How to keep car unlocked while it's getting serviced

[triciahoffmann]

I am getting my tires rotated and balanced Friday and have anxiety over how to allow the service providers access!
Does Valet Mode work for this situation? I use my phone as a key but do have the key card.
Thanks in advance and Happy New Year!

 

[jjrandorin]

You would give them the key card. If they are not familiar enough with teslas to understand how to use the keycard, I wouldnt trust them to jack the car up properly to rotate my tires.

 

[swaltner]

As mentioned, give them the key card. You would give them the keys to any other car, so you give them the key card here. If the Model 3 is unlocked using the key card, the automatic lock on walk away function is not enabled when you get out of the car.

The valet mode is for something completely different. You likely want to enable that feature when you are voluntarily turning over temporary access to your vehicle. It helps avoid situations like the valet attendants in Ferris Bueller's Day Off. They would still need the key card to drive the car, but they wouldn't have as enjoyable of a joyride. From the Owner's Manual:

When Model 3 is in Valet mode, the following restrictions apply:

• Speed is limited to 70 mph (113 km/h).
• Maximum acceleration and power are limited.
• Front trunk and glovebox are locked.
• Home and Work locations are not available in the navigation system.
• Voice commands are disabled.
• Autopilot convenience features are disabled.
• The Allow Mobile Access setting is disabled.
• HomeLink (if applicable in your market region) is not accessible.
• Driver Profiles are not accessible.
• The touchscreen does not display the list of keys that can access Model 3 (see Managing Keys on page 10).
• Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are disabled. When Model 3 is in Valet mode, you cannot pair new Bluetooth devices or view or delete existing paired devices.

Don't give them your phone. Your phone likely has too much other personal stuff on it and shouldn't ever be handed over to a stranger.

 

[triciahoffmann]

You would give them the key card. If they are not familiar enough with teslas to understand how to use the keycard, I wouldnt trust them to jack the car up properly to rotate my tires.

Thank you!

 

[triciahoffmann]

Thank you. Great insight!

 

[Magnets!]

Disable the walk away auto lock feature if enabled.

 

[webbah]

One other thing I did was create a driver profile called “mechanic”. That way if they change any seat adjustments, etc, it doesn’t affect me when I switch back to my profile after getting the car back.

 

[Watts_Up]

I am getting my tires rotated and balanced Friday and have anxiety over how to allow the service providers access!
Does Valet Mode work for this situation? I use my phone as a key but do have the key card.
Thanks in advance and Happy New Year!

For the alignment, the mechanics need to put the car in Neutral.
There are different way to do this, you should check with your garage if they are aware about how to proceed.

 

[webbah]

For the alignment, the mechanics need to put the car in Neutral.
There are different way to do this, you should check with your garage if they are aware about how to proceed.

Neutral is not exactly true. You need to put the car in “towing mode” and then not touch the brakes. I’ve done 2 alignments already after changing ride height. It’s pretty straightforward.

 

[Watts_Up]

Neutral is not exactly true. You need to put the car in “towing mode” and then not touch the brakes. I’ve done 2 alignments already after changing ride height. It’s pretty straightforward.

Using Towing Mode is one way to put the car in Neutral.
One limitation is that after 20 minutes the car will go to Park.

 

[super20g]

mostly unrelated, but I sure wish I could keep the car unlocked in my garage...