Wiki Model S Delivery Update

[emailforbrett]

Crap. I’m supposed to pick up my MF434*** tomorrow.

 

[DWtsn]

Yep, I do recall! The question is, are radar detectors even worth it today? There are things like, Waze and other means. Most of the old bands detected, like K, aren’t used any more and others have to be “notched out” to prevent false alerts, etc. laser to pinpoint, etc. Thoughts?

@jebinc , there are def K & KA still used, depending on State. LIDAR is becoming more popular and while tough to detect/defeat, it is possible. When I say that LIDAR is "pinpoint," that's a relative term. At the distances that LIDAR is used, the actual laser "point" is quite large and the "splash" from the laser can set off a laser detector, but without a product that can defeat a LIDAR gun, if you do get a "laser" signal detected, it's too late, you are "marked." In Texas LIDAR is rare except in the cities and I live in the rural country and do the majority of my driving on the open interstate. In the city where I drive the damn traffic restricts speeds, and given our high speed limits (75mph) I don't worry about speed monitoring devices on the highways. So I am more focused on having a "reminder" to check my speed when I detect K & KA band radars. But I would say that more than once, that reminder has probably saved me a ticket. However, I can also say that I haven't always paid attention and have had a "stern talking to" about my indifference to the speed limit. So I try to pay attention. Sorry, long answer to a short question, but "yes" they are worth it today in my book.

 

[jebinc]

I can reply to this, I got a 430 plaid, waiting on it to be fixed, and if it isn't I will reject it: the three problems with it: transport damage to the front fender inside the back lower side, damage to the rear bumper where it meets the body on the corner by the wheel, and the rocker not installed correctly. The 434 and 431 cars I rejected had way worse paint issues. Seems like the very first cars have been better, and 431+ is a crapshoot?

@Kyle [CK] Don’t you also have a blown inverter in the rear, or is that some other SoB? Sorry to hear your car was mishandled during the delivery process.

 

[nom771]

I can reply to this, I got a 430 plaid, waiting on it to be fixed, and if it isn't I will reject it: the three problems with it: transport damage to the front fender inside the back lower side, damage to the rear bumper where it meets the body on the corner by the wheel, and the rocker not installed correctly. The 434 and 431 cars I rejected had way worse paint issues. Seems like the very first cars have been better, and 431+ is a crapshoot?

This is making me semi anxious - I got a VIN today for an order I placed 2 days ago and it's a 435. Whenever I take delivery (should be sometime next week) I'll log any paint issues I have down and post them in this thread.

 

[lzolman]

is it just me or have the windshield wipers improved by 100000 times. No more streaks and stutters. They now glide on the glass perfectly. The LR refresh is my 3rd model S and by far the best one!!!

I'm thinking that may be all Teslas? Just did a short road trip in pretty hard rain, in our M3 (pre-Henri), and the wipers were performing swimmingly on auto, pretty much doing exactly what I wanted them to do. A few years back my wife was constantly biatching about the wipers, and I wasn't too impressed on our last few long road trips (Boston - Minnesota and Boston - Chicago).

They seem to have gotten a lot smarter.

 

[cwanja]

I can reply to this, I got a 430 plaid, waiting on it to be fixed, and if it isn't I will reject it: the three problems with it: transport damage to the front fender inside the back lower side, damage to the rear bumper where it meets the body on the corner by the wheel, and the rocker not installed correctly. The 434 and 431 cars I rejected had way worse paint issues. Seems like the very first cars have been better, and 431+ is a crapshoot?

Crap. I’m supposed to pick up my MF434*** tomorrow.

This is making me semi anxious - I got a VIN today for an order I placed 2 days ago and it's a 435. Whenever I take delivery (should be sometime next week) I'll log any paint issues I have down and post them in this thread.

While @Kyle [CK] definitely has a case for an early VIN (sorry about that man!) issue, let’s all step back and remember that there are a 1000 cars made in a range from 434 to 435 (for example). I get that one bad apple can spoil the bunch, but it might be a bit overcooked to start worrying. I think as @Hayseed_MS put it - look over the car, at whatever level you are comfortable with, and enjoy the car. If it is not worth it to you, decline.

