Functionality of air vent controls

[voip-ninja]

My Auto wipers works as expected. You rarely have to touch anything to get that going. Even in the rarest of cases when you want to adjust it is just one touch away and that screen is always there.

Anyway the complaint amount mirrors is just plain silly. The complaint about wipers is just preference and a new way of doing things. In either case for CR to complain about ergonomics is just nitpicking.

It's legitimate criticism. They bought the car just like you did and if they find it a problem they are well within bounds to mention it.

A reviewer that makes good points around this is the guy in the video review below.... you can see as he's driving that he has to brace his hand on the frame of the touchscreen in order to touch the right control. People can say it's fine for them or they can adjust to it but it's still going to be inferior to dedicated controls that you can operate with muscle memory for doing things like adjusting the vents, the mirrors, adjusting the cabin temperature, etc.

You can't operate a touchscreen by feel... which you can do with tactile controls. Looking over at the screen will definitely be inferior. Maybe not much of an issue when putzing around town at 40mph... but would be when driving 80 mph on a US highway let alone 130mph on the German autobahn.

 

[0ptions]

It's legitimate criticism. They bought the car just like you did and if they find it a problem they are well within bounds to mention it.

A reviewer that makes good points around this is the guy in the video review below.... you can see as he's driving that he has to brace his hand on the frame of the touchscreen in order to touch the right control. People can say it's fine for them or they can adjust to it but it's still going to be inferior to dedicated controls that you can operate with muscle memory for doing things like adjusting the vents, the mirrors, adjusting the cabin temperature, etc.

You can't operate a touchscreen by feel... which you can do with tactile controls. Looking over at the screen will definitely be inferior. Maybe not much of an issue when putzing around town at 40mph... but would be when driving 80 mph on a US highway let alone 130mph on the German autobahn.

How frequently do you change your air vents? I imagine they are also driver profile saved (and if not, should be).
I haven't changed the vents in my Cruze the last 5 years I've own it. I've only ever opened or closed them (separate dial).
I'm blown away by people with your train of thought who seem to always be fiddling with dashboard controls instead of driving. You're supposed to keep your hands on the wheel at all time, including your eyes.
How about this, Tesla should turn the touchscreen OFF when the vehicle is in motion to be super safe.

 

[Electroman]

In fact air vents can be adjusted much more easily with a single touch/swipe compared to fiddling with two separate vents (one in the middle and one in the left of driver).

 

[0ptions]

In fact air vents can be adjusted much more easily with a single touch/swipe compared to fiddling with two separate vents (one in the middle and one in the left of driver).

With better precision too, I imagine, as your hand won't be obstructing the vents airflow as you adjust it.

 

[Az_Rael]

How frequently do you change your air vents?

Every single drive. If you live somewhere hot, you can change the vents very frequently. I set them to blow directly on me while the car (and me) is cooling down in 100 degree weather. Then, as the car and myself cool off, the vents get set to blow away from me.

The vents are pretty easy to use, but do still require looking at the screen while I do it. My biggest complaint is they aren’t completely independent. I can’t set one vent to aim at my face and the other to aim at my body. So I usually end up with part of me hot from the windshield glare and part of me cool until the car cools off, so I move the vents even more frequently than I would in another car to accommodate that.

My car is parked in a poor cell signal area at work, so pre-cooling only works 50% of the time. Cabin overheat protection will be nice when (if?) they add it to the 3. It made a big difference in my S.

 

[bro1999]

Every single drive. If you live somewhere hot, you can change the vents very frequently. I set them to blow directly on me while the car (and me) is cooling down in 100 degree weather. Then, as the car and myself cool off, the vents get set to blow away from me.

The vents are pretty easy to use, but do still require looking at the screen while I do it. My biggest complaint is they aren’t completely independent. I can’t set one vent to aim at my face and the other to aim at my body. So I usually end up with part of me hot from the windshield glare and part of me cool until the car cools off, so I move the vents even more frequently than I would in another car to accommodate that.

My car is parked in a poor cell signal area at work, so pre-cooling only works 50% of the time. Cabin overheat protection will be nice when (if?) they add it to the 3. It made a big difference in my S.

