After 6 months or more of ownership (Model M3) - Poll

[jebinc]

Thanks to all the "6+ months of ownership" members for posting their thoughts. I had hoped this thread would help those considering a Tesla purchase, or a "recently became an Tesla owner" members to get a broader view of ownership, rather than just reading endless pages of delivery nightmares, paint issues or other exceptions easily found in the TMC forums. This way, these folks can make a more informed buying decision. Keep the letters and post cards coming!

 

[StealthP3D]

Slacker music playback easily gets contaminated by inadvertent thumbs-up or thumbs-down presses. If you accidentally press thumbs up when you didn't mean to, that song will now get played more frequently and other songs similar to it will be given priority over other songs on the default playlist for that channel, making them play less often. If you accidentally press thumbs down when you didn't mean to, that song never will play again. Both of these selections are irreversible and cannot be cleared. Eventually you will not end up listening to the desired playlist that you want and there is no recourse.

If you accidentally "thumbs down" a song that you like, simply use voice command to play that song again (and remove the "thumbs down").

Slacker uses a powerful AI engine to select songs for you and it all happens behind the scenes so it's not really apparent how it works. I like to be exposed to new music that I haven't heard before and I'm constantly amazed at the great songs it finds for me. But it's dependent upon how you train the AI that makes your selections. It takes into account your thumbs up/downs as well as songs that you terminate early. I use the "thumbs up" rating very sparingly (on somewhat obscure songs, not songs that everyone likes) and I always correct a rating that was accidentally entered (using the trick I mentioned above).

 

[CharleyBC]

I voted “better than when I took delivery.”

That doesn’t mean delivery was poor. On the contrary, the car was amazing from day one! But it has gotten better over time for two reasons:

1. Software updates keep adding features and improving existing ones.

2. It’s like falling in love. She’s amazing and you’re swept away already. And then the more you get to know her, the more you discover her wonders.

 

[Phlier]

If you accidentally "thumbs down" a song that you like, simply use voice command to play that song again (and remove the "thumbs down").

Slacker uses a powerful AI engine to select songs for you and it all happens behind the scenes so it's not really apparent how it works. I like to be exposed to new music that I haven't heard before and I'm constantly amazed at the great songs it finds for me. But it's dependent upon how you train the AI that makes your selections. It takes into account your thumbs up/downs as well as songs that you terminate early. I use the "thumbs up" rating very sparingly (on somewhat obscure songs, not songs that everyone likes) and I always correct a rating that was accidentally entered (using the trick I mentioned above).

Is the voice command as easy as "replay last song?" Sorry for the ignorance. : /

Edit: And I just took delivery on August 7th, so I'll be back in six months to vote!

 

[StealthP3D]

Is the voice command as easy as "replay last song?" Sorry for the ignorance. : /

Edit: And I just took delivery on August 7th, so I'll be back in six months to vote!

No, you need a paid subscription to play the same song twice in a row. The free subscription that comes with the car plays new songs that haven't been played recently. I generally just say "Play Xyz song by Abc band" but there are a number of different ways you can phrase it and the car will still understand you.

 

[Octo]

I didn’t vote as I’m just two months in. I love it. Best car I ever had. Fit and finish is great, it handles like a dream, that acceleration is heaven and I love the looks.

Only let down is AP. But I ranted about this enough on other threads that I’ll leave it there.

 

[jebinc]

I didn’t vote as I’m just two months in. I love it. Best car I ever had. Fit and finish is great, it handles like a dream, that acceleration is heaven and I love the looks.

Only let down is AP. But I ranted about this enough on other threads that I’ll leave it there.

Yeah, I hear ya on the AP/FSD... Thanks for checking in.

 

[zyzz]

Better for sure. The reasons are too many to list, but I love this car more than any I've owned which is a long list of all types of stuff. I like it so much, I ordered an M3P- after owning my MR car for ~4 months.

what did you do with your mr?

 

[jebinc]

Bump - Thought I would bring this one back to catch any newcomers (smile)!

 

[Phlier]

Bump - Thought I would bring this one back to catch any newcomers (smile)!

I still have five months and three days before I can vote. But I will be voting on that day.

 

[SteveGross]

I feel better about it than when I got it. Here's my explanation: I had a terrible delivery experience, including service issues. Plus I had some post delivery damage that took forever to fix. Now that I finally have my cracked windshield and damaged undercarriage repaired, I'm able to simply enjoy the thrill of driving it. I also love that I charge it with solar, so I'm zero cost and carbon free! One pro tip: Discount Tire has a tread wear guarantee. Good to know if your tires only last 7,000 miles, like mine did.

I Live in Albuquerque and wish I could communicate with you, ask questions about my M3 and service issues. I've owned since July 2019 how can I reach you if you agree?

 

[gilscales]

Keeps getting better through software updates and after 33k miles still feels as new as the day I bought it, awesome car, my favorite car I have ever owned!

 

[gecko10x]

I'm still quite happy after 9 months.

