How To Show Your Car At A Car Show

[Skotty]

So I know this has come up before somewhere, but i want to hit on it again. I've started taking my car to some car shows. Despite the S having been around awhile, it still draws a lot of attention and interested people. So it's definitely worth doing.

The question is, in what state do you leave your car in so that you can show it but without there being excessive safety concerns.

The problem is, there doesn't seem to be a way to put the "ignition" in "accessory" mode, such that you can interact with the controls but the car can't go anywhere. The automatic break release also isn't helpful in a car show situation.

True, in an old ICE, you are just a key turn away from potentially starting the car, but you still have to put in drive or reverse and maybe release a parking break, and that still takes a rather significant deliberate act. I feel like there is a higher risk of an accident with a Tesla, as so long as the key is nearby, all someone has to do is push the gear stalk up or down and it's essentially driving.

How have some of you handled this when showing your car at a car show? Is there an option in the UI I'm not thinking about that helps? I could just leave the car off, but it's a show, and you are showing quite a bit less with the car off and the screen dark. I suppose I could block the wheels, but that feels kind of like a band aid solution. I guess another option is just try to keep the driver seat off limits.

Thanks for any suggestions.

 

[soccerMX]

You can put the car in "NEUTRAL" and turn ON the parking brake while its in neutral. The car will remain in the ON state.

 

[Saghost]

The traditional answer is to plug the UMC or J1772 adaptor in. The car won't move while plugged in, and someone would have to go through several specific steps (unlock charge port, then unplug, then get in and hit the brake) to activate the car.

Having the UMC sitting there is also a good visual aid and can lead to better conversations about charging.

Edit: Don't use the J1772 for this - it won't work!! I was passing along what I read, but afterwards I was pondering how the car knew the J1772 was there, so I went out and tried it. The car will happily turn on and shift to drive if just the J1772 adaptor is in the port (but not if plugged into a J1772 source, of course.) The UMC will disable the car, as promised.

 

[Skotty]

The traditional answer is to plug the UMC in. The car won't move while plugged in, and someone would have to go through several specific steps (unlock charge port, then unplug, then get in and hit the brake) to activate the car.

Having the UMC sitting there is also a good visual aid and can lead to better conversations about charging.

Oooh, interesting idea. So it doesn't actually need to be plugged in on the wall side, but you can still plug it in on the car side and basically disable the drive? I'll try that later tonight. Thanks for the tip!

 

[boaterva]

It's too bad you don't have access to 'showroom' mode. As I recall, some electronics work, FWD are open, can't be closed (and worn out), car can't be started, brake pedal closes driver door (good demo), etc.

 

[Saghost]

Oooh, interesting idea. So it doesn't actually need to be plugged in on the wall side, but you can still plug it in on the car side and basically disable the drive? I'll try that later tonight. Thanks for the tip!

Correct. The car won't move if the UMC plugged into the port, whether or not it's plugged into the wall. The J1772 does not in fact work for this unless you also have a J1772 cable plugged in to it.

 

[Red_DS]

Have you asked your local Tesla gallery about showroom mode? That's what they have the cars in the gallery set to. It's a code they input after pressing and holding the T on the center screen for a few seconds.

 

[Saghost]

So I know this has come up before somewhere, but i want to hit on it again. I've started taking my car to some car shows. Despite the S having been around awhile, it still draws a lot of attention and interested people. So it's definitely worth doing.

Also, if you're going to car shows, I recommend one of these. It's been very amusing to the crowds where I went and served as a nice ice-breaker/fascinator. I leave it in an otherwise empty frunk and introduce it as the real power source. I've been considering whether I need to upgrade to a multi-hamster array:

Amazon.com: Happy Hamster Pet with WHEEL RUNNER Battery Operated Kid's Toy: Toys & Games

 

[AEdennis]

Also, if you're going to car shows, I recommend one of these. It's been very amusing to the crowds where I went and served as a nice ice-breaker/fascinator. I leave it in an otherwise empty trunk and introduce it as the real power source. I've been considering whether I need to upgrade to a multi-hamster array:

Amazon.com: Happy Hamster Pet with WHEEL RUNNER Battery Operated Kid's Toy: Toys & Games

That's a classic!

 

[Btrflyl8e]

I leave mine off at car shows, so I can secretly engage Summon! Talk about attracting a crowd...they never suspect the girl.

 

[NeverFollow]

I've started taking my car to some car shows.

I recently requested a car insurance quote, and one question was if I was taking my car to some car show?

I know some people doing it in fact to help some charities fundraisers like United Way,
and I think that they can deduct some expenses to their IRS taxes.

However, I wonder how this could affect my insurance, and in which way?

 

[berkeley_ecar]

I recently requested a car insurance quote, and one question was if I was taking my car to some car show?

Interesting. When I added my S to my insurance policy, they didn't ask this question, but did ask if I intended to use the vehicle in connection with any ride sharing services!

 

[mdX-]

I just did my first car show, Great Fun. Harbor Springs Michigan's 11th annual drew some 40+ entrants and 700+ Viewers And my X 90D was the showstopper!
I played the Model Xmas Show on the half hour to everyone's delight.
So all you Xers out there, go Xmas Show Away!!!