 

[Kyle [CK]]

@Kyle [CK] Don’t you also have a blown inverter in the rear, or is that some other SoB? Sorry to hear your car was mishandled during the delivery process.

That is my Long Range car, I have two cars.

 

[Kyle [CK]]

While @Kyle [CK] definitely has a case for an early VIN (sorry about that man!) issue, let’s all step back and remember that there are a 1000 cars made in a range from 434 to 435 (for example). I get that one bad apple can spoil the bunch, but it might be a bit overcooked to start worrying. I think as @Hayseed_MS put it - look over the car, at whatever level you are comfortable with, and enjoy the car. If it is not worth it to you, decline.

Also, the Long Range I have is good fit and finish and good paint, one minor blemish that was buffed out, overall solid its a 439

 

[Kyle [CK]]

Also, the Long Range I have is good fit and finish and good paint, one minor blemish that was buffed out, overall solid its a 439

 

[Laddcruzer]

Crap. I’m supposed to pick up my MF434*** tomorrow.

I have a “4348–“. It’s perfect. June 20 build.

 

[Lawdogg149]

View attachment 700658

What happened here. Thats your LR?

 

[Kyle [CK]]

What happened here. Thats your LR?

It is mine yes, drive unit inverter failure, for the rear of course.

 

[umair239]

I may know a guy who was a traffic cop WAYYY back in the day and so I'm pretty understanding of how "running radar" works and the intricacies of traffic enforcement. The key to success to ensure you are in compliance with traffic laws, as we occasionally may lapse in our judgement of speed, is to get early detection of radar. Therefore a radar detector mounted VERY high on the windshield is best. You would be surprised the difference in miles a high mount vs. low mount can make. My Escort 360 mount has definitively detected KA band at 2+ miles. The remote button just makes a simple, accessible button to mute the detector and provide another visible indicator (red flashing light) when your detector is detecting a radar signal. KA band - almost assuredly police radar. K band - maybe police radar. Dual band KA/K band - yep, police radar. X band - turn it OFF. I'll post pics once I have the install done and if they can, I'll have them show me where to wire it.

That is amazing. Thanks a lot

 

[Melteye]

Just got notification of vin assignment and to make final payment. Wasn't expecting it (EDD hasn't moved in over a week). Need to sell my other car asap and get financing in place, so I'm actually hoping for a Sept delivery date atm.

RN 1152, Plaid Blue/black/CF/21 EDD 8/31-9/11
VIN MF4400
Dallas

 

[MarcG]

Just got notification of vin assignment and to make final payment. Wasn't expecting it (EDD hasn't moved in over a week). Need to sell my other car asap and get financing in place, so I'm actually hoping for a Sept delivery date atm.

RN 1152, Plaid Blue/black/CF/21 EDD 8/31-9/11
VIN MF4400
Dallas

Congrats! What was your EDD currently showing until you got the VIN?

 

[uthatcher]

Congrats! What was your EDD currently showing until you got the VIN?

You can push it out for 3 days from the date they give too, they’ll hold it. Or at least in LA they would.
Crud, meant to respond to @Melteye

 

[Sigma4Life]

Happy Monday Everyone! Got my Plaid Friday afternoon and drove it a good deal over the weekend. Figured I'd post my initial impressions:

Overall:
This is hands down the best car ever made. It's like Tesla built a time machine and went forward to 2055 and brought this car back with them. The combination of performance and technology is truly mind blowing.

Performance:
Otherworldly. For those of you like me who haven't owned a Tesla before, nothing prepares you for what this car can do. The best way I could describe it to my dad was that it is like driving a life-sized slot car. Unlimited acceleration. One of my other cars is a 50th anniversary 911. I drove that briefly yesterday. It felt like a dinosaur. What's most amazing about this car is that it's so approachable. I was afraid of it at first thinking it was going to eat my face off, but just driving around normal, it is incredibly civilized. Then, when you make the conscious decision to bury the accelerator a little... There goes your face.

