Are you holding the phone below your eyes to see it better? I've never seen it, but I am short - maybe it's a tall people angle problem? That might explain why some have to deal with it and others don't see it at all.
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Do you "just live with" the front windshield ghosting?
- Thread starter BrownOuttaSpec
- Start date
I am taller, But I've tried to take a picture from different angles (higher than my head, touching the roof, closer, further, Right next to where my eye is on my head, lower) but the pics just don't come close to what I am seeing when I drive. (LED tail lights are the worse!). I think I need to either find a cheap camera, or a expensive DSLR camera to really capture what I am seeing. Even if i had that picture I dont know how it would help my cause to get the windshield replaced.
Tesomega
Member
follow:
File a Vehicle Safety Complaint | Safercar.gov | NHTSA
There is a safety issue section on for Viper/Windshield.
I believe this is due to the UV coating on the outside of the glass. All of the tesla's have it, steeper the angle from the eye to glass further apart the ghosting would be. My other problem is I cant use things like rainx which provides a hydrophobic coating on the glass and that helps a lot when driving in the rain, this UV coating does not hold the rainx coating or any other type of hydrophobic coating. I find it distracting in rain with all the ghosting and fine water particles sticking to the glass. The wiper algorithm is light years away from being useful or smart.
Kim
Kim
yea.....once you see it , it will always be seen.....sort of like the FedEx logo......look between the "E" and the "X" and you will see an arrow......cant get it out of my head every time a Fedex truck goes by....
Tesomega
Member
I see so many people discussing this issue. .however only one (thats me) who has reported this issue to NHTSA. What is stopping us from reporting this safety issue?
2017 TESLA MODEL S P90D 5 HB AWD
2017 TESLA MODEL S P90D 5 HB AWD
Just submitted mine. It took me a while since i kept putting it off, but finally put in my report. Thanks for the link.
Not Sure
Member
well I dont have too much ghosting but I do have a problem with the frigging windshield wipers....they do not clean ½ of the drivers side windshield and smears badly in the middle and passenger side....Car is 1 week old.....should I take it to service? the windshield fluid in nothing like the dark blue that came with the Model 3 we have.....I does not even have a blue tinge...looks more like water only.
Thanks all for gathering information, contributing explanations of the optical physics behind it , and banding together. It feels highly irresponsible of Tesla to have such a wide spec tolerance allowing manufacturing defects during production and then refusing to replace the windshields that are particularly affected. My service center in Springfield New Jersey claim the windshield was fine and that a red stripe on the white hood of my 2021 model 3 was the cause of the reflections. The stripe had been on for 2 weeks and I noticed the ghosting immediately upon receiving the car back in September. I work at a photonics manufacturer , went to school for physics , and understand the basics of optical refraction whatever tricks other manufacturers including the windshield manufacturers for a 2000 Ford focus, a 2015 Toyota Prius , 2021 Toyota Prius, 2020 one Toyota sienna , etc are using have not been used in the manufacturer of these windshields. It's shameful to go from a gas car into this futuristic EV with such a shoddy and crucial component.
They said if I could document the reflections myself they might be able to replace the windshield but that there is no guarantee the replacement would be better. I feel like until there's a recall or a statement that they've improved their windshield manufacturing which of course will never come , that all I can do is wait a few years and then file another service warranty claim in hopes that they've improved their processes in the meantime.
They said if I could document the reflections myself they might be able to replace the windshield but that there is no guarantee the replacement would be better. I feel like until there's a recall or a statement that they've improved their windshield manufacturing which of course will never come , that all I can do is wait a few years and then file another service warranty claim in hopes that they've improved their processes in the meantime.
Tesomega
Member
Not likely... Its standard BS from Tesla, my original windshield was perfect, a rock-hit crack caused me to change and I have problems ever since. One of other BS from Tesla its is all within tolerance limits, Can they show how this was measured and documented - Hell, No !
I went into the service center to pick up the M3 and one of the techs heard me out and wanted to see the ghosting himself. We sat in my car and looked about for good examples (a chrome badge was the best I could find in dim sunlight) when he noticed some amber lights on a tow truck. I asked the driver to not leave for a few minutes and the tech brought out his '21 M3 and a customer's '21 MS; all of the windshields were affected. See below. The M3s were the worst and almost identical, while the S was more subdued but still present. It is definitely a design issue that their engineers to work out (or maybe an incredibly consistent manufacturing defect). I told him I was glad they didn't bother replacing my windshield after all because it likely wouldn't have made a difference and would have been a waste of labor and materials. He seemed fairly concerned and informed me he'd escalate this and inform the engineering teams, and that I would be contacted if there was a recall (which would happen for all affected, but still). He also lamented that with only 300mi on his odometer, he would now never be able to unsee the ghosting either. Sorry, man. Here's hoping something comes of this.