This discussion reminds me of my C-Max Energi. It had the regular upper vents and footwell vents, but it also had THIGH vents! Those were great in the summer to quickly cool me off. Combined with the upper and lower vents. I didn't know how good thigh vents were (or they even existed) till I experienced them in the C-Max.

 

[0ptions]

Every single drive. If you live somewhere hot, you can change the vents very frequently. I set them to blow directly on me while the car (and me) is cooling down in 100 degree weather. Then, as the car and myself cool off, the vents get set to blow away from me.

The vents are pretty easy to use, but do still require looking at the screen while I do it. My biggest complaint is they aren’t completely independent. I can’t set one vent to aim at my face and the other to aim at my body. So I usually end up with part of me hot from the windshield glare and part of me cool until the car cools off, so I move the vents even more frequently than I would in another car to accommodate that.

My car is parked in a poor cell signal area at work, so pre-cooling only works 50% of the time. Cabin overheat protection will be nice when (if?) they add it to the 3. It made a big difference in my S.

I have hot summers here in Michigan (not 110F degree hot, but can hit 100F) and don't change where I want the cold air on hot days versus hot air on cold days. Perhaps the vents in your vehicle(s) don't cover much overall area. Hopefully the 3 does with it's huge vent system.

 

[voip-ninja]

How frequently do you change your air vents? I imagine they are also driver profile saved (and if not, should be).
I haven't changed the vents in my Cruze the last 5 years I've own it. I've only ever opened or closed them (separate dial).
I'm blown away by people with your train of thought who seem to always be fiddling with dashboard controls instead of driving. You're supposed to keep your hands on the wheel at all time, including your eyes.
How about this, Tesla should turn the touchscreen OFF when the vehicle is in motion to be super safe.

Maybe what your needs are in Michigan aren't the same as they are in other parts of the country.

I can get in my car at 630AM on my way to the office and the cabin is at 30 degrees. I need the vents blowing directly at me so I don't freeze to death on my way into the office.

Then I get into the car at 6pm and after sitting in the sun all day the car is 100 degrees. AC is blasting. I need to direct the vents up so that I don't get a frozen hand or face after 30 seconds while driving back.

It is indisputable that it is easier to do this by feel without looking away from the road using physical vent controls than playing a touchscreen game with my fingers directing the Tesla Model 3 vent.

Will I get more comfortable with some of the touchscreen interactions over time? Certainly.... will they ever be at par with physical controls that can be operated be feel without ever looking away from the road while driving? Bloody unlikely.

 

[Az_Rael]

I have hot summers here in Michigan (not 110F degree hot, but can hit 100F) and don't change where I want the cold air on hot days versus hot air on cold days. Perhaps the vents in your vehicle(s) don't cover much overall area. Hopefully the 3 does with it's huge vent system.

I have had a 3 since January. So my comments are about the 3's vent system.

 

[voip-ninja]

I have had a 3 since January. So my comments are about the 3's vent system.

Well, he doesn't have a 3 but he's going to tell you why the 3 is still superior to any other car you've ever owned and operated.

You really can't make this stuff up.

 

[drawfour]

Well, he doesn't have a 3 but he's going to tell you why the 3 is still superior to any other car you've ever owned and operated.

You really can't make this stuff up.

One man's solution is another man's problem. People get so worked up over something that is subjective.

The rest not directed to you, just comments in general from the many threads on here.

One person may want or feel that they need EAP, and another person thinks it's a crutch for poor driving.
One person may feel that the trunk of the 3 is perfect for them, and another feels that since it's not a hatchback, it limits what they can put in it.
One person may feel that the Aeros are the best thing ever because of efficiency, another thinks they're ugly and wants the 19s.
One person may feel that the vents are so cool with being controlled by the touch screen and so your hand doesn't block the vents when adjusting, another feels that they are unnecessarily complicated, and without physically separate vents, you can't aim one at face and one at chest.
One person may feel that the 220 mile range is great because they'll never need that range for their mostly local driving, or are totally fine with the more frequent supercharger stops. Others feel that the 310 is barely on the level of usable because they frequently drive long distances.