Quality:
Near Flawless. I guess I'm one of the lucky ones, but this particular car is basically flawless. I spent a good hour going over the car trying to find something wrong with it. Panel gaps? As close to perfect as one could hope for. Paint flaws? None. Overspray? there was a drip of red paint on the driver's door handle when extended. I'm confident I can get that off. On the inside the seat bolsters have the "wrinkles" along the seam of the bolsters like most do. The driver's airbag has a slight "worm" in it as most do. There are couple places where gasket seal around the door isn't perfectly flush. My car arrived from CA with a cracked windshield that the local Dallas service center insisted on replacing before giving me the car. Perhaps they took extra care in prepping the car before delivering it to me? I don't know, but the overall quality of this particular car exceeded my expectations.

Exterior Looks:
If you want to peacock, buy RED. This thing is a head turner. Received a ton of complements on it over the weekend and caught plenty of people pointing at it on the road. You know the car looks good when you catch people speeding up to get a look at it. The black accents work so well on the red paint. Makes the car super aggressive looking. I think it's the color to go with that complements the car's performance most. (though admittedly I'm a little biased.)

Interior Looks:
The combination of Cream and Carbon Fiber is epic. I was surprised by how light the cream interior was. It's more of an off white than tan. The carbon fiber trim is incredibly nice. It looks/feels "expensive" and is the perfect complement to the black piping on the seats. If you're on the fence or tempted to accept a wood car, hold your ground. the CF is so worth it with the cream interior. FWIW, the SA that delivered my car said it was the best looking build for a new model S he'd seen. He was in love with it. I agree with him.

Technology:
This should go without saying but the amount of tech in the car is just comical. The center screen is stunning and incredibly responsive. I've had no issues navigating thought all the UI. It's pretty intuitive and easy to get through. For whatever reason, it took over 100 miles of driving to get the cameras to calibrate. Maybe I wasn't doing enough highway driving. It had gotten to the point where I thought something was wrong with the cameras but all the calibration finished yesterday afternoon while on a major highway.

The Yoke:
I don't see what the big deal is. It's "fine". Took me a day to acclimate to it, but it's pretty second nature now. Is it better than a wheel? Nah. Is it worse? I don't know, marginally? Does it add to the "damn this car is ridiculous" nature of the car? Absolutely. The only complaint I have about the yoke are the turn signal buttons. They are awkward. I have brushed them numerous times while reaching for the thumb wheel. Historically, I'd say I very good with signalling on the road, signalling probably 95% of my lane changes/turns. With the buttons, I got lazy real quick. It was just easier to change lanes than to mess with the buttons. Oh, and the horn button is the worst. I had someone blow a red light friday night nearly hitting us. I slammed that airbag with my hand so hard. I can't imagine ever getting used to having to press that little button.

TLDR:
I waited 6-months for this car and felt the same frustration that most of you have with regards to the wait and lack of communication from Tesla. All that frustration went away the moment I drove the car. This thing is incredible and seriously the best car I've ever driven. (to the point that the 911 will be going up for sale). I've gotten a taste of what the future of cars is and I like it, a lot. I can't imagine ever purchasing a non-EV at this point. I hope all of you have as good of luck with your cars as I had with mine.

You can also blow the horn by covering the buttons on the right side of the yoke.

 

[Cal1]

Where do you carry your key card? I wouldn't think you could put it in your wallet without damaging it when you sit down.

 

[lbowroom]

Where do you carry your key card? I wouldn't think you could put it in your wallet without damaging it when you sit down.

It’s as durable as a credit card. Can sit on it all you want. Eventually the letters peel off, doesn’t affect the NFC chip inside.

 

[Maximus023]

Where do you carry your key card? I wouldn't think you could put it in your wallet without damaging it when you sit down.

Wallet which I keep in my front pocket. It’s a slim one…