4/22 100D Delivery, Thoughts from Model S Veteran

[MiddKid]

Hello TMC,
It's been a journey! I have loved my P85 Model S for 37 months and 48K miles but it was time to take advantage of my Resale Value Guarantee and get the family into an X. My youngest two (of three) kids were approaching the maximum size for the jump seats so my 7 seat Model S was about to turn into a 5-seater (not to mention that the novelty has worn off and none of them want to sit in the jump seats). I've posted my thoughts here before...why we couldn't go double-Tesla and bought an XC90 last summer for my wife as our main ski/camp/hike SUV:
My Story: 3 kids, a Model S, cancelling my Model X, and a...Volvo?

I posted recently about why I stick with Tesla:
Mindset Regarding Quality From Model S Owner

Picked up my beauty today. Some thoughts on delivery:

• Yes, got the matte seat backs. Love them.
• When the design studio changed to the matte seat backs it also showed the monopost on the side/under the seat changing to matte as well from the chrome. It didn't for us. Still chrome.
• Still have the "old" FWD buttons...didn't luck into the new ones (New FWD switch design)
• Car is darn near perfect. I have a seal on the bottom of one of the rear doors that is a bit bowed in a few spots but I'm not worried. I figured I'd wait for the seals to settle for a few weeks/months then have them address at a service. FWDs are well aligned except for a small misalignment over the wheel well. Again, figure best to wait for everything to settle before addressing. Driving home I went to hit the volume on the screen and noticed the smallest little dent on the silver trim surrounding the screen. I emailed my DS at a red light and by the time I got home he emailed me back and told me they ordered a new trim piece. I had trim replaced on my old MS twice. It is so prone to dents. Wish they'd come up with a different material. Outside of that, car seems to be rock solid.
• Haven't driven in dark yet so I don't know if I have ghosting
• Except for losing the swag, the delivery experience is significantly advanced from what I had three years ago. Smoother process. Better facilities. Much more refined.
• Trading in through Tesla was insanely easy. Along with financing through them the entire "transaction" part of the process took less than 5 minutes. Even the trade-in quote was handled days before as the DS sent me a link to fill out a form on my car and submit pics. Didn't even have to look at my trade today. I know I could get more on the open market but given that WA gives sales tax relief for the trade-in value, I "saved" about $5K in sales tax. Add that onto my trade-in value and it appears to be the approx going rate for my car re-sale (plus, zero hassle)

Oh yeah, about the car!

• I just LOVE how big and open this car feels. Sure my MS was fun to drive but the five of us always felt squished. The kids loved the three seats in the second row and how spacious they were...not to mention how high they are. 2nd row has more space than my wife's XC90. I know people prefer the 6-seater but with 3 kids that second row is perfect for us.
• The fit and finish is a significant step up from my 2014 Model S. Simple things like lighted USB ports feel more refined. Finally I have a turn signal on the top, not the bottom. My steering wheel is finally adjustable. Materials feel better. Those glorious seats (I had the original seats). I can go on...
• The few people that have seen it so far all freak out over the white interior. I love my white/carbon combo.
• Got two door false positives today. Makes me nervous. Went to back up out of the garage and it said that a door was open. It wasn't. I opened/close the passenger door and good to go. Got home from dinner and driver's FWD "detected obstruction" even though there was none there. The doors were my biggest concern with this thing. Hope those demons disappear!
• Going to dinner my wife said "how long until Mom gets clocked in the head because a daughter closed her door while I'm getting out of the car." We laughed. After dinner my 6 year old gets in and as I'm opening my door she closes her FWD. DAD almost got clocked in the head. We talked with the kids about FWD rules after this.
• Kids, BTW, think the doors are the coolest thing in the world. They start talking about who gets to open them before we even get to the car (2 doors, 3 kids...need to rotate)
• AP2 was calibrated and ready to go on my second drive. The highway was wet from rain but the sun was peaking through creating that high-glare situation where's it's tough to see white lines. AP2 tracked solid. I could barely see and it had no problems. Impressive.
• After getting frustrated that Tesla still doesn't have rear WeatherTech mats for my VIN, I just ordered the ToughPros from Amazon. I'm really impressed. Half the price. Fit great. Not nearly as obnoxious to the eye in person as they look online. In fact I think they kinda look baller with the white/carbon interior.
• Bought the full-set of Abstract Ocean LEDs and have installed most of them now. Was SUPER AMPED that I did not get the PUP but the wiring and harness for the underseat lighting is there waiting to be used. Popped in the Abstract Ocean LEDs and bam...I've got underseat lighting without PUP.
• Side note concerning an almost death-by-FWD incident while installing the lights. I was lying on my back accessing the underseat lights. I had loose gym shorts on with my key in my pocket. Both the driver's door and FWD were open. After getting the light in I started to get up when my FOB in my shorts bumped up against the B-Pillar. BEEP!!! Doors start closing, I'm lying on my back. Ahhh! Got out right as the FWD and front door shut. Won't mention that one to my wife. Live and learn.

