2021+ Model S and Model S Plaid Refresh Issues Thread

[lbowroom]

If only the internet existed everywhere.

I haven’t ventured anywhere it didn’t…

 

[aerodyne]

Allow me to liven things up with a possibly new issue. Too lazy to search this thread, apologies in advance.

About half a dozen times now, I've been startled with a loud CRACK noise from the passenger side of the windshield, almost like a large rock impact.

Today it happened when I was stuck in traffic, so not an impact. Never saw corresponding damage.

Seems to happen during the day when there is a thermal impulse due to the sun coming out or change in HVAC.

 

[dsm363]

Dec 2023 Long range Model S. So far, things have been great other than the design decisions discussed many times other places (steering wheel...etc) and some UI issues. But build quality is much better than 11 years ago.

 

[bhzmark]

If only the internet existed everywhere.

 

[Muzzman1]

If only the internet existed everywhere.

Check out roamsat.com It actually CAN exist everywhere.
I have one, and I was in a crazy remote part of Borneo and was getting 300mbps without any issues.

 

[n2mb_racing]

Check out roamsat.com It actually CAN exist everywhere.
I have one, and I was in a crazy remote part of Borneo and was getting 300mbps without any issues.

$2500 for a battery box? Wow.

 

[Krash]

$2500 for a battery box? Wow.

$3200 with the roam dish. Plus $100 per month subscription. Grin.

 

[Muzzman1]

$2500 for a battery box? Wow.

$2500 for a battery box? Wow.

Yeah. It’s much much more than that.
It’s pretty amazing how compact it is.

I guess if you don’t see the value it’s not for you.

 

[Muzzman1]

$3200 with the roam dish. Plus $100 per month subscription. Grin.

Worth every red cent.
It actually can be priceless in the right situation.

Imagine when Lahaina was burned down. No cell no connection to the real world.

A friend had one and connected 100s of people to their loved ones within
5 mins of turning it on.

 

[Krash]

Worth every red cent…

I’m sure in the future everyone will buy one. Why would you use TMobile to text over Starlink for free when you can spend so much more to carry around a twenty two pound box? Grin.

 

[aerodyne]

I’m sure in the future everyone will buy one. Why would you use TMobile to text over Starlink for free when you can spend so much more to carry around a twenty two pound box? Grin.

Somebody has to be the early adopters. Even if they get treated like "Sugar" by Tesla.

 

[Muzzman1]

I’m sure in the future everyone will buy one. Why would you use TMobile to text over Starlink for free when you can spend so much more to carry around a twenty two pound box? Grin.

SMS over satellite isn't quite 300mbps, but yeah. I mean in Elon time we will have mobile phones to satellite in 2050. Mind you I believe they've sent up 2 satellites that do SMS over Tmobile, so yeah, we are well on our way to eliminate that 22lb box

 

[geminus]

Hi,
Can someone point me to current delivery checklist for MSLR?

Thanks

 

[cwanja]

Hi,
Can someone point me to current delivery checklist for MSLR?

Thanks

Wiki - Mega-consolidated delivery quality issues thread and checklist Probably your best bet.

 

[iceman4014]

Folks, I want to love this car. I really do. Would not want to go back to gas for sure! But I wanted to post my experiences over the my first 18 months and 18k miles of ownership. For reference, I have a 2022 Model S LR purchased brand new with 6 miles on the odometer at delivery. At some point, I've lived with you guys on this board through all these issues. I know I am not unique! However, I decided to post everything in one place. With the number of solid electric vehicles in the $80k-$100k on the market now, I could never imagine buying another Tesla after this experience and have no idea what to expect as this thing ages.

Here we go....

Annoying:

• 9½ month delivery delay from date of order.
• Car delivered in August with summer tires to a cold weather state. Needed to spend ~$1,600 to replace with all season tires (2) months after delivery. Summer tires are dangerous below 40 degrees and can fail.
• ~30-40% less actual range than advertised.
• 12 months after purchase, car was discounted new by ~$15k below my purchase price and resale value plummeted.
• Spent $700 to replace yoke with round steering wheel that was not available at time of order that later became a free option.
• (7) service appointments in the first (18) months of ownership.

Repairs:

• Major engine (front drive unit) failure at (6) months old, ~9k miles that took a week to repair.
• Car would not always turn off after exit, locking and walking away with key until opening and closing door several times. Service center determined the seat occupancy failed and was replaced. When I got the car back, one of the four bolts securing the driver’s seat to the floor was half tightened and the seat wobbled. I purchased a Torx Plus T45 bit and ½” rachet to secure the driver’s seat.

