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  1. TarmacSurfer

    Supercharger failure - Oak Brook Mall (dead Teslas?)

    As I used to tell my students (back in my CFI days), “good judgement comes from experience - and experience comes from bad judgement”. The hope of course is that it doesn’t necessarily have to be YOUR OWN bad judgement… IOW learn from the mistakes and failures of others and develop good...
  2. TarmacSurfer

    Supercharger failure - Oak Brook Mall (dead Teslas?)

    Nailed it. There’s this concept of “personal responsibility” that comes into play in just about everything in life. I’m a big believer in it, I was raised to have it and I raise my kids to have it, although it’s become an antiquated notion in our society today where everything must be someone...
  3. TarmacSurfer

    Supercharger failure - Oak Brook Mall (dead Teslas?)

    Not that facts matter to the EV-h8r crowd, but the fact is I use my M3 to go up to the mountains skiing pretty much every weekend. No issues. I’ve driven it in -15°C temps up at Mammoth and it sat overnight cold soaking in sub-zero (-18°C) temps overnight. Got in the next morning and drove it...
  4. TarmacSurfer

    What do you think is causing the limited tow capability of the new Cybertruck?

    Perhaps, but perhaps not… Most people who buy pickup trucks don’t actually use them to do things that can’t be done as well (or better) by other vehicle types - they buy them for image, status, and wanting to appear macho. As someone mentioned earlier, actual job site work trucks are typically...
  5. TarmacSurfer

    Wiki Super Heavy/Starship - General Development Discussion

    Booked my place in TX a few months ago for the eclipse - at that time most hotels still hadn’t caught on that there was going to be a high-demand event then. Now it’s either impossible to find space at all or the cost is so ridiculous as to be prohibitive (just for fun I went online a few weeks...
  6. TarmacSurfer

    Oil change in drive unit tesla model S

    Why do you feel you need to?
  7. TarmacSurfer

    Launch is Imminent

    Might be rolling out of Fremont now… sure looks like it in this post from Elon Musk a few minutes ago…
  8. TarmacSurfer

    SpaceX Starship - Integrated Flight Test #2 - Starbase TX - Including Post Launch Dissection

    Yea it’s encouraging that the water shield system seems to be working as designed however a 6% failure rate on the engines is not so encouraging. In aerospace, that’s way outside of acceptable tolerances for just about everything. So there undoubtedly will be some serious looking at that...
  9. TarmacSurfer

    SpaceX Starship - Integrated Flight Test #2 - Starbase TX - Including Post Launch Dissection

    So still no real information. What’s the over / under on this flying before Thanksgiving?
  10. TarmacSurfer

    Mountain Pass Performance Skid Plate Review

    Interesting - what’s the change in weight and cost? Never heard of this until now.
  11. TarmacSurfer

    Anyone getting bored with their car since there are few performance mods?

    I looked at the Taycan before deciding on the M3. It’s beautiful and it’s a Porsche, but the stats were inferior to the M3 across the board - range, charge time, acceleration, cost… and Tesla has its charging network. The higher end Taycans (“Turbo” or GTS) are different animals entirely but...
  12. TarmacSurfer

    Anyone getting bored with their car since there are few performance mods?

    That’s what motorcycles are for.
  13. TarmacSurfer

    Tesla announced it will offer FSD to competitors

    Haha, brilliant! Then FSD can crash someone else’s cars!
  14. TarmacSurfer

    Nvx kit wiring for 21 model

    Have you tried calling? I just checked their web site (was curious what this was all about and they look like they have some pretty cool sound system components). It shows (213) 444-1689 as the main number… just a thought. 🤷🏽 Good luck with it in any case!
  15. TarmacSurfer

    Paint touch up on bare metal?

    Clean it, paint it, forget about it. Once it’s protected from exposure to moisture and air (oxygen necessary for creation of iron oxides). Rust never sleeps. Attack it now.
  16. TarmacSurfer

    New tires in LA - where to go?

    Why not just go to Tesla service? That’s what I do. Not any more expensive than anywhere else.
  17. TarmacSurfer

    Rate of improvement

    Given the lack of skill demonstrated routinely by most drivers, that’s a pretty low bar! Your point is a good one though - technology and automation absolutely can and should be an improvement simply by virtue that it takes human emotion out of the process (aggressiveness, fear, impatience...
  18. TarmacSurfer

    Launch is Imminent

    Because they’re not that close. They want to believe they are, but they know stuff tends to go wrong. I give them credit for keeping their mouths shut until it’s actually ready. Way, way, way too much over-promising on the part of them and especially their CEO in the past. They’ve got a...
  19. TarmacSurfer

    Vacation - Leave Plugged In Or Not ?

