Delivery day - Air Suspension Issue

[HaulingAss]

I recently had a delivery day and everything looked good, until I tested the air suspension. It was on entry mode and I raised it to high. The cybertruck seem to struggle to do it and took awhile.

I told the advisor and he came out and told me it was normal. He left and I tried it again. I timed it and it took 2:50 to raise suspension from entry to high. I again told the advisor and he got a manager who came out and said it was normal.

I then asked them to try it on the demo truck and reluctantly they did. The demo raised to high in about 15 seconds. They then said I should accept delivery and have it repaired. I did not accept and left for day.

My question to the owners is, how long does it typically take for your suspension to raise from entry to high? I've seen conflicting results and not sure the reason.

Defects in the air suspension on delivery would be rare (of course anything is possible).

You said, "everything looked good, until I tested the air suspension.". I'll assume you had checked other things first, like Off-Road mode (you have to turn that on to get to "Extract"). If you had selected "Wade Mode" it would have started pressurizing the battery pack to prevent water intrusion during deep water fording. Although Wade Mode has activated for me without undue wait the couple of times I needed it, I believe the manual states it can take up to 30 minutes. I assume that would be if it were activated when the high pressure system found itself in a low state of charge when Wade Mode was activated and it needed to run the compressor extensively.

If the day was warm, and the suspension had been cycled to enter Off-Road Mode and change suspension heights, the compressor could get hot (even without activating Wade Mode). This could happen on a cold day too, if the compressor were cycled enough. I believe the compressor has to be protected by software via a thermocouple to monitor temperature and shutting down if it's duty cycle/temperature is exceeded to prevent it from destroying itself.

How long it would take to exceed the system capacity for heat would depend upon the state of charge when you started testing systems that relied upon the compressor, how much the systems were cycled, and the starting temperature of the compressor and the air it was pumping.

These variables explain why you have seen conflicting results for how long various operations take. The results are not really conflicting, they reflect the fact that the times are not fixed, they are variable depending upon the starting state of the system in terms of initial pressure and temperatures (how much you have been cycling the system in the previous few minutes). When the Cybertruck was just released I saw people continuously cycling these systems as if they were toys, not tools and they will definitely reach their thermal limit and slow down when using them excessively. That could be why the Service Techs said it was normal.

Remember, the little compressor operates in the range of hundreds of pounds, this is not your typical tire inflator, it's going to get hot if you test the various settings. If it took minutes, not seconds, to go from Easy Entry to Extract, I would assume it was because the pump shut down mid-operation to allow heat to dissipate.

While neither you or I can say whether the truck had a defect or hit it's thermal limits (or simply started at a low pressure), I strongly suspect you missed out on taking delivery of the best truck you have never owned simply because you didn't trust the technicians who told you it was normal.

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[Mini2nut]

I would have rejected the vehicle as well and asked for a different ViN. Keep us posted on your 2nd delivery attempt.

 

[XyberTruck1]

Thanks for everyone's replies. Somewhat disappointed they (including delivery manager) tried to tell me it was normal for it to take 3 minutes to raise. Not much better than a used car dealership on that front.

 

[HaulingAss]

Thanks for everyone's replies. Somewhat disappointed they (including delivery manager) tried to tell me it was normal for it to take 3 minutes to raise. Not much better than a used car dealership on that front.

As I stated in the post a few minutes ago, it very well could be normal to take 3 minutes depending upon the state of charge of the air system when activated and the temperatures of the pump and the air it was pumping. The times are not fixed, they are variable.

 

[Mini2nut]

Thanks for everyone's replies. Somewhat disappointed they (including delivery manager) tried to tell me it was normal for it to take 3 minutes to raise. Not much better than a used car dealership on that front.

Did you ask for a fresh off the line replacement Cybertruck? What's the current status?

 

[mongo]

Although Wade Mode has activated for me without undue wait the couple of times I needed it, I believe the manual states it can take up to 30 minutes.

It operates for up to 30 minutes, it doesn't take 30 to be active (that's a bad data point from a YouTube video).

 

[ABILISK]

Could take up to 10 mins to fully activate, then can stay active for 30 mins

 

[RoboTaxi]

My VIN is 760XX. I’ve had my CT since Sunday. The height goes up and down flawlessly. It’s quick.

Holly smokes, vins are in the 7X,XXX now!

 

[HaulingAss]

It operates for up to 30 minutes, it doesn't take 30 to be active (that's a bad data point from a YouTube video).

Thanks for the correction, I misremembered, it's 10 minutes, not 30 minutes!

