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  1. MitchL

    How did you Justify 95k car purchase?

    My justification in a nutshell: - it's a car designed and built right here in Silicon Valley, the way we do things out here. - I'll be part of the first generation that leaves internal combustion behind. - powered by the sun, no noise, no emissions. - my wife amazingly said "yes". Don't know...
  2. MitchL

    Lifetime Average Wh/mi

    Finally getting around to updating this: Signature VIN#936, 21" tires: Cumulative since purchase (Nov 2012): 18.3K miles, 374Wh/mi Last 3000 miles: 382Wh/mi. Location: SF Bay Area Driving: Mostly city/local commuting, occasional freeway drives. I'm guessing my higher figures are due to...
  3. MitchL

    Random Model S sightings

    No pictures, since I was driving, but: Three Model S's so far while vacationing here on Maui: A brown one parked along Dairy Road earlier this week. A silver in traffic somewhere in the valley, I forgot exactly where. A Sunset red with the dark turbine wheels parked at the Japanese restaurant...
  4. MitchL

    Are there any discounts or free options when paying cash for new Tesla S in Canada?

    In the regular dealer-network car buying world, I think the "pay cash" incentive for discount works because it tells a dealer you're serious, you want to buy today, and you'll stop shopping if they take your money immediately. They value volume as much as profit. Past couple of times I went...
  5. MitchL

    Nice review in Classic Driver - "Tesla Model S: Child of the revolution"

    I dunno, sometimes I think I need to be driving in a particular direction for the XM antenna to work.... So .. maybe? :-) /Mitch.
  6. MitchL

    Tesla S - Daily Driver or Second Car?

    Daily driver here too. We kept the minivan for long out-of-state trips and Home Depot runs (5 people in the household, my father-in-law lives with us). About 1K miles per month on the Model S, I think I've bought at most 4 tanks of gas for the van since last November. My wife's due for a new...
  7. MitchL

    A/C Evaporator Drain Location

    I emailed ownership about this and they responded with a phone call -- I also get puddles near the driver's rear wheel. It's definitely AC condensate. In my case, water appears to dribble along the plastic gasket that goes between the battery and the frame and finally falls out near the rear...
  8. MitchL

    Webcam's at Superchargers

    Doesn't even have to be video. A couple of the local parking garages here now have sensors over each stall so that the counter displays on each floor are accurate. You'd have all the info you need: - Car not present, charger inactive: open for use - Car present, charger not connected to a...
  9. MitchL

    Firmware 4.5

    I got some sort of update today, but it failed to install. Dialog on the screen says it'll try to remind me about it later. I was on some variant of 4.5 already, so I wonder what happened... Mitch.
  10. MitchL

    HPWC Dead

    Interesting info, thanks! The main point I was trying to make was for those attempting to replace fuses not to try to put larger ones in. I'm spooked even to change brands, and will deal with blown fuses until Tesla comes up with a real fix. /Mitch.
  11. MitchL

    HPWC Dead

    The fuses I used are the same type, rating, and brand (same part #) as the originals. Messing with the rating or type is probably unsafe, so changing brands might be the only variable I mess with. Something in the car (or charger) is drawing >100A on what is supposed to be an 80A load. Those...
  12. MitchL

    HPWC Dead

    I should have taken pictures of the fuses - they're the ones that say "Edison" on them, little cylinders with big tabs sticking out top and bottom. You can see them in the upper left side of the HPWC when it's opened. I bought my replacements at (I'm sure there are cheaper places)...
  13. MitchL

    HPWC Dead

    Does your HPWC have a green light on? If there are no green LEDs at all, and your main breaker is ON, then you probably blew the internal fuse like many others (including me) have encountered. This fuse blowing bug happens when charging at 80A, which is why the 4.5 firmware caps you at 60A for...
  14. MitchL

    Model S - HPWC (High Power Wall Connector)

    Replaced the blown fuse in my HWPC today. Unfortunately, the rear fuse was the one that blew, and it's a real PITA to get out/in. The side walls of the charger make it a really tight squeeze to get the screws on and off. But, 15 minutes of wrangling later, I'm back in operation (and have 4...
  15. MitchL

    Model S - HPWC (High Power Wall Connector)

    I can't think of any options that don't require replacing the HWPC either (that's kind of what I was asking). Sounds expensive for TSLA. Wonder how many HWPCs they've sold. If the fix is a replacement unit, someone will need to install it (many of us could do it ourselves, but not all are...
  16. MitchL

    Model S - HPWC (High Power Wall Connector)

    So, I finally blew a fuse in my HPWC (I never reduced my charge current, wondering if this problem would eventually get to me) - what's odd is that it must have happened just as the car was finished charging. When I left for work this morning I had a full charge. This evening I noticed that...
  17. MitchL

    HPWC charging at 40 amps - (Resolved)

    Are the switches inside your HPWC set to say you have a 100A breaker? /Mitch.
  18. MitchL

