Ergonomic issue with entrance protrusions

[NeedToDrive]

After 2.5+ years and almost 10,700 miles I've been very happy with my MS. However, I just noticed damage & wear were I wouldn't have expected it. My conclusion is that it is an ergonomic design problem: there are two points in the interior finish that protrude into the entrance area. Although I had not noticed it, while getting into the car over these last two years my back/shirt apparently has been rubbing against these two points. Now the area is worn through (see photos). Perhaps this has been aggravated by the fact that I'm 6'2" so my drivers seat is further back than most. The passenger side has no wear at these two points since I mostly drive alone but I have to believe it is subject to the same use risk. In most other respects I've kept my car in pristine condition but now that I know about it, these two blemishes really bother me.

Has anyone else seen this (I tried a search but came up with nothing)? Does anyone have ideas of cost effective ways to fix this - so it doesn't reoccur? It would be nice if a molded stainless steal cap could be added - particularly to the top point (the leather wear is less noticeable). The problem is that this is a very odd shape and it would be difficult to make something like that.

 

[tenstringer009]

Seat post wear?

Lots of posts on this topic :wink:

Some were successful in getting Tesla to repair it. The general fix was to create an entrance/exit profile to move the seat up a bit to keep the rubbing from happening.

 

[CHG-ON]

I was thinking about this last night. I have not had the problem and I think the reason is that my seating position is just far enough forward that when I sit down, I don't touch the pillar. I'm 5'11", so average height and pretty skinny. I wonder if setting an exit profile that moves the seat up just a bit would help. Also, I have trained myself to sit straight down and then pivot into position. I started this because I found myself dragging my feet across the sill and scratching it, along with constantly kicking the speaker grille as I sit or get out. It took time to get used to it, but now it feels normal.

 

[NeedToDrive]

Thanks. Guess I didn't put in the right search terms. Looks like the cloth option wears much worse than the leather. I guess I could ask Tesla ... but I don't have a service contract and it has been quite a while since buying the car. Other than being a slave to style vs utility, I can't see were they should be responsible for this. On the other hand, designing/providing a simple small plastic or metal cap to glue onto this location would be really great.

Moving the seat is great for preventing future wear but I'd like to fix (really hide) the wear I now have. I'll search for more posts... It would be great to see some other owner solutions in practice. If someone has a more recent photo and/or information of a fix I'd really like to see that.

 

[jerry33]

I tried an exit profile, but it's soooo slow that I never bothered with it after the first couple of times. There really needs to be a metal covering for that corner.

 

[SeminoleFSU]

very common. I'm 6'2" 270lbs so I also tried an exit profile for a while but it's just way too slow. I'm also rubbing the steering wheel occasionally to the point of gouging the leather wrap.. Really bothers me... I've since moved my seat position forward and collapsed the steering wheel more towards the dash so I have room to get in and out without having to use the exit profile

 

[NeedToDrive]

After reading the other threads on this, I have to say I'm disappointed. For something this common I would have thought they would have fabricated a cover. 100% agree with Jerry - and this wouldn't be very expensive to do on a large scale. Certainly a lot less expensive than the many multiple "one time" replacements they apparently have been doing.

 

[roblab]

Thanks. Guess I didn't put in the right search terms. Looks like the cloth option wears much worse than the leather. I guess I could ask Tesla ... but I don't have a service contract and it has been quite a while since buying the car. Other than being a slave to style vs utility, I can't see were they should be responsible for this. On the other hand, designing/providing a simple small plastic or metal cap to glue onto this location would be really great.

Moving the seat is great for preventing future wear but I'd like to fix (really hide) the wear I now have. I'll search for more posts... It would be great to see some other owner solutions in practice. If someone has a more recent photo and/or information of a fix I'd really like to see that.

I have black leather. I had worn it through at the door humps. I had strings sticking out and flappy pieces of leather.

I took a large magic marker and repainted anything not black, including the worn leather. I used "Shoe Goo" to glue the flappy parts and strings down where they belonged. It is nicely hidden now.

But, you're right. Tesla makes all their injection moldings. They could EASILY design and make a black form fitting plastic cap that could glue or screw in place, which would look like maybe it was planned instead of just repairing it.

C'mon, Tesla. Let's work on that, huh?

 

[AmpedRealtor]

Abstract Ocean, are you reading this?