    I refer back to Elon’s statement that “a plugged in Tesla is a happy Tesla”. As with everything Elon says, take it with a grain of salt, but I think it’s safe to say that leaving it plugged in would not be harmful, and may in fact be preferable (at a reasonable charge level - 80% max., 70% or...
  20. TarmacSurfer

    Rate of improvement

    The “answer” thus far to virtually any unanticipated situation with the Tesla AP is “slam on the brakes”. While a generally safe course of action (unless you’ve got someone right behind you that’ll end up in your trunk) it’s crude and prone to seriously pissing off everyone else around you -...
  21. TarmacSurfer

    Launch is Imminent

    Yep. The shift from prototype to production capability involves developing long and complex supply chain relationships with materials suppliers and manufacturers. That’s a very different problem than the engineering problems that get you through development of Proof of Concept. Building the...
  22. TarmacSurfer

    Model 3 - All wet and muddy [Salvage - Flood damaged vehicle]

    Why? To get a minimum value, unimpressive single-motor Model 3? I admire your ambition but it seems misplaced here. Maybe build a home fusion reactor or something that would be simpler and with a greater probability of successful outcome.
  23. TarmacSurfer

    About $100 off one's monthly car payment

    Negotiating based on a monthly payment means you can’t afford it. Always negotiate on total price including rate. You’ll come our way head long-term. Wherever the monthly payment lands, it lands - and you should never be paying minimum anyway. If you have to, you can’t afford it. Simple...
  24. TarmacSurfer

    Need opinions - tell me I’m right

    There’s someone being selfish in this scenario all right and it’s neither you nor your friend.
  25. TarmacSurfer

    Model 3 2021 rear view camera lag - potential court case

    Not the way I was taught, which was to put your arm on the passenger seat and turn your body and head so you’re looking out the rear glass. Mirrors work for fine adjustments such as making sure you’re centered in a stall, but I had it drilled into my head that the proper backup technique...
  26. TarmacSurfer

    Model 3 2021 rear view camera lag - potential court case

    Issue #1: “I bought a car made in China” Issue #2: “I back up using the camera instead of actually turning my head around and looking where I’m going” If I was on the jury I wouldn’t have a lot of sympathy.
  27. TarmacSurfer

    Tesla design chief Franz von Holzhausen on Roadster 2.0

    Is that like an actual calendar two weeks or the “two weeks to flatten the curve” sort of two weeks?
  28. TarmacSurfer

    Would you buy a black car again?

    I have owned several. For a daily driver? Not just “no” but “hell no”. For a collectible car or weekend-only garage Queen? Sure.
  29. TarmacSurfer

    Front License plates

    California here - nobody bothers with front plates, particularly on Teslas. Heck, if people can literally get mugged and robbed with little or no action by the police, are they really going to bother with this? I think the odds are pretty well in my favor, and if I get exceptionally unlucky to...
  30. TarmacSurfer

    Model 3 loaner help stranded

    Explain the situation. If they won’t except you, get a rental car and do your trip that way. Small price to pay for a new battery pack. In the big picture you’re still coming out way ahead
  31. TarmacSurfer

    Tesla now offering extended service agreements for certain vehicles

    Tesla would not be offering this unless they’ve done the analysis and determined they will come out ahead - and far ahead - on this “offer”. It’s just like any other service plan pump - profit-padding via upselling. IMHO you’re just betting against yourself. Hard pass. The one thing I’m kind of...
  32. TarmacSurfer

    Is hope in sight for our USS-less cars?

    “Perfume on a pig” comes to mind… I think it’s a question of when - not if - Tesla will quietly reinstate USS. Tesla Vision is IMHO the stupidest idea Tesla has come out with to date. Alienate prospective customers by trying to blatantly sell them a product inferior to the competition for...
  33. TarmacSurfer

    Washington Post: How Elon Musk knocked Tesla’s ‘Full Self-Driving’ off course

    It’s the Washington Post so Elon-hate is expected. That said, Tesla Vision is a complete failure and Elon’s slave-driving treatment of his employees won’t make up for his over promising and foolish decisions. The faster Tesla gets a good CEO with some actual vision (not Tesla Vision) again...
  34. TarmacSurfer

