Just got my Model 3 yesterday. Love it!

[WileyTheMan]

Interesting. So if you are standing right next to your car, it will still auto-lock? I assume that since you're in range, it will unlock as soon as you try to open the door.

Yup. I was standing next to it while chatting with someone and it locked up.

 

[chibi_kurochan]

Since I don't have a M3 yet - how far away do you have to get from the car before the mirrors fold in?

You don't necessarily have to walk away far for the car to automatically lock itself. I could be standing next to it and after a few minutes it would lock itself with me a couple feet away. OR if you do walk away, approximately about 2 car lengths away then it locks itself.
Edit: never mind, i just noticed others have responded with the same behaviours on the 2nd page.

 

[chibi_kurochan]

I thought that I would post a brief summary of what I think about my new Model 3. I tried to focus more on the Model 3 specifics, rather than things that any electric car would have, but I may have slipped a little...

Blue, 18" wheels, EAP (LR and Premium, of course)

I love it! It's the best car I've owned. (The BMW M5 was very close, though)

Pros:
1) The car is fast! I can effortlessly pass that line of left lane loiterers.
2) Panel gaps were small and consistent. No complaints whatsoever.
3) The audio sound quality is great!
4) Regenerative braking is awesome! Got used to low in a few hours (it's slightly more aggressive than the engine braking in a manual transmission car) and moved to standard.
5) Not having to visit the gas station is great!
6) Seat are comfortable and hold well.
7) Steering has a lot of adjustment for effort, reach, and position.
8) It's beautiful! I love that I can have a car that is efficient and not polluting, without having to have a weirdmobile or a car that looks like I'm a college student whose dad bought him his first new car.
9) I love the clean interior. So many car are cluttered with extraneous controls that you never use.
10) The center screen is bright, clear, and is a great interface that can change with context and software upgrades.
11) It's so quiet! No engine and the wind/tire noise is on the low side.
12) It's spacious. An adult can sit behind another adult with good room all around.
13) The little touches, like folding mirrors instead of a honking horn, mirrors that tilt down in reverse, etc are appreciated.
14) The display of cars seen and distance to obstacles is very encouraging and helpful.


Cons:
1) The price of admission is pretty high.
2) The suspension is a little softer than I would like. I have to think that the original setups would've been perfect.
3) The tires are all seasons (Michelin Primacy) and hold the car back a little. The car is begging for a tire upgrade.

Mixed bag:

1) Autopilot and its related items are like an attentive drivers ed student. It got nervous and limited autosteer to 65mph in one section of HOV lane that is protected and just a tiny bit curvy (would've been no problem for me to drive through there manually at much greater speed). It beeped at me for driving parallel to and within one foot of a concrete barrier. (That's the middle of the lane here in Houston on 290). Ping ponged some in the lane (not bad, just reminiscent of a driving student who doesn't have his tracking down yet).
It really seems like it would limit fatigue on longer highway trips. Using it as intended and paying attention while driving seems like it would be safer than not.

Congrats! welcome to the Tesla family! great brief summary! always good to hear positive feedbacks.

 

[RyanDe]

Congrats! welcome to the Tesla family! great brief summary! always good to hear positive feedbacks.

What he said.

 

[But_dave]

Congrats - That is the experience I am looking forward to in a month or so - thanks for sharing - very pumped now!

 

[nvx1977]

i look for excuses to run errands I hated running before, just so I can drive my 3. such a fun car.

 

[gtmotor]

i look for excuses to run errands I hated running before, just so I can drive my 3. such a fun car.

Yep, I already have 1500 miles on mine after only 2 weeks

 

[wildm011]

Thanks! My post order wait was one month.

Dang - I hope you did not just get my hopes up. I am planning on 4-8 weeks. Just trying to figure out how to put a countdown timer on my phone for 4-8 weeks!!!

 

[davidc18]

Congrats and keep having fun.

