Looking to buy a Model X....

[ScooterWard]

I have decided on an X over an S, but the early adopter "issues" have my better half a bit spooked. Is there anyone out there who has had issues with their X so severe that they regret the purchase? Are afraid to drive it? Put it up for sale? Or is it fair to say that with all the "issues" you would still purchase again? Also, about those FW doors, are they cool? Annoying? Both?

Any help you can give would be great.

- Scootz

 

[GottaGetRidOfICE]

I LOVE my Model X. Even my wife is considering buying one; she hasn't been before we got it. Some odds and ends require fixing; I have no doubts.

Regrets? Yes, I wish that I'd had it sooner.

 

[Saghost]

As a potential buyer who was thinking long and hard about it, the doors scare me. Not so much the reliability as them opening into things like cars and poles (both the Falcon Wings and the powered front doors.)

I don't know if my fear is entirely rational and appropriate, but there have been a couple of incidents so far. Since I really think I'll be wanting Autopilot 2 when that shows up, I decided to take a wait and see perspective on the X and buy a CPO AP Model S. (The thought being that if the doors work out better than I fear they might or get upgraded, I'd probably buy an X (or Y?) after the AP2 release.)

Well, that was my plan, but the CPO program appears to be in a state of confusion right now with the regional advisor saying there aren't any suitable cars right now and he can't see anything that isn't online while some folks here on TMC say that other advisors are offering them cars. I have no clue what's happening, though I've heard there might be more cars at some point soon.
Walter

 

[Uncle Paul]

I drove a car (Bricklin) with Gull Wing doors for years with no problems. As an owner you have to take some responsibility for being aware of your surroundings (just like regular doors) before opening them.

Before pushing the open button, you should take care that there is room for them to rise. Same with regular doors, you need to check in your mirrors for oncoming traffic before flinging them open.

These things are new for most owners, and it might take some time for them to get used to them.

While they have sensors to allow them to somewhat measure their surroundings before opening, those sensors are never going to be perfect, and the driver should have some responsibility to check out things they might hit before pushing the button.

My girlfriend drives me crazy by opening her doors (on our regular car) into posts, bushes, trees and curbs. She never watches what she is doing and we have lots of dings to show for it : >(

 

[Saghost]

Before pushing the open button, you should take care that there is room for them to rise. Same with regular doors, you need to check in your mirrors for oncoming traffic before flinging them open.

That sounds perfectly reasonable, and certainly I pay attention to how much space there is when I open a car door. But I'm not sure I'll have that control with an X.

One of the features folks have been talking about is autopresenting doors, where my walking up to the car triggers it to open the door however far it wants.

Even without that, how do I tell the car that I know I've got a tight space to open the door into? Or can the car tell me that before I hit the button, so I know it knows not to hit the pole?

 

[vangogh]

That sounds perfectly reasonable, and certainly I pay attention to how much space there is when I open a car door. But I'm not sure I'll have that control with an X.

One of the features folks have been talking about is autopresenting doors, where my walking up to the car triggers it to open the door however far it wants.

Even without that, how do I tell the car that I know I've got a tight space to open the door into? Or can the car tell me that before I hit the button, so I know it knows not to hit the pole?

I'm guessing there will be features added to provide flexibility on door opening....There is already capability to set a different max opening on the trunk...and Tesla released an update to allow partial opening of the fwd.....I'm sure at some point, you'll be able to program doors to open to your liking...looks like all the hardware is there....

 

[Saghost]

I'm guessing there will be features added to provide flexibility on door opening....There is already capability to set a different max opening on the trunk...and Tesla released an update to allow partial opening of the fwd.....I'm sure at some point, you'll be able to program doors to open to your liking...looks like all the hardware is there....

Hope so. And you're probably right. That's what my wait and see period is for.

But I think I've derailed this thread enough - I just wanted to let the OP think about that aspect for himself and make an informed decision.

 

[Ryan MF]

I have decided on an X over an S, but the early adopter "issues" have my better half a bit spooked. Is there anyone out there who has had issues with their X so severe that they regret the purchase? Are afraid to drive it? Put it up for sale? Or is it fair to say that with all the "issues" you would still purchase again? Also, about those FW doors, are they cool? Annoying? Both?

Any help you can give would be great.

- Scootz

Hard to say, but if there are issues you can count on Tesla fixing everything under warranty. By the time you order there will have been many thousand cars built and delivered which should give a bit more confidence.

 

[Dr ValueSeeker]

Hard to say, but if there are issues you can count on Tesla fixing everything under warranty. By the time you order there will have been many thousand cars built and delivered which should give a bit more confidence.

