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Model 3, LR-AWD First Impressions

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I wanted to write this because this forum has been very helpful to me to understand and live thru ordering and delivery timetables.

First, I was incredibly lucky to get my car in 33 days after ordering. Ordered on 4/1, picked it up this afternoon, 5/4. White, Black interior, 18” wheels, non FSD, LR-AWD.

So I checked in (Mt. Kisco, NY), I seem to be the only one checking in at this time (3pm), went quickly, downloaded some QR codes and I was done. Earlier in the day they asked if I would send my insurance cards to them for quick registration at delivery. So I walked over to the car and it had my name on the dashboard. A rep came out a few minutes later, told me to look over the car, and then when satisfied sign the paperwork that was on the center console in a folder. I looked over the car with a fine tooth comb. The only thing out of alignment was on the front bumper, a small oval shape plug that covers the towing plug. The associate tried to fiddle with it, and then told me he was taking the car into the shop and the service dept will have it aligned. That took 5 minutes and all good. I had read horror stories about mis-aligned body parts. My car is white and it would easily show, everything was aligned perfectly, I could find no faults.

So once I signed the paperwork, he took it all inside, said I would get an email copy for my records. I was never rushed to get out, he told me to take my time. I was impressed. I paired up my phone, set the mirrors and my seat, and off I went.

On the way home I was hoping to find SiriusXM radio but could not find it on the display. I wonder if I have to download something, I am sure it is there in some form, I was under the impression that new cars get at least a 90 day trial. I thought the radio was lousy, that is the speaker system was just poor. My wife has a 2019 Subaru Crosstrek with the Harmon Kardon radio, the car is almost half the cost of a Model 3 and the radio blows this one away. Oh well. The car does have the wood trim in the doors. However, I am not a fan of how the wood trim looks, to me it just does not go with the rest of the dashboard. I used the adaptive cruise control on the way home on a highway, it was great. I did not have them put the front license plate bracket on, do not want that sticky stuff. And yes I drove off the lots with actual plates on the car. The actual registration will come in the mail, the temporary registration is taped to the window for now. The seats seemed comfy, not outstanding. I had about 310 miles of range in the car when I drove it off the lot with 5 miles on the odometer.

Important: I have a NEMA 14-50 outlet in my garage, not buying the Tesla Wall Connector. In the trunk is a black bag with charging goodies. You get the power cord, a 120 volt adapter, and a J1772 adapter to use at non-Tesla fast chargers. You do NOT get the NEMA 14-50 adapter cord. I knew this in advance but I feel Tesla is screwing us. It is a sly way of having you buy the Tesla Wall Connector ($500). As of the date of this writing the adapter is sold out on-line, but the dealer in Mt. Kisco had them in stock and I bought one ($45). So know this in advance.

Also, I was going to rip off the aero hubs because they are ugly. However, on inspection Tesla has changed the design of them, so I had bought the center cap and lug cover kit, but returned it because the aero hubs have been redesigned and are much better looking than the prior ones. I confirmed they are a different design because when I went out to do an errand, an older M3 was parked near me and I was able to compare.

The rear plate is on the car, they put on the license plate holder with the Tesla name on it, ugly. I am getting the silicone one for the front and back, much better looking. Also did not have them put on the front license bracket which uses the adhesive tape. I ordered the Quick Bandit and should have that in a few days. I am taking a risk in NYS driving around with no front plate. It is in the trunk at the moment.

So that is some first impressions. Car handled very well on the way home. Very peppy, of course.
 
Congrats on your new vehicle! Couple of things: SiriusXM is not available on any Model 3 or Y. Also, the Model 3 premium stereo is excellent, far better than what is found in any Subaru. If your's sounds bad, there is something wrong.
I was gonna say the same . My Camaro ss has Bose and for the longest it was the best sounding system I have ever heard until I got into the model 3 to test drive . I have driven many rentals and I have relatives with luxury cars and nothing comes close to the model 3 sound system .
 
