Model S Plaid - 6 Months Later

So, six months ago tonight, I was lucky enough to pick up one of the first Model S Plaid to be delivered to customers. I thought folks might be interested in how things are going.

This is my post from the night I picked up the car: Wiki - Model S Delivery Update

Some statistics:

• 5,191 miles
• Running 2021.36.8.9 and FSD Beta 10.6
• Quickest I've gone 0-60: 2.1 sec (1 ft rollout)
• 1/4 mile: 9.6 sec @ 150 mph (at drag strip)
• Fastest I've gone: 156 mph (at drag strip)
• Lifetime efficiency: 335 Wh/mi
• Name: "HellPony" - named through a thread here on TMC

Service issues:

• Wind noise from passenger a-pillar area
  • Triangular glass loose in its bracket
  • Replaced by mobile service
• Rattle from rear of car during turns
  • Play in latches for rear seats
  • Temporarily fixed by Service using tape--waiting on permanent fix from Engineering
• Side mirrors do not properly return to auto-tilt set position
  • Service validated issue and replaced both mirrors but did not resolve the issue

Exterior:

• Car was great at pickup in terms of pant quality, fit and finish, and panel gaps and that has held up--in fact car looks great (car is OptiCoated and I hand wash)
• There was some concerns around stone chips on the rear quarter panels, but I have not encountered that so far
• Widow tint is highly recommended

Interior:

• Having lived with the new interior for a while, I more appreciate the time and effort someone took son picking materials, textures, etc
• White seats are still while--easy to clean, no creasing, puckers, etc
• The wood trim nicks easily--ended up getting some touch-up
• Still impressed by the low noise floor--the double-paned glass and all the soft surfaces help.
• Like the fixed glass roof--opens up the interior and does a good job blocking heat. I do, however miss the open air driving of the pano roof
• Coming from a 2013, there is an embarrassing amount of storage--the center console is nice in that it is has little cubbies to help keep things organized

Driving experience:

• Acceleration never gets old, but beyond 0-60, the rollin acceleration is great for merging on freeway, passing, etc
• The new suspension is superb--the car is poised in every situation I have thrown at it from curvy river roads to flat-out acceleration runs
• Vision-only AP worked well. The only thing it seemed to struggle with for me is keeping proper distance with a lead car

The Yoke!:

• I love mine, I would not trade it for a round wheel, even if Elon himself offered to come swap mine out
• It took a while to get used to it--some of you have seen the video of my travails as I got acclimated
• My best advice it to approach the yoke as a different control interface--treating it like a wheel will lead to more challenges
• For the actual yoke, I am pretty much driving like I my old wheel--one handed, palming, etc
• The stalkless piece took a bit longer -- what I really like is having key controls under my thumbs--the ergonomics are like an Xbox or Playstation controller. It is compact and efficient--going back to my wife's X seems awkward now
• The force touch controls are a work in progress--they have made tweaks to both the control and the haptic feedback that have improved the experience, but there is still opportunity to improve

Wish list:

• Big thing is I wish they were further along with the software:
  • There are still a number of features from the launch that are still outstanding like games (Witcher, etc), ANC, IIRC torque vectoring
  • The Bluetooth implementation, in relation to the rear seat audio appears unfinished
  • V11 - the current UI seems cobbled together and unfinished

Bottom line, this car has been a blast for the last 6 months and expect that to continue. I've included everything that I thought folks would find interesting--let me know if folks have other questions.

 

[hotsoup]

My kids have outgrown the trunk seats, another vintage feature lost to time.

7 seater refresh MS spotted recently. Looks like it's coming back...

 

[tc521]

View attachment 749423

So, six months ago tonight, I was lucky enough to pick up one of the first Model S Plaid to be delivered to customers. I thought folks might be interested in how things are going.

