Search results

Wow, can't believe anyone in that car survived, much less walked away.

I was rear ended by driver about a year and a half ago. She was covered by a small local agency that issued a Kemper policy. At the time, my car was only 3 months old, so I was pretty bummed, but it only ended up dimpling and scratching the bumper cover. The Kemper agent was great, they had...

Tesla makes a trailer light controller that plugs into the box behind the bumper cover on Model 3's produced after the middle of 2019. My understanding is that Tesla will not sell it to you directly in the USA, since the Model 3 is not certified to tow in the US. I recently saw a link to one...

I'd recommend a low profile roof box instead of the ski/snowboard carriers. The best days on the slopes (to me, at least) are when it is snowing hard on the drive to the mountain. Unfortunately, you really don't want your skis and more importantly your bindings to be subjected to the salty...

I was rear ended twice in the first year of ownership, both times at traffic lights by distracted drivers. In each case, my rear bumper cover was 'scored' by the bolts holding the front license plate of the car behind me. My parking distance sensors worked fine, none of the bolts hit the...

Wow, that is disappointing. But it was refreshing to hear Randy Pobst walk through it openly and take full responsibility for it. Even the most experienced of professionals can make mistakes, particularly when presented with a car as smooth and powerful as this one. The real question for...

This is too bad. I'm sure that most of the roof rack installations work fine, but there have been at least 3 contributors on this forum that have had their glass roof crack as a result of the Tesla roof rack, including one that used the Service Center to do the installation. The glass roof in...

Seems like a great plan! I installed an Ecohitch on my 3, and use it for both a bike rack and to tow a light trailer. While Tesla doesn't 'approve' of towing behind the 3 in the US, they do in Europe and my experience is that it makes a terrific tow vehicle for small, light loads. If you...

The car & rack are longer, no doubt, but as previous posts have mentioned, it is still shorter than a full size pickup or large SUV. The racks themselves are expensive, and some of us have bikes that can cost thousands, so you have a lot of value sticking out behind the car. The rear backup...

Do a search, there are numerous threads on the forum already about hitches and bike racks.

Cars are funny, dimension wise. All the TV manufacturers state that the flat screens should be shipped vertically. Would they be damaged on the drive home if flat? I don't know. When we bought a 65" about year ago, we found, to our surprise, that it would not fit in our CRV vertically. My...

Everything that I have read says that Tesla will not install a hitch on a 3 in the US. From an engineering point of view, it makes no sense, as they offer the hitch in Europe on the 3. It is a commercial decision, either they have legal/certification hurdles to pay or, or they want to make...

Thanks, SMatthew, I just went out to the garage and tried that. It seems to have worked! Thanks!! Minor irritant fixed!

I have the ecohitch. Taking the receiver on and off is a bit of a pain, as the bolt has limited access for a wrench to swing, and you are down under the rear bumper so you need to lie on the ground to do it. But I find I just leave the receiver in place. I notice it, and it looks a bit odd...

I haven't needed to visit a service center or call a mobile tech yet. I've owned my 3 for 17 months and 19K miles. The driver's window regulator could use an adjustment (it needs two pushes to go up) but other than that, it has been defect free. My nearest SC is 3 hours away, so I plan to...

To those stating that $1000 is too much for an installed hitch and wiring harness, I'd recommend comparing this with what it costs to install an aftermarket hitch on the Model 3 (the closest available comparison vehicle). Using costs on etrailer, the ecohitch is $408, and the ZCI "no splice"...

I installed the Eco Hitch on my 3 earlier this month. I took one afternoon to install the hitch and agree with Telstar that the ramps and the youtube videos made it pretty straightforward. Popping the sides of the rear bumper cover away from the rear quarter panels is a little nerve racking...

Unless they have steel balls to toss at the windows... :-)

On the Model 3's, it appears that Tesla began to add a wiring harness that seems likely to support a trailer light module around the same time that they began supplying rear lower valence covers with a built in access panel for a hitch. This wiring harness has 3 conductors, one is ground, one...

I was rear ended last summer, the damage was limited to a scuff on the lower part of the bumper and 2 small dimples from license plate bolts of the license plate on the front of the car that hit me. The other person's insurance company took a look and sent me a check for $1200 to replace the...

As for water damaging the underbody, on early model 3's there were reports that the driving through standing water at speed would drive enough water up into the rear bumper cover and bottom valance that they would pop off the back of the car. My understanding it that Tesla redesigned the parts...

I'm in the same boat, on the other side of the country. We have a 3 and a CRV as well. The 3, like most performance cars today, is low and has a plastic front bumper/spoiler assembly. When driving in very cold conditions, hitting an ice ball or plowed bank in a parking lot is likely to...

I'm repeating some of what has been said before, but I'd emphasize two reasons to check your brake fluid and replace it if it shows signs of moisture contamination. As others have mentioned, brake fluid aggressively absorbs water. It is pulling water through the rubber seals and diaphragms of...

The Model 3 is a really low car. Great for handling and aerodynamics, not great for ground clearance over snow and ice. From what I can see, the front air dam is just as low as the batteries. That air dam is at great risk for cracking if you run into a big ice block, particularly since the...

When mine ran dry last winter, it swallowed almost an entire gallon of washer fluid. Surprisingly, no warning came on saying I was low or out, it just stopped spraying. Compared to other cars I've owned, the Tesla fluid capacity seems quite large. I don't think its actual use is any more or...

