Considering a 2016 Model S 75D - Anything Missing?

[Falcon73]

I'm looking to purchase a 2016 Model S 75D from Carvana after deciding against the MX last night. What are some issues an "older" car may have vs newer ones? Here are some initial questions I have.

1. The Model S actually appears to be a hatchback, when I always thought it was a sedan. This is good news for me as I much prefer a hatchback. Are the newer S's like this as well?
2. No moonroof/panoramic glass? This is awesome and I didn't think any Tesla didn't have glass roofs (I don't like them at all!). Is it still possible to get an S with a metal roof?
3. Autopilot. I assumed all Teslas had it, but maybe I'm wrong? Some docs just say "Cruise Control."
4. What is the typical battery degradation to expect? Our current 2018 Leaf, which we are trading in for the MS has a massively degraded battery from having "grown up" in the Arizona sun.
5. Is there a way to measure it w/o driving it all the way down? I have an OBDII dongle and used it on our old MYLR a while back. I've been using it on the Leaf since.
6. Is it possible to ever get CCS on an older year like this, with an appropriate upgrade?
7. It seems it might even have AM radio?
8. Is the roof metal as in steel or aluminum?
9. Should it have HomeLink? When did Tesla stop adding it again? I was to say 2020, but...

Anything else I might expect from being a former 2021 MYLR owner that I might "miss"? I did massive upgrades to the MY and never was happy with it.

Thanks!

 

[waldo-56]

I'm looking to purchase a 2016 Model S 75D from Carvana after deciding against the MX last night. What are some issues an "older" car may have vs newer ones? Here are some initial questions I have.

1. The Model S actually appears to be a hatchback, when I always thought it was a sedan. This is good news for me as I much prefer a hatchback. Are the newer S's like this as well?
2. No moonroof/panoramic glass? This is awesome and I didn't think any Tesla didn't have glass roofs (I don't like them at all!). Is it still possible to get an S with a metal roof?
3. Autopilot. I assumed all Teslas had it, but maybe I'm wrong? Some docs just say "Cruise Control."
4. What is the typical battery degradation to expect? Our current 2018 Leaf, which we are trading in for the MS has a massively degraded battery from having "grown up" in the Arizona sun.
5. Is there a way to measure it w/o driving it all the way down? I have an OBDII dongle and used it on our old MYLR a while back. I've been using it on the Leaf since.
6. Is it possible to ever get CCS on an older year like this, with an appropriate upgrade?
7. It seems it might even have AM radio?
8. Is the roof metal as in steel or aluminum?
9. Should it have HomeLink? When did Tesla stop adding it again? I was to say 2020, but...

Anything else I might expect from being a former 2021 MYLR owner that I might "miss"? I did massive upgrades to the MY and never was happy with it.

Thanks!

1. It is a hatchback 2. My 2015 has a moonroof/sunroof that opens. Not sure about the 2016 3. Autopilot is different than cruise control. Make sure it says autopilot. 4. Telsas are pretty good. I saw a post that said average is 2% a year. My 2015 will still get 242 miles per charge if I charge all the way. Got to run. I think you will really enjoy your Tesla .

 

[TimT]

1. It is a hatchback 2. My 2015 has a moonroof/sunroof that opens. Not sure about the 2016 3. Autopilot is different than cruise control. Make sure it says autopilot. 4. Telsas are pretty good. I saw a post that said average is 2% a year. My 2015 will still get 242 miles per charge if I charge all the way. Got to run. I think you will really enjoy your Tesla .

Truly enjoy my 2015 S 70. An amazing car.

 

[bmah]

1. The Model S actually appears to be a hatchback, when I always thought it was a sedan. This is good news for me as I much prefer a hatchback. Are the newer S's like this as well?
2. No moonroof/panoramic glass? This is awesome and I didn't think any Tesla didn't have glass roofs (I don't like them at all!). Is it still possible to get an S with a metal roof?
3. Autopilot. I assumed all Teslas had it, but maybe I'm wrong? Some docs just say "Cruise Control."
4. What is the typical battery degradation to expect? Our current 2018 Leaf, which we are trading in for the MS has a massively degraded battery from having "grown up" in the Arizona sun.
5. Is there a way to measure it w/o driving it all the way down? I have an OBDII dongle and used it on our old MYLR a while back. I've been using it on the Leaf since.
6. Is it possible to ever get CCS on an older year like this, with an appropriate upgrade?
7. It seems it might even have AM radio?
8. Is the roof metal as in steel or aluminum?
9. Should it have HomeLink? When did Tesla stop adding it again? I was to say 2020, but...

