Got Tired Of The EV Shuffle With Dealers And Bought A Tesla

[Jeff Hudson]

It is very helpful to read the owner's manual before picking up the car. Takes about a month to get used to all the controls, at least for this 60 y/o.

I totally agree. I read the manual from front to back the first time and every now and then I download and check out specific portions of the new version especially when Tesla adds capability. I am always surprised that it seems I learn a thing or two every time. I cannot imagine how someone can enjoyably drive their Tesla without reading the latest Owner's Manual.

 

[daver3]

I am new on the Tesla page, though I have been following it as a reader. I am 75 years old and got tired of waiting for a decent EV to arrive in my state of Tennessee. Every time my hopes got up, the car was only going to Europe, Asia, or California. Yesterday I contacted the Tesla dealer in Brentwood and placed an order for the Tesla 3 series. You don't have to sell me on the car. I have watched every You Tube video, read everything I could get my hands on, and read this Tesla newsletter. All you owners have taught me a lot about the car and your comments are helpful to new people like me. I have high confidence in the product and I have always considered Eon Musk the Einstein of our era..all over the board at times..but still way ahead of his time. So keep posting comments. The sales person said about a month, but I am patient. At least I am not falling for the other dealers promises of 'maybe in 2022".

You shorted yourself. I also ordered a Model 3 based on friends' comments who owned them without me ever driving one. I was about a month from receiving mine when my friend with the SUV in the shop had a model 3 loaner and asked if I wanted a quick test drive. OMG, you just can't appreciate it until you drive it. . .the technology is great but the drive and sound system are amazing. Six months an owner and I still try to think of places I can drive to just to enjoy the drive and listen to music.

 

[VT_EE]

You shorted yourself. I also ordered a Model 3 based on friends' comments who owned them without me ever driving one. I was about a month from receiving mine when my friend with the SUV in the shop had a model 3 loaner and asked if I wanted a quick test drive. OMG, you just can't appreciate it until you drive it. . .the technology is great but the drive and sound system are amazing. Six months an owner and I still try to think of places I can drive to just to enjoy the drive and listen to music.

It's a disease that I am also afflicted with.

 

[Zigzagmolly]

You don't have to sell me on the car. I have watched every You Tube video, read everything I could get my hands on, and read this Tesla newsletter. .

Congrats! I retire in 6 years, 2 months and 23 days at age 70, so drive my car 47 miles to and from work everyday. And EVERYDAY I get to the parking structure near work and say OUT LOUD, "Can't I just stay in my car and listen to the music??!!" I can't help it!! 10,093 miles since Dec 1, 2018. And I don't even like cars and driving!! So glad I have this car!!

 

[SMAlset]

For newbies to the car with regenerative braking, please ease yourself into getting use to this feature if you haven’t driven an EV before. It’s a great feature and extra great in that it adds energy back into your battery so pretty desirable. You can set your car up with Regen on Low to start off with, and after you are more comfortable with the braking and all the new interfaces etc, change it then to Normal for the best efficiency. That’s what I did when we got our first Tesla. Also turned Creep to Off and kept it that way.

People new to the car should be aware there have been a few cases of newbie drivers (usually only had their car few days) having accidents with their cars as they are going to park — men and women. Not bringing this up but for purposes of educating. Instead of coming to a stop, the car accelerates and they hit something. After examining the logs, the car was found to have performed as intended. In other words the accelerator was depressed not the brake. There are threads on this if you’re interested in reading more about these cases. One of our Tesla members has checked logs for a dozen or so individuals and reconfirmed that’s what the logs in fact show. With regen you will lift your foot up on the accelerator and feel the car braking as you do. It won’t come to a complete stop so you do need to move your foot to the brake to do that. It becomes second nature quickly so don’t worry about adapting to regen and you’ll find the braking feel is like down shifting if you ever have driven a stick/manual transmission. Regen BTW is frequently listed as one of those features that people love about their cars.

Please read your manual ahead of time and revisit on occasion and get acquainted with the features of the car. You don’t want be trying to learn something as you’re driving. I tested out brakes, turn signals, wipers, lights, etc in the Tesla Delivery parking lot to at least have the basics feeling comfortable before heading home.

 

[Eugr]

For newbies to the car with regenerative braking, please ease yourself into getting use to this feature if you haven’t driven an EV before. It’s a great feature and extra great in that it adds energy back into your battery so pretty desirable. You can set your car up with Regen on Low to start off with, and after you are more comfortable with the braking and all the new interfaces etc, change it then to Normal for the best efficiency. That’s what I did when we got our first Tesla. Also turned Creep to Off and kept it that way.

I would not recommend turning Creep off. Unless I'm missing something, I see no real benefit in it, and the car starts rolling even on slightest incline. Also makes you work harder when parking as you have to transition between accelerator and brake pedals a lot.