I ordered a set off of Amazon as well. They fit surprisingly well. The front flaps required one screw to be drilled into the plastic fender liner, no big deal. All in all, they took about 20 minutes to install, and the fit is very good. My first impressions, driving through snowmelt...

I owned a 2011 WRX hatchback for five years and loved the car. It did everything well and was a blast to drive. I've lived in New England for 25 years now and the WRX was hands-down the best car in the snow that I've owned. With good snow tires on it it was far more fun to drive on snowy...

I don't believe so. Once glass is tempered I don't believe there is any way to cut it cleanly. Any sharp object will cause it to shatter. The effects are instant and quite complete. As for vandalism or theft, if the car door was closed, I can't think of a scenario where the glass would end...

Just because Teslas are good doesn't mean other cars are bad. From what I've seen of the C8, it promises to be an outstanding sports car. Kudos to Chevy for breaking the Corvette mold and coming out with a really interesting new vehicle that promises to really please the enthusiasts. Those...

My Model 3 has been varmint free so far (knock on wood), but I have had one end up in dying in the glove compartment of my old BMW 325 wagon. I didn't find it until I the smell made me start looking under seats and through the car. What I found was too gross to describe. My kid's Honda Fit...

What I find strange is that the glass ended up outside the car, not inside of it. The window is leaning in, so if it failed, one would think it would fall into the car. And, as several contributors have correctly stated, the windows are (or certainly are supposed to be) tempered glass so when...

Buying a Tesla is easy (process-wise), selling a modified EVO in California may not be. I'd start with the EVO websites. These cars, as you well know, have a strong cult following and you will almost certainly get far more for it from someone that is really seeking one out than you will from...

Has anyone removed the headliner in their Model 3 yet? I know that some aftermarket suppliers are selling replacement headliners in non-stock colors and fabrics, and some folks may drop their headliner to gain access to wiring for custom audio or radar detectors. I'd like to drop my...

Beajertx, your plug looks terrific! How is it secured once in the hitch, is it held in magnetically? It appears that the hole is fully covered, so you can't get your hand or a tool in there.

Another vote for winter tires. I have the AWD LR M3 and put winter tires on it shortly after taking delivery in November. I drove through one snow event prior to swtiching over. The traction control on the M3 is outstanding, and will take advantage of whatever little grip is available. But...

Looks like it turned out great. What a pain, but these things happen, they are cars!

This is a great question. 15 years ago I had a BMW 325i (RWD) that I loved. I drove it for 10 years, and after moving to Vermont sold it and replaced it with a BMW325iX (AWD) wagon. I loved the wagon body, but the driving dynamics of the car were ruined. The steering feel was gone, the...

Yes, this is consistent with my experience as well. Very odd. Makes me think that it is not hardware (the car and phone are in communication) but is a software bug. I upgraded from a Galaxy S6 to a Galaxy S9 thinking it would fix the connection problems, but it does not appear to have...

They say they book out several weeks, but in March I was in the area on a last minute business trip, emailed the tours email, and they got me onto a tour 2 days later. It was great! The folks that coordinate the tours were really helpful.

An update: Yesterday I went into the settings on the Tesla app on my Galaxy S9 and 'allowed' the app to make changes to the the phone's system settings. That seemed like a scary step, but I decided to give it a try. Based on 24 hours of feedback, it dramatically improved the phone's...

I went from a Galaxy 6, which was very intermittent, to a Galaxy 9 last week. I'm disappointed to find that the 9 is WORSE. I spent some time this morning playing with the settings on the app, hopefully this makes the connection more reliable. Phone integration, both as the key and to the...

There are a few points that I think Foiz is missing. First of all, I don't believe that Tesla is lowing the prices out of 'generosity.' As a public corporation, I'm fairly certain that they are attempting to maximize their profits (or minimize their losses) by selling as many cars as they can...

This is welcome news. As a Cornell alum and parent that visits Ithaca about twice a year, it is nice to know that I can get a quick charge in town before heading back East, as I don't have any Supercharging options heading to or from Ithaca until I get to Albany or Utica.

This is strange indeed. Your photos of the removed front plastic cover show that there are indeed some fairly fragile looking bits under there with minimal protection. So far, to me this seems to be the biggest design flaw on the car , a very low ground clearance combine with minimal...

I'm guessing you are kidding. This thing is ALWAYS in launch mode. Mash the gas and you are gone. No need to rev the engine to get on boost and into the power band, no clutch to slip. Push the gas and go.

I just read the article that claims that the 'tent' is causing quality problems with some Model 3's. I've been in manufacturing for over 25 years. This sounds like the normal grousing and griping that you will get from 0.1% of your employees in any population. They interviewed six employees...

The smart phone integration is terrible. My phone fails to connect automatically about 30% of the time with the audio system. Once connected, you need to use the phone screen to navigate. Come on Tesla, even $20K entry level cars have Android Auto and Car Play that is years ahead of this...

I couldn't help but wonder how you 'smoked' them? I suspect that this term originates from leaving another car in a cloud of 'smoke'. Tire smoke or exhaust smoke. My M3 will barely make its wheels chirp, much less spin and smoke them. They just hook up and go! And if you are getting...

I don't know that this info is helpful, but I have had my Model 3 since November, and have been rear ended twice since then. I've been driving for 35 years, and never been rear ended before these two times. However, I don't think either situation was the result of being in a Tesla. The first...

Wow, it is interesting and alarming that running over a parking lot curb stop would do enough physical damage to the battery pack that replacement is required. I thought Tesla armored the bottoms of the battery pack pretty well just for this reason. Full disclosure, I have made the same...