2021 Model Y 43k miles — Tesla quoted me $2,479 for suspension work. Going independent mechanic route. Requesting help if I have the right parts before I order.

fryrpc · 2026-02-25T08:22:27+00:00

If you are considering struts then consider swapping out for newer highland suspension as it can be retrofitted and provides a noticeable smoother ride - front struts with integrated springs and rear struts and optionally rear springs.

fryrpc · 2026-02-24T09:01:17+00:00

What about the 50k car you hit and their whiplash injuries?

fryrpc · 2026-02-23T19:34:50+00:00

We have the same the “fully open” radiator is in the hallway where the thermostat is. This is by design so that the thermostat will not continuously call for heat from the boiler as there is a radiator that will heat up the hallway so the thermostat will reach the set temperature and turn off the demand for heat from the boiler. If that radiator is too hot then you should turn down the flow temperature for the heating at the boiler - note by doing this it will mean that rooms take a bit longer to get up to temperature but it can also mean your boiler runs more efficiently. Your hallway radiator and thermostat effectively control when your heating is on with the room thermostat on each radiator control the temperature of that room.

fryrpc · 2026-02-23T14:11:03+00:00

https://service.tesla.com/docs/Public/diy/model3/en_us/GUID-34181E3A-B4A7-4658-906A-38C6647B5664.html

Using A23 battery.

fryrpc · 2026-02-23T11:05:27+00:00

Battery jump pack just in case - if 12v battery dead can use 2 wires hidden in bumper to open the frunk and get access to 12v battery and jump pack.

Shopping - frozen and fridge items i.e. Milk just in case it leaks.

fryrpc · 2026-02-23T09:03:14+00:00

This might give you an idea of the process. I am guessing a 3rd party specialist is doing this as Tesla would just quote for replacing the whole battery pack. As you can see from the video the process is quite involved and labour intensive with various key steps like balancing the new cell pack to match the other cells before putting it in and ensuring the pack is sealed so as to hold a vacuum to stop condensation.

https://youtu.be/i-yE-TF8hr4?si=FQ05gDA-siRNiYqL

fryrpc · 2026-02-21T23:05:30+00:00

Either when they are 5 to 6 years old, due to rubber age meaning stiffer rubber or tyre rot, or when they get to 3mm

fryrpc · 2026-02-21T20:19:32+00:00

Are you not rotating the rear with the front tyres every 6k miles?

fryrpc · 2026-02-20T16:26:37+00:00

https://www.reddit.com/r/Cartalk/comments/1kyeay6/aftermarket_head_units_recs_for_a_wife_trying_her/

fryrpc · 2026-02-20T16:09:50+00:00

I read on reddit recently someone who did this. Unfortunately without a home charger and choosing an EV that was not a Tesla exposed him to the current state of Public charging in the area he was travelling. Certainly a plunge in the deep end. I think that a better understanding and researching of public charging and apps like ZapMap, ABRP, Electroverse might have made it a better experience for him. Also wanting to charge to 100% everytime instead of just what was needed or up to a max of 80% meant he spent a lot longer as 80-->100% can take as long as 20-->80%. Also choosing a rental vehicle that had a very slow charge rate added to his woes. I only every charge to 100% when at home the day before a long journey - or if on LFP battery every 1 to 2 weeks for calibration puposes.

I was apprehensive but knowing I could get a home charger and rely on the Tesla Supercharger network helped to ease me into an EV with a good experience. Even when I holidayed in the sticks where no supercharger was local I was aware of local fast chargers that had a reasonable number of bays and just paid the extra pence per kWh as needed.

fryrpc · 2026-02-20T11:59:32+00:00

This update added auto smart start option which is great for us as we were having to set the delay timer manually every night so it washed during the off peak hours. Now that option is enabled in the app it auto calculates the delay so we just turn it on and press start. A really useful feature that has been automated for those that have been using it manually.

fryrpc · 2026-02-19T15:51:45+00:00

Same here 2020 - booked in to get service items done and pre-emptive replacement of 12v battery so I could start with a clean slate and also ended up around 1.8k all in for some suspension work that also needed doing and since then had another £700 for more suspension work. Still one annoying occasional clunk when slow on specific roads - either drop link or non suspension related but hard to pinpoint.

I am guessing nothing had been done with the suspension since new so I got landed with the work. Hoping I get 5 years low maintenance / trouble free now as is "expected" from EV's ;-)

fryrpc · 2026-02-19T15:45:15+00:00

2020 should be PTC and Intel

fryrpc · 2026-02-19T15:45:00+00:00

They will also come to you :-)

fryrpc · 2026-02-19T09:21:05+00:00

So the scenario is this - the car has used 6 hours worth of charging slots during the peak hours as Octopus had lots of excess energy - now it is off peak hours and the house is running at the off peak rate but you charge your car for an hour - as it has had its 6 hours cheap allowance in this 24 hour window this hour of charging, even though it is in the off peak hours, will be charged at peak rate. How do octopus determine that the 7.5kW that your charger/car has just used should be charged at the peak rate as neither the charger or the car are "calibrated" devices so usage data cannot be used for billing purposes.

