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Model S Technical / Mechanical Issues
- Thread starter DrComputer
- Start date
You'd opti-coat the whole car, not just the hood. Think of it as a permanent coating that can be removed by polishing with a rotary or dual action buffer. It will lock in any paint imperfections, which is why you'd want to do a clay / polish / remove oils / wash / opti-coat. Otherwise if you have scratches, swirls, holograms, it'll just seal them underneath the opti coat. Cost will depend on the condition of the hood and how much work it'll take to correct before applying OC. OC is relatively easy to apply and costs about $60 for a 20cc vial of coating, which supposedly is enough for 2 vehicles.
ChadS
Last tank of gas: March 2009
My wife took the car for the day; and it will be too dark when she gets home, so pictures will have to wait.
But frankly I don't know how much pictures help. It varies so much based on lighting and angle. Sometimes I'm LOOKING for the wrap, and I know where it is, and I still can't see it. Other times I'm not thinking about it and go "ugh". Although that's not often, and usually when I'm really close up--and I'm tuned in to it since it has been discussed here so much. I think most people don't notice it; I'd probably do it again. The wrapped parts of my Roadster are easier to clean, and there are some chips in the wrap that probably would have been chips in the paint if the wrap wasn't there.
ModelS1079
Member
I have inquired about the paint warranty with TM and received the following response from the "Ownership Experience Advocate":
Basically, if something in the environment caused the paint damage, it is not covered by warranty. If there is a defect in the paint caused by the manufacturing process then it will be covered by warranty. "
That should put this issue to rest hopefully.
Basically, if something in the environment caused the paint damage, it is not covered by warranty. If there is a defect in the paint caused by the manufacturing process then it will be covered by warranty. "
That should put this issue to rest hopefully.
bonnie
I play a nice person on twitter.
Thanks for posting this, Chris. Makes sense. (And thanks for reaching out to Tesla to get an answer.)
mknox
Well-Known Member
Perfect. Now if Tesla would just change their warranty language to reflect that (it currently does not) we're done. I've been involved in legal situtions like this in the past, and the lawyers always go with what's written, not said.
dmetcalf
S258
I am extremely impresseed with form, fit and function of the car in its first week. Looks like this may be the best place to surface an issue for discussion. In our torrential rains the past week, the S has performed admirably with one exception. Seems the wiper speed was set by someone used to gentle California rains. The high speed is about 40 pct slower than on our other two cars and is barely passable for low speeds in rain. While RainX may solve the problem, I wanted to serif anyone else in FL or TX has experienced the something in a deluge and discuss any requests to Tesla on this topic. Thanks.
sublimaze1
8Dec2012 / Leeroy Jenkins
Im in Texas. Rain. Wait a second. Lemme google that. Oh. I see.
Maybe Houston. But not so much Dallas !!!
stephenpace
VIN S00219
I have the old firmware (1.7.37) and I can confirm seeing the driver's display pixelation issue (a few regularly spaced overwritten pixels) as well as Cottonwood's backup camera overlay in post #44 in this thread. A quick screen reboot fixes each issue and you can even do that while driving. This is rare, so I haven't experimented with trying to reproduce it but if my car remains on the old firmware for a while, I may try. The backup camera overlay will probably be a lot easier to find than the driver screen one. In my experience, once you can reproduce it reliably it will be easy to debug and fix.
Oh, this will be an issue for the plains of the midwest as well... I need my superspeed wipers, RainX be damned!
kevincwelch
Active Member
I was thinking the same thing for the Chicago area. Some of those storms are downright nasty in the summer. Also, I wanted to know if anyone has used the defrosters yet -- you Colorado mountain owners.
Midwest practical things I would want to make sure function well:
1. Wipes
2. Defrosters
3. traction in the snow
4. Affect of cold temperature on the door handles and any of the electric systems
5. heated seats
You haven't seen hard rain until you see a big Florida summer thunderstorm. It makes hard rain in Atlanta seem like sprinkling.
steve841
Active Member
kevincwelch
Active Member
Ha! I laugh at thee...
Survived Frederick, Andrew, Opal and Ivan...bring it on Gulf Coast! Hurah! (That's why I left Pensacola...)
Yes, that will certainly be a problem down here! Luckily, I'll bet it's software adjustable?
dmetcalf
S258
Do you all think Tesla monitors this, or should we bring up the issue through [email protected] or other forum. Anyone who has been around longer have advice on the best venue to get this on the radar...
I grew up in Houston and saw my fair share of storms that rival the week we've had in Orlando- we got 8 inches+ at home on the coast and maybe more at the office. So I gave it a number of good tests last week.
I grew up in Houston and saw my fair share of storms that rival the week we've had in Orlando- we got 8 inches+ at home on the coast and maybe more at the office. So I gave it a number of good tests last week
.
Ben W
Chess Grandmaster (Supervised)
That would be my S, VIN #61. I took delivery on the 24th in Vegas, drove in the afternoon to Hawthorne for the Supercharger event (stopping at the Barstow supercharger on the way), then parked in my garage overnight. The next day, the windshield had developed a stress fracture halfway up the right side. Probably a manufacturing flaw, exposed by the temperature extremes during the drive (90+ degree baking sun outside, AC inside, then cold overnight). Tesla replaced the windshield very quickly; good as new.
However, another problem soon developed, which is that after the system software update the computer's 3G went dead. The Tesla techs are having a hard time diagnosing it because evidently all their tools communicate with the car through 3G. (Go figure.) Waiting for word from headquarters on how they're going to fix it. So for the moment I have the car with no nav and no web browser, but otherwise working fine.
I've found a handful of other minor buglets and issues, not unexpected for such an early model... The frunk and front doors require too much force to close. Opening/closing the sunroof at highway speeds produces a loud whistle as it is about 10-15% open. Bluetooth sync is spotty; worked for a while then died, required a reboot to start working again. HomeLink took forever to recognize my garage clickers, even pressed against the front bumper. (Finally worked on about the 30th try.) In reverse, the backup camera feed automatically pops up, but covers over the HomeLink menu, which interferes with my ability to close the garage as I'm backing out of my driveway. The 110v adapter is limited to 12 amps, unlike the Roadster's which allowed 15... Charging is very painfully slow on 110v; about 3 miles of range per hour. I attempted to link up the Model S <-> Roadster HPC adapter to the Roadster's mobile connector in an attempt to get 15 amps, but this didn't work; it threw a "Car needs service" error. I hope this configuration will be supported in a software update, I could use the extra 3 amps!
Several other details already noted by others: The keyfob is cute, but nearly impossible to attach to a keychain. (It really should come with a tiny loop or lanyard attached. It also needs LED headlights!!) There's an odd two-tone chime when accelerating hard through 30-40mph, which is charming at first but annoying after a while. The speaker volume that "goes to 11" is cute, but really needs finer increments. The sun visors are awful. (too small, warped mirrors, no vanity lights.) Creep will be a welcome addition; at first I thought I'd prefer it without, but it's something like muscle tone; it makes the car feel "alive". Without creep, the car feels much heavier at rest.
All that said... I LOVE the car!!! Truly a thing of beauty.
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I sent all these notes to Tesla, btw. No substantive response back yet, except that I've been assured that it's going to the right people. They're very interested in early adopter feedback, and really do want to make the car as perfect as possible.
Did the earlier Roadsters allow 15A? Mine only did 12A or 16A (12A for a 15A circuit and 16A for a 20A circuit).
In either case, that's just obeying code -- 80% of circuit.
I did ask about a NEMA 5-20 (for a 20A 120V circuit) adapter and while there currently isn't one, it sounded like they're aware of it and will eventually get one out.
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