Can a Tesla prevent garage door coming down on vehicle roof?

[berkeley_ecar]

The answer is almost certainly "no," but I ask all the same, in the hope of learning. I live in a small condo. complex with a shared garage. Once opened, the main garage door is on a timer that will close the door after 45s. When leaving the garage, if I am at all delayed, I usually keep pressing on the open button of my remote to reset the timer. I got distracted last night, and although I thought I was pressing the open button (which does not always "take"), the very thing I'd been fearing for years finally happened -- the rear end roof of my Volvo station wagon contacted the descending door. It did some nasty scraping across two feet of the roof (including clipping off my Sirius antenna dome). I was/am seriously pissed off with myself, and could not help but think about how I'd be feeling right now if I'd done this to my new Model S (still on order), rather than my 31-year-old Volvo. I will be considering improvements to the door mechanism (including augmenting/extending the "photo eye" mechanism which causes the door to open if a light path is interrupted). I can't imagine anything about the Model S that could be used to prevent such a accident, but thought I'd ask all the same.

 

[jaguar36]

I have had the auto-homelink go off while under the door, fortunately it hit the windshield and didn't hurt anything. 45s is quite a long time, how does it take you that long to get through the door? I don't think a Tesla would make this any better, and would probably just be worse with the lack of feedback on the homelink button.

 

[berkeley_ecar]

I have had the auto-homelink go off while under the door, fortunately it hit the windshield and didn't hurt anything. 45s is quite a long time, how does it take you that long to get through the door? I don't think a Tesla would make this any better, and would probably just be worse with the lack of feedback on the homelink button.

Passenger in car, with distractions; careful maneuvering required due to tight dimensions of garage -- 45s seems a long time, and it usually is, but stuff happens...

 

[Max*]

Talk to the condo management, this isn't your problem to solve. Tell them the sensors for the garage door aren't in the best location and let THEM figure it out.

If they push back, write a letter to the board of directors. They're required to at least look at it. And if you're not the only one having problems, it'll make your case stronger (i.e. go talk to some neighbors)

 

[Derek Kessler]

Auto Homelink is supposed to work within a certain distance from the garage door. Mine triggers exit about 10 feet after I've backed out of the garage, and on return about 60 feet out (while I'm still on the street).

 

[Andyw2100]

There is nothing in a Tesla that could prevent a closing garage door from closing on the car. If you happen to have the glass roof, I guess it is possible that no or little damage would be done, but that's all I've got.

 

[kort677]

another solution is that if you don't trust the homelink to work because of unique circumstances in your specific location, turn it off and open the garage door manually. sometimes there will be instances where the technology will not comport with the hardware you have in place.

 

[berkeley_ecar]

Talk to the condo management, this isn't your problem to solve. Tell them the sensors for the garage door aren't in the best location and let THEM figure it out.

If they push back, write a letter to the board of directors. They're required to at least look at it. And if you're not the only one having problems, it'll make your case stronger (i.e. go talk to some neighbors)

Um, when I described my complex as a "small" one, I meant just that. 6 owners. All on Board. Self-managed. So I'd be writing to myself. But as a number of owners (including myself) take management duties seriously, I will be figuring out a way to make sure this does not happen again. Posting here is a tiny part of my research into the problem.

 

[jaguar36]

There should be sensors by the door to make sure it doesn't come down on anything, particularly people, but cars too. They might be to low to hit the car, in which case they could just be moved up a few inches.

 

[boaterva]

There should be sensors by the door to make sure it doesn't come down on anything, particularly people, but cars too. They might be to low to hit the car, in which case they could just be moved up a few inches.

Exactly, this is the part I don't get. As in an elevator, the door shouldn't close when anything/body is between/under the door. I think this would be an easy fix to have the appropriate sensors be where the 'target' is.

 

[BestRadar]

Legally all doors need to have sensors to make sure the door does not close on anything and besides that there is a tension checker that should immediately reverse the door if it encounters any tension.

 

[berkeley_ecar]

We do have a photodetector, about 9" above the floor. I think I was just particularly unfortunate with respect to timing. The door was just about level with the roof, and may even have been coming back up in response to breaking of the light beam. It was late. It was dark. I'm thinking perhaps we need to add a strobing red light to the door operator when it is in operation...

 

[Sir Guacamolaf]

Legally all doors need to have sensors to make sure the door does not close on anything and besides that there is a tension checker that should immediately reverse the door if it encounters any tension.

^^ yes. However, these calibrations are only accurate when you buy the house ;-). A typical 2 car garage door is so heavy that if it fell on you without the springs (i.e. springs break), it could kill you. I'm always kinda scared going under that line that is the door LOL.

 

[msnow]

There is nothing in a Tesla that could prevent a closing garage door from closing on the car. If you happen to have the glass roof, I guess it is possible that no or little damage would be done, but that's all I've got.

The Homelink button in the Tesla could stop (not prevent) it from closing.

 

[Andyw2100]

The Homelink button in the Tesla could stop (not prevent) it from closing.

Well, yes, if @berkeley_ecar programmed the Homelink button to open the garage door, and then kept repeatedly hitting the button, but that's not any different from hitting the open button on a physical garage door opener. It would seem the problem was the automatic close after 45 seconds, and the light-beam safety mechanism not working properly or fast enough.

 

[pilotSteve]

slight drift here... does anyone have any experience that says v8 software uses the cameras/ultrasonics to detect if the door is/might be closed before starting to back out? Or to confirm the door *is* open already and not blindly send the homelink command?

I adjust my habits to make the car happy, meaning I let her open and close then door when leaving, and open automatically upon return. Then I press the wall button to manually close.

It does seem like the software could adjust the car's behavior however by sensing whether the door is open or not. I've never seen such behavior but probably thats because I"n not keen on tempting fate and banging something.....

 

[kort677]

slight drift here... does anyone have any experience that says v8 software uses the cameras/ultrasonics to detect if the door is/might be closed before starting to back out? Or to confirm the door *is* open already and not blindly send the homelink command?

I adjust my habits to make the car happy, meaning I let her open and close then door when leaving, and open automatically upon return. Then I press the wall button to manually close.

It does seem like the software could adjust the car's behavior however by sensing whether the door is open or not. I've never seen such behavior but probably thats because I"n not keen on tempting fate and banging something.....

if I use summons to back the car out when the door is down the homelink will open my door before backing out.

 

[pilotSteve]

if I use summons to back the car out when the door is down the homelink will open my door before backing out.

Cool, thats useful. (just not yet to us AP2 hardware folks....) Again I wonder if summon just 'presumes' the door was closed and therefore it beeps it open before moving out. But what if the door is already open? Does summon 'sense' that the door is already open?

 

[kort677]

Cool, thats useful. (just not yet to us AP2 hardware folks....) Again I wonder if summon just 'presumes' the door was closed and therefore it beeps it open before moving out. But what if the door is already open? Does summon 'sense' that the door is already open?

yes it knows when the door is open.

 

[DCGOO]

yes it knows when the door is open.

And the car will command it closed when the car rolls through the previously set GPS position. There is no timer based auto close on my door. It is virtually flawless for me. But I have a 120 ft straight in approach to my garage. It might be trickier if the distance was closer or involved a turn upon approach.