I loved my MS so much I was worried about the switch to the MX. Well, after just one day I don't miss it at all. I love this new beast. If anyone has any questions about making the switch let me know!

 

[AnxietyRanger]

Great report, @MiddKid, loved it. I also recall your varied stories on this forum over the years, so seeing your long road reach a goal is very nice.

As a person with a quite similar upgrade story, had a little later 2014 P85 and a little earlier 2017 Model X, a lot of what you write is easy to agree with. For example, I agree about many of the little things being better on the Model X compared to Model S (and especially to a 2014 one). Just coincidentally I wrote at length about that yesterday.

Out of curiosity, in what way was not your early 2014 Model S steering wheel not adjustable? I remember some talk about that, but have not personally registered that change in the Tesla roadmap... Tried to searching the topic, but has not been much discussed, it seems.

As for the Tesla mats, I went ahead and bought the wrong-VIN ones, and found them quite usable. Pics here. Though of course seeing as you have other mats for the meanwhile now, you can wait for the changed WeatherTechs's if you want them later, which I guess could arrive at any time. I had similar thinking as you that I need to have something immediately, though, so I got the wrong-VIN ones and just thought I'd replace the rear and folded-down trunk mats with updated Tesla/WeatherTech ones later on (if I feel like it, frankly it does not seem mandatory).

The falcon wing policy is still a work in progress on my end. Back in 2014 I wrote on TMC:

I want those doors. I must have those doors. Except, in reality, I don't. I expect them to be a living he** on Earth. A source of daily ridicule from the family, with rear-seat passengers mocking the doors every time they have to wait for them to open. People ducking out underneath while they slowly open, falling into the mud and blaming me. Myself not wanting to park in any public garages (or not letting anyone in the back out in said garages, if I do) for the fear of hitting the ceiling with the doors. So I must let my rear passengers out on the other side of a muddy field from the destination, after which I won't let them back in because they are dirty from the mud and they have to take the bus instead. Besides, I'm not opening their doors in the garage where I parked, so they couldn't get back in anyway.

While nobody has taken the bus yet, I must say that I have more often taken one of our other cars than I think ever before with the Model S. There are two reasons fo this, one is of course the lack of folding on the second row, so for some stuff hauling that I used the Model S for, I simply take our family SUV which has a larger trunk (this was a planned compromise, I really, really wanted the six-seater). Second reason is, I am quite conscious of those doors to the point that I'm not fully comfortable with them yet. Uncomfortable both space-wise as well as showiness-wise. If I think I/we are driving to somewhere I would be uncomfortable with the doors, I tend to go ICE, which is silly of me, but just being honest here.

Frankly, I'm concious of opening my car's doors on my own driveway, which is a brand new feeling to be sure. It just feels like showing off. And the feeling just gets worse when I have to open both of them for any reason. So, I think the doors have a learning curve, though individual reactions and situations are different of course. I have decided to disable the buttons on the rear and basically everything I can disable (subject to possible future software updates), so that opening the doors happen in controlled situations - and preferably controlled by myself from the outside of the car. That should take care of much of the anxiety regarding physical damage at least.

And it is not just the rear doors, the automatic front doors as well. Don't get me wrong, I like them actually more than I thought I would - especially the auto-closing. But I am concious of how and where they are opened (especially knowing they rely on rear door sensors, don't they - or has this changed?) and find myself grabbing the auto-opening doors by hand.

My nascent falcon wing shyness is a different issue. I may have to see a shrink about that. I wonder if there is already a registered fobia for that? The Falcocornuphobia - an extreme or irrational fear of falcon wing doors?

Still, I was right about this one:

Because, really, what else is there. I will have those doors.

Yes, I can only blame myself.

 

[boaterva]

Great write up! BTW, first thing I did on the demo I had was to be sure single-click 'close all' was off. Triple-click always works, though; I think single-click is too prone to mishaps like that.

 

[geddon_jt]

Awesome post. We get ours on Thursday. I noticed you said you didn't get the PUP package but in your photos it looks like you have the led fog lights under the main lights? I was under the impression those were PUP exclusive? Or are the dog lights something different then those little accent LEDs?

 

[AnxietyRanger]

Awesome post. We get ours on Thursday. I noticed you said you didn't get the PUP package but in your photos it looks like you have the led fog lights under the main lights? I was under the impression those were PUP exclusive? Or are the dog lights something different then those little accent LEDs?

He retrofitted ambient lights:

Edit: Not applicable to geddon_jt's question.