My point remains, clicking on Wade Mode when inspecting your new Cybertruck, accidentally or on purpose, could contribute to longer fill times when subsequently raising from Easy Entry to Extract Mode.

I suspect there was nothing wrong with the truck but it's impossible for any of us to say with any certainty, even the original poster. That's why I would tend to defer to the opinion of the on-site Tesla Service Tech before I said they were "not much better" than a used car lot (without any solid evidence to back that up).

 

[JCERRN]

Thanks for the correction, I misremembered, it's 10 minutes, not 30 minutes!

My point remains, clicking on Wade Mode when inspecting your new Cybertruck, accidentally or on purpose, could contribute to longer fill times when subsequently raising from Easy Entry to Extract Mode.

I suspect there was nothing wrong with the truck but it's impossible for any of us to say with any certainty, even the original poster. That's why I would tend to defer to the opinion of the on-site Tesla Service Tech before I said they were "not much better" than a used car lot (without any solid evidence to back that up).

To be fair, delivery teams have like no empathy these days. The customer service component just doesnt exist…i think its mostly because it doesnt have to… the cars still sell. The way OP made the manager sound is not dissimilar to other peoples experiences including my own, so not that far out there to consider possible.

 

[HaulingAss]

To be fair, delivery teams have like no empathy these days. The customer service component just doesnt exist…i think its mostly because it doesnt have to… the cars still sell. The way OP made the manager sound is not dissimilar to other peoples experiences including my own, so not that far out there to consider possible.

For heaven's sake, you have no better idea of what happened that day than I do. Like I said, it's possible, but unlikely, based upon the evidence we have, that there was a defect in the air suspension.

Much more likely the whole problem was just a customer, who thought he knew more than the Tesla Service Tech, being prickly and accusatory. And if I was a Tesla employee dealing with a prickly customer I wouldn't feel like giving them the time of day. I mean, if you've checked it out and couldn't identify the problem the customer was sure it had, what are you gonna do? Either the customer believes you, or they don't, it's not my problem.

To be clear, none of us will ever know if it was functioning correctly or not, based upon what we already know. But nothing that has been relayed is inconsistent with a perfectly functioning air system.

 

[mongo]

If the reservoir is low, it takes over 2 minutes to go from entry to high with compressor running most of the time.
If the reservoir is fullish (17 bar) it takes over 2 minutes to go from entry to extract, again with compressor running.
Four to five down up cycles will trigger the compressor thermal protection.

My earlier number were with a 19.7 bar tank starting pressure which is why they were so fast. I think off road mode sometimes triggers the higher pressure, but I'm not sure.

 

[BlueLightning]

Good evening,

I recently had a delivery day and everything looked good, until I tested the air suspension. It was on entry mode and I raised it to high.

I then asked them to try it on the demo truck and reluctantly they did. The demo raised to high in about 15 seconds. They then said I should accept delivery and have it repaired. I did not accept and left for day.

Thank you.

So glad you told them to kick bricks. Hope you get a quick VIN replacement soon.

 

[JCERRN]

For heaven's sake, you have no better idea of what happened that day than I do. Like I said, it's possible, but unlikely, based upon the evidence we have, that there was a defect in the air suspension.

Much more likely the whole problem was just a customer, who thought he knew more than the Tesla Service Tech, being prickly and accusatory. And if I was a Tesla employee dealing with a prickly customer I wouldn't feel like giving them the time of day. I mean, if you've checked it out and couldn't identify the problem the customer was sure it had, what are you gonna do? Either the customer believes you, or they don't, it's not my problem.

To be clear, none of us will ever know if it was functioning correctly or not, based upon what we already know. But nothing that has been relayed is inconsistent with a perfectly functioning air system.

I agree, its all just speculation here. Unfortunately though, OP had such a bad experience that he did not get the vehicle he wanted. Whether the experience was perceived or objective to him, its what happened and that sucks for him.

Teslas are not fail proof. they can have issues, even on delivery. Even if it’s rare, it can and does happen. Its still the purchaser’s discretion whether to actually accept delivery or not. People turn down VINs for much less than that.

 

[XyberTruck1]

I appreciate all the feedback, sincerely.

I raised and lowered the air suspension a total of 3 times. All of which took around 3 or so to do so.

For added info, When I first brought it to the attention of the advisor, they said it was normal for the air suspension to take minutes and interrupted the initial raising to show me how fast it would lower. I believe based on all the feedback here that most would agree that it is not normal, and at minimum cause for question.

I have been impressed with how courteous the tesla employees are, but also disappointed with how they (I perceive) they pressure the delivery and seem to say whatever it takes to complete the process and move on to the next.

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