Firmware 6.1 - For Classic Model S

[Todd Burch]

IIn the end, I decided NOT to do it. My last car had them, and I miss them... but I've read a bunch of posts that they are over-sensitive, and I really like the clean look without those sensors. But it is doable!

Just an FYI, the parking sensors were oversensitive in 6.0. This was a software bug that was fixed in 6.1. My parking sensors have been flawless ever since. Haven't had a single false alarm or incorrect reading since 6.1 came out.

 

[mknox]

Just an FYI, the parking sensors were oversensitive in 6.0. This was a software bug that was fixed in 6.1. My parking sensors have been flawless ever since. Haven't had a single false alarm or incorrect reading since 6.1 came out.

My own car doesn't have them, but I've had loaners with the feature. I really like Tesla's implementation, but can tell you when the front bumper gets covered in snow/ice in the winter, they can be pretty annoying. Every time I'd slow down to some point (2 or 3 MPH) they start squawking and flashing because the blocked sensor "thinks" I'm close to something. I had to hunt around for the feature to turn the sound off. I'd wipe them clean, but they'd get covered up in slush in a matter of minutes and start doing it again.

Aside from getting Tesla parts, any good 12v shop can install after-market sensors that give you just an audible warning or optionally some lights that you mount above the rear window and above the front mirror.

 

[Lawsteve]

Not sure about after parking sensors were announced, but certainly early cars had the harness, and then they deleted it sometime before parking sensors were announced. Ask Artsci. He has the details.

I ordered my car on Aug 2, 2013. The next day, Aug 3,2013, Tesla added the parking sensors as an option (and increased the pricing on the car too!).

 

[neroden]

The parts from Tesla are about $1200. Tesla will try to get you to buy new, pre-drilled front and rear bumpers. That costs thousands, don't do it!

I waited until after I managed to seriously dent both of my bumpers due to bad parking and needed to replace them anyway. :wink:

 

[tomas]

I know this thread is long-dormant, but didn't know where else to post this:

Had my classic P85 in for service yesterday, which left me driving loaner with all of the driver assist features... my first exposure.

Well, I hated all of it. Lane assist way too sensitive, kept massaging me. Speed limit warnings really aggravating. I may be oddball, but I really do note limit signs myself. Speed limit limiting really annoying. I don't goose it often, but when I do, I do not want/expect a cutoff at ANY MPH. Blind spot warning is a totally goofy implementation - on the dash vs. on side mirrors where it ought to be. Didn't try active cruise, scares the crap out of me, besides didn't take the time to figure out how to work it. Did like the parking sensors, but implementation is poor, and but I could retrofit those if I really wanted to.

Was thrilled to get back into my car. Steering wheel, turn signal, accelerator, brake, mirrors: all I need. Thx.

 

[LetsGoFast]

Well, I hated all of it. Lane assist way too sensitive, kept massaging me. Speed limit warnings really aggravating. I may be oddball, but I really do note limit signs myself. Speed limit limiting really annoying. I don't goose it often, but when I do, I do not want/expect a cutoff at ANY MPH. Blind spot warning is a totally goofy implementation - on the dash vs. on side mirrors where it ought to be.

Just so you know, it doesn't actually do anything when you hit the speed limit warning. It just pops up a notification (which you can set to an offset from the speed limit, I keep mine at 9 mph over). It doesn't brake or slow down or anything like that, you are free to blast right past the warning. I pretty much agree with you about the blind spot warning implementation -- it is goofy. The lane assist is sensitive in that it tends to go off when you approach the edge of your lane, not when you are out of it. I treat it as a game and have learned to drive precisely in the middle of the lane so that it rarely goes off because I wandered.

 

[SteveS0353]

I know this thread is long-dormant, but didn't know where else to post this:

Had my classic P85 in for service yesterday, which left me driving loaner with all of the driver assist features... my first exposure.

Well, I hated all of it. Lane assist way too sensitive, kept massaging me. Speed limit warnings really aggravating. I may be oddball, but I really do note limit signs myself. Speed limit limiting really annoying. I don't goose it often, but when I do, I do not want/expect a cutoff at ANY MPH. Blind spot warning is a totally goofy implementation - on the dash vs. on side mirrors where it ought to be. Didn't try active cruise, scares the crap out of me, besides didn't take the time to figure out how to work it. Did like the parking sensors, but implementation is poor, and but I could retrofit those if I really wanted to.

Was thrilled to get back into my car. Steering wheel, turn signal, accelerator, brake, mirrors: all I need. Thx.

Actually, I had a rather similar experience when my P85+ was in for service recently. I'm a techno-junkie from way back, and was really keen to experience the latest hardware / software. I also found the speed limit warnings pretty distracting, but they don't limit the speed in any way - I could blow past the limit if I chose to. The lane keeping is too sensitive, and on some roads with narrow marked lanes, wouldn't stop rattling the steering wheel no matter how precisely I drove. The blind spot warning on the dash display is simply wrong - who looks there when determining if it's safe to change lanes? I did try the TACC, which seemed to work pretty well on the freeway, except when I exited behind another car. I should have disabled TACC sooner so I experienced the dangerous situation others have written about extensively. I suppose with practice I can see how it could reduce stress on the highway, but for the couple of days I had it, my highway stress was significantly higher by constantly monitoring what it was doing as well as monitoring everything else going on around me.

I've been driving for 40+ years, and love my Model S. It's quick, quiet and comfortable, essentially free to run with solar on my house with zero emissions (no "long tail pipe"), but I ended up disabling the driver assist features for the couple of days I had the loaner car.

 

[tomas]

For some reason my loaner cut off at 80 MPH. I assumed it was limiter of some MPH over speed limit, but maybe it is something else. At any rate, it just cut off at 80. My jag XF had that feature - you could set a max speed - so maybe it's something like that. I did not bother with all the docs, since it was only a 6 hour loan.

 

[Majerus]

For some reason my loaner cut off at 80 MPH. I assumed it was limiter of some MPH over speed limit, but maybe it is something else. At any rate, it just cut off at 80. My jag XF had that feature - you could set a max speed - so maybe it's something like that. I did not bother with all the docs, since it was only a 6 hour loan.

Its because most loaners are limited to 80.

 

[Max*]

For some reason my loaner cut off at 80 MPH. I assumed it was limiter of some MPH over speed limit, but maybe it is something else. At any rate, it just cut off at 80. My jag XF had that feature - you could set a max speed - so maybe it's something like that. I did not bother with all the docs, since it was only a 6 hour loan.

I believe that Tesla limits [most] loaners to 80mph, this has nothing to do with pre-autopilot hardware vs. post-autopilot hardware.

 

[mknox]

I believe that Tesla limits [most] loaners to 80mph, this has nothing to do with pre-autopilot hardware vs. post-autopilot hardware.

Yep. Every loaner I've had for the past 2.5 years has the 80 MPH cutoff. The freeway I use to travel to work frequently moves at speeds higher than that. The first time I pulled into the passing lane and experienced the cut-off I thought something had gone wrong with the car (and seriously pissed off the guy coming up behind me).

- - - Updated - - -

Lane assist way too sensitive, kept massaging me.

While I haven't experienced it, a buddy of mine has a new Buick with the feature. On his car, it turns on a light and, I believe, buzzes a little chime. The second time I was in his car, I noticed he had it turned off. :smile: