Deleting personal data - Model 3

[NewbieT]

The factory reset in the car was easy / fine. Map thinks you’re in SFO until you go for a short drive. You can delete Bluetooth etc before hand (I did) but I don’t think it’s necessary TBH.

Removing the car from your account: the link/process within the portal didn’t work for me. I had to email AccountSupportEMEA/AT/tesla.com the auto reply I got:

Thank you for contacting the Tesla Account Support e-mail address. Please note that you can expect a delay in our response due to the amount of incoming volumes.

While we are working hard on getting back to you as soon as possible, did you know that…

• You should request an ownership change via your Tesla Account?
• You can easily add or remove additional drivers directly from the 'Car Access' section of a Car's details in your Tesla Account? Up to five drivers can be added per VIN at a time. Additional drivers will receive access to the Tesla App to unlock, track location and control settings on the car.
• If you cannot request an ownership change request via your account or App, please make sure when sending us an email to include all required information and documents:
  • Phone number
  • Registration address
  • Email address used for your Tesla Account
  • Copy or photo of your registration documents
  • Color copy or photo of your driver’s license
  • If registering under a business, include your business card with your name and company

More information can be found on:

Tesla Account Support



Thank you,



Your Tesla Support Team.

3 days later car was removed.

 

[Yev000]

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.

One thing I haven't seen mentioned is if you do factory reset you need to drive it (1 meter or so) before you see the odometer again. Had some fun explaining to the dealer that I havent reset the odometer.....

But yeah factory reset has worked for me, then in the account page (not the app) hit the sold my car button.

And by the way I kept my refferral miles leftover.

Got the new LR and TBH I don't see other cars comparing. The car is close to perfect (aside from the valetting screwup before delivery that left swirl marks all over it). The new console is much nicer and the heated steering wheel is something I never knew I wanted....

 

[browellm]

the heated steering wheel is something I never knew I wanted....

This. 'tis a lovely thing.

 

[Glan gluaisne]

I got caught out by the screen defaulting back to Fremont etc after doing the reset, but it all came back to normal before I'd reached the end of the drive. I also found that it wouldn't accept a nav destination whilst locked in "Fremont mode". Not sure why, but several attempts to enter an address failed. Once I'd drive a few feet and then stopped again it returned to normal, and accepted post codes as it used to. I also couldn't remember how to bring up the mileage to show the buyer, mainly because I'd got so used to it just being on the front of the app that I'd never bothered to look at it on the main display.

Clearing all the data was surprisingly easy, easier than on the last couple of cars I'd sold. It didn't seem to take long, either, maybe five minutes before the screen rebooted with the Tesla logo and the map of Fremont came up. One big advantage of having one system doing everything, rather than the piecemeal approach taken in the past, where you needed to separately clear the phone, nav etc data individually. I did check carefully, and this reset removes everything, the car is literally back in the state it was in when delivered.

 

[curmudgeon]

Stupid question, but, when doing a factory reset, does the car remember the original key cards for entry and drive, or do they need to be added again?

 

[Medved_77]

Stupid question, but, when doing a factory reset, does the car remember the original key cards for entry and drive, or do they need to be added again?

Not a stupid question. The keycards are remembered, the pairing is stored in the card reader in the centre console, not the main display. You would need to repair any phone keys again however.

Saw this happen on a YT video (Daerik?) where he bought the refresh centre console as a whole piece, swapped it over but then couldn't drive the car as there were no keys registered.

 

[Glan gluaisne]

I can confirm that the key cards remained paired, but that the remote fob and both phones were deleted. Interesting that the pairing is stored in the centre console, and explains why the bags containing the key cards seem to be taped there when the car is delivered, perhaps.

All told, it was pretty painless. I did take the precaution of removing the USB SSD drive and the Taptes USB hub, plus the dash cam I'd wired in, beforehand, just in case anything caused a problem, but it was all pretty easy.