Heated door handles?
- Thread starter Brentt
- Start date
The short answer is yes there is, vehicles are not airtight otherwise the outside air setting on your HVAC system wouldn't work because you can't force air into an airtight space. in order for circulation to occur there have to be designed leak points or vents for the incoming air to escape the vehicle. It's not that hard !
usually such vents are located in the rear of the vehicle or in door panels in the lower part of the door but they are behind the upholstery therefore you don't see them. they generally look like dryer vents that will be forced open when there is positive pressure and close when there is negative pressure.
Garlan Garner
Banned
No its not. I've had the door panel off. Multiple times. There are no VENTS nor anything in the door. The only thing touching the Tesla door are 2 hinges and a wiring harness full of wires. I've had to open it and get a wire through there.
Lets not talk "usually" when it comes to TESLA.
There is absolutely NO WAY to focus air to a specific area on the outside of the door from the inside.
First of all....the metal behind the interior panel and insulation is solid. There are no holes in the metal like in a traditional door - where you can see the glass. You would have to heat the entire piece of metal from the window to the bottom of the door.
Try and heat a specific device behind a sheet of metal that is 2.5 feet by 3.5 feet. It ain't going to happen.
You obviously have NOT had your door panel off.
Garlan Garner
Banned
There is no place to get air into the door. Through the wiring harness? nope...aint gonna happen.
Sir my background is in automotive engineering your door is not airtight despite what you might think. if you think it is turn your HVAC system and blower on high and turn off recirculating function close the door and you will feel the air escaping from around the door handle/s, be it by design or by strictly physics it does happen. Thank you.
it is not focused airflow it is strictly higher atmospheric pressure in the cabin then there is outside the vehicle when the blower is not set to recirculating. Like I said it's not that hard it's just physics.
This also is exactly how the bio defense weapon mode works. The HVAC system will run drawing in outside air through the filter this increases the cabin pressure or atmospheric pressure inside the car to a higher level than that on the exterior of the car making the only pathway for air to get into the vehicle through the bio defense filter.
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Garlan Garner
Banned
I'm making no comment about the door being airtight.
I don't feel any air whatsoever coming through the door handles of my P3D+'s door. I just went out and tried it.
What I'm saying is that I cant imagine how the air gets into the door since there are no vents in my P3D+ other than ( possibly ) a non-airtight seal along the window.
There is no way in the world air can go through the super congested wiring harness that goes between the car and the door.
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Garlan Garner
Banned
I wouldn't spray anti-freeze on my Model 3. Tesla says that the paint can't take it.
I use clear silicone on my handles. They are slippery, but they won't freeze.
"Pre-cool the car. You can feel a little air escaping around the handles, and it does help to cool them off. Some people confirmed that pre-heating the car also melts ice around the handles in cold climates."
M3 Door Handles are getting toasty | Tesla
"Interesting, it seems it does blow air around the door handles. That's a nice feature. I suspect this would help de-ice them in cold climates, also."
FAQ: Checklist of features for new owners to share
Garlan Garner
Banned
I just pre-heated my car for 45 min. ( 24 degrees F outside right now )
I used my harbor freight remote temperature meter to measure the temp of the door handles and various other parts of the car.
Temp is "identical" on the handles,, paint, rims....etc. The front glass was warmer by 31 degrees. Drivers glass was warmer by 20 degrees. Roof glass was warmer by 17 degrees.
If air is leaking out of you guys handles.....then more power to you. I have no leaks happening.
The Model 3 door assembly is a single part where the handle is encased - its not free and open behind the encasement. The handle is literally floating inside of a housing. I don't know how so much air is leaking through the encasement. The door handle is electronic...not mechanical...so there are only a few wires coming out from the encasement. Oh well......good for you guys.
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Garlan Garner
Banned
Just took some blue painters tape and taped a zip lock around the entire exterior handle. I then turned on pre-heat from my phone app.
Nothing. The zip lock didn't even start to inflate or anything.
What's the deal? - pickle
Garlan Garner
Banned
Not sure...It was on auto.
I just did it again after reading your post. I was on the inside this time with the fan all the way up. Ziplock did nothing.
judyjetson
Member
I believe the rear deck (the top flat surface behind the rear seats) is a mesh material. It's very possible the outlet vents are in the trunk...
i just tested this on my car. Turned on the heat with my phone. walked up and put my hand next to all 4 handles. they all had a slight breeze coming from them, strongest from the wide part of the handle. So... at least on my car, the handles are vented. I'll let the car come up to temp and then run my IR thermometer on the handles and adjacent panels.
My car is a February build. VIN: 68xx
In case it matters, I'm on firmware 44.2.
-edit-
Car is in the garage; ambient temp is 50F. The panel immediately next to the door is measuring 50F. The door handles (all 4) are measuring 62F.
My car is a February build. VIN: 68xx
In case it matters, I'm on firmware 44.2.
-edit-
Car is in the garage; ambient temp is 50F. The panel immediately next to the door is measuring 50F. The door handles (all 4) are measuring 62F.
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The effect is not going to be such as a dedicated air duct blowing air out of the door handle the air volume felt is very slight. I don't know for sure if it is design intent or design consequence. It is easily noticable on Model S perhaps more so than Model 3.
wdolson
Well-Known Member
The mechanism I can see happening is the heat going through the duct work heats some structural member and that gets transmitted down the door via some aluminum cross member or something. It is mostly a WAG though.
smatthew
Active Member
Wow - I just realized this after looking at the electronics part catalog to see if there was any provision for venting on the door handle. The door handle doesn't connect to anything besides a spring. A hall-effect sensor is bolted to the inside of the handle assembly and can be replaced if necessary.
I wonder if sufficiently strong magnet could trigger the "door handle pulled" signal........ No security risk, but a possible way to open your car if the door handle does get frozen. Now I just need to carry around magnets.....
I wonder if sufficiently strong magnet could trigger the "door handle pulled" signal........ No security risk, but a possible way to open your car if the door handle does get frozen. Now I just need to carry around magnets.....
wdolson
Well-Known Member
I don't know if the handle is made of steel or not. If it's aluminum, a magnet won't work. I would also think any magnet that could pull the handle when frozen would be dangerous to carry around. You'd probably find yourself plastered to any steel car you get within a foot of, or find the magnet stuck to the car and have a big hole in your pocket where the giant magnet used to be.
He's talking of triggering the hall effect sensor (basically a magnetic field sensor), not using a mission impossible sized magnet to tear the door open
Perhaps a less crazy option might be an added button in the app to pop a door "remotely", just as you would for the frunk.
