Here's Everything That's WRONG with My DEAD Tesla (Other Than The Battery)

A friend hit me up about his 2013 Tesla Model S85 that broke in the parking lot at his office nearly a year ago. Eventually he had it towed to his house where it sat for the better part of the year. We checked it out in the last video but I decided to buy it after he told me the price, today we're moving it the shop where we're going to replace the battery.
Top Rated Towing: / trt22
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#DeadEV #Tesla #ElectricVehicle

[@dmann1209]

$7K is the nice price. I am very interested in seeing the repair of the Tesla. It seems there is always a catch to a great deal. I will be looking forward to content on the Tesla. Awesome episode!

[@aelaan12]

So... hey can we all get a round of applause for the tow truck driver for not damaging the front lip. A battery swap, that will be interesting. Zack might want the old battery to mess around with, or maybe Rich will take it to see if it can be reused. Never know how many cells are out. Look forward to seeing it back to life in the future episodes.

[@ericcindycrowder7482]

I like your automotive content. Here’s a tip, whenever you are referring to any EV (Tesla or other) or any type of hybrid (PHEV or non-plug in) if you are referring to a “battery” ALWAYS specify the 12v battery or the high voltage/traction battery. This would avoid confusion. If I were you, I would first replace the 12v battery in the Tesla before doing any other diagnostic or jumping to the conclusion that the traction battery is bad. Thanks

[@pablopicaro7649]

Saw a Video several years ago, about some guys in Cali that repaired the burned out NVRAM problems on Main Display computer, then flashed the Firmware to their own system - so car contacts them instead of the the Mothership in Freemont.

[@meloccom]

If you have bought a traction battery, I would invest in a 12V accessory battery too. The 2013 12V battery is just Lead Acid and you should be able to get. Replacement fairly quickly. Replacing the 12V battery is a bit of a job in itself and will make a great video. When my handles break, I use a trim tool to pull out the handle and tie some string around it, if it’s just a broken pusher the handle will still work after you pull the handle out with the piece of string. Kits available to repair the handles and even I have done one myself and whilst there are a lot of steps it’s pretty simple, just remember to carefully repack the wiring into the handle so the window can slide past the grey plastic water barrier without catching some bundled up wires behind. Hope that makes sense.

[@bigkev10101]

I am so glad you got it. It will be a great car for content. $7k is a great deal for it. The only thing that would make this repair better would be to get Sam’s stepmom to help.

[@davevogel476]

If you upgrade to mcu 2 they will also replace the instrument cluster as well. For 1500 dollar it is an upgrade which is really worth it.

[@techthehome7167]

Definitely agree. And it looks like this has LTE data from a previous video so you’ve got free lifetime premium data.

[@CarswithNash]

Tow drivers is one profession where they seem to have a high rate of “good people”, seems pretty rare to get a bad tow truck driver in my experience. It does look like you had a above average one. Nice score for $7000, I hope it all goes nice and smooth for you getting it resurrected.

[@jimmyjimjims7483]

Looks like someone is making a trip to Popeyes to bribe Uncle Rich into bringing this brick back to life lol

[@WatchJRGo]

That might actually work 😛

[@somewhereoverit711]

How about a conversion…

[@anad44]

😂I remember him dissecting Delores with a butter knife he found inside.

[@toolzshed]

🤣

[@ryan3859]

Surprised you haven't bought your own rollback?

[@blodg1]

This will be a fun experience. I just picked up a 2014 in the same condition. Ordered all the cables and subscribed to Toolbox. Go ahead and order a battery bolt set from service and depending on what generation your replacement battery is, you may need a few more parts like the body-side coolant connection and a different rapid-mate gasket.

[@joemcdonough7509]

Congrats on the purchase JR! This is going to be an exciting content series. Regarding the door handle, you can pull the handle with an old credit card until you get the motor replaced. Just slide the card in and then push the card upwards and towards the door. The pressure will pull the handle out.

[@WatchJRGo]

Yup, I’ve had to do that every time now 😬

[@garyheighway7635]

Gotta love the simplicity of a 70s Chevelle.

