Wiki Model S Delivery Update

[lolachampcar]

I believe I remember when you went and looked at them. March or April, right?

Another issue is that when VW AG then attempts to follow Tesla and replace buttons with screens, the screens are rather clunky. The main screens are fine, but the secondary climate control screens on the console, (the ones you interact with most), require a hard press. This results in more distraction on the road, because not only do you have to look down to see what you're hitting, but you have to press fairly hard on the screen to even get it to respond. It seems to have gotten so bad, that on the Audi E-Tron GT, they actually went BACK to buttons () for the climate control, and gave up on their lackluster screens.

Hard press buttons on screens are normally tied to touchscreen technology.

IR and capacitive technologies are zero force. Old school resistive touchscreens consist of two layers of conductive plastic separated by small spacers. Your press pushes the layers together indicating a button press. Transmits ivory is low and longevity sucks. I really hope VAG is not using them but their tallest for planned obsolescence would indicate they are. They are also cheap from a cost standpoint.

Anyone that knows touchscreens out there that can confirm what VAG is using?

 

[Atomadam]

while i was picking up my car from getting it wrapped they were working on a brand new Blue MS long range with cream interior...


Alright who's is it?!?!?!?!?!!?!?!??

 

[GregE]

I had an 08 M5, loved that car. Now that I think of it, probably the only car I regret getting rid of…

An 08 650 is my current car, I am having very mixed feelings parting with it, I really hope I don't regret it.

 

[jbcarioca]

My account shows 'Order Agreement' but when I open, it's a 'Motor Vehicle Order Agreement.' However, I'm not sure if a Motor Vehicle Order Agreement is the same as a Motor Vehicle Purchase Agreement. I don't have an EDD nor a VIN

Technically the MV Purchase Agreement in most, if not all, US situations must have VIN, mileage on vehicle and complete payment terms, plus fees and taxes due on completion of purchase.

An order agreement in most places does contain whatever information the parties to the agreement choose to include. Normally it will include detailed price information and Monroney sticker summary data, usually only detailed base price and options (mfr plus dealer installed) plus manufacturer and dealer fees. Order agreements therefore have wide variability.

I personally recall an order agreement for a 1989 Porsche 964 Convertible, made prior to any deliveries having been made. The agreement did not have an options list, just the statement that I would pay MSRP once the options were specified by me. To specify MSRP was a major concession by the dealer since they typically raised addition Dealer Markup on all high demand models. (For Really Old LA denizens) The dealer was the famous Vasek Polak, who died in 1997 after an Autobahn crash in a Porsche 993 twin turbo prototype. He was a legend but did make 'sweetheart' deals for LA people who were in the auto business or friends of his. His death certainly was of a type that we probably will see from Plaid Autobahn exercises.

 

[AnselmDante]

This is most easily visualized with road bikes super narrow tire with a tiny contact patch but still has grip even on wet surfaces. If a wider tire gave more grip and a narrower gave less, then all road cyclists would be dead.

Are you talking about motorcycles or bicycles? The surface area of a bicycle tire has very little to do with grip. It is mainly about reducing surface contact area to reduce friction, which translates to lost energy. Wider tires to give more grip. Narrow tires to give less.

 

[AnselmDante]

This is simply incorrect unless the wider tire lets you use a lower pressure.

Because car tires have a rectangular cross section, whether that is true is more complicated than on a bicycle tire.

Generally speaking an increase in tire volume allows for a decrease in pressure.

A wider tire, with all other things being equal, would absolutely give you more contact area. Also, in your own post, you say it would be incorrect, unless the wider tire lets you use less pressure, and then go on to say a larger volume allows less pressure...

 

[ks1972]

I'll just say that the number of buttons in the Taycan (and most cars) actively annoys me after driving a Tesla for a few years. I do not want to learn what every one of these things does, and was angry trying to figure them out

The same reason I don’t want a refresh S with yoke and turn buttons. Why reinvent the wheel? I guess we all find ways to like/dislike things we want or don’t want

 

[AnselmDante]

Does anyone have any tips on identifying source location of wind noise if I'm mostly driving solo and won't be able to get another person in the car for a while?

I am getting a high-pitched (almost whistling) wind noise when driving at 65-70mph in straight stretches of freeway. Does not occur in bends/curves or at any lower speeds. It is coming from somewhere in the front passenger side of things but since I am driving alone, I am unable to isolate. Any ideas?

Have you tried lowering the passenger window to see if it eliminates the noise?

I would also try to turn off the air conditioning. Then you can eliminate any issues with the vents.

 

[AnselmDante]

That is also true, while we could spend a lot of time going over the nuances of tire pressure, contact patch shape, tred pattern etc. The point was simply that the coefficient of friction is the same regardless of width. There are other reasons to choose a wider tire but it is a misconception that simply going wider increases traction.

This is also untrue. Coefficient of friction is the force necessary to move one surface horizontally across another. Coefficient of friction changes with tire width, as well as material composition, surface conditions, temperature, etc.

 

[rhuber]

The same reason I don’t want a refresh S with yoke and turn buttons. Why reinvent the wheel? I guess we all find ways to like/dislike things we want or don’t want

Oh I agree - Tesla went too far on their anti-buttons-and-levers stance. It is silly and I still hit the right turn signal 25% of the time i'm skipping to the next song with the thumbwheel. The Model 3 just about nailed it for levers and buttons, imo. Tesla's scientists were so preoccupied with whether they _could_ remove everything, they didn't stop to ask themselves if they _should_.

