Just ordered an S85, now waiting...but why is the turn signal stalk mounted so low?

[ecarfan]

I've been reading these Forums for months, and researching everything Tesla. The more I read the more impressed I was with the company and Musk's vision for it. I think it was watching the Supercharger network become a reality over the last few months that clinched it for me. So last weekend after a test drive my wife and I ordered an S85, silver, black roof, grey interior, Lacewood trim and Yacht floor, Tech package, High Fidelity sound, air suspension, fog lights, HPWC, premium interior lighting, parking sensors, and Paint Armor. I've never spent so much money on a car, but it will be worth it! Had to sell one of my Porsches to make it happen. The Tesla ordering process was incredibly easy. Charlie at the Burlingame showroom was super helpful!

I've downloaded the PDF file "A Quick Guide for Owners" and read through it. It's the shortest manual for a car I've ever seen. It doesn't seem to describe exactly how to save multiple Driver Profiles, but I'm sure it is obvious when you actually go through the procedure on the touchscreen. I'm wondering if it is possible to associate a profile with a specific key? Since both my wife and I will be driving the car, it would be cool if my key would automatically call up my profile.

So far, before actually owning the car, there is only one thing that I wish was different on the car. I don't understand why the turn signal stalk is the lower of the two stalks on the left side of the wheel. I've owned a lot of cars and don't recall every driving a car where the turn signal stalk was so low. First time I went to use it of course my hand flicked the cruise control stalk. Not a big deal obviously, I'm sure I'll get used to it, but it will take some mental adjusting when I switch between cars. And I see this issue has been discussed in this topic. Apparently it is a Mercedes design.

So now I'm a "waiter"...

 

[efusco]

They borrowed the steering wheel and column with stalks from Mercedes...their design, not sure why they did it that way. In any case, it takes all over a week to get used to it.

Regarding the owner's manual...think of this car more like your iPad than a Linux system...it's all very intuitive once you get in the driver's seat. Saving a new profile is easy as pie, it actually walks you through the process. Not sure a manual is really necessary at all other than for a few emergency procedures.

 

[dsm363]

Driver profiles aren't tied to key fobs. They might be able to be activated with the mobile phone app though at some point but now you have to get into the car and press the profile. When you move the seat or anything around it pops up asking if you want to save that profile. Setting up the profile is pretty easy in the settings area.

I actually like the new position of the turn signal but did the same thing at first. Takes a few weeks to get used to it.

 

[doctrewho]

I've been reading these Forums for months, and researching everything Tesla. The more I read the more impressed I was with the company and Musk's vision for it. I think it was watching the Supercharger network become a reality over the last few months that clinched it for me. So last weekend after a test drive my wife and I ordered an S85, silver, black roof, grey interior, Lacewood trim and Yacht floor, Tech package, High Fidelity sound, air suspension, fog lights, HPWC, premium interior lighting, parking sensors, and Paint Armor. I've never spent so much money on a car, but it will be worth it! Had to sell one of my Porsches to make it happen. The Tesla ordering process was incredibly easy. Charlie at the Burlingame showroom was super helpful!

I've downloaded the PDF file "A Quick Guide for Owners" and read through it. It's the shortest manual for a car I've ever seen. It doesn't seem to describe exactly how to save multiple Driver Profiles, but I'm sure it is obvious when you actually go through the procedure on the touchscreen. I'm wondering if it is possible to associate a profile with a specific key? Since both my wife and I will be driving the car, it would be cool if my key would automatically call up my profile.

So far, before actually owning the car, there is only one thing that I wish was different on the car. I don't understand why the turn signal stock is the lower of the two stalks on the left side of the wheel. I've owned a lot of cars and don't recall every driving a car where the turn signal stalk was so low. First time I went to use it of course my hand flicked the cruise control stalk. Not a big deal obviously, I'm sure I'll get used to it, but it will take some mental adjusting when I switch between cars. And I see this issue has been discussed in this topic. Apparently it is a Mercedes design.

So now I'm a "waiter"...

Congrats on the order! And glad to see another S85 in the mix, a lot of others we're S and then they were bitten by the P bug. Not that I blame them in the least.

Driver profiles aren't tied to the fobs. They're saved in the car so when you get in if it isn't already set to yours you just have to choose it and it'll reconfigure itself accordingly. The only thing you'll have to manually adjust is the rear view mirror.

The stalk being low does take a little getting used to. I'd driven my friend's Model S a few times so when I went in for my test drive / order the sales person said "Wow you took to that like it was natural".

 

[Discoducky]

Now, every other car I drive the turn stalk is too high.

 

[deonb]

Not a big deal obviously, I'm sure I'll get used to it

7 months, 8000+ miles, and I'm still not used to it. It's not so much the location of the indicator that bothers me - it's the location of the cruise control.

I like to drive exclusively with cruise control - even when overtaking, backing off, changing lanes etc. but you can very easily hit the indicator stalk when you're trying to perform a cruise control action.

I don't drive anything else either, so it's not a matter of switching - I still just prefer steering wheel buttons for cruise control. But I blame Mercedes Benz for this and my parents for not buying me a Mercedes as my first car .

 

[jerry33]

The location doesn't give me much trouble. I understand that Mercedes did it that way to put the driver's arms in a safer position in case the airbag deploys. The part that I still don't get right all the time is that the stalks require pressing and holding to activate the function: lane change signal, wiper, etc. After 10,000+ miles about one in ten times I don't hold the stalk long enough so the action doesn't happen. I really don't understand why Mercedes requires the hold. Also if the stalk is held too long the action doesn't happen either.

