After my first 6 weeks in my new M3LR I am really liking it. Lots of great positives. The following are observations and comments which would make the great car into My perfect car.
1) From a BMW M240 or BMW Z4 its a bigger car. Turning circle is way lower and still getting used to it. Size is now not an issue. I did drop down to a £400 ford KA for a 6 weeks while waiting. No care old car to a 50K plus car....
2) Headlights on all the time 95% other cars none on but my tes on only off if sun is out.
3) OK we are in not full imperial in UK Yes MPH and MPG but whats inches and feet. In the UK we use yards or cm so EU is KM and UK is mainl SI. So sat nav MUST be yards not feet, and parking cm, BMW does this perfectly. Just a UK thing but important.
4) Cruse control WHY cant we push stick up or press brake peddle to pause the current set speed and push down again to reinstate last set speed not cancel. I dont trust the speed set point as its fairly wrong a lot of the time.
5) Why is there not a way to scroll through menu from one of the steering wheel buttons. Have more control of the media than car.
6) The right button is as bad, yes can control the cruse speed, or activate voice which I really find stupid when people in car and not really used, or distance from car in front a point surly the latter is not a fixed distance but speed related 3 cars distance at 30 is a lot more at 80. and its really should be a sub menu.
7) Why cant I set the touch screens how I want them, smaller sat nav, info on KW/ mile. May be my top 10 used controls. I use a phone a lot so why is this in a sub menu
8) Menu on the left and to close its far top left x.... left come on Im having to physically move out of my seat to close the x really. and need several stabs.
9) The right screen with car, its constantly warning me on the left. In the UK we have narrow roads. so yellow or red and bings and bongs Or do I have an issue.
10) Trip counter. Found the cards buy swiping but really it also should be in a menu item as well. Also the cards are massive and dont remember my choice. I want either since last drive current trip and since charge all the time. what is watts per mile its miles per kw like mpg. kw its the cost unit. like gallons uk or usa gallons.
11) phantom drain. So I can be doing 200 w/ mile but soon loose 3Kw but tesla repots when the car is moving. NO
12) Phantom drain. I got the M3 on a friday ad drove on holiday on Sat. Unlike a petrol car it was draining the battery, arrived with 110 miles to find it dropped to 65%. NO If I have 30% in the tank its 30% 4 days later.
13) OK I have learnt but as above I was driving 240 miles Tesla told me to pop in a supercharge at 72% so I did and ended up at 110 miles with no local supercharger. Hindsight I should have ignored got as far as I can near and supercharged leaving me 250 miles. SO they need to change to ask what I want at the end. At home nit an issue as I have a charger.
14) when it alarms up its a small text. Come on make it bigger I am driving.
15) all alerts need to be available to be reviewed.
16) Mobile app is a bit flakey, couple of times its stopped needing the card to get in. couple of times its not locked the car.
17) lack of data from OEM teslafi is making up for it. Tesla should grab it and merge.
18) After charging in the morning I need to get phone our, log in to phone , open app, wait, unlock charge point, wait, to remove charger. Come on if my phone is near why is there not a button by the plug pint to release the plug if phone is near like the trunk.
As I say its just a list to improve on a great car
After two years, and now three Model 3s (I traded up to LRAWD and white interior), I have found a few things to be true, at least in my world.
I detest DRLs. And the morons who think their headlights are on at night, don't realize they are at half brilliance and no tail lights. The local cops will stop them in a heartbeat and write them up for everything from The Heartbreak of Psoriasis to Felonious Mopery. The Tesla eyebrow lights don't irritate me as much as headlights during the day. In my world, headlights and high beams on in daytime meant EMERGENCY! Get Out Of The Way!
Sorry, SAE and Avordupois Luddite here. No sympathy.
Pet peeve - can't scroll things using right button, especially when phone/text system can't decipher addressee
Try the voice commands. Passengers find it amusing, and you CAN get lots of things done without using the screen
We've been screaming for customizable screens for ages. Grey text on white BG? Infinitesimally small fonts? Can't see the charge discharge line in the daytime? Ahhhrgh! Move functions off screen when not needed, like the seat heaters which you always bump and not realize it till your butt is sweating...
