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Model 3 doors/windows/mirrors + Ice = trouble
- Thread starter richyrich
- Start date
5_+JqckQttqck
Active Member
I'll add this to the winter woes / less feature category.
Last night's storm limited EAP and it's features as the sensors/cameras at the front of the car is blocked. Adaptive cruise control setting at 7cars = like 3 cars. Lane keeping was a no go.
This morning I found the fog lights have fogged up #ironic. Could warm air be funneled to them to keep them from freezing up? Even with the fog on the inside of the fog light housing, I had no issues with EAP with the morning commute - like driving on wet rainy roads.
My issue here is - will that layer of moisture inside the fog lights freeze up and cause problems?
This has always been an issue with vehicles that have frameless windows. Eventually when the right circumstances occur, you will run into this issue.
While the frameless esthetics are welcomed (I personally don't like it...), they are especially cumbersome to deal with when the winter weather comes around. As far as I can see, the majority of vehicles that have these type of windows have the motor automatically lower the window a bit prior to the door fully opening.
The only vehicle I know that doesn't do this, surprisingly, is my 08 Miata PRHT. I found this a welcome feature. What the engineers did was give the window a small sway point prior to closing the door. So you go to open the door and the window slouches towards the driver when the window no longer has the frame of the roof and pillars for support. Which means the window kinda wobbles on the door by itself. I found it kinda weird but at the same time grateful they came up with this solution. Since this was my daily driver for 10yrs, when it came to winter time, I never had to worry about the window getting stuck in place preventing me from opening the door.
Amazingly enough, it held up against the winters very impressively. Never had any issues with the doors nor windows in the winter.
Too bad non of the Tesla models could incorporate this small little feature. I think it mainly has to do with the design of the overall chassis. Can't avoid not lowering the window a tiny bit since it'll prevent you from either opening or closing the door properly...
I much prefer my doors to have full frames around their glass... Having experienced what I did with the Miata, I'll forgo anymore hardtop convertibles for the forseeable future (provided I'm still living in this tundra..).
Fully agree. Stupid, stupid design....why try to make a 4-door sedan look like a convertible anyway? (If that was the purpose).
Birdman325
Member
Some of the design decisions are really questionable for colder climates. On my way home from my son's hockey game last night, not only did I have no EAP, I also had no cruise control. I also found the wipers on auto setting did a horrible job of responding to snow coverage. When they wiped, they did a great job of actually cleaning the snow, and while I find they work pretty well (the auto sensing feature) in the rain, there seemed to be no rhyme or reason as to when they would decide to make a pass over the windshield. The entire window was covered and I could hardly see and still nothing. Then other times, they would make 3 or 4 successive wipes. I had to end up putting the wipers in the first setting to get them to keep up a sustained wipe.
Techniques
Member
I had the same issue with the fog lights last week. Not sure if it's a design flaw or there is some kind of draft in the housing. Haven't mentioned it to service yet. Other issue I have found is the Auto wipers is a little erratic. May take a bit to activate when there is a decent amount of mist on the car.
Other than that, car handled great even with all seasons. Winters getting installed tomorrow though!
The auto setting is not even great at rain but for winter this isn't a Tesla-specific issue. Using auto wipers is never a good idea in winter with all the salt around unless you want to use a few litres of washer fluid a day. Turn them off, wipe and wash when you really have to.
I'm actually slightly relieved to hear this. I guessed EAP would be fairly useless on snow-covered roads and when the sensors get covered up with snow and ice accumulation - it was one of my consoling thoughts when I decided not to get it. I wouldn't bank on it being very useful in Ontario until March/April time at the earliest. Another reason it shouldn't be 10-freaking-thousand-dollars for us to add!
RedOctober
Member
Rich, here is a tip to prevent your windows from sticking/icing to the weather stripping and not allowing the window to come down when trying to open the door. If it is frozen to the weather stripping an forced open it’s a good way to cause damage to the window mechanism or weather stripping.
All your weather stripping should be conditioned before the winter arrives on all cars in cold climate areas. Purchase a silicone lubricant, not in a spray can but in a gel form. It is used by plumbers on o-rings in fawcetts. You can buy it at Home Depot (Moen Silicone Luvricant Model # M6144|SKU # 1000515837) the container isn’t very large but trust me a small dab goes a long way. There are many brands, this is just what I have used over the years.
Put the lubricant on all your weather sripping and massage it in with your finger. It’s virtually has no odour and won’t harm any part of the car or your hands. Make sure you apply some where the windows press against the weather stripping to form a seal. Applying It actually conditions the weather stripping, keeping it soft and pliable. Apply it a couple times during the winter or as needed.
As for the handles keep a can of solicone spray in the frunk or trunk incase the precipitation turns to ice. Make sure you keep the red spray straw that comes with the can, makes it easier to,direct the silicone into the handles. I like to warm the can up with body heat to help the de icing. The silicone spray will not harm the components or the paint. Hope this helps.
dmd2005
Active Member
Anyone carry a spray bottle with a 50:50 mix of water and rubbing alcohol? Rubbing alcohol freezes at -89 degrees C. Keep some in the trunk and de-ice by spraying some on the seals and wiping with a microfiber cloth. I did this for my ICE truck in the past and it melts away ice and evaporates without any residue. Just a suggestion since isopropyl alcohol, water, a spray bottle and a cloth are cheap and easy to use without damaging paint and seals.
Lon12
Member
Well I had to experiment with this door issue today. Took the car and washed it at -10˚C. Dried my driver door, window and handle before leaving. Then let the car sit for a couple of hours so everything could freeze. All the other door handles were frozen. I could run my finger nail around the handle and crack a lot of the ice. But the main problem is the bottom of the door handle compartment is large enough for water to puddle and freeze there. I don't think any amount of silicone will help that. I was able to open all the doors after pressing the handles a few times and cracking the ice. Windows were not frozen.
I've put lots of ACDelco Silicone Emulsion on the inside of the charge port door. I didn't have any trouble with it freezing.
With my S I learned the areas that needed drying after washing. The 3 will not be any different. But there will always be the danger of a thaw and flash freeze event that might catch me after leaving the car outside.
I've put lots of ACDelco Silicone Emulsion on the inside of the charge port door. I didn't have any trouble with it freezing.
With my S I learned the areas that needed drying after washing. The 3 will not be any different. But there will always be the danger of a thaw and flash freeze event that might catch me after leaving the car outside.
I applied this product yesterday night. Is it suppose to dry because i waited about an hour and then rolled up my front windows and saw the lubricant all over the window. I had o use isopropyl alcohol to remove it. Also, when you spray, some get onto the door vegan leather which I would recommend to remove immediately in case it stains. I was able to remove it off the leather using a soap and water solution and then water to wipe it off just in case.
1Step2NoGas
Member
The 2 cold weather improvements that I've observed are:
1) the windows don't close all the way to the top of the rubber trim after the door is closed (this behaviour is observable on all 4 doors)
2) the charge port no longer locks the charge plug into the port when using the J1772->Tesla adapter
I haven't had a chance to test any of:
- supercharger plug
- HPWC plug
- Mobile EVSE plug
I would like to know if it's possible to "turn off" the cold weather improvements if not needed.
1) the windows don't close all the way to the top of the rubber trim after the door is closed (this behaviour is observable on all 4 doors)
2) the charge port no longer locks the charge plug into the port when using the J1772->Tesla adapter
I haven't had a chance to test any of:
- supercharger plug
- HPWC plug
- Mobile EVSE plug
I would like to know if it's possible to "turn off" the cold weather improvements if not needed.
Is there a way to turn off #2 above? It's kinda dumb since people can unplug your car at a public station.