    Random Model S sightings

    If you're referring to Pedro's in Santa Clara, I was one of them :-). Not random, but your random mention of it makes it random!
  19. MitchL

    Model S - HPWC (High Power Wall Connector)

    It's an enPhase "envoy" PV energy monitor - it communicates with the micro-inverters in the solar panels and uploads stats to the web. To get the best signal it is electrically near the PV array. Right-hand breaker box is where the inverters aggregate together to feed the main panel (which is...
  20. MitchL

    Model S - HPWC (High Power Wall Connector)

    On-topic part: The HPWC cable is definitely thicker. One "problem" with it is that eventually when I get both our cars into the garage, the tesla connector sticks out far enough that my wife might hit it when she comes in to park. The HPWC's cable does not bend as easily, so it sticks out...
  21. MitchL

    Model S - HPWC (High Power Wall Connector)

    Thanks -- what you can't see in the picture is the sea of moving boxes that are still in the garage, preventing me from actually putting the car next to the charger. The cable's long enough to reach all the way to the left-side garage bay. I sure wish there were charge ports on both sides of...
  22. MitchL

    Model S - HPWC (High Power Wall Connector)

    My HPWC arrived last week. My electrician finally had some free time in the morning and we got it installed. (He tells me all of a sudden he has 6 more to do, so they're definitely shipping). While larger than the UMC, it's still a pretty small unit. No cable organizer yet - for now I...
  23. MitchL

    Traffic Light Sensors not tripped by Model S

    I thought I was the only one that noticed this, but I'm not sure I'm ready to pin it on my Model S. There are two traffic lights here in Saratoga CA that I stop at regularly, and I have had issues with the sensor tripping. (for those that live around here, left turn from CA-9 to Fruitvale...
  24. MitchL

    When are auto extending door handles coming (or not)?

    I spoke to service in Menlo about this recently and there's definitely some sort of hardware issue going on with my car. I'm going to do some experiments shortly and have them pull the logs to prove it, but the suspicion is that one of the keyfob antennae is either not hooked up or is...
  25. MitchL

    Lifetime Average Wh/mi

    383 Wh/mi here, 3300mi on the odo, 1.2MWh total consumed. (lots of local driving so far, not much on the freeways). The best part is the solar (which went online at the same time my Model S arrived) has generated 2.25MWh so far. All those miles are "free!"... :-). I second your request...
  26. MitchL

    Firmware 4.2

    "Settings" was a bad choice of words on my part. I was wondering if they changed how high off the ground "standard" is in 4.2 (an internal setting, or software parameter, I suppose). It could be a tiny difference, but enough to affect me. I am trying to figure out why my car all of a sudden...
  27. MitchL

    When are auto extending door handles coming (or not)?

    There are no dumb questions. This one is truly a puzzle to me. Definitely enabled, and remember I can't get the driver's door to present when I tap it. I _can_ tap to present (or could) in the past when the door was unlocked. I tried cycling through all combinations of door settings...
  28. MitchL

    Firmware 4.2

    Has 4.2 changed the way the suspension settings work? My driveway has a little steep lip on it. Until 4.2 I could drive out of my driveway and the nose would not bottom out (on standard setting). This morning, exiting at the same speed (which is pretty slow, but not creeping), the nose...
  29. MitchL

    When are auto extending door handles coming (or not)?

    My observations are getting even weirder. This morning my son just tapped the passenger door and it opened before I could reach for the fob. So: the car definitely can sense the presence of the key (without touching it). When I walk up to the car, I can open the trunk by pressing the trunk...
  30. MitchL

    When are auto extending door handles coming (or not)?

    So, I finally got my first software update... from the original "1.x" to 4.2. It's pretty cool so far. But: My door handles are pouting. When I approach the car, I was hoping to see the happy "let's go!" handle extension, but no... my car says "do we *have* to?" and I need to click the fob...
  31. MitchL

    Who else is installing both the 14-50 220v outlet and HPWC?

    I have a 175A breaker installed in my main panel (feeds one of the house panels) that takes at least 4 spaces. That's why I was wondering. At some amperage you need to contact the bus bar multiple places per leg to handle the load. I didn't quote code (don't have the book handy), did not...
  32. MitchL

    Who else is installing both the 14-50 220v outlet and HPWC?

    With my recent remodel (and upgrade from 125A to 400A service!) I now have *three* NEMA14-50s. One's outside near the meter pedestal (convenient for guest charging), one in the middle garage bay for the wife's future EV (if I can convince her), and one near the workshop bay for use by machine...
  33. MitchL

    IPhone and Bluetooth

    I've had this happen several times, and for me it's sporadic. It tends to happen more often when I go in/out of bluetooth range often, like unloading groceries with my phone in my pocket. *sometimes* it cures itself if I walk away from the car (car turns off and locks) and come back later. I...
  34. MitchL

    How to read electric meter screens after solar installed?