2015 Model S 85D owner here.

1. All Model S ever made are hatchbacks.
2. Solid metal roofs were standard on the Model S for a number of years, but most owners chose the added-cost option for a "pano roof" (glass sunroof). At some point (2018-ish?) both of those options were replaced by a fixed glass roof. Trivia: The metal roofs are generally called "body color" roofs because they're the same color as the car body. There are a few rare "black roofs" (black metal roof on non-black car bodies).
3. All Teslas manufactured after about November 2014 have some form of Autopilot hardware (there are several versions). The capabilities and options varied at various times.
4. In general the 75 packs generally age "well" but I'm not sure how to describe that qualitatively. In an handwavy sense I'd claim that Tesla's battery management and cooling are superior to the Nissan Leaf.
5. Not sure. The rated miles you see in the range indicator are just an estimate in any case.
6. No chance for CCS. It probably can do CHAdeMO with the appropriate adapter. Both CCS and CHAdeMO adapters are hard to find at the present time.
7. I'm about 95% sure you'd have AM radio on a 2016 Model S (or any MCU1 Model S).
8. See answer 2 above. The roof could be either solid metal or glass, depending on how the car was configured. The metal roof would be aluminum, as is the rest of the car body. Note that Model S with the metal roof have less headroom compared to the pano roofs (most noticeable in the back seat).
9. All Model S and Model X have Homelink standard (it's an option on the Model 3/Y).

Hope this helps,

Bruce.

 

[ucmndd]

2016 is a complicated year for the Model S.

Early 2016 cars are the “nose cone” variety, prior to the first major refresh, which happened in ~April 2016.

Between April and October cars were produced with the refreshed front end and other enhancements but with the original “Autopilot 1” hardware that does lane keeping and radar cruise but not the “full self driving” package.

October and later cars have Autopilot 2.0 and are in theory eligible for FSD.

I have a very late 2016 75 and it’s been a very reliable car over 5.5 years and 150k miles. My battery has degraded about 12% from new but has held very steady for the last couple years. I think they’re a good value - past most of the early production gremlins that caused problems.

 

[Falcon73]

Thanks all this is very helpful. The front end is definitely the refresh it's not the nose cone.

But I don't know if I'll be able to tell if it has autopilot until I actually test it out on Monday. I'm not concerned about FSD but adaptive cruise control is a must.

I'll see if I can find out more about what it was made but certainly after April it would seem.

Oh yeah one question I forgot earlier. What model years enforce one pedal driving? The 2019 MX I test drove had the option for low versus standard so maybe it was 2020?

Thanks again!

Edit: 9/20/2016 was the original title date, so it seems certain to be in the April to October range with the front end refresh.

 

[PCMc]

A couple additional comments.

The car as originally built had both am/fm radio via an actual radio tuner (not streaming over cellular connection). Now the caveat is whether the car has had the MCU2 upfit performed. The the original radio tuner is not compatible with the newer MCU2 main display/media processor. There is an option with the MCU2 upgrade to replace the radio tuner for an extra $500. That will preserve a true FM radio capability, but you will lose AM. Tesla has never provided a radio tuner compatible with MCU2 that supports AM.

You can tell which MCU it has by going into the software screen on the main page and below the image of the car there is a more info link. This will pull up a screen which shows the MCU processor. NVIDIA Tegra means it still has MCU1. It is show Intel ATOM, then it is MCU2.

You will want to confirm autopilot functionality to know if it has TACC, traffic aware cruise control.

There is a label on the door jamb of the main drivers door. This will have a number in the top left corner, something like mm/yy. That is the month the car was built. Likely will show 07/16 or 08/16, indicating July or Aug build month given the car was first registered in September.

Not much benefit trying to hook up your OBD2 scantool. As a pure EV, Telsa is not required to meet any of the OBD-II requirements (these are tied to the vehicle emissions certification; As a BEV, there is no emissions certification). While you can find an OBD-II port, you won't get any useful information out of it.

Others will argue this point, but in my opinion you can get a reasonable idea of apparent battery degradation by simply charging the car up to 80% or 90% and then ratio the displayed rated range to 100%. Compare that to what the advertised rated range was with new and you'll have a indicative number. Yes, if the battery is significantly out of balance this won't be that good, but it's hard to predict that. I've tracked my car this way based upon value at the end of every charge cycle since new end of June 2016. It has shown me a consistent trend. In the over 1,200 datapoints I have there are about 20 where I've charged fully to 100%. It is impossible to pick out the points charged to 100% from the rest of the points. I have a 90 pack, not a 75, but I'm at about 9% apparent degradation. So as someone else said, somewhere around 10ish percent is not an unreasonable expectation.