Thanks to another poster - push the button and see the odometer. Hmph. Learn something every day
As to alarms and dings and dongs and bops and beeps - why not have voice prompts like in aircraft? "PULL UP!, "FLAPS!", "AIRSPEED","TERRAIN AVOIDANCE!", "ROCK FILLED CLOUD DEAD AHEAD!" - well, they might not have the last one, but they could... I would much rather have my Tesla tell me what ails it rather than have to try to remember what beep or boop means what?, or search on the screen. Hey Tesla! How about spending less time on pointless games you can't use while driving, and design a voice prompting system? Put some of the limited memory to better use...
As to the phantom drain, it's just part of the World of EVs. Don't keep waking it up. Costs you battery, and maybe annoys the car. Many things must have the car stay awake and eating up power - Cabin overheat, Sentry mode, Waking it up to check status - it all counts. And don't forget, if it gets cold out there, it's gonna use energy (miles) to keep the battery warm. I found that out the first time I rented a Tesla and went on a trip to a town with no SuperChargers. Went to bed with 120 miles in the can, SuperCharger on the way back 36 miles away. No prob, right? In comes freezing cold front, I wake up to about 40 miles in the can. I learned how to stretch mileage driving at about 40 on the access road. And learned that the mileage predictions are pretty pessimistic. But don't count on it...
After awhile, you get an accurate feel for all this. Never go to bed with less than 100 miles in the tank. Even if you just plug it in to 12 amps 110v, it will pretty much keep you even, at least.
I keep a card in my wallet, in the outermost pocket. If the app is being uriniferous, I just chest bump the car, open the door and use the screen to unlock the port.
The other poster's advice is well taken. The Android app and the car need a reboot from time to time. When they dropped off my new car 10 days ago, (I never saw a person or heard from Tesla. It just appeared 2 days early, sitting in front of my neighbor's house, really!), I couldn't get in to it, the app didn't show the car, and I was in a bit of a tizzy. I rebooted the phone (and thus the app), and Bob became my Uncle.
The button on the charging handles don't always work. Even mine at home are 50-50, but I live near a high power AM radio station, and the little receivers can get swamped. Same for my Garage Door Opener.
But most of the time, since the app always runs in the background, I just walk to the car, and by the time I get to it, the charging handle will unlock, I pull the door handle and get in. Maybe a app software update might help. If you use an iPhone, I can't help.
Finally, you still have to think when using the Navigation app, or even ABetterRoutePlanner.com, or just when driving, just like you did with your ICEV. Look at the fuel gauge, think about where the next refuel point is and act accordingly, right? If I was in Vegas and gonna drive to LA across the desert, you can bet your butt I checked the fuel gauge and topped off before I left. Driving an Ev is no different, other than refueling opportunities may not be as convenient. But even in just two years of Tesla ownership, it has gotten better and better, and will continue.
All charging schemes want to minimize your charging time, so it plans your recharge to stay in the "sweet spot". Sometimes you have to use your own judgment and take a little more time to charge so you have a few extra joules in your pocket. When I had the 230 Mile battery, I never left below 80%. Now with 355 Miles capacity, I'll likely do the same JFTHOI.
Belt and suspenders kind of guy, me. I carry a tire repair/inflator kit, jack pads, the full set of charge adapter cables, a 50' 10ga 3wire extension cord, a couple bottles of water, first aid kit, thermal blanket, portable 2M/450Mc transceiver and a small tool kit. And a handy <ahem> personal protection device, MACE, you know, the .45 caliber size. You can stow a lot of seldom needed stuff under the back seat if you are cool. For long trips or "Gotta Be There By Morning" trips, I have one of the spare tire/jack kits.
I am actually tinkering with a pushbutton unlock/eject system for the charging handle. If things get real at a gas station, you CAN speed off in an EV, nevermind the fuel hose dangling behind you. With EV's, you have to get out of the car and spend valuable seconds to to unlock and cast off. I'd like to be able to push the button and stomp and steer. My preferable way to fight is to grab my hat and run, but my MACE could come in handy..
It's a whole new world. I had to revert to driving my Buick (spare car) when Tesla delayed my delivery after I sold the original Good Ship Venus. Jonesing like crazy. Even my long suffering wife of 50 years commented that I am a whole lot easier to live with since The Good Ship Venus II appeared at my door.
Just sit back, relax and Think of England, as it were... (I think of Tesla). I am sure you have a bunch of different concerns and limitations driving in the UK or elsewhere, especially when you insist on driving on the wrong side of the road. <-- Sorry, I couldn't resist!
