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Thanks y'all! And yeah, I noticed the service center error too. Still, I thought it was a pretty good story given they cold-called me that evening, met me at my gym, drove around with me while recording audio and video on a couple of different devices, and then had a story to air at 10pm that...

Well, golly! I can't seem to keep myself out of the news! Out of the blue, I got a call from reporter Pooja Lodhia of ABC 13 Eyewitness News wanting to joyride in my autopilot-enabled Model S because of the recent fatality involving a Tesla driver on autopilot. She and her cameraman actually...

As my wife informed me that she wants a Tesla too, I have again hired Cheikh, this time to install a 220V outlet on the opposite side of my garage from my original charge connector. Not only that, but I had him move my original charge connector to a different, more convenient, location. I...

Since I once complained bitterly to anyone and everyone who would listen about the lack of a Supercharger in Victoria, I'll go ahead and mention, even at this late date, that I've used this charger several times and I'm sooooooo grateful that it's finally on-line. It has made my trips between...

I can confirm Electricfan's 11/17/2015 observation regarding bridges. It also applies to overpasses. In particular, there's one overpass on northbound 59, southwest of 610 where my car likes to leave the lane. And, yep, the road over this overpass curves slightly. I suspect the problem is...

Howdy Stephen! Long time no see, eh? Thanks for the info. I'll check with Cham's to see if that's the best option for me or if I can somehow make use of the wall connector I already have while adding another.

I was dismayed by the pistol-concealing options in my Model S until I realized something wonderful about the center console. I borrowed Mobe's pic from above to illustrate. See that spot between and to the left of the two cup holders opposite the glasses? It's the PERFECT place to stow an...

Howdy folks! I haven't posted in a while. Wrecking my Model S and then getting busy with work took me out of my rhythm. Glad to see some familiar faces still here. What got me back to the forum was Tesla's own Brent Seavey who is helping me buy a 2nd Model S for my family. My wife has been...

Thanks for the offer, but the story is on the KHOU site already. It turned out pretty good! However, I don't seem to have made the point that Teslas can, indeed, change lanes by themselves. Also, can any Tesla really go 200 MPH? I thought the Model S topped out at 155. Oh well, whatever...

It seems my celebrity status is growing! The author of the Cite Magazine article offered to pass my name on to Doug Miller, Senior Reporter for KHOU, so he could air a story on self-driving cars. I went along with it and got to drive around the west side of Houston with Doug and a cameraman...

Cheikh did my installation too, which was a bit more involved than most. My garage is detached which required digging a trench and laying conduit between the house and garage and installing a sub-panel in the garage. All this required a city permit which Cheikh obtained. The job proceeded...

Me too. I've lived with cars and without cars and I prefer without.

A former student of my wife was doing an article on self-driving cars so, of course, she told the guy he should contact me about my Tesla to talk about its autopilot feature. I met the guy, drove him around Houston, and here are the results: a nice YouTube video and articles in OffCite magazine...

Yeah, me too. And that includes accidentally activating both the windshield wipers and the headlights before remembering how to engage autopilot.

I got my car back! Katy Coach Works did a great job repairing my Model S. Even up close, I can't tell that the car was ever damaged and it drives just like it used to - wonderfully, that is. They even cleaned the car very nicely inside and out before delivery and offered to pick me up from...

Wow, there really isn't much in the neighborhood. I wonder if the LaQuinta will allow Tesla drivers a quick dip in that hot tub that I think I see in the drone photo...

Congratulations! Getting the car with autopilot was a good move. You'll love it. The three weeks will pass quickly if you use the time to have a wall connector installed in your garage. :)

I would, but my car is still in the shop.

Thanks for trying to pry some info out of Tesla. :)

Sounds like my best bet is to get something to-go and then eat it in my car while charging (the BBQ place sounds nice) or bring a deck of cards. Either way, I'm good. I'll go ahead and mention, the hotel that hosts the Columbus, TX Supercharger station was very nice and accommodating during my...

So, my options while charging are Valero and McDonalds? Ugh! Anything else in the area?

It just hit me... No, cold is not really a factor in Texas, but heat is. When temperatures get up near (and sometimes past) 100F, the air conditioner has to work very hard to cool the cabin.

The trip from Houston to Corpus Christi is certainly do-able on an 85kWh battery if you don't mind staring at single-digit %charge at destination for the entire trip and arriving with about 3%. It's especially fun when the car starts out saying you'll land with 10%-ish and then watching that...

Awesome! Looks like it should be done by the time my car gets out of the shop. Thanks for the update.

My own experience of driving from Houston to Corpus Christi has been pretty dismal. With my 85kWh battery, I can just BARELY make it if I drive 5-10mph less than the speed limit. Once in Corpus Christi, charging options are pretty limited and include the mall or the Best Western on Padre...

Wow, thanks for the vote of confidence! So far, David of Katy Coach Works has been great. I've tried to leave him alone while he deals with my insurance company and prepares to order parts. Then, out of the blue, he called me to give me an update. My damage seemed pretty minor at first...

