Houston, TX

[Stenn]

Well, I went and did it. I took my car to EVS Motors for window tinting. The results look great, although they didn't at first. The film seemed wavy and looking through it was like looking through Coke bottle glass. I questioned the staff about this quite sternly. They reassured me that it took a few days for water under the film to dry and the film to cure. Three days later, my windows looked great and they looked even better after I cleaned them for the first time since tinting.

Oh, and as I had anticipated, 75% Photosync on the front windshield is essentially clear.

 

[Stenn]

In other news, I was perusing the Supercharger map to see if Tesla finally got around to sticking one in Victoria, TX. I didn't find a stick-pin in Victoria, but there was an email address to send Supercharger inquiries. Not being shy, I requested a status update for the proposed Victoria location. Here's the reply I got, for what it's worth:


Thank you for your email. We are approaching the construction phase of deployment at the site in Victoria, TX – once construction begins it can typically take 4-6 weeks for the station to be completed. There are a number of scenarios that can affect the timeline for a new site, and we cannot make guarantees about opening dates, but we are working hard to open as many sites as quickly as we can. We understand the need for more Superchargers and we are excited to announce new sites on our website and in your Model S.

We appreciate your patience, enthusiasm and support in Tesla and our Supercharger technology.

Best regards,
The Tesla Supercharger Team

 

[Beryl]

Outstanding news, Stenn. Thanks for it.

 

[DoctorV8]

Well, I went and did it. I took my car to EVS Motors for window tinting. The results look great, although they didn't at first. The film seemed wavy and looking through it was like looking through Coke bottle glass. I questioned the staff about this quite sternly. They reassured me that it took a few days for water under the film to dry and the film to cure. Three days later, my windows looked great and they looked even better after I cleaned them for the first time since tinting.

Oh, and as I had anticipated, 75% Photosync on the front windshield is essentially clear.

Glad to hear Ted took good care of you; he's a stand up guy.

+1 for UV blocking windshield tint; I've been using this for years on many of my cars, and have never had an issue with the law. If they don't get me for no front plate, they're not gonna notice the tint.

Sanjay

 

[TexasEV]

"Approaching the construction phase" can mean almost anything, when measured by Tesla time.

 

[Stenn]

Granted, Tesla's answer was vague. However, I took comfort in the fact that they did not say, "...approaching the permitting phase."

 

[SW2Fiddler]

"Approaching the construction phase" can mean almost anything, when measured by Tesla time.

But it's time to raise the alert level a couple of notches.
Minions "in or near Victoria" have been tutored in the Ways Of Tesla and dispatched to stalk prospective sites; I'll launch a dedicated Victoria SC thread to consolidate what we know, what we know we don't know, and as much speculation as y'all can stomach.

 

[Model S M.D.]

Been a long time lurker and finally pulled the trigger! Just ordered the following with December delivery: 85D, Black/Black, Piano black, Next Gen, Pano, Std Wheels, Autopilot, Premium. I believe I still have a week or so to play with the options before it is finalized. I am struggling with 19" vs 21" Greys (which look nice with the black car). I have read about way too many problems with the 21s....

Anyway, happy to be on board!

 

[Beryl]

Congrats!!!

I'm envious and probably a week behind you when I cancel my MX reservation. Hope that if I order on Friday, it will be delivered by Christmas.

I'm a little sad that I didn't pull the trigger earlier this year instead of waiting for the MX reveal.

 

[Model S M.D.]

Congrats!!!

I'm envious and probably a week behind you when I cancel my MX reservation. Hope that if I order on Friday, it will be delivered by Christmas.

I'm a little sad that I didn't pull the trigger earlier this year instead of waiting for the MX reveal.

My product specialist said it should be here earlier than you think if you order soon, since Tesla is motivated to hit their numbers before year end. I'm crossing my fingers to have it before Christmas too--I want to see the Tax credit next year if possible

 

[RobinF]

Been a long time lurker and finally pulled the trigger! Just ordered the following with December delivery: 85D, Black/Black, Piano black, Next Gen, Pano, Std Wheels, Autopilot, Premium. I believe I still have a week or so to play with the options before it is finalized. I am struggling with 19" vs 21" Greys (which look nice with the black car). I have read about way too many problems with the 21s....

Anyway, happy to be on board!

Congrats! You will love it.
By all means stick with the 19" wheels. Only reason to get 21" would be if you wanted maximum performance with the 'P' package. You will have fewer problems with the 19" -- not as likely to get nicked by curbs and less likely to cut the tire on a pot hole, and tires are much less expensive to replace when you need to ($340 vs. $510 ea.).

 

[Model S M.D.]

Congrats! You will love it.
By all means stick with the 19" wheels. Only reason to get 21" would be if you wanted maximum performance with the 'P' package. You will have fewer problems with the 19" -- not as likely to get nicked by curbs and less likely to cut the tire on a pot hole, and tires are much less expensive to replace when you need to ($340 vs. $510 ea.).

Thanks! I am really excited about this car.

I think I'll go ahead and stick with the 19s. What are your feelings on UHFS and Air suspension? I don't have any known steep inclines in my driveway or at work.

 

[Stenn]

Thanks! I am really excited about this car.

I think I'll go ahead and stick with the 19s. What are your feelings on UHFS and Air suspension? I don't have any known steep inclines in my driveway or at work.

Congratulations! Sounds like you'll be getting a sweet car. Good call on getting 19" wheels. I wanted 21 but got 19 given Houston's less-than-wonderful streets. I haven't regretted the decision.

For me, Smart Air Suspension has been a must-have feature. I have a steep driveway at home and another at work. Other cars scrape their way into the work parking lot. Mine automatically raises itself and cruises right in. Sweet! It's also nice being able to raise the suspension as I hit rough spots around town.

