glass roof - production change (July 2018)?

[CuriousM3]

Let’s make sure we all follow up with what service center finds out form the engineers and hopefully soon we can get to the bottom
of this and find a resolution, still waiting for my SA to get back to me from what he finds out from the engineers too

 

[guacamaya]

I have a LR RWD July 18 production that I picked up on Aug 1. The very next morning I noticed that the glass roof didn't look like all the photos I've seen online so I took it in to SC. They automatically ordered me a new roof. It took 4 weeks to arrive but I'm scheduled to go in and get it installed next week.

I'm really reluctant to do it now that over the past month the issue has come to light to be intentional and that I actually wasn't an edge case.

I'll see what the new glass roof looks like and only install it if it is the IR filmed one. I'll let you guys know what ends up happening at my SC appt.

 

[Dave EV]

FWIW - I did the nominally scientific infrared remote control / phone camera trick on my car which has half of the orange sheen when wet, and rear glass shows no difference in infrared remote control blocking between the tinted/orange-when-wet part of the rear window and the un-tinted/clear-when-wet portion of the window - it also performs the same as the roof-glass.

In contrast, the windshield had no noticeable infrared remote control blocking, my ceramic tinted side windows (Rayno S9 50% which claims 92% IR blocking) only partially blocked the infrared remote.

I would bet that the non-orange glass still blocks IR effectively and the only issue is cosmetic (if that's something you want).

Really need someone with a real IR and UV meter to take some measurements.

 

[insaneoctane]

FWIW - I did the nominally scientific infrared remote control / phone camera trick on my car which has half of the orange sheen when wet, and rear glass shows no difference in infrared remote control blocking between the tinted/orange-when-wet part of the rear window and the un-tinted/clear-when-wet portion of the window - it also performs the same as the roof-glass.

In contrast, the windshield had no noticeable infrared remote control blocking, my ceramic tinted side windows (Rayno S9 50% which claims 92% IR blocking) only partially blocked the infrared remote.

I would bet that the non-orange glass still blocks IR effectively and the only issue is cosmetic (if that's something you want).

Really need someone with a real IR and UV meter to take some measurements.

Or Tesla could just fess up about WTF is going on....

 

[Brian N]

To put things in perspective... seems like this is the most talked about thread on the Model 3 forum with people with very passionate opinions about this.

Come over to the BMW M3 forum and the most popular threads are about weather or not my V8 is gonna blow up because of the tight race car tolerances with the rod bearings.

I’m ok with that

Don’t forget about the what magic engine oil can fix the problem! Seriously can’t wait to sell my bmw m3. There seems to always been some critical problem you must be monitoring. Oil tests for rod bearing wear, VANOS tabs breaking nuking the engine, subframe cracks... and the list goes on. What a headache. So yeah this seems like a minor issue in comparison lol.

Those threads get heated too but the mods usually shut down and give infractions to those trolling. Glad the mod stepped in here too.

We are all just looking for answers. Can’t wait to hear what Tesla has to say to these new members bringing up the issue to them.

 

[birjman]

Just another data point for the thread: VIN 58XXX and no red tint on rear panel. A buddy of mine picked up his Model 3 exactly a week after mine but his VIN is 56XXX and he does have red tint all the way back. Both cars built in July.

 

[ebmcs03]

Or Tesla could just fess up about WTF is going on....

I’m beginning to think different suppliers. Tesla gives them the specs and they go and build it. But all glass does meet specifications.

 

[neptunesfinest]

FWIW - I did the nominally scientific infrared remote control / phone camera trick on my car which has half of the orange sheen when wet, and rear glass shows no difference in infrared remote control blocking between the tinted/orange-when-wet part of the rear window and the un-tinted/clear-when-wet portion of the window - it also performs the same as the roof-glass.

In contrast, the windshield had no noticeable infrared remote control blocking, my ceramic tinted side windows (Rayno S9 50% which claims 92% IR blocking) only partially blocked the infrared remote.

I would bet that the non-orange glass still blocks IR effectively and the only issue is cosmetic (if that's something you want).

Really need someone with a real IR and UV meter to take some measurements.

Thanks for sharing. Now all we need is one of the dozens of owners with the non-orange rear glass who’ve posted in this thread to do the same test.
A remote control and front facing selfie camera (main camera usually has IR filter) is all that’s needed to end this debate. I’d argue that an actual IR meter isn’t even needed since were looking for a binary response (reduction in brightness or no).

 

[super20g]

I'll see what the new glass roof looks like and only install it if it is the IR filmed one. I'll let you guys know what ends up happening at my SC appt.

I would just tell your service advisor to test it when it arrives (that's what I told mine, still waiting on part as well) so you don't potentially waste a trip. But then again I am several hours away, perhaps they are just down the road for you.

 

[spesler]

FWIW - I did the nominally scientific infrared remote control / phone camera trick on my car which has half of the orange sheen when wet, and rear glass shows no difference in infrared remote control blocking between the tinted/orange-when-wet part of the rear window and the un-tinted/clear-when-wet portion of the window - it also performs the same as the roof-glass.

I believe the current consensus (or as close as we will ever get to one) is that your entire back glass has the orange sheen, but it only shows up on darker tinted glass. If you were to apply aftermarket tint to the inside of your rear window, the entire outside would appear orange when wet. Since there is no factory tint on the lower portion, it currently appears clear. This seems to be supported by member photos - I believe the all-orange ones all have aftermarket tints.

glass roof - production change (July 2018)?

