A note from a club member!

Wilson

I have tried to make the last few meetings but my job has prevented me from attending.  I want to pass along some info to the club.

Drive Unit:  For about a year now my 2012 Model S has been making a whirl sound when we drove it.  It wasn't loud but it was constant and was loudest when I accelerated.  I initially just assumed it was a normal sound based on the age of the car.  However, I took the car in to get the MCU replaced and asked them to look at the sound.  It turned out the main drive unit was failing.  Tesla replaced the unit ($9K) under my 8 year drivetrain warranty (7.5 years into 8).  I now have a new 4 year warranty on the drive unit.  I have also noticed an increase in my acceleration back to what it use to be. I am sharing this so other owners don't wait as long as I did for a real issue.

MCU:  I had to have the unit replaced because the goo in the unit was draining out.  With the failure of the MCU the car was still driveable but many functions were inaccesable and the car was always "on" causing a large vampire drain.  Nothing complicated here just a simple swap/replace.  Also, while the MCU was out the cellphone receiver was replaced and upgraded to LTE from 3G for $200

Battery Swap:  I asked about what is happening about a possible full battery swap.  It appears that Tesla is actively working on a process to allow owners to replace/upgrade their battery pack as a replacement.  The old pack would have a residual value that could be applied towards the cost of the new battery pack.  This is not a new topic and has been discussed before but it appears to have some traction on coming to the market.  

Feel free to share this with the club and others.  Please let me know if you have any questions

Michael Epper