Note: with all three windshields the ghost image intensity and positions varied as we looked through different parts of the windshield. Tesla, pls fix.
Note: with all three windshields the ghost image intensity and positions varied as we looked through different parts of the windshield. Tesla, pls fix.
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Wol747
Active Member
I can't say whether mine is the same effect, but since new (2020 MS) the windshield looks as if it has a film of dust or something evenly laid across it. I haven't really driven at night but by day it's like a light frosting.
I cleaned it with an auto glass cleaner thinking it would go away but no, it's still there. Just appears like cheap glass.
I cleaned it with an auto glass cleaner thinking it would go away but no, it's still there. Just appears like cheap glass.
Is this on the inside or outside? Have you by chance used a microfiber cloth on either surface? I did so on the inside and it was a used cloth and now there are tiny fibers in what look like little electromagnetic fields spread all around the windshield when in bright sunlight. I will try using a paper towel next time.
In addition to the service tech who said he will take up the manufacturing issue with the engineering team, I tweeted at Elon musk and Tesla about the issue and referenced this thread, and also sent a letter to Tesla corporate as well as Saint Gobain Sekurit.
In addition to the service tech who said he will take up the manufacturing issue with the engineering team, I tweeted at Elon musk and Tesla about the issue and referenced this thread, and also sent a letter to Tesla corporate as well as Saint Gobain Sekurit.
It definitely seems that they are aware that it's a widespread issue if multiple service centers have some sort of device behind which they can hide, saying it's within some tolerance. Dismissive, lazy, shoddy, lots of adjectives are appropriate here. I imagine they have tighter tolerances / higher standards for model s and x thinking that rich owners could complain more loudly. Shame.
One more observation to make: I'm 6'4" and had my seat a bit high. Now I lowered it allll the way down and the ghosting is maybe 15% better, if I crouch down to my eyes just above the steering wheel it goes away completely as long as I don't look to the far left. Just notes, not a fix. Maybe all those people above saying "what ghosting" are 5 ft tall (or don't have 20-15 vision). It looks like engineering is aware of it because you can clearly see anti-reflective coatings on the MS and MX, which is funny because again, my 2000 Ford Focus didn't have ghosting or an AR coating.
9/2022 Update: A rock came up and hit my windshield and made a small crack in it. I was thinking about getting it filled but decided to take the gamble and go for a new windshield through my insurance to see if the ghosting was improved. I went with a 3rd party company but they got the glass directly from Tesla. To my surprise there is only 1 part number for the glass shown on the official Tesla parts catalog and its for the heated windshield: 1061565-01-D.
The ghosting is gone! and I have a heated windshield but I can't enable it through the settings. I'm thinking about opening a service ticket to see if I can get it enabled since it is an official replacement for my old non-heated windshield.
p.s. The Tesla logo and part number has changed position from the drivers side to the passenger side so it keeps catchign my eye as if there was dirt on my windshield over there but I am sure my brain will get used to it soon enough.
The ghosting is gone! and I have a heated windshield but I can't enable it through the settings. I'm thinking about opening a service ticket to see if I can get it enabled since it is an official replacement for my old non-heated windshield.
p.s. The Tesla logo and part number has changed position from the drivers side to the passenger side so it keeps catchign my eye as if there was dirt on my windshield over there but I am sure my brain will get used to it soon enough.
This is so exciting!!! I'm so happy for you! Can you post some pics of light sources that used to ghost but no longer do? Photo of the new emblem on the glass? Still Sekurit? Which model did you have again? I wonder if their optical design or manufacturing processes haven't been improved in the past year.. if I DM you my address, will you "not" drive by and throw a rock through my windshield?
Every time people ask what do I think about my Tesla, I say it's awesome in almost every way except the windshield which is ridiculously regressive. I wonder if I could get a reevaluation or reconsideration from my local shop for a warranty replacement. Looks like the part number you linked above is for Model s though, that one did exhibit a little less ghosting in the plaid I observed in my previous post.
Finally, some hope!!
(he) can see clearly now, the ghost is gone 
Edit: ah, MS. damn, there's still no evidence that a supposed process improvement has carried over to the Model 3 yet..
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