Took delivery of a black on black performance package at the end of June. I was lucky enough to have received a vehicle within a week of placing the order (my hypothesis is since I was in the Bay Area they bumped me to the top of the list to meet Q2 numbers).
Issues from the factory:
What I added:
Overall:
Issues from the factory:
- Scratch marks on the hood. Corners looked like someone took a brillo pad to it. Tesla service managed to buff it out.
- Paint chips on the panel where the trunk meets the roof. Looks like an object got lodged and the trunk was opened chipping the paint (but no dent). Tesla used touch up paint until it’s barely noticeable.
- Rubber trim lining the trunk was bent out of shape. Tesla managed to steam/press it out.
- Carbon fiber spoiler was coming off. Tesla replaced with a new one.
- Bottom trunk lid had the sticker torn off. Tesla replaced with a new one.
- Car started to track to the right after a few hundred miles. Brought it in at 2k and they performed an alignment at no cost. Steering wheel still seems to be a smidge off (to the right) but car seems to track straight.
- Dual Motor badge was crooked. I didn’t notice till last week. Tesla Mobile Service came out to repair but some of the paint came off with the badge. Have scheduled to bring the car in where they’ll have a outside party touch up the paint before reapplying the badge (slated for next week).
- Turn signals - probably the bane of my existence. Turn signals won’t activate 1/10 times. Have had this looked at twice, the first time Tesla replaced a part. The second the mobile tech said he “reseated some loose wires”. Still not reliable.
What I added:
- Tint. Needed this pretty badly to help the AC system. I only got my sides and rears tinted, but I would do the windshield and roof if I found a professional who could do it right.
- Screen protector in matte. Helped with the glare, would recommend.
- Vinyl cover on center all the piano black in the cabin (console and doors).
Overall:
- Paint job is pretty bad. A few rock chips already and if I look at it too hard I’ll scratch the clear coat. Bought the touch-up paint so will apply that soon.
- Rims look great, I banged up 3 of them already driving in a very tight parking garage. Really wish Tesla had the 360 camera view here. I don’t get how they expect parking to work well without that (I’ve seen videos of self parking scratching rims and straight up hitting pillars). Good news is rim repair is just $100 each.
- One pedal driving is amazing. Impressed at how the brakes are blended into going from a roll to a stop, really intuitive.
- Acceleration is amazing. The ability to zip by a semi or a truck on the freeway puts a smile on my face everytime.
- Handling is ok, obviously not a sedan but acceptable. I do miss how my 3 series feels doing 80 and going into a slight left or right on the freeway. Not a big deal though.
- Having driver information on the center screen isn’t great. It’s barely acceptable for me. If I want to confirm I can make a lane change I want to check mirrors and go. I tried to incorporate checking the display for added safety but it’s just too cumbersome. I really wish Tesla included lane change indicators on the rear view mirrors.
- No auto-dimming rearview mirrors but I find myself not missing them at all.
- Sentry mode is awesome.
- Phantom braking is not awesome. Happens maybe 1/10 times (maybe less) but I’m fairly certain that one day it’ll get me rear ended. Pretty dumbfounded how this hasn’t been fixed yet.
- Turning radius makes it feel like a big car, I think it’s a foot bigger than the Model 3 which shouldn’t be that bad. Not a big deal though.
- Usable range is probably somewhere in the low 200s for me. I charge up to 80% and will run it to about 20%. I would recommend 24/7 access to a charger at your residence if this is your primary vehicle to any of my friends who don’t know much about electric vehicle range (how it can fluctuate with weather, road conditions and driving habits). I don’t think anyone on these boards needs to be told since you are here reading up on everything you can =) and have already heard this
- Electricity savings over gas is probably at an average half the cost for me. This is based on roughly how much I would pay for 200 miles on electricity vs gas compared to my previous car (E90). It’s not bad, there are clear savings but it might not be amazing depending on your previous ICE vehicle.
- I think I heard Elon refer to the Model 3 and Y as ‘entry level luxury vehicles’, and yeah it is pretty entry level. Quality of materials is barely acceptable for the price, missing a lot of neat options and features other cars in the same category have available. I can see it in the seating, stitching, etc. Heck the floor mats should be telling enough, they are pretty flimsy and cheap-ish. Not premium. I knew this going in and decided it was worth it not to have an engine and deal with all the hassles of THAT. No regrets, but I know what I’m missing out on.
- Overall if I got the chance to do it again I wouldn’t change a thing. Sometimes I’ll see a Macan or GLE AMG go by and drool a bit and wonder ‘what if…’ But the Macan is overdue for a interior refresh and rumors are Porsche is going full electric for that model in a couple of years anyways and the GLE AMG price tag put it in a whole other league plus the MPG is crazy bad.
