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Blind Spot Monitoring

Discussion in 'Model 3' started by toddkageals, Feb 23, 2021.

  1. toddkageals

    toddkageals Member

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    Guys,

    My car is scheduled to be delivered next week. One thing I did not notice on my test drive was a blind spot monitoring system. Does the Performance Model 3 have BSM? If so, how does it work. I didn't notice any lights in the mirrors, etc.

    Todd
     
  2. UncertainTimes

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    The rendered car in the FSD visualization will flash red. It’ll also beep at you if collision is imminent. Unsure if the car with try to autosteer to avoid collision. Conceivably you could leave the cameras on the screen and take a quick look before changing lanes. Yea, none of these are ideal solutions. Tesla just wants you to buy FSD and trust it.
     
    • Like x 2
  3. glide

    glide Active Member

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    It may as well not have one. No audible alerts and very brief flashing from the sensors on the main screen.

    Tesla has worst-in-class blind spot monitoring by a wide margin.
     
    • Like x 10
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  4. UncertainTimes

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    But who needs blind spot monitoring when tHe CaR DriVeS ItSelF
     
    • Funny x 11
  5. zhu-

    zhu- custom title

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    I believe it does. One time I was trying to merge into a very tight lane and the red line and alert went off on the screen and the wheel stiffens like on autopilot or the lane departure warning.
     
    • Like x 3
  6. stopcrazypp

    stopcrazypp Well-Known Member

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    Yeah and it seems to be by choice. They have all the hardware available to make it great (like adding audible alerts, or even showing the camera view on the side when using the turn signal like some cars do), but they just don't do it for some reason.
     
    • Like x 3
    • Informative x 1
  7. danarcha

    danarcha Member

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    Yeah but you are missing the point... the car can fart!
     
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  8. Needsdecaf

    Needsdecaf Member

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    I'm glad to know I can sit there making the car fart while I am waiting for the responding officer to write the accident report because someone zoomed into my blind spot.
     
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  9. Phlier

    Phlier Bluebird

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    It will definitely auto steer to avoid contact. When my car was still on its factory delivery firmware, I had several false positive "Potential Collision Detected. Corrective steering has been applied" warnings, as well as a few lane departure corrective steering events. The lane departure corrective steering events would happen when lanes would merge with poor lane markings. It was bad enough that I turned off lane departure. The Potential Collision warnings had no rhyme or reason; every time they happened, there wasn't a car even close to us.

    Luckily, that only happened with the original from-the-factory firmware. I think it might have had something to do with the cameras still calibrating, even though the "calibrating cameras" icon had been gone for over a week.

    Haven't had a false warning since then, thankfully, and I do have lane departure warnings turned back on.

    Yes, the system definitely has a poor UI, but it does work. The last place you should be looking during either one of these events is at the car's display.
     
  10. elptxjc

    elptxjc Member

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    The Tesla system is absolute crap compared to all others, PLUS it requires that you use the turn signals. The main problem with it is the car does not have rear radar, so it only works with cars the camera can already see. The lack of rear radar is also why the car doesn't have 'rear cross-traffic alert', which should have been standard as well. But I guess it's better than nothing :).
     
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  11. XPsionic

    XPsionic Member

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    I'd love to have the car give a gentle tone when someone's in my blind spot when I turn on the signals. Right now you need to make a move into the other lane and almost crash before the car would make a sound and/or nudge the steering wheel.
     
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  12. Sam1

    Sam1 Member

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    It will activate corrective action automatically for blind spot vehicles. Experienced this a few months back when a guy was speeding and jumping lanes coming up from behind me and I never saw the dude.
     
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  13. Sam1

    Sam1 Member

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    Yep this is spot on. A simple beep when you put the signal on, nothing fancy... It's not cool going from Sunday afternoon driving mindset instantly to you're gonna crash, when the computer knows the vehicle was there from the start.
     
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  14. Knightshade

    Knightshade Well-Known Member

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    That's a feature, not a bug.

    As long as a human has to drive, might as well train him to do so correctly.
     
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  15. toddkageals

    toddkageals Member

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    Wow....I just assumed that it would have BSM AND rear cross traffic alert. I was under the impression it was the most technologically-advanced thing on the road.
     
    • Funny x 2
  16. toddkageals

    toddkageals Member

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    I mean...my bad for nor asking, but why?
     
  17. stopcrazypp

    stopcrazypp Well-Known Member

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    #17 stopcrazypp, Feb 23, 2021
    Last edited: Feb 23, 2021
    To clarify, there is BSM, just that the UI is not particularly good as it only shows lines in the visualization.
    See page 110 for how it looks:
    https://www.tesla.com/sites/default/files/model_3_owners_manual_north_america_en.pdf
    It also has an audible alert (see page 111), but only when it detects that a collision is imminent (it's not like other systems that might alert regardless):
    "Blind Spot Collision Warning Chime
    If you want a chime to sound when a vehicle is in your blind spot and a possible collision is detected, touch Controls > Autopilot > Blind Spot Collision Warning Chime."

    As discussed above, for BSM, Tesla can do better if they choose, however at the moment they don't for whatever reason.

    As for rear cross traffic alert, it doesn't have the sensors for it, so doesn't have it at all (usually there are radar sensors mounted to the two rear corners of the vehicle for it). Other cars use the same radar sensors for blind spot monitoring, so they have both automatically (they go hand-in-hand). Example below from Continental:
    https://www.continental-automotive.com/getattachment/80a1d861-39ee-4893-b920-6223007b4031/Rear-Cross-Traffic-Alert-EN.pdf.pdf

    Tesla's blind spot monitoring uses the rear facing side marker cameras instead, which are blocked when parking, so can't do the same function in terms of monitoring rear cross traffic.

    Tesla's autopilot page may help you understand the sensors better (click the "Learn more about Camera Views, Radar and Ultrasonics" to see more details about the FOV of the cameras).
    Autopilot
     
    • Helpful x 2
  18. UncertainTimes

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    I’ve noticed the rear camera has a very wide angle. Wider than the BMWs I’ve had in the past. Sort of makes up for lack of rear cross traffic alert.
     
  19. mswlogo

    mswlogo Well-Known Member

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    It most certainly does have audible alerts for BSM. It just doesn’t have a audible pre-BSM-warning. Which most car have. Where it beeps if there is a car in your blind spot and the blinker is on. On Tesla’s you have to start moving toward the car in your Blind Spot before it beeps or tries to correct for it.
     
  20. glide

    glide Active Member

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    That is not blind spot monitoring. That is collision avoidance.
     

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