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D-Day
Wow. Just wow.
Turned up on time and was led through a cavernous hall, squeezing past Model S after Model S. Every square foot of floor space jammed with Teslas being prepped for delivery. A large number seemed to have license plates, which means that they are registered and just waiting for owners. There must have been 30 cars in the place - seemingly about half of them signature red.
The delivery booths were all full (one other delivery in progress when I turned up), and my car was waiting for me front-and-centre ready to go. That EV914 plate does look good. Notice the Tesla logo on the plate - nice touch.
Had a good look over the car, but couldn't find anything wrong. Trims look fine, nothing loose, and spec as expected. Went through a briefing of outside then inside of the car, and setup bluetooth phones and a workable driver profile for myself. Enough to get me home.
Car comes with a blue Mennekes type 2 cable, supposedly good for both single and three phase. Web browser is included and works. 3G works. Navigation is google maps only at the moment. In the frunk, there is an emergency kit (colored vest, first aid, etc). But, no tire repair kit. Battery was at 90% (presumably helped by the two superchargers they have at the service centre). iPhone App still tells me I have no cars linked to my account.
I haven't played with the 17" display for a year or so, and was pleasantly surprised by the improvements made in that time. There are some obvious things missing (like per-location ride height, for example), but overall very polished. I did enjoy recreating the driver-is-on-the-right steering wheel control of passenger (not driver) AirCon temperature bug.
Signed the form, got in the drivers seat, and headed out into the rain. Got about 10 feet before all the windows and door mirrors started to fog up and visibility dropped to that of a UK winters morning. Must have been the car cold-soaking in the AirCon of the service centre, as fog was mostly on the outside. Had to pull over to the side of the road to sort out AirCon and defog everything. Windscreen was covered in (presumably protective) grease, which didn't help.
So, recommendation #1: sort out AirCon first, and leave it running a few minutes before you leave the centre - especially if it is 100% humid and hot as hell outside. Use a cloth to clean crap off windscreen.
Drive home was very uneventful. Car has similar regen and acceleration to the roadster (ok, not as much acceleration, but a lot better than the Nissan boat it replaces). But, it is a _lot_ wider. This is a big car, and will take some getting used to.
My wife has some comments to add, so I'll let her chine in now, and will add more later tonight.
Wow. Just wow.
Turned up on time and was led through a cavernous hall, squeezing past Model S after Model S. Every square foot of floor space jammed with Teslas being prepped for delivery. A large number seemed to have license plates, which means that they are registered and just waiting for owners. There must have been 30 cars in the place - seemingly about half of them signature red.
The delivery booths were all full (one other delivery in progress when I turned up), and my car was waiting for me front-and-centre ready to go. That EV914 plate does look good. Notice the Tesla logo on the plate - nice touch.
Had a good look over the car, but couldn't find anything wrong. Trims look fine, nothing loose, and spec as expected. Went through a briefing of outside then inside of the car, and setup bluetooth phones and a workable driver profile for myself. Enough to get me home.
Car comes with a blue Mennekes type 2 cable, supposedly good for both single and three phase. Web browser is included and works. 3G works. Navigation is google maps only at the moment. In the frunk, there is an emergency kit (colored vest, first aid, etc). But, no tire repair kit. Battery was at 90% (presumably helped by the two superchargers they have at the service centre). iPhone App still tells me I have no cars linked to my account.
I haven't played with the 17" display for a year or so, and was pleasantly surprised by the improvements made in that time. There are some obvious things missing (like per-location ride height, for example), but overall very polished. I did enjoy recreating the driver-is-on-the-right steering wheel control of passenger (not driver) AirCon temperature bug.
Signed the form, got in the drivers seat, and headed out into the rain. Got about 10 feet before all the windows and door mirrors started to fog up and visibility dropped to that of a UK winters morning. Must have been the car cold-soaking in the AirCon of the service centre, as fog was mostly on the outside. Had to pull over to the side of the road to sort out AirCon and defog everything. Windscreen was covered in (presumably protective) grease, which didn't help.
So, recommendation #1: sort out AirCon first, and leave it running a few minutes before you leave the centre - especially if it is 100% humid and hot as hell outside. Use a cloth to clean crap off windscreen.
Drive home was very uneventful. Car has similar regen and acceleration to the roadster (ok, not as much acceleration, but a lot better than the Nissan boat it replaces). But, it is a _lot_ wider. This is a big car, and will take some getting used to.
My wife has some comments to add, so I'll let her chine in now, and will add more later tonight.
Last edited:
waidy
Member
Hi Mark, congrats on your MS delivery. Great photos and information.
