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First Tesla - Model 3 SR+ Multiple problems since pickup

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So I picked up my brand new Model 3 SR+ in October after months of patiently waiting and having my pick-up date pushed back multiple times. As soon as I left the dealership I started running into issues with the software (the proximity lines around the car on the display were completely surrounding the car in red and orange lines, basically telling me the car was colliding with something on all sides. I called Tesla as soon as I got home and they told me they could not see my car until a little over a week later (I was annoyed at this but let it slide, why would they not tell me to bring it right back in?).

So a week later a service member comes to my house and says the camera on the right side of my vehicle is not working and that they would need to replace it. The service technician told me that the camera would take about two weeks to come in so again, I patiently waited another two weeks for the part to come in and for the service technician to come replace it. After he replaces it I am thinking "Wow finally got that issue solved, now I can finally enjoy my car". Wrong again. This did not fix the issue that was occurring. At this point the proximity lines are working, but the display was not. Sometimes it would show a car directly behind me when nothing is there, or it could not detect a car directly next to me.

Again, I contacted Tesla and they told me to bring it in, I did and when I picked it up it was fixed. Tesla was very short with me when explaining what the problems were, but what I got from it was that "there were some indications of frequently blocked B-pillar cameras", which they replaced.

There were a couple other issues where one cold night my car dropped from 85% charge to 70% charge in about an hour, then the rest of the night it only went down to 69% (very concerning and weird).

Now my latest issue is when I get home after driving and I plug in my Model 3, the car starts making a constant horrible "screaming/whistling" noise. I sent the video to Tesla 3 days ago to determine if it needs to be brought in and still have not heard back.

I could not have been more excited and happy to be a Tesla owner, but honestly this experience has drastically changed my views of electric cars and Tesla themselves. I will NEVER recommend a Tesla to someone until they actually start doing quality checks before pick-up. I even told Tesla if someone had just 1. Looked at the car, and 2. Driven the car, then half of the problems would have been noticed and fixed. I paid almost $50k for this car and Tesla wants to act like these problems are my fault and they give me a sour attitude when I only want what I bought. Sorry to rant, this has been a horrible experience, I really thought Elon and Tesla wanted the best for people, but when it comes down to it, its all about the $$$$$$$$$$.
 
...As soon as I left the dealership I started running into issues...

If Tesla let owners test drive the car prior to its delivery acceptance, you could have detected it prior to paying the final payment.

When paying for a brand new car, owners should not bring home problems that the Quality Assurance missed.

Tesla way just doesn't make sense. This is nuts!
 
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...There were a couple other issues where one cold night my car dropped from 85% charge to 70% charge in about an hour, then the rest of the night it only went down to 69% (very concerning and weird)...


I charge my car in the garage on a 120 V outlet. I actually have a video of my car making the screaming noise. I will reply later from my phone and attach it if I can.

It is expected with 120 V in cold weather.

There's enough power with 120 V in summer to charge your car.

However, in winter, there is not enough power for 120 to BOTH heat your battery up AND charge your battery.

All the 120 V power would first be devoted to heat your battery up so your battery does not get any charge or even lose charge if the shore power is not enough for the heating job.

Your solution is to get 240V for cold weather.
 
Unfortunately, its coming from the car, sounds like the back of the car.

It would be helpful if you can locate where the sound comes from:

Open your front trunk

Open your rear trunk

Open your car doors and get inside your car to see where the sound comes from.


If it comes from the front, it's the heat pump that's overworking while charging.

If it comes from the rear drive unit, it could be how it heats up the battery but I am not sure.

My HVAC would sound really loud as if something is broken while Supercharging in hot summer but that's ok.

I am not sure about yours.
 
@Tam is completely right.

My M3SR+ and MY both do the same weird noise coming from the rear drive unit when charging in cold temps and battery is cold, this is absolutely normal. And I'm on a 240V/48A Wall charger.... so I can easily imagine the screaming sound of heating the battery must last a lot longer when charging with 120V.
 
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@Tam is completely right.

My M3SR+ and MY both do the same weird noise coming from the rear drive unit when charging in cold temps and battery is cold, this is absolutely normal. And I'm on a 240V/48A Wall charger.... so I can easily imagine the screaming sound of heating the battery must last a lot longer when charging with 120V.
I have a 2020 M3LR. I live just below the VT border and park my car outside. I charge it there on a 240V/48A line. Recently we had a series of days where the temperature at 6AM was below zero, in fact as low as -10. I have never heard a noise like that under these circumstances. My car is old enough that it doesn't have a heat pump, so I suspect the heat pump on later models is the problem, or at least part of the problem.
 
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Please dont listen to fanatics when they say that sound is normal, it is not. I do highly recommend you getting a 240v for better overall experience.

I agree. That is NOT normal! It sounds like a fan blade hitting something. It's certainly not the motor(s) running inefficiently... because the drive motors are not running while charging.

Mike
 
@Tam is completely right.

My M3SR+ and MY both do the same weird noise coming from the rear drive unit when charging in cold temps and battery is cold, this is absolutely normal. And I'm on a 240V/48A Wall charger.... so I can easily imagine the screaming sound of heating the battery must last a lot longer when charging with 120V.
Hey everyone, thanks so much for the help. I am actually getting ready to move so I dont really want to install a new outlet. Do you guys think this is just a noise problem, or do you think this is causing some sort of long-term damage. Honestly if its just a noise, I could live with it, but I dont want to damage my car.
 
Hey everyone, thanks so much for the help. I am actually getting ready to move so I dont really want to install a new outlet. Do you guys think this is just a noise problem, or do you think this is causing some sort of long-term damage. Honestly if its just a noise, I could live with it, but I dont want to damage my car.
For cars with a heat pump it is a normal noise. But if you’d like peace of mind, I’d set up a service appointment and send in your video. They’ll confirm one way or another.
 
Reading between the lines here you're more put off by the "experience" than the issues on the car. It sounds like they have fixed any problems you've reported? I mean that's all they can do. If you're looking for the red carpet experience, Tesla is not for you. The good news is, you can flip the car for profit. So if you're not happy with the car, just sell it and buy something else. No harm, no foul.
 
Reading between the lines here you're more put off by the "experience" than the issues on the car. It sounds like they have fixed any problems you've reported? I mean that's all they can do. If you're looking for the red carpet experience, Tesla is not for you. The good news is, you can flip the car for profit. So if you're not happy with the car, just sell it and buy something else. No harm, no foul.
The frustrating part was not the car, it was Tesla's attitude towards fixing and dealing with the problems. They wanted to bill me for the first 2 service visits until I put up a fight because the issues were on a brand new vehicle.
 
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Reading between the lines here you're more put off by the "experience" than the issues on the car. It sounds like they have fixed any problems you've reported? I mean that's all they can do. If you're looking for the red carpet experience, Tesla is not for you. The good news is, you can flip the car for profit. So if you're not happy with the car, just sell it and buy something else. No harm, no foul.
Bottom line the car should be perfect at delivery for the amount people pay for them. IMO
 
Bottom line the car should be perfect at delivery for the amount people pay for them. IMO
You could go buy a Bentley and it won’t be perfect. Most people stretch their Honda/Toyota budget for a Tesla and expect to get the luxury red carpet treatment. People coming from a Porsche, Mercedes, BMW understand that even luxury cars have issues and treating the service people with decency and respect go a long way. People need to manage their expectations.
 
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