Winter driving advice, winter tire choices, etc.

[8nQ8TKPAAY]

So here are the issues I've had in the 0 weeks of winter we've had so far:

1. It was somewhat chilly one day and the windows refused to go down. I somehow got the passenger side door open with the window still up and I couldn't close it. I had to put the heat on in the car for 45 minutes before it went down.
2. After some rain and snow, I couldn't get the handle to extend out.
3. When I finally got the handle to work, the window wouldn't go down to let me open the door. It took about 20 minutes of heat for the driver side windows to be able to go down. The passenger side windows still wouldn't go down by the end of my drive
4. The passenger side view mirror doesn't unfold. I have to try it a few times during the drive to get it to unfold.
5. Trunk takes a good deal of force to open
6. Frunk will not open at all.

Currently my car is sitting in my driveway. The app tells me the frunk is open; my eyes tell me it is not. And guess where I've been keeping the mobile charger? So I have about 50 miles left of range, a car telling me the front trunk is open, and no way to charge it. What good is a front trunk if you can't use it when it's cold? What good is a CAR when you can't use it when it's cold?

How could I in good conscience recommend this car to somebody without a (preferably heated) garage?

 

[MXWing]

How brave you must be to be the first Tesla owner in Massachusetts?

You serve as a dire warning and omen that no Tesla will survive where you reside.

 

[Kiwiadventure]

I don't know as I don't live in such a crazy code place.

 

[Jffurlan]

I have seen none of these issues in -15C, non heated garage and outdoor parking while at work.

Maybe service can look at some of the issues? They definitely don’t sound normal.

 

[webbah]

Setup a new driver profile for winter. With this profile you can have it set to not fold/unfold mirrors, enable chill mode, etc if you like. Second, you can use silicon on the rubber seals to prevent the sticking of windows, doors, frunk and trunk seals. This is the same as any other car in cold weather. I have no issues in Switzerland and am often in 0 to -15C weather. One benefit of this car is the fact that you have instant heat versus an ICE car that needs to heat up the motor first. Second, the battery will maintain its temperature automatically. Just call the service center or read the manual in the car on “winter tips”.

 

[alexGS]

I was about to suggest silicone spray too... on rubber seals to prevent windows freezing to them, and in door handle pockets to prevent water collecting/freezing in there. Not sure about the frunk but I expect that would also benefit from silicone spray; perhaps the rubber seals freezing to the lid prevent it popping clear of the safety catch?
Tyre shine works as a substitute if no silicone spray is on hand.

I think Tesla’s intention is that you pre-heat the cabin for at least 20 minutes prior to departure; the heat works its way out to thaw the handles and wipers etc.

-Alex

 

[Kenz]

The Tesla phone app is one of the features I enjoy the most.
I normally charge to 80% overnight. In cold weather when I get up in the morning I set the charge to 90% and turn on the cabin heater.
By the time I shower and make coffee the car is warm, the battery has warmed up some and it is ready to go.
Technology is wonderful if you use it. Warming / charging the car for 20-30 minutes increases the enjoyment.

 

[toolman335]

So here are the issues I've had in the 0 weeks of winter we've had so far:

1. It was somewhat chilly one day and the windows refused to go down. I somehow got the passenger side door open with the window still up and I couldn't close it. I had to put the heat on in the car for 45 minutes before it went down.
2. After some rain and snow, I couldn't get the handle to extend out.
3. When I finally got the handle to work, the window wouldn't go down to let me open the door. It took about 20 minutes of heat for the driver side windows to be able to go down. The passenger side windows still wouldn't go down by the end of my drive
4. The passenger side view mirror doesn't unfold. I have to try it a few times during the drive to get it to unfold.
5. Trunk takes a good deal of force to open
6. Frunk will not open at all.

Currently my car is sitting in my driveway. The app tells me the frunk is open; my eyes tell me it is not. And guess where I've been keeping the mobile charger? So I have about 50 miles left of range, a car telling me the front trunk is open, and no way to charge it. What good is a front trunk if you can't use it when it's cold? What good is a CAR when you can't use it when it's cold?

How could I in good conscience recommend this car to somebody without a (preferably heated) garage?

No matter where you are in Mass., I'm at least an hour north of you up in New Hampshire. I did a lot of stalking in this forum before I bought my car. Winter was the chief concern. I agree with the people who said to get some WD40 Silicone spray and apply a light coating around all of the seals and door handles. This winter has been especially challenging so far because it keeps alternating between rain and snow. I haven't had an issue yet. On top of the window issue being annoying, I was far more concerned about the horror stories that I read about the damage done if the windows are frozen and doors are forced open/shut.
To save energy I don't like to warm the car up longer than I have to. It seems like the silicone helps a lot.

 

[toolman335]

I will say that I haven't had an issue opening the Frunk or with my mirrors, and I didn't put silicone around them at all. Maybe something else is going on......