Build Quality:

• Car delivered with missing bolts securing both front wheel well materials – Loud noises and loose frontend materials leaving the dealership. Took (3) weeks to get a service appointment to correct.
• Loud rear seat rattles – Mostly fixed with a service appointment.
• Several internal trim pieces continue to rattle, squeak and make noise.
• Multiple panel gaps on exterior of the vehicle.
• The trunk hatch was rubbing up against the top of the rubber seal when opening to full height creating a loud squealing noise – Mobile service adjusted the seal and fixed. About a month later, it started again. Rear hatch needed to be reinstalled.
• The paint is very thin and chips easily.
• “Worm” in both the yoke and new steering wheel airbag.
• SiriusXM audio skips and buffers all the time more often than other vehicle.
• Very few cup or travel mugs fit into the tiny width cupholders.
• Several interior trim pieces have become loose – Fixed via service appointment:
  • Loose housing behind swivel screen
  • Loose rear headrests
  • Loose rear seat latches
  • Loose rear lower seat latches
• Interior ambient light brightness is barely visible.
• Loud wind whistling noise from rear of car at highway speeds – Service cannot locate.

Software Bugs:

• Loud electric whining noise while parked with continuous battery discharge – Fixed after a month via software update.
• Exterior loudspeaker randomly started blasting car audio in garage while parked and locked – Fixed after a month via software update.
• Mobile app would not connect to vehicle – Fixed after a week via software update.
• Inserted USB music stick would appear and disappear from user interface at random – Fixed after 3 months via software update.
• Saved seat location in Tesla Cloud Profile would occasionally reverts to a different location – Fixed after 6 months via software update.
• Blinker buttons would only activate 90% of the time when pressed – Fixed after 12 months via software update.
• USB stick inserted for Dashcam/Sentry mode would show “USB Error” occasionally on dash and would not work until car restarted – Fixed after 12 months via software update.
• Car radio slow to mute after answering an incoming phone call and caller would hear my music for several seconds before we could start talking – Fixed after 6 months via software update.
• SiriusXM favorites do not scroll in order using steering wheel toggle like every other audio interface, instead they change the channel sequentially up or down by one (i.e. channel 2, channel 3, channel 4 etc. etc.) – Fixed after 12 months via software update. 3 months later, broken again by another software update. Still unfixed.
• Auto wipers often default to the fastest setting during very light rain – Fixed after 18 months via software update.

Update:

Just completed my 8th service appointment. They reinstalled the entire rear window because the seal was not flushed which caused the loud wind whistling. This is my 3rd rear window and hopefully the last. They also installed materials to reduce the loose rear headrest rattles which were a problem again. At this point, everything seems as it should. Hopefully, the last service appointment to work out all the kinks on this car.

 

[lbowroom]

Update:

Just completed my 8th service appointment. They reinstalled the entire rear window because the seal was not flushed which caused the loud wind whistling. This is my 3rd rear window and hopefully the last. They also installed materials to reduce the loose rear headrest rattles which were a problem again. At this point, everything seems as it should. Hopefully, the last service appointment to work out all the kinks on this car.

Is it possible to reinstall just a partial rear window? I joke…. Hopefully it’s right this time

 

[iceman4014]

Me too.... so far, so good though.

 

[phantasms]

I started a thread elsewhere asking but here might be the place. Is it finally safe to pick up a new Plaid? Most everything has been fixed by now, right? I live in NH and heard about cold left leg syndrome with these cars. Is that why people were excited about the 2024 door jam? Is the last remaining issue something with the tires getting torn up on the larger wheels? I’m between new 3P or Plaid S. I prefer the driving feel of the generally issue free 3 but functionality wise with a dog, bike, and muddy roads [air suspension lift] the S probably makes more sense for me. Thank you in advance!

 

[terranx]

Like any Tesla it’s a bit of a crap shoot since they don’t seem to believe in having a quality assurance process.

I think the only issues remaining that impact 100% of the cars are the 21” rear tire wear and the cold start vibration on the plaid. But if the guy building your car is having a bad day, then there could be anything wrong. And since the S is generally a bit more complex to put together than the 3, the probability of something not being assembled right is a bit higher.

Mine seems to be a good example so far except the headlights were wildly misaimed from the factory (which is easy enough to fix)

 

[Tiger]

I think the only issues remaining that impact 100% of the cars are the 21” rear tire wear and the cold start vibration on the plaid.

The vibration is claimed to be fixed with over-the-air update, can someone confirm?