Congrats to the Q4 2016 owners; Initial impressions; BMW i3 fail

[hariclt]

Telsa really came through for me .. ordered on 11/21 and the car was delivered on 12/16. Pretty amazing to get the car in less than a month. I know there are a few folks out there still trying to get in before year-end .. may the force be with you!

I wanted to share initial impressions after 2 weeks with my S60. My hope is that it will help other buyers that may be on the fence as I was for about 3 years.

Screen - On my first test drive it seemed distracting .. on second test drive it started to grow on me but struggled with optimal configuration.. now after 2 weeks of driving the car I am spoiled for life!!! The great thing about the large screen is that it so much easier to see everything - like the back-up camera, music settings and phone stuff. More on this when I discuss BMW i3 fail below... But honestly Tesla is way ahead of others here ... and once you get used to it ..My pocketbook hates it .. but no really going back. Optimal for me after 2 weeks is Nav on upper and music on lower - or reversed. I think having the rear camera up 100% of time is distracting. It is great that it automatically comes on for backups .. and sensors check in front and back for you up to 12 inches from an object.

Driving - Again - takes a bit to get used to - 1st test drive was confused by regenerative braking .. wondering why I would pay so much money for something like this? 2nd test drive .. began to accept it because I wanted the car ... after 2 weeks .. really like it .. regen + creep is the way I ride .. I was a non-brake rider to begin with so switch did not take too long .. but honestly it is a lot of fun to drive this way ... much smoother than constantly using the brake.

Speed - 1st test drive - really impressed; 2nd test drive really impressed; still really impressed - honestly not sure why anyone would ever need anything more. I can make the whole car "wooooo" at anytime!

Interior - 1st test drive - Spartan .. like a server room ; 2nd test drive .. seems optimal .. not sure I need anything else; it is pretty much a sporty feel .. drives like a sports car (I drove a Porsche long ago) - an extremely refined one. Not a ton of bells and whistles.... but has all that I need. Would like to see automatic doors make it to model S.

AP - 1st test drive - really neat - but unsure in a bit of shock; 2nd test drive - wow - could see some real world uses for this - drove on major highway waving to people while not holding the wheel. Present day - stuck in a time loop checking electrek.co for updates.

Purchasing - How do I put myself in a reasonably priced model s today? Started with just EAP .. in one week revision period . decided to add glass roof and premium pkg .. regretted it 2 weeks later - wondered it I should have gone full leather, some upcharge color and pano instead ... after 2 weeks of ownership - absolutely made right decision for me .. love the textile seats (note - I had leather in my cars for 14 years straight and these seats are more comfortable IMHO). Love the bio defense mode to clean the air in the cabin .. power liftgate etc.

Car care - Test drives -- I will get it washed at autobell .. Day 1 - just regularly wash/wax car ($100) ; Day 2 - get perm coating ($700-800) ; eventually settled on front wrap and new car prep package (total ~$1100). Wish I had gotten full hood and partial front ...

Overall an amazing car ... I hope things keep working out .. and that I can afford another one for my wife. That leads me to the BMW i3 fail ...

So I am thinking - maybe there is another less expensive electric car I can get for my wife (she being a great wife is open to it) - I read some on how the BMW i3 has improved 2017- so I do some basic pricing on the phone .. and then head for a test drive. Wow - talk about being behind ... and really no way to catch up .. The infotainment system is a mess .. buttons and dials all over the place.... cheap interior (I owned a Toyota Corolla for 10 years - interior reminded me of that)... 50k+ car - NO POWER SEAT decent pickup ... almost no trunk space ... now they are discounting a lot .. so the MSRP at 54295 is way more than you would ever have to pay - you can easily get 13k off with no real negotiation. If anyone thinks this is going to have any chance of outselling a Model anything from Tesla .. well no chance .. Tesla sales force is good .. but needs direction and a better playbook. The product is way superior .. and folks don't know it ..

Hariclt

 

[Ormond]

Did you order another Tesla for your wife?

 

[hariclt]

Did you order another Tesla for your wife?

Just reached out to CPO team ... but need to watch the market a bit.

 

[Pollux]

Loved your post! Thrilled that you are enjoying your new S! I liked your post so much that I "liked" it. But now just can't resist adding a comment.

Car care - Test drives -- I will get it washed at autobell .. Day 1 - just regularly wash/wax car ($100) ; Day 2 - get perm coating ($700-800) ; eventually settled on front wrap and new car prep package (total ~$1100). Wish I had gotten full hood and partial front ...

While any kind of wrap is a significant expense, so budget is a big big issue, I have come to appreciate the value of wrapping the car, at least for me.

History: Aug 2013 S P85+, traded in Nov 2016, took delivery on S P100D in early Dec. Tesla wrap on the 2013 (an option no longer available, and only available as a partial wrap), didn't like it, had it peeled off and replaced with a partial Xpel wrap by a very good shop. Then moved to full wrap. Now, on the P100D, it's a full wrap from day one.