This is my post from the night I picked up the car: Wiki - Model S Delivery Update

Some statistics:

• 5,191 miles
• Running 2021.36.8.9 and FSD Beta 10.6
• Quickest I've gone 0-60: 2.1 sec (1 ft rollout)
• 1/4 mile: 9.6 sec @ 150 mph (at drag strip)
• Fastest I've gone: 156 mph (at drag strip)
• Lifetime efficiency: 335 Wh/mi
• Name: "HellPony" - named through a thread here on TMC

Service issues:

• Wind noise from passenger a-pillar area
  • Triangular glass loose in its bracket
  • Replaced by mobile service
• Rattle from rear of car during turns
  • Play in latches for rear seats
  • Temporarily fixed by Service using tape--waiting on permanent fix from Engineering
• Side mirrors do not properly return to auto-tilt set position
  • Service validated issue and replaced both mirrors but did not resolve the issue

View attachment 749420

Exterior:

• Car was great at pickup in terms of pant quality, fit and finish, and panel gaps and that has held up--in fact car looks great (car is OptiCoated and I hand wash)
• There was some concerns around stone chips on the rear quarter panels, but I have not encountered that so far
• Widow tint is highly recommended

View attachment 749421

Interior:

• Having lived with the new interior for a while, I more appreciate the time and effort someone took son picking materials, textures, etc
• White seats are still while--easy to clean, no creasing, puckers, etc
• The wood trim nicks easily--ended up getting some touch-up
• Still impressed by the low noise floor--the double-paned glass and all the soft surfaces help.
• Like the fixed glass roof--opens up the interior and does a good job blocking heat. I do, however miss the open air driving of the pano roof
• Coming from a 2013, there is an embarrassing amount of storage--the center console is nice in that it is has little cubbies to help keep things organized

Driving experience:

• Acceleration never gets old, but beyond 0-60, the rollin acceleration is great for merging on freeway, passing, etc
• The new suspension is superb--the car is poised in every situation I have thrown at it from curvy river roads to flat-out acceleration runs
• Vision-only AP worked well. The only thing it seemed to struggle with for me is keeping proper distance with a lead car

View attachment 749422

The Yoke!:

• I love mine, I would not trade it for a round wheel, even if Elon himself offered to come swap mine out
• It took a while to get used to it--some of you have seen the video of my travails as I got acclimated
• My best advice it to approach the yoke as a different control interface--treating it like a wheel will lead to more challenges
• For the actual yoke, I am pretty much driving like I my old wheel--one handed, palming, etc
• The stalkless piece took a bit longer -- what I really like is having key controls under my thumbs--the ergonomics are like an Xbox or Playstation controller. It is compact and efficient--going back to my wife's X seems awkward now
• The force touch controls are a work in progress--they have made tweaks to both the control and the haptic feedback that have improved the experience, but there is still opportunity to improve

Wish list:

• Big thing is I wish they were further along with the software:
  • There are still a number of features from the launch that are still outstanding like games (Witcher, etc), ANC, IIRC torque vectoring
  • The Bluetooth implementation, in relation to the rear seat audio appears unfinished
  • V11 - the current UI seems cobbled together and unfinished

Bottom line, this car has been a blast for the last 6 months and expect that to continue. I've included everything that I thought folks would find interesting--let me know if folks have other questions.

Thanks for the detailed update! How much range have you lost so far due to battery degradation?

 

[mswlogo]

Regarding mirrors not return to position.

By any chance do you have multiple profiles setup. This was an issue I thought on Model 3. I’ve always had 1 profile and both Model 3 and X worked fine.

Hard to believe this is that broken.

Thanks for all the info folks sharing on this thread.

 

[n2mb_racing]

Thanks for the detailed update! How much range have you lost so far due to battery degradation?

None so far. 349 mi at 100%

 

[URBAN LEGEND]

This car rules. Month 4 for me.
Give me another motor, and CCBS brakes. Let’s keep going forward.

 

[2101Guy]

This car rules. Month 4 for me.
Give me another motor, and CCBS brakes. Let’s keep going forward.

Ive wondered about a 4th motor (total of 2 in back 2 in front). My guess is pros outweigh the cons. Meaning the car can barely get the full power of the existing one motor to the ground under hard acceleration due to weight shift back to the rears. Almost no point in adding a 4th motor. (my guess)

 

[israndy]

Except to the CyberTruck so you can do tank turns in the mud

 

[M3BlueGeorgia]

Been noticing this as well. Not going to go through the hassle of having service swap them. It is just my passenger side though.