 

[bmt00]

Oh I agree - Tesla went too far on their anti-buttons-and-levers stance. It is silly and I still hit the right turn signal 25% of the time i'm skipping to the next song with the thumbwheel. The Model 3 just about nailed it for levers and buttons, imo. Tesla's scientists were so preoccupied with whether they _could_ remove everything, they didn't stop to ask themselves if they _should_.

I absolutely hate the left/right mechanics on the new scroll wheels too. Almost unusable. I prefer the simple left/right arrows next to my left scroll wheel on the P90D.

There is going to be a big market for replacing this stupid yoke.

 

[streets]

Ordered 1/30/21 changed interior 6/25 received car in Colma CA 6/30 love it but have two complaints when turning yoke steering windshield wipers intermittently go off when passing hand over wiper button or reaching auto drive. This also happens to turn signals when hand is to close

 

[JASONRAD]

I still have my doubts about that blue S with the 19" wheels. Like ... it all looks fine, but a) this is the only one we've seen, and b) there's no Tesla logo on the center cap. Another photo of that car was floating around last week.

On the regular configurator on the web site, the dark wheels have a chrome-ish Tesla T on the center cap. This looks like someone just painted the old silver hubcap and didn't bother to do anything with the center cap. Don't know what it means, it just doesn't seem like a finished product.

I think you’re on to something! It does look like a silver wheel cover that’s been painted black. I’m pretty sure it’s not what we will be seeing on the new 19” rims. At least I hope so

 

[bmt00]

A wider tire, with all other things being equal, would absolutely give you more contact area. Also, in your own post, you say it would be incorrect, unless the wider tire lets you use less pressure, and then go on to say a larger volume allows less pressure...

If you change no other dimension or parameter, and make the wheel wider, sure, you could potentially have a lower pressure and a larger contact patch. Something something hoop stress.

 

[NickEHughes]

I absolutely hate the left/right mechanics on the new scroll wheels too. Almost unusable. I prefer the simple left/right arrows next to my left scroll wheel on the P90D.

There is going to be a big market for replacing this stupid yoke.

I agree and would welcome an aftermarket option, even its a yoke, its the buttons that suck. Also wish there was a sequence for the turn signals that could be used for lane changes. Like double tap or long/short press variants.

 

[bmt00]

Also wish there was a sequence for the turn signals that could be used for lane changes. Like double tap or long/short press variants.

The light/heavy press for one vs continual turn signals is useless for me in practice. I already have over 2000 miles on the car due to a long road trip and I still dislike the UX of the yoke and its controls. Can I use them? Mostly? Are they optimal? Hardly.

Agreed on your alternatives, I like the short/long. Also the steering wheel can clearly vibrate quite hard as it does if you turn on the vibrating alert for lane changes. The haptic feedback needs to be turned up so I can tell a button has been pressed while driving.

 

[CWhite]

Does anyone have any tips on identifying source location of wind noise if I'm mostly driving solo and won't be able to get another person in the car for a while?

I am getting a high-pitched (almost whistling) wind noise when driving at 65-70mph in straight stretches of freeway. Does not occur in bends/curves or at any lower speeds. It is coming from somewhere in the front passenger side of things but since I am driving alone, I am unable to isolate. Any ideas?

Rolling down the window might tell you if it is the mirror itself somehow, but that would be odd. Do you have any blue painters tape, shipping tape can work but don’t press to hard onto the paint. Start at the forward edge of the passenger door/window interface, put the tape to seal the door to the body covering the gasket. You can cover everything to the b-pillar and if the noice disappears remove tape from the back working forward. Or you can put 12”-24” of tape on at a time and move it around. I’d start at the area around the mirror. Good luck

 

[cwanja]

Agreed on your alternatives, I like the short/long. Also the steering wheel can clearly vibrate quite hard as it does if you turn on the vibrating alert for lane changes. The haptic feedback needs to be turned up so I can tell a button has been pressed while driving.

I have a feeling that it will be updated to go from a single blink to three blinks like the historical stalk. It has to. A single blink is useless.

"Well officer, I put on my blinker. It flashed once. Did you not see it?"

 

[ks1972]

Oh I agree - Tesla went too far on their anti-buttons-and-levers stance. It is silly and I still hit the right turn signal 25% of the time i'm skipping to the next song with the thumbwheel. The Model 3 just about nailed it for levers and buttons, imo. Tesla's scientists were so preoccupied with whether they _could_ remove everything, they didn't stop to ask themselves if they _should_.

I agree, if they adopted model 3 controls with an IC, I would replace both my Teslas tomorrow, or whenever Tesla can deliver

 

[IamGaryGnu]

I have a feeling that it will be updated to go from a single blink to three blinks like the historical stalk. It has to. A single blink is useless.

"Well officer, I put on my blinker. It flashed once. Did you not see it?"

I agree - I think it makes a lot more sense and is likely a very simple software fix.
Now, I was thinking, since the 19" wheels are an issue, and they already replaced the steering WHEEL with a yoke, why not just replace the 19" wheels with 4 yokes? it would get the cars out faster, and they probably made a lot of them.
Since Tesla is reinventing the (steering) wheel anyway.... (okay, now you know it's quitting time)