Model 3 Refresh Review

[MrBadger]

We had our drivers glass adjusted by a very competent ranger who seemed to know all the caveats.

The caveat he warned me about on adjustment is that it can be adjusted too far and can cause noise against the rubber - iirc it was more to do with when door/window opened/closed rather than when driving. He adjusted ours as far as he felt comfortable with, but not so far that he felt it may cause issues down the line and a return visit to fix.

Our adjustment does seemed to have reduced some wind whistle, but not totally eradicated it. It is worth saying that for first 6 months we had no wind whistle that I was aware of (possibly other cabin noise was more intrusive), but I first noticed it first time I drove at faster speeds after a service centre visit to replace a section of head lining. Between that and the ranger visit, it was back into service centre, and part of that visit, they replaced the door rubber in an attempt to resolve the noise. It didn't make any difference hence the ranger visit to fix another issue, but the ranger was happy to investigate the wind noise and subsequently adjust. I only asked him to check for anything obvious, of which nothing was mentioned, but the choice to adjust was totally his based upon his experience of other wind noise problems.

 

[Yachtsman]

I think I read somewhere that poor wheel arch insulation is the main culprit for letting in road noise.

Mr H will be electrifying my boot in about a weeks time so i might fit sound deadening material to the rear wheel arches while the boot is stripped.

 

[PR-UK]

Bjorn has got hold of one and does a comparison, the Europe lights don't seem to be the same as the UK ones, but they do appear to be different.

 

[init6]

based upon his experience of other wind noise problems.

We've all been there

 

[SpareHeadOne]

Frameless windows are so they can have B pillar camera's. With framed windows the camera wouldn't fit very easily... The camera can't stick out like the rear cameras becuase they would get dirty...

I don't follow the logic, my current car has B pillars that would be wide enough for cameras and it's flush with the window frames on the doors.

Why would those cameras need to stick out if the windows had frames?

 

[JIBYC]

Frameless windows are so they can have B pillar camera's. With framed windows the camera wouldn't fit very easily... The camera can't stick out like the rear cameras becuase they would get dirty...

I'd assumed they went frameless to reduce drag. There's no door to body seam.

 

[OttoR]

I'd assumed they went frameless to reduce drag. There's no door to body seam.

Falcon wings have no other good reason either. Other than it looks cool. They are complex to build and maintain and quite heavy.

So maybe the frameless windows are just esthetics and nothing else.

 

[Latibes]

Stupid question. Why go frameless? My first car, dodge neon, was frameless and I have always associated frameless with being cheap. Does the frameless windows on Tesla’s make it feel cheap?

Absolutely not. My BMW M3 has frameless windows, and they are best in class

 

[dayone]

This laminated glass thing came up in another discussion and someone pointed out that perhaps making the glass stiffer enables Tesla to force a tighter seal against the rubber seal which thereby helps with wind noise. Makes sense to me.

@mpandrew My C class was relatively quiet when I bought it used from main dealer. It had a slight bit of wind noise close to top of driver's door when at motorway speeds.

I found out there was a TSB issued by MB, went to dealer, let them know, and they found the TSB which instructed them to replace front side windows with laminated acoustic glass at no cost to me.

That slight wind noise issue I had then disappeared, and car was generally quieter at motorway speeds. My understanding is that acoustic laminated side windows have a layer of acoustic PVB inside. From what I've read, acoustic side glass may have benefits in better heat insulation too inside the cabin. It's a cost option on some German cars in some markets I think.

 

[Durzel]

Absolutely not. My BMW M3 has frameless windows, and they are best in class

BMW M3s aren't known for their silent characteristics though

 

[Latibes]

BMW M3s aren't known for their silent characteristics though

Was responding to whether frameless cheapened the look of the car. IMHO it doesn't.