 

[astrotoy]

Being a senior citizen, I learned to drive 52 years ago. The standard position in those days was 10-2. So stalks were put to make it easy to use from that position. Now research and the airbag placement say that 9-3 or even 8-4 are better, safer positions for your hands. So the turning stalk fits those positions. On my Lexus LS460 which has a heated steering wheel, the heated leather wrap part is positioned for 9-3 or 8-4. There is bare metal in the 10-2 area. SInce its not cold enough to use the heater, I continued to do 10-2 on the Lexus and have had to get used to driving 9-3 on the Tesla.

 

[paulkva]

I got used to the turn signal positioning pretty quickly, and I've had no problems with it... until my recent trip where I started using cruise control. Having the two close together threw me off several times. So far I've only taken one long trip where cruise control was feasible (and one other long trip where traffic made it completely impractical), so it's possible I'll get used to that as well.

 

[Btrflyl8e]

The location doesn't give me much trouble. I understand that Mercedes did it that way to put the driver's arms in a safer position in case the airbag deploys. The part that I still don't get right all the time is that the stalks require pressing and holding to activate the function: lane change signal, wiper, etc. After 10,000+ miles about one in ten times I don't hold the stalk long enough so the action doesn't happen. I really don't understand why Mercedes requires the hold. Also if the stalk is held too long the action doesn't happen either.

My lane change signal only requires pressing to first detent and releasing, it then flashes the signal 3 times. No holding required. Wiper is the same way, I only need to press the button in to first detent for no washer fluid and release. Press in fully and release to engage washer fluid and wipe. No need to hold. ?

 

[spaghetti]

So last weekend after a test drive my wife and I ordered an S85, silver, black roof, grey interior, Lacewood trim and Yacht floor, Tech package, High Fidelity sound, air suspension, fog lights, HPWC, premium interior lighting, parking sensors, and Paint Armor.

Congrats! That's a nicely configured car.

Driver profiles aren't tied to key fobs. They might be able to be activated with the mobile phone app though at some point but now you have to get into the car and press the profile.

Maybe one day we have the key fob and profiles integrated into a smartwatch. OK, I am dreaming.

 

[ModelS1079]

That's exactly right - is very convenient.

 

[ecarfan]

Thanks to everyone who replied so quickly to my question. Now I understand the turn signal stalk positioning. I will need to re-train myself to use the "9 bad 3" driving position. No big deal.

It would be cool if the iPhone app would allow me to select my Driver Profile before I got to the car. My wife is a foot shorter than I am, so if she has driven the car last when I open the door I have to first move the seat back before I can sit down!

That's a First World Problem if I've ever heard one...

 

[liuping]

My wife is a foot shorter than I am, so if she has driven the car last when I open the door I have to first move the seat back before I can sit down!

This sounds like the auto equivalent of the "leaving the toilet seat up", issue/joke women are always supposedly complaining about.

 

[caddieo]

It would be cool if the iPhone app would allow me to select my Driver Profile before I got to the car. My wife is a foot shorter than I am, so if she has driven the car last when I open the door I have to first move the seat back before I can sit down!

I find no trouble reaching in, touching the driver icon and then selecting my profile before I even get in and sit down. But then, I am only 5'9" (wifey is 5'2") and on the thin side so that might be a factor.

 

[brandonmbeard]

I may be the abnorm here, but I drive at 11ish to 12ish or 7ish (depending on if I'm cruising or driving aggressively. I figure most people who come from standard transmission ICE prolly do the same. Do most people actually two hand drive?

 

[mknox]

They borrowed the steering wheel and column with stalks from Mercedes...their design, not sure why they did it that way. In any case, it takes all over a week to get used to it.

Is the wheel a Mercedes design too, because if so, there is another problem: The wheel spoke blocks the symbols on the left-hand stalks. I can never tell by looking if I've left the wipers on, for instance. Every other car I've owned has had the stalks positioned so you could see them when the wheel was straight ahead. I figured it was a Tesla wheel with Mercedes stalks.

I had no problem whatsoever with the turn signal stalk, even though it is quite low. Not sure why, but I just got it right away.

One thing I WAS worried about was hitting the Park button or moving the Gear stalk while under way. On my last car, that is exactly where the wiper stalk was, and you pushed the end of it to activate the washers. I was worried "muscle memory" might cause an accident, but so far, so good.

 

[jerry33]

My lane change signal only requires pressing to first detent and releasing, it then flashes the signal 3 times. No holding required. Wiper is the same way, I only need to press the button in to first detent for no washer fluid and release. Press in fully and release to engage washer fluid and wipe. No need to hold. ?

At least in mine, if you just press to the detent and release, it doesn't do anything. You have to hold it for just a bit but not too long or it won't work either.

 

[NoMoGas]

It would be cool if the iPhone app would allow me to select my Driver Profile before I got to the car. My wife is a foot shorter than I am, so if she has driven the car last when I open the door I have to first move the seat back before I can sit down!

I'd like to see the car have an option to slide the seat and steering wheel fully back and out of the way for easy ingress and egress... seems easy enough to do but that's just me :biggrin:

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Is the wheel a Mercedes design too,

I recently rented a C250 and it appears to be the same wheel. There are two positions, one for lane-changes and one for constant flash.

 

[Chipper]

Couldn't one just set up a driver profile to do exactly that? (Curious, since my P85 is on order and not due till November.)