 

[vacommish]

Got my Model 3 on Monday and am thrilled so far. Been a long time in coming and well worth the wait. Here's my take to add to the list:

Pros:
- Super fast and a blast to drive
- Charging is fast and isn't needed often for daily use
- Interior seats are comfy, I'd argue that they are slightly more comfortable than the S
- love the one vent air flow flexibility
- the touchscreen is easier to use once you get familiar with where everything is
- bigger than I thought, yet nimble enough to feel really sporty
- trunk space is bigger than I thought. With the seats down, there is a ton of room
- like other high-end cars, I do like remote cooling/heating so car temp is just where you want it to be when you get in (great for hot days so far)
- head turner looks
- the app is great. I figured out how to slide the charging from daily (90% charge) to trip (100%) so I now know how to maximize range for trips.

Wishes and bumps experienced:
- I thought there was a front camera view (for pulling into garages) but I can't find it. May be user error or it simply isn't there
- wish Sirius/XM was offered. I can run it on my phone and through the car but it is an extra couple steps before I can get going, and changing stations while driving isn't easy
- home charger installation cost more than the estimates I'd received and seen. The reason is valid - if you don't have a circuit panel or power box in your garage, one has to get added to provide enough power. I had to run it from outside and through the garage wall to build the box to power the Tesla charging unit. Cost of install was $750 (going to take some more gas savings to make that up) to go with the $500 Telsa wall charger.
- would like to see driver settings change based on app or key
- phone charging is challenging if you don't have an open-bottomed case

After-market updates:
- I've got some 3M vinyl coming for the center console, steering wheel, and window controls. Piano black is as billed - dust and fingerprint magnet
- ordered a wireless charging puck for the model 3 to fix the charging problem for iPhone X
- installed new puddle lights with the Tesla logo
- installed blue ambient lights and slides for subtle, yet cooler interior look

 

[henshaw]

1) Autopilot and its related items are like an attentive drivers ed student. It got nervous and limited autosteer to 65mph in one section of HOV lane that is protected and just a tiny bit curvy (would've been no problem for me to drive through there manually at much greater speed). It beeped at me for driving parallel to and within one foot of a concrete barrier. (That's the middle of the lane here in Houston on 290). Ping ponged some in the lane (not bad, just reminiscent of a driving student who doesn't have his tracking down yet).

Most everything you said was my experience. Your comment about autopilot was especially spot on. I'm completely new to Tesla, and autopilot was not as refined or as good and I expected it to be. Perhaps it's better on S and X, but the way it steers on curves is disconcerting. And there's been a few times where I might have crashed if I wasn't fully paying attention.

But like you said, it's a mixed bag. There's plenty to like about it. I even liked when it jerked me back into my lane when I thought the highway split was 2 lanes, but it was actually just 1. For now though, I'm only using autopilot on fairly straight, well-marked roads. What I am in love with is autopilot cruise, where I still control the steering. That alone has been a gamechanger for my driving.

 

[KarlaM3]

Interesting. So if you park head-in to a parking spot, and there is an SUV/van in the spot beside you so you cannot see the mirrors - how do you know it's locked? Do the taillights also flicker or something? I'd really like to have an audible sound. Most of my parking is at work or at home. At work, due to the way the parking spots are aligned and the direction I walk towards the stairs, I'll never be able to see the mirrors. So I need some other way of knowing.

You can check the Tesla app you use to run the car and it will tell you whether it's locked or not if you are unsure.

 

[pmich80]

Got my Model 3 on Monday and am thrilled so far. Been a long time in coming and well worth the wait. Here's my take to add to the list:


After-market updates:
- I've got some 3M vinyl coming for the center console, steering wheel, and window controls. Piano black is as billed - dust and fingerprint magnet
- ordered a wireless charging puck for the model 3 to fix the charging problem for iPhone X
- installed new puddle lights with the Tesla logo
- installed blue ambient lights and slides for subtle, yet cooler interior look

Couple questions:
which centre console vinyl did you get? I cant decide which one I like. Titanium, Brushed black metal, carbon fibre or stealth?
Which blue ambient lights do you have? I got the blue metallic colour so i'd love to get ambient lighting.
how are the puddle lights? worth the purchase?