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Picture of new aero wheel caps, better, not great
 

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My opinion on the "Tesla is screwing us on the 14-50 adapter" is that it's really a matter of simple economics. The adapter costs something to manufacture. They could throw them in for "free", but we'd all have to pay the price. I left my mobile charger in the trunk and bought the Wall Connector, so for me I'm happy to pass on that added cost. When you sell a million cars, that $45 part adds up to... well, $45 million.
 
Boy are you nitpicky. The part about the speaker system “poor” is the most ridiculous thing I ever heard on this forum. This car sound system beats almost any car in the market today. That’s like saying Porsche cars drives poor. And the car is better off not having Sirius XM. I don’t need another call every 6 months to extend. Enjoy one of the best daily driver cars around!
 
My opinion on the "Tesla is screwing us on the 14-50 adapter" is that it's really a matter of simple economics. The adapter costs something to manufacture. They could throw them in for "free", but we'd all have to pay the price. I left my mobile charger in the trunk and bought the Wall Connector, so for me I'm happy to pass on that added cost. When you sell a million cars, that $45 part adds up to... well, $45 million.
But they used to include the 14-50 adapter. It is a marketing ploy because Tesla does not want you to put in a NEMA 14-50 outlet, they want you to buy the Tesla Wall Connector and pay the $500 which you did.
 
Boy are you nitpicky. The part about the speaker system “poor” is the most ridiculous thing I ever heard on this forum. This car sound system beats almost any car in the market today. That’s like saying Porsche cars drives poor. And the car is better off not having Sirius XM. I don’t need another call every 6 months to extend. Enjoy one of the best daily driver cars around!
I think it is a matter of opinion. I am not criticizing the color of the car you bought.
I listened to it again, I compared it to a HK speaker system in my wife 2019 Subaru Crosstrek, the Crosstrek has it beat. Again my opinion, I think I am entitled to it. You are entitled to yours. End of story.
 
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I wanted to write this because this forum has been very helpful to me to understand and live thru ordering and delivery timetables.

First, I was incredibly lucky to get my car in 33 days after ordering. Ordered on 4/1, picked it up this afternoon, 5/4. White, Black interior, 18” wheels, non FSD, LR-AWD.

So I checked in (Mt. Kisco, NY), I seem to be the only one checking in at this time (3pm), went quickly, downloaded some QR codes and I was done. Earlier in the day they asked if I would send my insurance cards to them for quick registration at delivery. So I walked over to the car and it had my name on the dashboard. A rep came out a few minutes later, told me to look over the car, and then when satisfied sign the paperwork that was on the center console in a folder. I looked over the car with a fine tooth comb. The only thing out of alignment was on the front bumper, a small oval shape plug that covers the towing plug. The associate tried to fiddle with it, and then told me he was taking the car into the shop and the service dept will have it aligned. That took 5 minutes and all good. I had read horror stories about mis-aligned body parts. My car is white and it would easily show, everything was aligned perfectly, I could find no faults.

So once I signed the paperwork, he took it all inside, said I would get an email copy for my records. I was never rushed to get out, he told me to take my time. I was impressed. I paired up my phone, set the mirrors and my seat, and off I went.

On the way home I was hoping to find SiriusXM radio but could not find it on the display. I wonder if I have to download something, I am sure it is there in some form, I was under the impression that new cars get at least a 90 day trial. I thought the radio was lousy, that is the speaker system was just poor. My wife has a 2019 Subaru Crosstrek with the Harmon Kardon radio, the car is almost half the cost of a Model 3 and the radio blows this one away. Oh well. The car does have the wood trim in the doors. However, I am not a fan of how the wood trim looks, to me it just does not go with the rest of the dashboard. I used the adaptive cruise control on the way home on a highway, it was great. I did not have them put the front license plate bracket on, do not want that sticky stuff. And yes I drove off the lots with actual plates on the car. The actual registration will come in the mail, the temporary registration is taped to the window for now. The seats seemed comfy, not outstanding. I had about 310 miles of range in the car when I drove it off the lot with 5 miles on the odometer.