 

[Jeff Hudson]

I would not recommend turning Creep off.

I am firmly on this side of the discussion as well. I see no regularly recurring benefit to having creep mode off. If you like to have your right foot on the throttle pedal at a red light for a quick takeoff when the light turns green you can accomplish the same thing just by activating brake hold and waiting for the green. Oh, I forgot you might not know how to activate the brake hold feature. It is so simple. Come to a stop as usual then press down a little harder on the brake pedal until the (H) appears where the speed is normally displayed. Note: Any pedal input (either pedal) will turn off the brake hold function and creep mode will activate. This can happen unintentionally so be aware of where your feet are since creep mode acceleration is so smooth and silent.

 

[ColonelRHS]

For newbies to the car with regenerative braking, please ease yourself into getting use to this feature if you haven’t driven an EV before. It’s a great feature and extra great in that it adds energy back into your battery so pretty desirable. You can set your car up with Regen on Low to start off with, and after you are more comfortable with the braking and all the new interfaces etc, change it then to Normal for the best efficiency. That’s what I did when we got our first Tesla. Also turned Creep to Off and kept it that way.

People new to the car should be aware there have been a few cases of newbie drivers (usually only had their car few days) having accidents with their cars as they are going to park — men and women. Not bringing this up but for purposes of educating. Instead of coming to a stop, the car accelerates and they hit something. After examining the logs, the car was found to have performed as intended. In other words the accelerator was depressed not the brake. There are threads on this if you’re interested in reading more about these cases. One of our Tesla members has checked logs for a dozen or so individuals and reconfirmed that’s what the logs in fact show. With regen you will lift your foot up on the accelerator and feel the car braking as you do. It won’t come to a complete stop so you do need to move your foot to the brake to do that. It becomes second nature quickly so don’t worry about adapting to regen and you’ll find the braking feel is like down shifting if you ever have driven a stick/manual transmission. Regen BTW is frequently listed as one of those features that people love about their cars.

Please read your manual ahead of time and revisit on occasion and get acquainted with the features of the car. You don’t want be trying to learn something as you’re driving. I tested out brakes, turn signals, wipers, lights, etc in the Tesla Delivery parking lot to at least have the basics feeling comfortable before heading home.

Thanks for the tips. I have been watching YOUTUBE on everything I can find. Appreciate the advice.

 

[SMAlset]

I am firmly on this side of the discussion as well. I see no regularly recurring benefit to having creep mode off. If you like to have your right foot on the throttle pedal at a red light for a quick takeoff when the light turns green you can accomplish the same thing just by activating brake hold and waiting for the green. Oh, I forgot you might not know how to activate the brake hold feature. It is so simple. Come to a stop as usual then press down a little harder on the brake pedal until the (H) appears where the speed is normally displayed. Note: Any pedal input (either pedal) will turn off the brake hold function and creep mode will activate. This can happen unintentionally so be aware of where your feet are since creep mode acceleration is so smooth and silent.

Creep seems to be a setting people are either on one side or the other on. Personally when I take my foot off the brake I don't want the car to creep forward. I think Creep On can confuse some new drivers if the car starts to move forward and they knew they had braked.

FWIW I do know about Hold as we have an inclined driveway.

 

[Jeff Hudson]

Personally when I take my foot off the brake I don't want the car to creep forward.

Not to be argumentative but what happened in the past when you removed your foot from the brake pedal of your previous automatic transmission ICEV? This vehicle driving behavior is exactly what people expect to happen when they remove their foot from the brake pedal, i.e., the engine/motor causes the vehicle to move. If you happened to have a manually shifted ICEV then this would be a different conversation but in any case it is a much smaller percentage of the driving population and much discussion would revolve around the interaction of the clutching left foot in coordination with the braking right foot. Since the Tesla does not have a transmission but rather a transaxle(s) it most commonly resembles an automatic transmission ICEV which in my opinion the vast majority of the population drives before buying a Tesla.

 

[SMAlset]

Haven’t driven an ICE in a while now (Toyota) but believe I kept my foot on the brake until it was time to move forward. I also drove and preferred my Honda Accord with manual BTW which I drove for many years. My husband never drove my Honda just had automatics but interestingly when asked he has his MS set to Creep Off too.

 

[Jeff Hudson]

This is a good example of why there is so much discussion about this creep off or on issue. It ultimately comes down to what the driver feels is best for them and in fact they never should feel the need to justify their preference. In my case, for me, it quickly became clear to me that a foot modulating the brake pedal while parking made more sense from a safety standpoint than that same foot modulating the throttle.

 

[DanCar]

... Yesterday I contacted the Tesla dealer in Brentwood and placed an order for the Tesla 3 series. ....

Congrats! Why did you contact the dealer versus just ordering from tesla.com?