[@kerredderrek]

I have a 2013 tesla. I noticed somethings in your videos that you can try. second video dead key no problem apply 12v power to the car.... place the key on the windshield, by the vin should be able to read the key and touch to unlock the car 12v battery is just a lead acid battery a new $22k battery 90 kwh battery will have benefit from a newer design to fix some of the original design problems. 22k$ 90kwh bat will have a 300 mile range (stock new 265 miles, 10 year old battery range will be about 220-240 slower supercharging), A new battery charges at a higher rate for longer(faster recharge time while traveling long distances) and obviously has no miles. A new battery comes with a warranty. The car may be a little faster with a new battery too. Reset the computer to factory fresh (reset) and it will work a little better/pick up the pace a little. (first video) I am not sure how to air up the suspension??? unlock car with a double click on the top(roof) of the remote once the car has 12v power if the battery in the remote is dead you can put in the center console or by the shifter and the car can read a dead key and still be able to "turn on the car" when you "foot on the brake, shift into drive." starts the car. "Start" the car foot on brake key with battery or put dead key in center console or by shifter and shift into drive. car will not go into drive with the charger handle in the charge port. good luck Derrek

[@wasifsyed1085]

Dont throw the old battery as the 16 modules sell for big bucks. You have a great deal and I knew you were going to swap the battery before you said it. Did you check the voltage of your High voltage battery?

[@rocketsdachampions]

Bro you are wild! But you’re the perfect guy to fix it. I’m excited for this Tesla series and for $7k, hard to say no lol 😂

[@issjoe3]

Way to go JR. I'm glad you bought it. Will be alot of fun to watch you pull your resoures together, and get it running.

[@stevesurf22]

On my old 2015 S the air suspension would never start raising until I put it in Drive. Which of course you can't. Also my guess you should be able to get Tesla to upgrade the eMMC to the 32 for free due to that being a mandated recall. Looking forward to watching. Planning to buy a S again in a few years, so looking forward to learning a few things.

[@ig101]

Happy Thanksgiving!

[@LTD347]

Pretty sure the infotainment screen is a recall on all model S. free factory replacement. Make sure to check it out when you get it going Also it looks so sick aired right out ha

[@MrWoodyBalto]

Smart that you had the towing service drop it next to the dumpster. 😁

[@unstablebobgable]

If I could help Watch JR Goes work on the Tesla I would drink the shot of whiskey and cold Bartle Skeets with him and puff on the Cannibus cigars with him and get all schmoked up.

[@1960Murf]

I love watching you troubleshoot.

[@RexerYTRexer]

Hes just talking no actual work been done a while

[@AzTurboMini]

@@RexerYTRexer You may want to learn how to form a sentence before talking crap. Just saying...

[@zeemughal86]

I can’t wait to see this series! At that price there is nothing more to say then I’ll take it! I’m looking forward to see the battery cost. This video series will blow up for sure. Super excited

[@joemcdonough7509]

I'm very curious too. A brand new battery pack with labor replacement is $22k from Tesla. I'm figuring a used pack alone will be around $10k.

[@markusstrobl1067]

@@joemcdonough7509 That's an old price. New 90 kWh battery installed is down to $17k now. Sometimes Tesla has refurbs available and they're $12k installed. I keep an eye on the prices as I have a 2013 Model S since new. My battery hasn't given me any trouble yet but it has to die sometime.

[@joemcdonough7509]

@@markusstrobl1067 Good to know Markus! I've got a 2015 90D with 1 year left on the warranty so I'm also accepting a potential big bill in the future. We're both lucky to have free supercharging for the life of the vehicle, which makes it worthy to keep.

[@paulstewart1626]

Glad you bought the model S. Have fun with the fix. I am thinking pure thoughts for the car gods. I thought that tow driver was amazing. Keep up the great videos.

[@ewanstewart8011]

Happy thanksgiving JR and here’s to a long and industrious future for you and your channel 👍🏻🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@cadman10000]

The OBDII port is not really hooked to anything in that car. You have to use the port under the screen. Pop the cubby down from below the screen and you can reach up and access the cable.

[@WatchJRGo]

Yup, cable should be here Monday for that port 🍻

[@timbonnell279]

Interesting project JR. Look forward to seeing the progress.

[@jasonw3303]

I love how things that make very little sense make great you tube sense. This should be great to watch !

