I just went out to test this. Leaving an imprint on my finger is so far away from a possible injury that it's ridiculous. There's no chance my car could injure me even though it leaves a mark on my finger. It's not painful in any sense of the word.
Door handle pinched my hand while retracting
- Thread starter MileHighMotoring
- Start date
-
- Tags
- Model S User Interface
wk057
Senior Tinkerer
I couldn't even get it to leave an imprint when I tried previously...
I ordered a digital force gauge and will do some tests next week against the handles and various other things (like the force of opening a door or carrying a grocery bag) to compare. Pretty sure the Model S door handles will land pretty dang low on this list, but, will use the scientific method to be sure.
Hypothesis: Model S door handle retraction exerts less force on the fingers than the vast majority of real world activities that exert force onto fingers.
I ordered a digital force gauge and will do some tests next week against the handles and various other things (like the force of opening a door or carrying a grocery bag) to compare. Pretty sure the Model S door handles will land pretty dang low on this list, but, will use the scientific method to be sure.
Hypothesis: Model S door handle retraction exerts less force on the fingers than the vast majority of real world activities that exert force onto fingers.
mgdurand
Member
Did you know that the MS door handles are great for opening a bottle of beer?
I have mice in my garage, so I put some cheese on my door handles, and... CHOP! no more mice!
So then,
I called Steve-O to come do a Jackass episode with my door handles, and he attached one to his nipple ring... but threw up on my car!
Also, my kid puts his GI Joe's in there, grabs the FOB and does sound-effects, "Aarrrghhh!!"...
(Having trouble forming a droll one-liner tonight)
I have mice in my garage, so I put some cheese on my door handles, and... CHOP! no more mice!
So then,
I called Steve-O to come do a Jackass episode with my door handles, and he attached one to his nipple ring... but threw up on my car!
Also, my kid puts his GI Joe's in there, grabs the FOB and does sound-effects, "Aarrrghhh!!"...
(Having trouble forming a droll one-liner tonight)
thecloud
As rhythm raced inside, the ship came alive
Ah, got it; thanks for the clear explanation. I can confirm that my handles do behave the way you've described. If I forcibly hold the handle in the fully extended position (without pulling on it further, which would open the door) and then press the fob to retract the handle, the motor operates normally and the other 3 handles retract to flush, while the handle I'm holding stays out where I'm holding it. Once the motor stops, letting go causes the handle to snap back in quickly, and with more apparent force than when I just allowed it to close on my fingertip gradually.
One hypothesis is that my handle springs are under greater tension than (most of) yours, or out of tolerance in some way. Another hypothesis is that our handle springs have identical tension, and the difference is strictly due to pain tolerance. In either case, the force gauge should be able to quantify this and provide some numbers for comparison. (And yes, I do intend to ask the SC whether the handle tension is within spec when I have my next appointment.)
I note that only one finger (my middle finger, which is the longest and also the thickest) was actually caught and pinched. All the force was applied to it at a single point. If I had been gripping the handle more securely with four fingers, the force would likely have been distributed across my hand.
You can search for luggage scale, like one for theese: luggage scale - Free Shipping - DX
The old title was: "Door handle tried to dedigitate me! Ouch!"
Also, I wanted to do a little test to see if I was affected. Here is my result:
Tesla door handle test. - YouTube
This is an October 2014 Model S 85. vin: P580xx
Last edited:
EchoDelta
Supporting Member
Lol.. Even though I agree w the conclusion I can up front tell you the experiments won't be the path to proving it. But have fun!
You can also do a simple force gauge with a little string and a pulley to a weight on a kitchen balance. More pull=less weight on balance. Folks may also have a luggage scale handy, but those are quite imprecise.
I guess it's more fun to have the gizmo than do the contraption ... and have the experiment critiqued because of the noise the contraption adds.
Maybe in terms of grams or ounces but I've had one for a few years and it matches the scales at the airport to within 0.5 lb every time. It's saved our necks a dozen times.