Might not be relevant, but on our Model 3 when this occasionally happens to the passenger side mirror, we select the (current) driver profile and its usually fixes itself. Basically second time is a charm.

 

[Evee]

Love this. Im 21 days into my plaid and I feel the same. We drive a spaceship guys.

 

[URBAN LEGEND]

Ive wondered about a 4th motor (total of 2 in back 2 in front). My guess is pros outweigh the cons. Meaning the car can barely get the full power of the existing one motor to the ground under hard acceleration due to weight shift back to the rears. Almost no point in adding a 4th motor. (my guess)

The power can be fed at a certain speed or something along those lines. Good situations for Tesla to figure out.

In addition the cybertruck is supposed to get 4 motors…

 

[wally5788]

View attachment 749423

So, six months ago tonight, I was lucky enough to pick up one of the first Model S Plaid to be delivered to customers. I thought folks might be interested in how things are going.

This is my post from the night I picked up the car: Wiki - Model S Delivery Update

Some statistics:

• 5,191 miles
• Running 2021.36.8.9 and FSD Beta 10.6
• Quickest I've gone 0-60: 2.1 sec (1 ft rollout)
• 1/4 mile: 9.6 sec @ 150 mph (at drag strip)
• Fastest I've gone: 156 mph (at drag strip)
• Lifetime efficiency: 335 Wh/mi
• Name: "HellPony" - named through a thread here on TMC

Service issues:

• Wind noise from passenger a-pillar area
  • Triangular glass loose in its bracket
  • Replaced by mobile service
• Rattle from rear of car during turns
  • Play in latches for rear seats
  • Temporarily fixed by Service using tape--waiting on permanent fix from Engineering
• Side mirrors do not properly return to auto-tilt set position
  • Service validated issue and replaced both mirrors but did not resolve the issue

View attachment 749420

Exterior:

• Car was great at pickup in terms of pant quality, fit and finish, and panel gaps and that has held up--in fact car looks great (car is OptiCoated and I hand wash)
• There was some concerns around stone chips on the rear quarter panels, but I have not encountered that so far
• Widow tint is highly recommended

View attachment 749421

Interior:

• Having lived with the new interior for a while, I more appreciate the time and effort someone took son picking materials, textures, etc
• White seats are still while--easy to clean, no creasing, puckers, etc
• The wood trim nicks easily--ended up getting some touch-up
• Still impressed by the low noise floor--the double-paned glass and all the soft surfaces help.
• Like the fixed glass roof--opens up the interior and does a good job blocking heat. I do, however miss the open air driving of the pano roof
• Coming from a 2013, there is an embarrassing amount of storage--the center console is nice in that it is has little cubbies to help keep things organized

Driving experience:

• Acceleration never gets old, but beyond 0-60, the rollin acceleration is great for merging on freeway, passing, etc
• The new suspension is superb--the car is poised in every situation I have thrown at it from curvy river roads to flat-out acceleration runs
• Vision-only AP worked well. The only thing it seemed to struggle with for me is keeping proper distance with a lead car

View attachment 749422

The Yoke!:

• I love mine, I would not trade it for a round wheel, even if Elon himself offered to come swap mine out
• It took a while to get used to it--some of you have seen the video of my travails as I got acclimated
• My best advice it to approach the yoke as a different control interface--treating it like a wheel will lead to more challenges
• For the actual yoke, I am pretty much driving like I my old wheel--one handed, palming, etc
• The stalkless piece took a bit longer -- what I really like is having key controls under my thumbs--the ergonomics are like an Xbox or Playstation controller. It is compact and efficient--going back to my wife's X seems awkward now
• The force touch controls are a work in progress--they have made tweaks to both the control and the haptic feedback that have improved the experience, but there is still opportunity to improve

Wish list:

• Big thing is I wish they were further along with the software:
  • There are still a number of features from the launch that are still outstanding like games (Witcher, etc), ANC, IIRC torque vectoring
  • The Bluetooth implementation, in relation to the rear seat audio appears unfinished
  • V11 - the current UI seems cobbled together and unfinished

Bottom line, this car has been a blast for the last 6 months and expect that to continue. I've included everything that I thought folks would find interesting--let me know if folks have other questions.

