty?  I had gathered my list of service issues in an attempt to make that decision making writing this timely post easier.  I’d love to hear your thoughts if I should spend $4,000 to extend my warranty for another four years and 50,000 miles.  I do not expect to be driving as much as I have in the past.

Pavement Markers as Noise Makers

Reflective Pavement Markers

From time to time, certain legislatures and citizens try to pass laws to require that electric cars make noise in order to alert people in the area that a car is coming.  I don’t support passing these laws and think people should simply be more aware of their surroundings.

On rare occasions, I have found it necessary to lightly tap on my horn when driving a Tesla.  Sometimes a group of people may be lingering in the middle of a parking lot for example, and there simply is no other way to get their attention without leaving the vehicle.

A lot of bicycle riders like to use the local roads for recreation.  I am both a Model S driver and a cyclist.  Only a small percentage of the riders in my immediate area are commuting or running errands on their bicycles.  From time to time there are groups of people who do not frequently bike and are distracted chatting with their friends while riding side to side.  Technically on roads without bike lanes, riding side by side is not legal.   For roads with wide enough shoulders, this behavior is not really an issue, but there are certain areas with narrow blind curves where a bicyclist can be at serious risk.

From time to time tensions flare up between cyclists and drivers, but the debate seems slightly incredulous as there are few cyclists who are also not drivers.  When I am riding, I am highly cognizant that I am not always glaringly visible, but more importantly much more vulnerable than when driving the Model S.

I have recently discovered a nice way to alert riders ahead that a quiet car is approaching.  In the middle of most roads are reflective pavement markers.  These markers serve two general purposes:  mark the center of the lane in low light conditions, and create noise when someone drifts out of their lane.  I have found a third purpose; with no approaching cars on the other side of the road and a cyclist or pair of cyclist ahead on a narrow road, I will drive my left hand tires directly over these pavement markers.  This action creates a slight noise, just enough to alert the cyclist that someone is approaching from behind.  The rumble is much softer and gentler than a honk of the horn.

In California a new law was recently passed requiring drivers to give cyclists three feet of space between themselves and the car.  If three feet is not available, the driver must slow down to pass safely.  In rural locations, officers said they will be unlikely to cite a driver who drifts over into the other lane to give the cyclists more room.  This practice has been common here for years.

I think by just brushing these pavement markers, electric car drivers can alert but not startle cyclists of their presence when necessary.

Leisurely Weekend Cyclists

P85D Loaner Report

A P85D in My Driveway (only Temporarily)

I recently had the great pleasure to take a P85D loaner while having my car serviced.  Actually I was just getting the center consoled installed!  While they installed the console, I drove the P85D for 125 miles.  One trip over the mountains to the coast and back, and the second morning finding some errands to run around town.  During the extended test drive, I found a number of small things about the D that I was not expecting.

Acceleration

As has been reported many times, the acceleration is insane and very reminiscent of my four year Roadster experience.  Super fun and smooth from a dead stop.  In 2013, I had driven a P85+ loaner and was not overly impressed with it.  I did not like the car’s reaction to full acceleration from a dead stop as the front lurched up and the wheels squealed a bit.  The D was very fun; I kept it in insane mode for the day and never tried the sport mode.   I definitely used a higher rate of kWh/mile than normal while enjoying this faster acceleration.

Motor Noise

Interestingly enough the motor noise was substantially different.  At first I felt like a small jet was flying by.  The volume was definitely louder than my S85.  But after the first 30 minutes of driving I no longer noticed the noise difference.

Handling

The P85D loaner seemed to handle exactly like my S85; both cars are equipped with air suspension.  I couldn’t really tell a difference.  I did take a good drive over and back to the coast on some really fun twisty mountain roads.

Radio Reception

During my Roadster driving days, I had horrible radio reception.  I still listen to some AM and FM radio on a somewhat regular basis.  The FM signal was not as crisp as in my car, but the AM station was completely inaudible.  I suspect with two motors, the electromagnetic interference is worse.  I easily showed this to the valet that picked up my car as we listened to an AM and an FM station side by side in the loaner and in my car and the difference was very noticeable.

Parking Sensors

False Edge Warning with Sensors

While driving, the car indicated several times that I was quite close to some mysterious objects in the road. I have driven several loaners in the past with parking sensors and do not recall ever getting these warnings.   The camera screen warned me more than once that I was close to a physical object.  Also twice the dash flashed a warning in red graphics that I was about to hit a car or person in front of me.  I like to drive away from all traffic and am by no means a tailgater. I did not have enough hours with the loaner to determine the true cause of these warnings.

Car “Smell”

When I first got into the car, I noticed an astringent strong smell.  This smell was so distracting, I rolled down the windows for a long period.  I spent most of the 125 miles with the sunroof and windows down in one configuration or another.  The weather varied between 60 and 75 degrees, so driving in this top down fashion was appropriate, but that smell took about 24 hours to not be noticeable.

I don’t know if this car smell is because of some new surfaces in the manufacturing process, unusual behavior by another driver, or a chemical in the mysterious spray bottle I saw being used on the car before I picked it up.  I can’t quite identify the nature of the smell other than unpleasant; my nose and sense of taste can’t determine the list of spices in restaurant food either.   I know whoever that I am quite sensitive to the smell of cleaning agents.

Higher Rear Headrests

The newer rear headrests are so high, I almost wonder why there is even a rear window!  At this point I largely depend upon the cameras, side windows and rear view mirrors.  Only when changing lanes in dicey situations do I use the rear window, But with the new seat backs, the rear window almost useless.

Why Even Have a Rear Window?

Conclusions

I think Tesla now has a wonderful option for folks who feel the need for speed.  I was not fond of the P85+ but the P85D characteristics are really nice.  My area is in a big economic boom with more and more people and traffic.  It is getting harder and hard to find places where I could really enjoy the insane acceleration.  To trade in my 39,000 mile S85 to a P85D at this point would be a large outlay in dollars that I could not justify.

However if I were buying my first Model S right now, the P85D would be in serious contention.  The dual motors would work both for having a lot of fun and the occasional trips to the snow.  I could potentially no longer keep the Toyota Highlander Hybrid that spends most of the time in the garage.  Unfortunately with climate change, the California Sierra Nevada mountains have had so little snow in recent years, I almost don’t even need a 4WD vehicle anymore.