The engine of your car is complex, it is not always easy to interpret all the signals it sends us. Nevertheless, it is absolutely important to try to stay on alert for the slightest symptom of weakness in your vehicle to limit the risk of serious concerns. If you have the sense that your clutch is slipping on your Tesla Model S, you’re right to have started researching. It’s a defect that must be taken into account quickly, otherwise you could end up with an unusable vehicle. To help you in your approach our team has decided to prepare this guide which should allow you to see more clearly and make the right decisions to avoid aggravating the issue and confirm that it is indeed the problem you are victim of. To get this done, we will first have a look at what a slipping clutch on Tesla Model S is and how to examine that this is what is happening to you, and then, what measures can be taken to correct the issue.
What is slipping clutch on Tesla Model S and how to spot it?
A Tesla Model S with a clutch that slips
The clutch of your Tesla Model S is the component that enables your car to change gears. It is located between your gearbox and your engine. It is the component that comes into contact with the flywheel which is located on the engine side and which will collect the power transmitted by the clutch. With wear, the clutch of your Tesla Model S slips because it is made up of notches that engage in the flywheel, and with wear and friction it wears out. It is said that the clutch slips when its teeth are too overused for it to engage on the flywheel.
How to spot clutch slipping on an Tesla Model S?
There are some ways to find out that the clutch of your Tesla Model S is slipping. You can carry out all of these checks without any help.
You can simply find out that your clutch slips when you accelerate and your engine revs up, but your car does not speed up, you may as well experience a burning smell.
To validate the first observation, you can stop, pull the parking brake, engage the first one, accelerate reasonably by releasing the clutch of your vehicle carefully, if your engine unit rises in revs but the Tesla Model S keeps stationary it is the symptom of a dead clutch.
Finally, you can put yourself, still in third gear, with the handbrake on, and by releasing it, your vehicle should stall, if not, your clutch is most likely dead.
What should I do when my clutch slips on my Tesla Model S?
Some advices to avoir the wear of your Tesla Model S clutch
We will right now give you some suggestions to limit the wear of your clutch and avoid your clutch slipping on your Tesla Model S. Firstly, it is wise not to leave your foot on the clutch pedal, whether or not the pressure you apply is very light you will pre wear the clutch release bearing which will eventually result in a complete change of the clutch kit. An additional point not to be omitted, do not over-accelerate when you start your car, your acceleration must always be adapted to the velocity of your engine unit. If you are at a standstill accelerate slowly, if you are at medium speed accelerate gradually when you release the clutch pedal of your car so as not to make it slip against your engine flywheel.
Replacing your Tesla Model S clutch
Finally, in this last portion, we will discuss the repair part. In circumstance the clutch of your Tesla Model S is dead, you might be stuck at a standstill and have no other choice than to contact the tow truck, because a dead clutch no longer allows the transmission to transmit power to the wheels. If this is the circumstance, take note that you will have to replace the complete clutch kit, this repair needs quite a few hours of work and is estimated to cost between 500 and 1200 euros according to the engine and the workshop.
If perhaps you have any further questions about the Tesla Model S, do not hesitate to consult our Tesla Model S category.
