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Deleting personal data - Model 3

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Glan gluaisne

Active Member
Sep 11, 2019
2,782
2,925
UK
My Model 3 has now been sold, so I need to delete all the personal settings, nav stuff, phone pairings etc. I understand this can be done by using the "factory reset" option, but have read several conflicting stories about this taking a long time, sometimes failing, needing a SC visit, etc.

Has anyone that's sold their Model 3 recently been through this process and please give a heads up as to how long it takes and the quickest way to do it?

I don't want to leave it until the last minute, in case something goes awry, but at the same time I need to leave enough time to resolve any issues with getting the car back to a "clean" state.
 
From what I remember... delete seat/user profiles, then make sure you log out of netflix, twitch, youtube, reset trip counters and delete the home location. Then delete the phone keys and bluetooth info, and then do a factory reset and depending on it you are going to buy another one at some point click the "I have sold the car" button in your tesla account.
 
Many thanks, the car's not going until next week, so I may have a trial run to see how it goes. I can live without the car having my personal settings for a day or two, especially as we're not exactly driving a lot right now.
 
Please stick around on the forum. Have appreciated your authoritative posts. And let us know how you get on with the I-Pace.

Thanks for the kind words. I will probably lurk around here for a time, as may get another Tesla at some future date, my experience with the Model 3 hasn't been as negative as it sometimes might appear. If anything, it's been my changed driving pattern over the past months of lockdown, as it seems winter driving, at night, often in bad weather, on mainly narrow, windy and unlit roads, perhaps unfairly highlights some of the car's weaknesses.

I'll probably try and do some sort of comparison between the Model 3 and the I-Pace. However, this won't really be a fair comparison, as the I-Pace isn't really in the same market segment as the Model 3, it's probably closer to being comparable to either the Model S or X, although smaller than both of those. I'm really curious to see just what the energy efficiency difference is, especially as that seems to be a regular point that reviewers bring up. Right now, the lifetime energy efficiency on my Model 3 is 302 W/mile, perhaps a little higher than it could be, as I've owned it through two winters but only one summer.
 
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I'm also a bit sad that you've sold your car :( I found your posts illuminating. Was the UX change really that big of a dealbreaker?

Sadly the constant annoyance at having to do daft things like stop the car, just to safely turn the wipers on or off, has really been bugging me for the past few months, and taken away most of the enjoyment of driving. It's not just me, my wife refuses to drive the car, having been scared a couple of times by the warnings going off, the brakes and steering corrections being applied, seemingly for no reason. Lately she's even insisted we go out together in her car, as she doesn't even like being a passenger in the Model 3 when it decides to throw a random wobbly (even though I'm now adept at just accelerating through these events). The recent UI changes are another nuisance, but not the primary reason for selling the car.
 
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Fair enough. That all sounds reasonable. I’ve been somewhat blessed that I haven’t really had many irritating instances, but I don’t do an awful lot of mileage and I’m single - so I’m only annoying myself :(
 
From what I remember... delete seat/user profiles, then make sure you log out of netflix, twitch, youtube, reset trip counters and delete the home location. Then delete the phone keys and bluetooth info, and then do a factory reset and depending on it you are going to buy another one at some point click the "I have sold the car" button in your tesla account.


This is what I did, seemed to work!

I'd just like to reiterate what others have said @Glan gluaisne - your posts are informed, authoritative, thought provoking and push back at the fanboy mentality (always a good thing!). I wish you well with your I-Pace, I know 3 people who have them and all are largely pleased. I'm also encouraged to hear that you will be sticking around these parts and may, one day, come back to a Tesla.
 
We will soon have two new EVs to compare to the Tesla, the I-Pace plus my wife's Renault Zoe that she picks up at the start of April. Should be interesting to make some comparisons, as my past experience has been just with various models of Prius (including a PHEV for ~5 years) and a year or so of owning an i3.

I get the feeling that some other manufacturers are closing the gap with Tesla pretty rapidly now, especially as some of them, like Renault and Nissan, have almost as much experience of manufacturing production EVs as Tesla. I've just checked this latter point, and the dates and numbers are quite interesting:

Tesla - started production in 2009, global sales as of December 2020 = 499,550 vehicles

Nissan Leaf - started production in 2010, global sales as of December 2020 = 500,000 vehicles

Renault Zoe - started production 2012, global sales as of December 2020 = 285,000 vehicles
 
I’m not wildly unhappy with my Model 3, but otoh, if it wasn’t for the SuC network I’d be eyeing up the alternatives. My wife’s ID3, despite its own issues, has shown me that other manufacturers have worked out how to design and build EVs now.
I’m delighted to hear of your positive experience with the ID3.
I want to see VW succeed with this, Diess is really betting the company on electrification (much more so than any other incumbents).
 
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We will soon have two new EVs to compare to the Tesla, the I-Pace plus my wife's Renault Zoe that she picks up at the start of April. Should be interesting to make some comparisons, as my past experience has been just with various models of Prius (including a PHEV for ~5 years) and a year or so of owning an i3.

I get the feeling that some other manufacturers are closing the gap with Tesla pretty rapidly now, especially as some of them, like Renault and Nissan, have almost as much experience of manufacturing production EVs as Tesla. I've just checked this latter point, and the dates and numbers are quite interesting:

Tesla - started production in 2009, global sales as of December 2020 = 499,550 vehicles

Nissan Leaf - started production in 2010, global sales as of December 2020 = 500,000 vehicles

Renault Zoe - started production 2012, global sales as of December 2020 = 285,000 vehicles


That Tesla number is in one year ... they passed the million mark a year ago ... so about 1.5 million now ... and each year (assuming sales stop increasing today) selling as many cars as Nissan sold over a 10 year period.
 
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I’m delighted to hear of your positive experience with the ID3.
I want to see VW succeed with this, Diess is really betting the company on electrification (much more so than any other incumbents).

I've been following the ID.3 for a long time, even put down a deposit for one about two years ago now, and the ID.3 was on my wife's shortlist for a new car. It's impressive just how quickly VW have been able to develop a car from the ground up, with relatively little EV experience. Not, perhaps, surprising that they have run into a few problems. It seems that they aren't alone amongst car manufacturers in running into software-related issues, either.
 
I've been following the ID.3 for a long time, even put down a deposit for one about two years ago now, and the ID.3 was on my wife's shortlist for a new car. It's impressive just how quickly VW have been able to develop a car from the ground up, with relatively little EV experience. Not, perhaps, surprising that they have run into a few problems. It seems that they aren't alone amongst car manufacturers in running into software-related issues, either.
Maybe it’s still novelty factor, but I find myself often taking my wife’s ID3 in preference to the Tesla. It’s odd, because it’s slower, has a clunkier infotainment system, has too much cheap-feeling plastic inside, and the sound system lags way behind. But on the positive side, the ride is better, the cabin refinement is better, it has better efficiency, the Nav (via Car Play) is better, the voice control (via Siri) is better, the displays are easier to read, there’s no phantom braking, the local dealer answers the phone, and the car just feels better made.

I’d still take the Tesla on a longer journey because it’s got a bigger battery and the SuC network is miles ahead of the public rapid networks. But for sure the gap is narrowing.