Yes, sure. But is there a price list for these repairs after the warranty expires? Can it be repaired by anyone else other than Tesla, so the buyer can get a competitive pricing?
And as I read in a Fortune article today, the service centers are over booked till third week of next month. So the car may be rendered useless for long periods of time. Then there is the headache of dealing with these breakdowns.

 

[ecarfan]

One of the features folks have been talking about is autopresenting doors, where my walking up to the car triggers it to open the door however far it wants.

If you are concerned about that feature working correctly, then just turn it off until you feel the software has improved enough to make them operate safely and reliably.

You can still use the car the "old fashioned way", you know, opening the doors manually.

 

[ohmman]

I drove a car (Bricklin) with Gull Wing doors for years with no problems. As an owner you have to take some responsibility for being aware of your surroundings (just like regular doors) before opening them.

Before pushing the open button, you should take care that there is room for them to rise. Same with regular doors, you need to check in your mirrors for oncoming traffic before flinging them open.

These things are new for most owners, and it might take some time for them to get used to them.

I think this works if it's the front doors. Being that the falcon wing doors are the rear doors, which are touted as being "child friendly" - and are also used for other passengers who might not be familiar with the car, it complicates things. How many warnings will you have to give to passengers? Does that detract from the purported utility of the doors? I've already told my kids to "let me open them". That's certainly a minus in the utility argument.

You can still use the car the "old fashioned way", you know, opening the doors manually.

My front doors fight me. They want to open further than I want them to open at times. As soon as you pull the handle, the motor starts, and it plans to stop wherever it plans to stop (the falcon wing door sensors give the car a benchmark for this). There have been times when I've had an obstruction at my door but not at the door behind, so the falcon wing sensor thinks the door can swing wide. I have to hold on very tightly to keep the door from swinging fully open. Same goes for parallel parking - looks like it can open wide, but there are cars driving past me and I don't want to lose a door or worse, door a cyclist. Manually operating the doors does work, but one slip of your hand and it'll wrestle itself free.

 

[xkwizit]

Our Model S and Model X share a very cozy garage. On one side of Model X is a pillar about 8inches at best from the driver side FWD and on the passenger side is Model S with just enough space for one person to walk through.

On the pillar side, the FWD always detect it and just open wide enough and go as much upwards as they can but enough for a person to get out. On the other side it always detects the other car and has never even come close to touching the other car.

 

[xkwizit]

Posting videos ..and correction to my previous post. The distance between the pillar and FWD measured 12in and between the two cars door to door as 24in.

 

[sukhi]

How many warnings will you have to give to passengers?

I am thinking of creating a safety briefing video that would be mandatory viewing for all the passengers in my Model X before I put my car in the drive mode. Perhaps it won't hurt to put a safety instruction card as well in the seat back pocket.

 

[Allante]

I have decided on an X over an S, but the early adopter "issues" have my better half a bit spooked. Is there anyone out there who has had issues with their X so severe that they regret the purchase? Are afraid to drive it? Put it up for sale? Or is it fair to say that with all the "issues" you would still purchase again? Also, about those FW doors, are they cool? Annoying? Both?

Any help you can give would be great.

- Scootz

@ScooterWard: Like you, I live in DC and am ready to purchase the X. I have carefully followed these forums and have decided to wait at least 6 months for the wrinkles to be ironed out. I have not been spooked enough (although the recent pics of crunched FWDs were horrifying) to be deterred. Instead, what I hear is that when the car works as it should, there is nothing else like it on the road. Perhaps that is enough for an early adopter, car enthusiast, techie, environmentalist like me.

 

[JCB_Arizona]

Yep. I'll likely wait. At least to work out the kinks and for the 7500 still

 

[goneskiian]

I am thinking of creating a safety briefing video that would be mandatory viewing for all the passengers in my Model X before I put my car in the drive mode. Perhaps it won't hurt to put a safety instruction card as well in the seat back pocket.

Seat back pockets! There are seat back pockets!?! Sweet! Got pics?

 

[xkwizit]

Well just like every flying machine, this one with the falcon wings should come with seat back pockets that carry safety instructions

 

[sukhi]

Seat back pockets! There are seat back pockets!?! Sweet! Got pics?

Oh darn it!! There goes my plan. I guess one could hang these from those suction cup styles hooks

 

[ohmman]

Oh darn it!! There goes my plan. I guess one could hang these from a suction cup styles hooks

You mean Seasuckers, like they suggested for our roof racks?