[@100PercentJake]

Briggs and Stratton swap it.

[@WatchJRGo]

The elite drivetrain 😂

[@Tea79th]

😂😂😂

[@koolaid53]

Predator 212?

[@TheBrokenLife]

_...sitting here wondering if Jake knows about the B&S hybrid electric car from 30 years ago and is making a 4D joke._ 🤔

[@hojnikb]

You may joke, but you could actually use a small generator to top up the battery while you're driving. Warped Perception did something like that.

[@jamessurveyor4859]

A car, when fixed, which will never decline in value and potentially qualify for free power the rest of its life. Great deal!!!

[@redbaron6805]

Also, FYI, there is a 3D printed upgraded gear for the door handle. Tesla replaces them for around $300 including labor, but rebuilt kits can be bought for those that want to replace them themselves. The main Speed display is cheap, but there are 2 different generation displays. The control boards are different between the displays, and they have to be moved to the new display from the old display. Otherwise a Tesla service center will need to program the new one.

[@paul9874]

I am surprised Johnny is working on a Tesla - he must be a good friend. Good Luck

[@MrMattDat]

Very cool and another great deal scored by JR! Really looking forward to seeing you tear into this!!

[@techthehome7167]

The 12 volt battery in that year is actually a deep cycle lead acid. They were swapped for lithium in later years.

[@sgttombailes3380]

Happy Thanksgiving Bro !! And I DO Truly love watching your content.. HooAH !

[@yodasbff3395]

Looking forward to seeing this Tesla series. Bring uncle Rich in for a collaboration, he is the ultimate Tesla stud, and very funny 😁.

[@Vracktal]

This is actually a really interesting case study for what will happen with lots of these old Teslas once they start hitting their third/fourth owner and 10+ years old.

[@ChrisLincolnHomes]

They end up in a salvage yard. ;)

[@AkioWasRight]

It won't just be Teslas, I'm betting there will be a lot of 8-10 year old broken EVs that no one will know how to fix, or want to keep. So, they're really going to start stacking up.

[@freddyrosenberg9288]

@@AkioWasRight EXACTLY so good for the environment when you have to scrap cars after 10~15 years.

[@redbaron6805]

@@freddyrosenberg9288 And who says anything needs to be scrapped, except for a bunch of Facebook University graduates om here...?

[@redbaron6805]

@@AkioWasRight I'm betting you have no clue at all what you are even talking about...

[@MRShanno21]

You make good content man. Nice work 🙏

[@supericeman1]

I look forward to your upload everyday, it really make me happy when you figure things out, I don't know how far the Wizard's shop is, he's got an Leonardo I think

[@mintynuggets]

Not worth replacing the individual cell, hoovie's Tesla died again after 6k in repairs so there's no reason to believe that this one won't. Either replace the entire battery or k swap it

[@MrMarkusmulder]

I hope you are getting it going well. Thanks for the video and stay safe ✌️.

[@pablopicaro7649]

Seems as tho the Compressor for Air Suspension should be able to be jumper to get the car lifted for at least awhile. would have to dig into wire schematics to see how to do it.

[@WatchJRGo]

You have to power each circuit in the solenoid block and I’m not sure where it’s at yet 😬

[@tschuuuls486]

@@WatchJRGo as a lot of tech is Mercedes inspired in those old Teslas, I guess the air suspension will activate if you drive it for a few meters. I think older (not sure about anything >2010) do that do sanity check the height sensor values. Also mercs don't like to raise when completely depressurized. There is probably a function in the tesla software to get it to raise, though.

[@cadman10000]

That's a really early Model S. It does not even have parking sensors which were added mid 2013. It's probably one of the first 10 or 15k Model S cars that they made.

[@pops55650]

I had to scrub plasti-dip a previous owner of my Mustang, what a pain. But the guy I was going to have sandblast and powder coat the rims said he couldn’t sandblast the plasti-dip because it could burst into flames. People might argue with me, NEVER plasti-dip wheels. If it doesn’t start peeling in a year, it will fade and look like crap

[@mj_aussie_coaster_travels8310]

It just needs to be applied properly. I’ve peeled plastidip that I applied three years later, still peeled like vinyl.

