Motor whining, needs replacement

[Ferdball]

I don't know if you have been watching the Rav4 boards. But it seems that their version of the Tesla drivetrain is suceptible to failure. The extended warranty is a highly recommended option.

I have not heard of any motor replacements for the BClass, so I thought that maybe they got our version right.

But then I started hearing a whining noise when accelerating. I took it in, and it turns out I need a new motor. My dealer gave me an E300, so I'm good for as long as they need it. I will miss being able to use the carpool lane for free.

If anyone else has experienced this issue, please chime in. Otherwise, I'll post the advisors comments when I get the car back.

[GGV]

My car has whining noise when accelerating since beginning

[Ferdball]

My car has whining noise when accelerating since beginning

Since the beginning? Is it getting worse? I would recommend having it looked at.

[jwarcd]

My car's motor whine has very gradually increased since he car was new (2 years). My whine sounds a little like what cicadas make and occurs more at slower speeds. I was thinking of bringing the car in to the dealer, but don't want to be without the car while they fix it.

I saw on one Tesla forum that it is common with the early Teslas. I'm interested in how long it takes to fix this...

[Joe]

Ferdball - you can see my latest post response to the thread titled "Without restarting, consult workshop"...

I had a different symptom, but the fix for me was a new electric motor. It has been 3 weeks and I am still waiting...

Now that you mention the motor whine noise, I would say that my motor whines more now than when it was new.

My boss has a 2014 Tesla Model S and he had his drivetrain replaced a few months ago...

[Ferdball]

If your motor whines while accelerating, but not when coasting or decelerating, then you have the same symptoms as I do.

Three weeks on a motor is not encouraging. The carpool lane saves me about 10 minutes each way. I bought a Fastrak so I can continue using it, but it costs about $2 per day. Not to mention premium fuel in the E300. Plus my carbon footprint. Coasting and braking is really overrated.

[JeffRay]

Ferdball,

The problem is US dealers will not have the wherewithal to replace an electric motor. See my post on other topic, "... consult workshop"

Let us know if MBUSA offers you a new 2016 electric or buys you out at retail price for your 2014 or 2015.

[Joe]

Did your service advisor tell you when the motor will arrive? Or where it is coming from?

[Ferdball]

Ah, so there may be a delay in getting the motor, and maybe a lack of expertise in doing the swap? Well, I'm going to call tomorrow and ask. Joe, wouldn't the motor be coming from Tesla in NoCal? I hope they don't have them on shelves in Germany.

[JeffRay]

My guess would be from Germany and since they don't have a lot of experience in this, will micromanage this to the nth degree to minimize any liability and of course to ensure your safety. Now if you told me this is simply plug and play and any mechanic could swap out the motor, i.e. screw on and attach the leads, that might be a different story.

If I were either one of you, I would be all over them to ensure they did it correctly and once two weeks went by, do my best Larry David impression and demand a refund of new car, of which they have plenty lying around unsold. You are the ones being inconvenienced as they figure this out.