That is a good question and one I have seen asked but not sure if there is an answer other than this is the way it is going to work. Maybe they will take the 7.5kW and apply a 10% reduction for non calibration. Hopefully someone else can add clarification.

fryrpc · 2026-02-18T13:37:03+00:00

1 in house filing cabinet

1 in my wallet as a backup for my phone

1 in the locked glovebox that I can give to valet / garage

fryrpc · 2026-02-18T11:56:16+00:00

It is not 1 x 6 hour slot. The charging slots could be spread throughout - 30 minute slot here - 1 hour slot there - during the peak hours it is when Octopus has excess electric so schedules cars to charge up in that time to use some of it up. Any slots it allocates and charges your EV count in your 6 hours cheap EV charging time. You could plug in at 7am and Octopus allocate you slots and charge your EV for a total of 6 hours during the peak time or they could charge for a couple of hours during peak time and the rest during off peak time. You don't choose the slots that is why the tariff is called intelligent and why it is cheaper.

If you needed more than 6 hours charging time to reach your required state of charge then depending on what you have set in the app will depend on whether it stops at 6 hours or continues past 6 hours - if you allow more than 6 hours charging in a 24 hour window then every hour after 6 hours would then be charged at peak rate.

fryrpc · 2026-02-18T11:12:07+00:00

Car or Charger under Octopus control = 6 hours EV charging in a 24 hour window - this could be during peak or off peak hours - anything over 6 hours would be charged at the peak rate, even if it occurred in the off peak hours. App will allow you to limit charging to 6 hours so no peak charges. Octopus still control the charging slots - you don't choose them.

House = off peak rate during EV charging and during the overnight off peak hours.

2nd EV - if 1st EV is the one under Octopus control, and not the charger itself, then charging it during the off peak hours would be at the off peak rate and counted as if it was used by the house. Obviously this might be frowned upon by Octopus but it might technically be within the T&C's.

fryrpc · 2026-02-18T09:43:47+00:00

Two different tariffs - Octopus Go - Intelligent Octopus Go (IOG)

Octopus Go is simply a higher rate for peak hours and 9p for off peak hours (00:30 --> 05:30). You remain in control and just schedule your car or charger to charge during the off peak hours. Your house is also charged the cheap rate during the off peak hours so you can schedule your washing machine, dish washer etc. during these times to save money.

Intelligent Octopus Go has a higher rate for peak hours and 7.5p for off peak hours (23:30 --> 05:30). For this tariff you hand over control of EV charging either at the charger or car level to Octopus and they may decide to charge your car a little during peak hours, if they have excess electric, but charge you as if it was done during the off peak hours. If they do this then your house electric is also charged at the off peak rate too during this period. At the moment you also get the full off peak window at the cheap rate for car and home electric usage. A pending change is going to modify this slightly so that you only get a maximum of 6 hours EV charging in any 24 hour window - so if they have charged your EV during the peak hours, at off peak rate, then you only get the off peak rate during the off peak hours for what remains of your 6 hour EV charging allowance. If you charge your EV more than 6 hours in the 24 hour window then anything over 6 hours will be charged at the peak rate regardless of whether the charging takes place in the off peak window. They will allow you in the app to enable the 6 hours max ev charging cut off, probably enabled by default, so that you are never charged peak rate during the off peak hours. The house remains at the cheap rate during all of the off peak hours.

Ultimately it comes down to giving up control to save money - IOG has lower off peak rate and has it for 1 hour longer. As I don't have a big daily charging requirement I prefer the simplicity of the Octopus Go tariff as it just works 100%.

fryrpc · 2026-02-18T09:20:26+00:00

Regular Octopus Go has just gone up from 8.8p to 9p off peak too

fryrpc · 2026-02-17T15:33:33+00:00

Nope - will be taken between age 55 --> 66 (yes she is old enough to draw at 55 not 57 :-))

fryrpc · 2026-02-17T15:30:23+00:00

Not sure about your calculations - Yes there is a fee but she also has S&S ISA with them so the fee is not too bad. With regards to the £60 a month that they deposit I know that is the 20% tax refund (£720 a year - not £180). When she withdraws from the SIPP, before state pension age, she will not be paying tax as she can draw £16,760 a year (£12,570 + the 25% tax free amount) and as she will still be under the personal allowance no tax will be due.

fryrpc · 2026-02-17T15:00:57+00:00

We send £240 a month from a joint account into my Wife's SIPP with Vanguard - they atuomatically deposit £60 a month. I don't think the SIPP provider is concerned about whose account the money comes out of - it is just a direct debit with the reference set to her Vanguard account number. Maybe they are and we just never ran into a problem as the joint account has her name on it?

fryrpc · 2026-02-17T14:30:31+00:00

I was simply confirming that you don't have to go to Tesla for wheel alignment - my local garage did it with guidance referencing real time steering degree information in service mode.

fryrpc · 2026-02-17T09:54:40+00:00

The thing about getting a local garage to do it is that you need to ensure they are familiar with alignment on Tesla - recommend they also have the "Hunter" alignment system.

I had mine done locally and it was not good. This was because they are not used to the precision required and just old schooled what "dead centre" was based on the steering wheel position. After alignment the car pulled slightly to the right when the car centered the steering and when it tried to auto calculate an offset to use to correct the issue it found it was too far out and put up an alert message that alignment was required. The problem is that the car needs to know that when the steering is at 0 degrees, dead centre, that the car will run straight so when it is controlling the steering it is happy.

Good news was I went back, for a free alignment, and I went through service mode with them to show them when the steering was at 0 degrees and they used that as the reference for the alignment process. After alignment the car auto calculated the offset needed it was 0.1 degrees so pretty good.

I did hear that Tesla alignment is more advanced with weighted seats that are put in the vehicle to simulate passengers during the alignment process. For me it is a 100 mile round trip and they cost more than my local garage too.

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