I am having a similar wind noise from the triangle window area but on the driver side. Did the triangle window/gasket replacement work for you? Seems like others are having a similar issue. Thanks.

 

[omarsultan]

I am having a similar wind noise from the triangle window area but on the driver side. Did the triangle window/gasket replacement work for you? Seems like others are having a similar issue. Thanks.

It did--it took two trips by mobile service (on to diagnose and one to come back and do the repair) but the noise is gone.

 

[omarsultan]

Regarding mirrors not return to position.

By any chance do you have multiple profiles setup. This was an issue I thought on Model 3. I’ve always had 1 profile and both Model 3 and X worked fine.

Hard to believe this is that broken.

Thanks for all the info folks sharing on this thread.

Sorry, thought I responded to this--no, just a single profile.

 

[wally5788]

It did--it took two trips by mobile service (on to diagnose and one to come back and do the repair) but the noise is gone.

Okay thanks, if you happen to know - did they replace the entire assembly including the glass or just the gasket or something else? Sorry for more questions but just want to have as much detail as possible so I can communicate to my SA. I took the car in for this issue previously and the SA reported that his own diagnosis could not duplicate the issue which is complete BS. Thanks again.

 

[n2mb_racing]

Okay thanks, if you happen to know - did they replace the entire assembly including the glass or just the gasket or something else? Sorry for more questions but just want to have as much detail as possible so I can communicate to my SA. I took the car in for this issue previously and the SA reported that his own diagnosis could not duplicate the issue which is complete BS. Thanks again.

Are you referring to wind noise from the triangle glass? on the driver's or passenger side?

 

[wally5788]

Are you referring to wind noise from the triangle glass? on the driver's or passenger side?

Yes wind noise from triangle glass on driver side. At highway speeds (70+MPH) I get this intermittent whistling noise and have tried using flex seal tape in multiple configurations with no success so it has to be something on the outside that is generating the noise. I can stuff a towel in the nook next to the window and the noise is reduced greatly so I know it's coming from something in that area.

 

[thegruf]

I would guess though that the handlebars are rarely 270 degrees away from straight ahead?

this effect you mean?

 

[israndy]

Hoverbikes are SO HARD to stay vertical on

 

[r3nd3r]

Yes wind noise from triangle glass on driver side. At highway speeds (70+MPH) I get this intermittent whistling noise and have tried using flex seal tape in multiple configurations with no success so it has to be something on the outside that is generating the noise. I can stuff a towel in the nook next to the window and the noise is reduced greatly so I know it's coming from something in that area.

For me I am also having wind noise coming from the triangle glass side, except on the passenger door. When i got the car it was not a problem... but I took it to get my passenger door fixed because it required more force to close and now they messed up the seals. Now I am experiencing wind noise coming from that small window at 50MPH... Service center people insisted it was "turbulence", a fancy word they use to not say wind noise, and will not fix it. I did not give up and insisted they messed up my seals.

They are now going to replace that small triangle passenger window and the seals around the entire window. Wish me luck!

 

[n2mb_racing]

For me I am also having wind noise coming from the triangle glass side, except on the passenger door. When i got the car it was not a problem... but I took it to get my passenger door fixed because it required more force to close and now they messed up the seals. Now I am experiencing wind noise coming from that small window at 50MPH... Service center people insisted it was "turbulence", a fancy word they use to not say wind noise, and will not fix it. I did not give up and insisted they messed up my seals.

They are now going to replace that small triangle passenger window and the seals around the entire window. Wish me luck!

Ugh. I'm bringing mine in to have the passenger door closing force issue addressed. They are going to replace the seals. Hopefully they don't introduce wind noise in the process. Tesla needs to ditch the stupid frameless windows. I was looking at a Chrysler minivan and jealous of the precision of the door trim pieces on their regular windows....