Why any wrap? (1) Tesla uses a "soft" paint, unlike the "harder" paints used by Detroit. I am told that's because of California environmental regulations, in this case protecting the workers from paint fumes. OK, so that's a good thing for the workers and we like that. But a soft paint is easier to scratch. A wrap helps you on this front. (2) Impact protection. No wrap can save you from every impact. But light impacts - yes. Tree branches, car door dings (don't forget to have your installer wrap the edges of your doors) from other cars, acorns dropping from the sky, bird crap that would mar your paint (maybe not a dent-causing event but still), pebbles, tar, general road gunk being flung up and at you. (3) The S has an aluminum body. If you do need ANY kind of bodywork due to (1) or (2), you're going to pay way more for it than the equivalent work for a steel body. And it's going to take much longer, too, to get into an approved shop and back out again.

Why a full wrap? I tried just a partial wrap. That's when I learned about expensive aluminum bodywork due to some light impact and scratching that happened on my right rear bumper and quarter panel (2013 P85+). After that incident, I finished the wrap job. Subsequent incidents -- yes, plural -- taught me that it was way, way cheaper and faster to peel and replace a piece of the plastic wrap than to visit the body shop. Also, to my considerable relief, things that looked bad -- like scratches -- often washed or buffed right out of the plastic.

About the only negative I can put to the wrap is its cost. I spent about $6K ultimately on the '13 P85+ wrap (in Massachusetts), and about the same again on the '16 P100D wrap (in Maryland). But I believe I've "saved" over $10K in bodywork expenses just on the '13 alone.

Hope you have a wonderful experience with your car!

Alan

P.S. I don't know "auto bell"... but hope that the only wash you're doing on your car is a hand wash, never an automated wash.

 

[hariclt]

Loved your post! Thrilled that you are enjoying your new S! I liked your post so much that I "liked" it. But now just can't resist adding a comment.



While any kind of wrap is a significant expense, so budget is a big big issue, I have come to appreciate the value of wrapping the car, at least for me.

History: Aug 2013 S P85+, traded in Nov 2016, took delivery on S P100D in early Dec. Tesla wrap on the 2013 (an option no longer available, and only available as a partial wrap), didn't like it, had it peeled off and replaced with a partial Xpel wrap by a very good shop. Then moved to full wrap. Now, on the P100D, it's a full wrap from day one.

Why any wrap? (1) Tesla uses a "soft" paint, unlike the "harder" paints used by Detroit. I am told that's because of California environmental regulations, in this case protecting the workers from paint fumes. OK, so that's a good thing for the workers and we like that. But a soft paint is easier to scratch. A wrap helps you on this front. (2) Impact protection. No wrap can save you from every impact. But light impacts - yes. Tree branches, car door dings (don't forget to have your installer wrap the edges of your doors) from other cars, acorns dropping from the sky, bird crap that would mar your paint (maybe not a dent-causing event but still), pebbles, tar, general road gunk being flung up and at you. (3) The S has an aluminum body. If you do need ANY kind of bodywork due to (1) or (2), you're going to pay way more for it than the equivalent work for a steel body. And it's going to take much longer, too, to get into an approved shop and back out again.

Why a full wrap? I tried just a partial wrap. That's when I learned about expensive aluminum bodywork due to some light impact and scratching that happened on my right rear bumper and quarter panel (2013 P85+). After that incident, I finished the wrap job. Subsequent incidents -- yes, plural -- taught me that it was way, way cheaper and faster to peel and replace a piece of the plastic wrap than to visit the body shop. Also, to my considerable relief, things that looked bad -- like scratches -- often washed or buffed right out of the plastic.

About the only negative I can put to the wrap is its cost. I spent about $6K ultimately on the '13 P85+ wrap (in Massachusetts), and about the same again on the '16 P100D wrap (in Maryland). But I believe I've "saved" over $10K in bodywork expenses just on the '13 alone.

Hope you have a wonderful experience with your car!

Alan

P.S. I don't know "auto bell"... but hope that the only wash you're doing on your car is a hand wash, never an automated wash.

Thanks for the like! I had some things I just needed to get out of my system after that i3 test drive ... folks I don't think realize how much better the car is than competitors ..

Yeah the wrap was a several day back and forth in my mind ... I think you are providing some sage advice on just going all in on the wrap .. ultimately it is what will provide protection ... these paint coatings provide a shine but not true protection like a wrap does.

 

[hariclt]

Thanks for the like! I had some things I just needed to get out of my system after that i3 test drive ... folks I don't think realize how much better the car is than competitors ..

Yeah the wrap was a several day back and forth in my mind ... I think you are providing some sage advice on just going all in on the wrap .. ultimately it is what will provide protection ... these paint coatings provide a shine but not true protection like a wrap does.

Oh and I meant that I was at machine wash on the test drive (Autobell is out local place) and my thinking advanced so quickly now I am at wraps and hand washing ..