    If your smart meter says "delivered", you're receiving power from the grid (using grid power). If it says "received", you are sending excess power to the grid. The 88888 display is a test so you know the LCD is working properly. Gas pumps do this too. The kwh number is the amount delivered...
  35. MitchL

    Incoming utility cable capacity - A cautionary tale

    Wow, this is an amazing story. Glad everyone's safe! I've recently updated my house from 125A to 400A, added 10.5KW of solar, and of course now have the Model S (HPWC eventually) plus an electric garage heater and other new loads. All was done with the blessing of PG&E, so they were aware of...
  36. MitchL

    Screenshot feature, where are they saved?

    Confirmed, at least for me. When my car is at home, its IP address is in the 10.x.x.x block, which is typically used for NAT. My phone (on AT&T) gets a similar IP address. So, port scanning isn't going to be too helpful... /Mitch.
  37. MitchL

    The Key Fob

    I've seen the "no key" message a couple of times, and for me it's 100% correlated with having my fob in the same pocket as my phone (iPhone5), and in particular, when it's in my left pocket. The way things settle in my pocket, the fob is usually behind the phone and its aluminum back, so the...
  38. MitchL

    12V battery issues (error messages/car charging problems)

    DC-to-DC converters do have inefficiencies, but I believe the issue is that Tesla (and other EVs) would like to leave the main contactor (a huge relay that gates the large battery's power) OFF as much as possible. If the car is sitting there idle, and all you need is to keep the computers...
  39. MitchL

    18650 Batteries

    Actually, I think the 7000 cells is Tesla's secret sauce. - By using commodity form factors, they get the benefits of commodity pricing. Even if they use their own special chemistry, they get to use Panasonic's already-built production lines. - The pack's architecture and series/parallel...
  40. MitchL

    Random Model S sightings

    Today (12/29) at about 1PM: Brand new Gray Model S, 19" wheels, (no plates, with Tesla license frame and "No Emissions" sign) on Crisp Avenue in Saratoga. If that's you and you were heading home, you live very near to me! Great to have another one in the neighborhood! /Mitch.
  41. MitchL

    Trip Down Memory Lane - 3 years and 11 Steps to Bliss!

    Excellent story - makes me feel guilty for having waited only one year for mine. (actually, no. I don't feel guilty at all :-) ). I wired my funds just so I wouldn't have to think about money during the delivery, but my DS told me a regular personal check at the delivery would be fine, not...
  42. MitchL

    Model S Technical / Mechanical Issues

    I had the same problem with the Bluetooth. Reboot curiously did not fix it, but all I needed to do was to go to the settings screen (not the one you get when you hit the Bluetooth icon, but via the Controls menu) and connect the phone. This has happened to me only once. Mitch.
  43. MitchL

    Feature suggestion--Beep when locked

    I listen for the contactors to click (when the car locks and goes to sleep, you hear a click-click sound and the lights flash). I agree with the suggestion, though -- a beep would be a more positive sound, and something you'd be able to hear more easily in a noisy environment. While we're...
  44. MitchL

    Random Model S sightings

    Not sure if I can call my sightings "random" anymore, at least not here in the SF Bay area. In my morning runs to drop the kids off at school, one red Sig often spotted on northbound Hwy 9 just before downtown Saratoga, CA. This morning at 9AM, a brand new white S (no tags yet) spotted near...
  45. MitchL

    12V battery issues (error messages/car charging problems)

    I hope not, but your logic is along the lines of what I was thinking when I heard this. The understanding in my case was that my 12V battery was for whatever reason lower than it should have been. The car is supposed to defend itself, and enable the main battery when it needs to. I think...
  46. MitchL

    12V battery issues (error messages/car charging problems)

    I had this problem. It started the day I took my Model S home. Here's how the problem was explained to me: The Model S draws power from the 12V battery whenever it needs power to run the computers and other stuff and the main contactor (that controls electricity from the big battery) is...
  47. MitchL

    Model S Celebrities

    I could have sworn Woz's house had lots of solar already (or maybe it was some previous house) - he had a house in the hills with a detached solar array, right? /Mitch.
  48. MitchL

    Model S Technical / Mechanical Issues

    I sent them an email ("ownership@teslamotors") and will call in the morning to speak to a human. /Mitch.
  49. MitchL

    Wiki Model S Delivery Update

    I should ask if I can purchase them at a discount when I get my 21s. I almost didn't get the 21s when I placed my order (I don't like the idea of replacing tires every 12k miles). However, if I was offered a significant break on them, I'd be sure tempted to have the 19s if I find I'm going...
  50. MitchL

    Model S Technical / Mechanical Issues

    Picked up my Model S today, and ran some errands. About 60 miles into my journey, I had just dropped the kids off at home. When I got back into the car, there was a message something like: 12V Battery is low. Car my shut down at any time. Contact service (I didn't get a picture). I reset...