 

[duanra]

I didn't have a heated garage last winter.
The beginning of winter is the worse as temp alternates under and above freezing. It gets better afterwards once temp goes way bellow.
What i used to do is carry a hair dryer all the time. I used to remove the wand, open the door...etc....

 

[happyzod]

So here are the issues I've had in the 0 weeks of winter we've had so far:

1. It was somewhat chilly one day and the windows refused to go down. I somehow got the passenger side door open with the window still up and I couldn't close it. I had to put the heat on in the car for 45 minutes before it went down.
2. After some rain and snow, I couldn't get the handle to extend out.
3. When I finally got the handle to work, the window wouldn't go down to let me open the door. It took about 20 minutes of heat for the driver side windows to be able to go down. The passenger side windows still wouldn't go down by the end of my drive
4. The passenger side view mirror doesn't unfold. I have to try it a few times during the drive to get it to unfold.
5. Trunk takes a good deal of force to open
6. Frunk will not open at all.

Currently my car is sitting in my driveway. The app tells me the frunk is open; my eyes tell me it is not. And guess where I've been keeping the mobile charger? So I have about 50 miles left of range, a car telling me the front trunk is open, and no way to charge it. What good is a front trunk if you can't use it when it's cold? What good is a CAR when you can't use it when it's cold?

How could I in good conscience recommend this car to somebody without a (preferably heated) garage?

Buy a spray bottle from Dollar Tree for $1. Put in 90% rubbing alcohol in spray bottle, you can also get that at Dollar Tree. When it is cold, use spray bottle to de-ice the car.

 

[SunCharged]

So far I would say a Tesla is the best car for winter. No pumping gas in the freezing cold and a warmed up car to get into without exhaust smell.

 

[RedModel3]

I've had to park my cars outside for decades, even in North Dakota. Issues 1, 2, 3, and 5 happen with any car, not just Teslas. Replace frunk with "hood" and that last one also is a non-Tesla issue. As for the mirrors, just set them to stationary. Like others have said, treat the rubber seals to help with the sticking issues.

 

[snailboat]

I'm going to be honest here and say that yes, the frameless windows and hidden door handles suck in winter. I've never had a car where I had to think about whether the doors we going to open in the winter unless there had been an ice storm. That being said, the workarounds in this thread help and it won't be a problem once you know how to deal with it.

 

[KerryOH]

I once owned a 1974 VW Thing as my only car.. It was rather difficult to drive in winter. Plastic windows,rubber on metal floor mats, heat was just a rumor and when windy you needed to keep a hand on the turn signal indicator as it got blown around quite a bit. I think any Tesla is much better.

 

[adrianp89]

My Tesla does great in chilly weather.

Of course "chilly" for me is 60s lol. It saw 52 one morning was great too.

 

[dhrivnak]

So here are the issues I've had in the 0 weeks of winter we've had so far:

1. It was somewhat chilly one day and the windows refused to go down. I somehow got the passenger side door open with the window still up and I couldn't close it. I had to put the heat on in the car for 45 minutes before it went down.
2. After some rain and snow, I couldn't get the handle to extend out.
3. When I finally got the handle to work, the window wouldn't go down to let me open the door. It took about 20 minutes of heat for the driver side windows to be able to go down. The passenger side windows still wouldn't go down by the end of my drive
4. The passenger side view mirror doesn't unfold. I have to try it a few times during the drive to get it to unfold.
5. Trunk takes a good deal of force to open
6. Frunk will not open at all.

Currently my car is sitting in my driveway. The app tells me the frunk is open; my eyes tell me it is not. And guess where I've been keeping the mobile charger? So I have about 50 miles left of range, a car telling me the front trunk is open, and no way to charge it. What good is a front trunk if you can't use it when it's cold? What good is a CAR when you can't use it when it's cold?

How could I in good conscience recommend this car to somebody without a (preferably heated) garage?

Sorry to hear of your troubles but this is NOT my experience and I went through all of last winter with the car which as already seen freezing rain this year. Yes with a good crust of ice the handles are hard but they still opened with me.

 

[OlderThanDirt]

Tesla is the best winter car we’ve ever owned... period....

This is Wisconsin, north western Minnesota winters.

We put over 6,000 miles on over the Thanksgiving holiday. Dakota’s, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Idaho, Nevada........ Snowstorms icy roads below zero temps. The car was impeccable!!!

Sorry but Tesla owns winter...

 

[Leeclanual]

Search Amazon for Gummi Pflege... used this on my Porsche and worked great. Have not had your issue on my M3 yet... but will use this stuff if it ever happens.

 

[webbah]

Another trick I use is I bring the hand warmers you can buy for winter gloves. You shake them or bend and they warm up. If you have extreme cold and the door handles or charge port is frozen just place one on there for a bit. I’m not a fan of using rubbing alcohol on Tesla paint, even with my PPF.