Interesting! Did you test drive a M3 or MS? I've only seen adhesive type in black plastic for Model 3.
I figured stripping the old adhesive off the plate holder would be a pain so I went to the local SC to see what they could do. The technician at first attempted to strip and replace the adhesive, but apparently, a guy who I'm guessing was his manager, saw him doing that and asked him "what the heck are you doing?" In the end, they just gave me a new plate holder and installed it for me. As for my old plate holder, the manager showed it to me and explained what the technician was attempting... and judging by the looks of the remaining adhesive on the old plate holder, it looked like my initial suspicion, that removing the adhesive would be a pain, was accurate.
I've heard that the 3M adhesive tape is very sticky and permanent if the surface application is clean and without paint protection film. You get one shot with those stick-on plate holders. For those looking to remove it, most detail shops that apply paint protection film to the front bumper will remove those holders for the installation. That adhesive Tesla provides can play havoc with the PPF and they don't recommend it. I'm still curious about the colored holder for M3.
Blocks 40% of the air intake. Short term probably okay. Long-term efficiency, reliability and warranty of the EV drivetrain could definitely be a problem.
Airflow and cooling efficiency makes a big difference!
I have that same bracket and does it block some airflow, yes. But 40%? probably not even close to that. When air hits a flat object like the plate it wraps around so air is flowing behind the plate. Has anyone done wind tunnel testing to see how much air flow it reduces? My guess no way and not enough to matter unless you live in a very warm climate.I don't have the specific links handy, but I've read about it in multiple threads. It makes sense to me because the efficiency of the Tesla drivetrain is very dependent upon keeping those batteries and motors cool. I'm not aware of any short-term damage anyone has experienced (other than the toggle bolts digging into the plastic). Tesla uses the A/C system to cool the batteries and motors and blocking the cool air intake will likely cause everything to run hotter resulting in accelerated long-term wear. The more the car tries to cool itself because of the obstruction of airflow, the lower the overall efficiency. Have you ever heard the cooling fans making all of that noise when charging or on warm days? That's the car trying to get those temperatures down. Imagine how it would feel to ride in the Tesla on a hot day with 40% of the interior A/C vents blocked
I took 2 Model 3s for a test drive about a week apart before pulling the trigger. Was going to try a performance but decided against it and getting spoiled vs my dual motor. I'm pretty sure these were M3s with the color matched plate holders at the Austin TX location. I didn't look at any S models as I preferred the 3s interior but now that I think of it they did have X,S,3 all parked in the same spot. But I'm a fairly certain these were M3s. Maybe I can get my buddy who lives there to swing through and check.