EchoDelta
Supporting Member
Totally. What airline do you use? Was not aware of overweight decapitation policies yet, but they have been getting stricter.
wk057
Senior Tinkerer
@whoever left negative reputation for the above post being "provocative."
First, how the heck do you leave negative rep? I would love to spread *that* love around a bit. Assuming this is a moderator ability...
Second, lol. Seriously? I wasn't aware this post broke any rules. Feel free to point me in that direction if so. Otherwise I'd like that crap removed from my account please, thanks.
As for the post above, it is a completely legitimate gripe with the "evidence" presented here. Anyone believing what was said based on that alone would be silly.
Krugerrand
Is Cat
Only moderators can leave negative rep and they are suppose to sign that rep. I know, for a fact, that latter part doesn't always happen (for some reason). You (admittedly - it's in a post somewhere around here) are provocative (I picked that word, I believe you said blunt or something along those lines), so why you'd be shocked that someone would take offense is, well...shocking. I can rewrite the post in question for you (as an example) so as to show you how to say the exact same thing without getting someone's hackles up. I do charge a fee for that, though. It'll cost you one positive rep for me. :smile:
green1
Active Member
I think a much better use of the OPs time than posting pictures of his fingers would be a video showing the force the handles exert, that would make it much easier for others to judge. I'm sure that the OPs camera is capable of shooting video as I haven't seen one made in a long time that couldn't, and it is much easier to show force that way.
I recommend a video with the tissue test discussed previously, however some other good ones based on the claimed strength of the handles could be good. If it does damage to fingers, it would probably be enough to cut a hot dog in half, that would be a fairly dramatic video to prove the point.
As long as all we see is pictures of supposed damage to fingers, without any evidence of the mechanism doing said damage, some (many?) posters are likely to be skeptical.
I recommend a video with the tissue test discussed previously, however some other good ones based on the claimed strength of the handles could be good. If it does damage to fingers, it would probably be enough to cut a hot dog in half, that would be a fairly dramatic video to prove the point.
As long as all we see is pictures of supposed damage to fingers, without any evidence of the mechanism doing said damage, some (many?) posters are likely to be skeptical.
wk057
Senior Tinkerer
Pretty sure in the forum rules it specifically says "Challenge others' points of view and opinions" No where was I disrespectful. My post was to the point saying to simply prove that the Model S caused what was shown in the thumbnail sized picture of a finger, which proves nothing other than it being a picture of a finger.
Ah well, whatever. I'm just going to remove this thread from my subscriptions and if in the future I feel compelled to perform objective testing of this door handle issue as I had mentioned previously in this thread I'll do so elsewhere. This moderator, who doesn't seem to have read the rules and is passing judgement outside of them, has effectively deprived TMC of that contribution, so you know who to thank.
My first post:
So, examining this:
1) I was asking if anyone else had a similar experience.
A few others have posted that the handle has 'bitten' them before, but nobody is complaining of a widespread issue that needs emergency resolution.
2) I mentioned it left a mark on my finger for quite a long while.
I didn't say that I went to the ER, or the chiropractor, or an orthopedic surgeon. I said, straight away, that it left a mark on my finger. I (and others) later posted pictures of the mark you can get on your finger. While it isn't evidence of a childbirth-like pain, that was never alleged. A mark on your finger that remains for a while can certainly be construed as evidence that perhaps it was more painful than eating cotton candy however. Less than an arrow in the eye. But more than a marshmallow resting in your nose. Somewhere in between perhaps. It's all subjective.
3) I constructed the likely scenario that is causing this happen.
I believe the fob was either far enough away to cause the auto-retract thing, or the fob's batteries are to weak to maintain good signal with the doors. So it's closing on my fingers sometimes.
4) I mentioned that they didn't extend after closing on me.
I was under the impression that, like the back hatch, if it encountered resistance while closing, it would open again. It doesn't.