Good luck on your decision.

 

[EVRider-FL]

Although your car has AP hardware, AP functionality was not standard until 2019 so you probably don’t have it (since the description didn’t mention it). However, you might be able to purchase that — I don’t know what Tesla charges for basic AP these days.

 

[JimmyB]

Oh yeah one question I forgot earlier. What model years enforce one pedal driving? The 2019 MX I test drove had the option for low versus standard so maybe it was 2020?

True 'one pedal driving', ie coming to a complete stop without using the brakes, came with the Raven update in April 2019 - see this blog post. Before that, the car would slow to a crawl and then roll.

 

[Falcon73]

True 'one pedal driving', ie coming to a complete stop without using the brakes, came with the Raven update in April 2019 - see this blog post. Before that, the car would slow to a crawl and then roll.

Thanks, good to know. But I was wondering the last model year that Low regen was available.

 

[Falcon73]

Although your car has AP hardware, AP functionality was not standard until 2019 so you probably don’t have it (since the description didn’t mention it). However, you might be able to purchase that — I don’t know what Tesla charges for basic AP these days.

Yeah this is a big deal. I won't buy a car w/o adaptive cruise control. I better find out if it's possible then and the cost. Thanks!

 

[Falcon73]

A couple additional comments.

The car as originally built had both am/fm radio via an actual radio tuner (not streaming over cellular connection). Now the caveat is whether the car has had the MCU2 upfit performed. The the original radio tuner is not compatible with the newer MCU2 main display/media processor. There is an option with the MCU2 upgrade to replace the radio tuner for an extra $500. That will preserve a true FM radio capability, but you will lose AM. Tesla has never provided a radio tuner compatible with MCU2 that supports AM.

You can tell which MCU it has by going into the software screen on the main page and below the image of the car there is a more info link. This will pull up a screen which shows the MCU processor. NVIDIA Tegra means it still has MCU1. It is show Intel ATOM, then it is MCU2.

You will want to confirm autopilot functionality to know if it has TACC, traffic aware cruise control.

There is a label on the door jamb of the main drivers door. This will have a number in the top left corner, something like mm/yy. That is the month the car was built. Likely will show 07/16 or 08/16, indicating July or Aug build month given the car was first registered in September.

Not much benefit trying to hook up your OBD2 scantool. As a pure EV, Telsa is not required to meet any of the OBD-II requirements (these are tied to the vehicle emissions certification; As a BEV, there is no emissions certification). While you can find an OBD-II port, you won't get any useful information out of it.

Others will argue this point, but in my opinion you can get a reasonable idea of apparent battery degradation by simply charging the car up to 80% or 90% and then ratio the displayed rated range to 100%. Compare that to what the advertised rated range was with new and you'll have a indicative number. Yes, if the battery is significantly out of balance this won't be that good, but it's hard to predict that. I've tracked my car this way based upon value at the end of every charge cycle since new end of June 2016. It has shown me a consistent trend. In the over 1,200 datapoints I have there are about 20 where I've charged fully to 100%. It is impossible to pick out the points charged to 100% from the rest of the points. I have a 90 pack, not a 75, but I'm at about 9% apparent degradation. So as someone else said, somewhere around 10ish percent is not an unreasonable expectation.

Good luck on your decision.

Awesome reply! Very useful, thanks! I will definitely look for the MCU info etc al to see what I'm getting into.

Also, I used a Tesla scanner OBD2 app with the old 2021 MYLR. It worked well. I don't need any other obd2 stuff. I just want to make sure that app still works.

Thank you!

 

[Falcon73]

We have been doing test drives today. It looks like 2019 was the last year to offer low regen. The 2020 we drove was like our MYLR, i.e. a bucking bronco.

I don't mind Leaf non epedal regen but more is understandable.

 

[Falcon73]

We have been doing test drives today. It looks like 2019 was the last year to offer low regen. The 2020 we drove was like our MYLR, i.e. a bucking bronco.

I don't mind Leaf non e-pedal regen but more is xxx.

Edit: undesirable (I don't know how I didn't notice this yesterday)

 

[SilverGS]

Edit: undesirable (I don't know how I didn't notice this yesterday)

I strongly suggest you drive it first yourself and reach your own personal conclusion.