I have just two current minor gripes:
1. The recent apparent software issues with rated range
2. The angle of the windshield makes it SUPER obvious when the inside isn't perfectly clean. To the point that I'm having to wash the inside every couple of days (week max).

 

[jebinc]

I'm still quite happy after 9 months.

I have just two current minor gripes:
1. The recent apparent software issues with rated range
2. The angle of the windshield makes it SUPER obvious when the inside isn't perfectly clean. To the point that I'm having to wash the inside every couple of days (week max).

So true!

All: Keep the letters and cards coming. Noobs want to know, and not just read all about "current" gripes...

 

[dantuvayu]

I have 21k+ miles on it so far (10 mo. into it). Used it for inter-state, commute & plenty other family needs. I have added after market openers for trunk and frunk, put an anti glare screen protector, added wind reduction rubber between the door / glass gaps, reversed the head rests to improve the drive. So far all these have helped a lot.

 

[AdamMacDon]

I'm still quite happy after 9 months.

I have just two current minor gripes:
1. The recent apparent software issues with rated range
2. The angle of the windshield makes it SUPER obvious when the inside isn't perfectly clean. To the point that I'm having to wash the inside every couple of days (week max).

The windshield fogging up is no joke with this car! I've never had a vehicle where I had to clean the glass weekly until now. Such a first world problem, but I can't stand dirty glass when driving, so I'm stuck cleaning my windows as a part time job

 

[Phlier]

The windshield fogging up is no joke with this car! I've never had a vehicle where I had to clean the glass weekly until now. Such a first world problem, but I can't stand dirty glass when driving, so I'm stuck cleaning my windows as a part time job

Get these. You won't be sorry. And no, it's not an affiliate link.

 

[WilliamG]

The windshield fogging up is no joke with this car! I've never had a vehicle where I had to clean the glass weekly until now. Such a first world problem, but I can't stand dirty glass when driving, so I'm stuck cleaning my windows as a part time job

I thought it was just me! My windshield is smeary on the inside like crazy.

 

[AdamMacDon]

Get these. You won't be sorry. And no, it's not an affiliate link.

Thanks for that, I was looking for something better than my microfiber towels which leave small bits of lint behind.

I thought it was just me! My windshield is smeary on the inside like crazy.

My friend has a new Model 3 as well and her windows are so foggy inside it's unbelievable, but she somehow doesn't seem to be bothered by it! I now know what it'd be like if I didn't stay on top of cleaning them haha.

 

[Phlier]

Thanks for that, I was looking for something better than my microfiber towels which leave small bits of lint behind.

They are great for day-to-day cleaning. For really dirty windows, get yourself some waffle weave microfiber towels. They don't leave *any* lint behind. At all. Sprayaway aerosol window cleaner works very well, too. Again, not affiliate links. I haven't used the Chemical Guys waffle weave towels that I linked, so I can't speak to them specifically. The ones I'm using are 15 years old, and are no longer made, but the CC towels look decent. They do have more tufting to them than mine, though. Mine have absolutely no tufting at all. If you can find a waffle weave microfiber towel that just looks like woven material with zero tufting, that's ideally what you want.

I've been detailing cars for 35 years, and one of the best combinations you can get for glass is zero tuft waffle weave microfiber used with a good glass cleaner. There are other alternatives to Sprayaway nowadays that work pretty well, but over all, it's tough to beat Sprayaway for streak free glass.

The glass cloths I linked to you in my first post are fantastic for their purpose: finger prints and lightly dirty glass.

But for the dirty stuff, use the waffle weave and Sprayaway.

Ah well, as long as we're here, I'll get into it a bit more... Sprayaway is a very gentle cleaner. It isn't really good on heavy dirt, but it is phenomenal at leaving a streak free finish. On really dirty glass, I'll use a universal All Purpose Cleaner first, or a high cleaning glass cleaner like Windex. After all the big tough stuff is gone, a quick spray and wipe with Sprayaway will leave you a completely clean, streak free piece of glass. Just be aware of its shortcomings when it comes to really dirty glass, though.

So two steps on really dirty glass:

1. Waffle weave with an All Purpose Cleaner or Windex
2. Fresh waffle weave with Sprayaway
3. (optional) If you should happen to see an odd streak leftover, use one of the glass cleaning cloths from the first post.

I posted an extremely long thread on glass cleaning on one of the detailing forums years ago, but here's the TL;DR version of how I clean glass:

Using the same waffle weave towel, clean all the windows with an APC or Windex. Then use a fresh waffle weave for each window with Sprayaway. Touch up with glass cleaning towels as needed.

One of the biggest mistakes guys make when cleaning glass is not changing to a fresh towel often enough. The crap that is transferred from the glass to the towel is just looking for a reason to streak your glass. Don't give it a chance; change the towel!

Right... well... *ahem*.. that was probably way more information than what you were looking for, but since you mentioned that the glass was driving you nuts, I thought I'd share a bit of my OCD with you.