5) I mentioned it's only happened the one time.
I didn't say this was an epidemic that needed to be shouted from the rooftops in all corners of the world. I asked if anyone else had experienced this, too. Because it was strange, unpleasant, and I figured it was uncommon.
So the acrimony here is unnecessary. Just smile. It's just a door handle. Others have said it's because Tesla is unfairly attacked in the press sometimes - fair enough. My silly title was changed. At this point - if you aren't going to be friendly I ban you from my thread. I've got no power to do that, so it's a self-enforcing banishment. If you are feeling like you need to get your grouchies out, do it on another forum. If you are feeling like you need a hug or a smile or a laugh, feel free to post.
So, examining this:
1) I was asking if anyone else had a similar experience.
A few others have posted that the handle has 'bitten' them before, but nobody is complaining of a widespread issue that needs emergency resolution.
2) I mentioned it left a mark on my finger for quite a long while.
I didn't say that I went to the ER, or the chiropractor, or an orthopedic surgeon. I said, straight away, that it left a mark on my finger. I (and others) later posted pictures of the mark you can get on your finger. While it isn't evidence of a childbirth-like pain, that was never alleged. A mark on your finger that remains for a while can certainly be construed as evidence that perhaps it was more painful than eating cotton candy however. Less than an arrow in the eye. But more than a marshmallow resting in your nose. Somewhere in between perhaps. It's all subjective.
3) I constructed the likely scenario that is causing this happen.
I believe the fob was either far enough away to cause the auto-retract thing, or the fob's batteries are to weak to maintain good signal with the doors. So it's closing on my fingers sometimes.
4) I mentioned that they didn't extend after closing on me.
I was under the impression that, like the back hatch, if it encountered resistance while closing, it would open again. It doesn't.
5) I mentioned it's only happened the one time.
I didn't say this was an epidemic that needed to be shouted from the rooftops in all corners of the world. I asked if anyone else had experienced this, too. Because it was strange, unpleasant, and I figured it was uncommon.
So the acrimony here is unnecessary. Just smile. It's just a door handle. Others have said it's because Tesla is unfairly attacked in the press sometimes - fair enough. My silly title was changed. At this point - if you aren't going to be friendly I ban you from my thread. I've got no power to do that, so it's a self-enforcing banishment. If you are feeling like you need to get your grouchies out, do it on another forum. If you are feeling like you need a hug or a smile or a laugh, feel free to post.
Last edited:
Krugerrand
Is Cat
Well, that all is a matter of opinion and subjective. Somebody (with the power to give you negative rep) thought it was disrespectful - probably more than one person thought it was disrespectful. That is the way of the world. Not everyone is going to like what you say or how you say it and/or will misinterpret your words or intent. Considering all the little green squares you have, I'm not really sure why it matters so much. When you've had as many green squares taken away as I have, then we can talk on that subject.
Well, no. I have no idea who to thank or not thank since the person didn't sign your negative rep. :wink: We could do some guess work and narrow down who it was by how many points you lost and that I know that AO signs all his negative rep (even when he gives it to you multiple times), so it very likely wasn't him. Nigel always signed his negative rep, but he's not a mod anymore so it wasn't him. If it was a whole whack of points - like in the 200 range - that really narrows things down. Or you could just ask Doug about it. He prefers his mods sign their negative rep, so he tells me.
EchoDelta
Supporting Member
wk057
Senior Tinkerer
Decided I'd let things slide this time.
Experiment: Force exerted by Model S door handles on closure
Experiment: Force exerted by Model S door handles on closure
Krugerrand
Is Cat
bonnie
I play a nice person on twitter.
All the data in the world, from experiments conducted on door handles other than the OPs, only proves that the retracting handles used in the "scientific experiment" didn't cause injuries.
Seems like something is wrong with the OPs handles & should be checked by a service center.
Seems like something is wrong with the OPs handles & should be checked by a service center.