 

[ebmcs03]

I believe the current consensus (or as close as we will ever get to one) is that your entire back glass has the orange sheen, but it only shows up on darker tinted glass. If you were to apply aftermarket tint to the inside of your rear window, the entire outside would appear orange when wet. Since there is no factory tint on the lower portion, it currently appears clear. This seems to be supported by member photos - I believe the all-orange ones all have aftermarket tints.

glass roof - production change (July 2018)?

Yea. That’s one of my theories.

Mine is tinted and i have full orange tint when wet.

So my neighbor and coworker both do not have tint. I need to see if I can get them to wet their car to see before and after their tint.

 

[voip-ninja]

I’m beginning to think different suppliers. Tesla gives them the specs and they go and build it. But all glass does meet specifications.

I agree and will go one further. Tesla might have found a supplier who can build the glass for them that meets specs at a lower cost. Once that manufacturer is ready to build the top roof and/or Tesla runs out of the older generation parts it is likely that cars will "match" front to back again and simply won't have the orange water beading.

If the specifications on the glass match this is simply a cosmetic issue and one that only affects the car when it is wet. It's a bit mind blowing to me people are having roofs swapped, etc., over how the car looks when there's some rain on it.

 

[Garlan Garner]

I'm still waiting for someone to post their service center slip to replace the glass.

I would be totally shocked if Tesla admitted fault on something that is not faulty. This would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars in labor and product.

 

[super20g]

It's a bit mind blowing to me people are having roofs swapped, etc., over how the car looks when there's some rain on it.

If Tesla would just tell us what the deal is, I think a lot of that would stop... It's the not knowing that makes people want what is 'missing' from the new glass. Personally, I am not all that concerned with whether the IR coating is there or not since tint will mostly resolve that, I'd just like the glass panes to match in appearance...

 

[Garlan Garner]

If Tesla would just tell us what the deal is, I think a lot of that would stop... It's the not knowing that makes people want what is 'missing' from the new glass. Personally, I am not all that concerned with whether the IR coating is there or not since tint will mostly resolve that, I'd just like the glass panes to match in appearance...

Tesla has already made a statement on this.

It has been posted over and over and over on this thread.

Call them for yourselves.

 

[super20g]

I'm still waiting for someone to post their service center slip to replace the glass.

So you think the service centers that have ordered glass are going to come back and say they are no longer going to replace the glass?

 

[Garlan Garner]

So you think the service centers that have ordered glass are going to come back and say they are no longer going to replace the glass?

To be honest with you....I can't believe that they have ordered anything.

Why do you believe they have? Have you seen any service center receipts posted here?

Plenty pics of windows.

I'm a person of action: As soon as I see a service center receipt for this.....I'm calling that service center and ask them why they disagree with TESLA....

I'm a shareholder and I know Tesla can't afford to spend money on cosmetics right now. They are trying to turn a profit.

TSLA is sitting at $282 and they are going to spend hundreds of thousands if not millions replacing non-defective glass?

 

[voip-ninja]

If Tesla would just tell us what the deal is, I think a lot of that would stop... It's the not knowing that makes people want what is 'missing' from the new glass. Personally, I am not all that concerned with whether the IR coating is there or not since tint will mostly resolve that, I'd just like the glass panes to match in appearance...

I'm in a state that doesn't get a lot of rain, so maybe this just isn't that big of a deal to me.

I agree that Tesla should be more transparent. The flip side though is that Tesla explains the change and now 1000's of owners who would have never been aware of it or care about it are up in arms about it asking for their roof glass to eventually get swapped so that "they match and look good".

That will cost Tesla millions of dollars.

 

[super20g]

Tesla has already made a statement on this.

It has been posted over and over and over on this thread.

Call them for yourselves.

I'm a shareholder and I know Tesla can't afford to spend money on cosmetics right now. They are trying to turn a profit.

I called service. They tested cars on the lot and ordered new glass for mine. Service centers do not seem to be aligned on this...

Here is the verbatim statement from my service advisor I received via email (because I like to have interactions in writing):

"I did spray down a couple Model 3’s on the lot and it does look like both pieces of glass should have that orange hue to it when wet. I have added the rear fixed glass to the order. We will reserve a Tesla loaner vehicle for you as well. Once all parts are here, I will reach out and schedule your appointment."

BTW, I would figure most of us are shareholders.... Trying not to log into my account for awhile presently... Ugh.

 

[FourOhFour]

I'm still waiting for someone to post their service center slip to replace the glass.

I would be totally shocked if Tesla admitted fault on something that is not faulty. This would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars in labor and product.

That's the thing... we still don't know if it is or is not faulty. It's certainly possible that a batch of glass escaped the factory without the proper coating. It's possible that Tesla knows this and to keep production up is shipping it anyway and figures X% won't notice or won't care and they can replace the glass for the customers that do later. It's possible that Tesla intentionally removed this coating, either switching to something that looks different but works the same or just removing some IR protection.

If, in a week or two, we stop seeing new cars without the red on the rear glass, I'd be inclined to say the glass without it was an error. And yes, I probably would have the glass swapped in that case. (assuming my car doesn't have it; I'll find out next week)

On the other hand, if the missing red is ongoing, I think it's likely that Tesla intentionally removed it. Hopefully making up the IR protection elsewhere, but either way, I'd agree that it isn't a fault. Or, at least, isn't one that will be fixed by getting the glass swapped unless there's a SC out there with some old stock glass.

Unless Tesla comes out and says "we meant to do that" like after the headliner bit... we're just going to be guessing based on what comes out of the factory. And I haven't seen that statement. I've seen statements from service center employees, but like any large company, they don't always have all the information and aren't always willing to admit it. I want something from PR. Or Musk, I suppose.