I got this email when I woke up just now: (sent 8 hours ago from the delivery team)
Yay!!!
I got this email when I woke up just now: (sent 8 hours ago from the delivery team)
Yay!!!
DAY 1.
Red thunderstorm, strong wind, flooding, landslip warnings - NOT the kind of day I wanted to have when picking up my brand new car! But it did bring to attention a few things about driving a Model S in wet conditions:
1. windows and windscreen fogged up immediately! Had to pull over and clearing it took a bit of effort! Luckily, I always have loads of tissue handy in my handbag! It's a woman thing
Nothing better for wiping the side mirrors dry! Not saying the MS is defective but just be aware of the temperature difference when you drive your car out of an air-conditioned space to a hot and wet environment! I've read in other forums that windows fogging up will eventually go away after a couple of weeks and after copious amount of window and windscreen cleaning.
2. windscreen had some kind of oily residue that, on top of the fogginess, made it almost impossible to see through! My top pet peeve in any car!!! Windscreen MUST be pristinely clean! Will need to find a way to clean this and apply rain repellant on the windscreen.
3. Where the fig is the rear window wiper when you need one?!!!
Other things that immediately bothered me:
1. frunk - I wish it was automated. After nearly 4 years, I still haven't figured out how to "properly" close the trunk on Mark's Roadster. Skipping the frunk.
2. child lock - there is no way to lock just one door. This is a problem for school drop off when Child 2 will need to open the door by herself. Child 3 will need his door child-locked. I will have to keep the child-lock on and switch it off when Child 2 wants to exit. It's not a huge problem but still one more thing to remember to do! Tedious.
3. turn signal - OMG! I hate the sound of the turn signal!!!! Wussy!!! Please! Someone tell me I can download my own sound!
4. rear air-con vent - no air flow or temperature control dial. Vents only on the centre console, nothing on the sides. If you've had your kids screaming at you from the back: "It's HOT! It's HOT! We're BOILING! We're BAKING! We want more air-con!", you'll understand why this is a problem.
5. vanity mirror - no light! Tsk!
6. see *
That said, things that I really like (besides the obvious):
1. my favourite handbag (14" long x 10" high) fits perfectly in the centre channel area (where a centre console would be). Hey, it's a woman thing
2. leather interior - LUX!!!
3. Piano black panels - LUX!!!
I hope the weather will improve tomorrow so I can take the car out for a spin - on my own! Very nervous about taking it to my local supermarket - the parking is tight tight tight tight!!! *Side sensors or all around cameras would be really useful.
Red thunderstorm, strong wind, flooding, landslip warnings - NOT the kind of day I wanted to have when picking up my brand new car! But it did bring to attention a few things about driving a Model S in wet conditions:
1. windows and windscreen fogged up immediately! Had to pull over and clearing it took a bit of effort! Luckily, I always have loads of tissue handy in my handbag! It's a woman thing
Nothing better for wiping the side mirrors dry! Not saying the MS is defective but just be aware of the temperature difference when you drive your car out of an air-conditioned space to a hot and wet environment! I've read in other forums that windows fogging up will eventually go away after a couple of weeks and after copious amount of window and windscreen cleaning.2. windscreen had some kind of oily residue that, on top of the fogginess, made it almost impossible to see through! My top pet peeve in any car!!! Windscreen MUST be pristinely clean! Will need to find a way to clean this and apply rain repellant on the windscreen.
3. Where the fig is the rear window wiper when you need one?!!!
Other things that immediately bothered me:
1. frunk - I wish it was automated. After nearly 4 years, I still haven't figured out how to "properly" close the trunk on Mark's Roadster. Skipping the frunk.
2. child lock - there is no way to lock just one door. This is a problem for school drop off when Child 2 will need to open the door by herself. Child 3 will need his door child-locked. I will have to keep the child-lock on and switch it off when Child 2 wants to exit. It's not a huge problem but still one more thing to remember to do! Tedious.
3. turn signal - OMG! I hate the sound of the turn signal!!!! Wussy!!! Please! Someone tell me I can download my own sound!
4. rear air-con vent - no air flow or temperature control dial. Vents only on the centre console, nothing on the sides. If you've had your kids screaming at you from the back: "It's HOT! It's HOT! We're BOILING! We're BAKING! We want more air-con!", you'll understand why this is a problem.
5. vanity mirror - no light! Tsk!
6. see *
That said, things that I really like (besides the obvious):
1. my favourite handbag (14" long x 10" high) fits perfectly in the centre channel area (where a centre console would be). Hey, it's a woman thing
2. leather interior - LUX!!!