 

[Skotty]

Just to provide an opposing viewpoint, I would consider this normal wear and tear, unless it happens in the first month of ownership. It your body part regularly rubs something, it will wear. It's happened in every car I've ever owned, in different ways. In my Volt, my knee rubs the center console, and it's wearing. In my last car, a 2011 Mustang GT, the button labels on the steering wheel were rubbing off from frequent use. This doesn't appear to me any different than those type of wear issues. Maybe they can improve on it in the next iteration, but I don't see any fault here.

 

[pete8314]

Abstract Ocean, are you reading this?

I am now, thanks for the note on the website

Will give it some thought....

 

[AmpedRealtor]

Pre-paid service contract states Tesla will replace wear-and-tear items excluding tires. I wonder if this is one of those items that qualifies, and if it doesn't, I would certainly ask Tesla to cover it as part of the annual service or warranty.

- - - Updated - - -

I am now, thanks for the note on the website

Will give it some thought....

Yay! I will be first in line to buy if you come up with something!

 

[Cyclone]

Yes Pete, I'll be a buyer as well for an AO solution to this!

 

[NeedToDrive]

Just to provide an opposing viewpoint, I would consider this normal wear and tear, unless it happens in the first month of ownership. It your body part regularly rubs something, it will wear. It's happened in every car I've ever owned, in different ways. In my Volt, my knee rubs the center console, and it's wearing. In my last car, a 2011 Mustang GT, the button labels on the steering wheel were rubbing off from frequent use. This doesn't appear to me any different than those type of wear issues. Maybe they can improve on it in the next iteration, but I don't see any fault here.

To be clear, I'm not trying to assign fault. Anyone can see it's not a design for practicality -- any more so than the tail wings of the 50's. In my case, after more than 2.5 years, I'm not expecting a warranty repair. I'm willing to buy a clean solution.

I do emphasize it would be in Tesla's best interest to do something here to protect their brand name. They are already fighting the view that the MS interior is a cut below cars of a similar class. That's based on a new interior. What are potential buyers going to think when they see a friends car with this sort of wear? To date, most of Tesla's growth is based on word of mouth and free advertising. It's not going be helpful if people start thinking "oh, ya, the car is great when new but then it starts coming apart at the seams with a little wear..." I'd hate that to be the legacy of us early adapters.

What's so annoying here is that the engineering solution is so simple. At lease for those of us with wear on just the tips, once designed, it would be easy to stamp out thousands of small stainless steel caps that exactly conform to the shape. At ~$20 a pop such a solution would likely even recover the cost over time. But even if not, they would at least be protecting sales down the line.

 

[redi]

Unaware of this thread, I had pinged Peter at Abstract Ocean too.

I am currently trying some KT-style tape. KT tape is new to me but apparently the sporty types have been using it a while. Thin, stretchy, very adhesive, relatively inexpensive. No idea how it will wear but it comes in a varety of colors and can be a temporary protection for the c- and b-pillar points. Easy to replace. Beige works ok on my tan interior. I've believe there is black tape too. Maybe double it up right at the point and cover with a larger piece wrapped behind the weatherstripping to stay put.

I think the majority of wear may be the cooler season when everyone is wearing coats. Maybe. I did a walk-around the last time I was in the service center and most cars have damage in the multi-pointed b or c-pillar area to some degree or other, so it is not a matter of "if" but "when" you'll wear them through. Premium and standard interiors are affected, but the standard material (non-leather) seems more damage-prone. I first noticed a hole in mine after a service center visit, so who knows how it first appeared.

I think anyone with a 2 or 3-year old MS is probably keenly aware that Tesla is never going to fix this broken-by-design issue retroactively (i.e. never happen). The fix will come from the owner community.

 

[aus]

The main "problem" is the doors are TINY for such a large car. The doors are smaller than on our previous BMW 335, which is not nearly as large.
I had a hard time getting in that car. the MS is impossible if my wife was driving it before me.

It's pretty sad tesla can't figure out to move the steering wheel away when you exit the car.
And to have to create an exit profile at this price point is pretty ridiculous.

.

 

[ecarfan]

An exit/entrance profile is a trivial task to set up.

And my wife has finally trained me to use it. [emoji3]

 

[orlando-model-s]

I own a CPO Model S for 3.5 months.
Started getting wear signs on the part called B-pillar about 2 months ago.
I can't see how to avoid it.
Just got a quote today from Tesla $172 to replace each side labor included!
By the way, also learned that key fob price came down to $136!!! That is pretty reasonable!! Hooray!