Important: I have a NEMA 14-50 outlet in my garage, not buying the Tesla Wall Connector. In the trunk is a black bag with charging goodies. You get the power cord, a 120 volt adapter, and a J1772 adapter to use at non-Tesla fast chargers. You do NOT get the NEMA 14-50 adapter cord. I knew this in advance but I feel Tesla is screwing us. It is a sly way of having you buy the Tesla Wall Connector ($500). As of the date of this writing the adapter is sold out on-line, but the dealer in Mt. Kisco had them in stock and I bought one ($45). So know this in advance.

Also, I was going to rip off the aero hubs because they are ugly. However, on inspection Tesla has changed the design of them, so I had bought the center cap and lug cover kit, but returned it because the aero hubs have been redesigned and are much better looking than the prior ones. I confirmed they are a different design because when I went out to do an errand, an older M3 was parked near me and I was able to compare.

The rear plate is on the car, they put on the license plate holder with the Tesla name on it, ugly. I am getting the silicone one for the front and back, much better looking. Also did not have them put on the front license bracket which uses the adhesive tape. I ordered the Quick Bandit and should have that in a few days. I am taking a risk in NYS driving around with no front plate. It is in the trunk at the moment.

So that is some first impressions. Car handled very well on the way home. Very peppy, of course.
There's no Sirius radio. Use the streaming music service built-in to the car (Slacker). Or your Spotify and soon other music services.

You'll have to play with the speaker settings. The 14-speaker system sounds decent but don't know how good the Harmon Kardon one was in the Subaru.

Everyone knows that the car doesn't include the 14-50 adapter and you can get it for $35. It's not some sly trick in getting you to buy the wall connector.
 
But they used to include the 14-50 adapter. It is a marketing ploy because Tesla does not want you to put in a NEMA 14-50 outlet, they want you to buy the Tesla Wall Connector and pay the $500 which you did.
Used to yeah like 2 years ago...

Go buy the 14-50 adapter or the 6-50 adapter whatever you want. You can even go buy other brands of wall connectors if you want so it's not a ploy.
 
Boy are you nitpicky. The part about the speaker system “poor” is the most ridiculous thing I ever heard on this forum. This car sound system beats almost any car in the market today. That’s like saying Porsche cars drives poor. And the car is better off not having Sirius XM. I don’t need another call every 6 months to extend. Enjoy one of the best daily driver cars around!
It. Does. Not. But it's still a great sounding system on its own merits.

I came from an Audi Q5 that had a better sounding system. I can think of a few Infiniti cars with better sounding systems in them. But not that it matters as it relatively easy to upgrade/change the Model 3's sound system to anyone's liking. One weak point of the Model 3 acoustics is that at highway speeds, wind noise is so pronounced that you have to actively turn up the volume yet the wind noise is still very present. This isn't as much of an issue with most of the luxury brands as they have much better sound proofing.
 
But they used to include the 14-50 adapter. It is a marketing ploy because Tesla does not want you to put in a NEMA 14-50 outlet, they want you to buy the Tesla Wall Connector and pay the $500 which you did.

Not including the adapter didn't cause me to buy the HPWC. Wanting a HPWC caused me to buy the HPWC. Perhaps at one time they did provide a 14-50 adapter, but do remember that they've only recently become profitable. These choices matter. Including adapters for millions of cars that might not use them is not a good decision. It's a $35 adapter... for a FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLAR vehicle. Just buy one if you need it.

Not sure what "marketing ploy" means in this context. They could provide a lifetime supply of windshield washer fluid, but they don't... is that a marketing ploy? Aww... premium connectivity isn't free... marketing ploy. No spare tire?!?!?! What a marketing ploy!!!!

Anyways... congrats on the car. I recommend learning to "not sweat the small stuff".
 
You can call it what you want
1. I don’t mind paying the $45 for the 14-50 adapter. I bought one at the service center when I picked up my car, they had it in stock. The online store has been sold out for a while. Well, what is that all about. Seems to me that it is easy to keep that item in stock, so are they trying to discourage you from the 14-50 and say what the heck spend another $500 on the Tesla wall charger. I really don’t know. Tesla marketing does not talk to me.
2. Thanks for the good wishes, enjoying my 2nd EV, and will promise not to sweat the small stuff.
 
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