I have my new S set to auto present, but I can see the number of times the handles needlessly auto present when I'm in my garage. My concern is that the handles are not, historically, the most solid part of the reliability equation for Tesla, so what are most of you doing? Is it smarter to turn this feature off?
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Auto present handles- What's the smart approach?
- Thread starter Ken7
- Start date
Haxster
Member
Same issue with the garage thing. A month ago, one of the handles failed on my December 2016 MS. The service tech said it's a common failure...and very expensive to repair out of warranty. So, I disabled auto-present. Now, I'll probably rear out the top button on the key fob.
I believe that a "free" solution (for both Tesla warranty costs and customer satisfaction) would be to provide a user configuration option that would disable auto-present when the car is at specific locations (like your garage or driveway).
I believe that a "free" solution (for both Tesla warranty costs and customer satisfaction) would be to provide a user configuration option that would disable auto-present when the car is at specific locations (like your garage or driveway).
If auto present is off, just touch the handle, no need to get the remote out.
After having all 4 doors needing handle work, and like you, annoyed by garage gratuitous presenting... I turned it off. My wife still enjoys it on her driver profile but she drives a lot less often so I'm not concerned about occasional false presents.
Keep in mind.. you don't have to turn auto-present off... they will eventually stop auto-presenting on their own if you continue to work nearby... the software will finally determine that you're not interested in getting into the car. But they'll still do some amount of presenting until the ignore kicks in.
When auto-present is turned off, you have the touch-handle option to open doors and not just the fob button. Unless you have that new security feature enabled which demands that door open commands come from a fob button press and ignores handle touches. This is a very recent security feature addition, and a good one IMHO.
Keep in mind it's only expensive off-warranty if you get Tesla to do the repair work, and that's assuming a new handle mechanism is needed. Often it's not. You only need the micro-switch kit which is pretty cheap... or to be really cheap do the work yourself and repair the wires on the existing micro-switches... Costs nothing but your time. I made a video and another thread on that topic.
Let's forget about Tesla ever geo-locating features that would make sense, such as suppression of auto-present in your garage. This has been brought up years ago. Never acknowledged, and no hope of promise. It would also be awesome to geo-locate the mirror fold / unfold function. Probably never, especially after the most current software release has botched the mirror unfold algorithm ... pissing off many tight parking quarters Tesla owners.
Keep in mind.. you don't have to turn auto-present off... they will eventually stop auto-presenting on their own if you continue to work nearby... the software will finally determine that you're not interested in getting into the car. But they'll still do some amount of presenting until the ignore kicks in.
When auto-present is turned off, you have the touch-handle option to open doors and not just the fob button. Unless you have that new security feature enabled which demands that door open commands come from a fob button press and ignores handle touches. This is a very recent security feature addition, and a good one IMHO.
Keep in mind it's only expensive off-warranty if you get Tesla to do the repair work, and that's assuming a new handle mechanism is needed. Often it's not. You only need the micro-switch kit which is pretty cheap... or to be really cheap do the work yourself and repair the wires on the existing micro-switches... Costs nothing but your time. I made a video and another thread on that topic.
Let's forget about Tesla ever geo-locating features that would make sense, such as suppression of auto-present in your garage. This has been brought up years ago. Never acknowledged, and no hope of promise. It would also be awesome to geo-locate the mirror fold / unfold function. Probably never, especially after the most current software release has botched the mirror unfold algorithm ... pissing off many tight parking quarters Tesla owners.
Haxster
Member
Yes, but why wait the extra 3 seconds for the the handles to deploy?
Sharpgt
Member
I solved this problem with two profiles on the driver profile screen. One is called "exit" and one is "park." When I pull into my garage I select "exit." This lowers the seat, moves it back, and raises the steering wheel--all to make it easier to exit the car. This profile does not include walk away door locking (I don't need the car locked when it's safe in the garage) and it does not include auto present handles. That way when I enter the garage for some reason other than getting in the car, the handles don't unnecessarily present.
When I park the car away from home I choose "park. That also moves the seat and steering wheel, but also includes walk away door lock and auto present handles.
When I park the car away from home I choose "park. That also moves the seat and steering wheel, but also includes walk away door lock and auto present handles.
After using your "exit" profile I challenge you to come back to the car in a minute without the fob in your pocket... touch the handle and you will find the car is indeed locked. Try it!
The walk away lock slider option is pretty much a dead button on the console now... the car always locks after about 30 seconds. This change came along within the last few months.
Tesla also introduced a new security feature (slider option for now) that lets you specify fob button presses must be used to unlock car (ignore handle touch). At the rate Tesla is clamping down on security this might become a forced thing (non-optional) one day, and the kiss of death to auto-present handle feature.
Usually, security takes away from convenience. As is the case here with changes to entry system.
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Nope. I just went out to the car. It sat in the garage all night. Fob was in the house. Touched the door handle. It presented. Opened the door. Definitely not locked.
I'm not good at estimating distances, but I'd guess the fob was about 20 feet from the car. Plus signals would have had to pass through three walls, one of which is concrete block.
I tried this again. I placed the fob at the farthest point away in the house and waited several minutes. Then I went out to the car. It was not locked. And the second fob is not an issue here. My wife keeps the second fob in her purse, and she was not home the second time I tried this.
My car is on software version 2017.38 f87c64d5. FWIW I have had my S since mid-March, 2017. I set up the profiles I described above within the first week I had the car, and they have always worked. I have never had the car lock automatically when I did not intend it to do so.
I wonder if the situation you are describing is specific to Canadian cars. I know there are differences between U.S. and Canadian models, but, if this is one, it doesn't seem to make much sense.
Well no sooner did I bring this subject up, when I now have a problem with the front passenger door handle.
If I press the fob to unlock and then lock the doors without actually physically opening the door, all handles present and then retract normally. However if I physically open the front passenger door and then close it, and then try locking the doors, the handle stays stuck and unretracted, while all other handles retract normally. If I then gently lift the handle a tiny bit, the handle snaps back in with a bit of a bang. I don’t think you’d want to get your finger caught there.
I ran over to the SC and the tech thought it might be the latch. They’re ordering parts (including the handle if necessary) and are arranging for a home service call.
This issue is what I was afraid of.
If I press the fob to unlock and then lock the doors without actually physically opening the door, all handles present and then retract normally. However if I physically open the front passenger door and then close it, and then try locking the doors, the handle stays stuck and unretracted, while all other handles retract normally. If I then gently lift the handle a tiny bit, the handle snaps back in with a bit of a bang. I don’t think you’d want to get your finger caught there.
I ran over to the SC and the tech thought it might be the latch. They’re ordering parts (including the handle if necessary) and are arranging for a home service call.
This issue is what I was afraid of.
Because the car was not locked. You don't need the fob to enter an unlocked car. You do, of course, need the fob in order to start it and drive it.
Sorry to hear about your door handle.
PrGrPa
Member
This has been an interesting thread.
I’d wondered about how to ensure my model S was locked while on my driveway since the keys are likely to be less than 5 metres away in our key box or bags in the house.
I really like the autopresent feature but maybe I need to deprecate it and treat the S locking just like locking on our current MBs. The idea of geofenced locking/autopresent options is neat, I like it.
Any suggestions or advice folks can offer from their experience?
I’d wondered about how to ensure my model S was locked while on my driveway since the keys are likely to be less than 5 metres away in our key box or bags in the house.
I really like the autopresent feature but maybe I need to deprecate it and treat the S locking just like locking on our current MBs. The idea of geofenced locking/autopresent options is neat, I like it.
Any suggestions or advice folks can offer from their experience?
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