Crunch! Falcon Wing Doors fail to sense obstacle

[K-MTG]

View attachment 174615

Haha! I installed those curtains to block out the ugly FAU, water heater and filtration system. Also in my current car, I always end up hitting the gas line on the water heater when I open the rear passenger door (not safe right) so these curtains mitigate the impact somewhat.

 

[ssq]

Oh what..one cannot get out of Model X on street side without potentially decapitating a cyclist...that's a serious reliability issue that Tesla must take responsibility for.

I hereby take the opportunity that has arisen to coin the term falcon'D.

Falcon'D(verb)- the act of getting hit by or hurt oneself and in extreme cases decapitation by Tesla FWD.
Usage - "Oh look!! TitanoX just falcon'd @ssq !"

Reviews and improvements are welcome. I shall also post pictures of my garage's central beam to discuss the possibilities of "FWD crunch".

 

[jerjozwik]

That having been said, the doofus who actually opened that door (my husband, who has gone into hiding) is definitely going to pay for it, whether it was his fault or Tesla's fault.

for posterity sake, you should say what garage it was and perhaps what level. maybe go back and leave a DANGER model X owners sign to that parking space.

 

[K-MTG]

for posterity sake, you should say what garage it was and perhaps what level. maybe go back and leave a DANGER model X owners sign to that parking space.

Maybe we can create a wiki post with garages unsafe or safe for the MX? we can create it by state or city and link it to a map

 

[ssq]

Maybe we can create a wiki post with garages unsafe or safe for the MX? we can create it by state or city and link it to a map

Genius! And then license/sell the map data to Tesla to pair with augment GPS aware air suspension with GPS aware FWD-noCrunch zones.

 

[BornToFly]

Ouch! I hope I don't run into that problem, my rails are kind of low. I don't think I can move it higher, can I?

It looks like you can get several inches by getting rid of the center motor and using a Liftmaster 8500, and getting new tracks that are single on top (not double), and putting them all the way to the beams like this:

 

[K-MTG]

It looks like you can get several inches by getting rid of the center motor and using a Liftmaster 8500, and getting new tracks that are single on top (not double), and putting them all the way to the beams like this:
View attachment 174727

But I got this beam thing, I am not sure what is inside of it

 

[ohmman]

But I got this beam thing, I am not sure what is inside of it

I think you just wait and see when you get it home. To me, the width of the garage door opening looks scarier than the height clearance.

 

[ssq]

Anyone care to review my garage with respect to FWD-crunch ?
I lost my friggin measuring tape but from previous measurements I recall that it will be tricky to have the car parked so that the FWD just avoid the beam. And no I don't like backing into the garage (I suck at reversing :/) so that's ruled out. Planning to swap out the current setup with a side mounted jackshaft opener which in turn helps get rid of the center torsion rail. So with the current opener and rail gone I should gain about 9 inches of vertical space. The side rails will also be raised so the door in its open position is above the beam's lowest plane. So netnet the beam is the bottleneck.
Edit: The X will be parked beside this BMW 5, with the X being on the left side as you currently see in the last picture.

 

[elguapo]

People aren't mentioning width enough. The FWDs need space to open out too. Unless you have a good amount of space on both sides of the car in the garage, you'll be unloading before you get in garage and letting car park itself.

My garage height is fine, but my driver side FWD is about 16" from wall and can't open enough for anyone other than a smurf to get out. So, when I have all my kids in the car (with car seats), I have to unload outside garage.

Just put insulation/foam on your rails with tape and don't worry about it. The doors move so darn slow, they won't get hurt at all by touching the foam.

I am lucky, and my FWDs sense the rails. BUT, in a parking garage today, one of them would have hit concrete beam that was lower than the ceiling had I not been there to stop it.

I love the convenience/access of the FWDs, but do think the sensors were poorly placed and, largely, not capable of working well in situations where they're most needed. Likely not a retrofit, but a v2 change.

 

[elguapo]

@ssq Your garage looks like it will be fine, but watch that horizontal beam. Looks like you'll have plenty of width to just use the "umbrella" mode on he FWDs and you'll be fine. That beam is also big enough that I think the sensor on top of the X will pick it up.

 

[ssq]

@ssq Your garage looks like it will be fine, but watch that horizontal beam. Looks like you'll have plenty of width to just use the "umbrella" mode on he FWDs and you'll be fine. That beam is also big enough that I think the sensor on top of the X will pick it up.

Thanks, and sure hope so. I was hoping I don't need to make any changes. With the garage door open, the door itself will be a good sensing surface. What I am worried about in the current setup is that the front 5-10% edge of the FWD will be underneath the beam, while the X is parked. Whether the sensor can cover for an area beyond the FWD and avoid it's edges hitting things.. well.. the first test will be a stressful one for me.

 

[K-MTG]

I think you just wait and see when you get it home. To me, the width of the garage door opening looks scarier than the height clearance.

Here are some measurements, does it look like it will work?

 

[BornToFly]

I think the beam is high enough. I measured a fully open FWD outside once and if I remember correctly it was around 90 inches to the highest point.

 

[K-MTG]

As a precaution did anyone find a bumper for the beam and door?

 

[elguapo]

I just bought the type of foam you put around pipes, cut it in half, and put it on my garage rails. Never had to use it, but I suspect it would work fine. Also use door bumpers on garage wall - but I bought those for my S. Driver door hasn't had any issues sensing the wall.

 

[K-MTG]

I just bought the type of foam you put around pipes, cut it in half, and put it on my garage rails. Never had to use it, but I suspect it would work fine. Also use door bumpers on garage wall - but I bought those for my S. Driver door hasn't had any issues sensing the wall.

What size did you get?

 

[K-MTG]

Genius! And then license/sell the map data to Tesla to pair with augment GPS aware air suspension with GPS aware FWD-noCrunch zones.

How do you create a wiki post? I really want to do this

 

[Mark Z]

If you happen to damage the falcon wing doors due to low ceiling height, check out how expensive these repairs will be:

Bridge Meets Truck: 23 Not So Glamorous Tales Of Unrequited Love

Damage is never pleasant, but it helps to know you are not alone to double check the vertical distance of overhead clearances.

 

[FoxXxy]

Given the photo documentation, I fully expect Tesla to pay for all damage incurred.

It would be nice to hear from OP what TM has to say about liability of repair. Who pays?

They may for good will purposes but I doubt that they have any liability. I expect that they have all the disclaimers about owners responsibility for the safe operation of the doors

I'm happy to report that only that small glass section needed replacing, and Tesla did not charge me for it. The receipt noted "one time goodwill" for the $0 charge rather than "warranty."

Almost everything in my car is now working as expected. The only two issues I still have are the unwieldy 2nd row seats and the inability of the Model X to pick up where I left off when listening to music on a USB thumb drive (or via Bluetooth on my phone). Hoping for a robust firmware update in the next couple of months!