It's SUBJECTIVE, people! It never hurts to get other people's opinions - bring up something that you like to see if anyone else has found a way to make that feature even better. Bring up something that doesn't work for you, and see if anyone can give you ideas for how to accomplish what you want. But remember, in the end, every car has a bunch of pros and cons, and those won't be the same for everyone. So let's not pretend that we know better. We only know better for our particular situation.

 

[0ptions]

Well, he doesn't have a 3 but he's going to tell you why the 3 is still superior to any other car you've ever owned and operated.

You really can't make this stuff up.

Do you also have a 3? Because you're doing the same thing I am doing here, if not.

 

[0ptions]

Then I get into the car at 6pm and after sitting in the sun all day the car is 100 degrees. AC is blasting. I need to direct the vents up so that I don't get a frozen hand or face after 30 seconds while driving back.

I guess I know how to move my hands to a different spot on the wheel so they're not subjected to the blasting cold or hot air. My vents are never pointed at my face because that would just dry my eyes out and I need to see while driving.

 

[fluxemag]

They need to add temperature adjustment to the right scroll wheel yesterday.

I wonder how many owners stomped on the brakes yesterday to test them out. I know I did.

 

[voip-ninja]

Do you also have a 3? Because you're doing the same thing I am doing here, if not.

I've sat in the 3 for a pretty good amount of time and played with all the controls... and compared the interior and controls to my current car and previous cars.

Have you?

 

[0ptions]

I've sat in the 3 for a pretty good amount of time and played with all the controls... and compared the interior and controls to my current car and previous cars.

Have you?

I don't have to, to prove my argument. My current vehicles vents have a very narrow path of air flow from the front-facing vents.
With that being said, any car with a left vent and a center vent would compare the same. I have driven MANY vehicles. I was a vehicle chauffeur at the GM Proving Grounds in Milford, MI about 10 years ago, summer and winter.
The point is, most people don't constantly twiddle dink with their vents. You're clearly an exception. Ask your friends.

 

[voip-ninja]

I don't have to, to prove my argument. My current vehicles vents have a very narrow path of air flow from the front-facing vents.
With that being said, any car with a left vent and a center vent would compare the same. I have driven MANY vehicles. I was a vehicle chauffeur at the GM Proving Grounds in Milford, MI about 10 years ago, summer and winter.
The point is, most people don't constantly twiddle dink with their vents. You're clearly an exception. Ask your friends.

So you have never sat in the car but you believe you are right in your opinion about the air vents and controls compared to people that either own the car or have spent time in it?

Okay then.

 

[Az_Rael]

The point is, most people don't constantly twiddle dink with their vents. You're clearly an exception. Ask your friends

Most people I know do adjust their vents frequently. I don't think its that rare. Either way - it is a valid point from CR that it is more cumbersome to do via touch screen vs physical controls. If you never adjust your vents you can ignore those points, but if I am reading the review and I know I adjust the vents every drive, I am going to put more weight into that metric. It is useful for CR to report on it and note it.

 

[slipnslider]

How frequently do you change your air vents? I imagine they are also driver profile saved (and if not, should be).
I haven't changed the vents in my Cruze the last 5 years I've own it. I've only ever opened or closed them (separate dial).
I'm blown away by people with your train of thought who seem to always be fiddling with dashboard controls instead of driving. You're supposed to keep your hands on the wheel at all time, including your eyes.
How about this, Tesla should turn the touchscreen OFF when the vehicle is in motion to be super safe.

I change my vent directions all the time. It's rather arrogant to say that because YOU rarely adjust your vents, then there's no need for ANYONE to have that ability.
Physical controls require LESS fiddling than touchscreen ones, and the ability to keep your eyes on the road more. That was his whole point.

 

[slipnslider]

They need to add temperature adjustment to the right scroll wheel yesterday.

I wonder how many owners stomped on the brakes yesterday to test them out. I know I did.

I wish there was a physical knob for temperature too, but the right scroll wheel is for CC and EAP controls now. It might get confusing if it sometimes controls temp and sometimes controls speed, in a way that could cause people to crash.