Why would you want Tesla to cover damage you caused with your installation?Great community here, guys! Thank you all for your comments and input. Because of your input and suggestions, I was able to correct the issue:
I remounted the rearview mirror camera, entered the service menu, and calibrated the FSD cameras. I took the truck out for a 15 to 20-minute drive, giving the cameras time to re-calibrate, and everything was normal. There are no error messages on the screen. FSD is again available. All is well.
That service tech, though well-meaning, needs more training. All the truck needed was a camera calibration. He should never have touched the camera. His evaluation that the sky was falling was speculation, opinion, and shade tree, and he had no technical training foundation to support it.
Has anyone else experienced similar issues after installing a rearview mirror camera?
I made a service appointment to have the Tesla OME light bar installed:
Tesla's service department did not install the light bar, claiming that the third-party rearview mirror camera was too heavy, causing the components under the triangle area housing the FSD cameras and other components to separate from the windshield. The only fix is to replace the windshield.
Tesla service claims that the weight of the rearview mirror camera has pulled the area housing the FSD cameras away from the windshield so much that it has caused the front FSD camera to lose calibration. The service department claims the only fix is to replace the entire windshield, as the laminated area separated from the windshield cannot be repaired. The Tesla service department suggests that I not re-install the camera once the windshield is replaced at my own expense (because it is a third-party installation ). I’m calling it bull that the camera's weight is so heavy that it has pulled the laminate off the window, causing the issue with the FSD cameras.
I thought it was strange that a service tech called me at 10:54 a.m. to ask, “When did you have the camera installed?” without offering additional information about the light bar installation. After I gave them an approximate date, they then informed me that, yes, that is the date that the issue first appeared in our records for your truck.
The whole story:
Saturday: I set an 11 O’clock appointment (Sat. 1/18/ 2025) to install the Tesla OME light bar. Service informed me sometime after 2 p.m. that they would be unable to install the light bar that day because the experienced technician was not present, and they did not want to damage my truck. I was aggravated that they waited until 2 p.m. to tell me ( I got off work at 7 a.m. and had to return at 7 p.m.), but I could respect the techs, admitting they did not have enough experience to complete the job. I was offered a courtesy car, and I was given the option to leave the truck and pick it up on Monday with the light bar installed by their expert Cybertruck service guy.
Monday: The Tesla service department did not communicate with me until I messaged them via the Tesla app around 5:30 p.m., asking if the service completion time of 5:45 p.m. in the app was valid. After receiving the “your service is complete” message, I returned the courtesy car to pick up my truck. The light bar was not installed, and the rearview mirror was hanging by its wires. The mirror was fully installed and working when I left the truck at the Tesla service department.
I inquired why the light bar was not installed, why the mirror was hanging by its wires, and if they were having problems, why they didn’t communicate that to me before my arrival to pick up a finished product. First, I was told they could not re-install the mirror they removed without me signing a waiver because it is a third-party device. Second, the windshield would have to be replaced because the damage caused by the weight of the third-party rearview mirror could not be repaired.
It's unacceptable. Please reinstall the mirror that you removed because I don’t want to accept the truck back in that condition. They refused without me signing a waiver. I would not sign a waiver. I did not sign a waiver for them to remove it. They say I did when I signed the service agreement. I wanted to leave the truck and keep the courtesy car, but they refused; with no longer a warranty issue, you’re on your own as to how you get home or take the truck as is or call other transportation. I complained about the service to no avail.
They claim that the components under the triangle plastic area have pulled away from the windshield due to the weight of the third-party mirror, causing the FSD cameras to fail calibration. They gave me the truck back with the rearview mirror camera hanging by its wires. According to them, the windshield would have to be replaced anyway.
Red arrows point to the area they say is separating from the windshield... due to the weight of the rearview mirror camera.
I put the camera back after first removing it to evaluate the service techs claim. Everything was tight, sturdy, solid! I put the rearview mirror camera back in place and calibrated the cameras via the service menu. Everything is operating fine, like it all never happened. The service tech did not need to and should not have removed the rearview mirror camera.
There was no damage caused by my installation. That's the point. The tech was mistaken. There was no cameras sagging or loose lamination. He simply saw an error on or around the time period that I installed the camera and assumed all the rest. All the truck needed was a camera calibration. There was no need for him to touch that rearview mirror camera, let alone remove it. I believe he experienced how hard it was to get that screw back in and decided he'd better get a waiver.
Oh, I'm sorry! No, I did not have those kind of problems.
I was thinking the black beauty border on the windshield or the bracket bonded to it detached, not the two panes of glass.
Well, warranty repairs are a financial loss for the company, not unlike insurance. Any reason they can find to not do the repair is well documented and relieves them of legal liability for the warranty which is all they are trying to establish there.
Personally, I think the weight of the digital Rear-view mirror should be fine, but in my 35+ years of owning vehicles, I have seen many rear-view mirrors detach from the glass due to poor adhesives, so it is not totally out of the question.
Thanks. I never saw that.
