[ejo3rd]

My Karma is currently with Sterling Collision Center in Newport Beach for the warranty inspection. They have had it for a little over a week. Today they called and said battery module 14 would probably need to be replaced before they offered the warranty. I've never had any issues with the HV battery so I was a surprised by this. No CEL or anything that would indicate any issues. It has always charged fully and has given me full range. Can anyone enlighten me as to why I might need to replace the module.

 

[FiskerPhilly]

If the module posts unconfirmed fault codes in the BECM (battery control module) it can be an early indicator of a weak module but hasn't gone below the threshold enough times to trigger a light. When we do the inspection we have to send the fault codes from all the modules to Karma as well as live data from the battery. Its pretty easy for me to tell when one is week by viewing this data, even with no symptoms yet.

 

[JCMorrill]

But that seems like it's hard to argue that it's actually "Bad" yet.

 

[ejo3rd]

My Karma is currently with Sterling Collision Center in Newport Beach for the warranty inspection. They have had it for a little over a week. Today they called and said battery module 14 would probably need to be replaced before they offered the warranty. I've never had any issues with the HV battery so I was a surprised by this. No CEL or anything that would indicate any issues. It has always charged fully and has given me full range. Can anyone enlighten me as to why I might need to replace the module.

I just got a call from Sterling. They said in order to purchase the warranty I have to replace the battery module at a cost of ~ $3700.00. They also said my wipers needed replacement at a cost of $125.00. So for a total cost of $8325.00 I can purchase the warranty. The wiper cost is laughable so its left me wondering is the battery module also way off base. Unfortunately they are the only game in town.

Also, since I haven't had any battery issues up to now how soon should I expect a failure if I decide against the warranty? Elite Motors did the RDM, splines etc.. so I'm wondering if the warranty is really worth it.

 

[JCMorrill]

I do not believe that "wearable" items such as brake pads, tires, and wiper blades are included in the warranty, so I cannot see how that is actually an issue.

 

[Fabulist]

... The wiper cost is laughable so its left me wondering is the battery module also way off base. Unfortunately they are the only game in town ...

I do not believe that "wearable" items such as brake pads, tires, and wiper blades are included in the warranty, so I cannot see how that is actually an issue.

I think @ejo3rd was making a different point. As I read the post, the point i got was that if the wiper blade has such a high markup, the price on the battery module may also be marked up significantly, and potentially unreasonably.

Fortunately, there are Karma specialists on this board that can tell you if the prices are in line with the part price and labor cost.

 

[WATTGAS]

I'm no expert but $3,700 seems really high to replace 1 module. That is 2.5 times the cost to complete an RDM re-work which is 20 hours of labor.

I am not sure of the cost of a single module, but these kinds of individual repair prices make the PPP seem like a no brainer.

 

[Harleyguy]

It all depends what they are charging for the part and how many hours labor. Post that and the labor rate and we can give you a better idea if the price is reasonable

 

[ejo3rd]

It all depends what they are charging for the part and how many hours labor. Post that and the labor rate and we can give you a better idea if the price is reasonable

Harleyguy,

Since I only know the total cost how does that compare to what you or FiskerPhilly would charge for replacing module 14? That's all they are doing.

Thx

 

[Harleyguy]

I've lost count how many modules I've replaced the one difference between how I approach a module differs from others. Well I know Joe also does what I have done I have left over battery packs that never made it back to Fisker . I've also bought used battery packs from other dealers .
I then install the battery pack into my demo car and do a lot of drive and charge cycles until the battery fails. At that point I know what modules are good and which are junk . Any modules I'm not 100% sure they will work they get side lined until I can test them again. I feel if the modules I remove from the battery pack haven't failed should be good to install in a customers car.
I save the customer a whole lot of money doing it this way I can't justify installing one new module into a battery pack which at some point can have another module failure. The cost of a used module is far less then a new one . As far as cost of a new one every dealer charges a different amount my over head compared to Joe is a lot more so my markup on the part will be more.
Anyway back to your original question you need to find out the price of the part and how many hours labor they are charging . The last module I replaced cost the customer $2100.00 including tax and normal dealership fees. Since I control the price of a used module verses buying one from Fisker I can save the customer money. Also I've never had a problem with the car coming back with a faulty used module I've installed .
Joe and I also invested around $500.00 into a battery charger capable of charging or discharging a module before installing it. This helps getting the new module to play nice with the other modules