Ahhh... That may explain why my installation works as I have no front license plate. But then, if you have a front license plate, you might as well attach the bar to the license plate. I mean, if you're going to draw a mustache on the Mona Lisa, you might as well make it a big one. :)

You're welcome. I had occasion recently to remove my nosecone and found that the Westchase Service Center had merely zip-tied the EZ-Tag to the metal behind the nosecone. Had I known that's all it took, I would have done it myself. I'll be interested to hear if your installation behind the...

I got my EZ-Tag in Houston at HCTRA's Westpark service center. They recommended getting the gigantic bar-shaped tag that ordinarily mounts over the top of the license plate. I accepted it and took it straight to Tesla's Westchase service center where the mounted it under the nosecone of my car...

Update: My car is now at Katy Coach Works. I drove by to take a look and to meet David, the guy who will be coordinating the effort to fix my car. David was great. He expressed great admiration for Teslas and said that they'd repaired about a hundred of them already. In fact, he pointed to a...

Although that looks nasty, it is not what I hit. I was exiting a freeway and expected a gentle veer to the right onto an access road. Instead, there was a sharp turn to the right protected by a median. Signs had been posted to warn motorists of the sharp turn, but they had been sheered off by...

I loved that checklist! Even though I've driven my rental ICE for a whole day, I still left the dang thing running after parking and walking toward the front door of my favorite taqueria. Why can't these stupid things turn themselves off? :) And yes, I found that I had to pour an expensive...

Thanks, Blue. Had I been in a car with higher center of gravity, it would have rolled for sure. Thank goodness for that 900-pound battery!

I spent the weekend in Corpus Christi at the Padre Island Best Western, the only motel or hotel in Corpus with destination charging. The staff there were great. They made sure the Tesla spot was clear before I arrived. They had a 2nd charger of the CHAdeMO variety but I stuck with the Tesla...

If you were the first Tesla to stay at the Padre Island Best Western, I'll be the second as I plan to stay there over the Thanksgiving weekend. Thanks for blazing the trail! :smile: Before I got the Tesla, I liked to stay at the Omni downtown. When I asked them about a charger, they replied...

Sweet! That's almost the same feature set I got only the 90kWh battery wasn't available when I ordered. I have range envy... :) BTW, I had my seat belts checked yesterday at the Westchase service center. The process was quick and easy. In fact, the guy was ready for me to sign off after I'd...

Yeah, I got the UHFS and I'm pretty happy with it. I'm only disappointed when my daughter switches the station to dubstep and cranks up the volume. At that point, it seems the amp can't quite control the speakers as well as it should causing the sound to get muddy. But hey, we're talking...

I emailed the Houston service center late at night and got a return call the following morning.

My main reason for getting an 85D was to maximize range. In that regard, I found it entirely necessary.

Congratulations! Sounds like you'll be getting a sweet car. Good call on getting 19" wheels. I wanted 21 but got 19 given Houston's less-than-wonderful streets. I haven't regretted the decision. For me, Smart Air Suspension has been a must-have feature. I have a steep driveway at home and...

I'm delighted with my car's new feature. I use auto-pilot during my daily 10-mile jaunt down the Westpark Tollway to work and likewise back home. This is a perfect scenario for auto-pilot. The road is straight. The lanes are well-marked. There's no on-coming traffic. I sit calmly with my...

I'm no longer going to Corpus Christi this weekend so I won't be able to scout the location.

Hooray! My prayers (and frequent bitching) have been answered! I'll be visiting Corpus Christi next weekend. If I feel like I've got the electrons to spare, I swing by the site and report on what I see.

I considered leasing a Model S back in May and even got a quote emailed to me from a Tesla Credit Specialist so this latest email seemed like old news to me. Despite the disadvantages of leasing, I seriously considered it for two reasons: 1. I'd never owned an electric car. There was a chance...

Granted, Tesla's answer was vague. However, I took comfort in the fact that they did not say, "...approaching the permitting phase."

In other news, I was perusing the Supercharger map to see if Tesla finally got around to sticking one in Victoria, TX. I didn't find a stick-pin in Victoria, but there was an email address to send Supercharger inquiries. Not being shy, I requested a status update for the proposed Victoria...

Well, I went and did it. I took my car to EVS Motors for window tinting. The results look great, although they didn't at first. The film seemed wavy and looking through it was like looking through Coke bottle glass. I questioned the staff about this quite sternly. They reassured me that it...

I wondered what that weird car in the back was. :)

Here's what the window tinting guy was quoting: https://www.txdps.state.tx.us/rsd/vi/consumerinfo/windowTint.htm Click on "Windshield" and see #5.

Thanks for the good info, JMG! I checked out your installer's FB page. Your guy does really great work and I found the pictures to be most illuminating. :) In particular, there was a 70D that's the same interior and exterior colors as my car which gave me a good impression of how my car might...