I highly doubt any Tesla's regen feels like a "bucking bronco"...

What is that proverb about someone blaming his tools because he doesn't know how to use them?

 

[cdub]

The 2020 we drove was like our MYLR, i.e. a bucking bronco.

Admittedly it took me a while to get used to the strong regen during the test drive and we have a leaf too. Eventually I got it though. (Don't release pedal all the way)

I'm a little worried about how my wife will like it as she's usually very reluctant to change. It's going to be her commute car too.

But I want to go 100% EV and I'll NEVER buy a non Tesla EV after owning a leaf for 11 years. (Public charging stinks)

May I ask how much they're selling it for? I might consider a used S as well to replace the leaf. (The Y will be replacing an ICE minivan)

 

[Fairchild]

I had a 2021 Model Y and sold it for a profit after 17K miles. I bought a 2014 Model S to drive until my 2022 Model Y Performance arrived.
It had 117k miles, but was a one-owner and looked like it had been babied.

I had it for about 5,000 miles before selling it. The only problem I had with it was one day the passenger window stuck half open. It was not a party in the Florida heat or on the highway and the wait for an appointment was two weeks. Tesla uses plastic clips on the window regulators which crack with age. The repair was about $800 for one window, but you can rest assured other windows will follow. I ordered the parts and completed it with the help of a local on-site repair person for about $700.

The new owner contacted me after a month and said he had to replace the compressor and that since then the vehicle is dead in his garage. He was getting all sorts of screen warnings and had to have it towed to Tesla on a flatbed. I haven't heard the latest update. His appointment has been rescheduled x2 and he is very frustrated with the Tesla service dept in JAX.

I think we often forget that Teslas aren't sacrosanct and immune to normal wear and tear just like other vehicles. As my wife has said, "We won't be getting another older used vehicle."

My first Tesla was a 2014 Model S and yes, I actually had the option of having a black painted roof. It made the red pop, looked like a glass roof and I did prefer the solid roof, as well.

BTW, Autopilot became standard in late 2014. The Model S did come standard with FREE Supercharging, FREE Garage opening, FREE Premium Audio, and a FREE charging cable with all adaptors (whoopee!), a far cry from what we get with new vehicles today.

Another concern with the vehicle you mentioned would be range. 75D which is 259 new and probably 230 now which translates into about 190 miles in real-world driving. If you weren't happy with the MYLR, you are probably going to experience significant range anxiety with the 75D S and any maintenance issues you may experience. Being a bit older, I found getting in and out of the Model S was actually cumbersome after just hopping out of the Y. Although the ride in the S is smoothly amazing, and it is remarkably quiet, I tend to like riding higher with a better view of the road.

I don't mean to paint a negative picture of the older Model S and hope I have presented some of the positives as well as the negatives, but having owned two Ss, two Xs, a 3 and two Ys, I find the Model Y as the most comfortable, enjoyable and the best bang for the buck of all of the Tesla Models. Just MHO.
I have already ordered a 2023 and hope I can get the new crimson color.

 

[Falcon73]

Well, after all this, we bought a Model X yesterday. I will be commenting on it over on the MX forum. I decided the MS, while a little higher than an M3 was too low for me.

The MX is a 2017 with 32k miles and is not without issues to the surprise of no one I'm sure, but the price was right after major haggling with a used car dealer.

Thanks again, All!

 

[cbdream99]

2016 has two models - nose cone (black cone) or face lift. They have more options at that time, so features depends on what has been ordered. TACC (traffic aware cruise control).aka adaptive control I believe is standard. Battery degradation depends varies on usage, but should be way better than the Leaf natural air cooled system (I owned a leaf before and I know). You can check the number of cameras available and the center console to confirm what other AP features are available.

2016 Tesla Model S 75D - Specifications

Specifications of 2016 Tesla Model S 75D. Electric motor #1: 193 kW @ 6100 rpm, 330 Nm, Electric motor #2: 193 kW @ 6100 rpm, 330 Nm, Top speed: 139.8 mph / 225.0 km/h, Battery: 75 kWh. Market-dependent prices, MSRP.

www.evspecifications.com

 

[PCMc]

TACC (traffic aware cruise control).aka adaptive control I believe is standard.

TACC was not standard in 2016 with the AP1 MobilEye system that was produced up through mid-October 2016. It was part of the $2,500 paid autopilot option as I explained earlier in this thread. Standard was conventional cruise control, not the traffic aware or radar assisted variant.