 

[vacommish]

Couple questions:
which centre console vinyl did you get? I cant decide which one I like. Titanium, Brushed black metal, carbon fibre or stealth?
Which blue ambient lights do you have? I got the blue metallic colour so i'd love to get ambient lighting.
how are the puddle lights? worth the purchase?

I went with the Titanium. I felt it went well with the vent frame and lightened the car from all the black. They all look great, but the demo on the site I bought them from used Titanium in the demo and that sold me. I went to RPM Tesla and got their light kid for the ambient lighting. They've since added red and purple to the mix.

Puddle lights are far brighter than the ones that come with the car. I just upgraded the front door with the logo light and I think it adds a cool element to it. Something similar came with my BMW 440 and people love how cool they look so I decided to do it to my Model 3. Hope that helps!

 

[pmich80]

I went with the Titanium. I felt it went well with the vent frame and lightened the car from all the black. They all look great, but the demo on the site I bought them from used Titanium in the demo and that sold me. I went to RPM Tesla and got their light kid for the ambient lighting. They've since added red and purple to the mix.

Puddle lights are far brighter than the ones that come with the car. I just upgraded the front door with the logo light and I think it adds a cool element to it. Something similar came with my BMW 440 and people love how cool they look so I decided to do it to my Model 3. Hope that helps!

Awesome.... I was leaning towards the Titanium for the past 2 months... so I think i'll get it along with the Blue ambient lighting.
Just need someone to install the centre console. As easy as the video makes it seem, I don't trust myself since I've very OCD. I'mg etting my car ceramic coated so i'll ask them if they'll do it. Share a pic when yours is done!

 

[vacommish]

Awesome.... I was leaning towards the Titanium for the past 2 months... so I think i'll get it along with the Blue ambient lighting.
Just need someone to install the centre console. As easy as the video makes it seem, I don't trust myself since I've very OCD. I'mg etting my car ceramic coated so i'll ask them if they'll do it. Share a pic when yours is done!

I'm with you - I'm afraid of messing it up but the video makes it look easy, and it is cut for our car. Should be here any day and I'll post pics - hope you do the same.

 

[vacommish]

Awesome.... I was leaning towards the Titanium for the past 2 months... so I think i'll get it along with the Blue ambient lighting.
Just need someone to install the centre console. As easy as the video makes it seem, I don't trust myself since I've very OCD. I'mg etting my car ceramic coated so i'll ask them if they'll do it. Share a pic when yours is done!

And it looks like we got the same color and wheels - you've got good taste!

 

[pmich80]

I'm with you - I'm afraid of messing it up but the video makes it look easy, and it is cut for our car. Should be here any day and I'll post pics - hope you do the same.

And it looks like we got the same color and wheels - you've got good taste!

I'll be a bit farther behind. I'm on week 6 of waiting for a VIN. So I won't have the car for another month.

hahah and yes you've got impeccable taste LOL. Our cars are going to look line twins both in interior and exterior!

 

[Blu Angel]

I thought that I would post a brief summary of what I think about my new Model 3. I tried to focus more on the Model 3 specifics, rather than things that any electric car would have, but I may have slipped a little...

Blue, 18" wheels, EAP (LR and Premium, of course)

I love it! It's the best car I've owned. (The BMW M5 was very close, though)
Cons:
The suspension is a little softer than I would like. I have to think that the original setups would've been perfect.
The tires are all seasons (Michelin Primacy) and hold the car back a little. The car is begging for a tire upgrade.

Rountad,
Thx for your well written and extensive explanation of your personal experience

In regards to your dislike of the "soft" suspension, you should seriously consider
aftermarket coilovers (Unplugged or Mountain Pass Performance and control arms (MPP)
Finally, rest easy to plop on some great summer tires ala Michelin Pilot Sport

 

[Rountad]

Rountad,
Thx for your well written and extensive explanation of your personal experience

In regards to your dislike of the "soft" suspension, you should seriously consider
aftermarket coilovers (Unplugged or Mountain Pass Performance and control arms (MPP)
Finally, rest easy to plop on some great summer tires ala Michelin Pilot Sport

You're welcome!
Thank you for the suggestions!