[@pops55650]

I don’t know how he applied it, (or how long) except it was done wrong. Some areas were already peeling so I thought it would be easy. Other areas required chemicals to soften it up. I was told the plasti-dip can flash fire in a sand blaster. I wonder if anyone else had this happen.

[@johnde2754]

Battery change out is going to be a major challenge. Looking forward to see how you negotiate the precision alignment required without the leveler. 🤜💥🤛

[@edwardgreenjr167]

I'm curious what factory HW upgrades you can still get for an S this old once its running. There are some recalls still open I believe even for the 2013s.

[@redbaron6805]

The new Intel MCU which controls the car. You can update the TPMS system, speedometer display, etc. In can be upgraded to almost a new version of the Tesla.

[@claysmell]

who cares if electrics are the future or not, even the "slow" Teslas are fast and getting to learn about all kinds of car issue solutions through your channel is why most people tune in. going through a broken Tesla is long overdue imho

[@ewallacestudent1]

God bless Johnny, hope this works out, would be hard to ls swap this one lol.

[@sasukesuite1]

Rich Rebuilds did it lol

[@juanjorx7]

You need a new 12v battery then check everything else. Then check main battery and then do mcu2 upgrade

[@69Dartman]

You decided to go for it, hope you can figure it out and you'll probably be talking to Rich soon...

[@ChinitFxt]

Hope everything works out

[@tonyparisio4021]

It might be that the air suspension uses the high voltage pack for power.

[@ThatSlowRanger]

Needless to say, i fell out of my chair when he said 7k lmaoo

[@adasterdezaster2865]

JR you’re honest when you tell people what you bought the car for. Does that ever come back to bite you when you go to sell it?

[@lordaca807]

Great content, my wife and I are getting a model y soon. Worried about the repairability of the car.

[@DjBud_VinD]

Make a big plateau on small wheels for that battery arrives, easy to roll it under the lifted car.

[@OSXMan]

I was thinking 10K is where you two might end up. But, you got a Black Friday bargain! This is gonna be great!

[@oldjesus8978]

Happy Thanksgiving ! Your channel is great !

[@tomdelisle8955]

It would have been neat to see the the complete loading of the Tesla. I was wondering how they got the rear up on the truck with the Tesla being so low.

[@normangallant9879]

Interesting repair

[@Digital-Dan]

The fob for the Model Y is only $35 or so. Not sure about the ancient S. I guess the older cars don't have the key card either, right?

[@johngerraughty]

Key fobs for either the 3/Y or S/X are all arond $150. The older S/X do not support key cards. Only the 22/23 models.

[@rvhmon656]

The rollback was impressive and so was the operator. JR should just buy one himself. Trade the F250 AND trailer for the rollback.

[@mikaeljonsson4686]

The empty unwrecked shell would bring $7k imho... the electric motor is worth a pretty penny too...

[@pops55650]

I was against it in that last Tezla video, but I was pretty sure you already bought it. I am happy the seller dropped the price, now maybe it’s worth fixing. Im curious what a used battery cost you. Maybe you could have had Jake rebuild the battery for you lol

[@MapOfEurasia]

Hell yeah a Tesla fix series!! 😎 Pre-AP car? Nice! You can install the Comma 😁

[@ShivaShakur]

Can you please explain what this means 😅

[@JB-mk4ry]

@@ShivaShakur Comma is a third party driver assist system. JR has it in his Volt.

[@cppctek]

Heck yeah man I’m so stoked about this !!! I’m glad you bought it. I knew you would lol

[@StephenCole1916]

I think that's an amazing price for the car and battery. You should have margin to sell once fixed.

[@jamesray9009]

have a buddy with a tow company , using a wheel lift and dollies work great for the teslas I've seen hooked up..

[@baconmcbacon62]

I gotta say, the slammed giant sedan on bigazz wheels has an appeal to it. It looked like a clean and mild stance car sitting in your driveway.

[@henrymatthews9365]

OK so that is an awesome deal for that car. That's actually a steal

[@VanisleNSX]

I am really looking forward to this Tesla project!