3. Piano black panels - LUX!!!
I hope the weather will improve tomorrow so I can take the car out for a spin - on my own! Very nervous about taking it to my local supermarket - the parking is tight tight tight tight!!! *Side sensors or all around cameras would be really useful.
iPhone App just started to work (as did Android). Took about 6 hours after delivery.
Car is in my garage, with wifi configured to use home access point, but no cellular service.
If the car is asleep, it seems that wifi is disabled and it needs cellular service to wake up the car. Kind of expected (after three years working on OVMS, telematics I understand). Workaround is to disable the energy saver in the car so the computer doesn't sleep and wifi is always available. Downside is vampire power losses, but I'll just have to see how it behaves.
The App itself is pretty basic. Battery status, charge status, location, and climate control. The climate pre-cool / pre-heat is pretty cool (sic) - I wish the roadster had that capability.
Car is in my garage, with wifi configured to use home access point, but no cellular service.
If the car is asleep, it seems that wifi is disabled and it needs cellular service to wake up the car. Kind of expected (after three years working on OVMS, telematics I understand). Workaround is to disable the energy saver in the car so the computer doesn't sleep and wifi is always available. Downside is vampire power losses, but I'll just have to see how it behaves.
The App itself is pretty basic. Battery status, charge status, location, and climate control. The climate pre-cool / pre-heat is pretty cool (sic) - I wish the roadster had that capability.
DAY 2
Just sat playing with the stuff in the car all morning. Felt really nervous about driving The Car out on my own. Girlfriend came over in the afternoon so I felt brave enough to take The Car out for a spin. Went for a wee drive down and up the hill.
Friend: Where's the emergency handbrake?
Me: Errrr... That's a very good question. I don't know. I don't think it has one!
Friend: But what if you have to brake! In an emergency!
Me: Hmm... I think you push this little button. P for park.
Friend: A button?!!!
Me: Yeah, right here where the gear shift is. Except shift's on the right. How well do you think I'm going to do NOT changing gear when I actually want to indicate? (we both drive Japanese brand cars).
Friend:......... Err... just make sure you don't.
Me:...... Uhmm... ok.
Maybe I'm going to need sticker labels.
Just sat playing with the stuff in the car all morning. Felt really nervous about driving The Car out on my own. Girlfriend came over in the afternoon so I felt brave enough to take The Car out for a spin. Went for a wee drive down and up the hill.
Friend: Where's the emergency handbrake?
Me: Errrr... That's a very good question. I don't know. I don't think it has one!
Friend: But what if you have to brake! In an emergency!
Me: Hmm... I think you push this little button. P for park.
Friend: A button?!!!
Me: Yeah, right here where the gear shift is. Except shift's on the right. How well do you think I'm going to do NOT changing gear when I actually want to indicate? (we both drive Japanese brand cars).
Friend:......... Err... just make sure you don't.
Me:...... Uhmm... ok.
Maybe I'm going to need sticker labels.
lx3h
Charged.hk's Director of Education
Haha!
The first several times I test drove the car, I engaged the cruise control instead of the turn signal. I think I have got it now, so I am prepared for when I get my own Model S in about a month from now.
Having said that, I hear they are now considering to change it "back to normal" in the near future. THAT is going to be confusing!
I did that too. I want to take another test drive just to get a fix while I wait for delivery.
Strangely, I haven't done it yet in our Model S. Perhaps it has changed since the first test drive cars, or having the steering wheel on the right (correct) side of the car has changed the ergonomics?
Having the indicators on the left (same as the Roadster) is certainly easier for me. Whenever I used to drive my wife's Nissan (indicators on the right), I always cleaned my windscreen turning left.
My 2 cents on delivery:
1. do check about the light - happened to see a MS in front of mine had only the left rear light on when moving backward. Suggest to check all the light.
2. remember to adjust the suspension to "very high" before driving out - there is a step from the walkway to the road and the problem could become acute in hot sunny day when the windshield getting foggy as soon as you leave the Tesla garage at the TML Tower.
3. As more deliveries are on the pipeline, DS may get occupied so do try to secure a time slot and arrive on time. It should take around 30 mins for meaningful inspection and brief understanding on operating your MS.
4. Useful tools you may want during delivery:
- a small torch to check for scratches
- a USB to test the media. Do remember to try both plugs.
1. do check about the light - happened to see a MS in front of mine had only the left rear light on when moving backward. Suggest to check all the light.