The Ultra High Fidelity Sound is good, but could be better. If you're a true audiophile, you might look into aftermarket options. Otherwise, you'll probably be plenty pleased with Tesla's option. I know I am. But really, the best part of the Tesla sound system is not having to listen to it over a noisy internal combustion engine.

 

[Model S M.D.]

Congratulations! Sounds like you'll be getting a sweet car. Good call on getting 19" wheels. I wanted 21 but got 19 given Houston's less-than-wonderful streets. I haven't regretted the decision.

For me, Smart Air Suspension has been a must-have feature. I have a steep driveway at home and another at work. Other cars scrape their way into the work parking lot. Mine automatically raises itself and cruises right in. Sweet! It's also nice being able to raise the suspension as I hit rough spots around town.

The Ultra High Fidelity Sound is good, but could be better. If you're a true audiophile, you might look into aftermarket options. Otherwise, you'll probably be plenty pleased with Tesla's option. I know I am. But really, the best part of the Tesla sound system is not having to listen to it over a noisy internal combustion engine.

Thanks!

Might go ahead and stick with coils--sounds like the air suspension was a necessity for you. Hopefully the potholes around my neighborhood don't bother me too much!

So you went with UHFS? I'm not really an audiophile so UHFS might be good enough for me. I honestly didn't even notice that the Tesla I got for a 24 hour loan had UHFS--I thought it was the stock sound system! I'm going to head to the Gallery before my confirmation date to test out the sound system one last time.

 

[SW2Fiddler]

Thanks!

Might go ahead and stick with coils--sounds like the air suspension was a necessity for you. Hopefully the potholes around my neighborhood don't bother me too much!

I'm a Coils owner. I drove a Loaner with Air Suspension all around Houston for three days. I'm super happy with what I ordered for my own car. It wasn't any nicer a ride than coils -- and there'd be that little nagging worry about the SmartAir Hardware failing at some point.

So you went with UHFS? I'm not really an audiophile so UHFS might be good enough for me. I honestly didn't even notice that the Tesla I got for a 24 hour loan had UHFS--I thought it was the stock sound system! I'm going to head to the Gallery before my confirmation date to test out the sound system one last time.

UHFS in my humble opinion.

1. I've been tracking the options for after-market upgrades to amp, subwoofer, etc. and in that case, having the extra speakers - and wires - already in place due to the UHFS really seems to help reduce the labor and hassle.
2. Actually happy with the stock UHFS sound all the way to the bottom. Without that subwoofer, I feel the whole thing would sound/feel kind of bottomless. (I listen to bluegrass, classical, talk-podcasts, dubstep, radio theatre and oldies)

 

[RobinF]

Congratulations! Sounds like you'll be getting a sweet car. Good call on getting 19" wheels. I wanted 21 but got 19 given Houston's less-than-wonderful streets. I haven't regretted the decision.

For me, Smart Air Suspension has been a must-have feature. I have a steep driveway at home and another at work. Other cars scrape their way into the work parking lot. Mine automatically raises itself and cruises right in. Sweet! It's also nice being able to raise the suspension as I hit rough spots around town.

The Ultra High Fidelity Sound is good, but could be better. If you're a true audiophile, you might look into aftermarket options. Otherwise, you'll probably be plenty pleased with Tesla's option. I know I am. But really, the best part of the Tesla sound system is not having to listen to it over a noisy internal combustion engine.

Second Stenn's comments. The adjustable suspension has other uses like boosting the chassis when driving through shallow standing water. (had to do that two weeks ago) And lowering at highway speeds for slight aerodynamic savings.

 

[Stenn]

So you went with UHFS? I'm not really an audiophile so UHFS might be good enough for me. I honestly didn't even notice that the Tesla I got for a 24 hour loan had UHFS--I thought it was the stock sound system! I'm going to head to the Gallery before my confirmation date to test out the sound system one last time.

Yeah, I got the UHFS and I'm pretty happy with it. I'm only disappointed when my daughter switches the station to dubstep and cranks up the volume. At that point, it seems the amp can't quite control the speakers as well as it should causing the sound to get muddy. But hey, we're talking about dubstep here. Who can tell quality from mud when it's dubstep? My usual jazz, blues, and classical music sounds just fine.

Perceived audio quality can get pretty subjective, especially when comparing a "good" system with a "better" system. You really owe it to yourself to listen first and purchase later. Bring some music you know well so you'll know right away if you're "missing" anything in the reproduction of the sound.

 

[Model S M.D.]

Thanks everyone! I've temporarily added UHFS to my design studio...still have a few more days to finalize...it's getting real!

Quick question: I visit Dallas every few weeks and was just curious what hotel people stay at? I was considering NYLO since they have HPWC's you can use, but have also read that you can charge up at the Hyatt in downtown too. I found these on plugshare but was just curious about y'alls personal experiences and recommendations.

 

[SW2Fiddler]

The Omni has free (30A) Blinks. Parking fee applies tho. City office next to the Convention Center boasts free AeroVironments which I've not tried.
The Fairmont told me they would have some HPWCs by this year, call 'em to confirm, but they are very Green conscious and waive their parking fee for electrics!

 

[TexasEV]

Thanks everyone! I've temporarily added UHFS to my design studio...still have a few more days to finalize...it's getting real!

Quick question: I visit Dallas every few weeks and was just curious what hotel people stay at? I was considering NYLO since they have HPWC's you can use, but have also read that you can charge up at the Hyatt in downtown too. I found these on plugshare but was just curious about y'alls personal experiences and recommendations.

I've plugged into 120V outlets overnight at the Fairmont and Rosewood Crescent garages. It's enough to get back to the Waco supercharger, or for you to get back to Corsicana. I remember the Fairmont was 20A, not sure about Rosewood Crescent.