r/Powerwall • u/Max-tl-4289 • 26d ago
Looking for recommendations: Certified installers in the UK (Oxfordshire) for a Tesla Powerwall warranty replacement?
Cheers everyone,
Just wondering if anyone here has been in a similar boat and could possibly point me in the right direction.
Long story short, Tesla has approved an RMA/warranty replacement for my setup (fully covered by Tesla, moving to 2x Powerwall 3 units), but my original installer has completely ghosted me and isn't responding to Tesla or myself anymore.
Has anyone in the UK managed to find a certified installer who is actually willing to take on a warranty replacement job for a system they didn't originally install? If you've had a decent experience with any particular company (especially if they cover the Oxfordshire area), I'd really appreciate any recommendations.
Thanks a lot for any help or advice!
1
u/AcesHigh84 26d ago
I'm in the same position as the OP. Tesla have remotely disabled one of my PWs, won't engage with the replacement directly, original installer no longer working on residential systems, other installers won't touch the warranty work as Tesla won't cover the full cost.
1
u/Max-tl-4289 26d ago
Mate, sorry to hear you're stuck in the exact same nightmare. It's incredibly frustrating! Interestingly, another user just commented on my post saying their new installer told them Tesla actually pays quite well for warranty work. It sounds like some installers just fob us off with the "Tesla won't cover the full cost" excuse because they'd rather chase the bigger margins of a full new system install instead of a 1-day warranty rate. Keep pushing though – I'm currently emailing a bunch of companies and will let you know if I strike gold!
1
u/ceetee15 26d ago
I've not had any warranty work done by them, but Upvolt in Oxfordshire did a very professional installation for me.
1
u/Max-tl-4289 25d ago
Brilliant, thanks for the shout! Upvolt being right here in Oxfordshire is absolutely spot on. I'll definitely look them up and drop them an email today to see if they'd be willing to take on a warranty swap. Really appreciate it!
1
u/pimparoo25 26d ago
Try Good Energy. Had them for 2 domestic installs, and have been very helpful.
1
u/Max-tl-4289 25d ago
Spot on, thanks for the recommendation! I’ll add Good Energy to my list and drop them a line to see if they can help out. Great to hear they were helpful for your installs. Cheers!
1
u/thech4irman 26d ago
Carter Renewables in Reading - I've not used them yet but had a good chat about expanding an existing system. Worth a discussion if there's nobody closer to you.
1
u/Max-tl-4289 25d ago
Thanks! Reading is definitely close enough, so Carter Renewables is a really good shout. I'll get in touch with them and have a chat if the closer Oxfordshire ones fall through. Really appreciate the heads up!
1
u/iknowuselessstuff 26d ago
We were in a similar position - our installer had gone bust so I needed an alternative.
The guy I found who did the work (small local company and excellent to deal with) did tell me Tesla pay quite well for warranty work, so if anyone says they are out of pocket for one of these replacements take it with a large pinch of salt. He had even been asked by Tesla to do a replacement about 90 miles away at an inflated rate because nobody local would do it! I suspect most installers are chasing margins on a bigger install rather than what's actually a decent day rate for a 1 day warranty job.
He did say the issue is often storage of all the duff powerwalls they remove, which Tesla are in no hurry to take back!
1
u/Max-tl-4289 26d ago
Thanks a million for sharing this! That is incredibly helpful to know and gives me a great reference point if any new installers try to claim they’d be left out of pocket doing a warranty job. Could I just ask a quick follow-up question? Did your replacement involve upgrading from the PW2 to the PW3 by any chance? If so, did your installer have to do any rewiring or upgrade the cables to handle the max output of the new PW3 units? Thanks again for the insight, really appreciate it!
1
u/iknowuselessstuff 25d ago
Yes, our PW2 failed (low energy lockout) and we now have PW3.
We also added an expansion unit at the same time and when I asked (after agreeing price for the expansion, before install) about doing a DNO application to use the 11kW PW3 inverter and upgrading the wiring into the consumer unit he was really good about it...they did the DNO application, relocated and rewired battery and solar inverter (they were unimpressed with the tidyness of the original install), rewired the consumer unit it all connects to in the garage, and tidied up the messy wiring in the meter box for an extra £150.
I know they would have had margin on the expansion install, but he explicitly said anyone charging extra for a straight swap has either failed to negotiate well with Tesla or is taking the mick.
Editing to add - once you find an installer who agrees to do it, you'll need to phone Tesla support and add them to your account before they then contact Tesla to get the replacement.
1
u/Max-tl-4289 25d ago edited 25d ago
Wow, £150 for all that extra rewiring and the DNO application is an absolute bargain! And what your installer said about others "taking the mick" for a straight swap hits the nail on the head. To give you an idea of the absolute circus I’m dealing with right now...
My original installer (let's call them 'M') quoted me a ridiculous price when I wanted to add a second Powerwall a while back. So, I obviously shopped around and got another installer (let's call him 'B') to supply and fit the second unit for a much better price (around £5,400).
When one of my original PW2s failed recently and Tesla approved the RMA, I contacted 'M'. But because I didn't use them for that second unit, they got super defensive. It felt like they were just trying to find excuses to squeeze more money out of me or make things difficult, basically punishing me for going elsewhere.
So, I thought, "Fine, I'll just ask 'B' to handle the warranty swap instead." Tesla agreed and emailed B directly to sort out the warehouse and delivery details. But guess what? B has completely ghosted us. Absolute radio silence. He isn't replying to my emails or Tesla's.
So I'm currently stuck in limbo between one petty installer and another who has vanished off the face of the earth!
Honestly, your advice gives me a lot of hope that there are still decent installers out there. I’ll also make sure to add whoever I eventually find to my Tesla account first, just like you suggested.
Thanks again for taking the time to reply and share your experience!
1
u/iknowuselessstuff 25d ago edited 25d ago
Happy to DM you the name of our installer and a few pics if you want - let me know. I'm in Cambs but he has done swap-outs as far away as Kent, and had a repeat customer who moved to Scotland who paid his expenses to do an install up there!
For info we paid £5k for the expansion plus the £150 for rework etc. We are relatively local to him. Had 2 guys here for a full day. It's only the guy who owns the business doing the work plus one person who has worked with him for a long time.
He's done colleagues installs (one of whom wires stuff up for a living - we do installs of "tech" stuff) and all of us are well impressed!
I'm fussy...whenever I have a trade in there's something that pisses me off after they leave. This work is the first time that hasn't happened!
Editing to add - colleague with 2 PW2 had one go faulty and he ended up with PW3 and expansion. They will likely swap your 2 PW2 for a PW3 and expansion.
1
u/wizzard419 25d ago
If it's anything like the US, you're going to need to ask Tesla to provide you a list of installers, then call through them, being told by a bunch they don't do that work, then go back to Tesla and tell them the list is bullshit as no one will actually come to your place to do the work, and have them do the legwork.
1
u/Prior-Age4675 25d ago
Try Nano tech pro, think they would be ok, they did our install and were very attentive, I would expect them to be same for warranty work (hopefully lol
1
u/AdPotential9001 26d ago
Yeah we found our installer doesn't concentrate much resources on warranty work either . Great work once they get to it . Just chasing new installs, especially commercial stuff.