    Anti-EV comments heard on my roadtrip so far

    Let them bask in their ignorance. Every time I drive by a gas station without stopping I still smile a little. Yes, Tesla isn’t perfect but overall I’m pleased with mine and wouldn’t consider going back to an ICE car ever. I do believe EVs are a stopgap until something better (like hydrogen...
  35. TarmacSurfer

    Lego Ideas

    Needs a Lego Mr. Musk holding a whip in one hand for the employees and a lighter in the other for torching a big pile of money. 🥸
  36. TarmacSurfer

    Worried about the future of Tesla

    Tesla isn’t going anywhere. That said, their short term challenges are (1) restoring USS functionality / getting away from the ridiculous “Tesla Vision” approach, which is just a mistake and (2) getting rid of Elon as CEO. If they do those two things and keep the engineers doing what they do...
  37. TarmacSurfer

    Phantom braking without self-driving features?

    I can’t wait for that day! Unfortunately we’re not there yet - and probably a good 15-20 years away.
  38. TarmacSurfer

    Tire rotation on a Y Performance ? How is that possible with different sizes?

    You can drive for quite a while after the warning message. It’s basically a “heads up - you should think about getting tires soon”. And since they’ll run you $300-$400 a pop, budget for it. Tesla tires are not cheap. In theory you could rotate front-to-back if you had the same all around...
  39. TarmacSurfer

    2023 Model 3 without USS and proximity functionality [park assist / summon not available]

    Found this statement interesting on Tesla’s web site: Will vehicles equipped with ultrasonic sensors have their functionality removed? At this time, we do not plan to remove the functionality of ultrasonic sensors in our existing fleet. So while that’s good news at first glance, I can’t help...
  40. TarmacSurfer

    Cybertruck Will Feel Dated By the Time it Comes Out?

    I’m a big advocate of “under promise, over deliver”. Elon over promises and under delivers - constantly, usually to sucker people into giving him zero interest loans to fund his incomplete work. Sadly CT fits that profile. Roadster 2.0 definitely does.
  41. TarmacSurfer

    Supercharger - Laguna Hills, CA (LIVE 20 Jun 2023, 16 V3 stalls)

    Yep - thought it was all in the same thread but you’re correct. 😎
  42. TarmacSurfer

    Supercharger - Laguna Hills, CA (LIVE 20 Jun 2023, 16 V3 stalls)

    The bags were off and the stalls were illuminated (the red “Tesla” letters lit up) as of last night. Hoping that means they’re active now.
  43. TarmacSurfer

    Poll - When do you believe park assist will be available again?

    In the meantime all other manufacturers are integrating USS just fine into their cars… Tesla made a dumb choice to cheapen their product (probably because EM has been watching his wealth go up in smoke over the last few months - Along with his reputation and hopes of getting to Mars...
  44. TarmacSurfer

    Tesla Vision

    And now they’re not even including a wall charger. Tesla is just going cheap. In fairness, Elon has a $44,000,000,000 mistake to remedy sooooo…. 😁
  45. TarmacSurfer

    $1,500 for tires?!?!

    Thanks and yes - I keep my emergency air compressor and plug kit with me at all times. Recommended for everyone. Old touring motorcycle rider wisdom (no spares on bikes either, unless you have really old school tube tires).
  46. TarmacSurfer

    $1,500 for tires?!?!

    That’s pretty awesome - $240 an hour equates to a half mil a year income. Not too shabby at all. Sign me right up! Even if it means working for Musk I think I could hold my nose and put up with it for a while at those pay rates! Funny enough I got the sense Tesla really DID want to push the...
  47. TarmacSurfer

    What's the EV life like when Model 3 is the only car and drives 40k+ miles a year? Spoiler Alert, very long experience sharing

    I’d kill for $0.09 a KWh. Best rate I’ve seen out here is $0.31 off peak and some supercharging stations get north of $0.60. Almost as bad as gas at those prices.
  48. TarmacSurfer

    $1,500 for tires?!?!

    Maybe… for this replacement I’ll go through Tesla and stick with my “boring” 18” aero wheels but I’m going to plan on a full wheel / tire upgrade for the next time around. I’ve used Tire Rack that way in the past - still decent but nowhere as good as they used to be. Heck, I remember the “good...
  49. TarmacSurfer

    $1,500 for tires?!?!

    Good grief. Yes they’re some kind of weird run-flat, foam-filled exotic ones (parts $1,200-ish) so about $300 each. Steep but after considering the balancing, disposal and all the other BS “extras” a tire place would charge not horribly out of line. $240 for an hour of tech work. Wow. If...