 

[SMAlset]

I was with a girlfriend a few years ago in her Prius and we had gone shopping. The car being an EV hybrid was very quiet. She went to pull into the parking spot and assumed she had put the car in park as she had opened her door. I did the same and had one foot out of the door on the ground as the car continued to roll forward. Almost twisted my leg in the process. She jumped back in the car but not before her Prius hit the car parked in the spot in front of hers. Her car ran up on top of the other car’s bumper and there was damage once she was able to move the car back some. She was confused by what had happened and mortified. Guess what mode of Creep her car was in?

@ColonelRHS, any further word on a delivery date yet? Will you have a trade in and can I ask what you’ve been driving? Also curious what choices you went with on body, interior and wheels.

 

[Eugr]

I was with a girlfriend a few years ago in her Prius and we had gone shopping. The car being an EV hybrid was very quiet. She went to pull into the parking spot and assumed she had put the car in park as she had opened her door. I did the same and had one foot out of the door on the ground as the car continued to roll forward. Almost twisted my leg in the process. She jumped back in the car but not before her Prius hit the car parked in the spot in front of hers. Her car ran up on top of the other car’s bumper and there was damage once she was able to move the car back some. She was confused by what had happened and mortified. Guess what mode of Creep her car was in?

That won’t happen with Tesla as it would automatically switch to Park once the driver door is open or even if you just unbuckle your seatbelt.
Also, imagine if that Prius had the creep off (I have no idea if there is such a setting in Prius with it being a hybrid) and the car was parked on a slight incline and started rolling after you both exit the vehicle and go shopping?

 

[srs5694]

Not to be argumentative but what happened in the past when you removed your foot from the brake pedal of your previous automatic transmission ICEV? This vehicle driving behavior is exactly what people expect to happen when they remove their foot from the brake pedal, i.e., the engine/motor causes the vehicle to move. If you happened to have a manually shifted ICEV then this would be a different conversation but in any case it is a much smaller percentage of the driving population and much discussion would revolve around the interaction of the clutching left foot in coordination with the braking right foot. Since the Tesla does not have a transmission but rather a transaxle(s) it most commonly resembles an automatic transmission ICEV which in my opinion the vast majority of the population drives before buying a Tesla.

Funny, but as I was reading your reply, I was thinking that Teslas are basically single-speed manual-transmission cars. Being electric, their one gear has a big range of speeds and accelerations that it handles.

 

[SMAlset]

....Also, imagine if that Prius had the creep off (I have no idea if there is such a setting in Prius with it being a hybrid) and the car was parked on a slight incline and started rolling after you both exit the vehicle and go shopping?

Yes Prius' do have creep mode, you can google it. The parking lot was flat in her case, so that wasn't the problem in her case but also adding to her confusion. Being on a slope you would normally think to apply the brake. Flat surface, not so much I guess unless you have creep on.

 

[ColonelRHS]

Congrats! Why did you contact the dealer versus just ordering from tesla.com?

I had heard good things about the dealership, and I had some questions.

 

[ColonelRHS]

I was with a girlfriend a few years ago in her Prius and we had gone shopping. The car being an EV hybrid was very quiet. She went to pull into the parking spot and assumed she had put the car in park as she had opened her door. I did the same and had one foot out of the door on the ground as the car continued to roll forward. Almost twisted my leg in the process. She jumped back in the car but not before her Prius hit the car parked in the spot in front of hers. Her car ran up on top of the other car’s bumper and there was damage once she was able to move the car back some. She was confused by what had happened and mortified. Guess what mode of Creep her car was in?

@ColonelRHS, any further word on a delivery date yet? Will you have a trade in and can I ask what you’ve been driving? Also curious what choices you went with on body, interior and wheels.

I have been told the car will be deliverd July 18. I am trading in my 2019 BMW530e. I also have a 2018 BMW 540ix and a 2018 Honda Clairty plug in hybrid which I really like. The 530e is a nice car, but it only gives 15 miles on the battery and has a 4 cyl turbo. Just bothers me that BMW would put in a short range battery. The honda will go 60 miles on the battery alone (due to the warm weather I'm sure), but the winner of this Honda is that when the battery is at zero or low, and you are driving on the highway, and have now switched to gas engine ...you can press a button and the battery will start recharging off the engine. It will charge 80%. I can't understand why Honda can develop a car like this and others can't. I chose the Model 3, black color ext. and white interior with the aero wheels. Nothing extra as this is my first fully EV car.

 

[Zigzagmolly]

That won’t happen with Tesla as it would automatically switch to Park once the driver door is open or even if you just unbuckle your seatbelt.
Also, imagine if that Prius had the creep off (I have no idea if there is such a setting in Prius with it being a hybrid) and the car was parked on a slight incline and started rolling after you both exit the vehicle and go shopping?

Yep! Happened to me for the first time last week. This is a safe car!!