[@bozodog428]

Know nothing about these cars, so this will be a fun watch. Should stock up on popcorn 🍿

[@rwdplz1]

Just replace the 12V battery now, MOST of what you want to do will be powered off that.

[@joeberginc7415]

On Audi, u need 110 psi to start lifting the car. Find the pump, Jerry rig a line bipassing the pump.... Use a shroader valve.

[@joebass5163]

The car usually won't go into drive until the instrument cluster boots up even if the main mcu is already booted.. At least that's the behavior for my 2013. You might be able to get the electronic service manual from Tesla once the car is in your name. I have free access to the service manual for a year.

[@chriscomfort1378]

May the force be with you.

[@brianjfsabo]

JR. Have you thought about going to Cold parts, get a total of one and use it for parts vehicle?

[@drivenserb]

Yoooo looking forward to these videos

[@WatchJRGo]

Hopefully it’s all fixed in a week 💯

[@dwrivers47]

I’m very excited about this build / repair - if all goes well this will be a great car / deal 😊

[@WatchRichRebuildsChannel]

Great video 👍👍

[@NYCPUNISH]

Whats wrong with using wheel dollies?

[@therealCelticViking]

Should have bought a bmw i3, those are so easy to fix. But they need to break down first lol. But for 7k it will be one of your coolest projects so far.

[@gregh7457]

how much is this dead battery pack worth salvage value?

[@torontocpl]

A 2013 car with all those issues ??? A 2013 car up here in northern Canada 🇨🇦 is considered almost new 😂 we mainly own 20 to 30 yr old vehicles up here that run with minimal maintenance.. My newest vehicle is my 2006 Hummer H2 my Jeeps are all early 1990’s .. they all sit outside winter or summer, they are dependable, no garage queens up here .. last winter we had many weeks of minus -44c (that’s almost minus -50 degree Fahrenheit ) with no sun and high winds.. you southerners upgrade your cars like you would your smartphones ..😂 your falling into their trap .. every 2 car family should own at least one older vehicle pre 1990 that will run without “electronics” and “internet free” Incase 💩 hits the fan.. Cheers from HudsonBay 🇨🇦

[@mgbrv8]

You have two cars that other utubers told you to walk away from……….okay I’ll bite as I sits in ma comfy recliner to watch

[@mdbrenna]

That Tow Truck driver needs some Popeyes!

[@RC-fu6hg]

I can’t wait to see the Tesla as you expertly repair it. This is gonna be a good series.

[@redbaron6805]

The Nvidia Tesla MCU's can be upgraded to the newer Intel MCU's at a Tesla service center. They swap out the MCU and replace the harness which is required for the Intel version.

[@tim205Mi]

Looking forward to this one, really don’t know much about EV’s so gotta be a cool journey…… getting to be quite a few Teslas over here in England…….

[@TheBibliofilus]

I hope that rollback owner has a subscription rebate.. The local delivery company has a battery powered semi for around town delivery and it has to be towed home about every other week.. The battery replacement process with Ross Sr. will be interesting to follow!

[@pkt1213]

With the grill missing, it looks like a sad Ford Taurus.

[@OmarsGarage]

As far as I know there are no “affordable” options to talk to the McLaren computer. MCMedics can come to you and do a reset I believe. Look up EMF Autos on KZbin.

[@jayleo67]

Who else 😂🤣 when you saw the key. Not only is the battery dead. But the dog tried to eat the key. 😂

[@31dknight]

Another great video from JR. Keep it up

[@tbskirk]

I got to say I'm excited to see more Tesla content!

[@donavonlewis1039]

HEY JR - POTENTIAL SOLUTION for 909. Dont you have a Dream Machine at home? Did you block some countries? If so, this might be why you cant update or the 909 cant access the site/errors. Alternate solution, use LTE on cell phone and pair mobile to the 909, see if it works now. Good luck!

[@busyguy7479]

i see that u have patience with this project but i hate to see u spend money that u could put into another car im sure it can b fixed with enough money and time. im with u on hoping it will move one day. dont let it eat your lunch.

[@PatricioGarcia1973]

How much is a battery? Plus would have to get it from Tesla?

[@douglasbray3563]

Good Evening John Ross

[@E90s65]

I am assuming you left it on a slow charge right? 110 or 220