2. remember to adjust the suspension to "very high" before driving out - there is a step from the walkway to the road and the problem could become acute in hot sunny day when the windshield getting foggy as soon as you leave the Tesla garage at the TML Tower.
3. As more deliveries are on the pipeline, DS may get occupied so do try to secure a time slot and arrive on time. It should take around 30 mins for meaningful inspection and brief understanding on operating your MS.
4. Useful tools you may want during delivery:
- a small torch to check for scratches
- a USB to test the media. Do remember to try both plugs.
D+5
OK, I think I've worked out what is going on with this.
When I first learnt driving, I was taught to hold the steering wheel at the 10 and 2 O'Clock positions. That was how I drove for the majority of my life. If you do the same in the Model S, your left hand falls on the cruise control stalk.
Then, I got the Roadster with its Momo steering wheel. Over the past few years driving that car, my hands naturally fell to the 9 and 3 O'Clock positions that steering wheel seems to prefer. I've also learned that is the safest position (given that modern cars have airbags in the steering wheels, and should they go off 9+3 is supposedly safer than 10+2). If you do this in the Model S, your left hand falls on the indicator stalk.
So, basically, we're holding it wrong :biggrin:
5 days on
After 5 days with the car (my wife has been graciously letting me drive it a lot), I'm still pretty happy. It is a large car, but the power steering is so good that it is very manoeuvrable and even getting into tight parking spots hasn't proven too hard. We have been avoiding known problem parking garages - when we went out for a family outing on Saturday, location of a 'large' parking garage played a key part in the choice of venue.
The lack of navigation is a PITA. But, ProClip should arrive today so hopefully I should be able to use my iPhone and waze tomorrow.
Recent humorous events:
OK, I think I've worked out what is going on with this.
When I first learnt driving, I was taught to hold the steering wheel at the 10 and 2 O'Clock positions. That was how I drove for the majority of my life. If you do the same in the Model S, your left hand falls on the cruise control stalk.
Then, I got the Roadster with its Momo steering wheel. Over the past few years driving that car, my hands naturally fell to the 9 and 3 O'Clock positions that steering wheel seems to prefer. I've also learned that is the safest position (given that modern cars have airbags in the steering wheels, and should they go off 9+3 is supposedly safer than 10+2). If you do this in the Model S, your left hand falls on the indicator stalk.
So, basically, we're holding it wrong :biggrin:
5 days on
After 5 days with the car (my wife has been graciously letting me drive it a lot), I'm still pretty happy. It is a large car, but the power steering is so good that it is very manoeuvrable and even getting into tight parking spots hasn't proven too hard. We have been avoiding known problem parking garages - when we went out for a family outing on Saturday, location of a 'large' parking garage played a key part in the choice of venue.
The lack of navigation is a PITA. But, ProClip should arrive today so hopefully I should be able to use my iPhone and waze tomorrow.
Recent humorous events:
- Niece: "Uncle, why are you not driving on the green lines?" - referring to my avoidance of major roads and google's traffic overlay.
- Daughter: "Why is the camera showing our car?" - another black Model S following behind us.
- Son (5 years): "Nooooo! We're gonna crash! We're gonna die!".
- Wife: Grabbing air, trying to find the gear shift in front of the touch screen (where it was on her Nissan).
- Helper: Trying to unplug the car in the morning, while it was locked.
- Me: Screaming like Fred Flintstone, going up the hills around Clearwater Bay (yabadabadoo!).
lx3h
Charged.hk's Director of Education
I wonder if anyone has challenged the really tight roads on their Model S yet, like the Tai Tam Tuk Reservoir Dam https://goo.gl/maps/zBa3V to Stanley and those scary corners of Peak Road when you have a bus or hyperspeed minibus coming the opposite direction https://goo.gl/maps/0p26S?
Markwj: you must have a very sored face from all the Tesla grins! Do keep them / dairies coming!
Lx3H: I’m living in the South Side and can let you know in a couple of weeks’ time. Lots of caution will be required around South Side and the Peak I guessed for the MS… I once saw a Porsche Panamera with the entire left hand bonnet / fender skinned badly on Tai Hang Rd from the roadside rocks, and the Panamera is not even as wide as the MS. As a general rule of thumb based on my observation, if you stick to the driving track / path for a X5 / Evoque / Ghibli, etc. the MS should be ok as they’re broadly similar in width the MS. I would not recommend risking it with 2-way traffic on Tai Tam Reservoir Bridge, and it’s a hairy run even at the best of times…
lx3h
Charged.hk's Director of Education
Please do let me know. Also, do list the roads which are not Model S friendly.
That being said, how come large buses can most usually drive those roads safely?
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