• Bought the full-set of Abstract Ocean LEDs and have installed most of them now. Was SUPER AMPED that I did not get the PUP but the wiring and harness for the underseat lighting is there waiting to be used. Popped in the Abstract Ocean LEDs and bam...I've got underseat lighting without PUP.
• Side note concerning an almost death-by-FWD incident while installing the lights. I was lying on my back accessing the underseat lights. I had loose gym shorts on with my key in my pocket. Both the driver's door and FWD were open. After getting the light in I started to get up when my FOB in my shorts bumped up against the B-Pillar. BEEP!!! Doors start closing, I'm lying on my back. Ahhh! Got out right as the FWD and front door shut. Won't mention that one to my wife. Live and learn.

 

[Saghost]

As Boaterva said, in recent firmware it makes sense to turn the single click off, because the new triple click will always let you close all the doors and it is pretty easy to single click accidentally while moving into or out of the car.

Photos of the new Amazon mats, please?

 

[geddon_jt]

Sorry, I misunderstood when he said "underseat" lighting, I thought he was referencing the ambient interior lighting

 

[AnxietyRanger]

Sorry, I misunderstood when he said "underseat" lighting, I thought he was referencing the ambient interior lighting

I think I misunderstood your post as well, so double sorry. I meant that he retrofitted the ambient lighting.

 

[Super_Popular]

The Model S is one sexy car but it lacks many things that the Model X has.

 

[AnxietyRanger]

Awesome post. We get ours on Thursday. I noticed you said you didn't get the PUP package but in your photos it looks like you have the led fog lights under the main lights? I was under the impression those were PUP exclusive? Or are the dog lights something different then those little accent LEDs?

Getting back to the foglight - apparently those lights down there the same on PUP and non-PUP as part of the running lights. Foglights are not visible (as in not on) in these images.

Does anyone not have the premium package on Model X? • r/teslamotors

 

[geddon_jt]

Getting back to the foglight - apparently those lights down there the same on PUP and non-PUP as part of the running lights. Foglights are not visible (as in not on) in these images.

Does anyone not have the premium package on Model X? • r/teslamotors

Awesome, thanks, that's great news as that was probably the part of the PUP I was going to miss the most

 

[MiddKid]

@AnxietyRanger - The new Teslas have a lever on the steering wheel to adjust it which my 2014 Model S did not. You, of course, now have me doubting that! But I'm 95% sure my old car didn't have it!

@boaterva - When I was going through the settings with my delivery consultant she told me that the option in the settings was to enable the triple click to close feature. Not that it was enabling the single-click. So we turned it on. Thanks to your note I went back out and turned it off! Triple click is perfect!

@geddon_jt - Yes, no PUP so I'm missing the fog lights. The lights I referenced in my post were the interior lights under the two seats. Empty housing and wiring just sitting there so I installed Abstract Ocean's LED replacements and bam...interior lighting! Now to get those door LEDs working ;-)

@Saghost - I'll try and upload some pics soon of the mats. Since I picked up the car it has been cloudy and rainy and all the pics are coming out dark. Stay tuned.

 

[boaterva]

@boaterva - When I was going through the settings with my delivery consultant she told me that the option in the settings was to enable the triple click to close feature. Not that it was enabling the single-click. So we turned it on. Thanks to your note I went back out and turned it off! Triple click is perfect!

Glad that works better for you! The Settings page (at least what I saw) was pretty clear it was enabling single-click and that triple was always on. Bet she saw that text instead.

 

[Ph33zy]

Can you take a picture of your interior and steering wheel? Is the wheel plastic? I'm debating PUP vs Non-PUP right now.

 

[Yoonoo]

• Yes, got the matte seat backs. Love them.
• When the design studio changed to the matte seat backs it also showed the monopost on the side/under the seat changing to matte as well from the chrome. It didn't for us. Still chrome.

When did your car enter production? My MX 100D entered production on March 31st and is currently in transit to Europe. My DS is still trying to figure out whether I got the matte seat backs and monopost base. The matte seat backs are nice but I really like the chrome base and I'm hoping my car was built with that, I think it complements the futuristic look very nicely.

 

[Mike M]

Congratulations! Beautiful X @MiddKid. Great color combo. Was really happy with my delivery experience last month and how rock solid my X is as well.

 

[AnxietyRanger]

The monoposts became matte too? Anyone got pics?

I agree matte seatbacks and sides are OK, but matte monoposts... hmm?

 

[scottyd]

The monoposts became matte too? Anyone got pics?

I agree matte seatbacks and sides are OK, but matte monoposts... hmm?

My monoposts are still silver, even though the seat backs are matte

 

[MiddKid]

Silver monoposts. But the online design tool showed them matte (or at least it did when the change was first made).

 

[AnxietyRanger]

Thanks.

Here is Design Studio image I managed to dig out, plus a brightened one: