My delivery experience and very few initial minor flaws

[Dan_LA]

Hey guys,

Finally got mine Deep Blue TM3, AP, 18", LR, and I'm out of acronyms here.

Delivery was smooth, no issues at all, just remembered some points on checklist, and prayed for nothing major. Which was the case , no gaps, nothing loose, all good. Just some few things I noticed after 3 days which I want OP opinion and experience if I may.

1- After leaving dealership I forgot that every car the braking is different, almost had a fender bender at Freeway. Wasn't aware of the braking issues this week, but got updated yesterday seeming like to address that issue among others.

2- The wheel is not balanced, the car tends to steer right if I let the wheel lose, is that normal? Or it needs to be balanced at SC? will be contacting to check on that later on.

3- When I ask to play X music, it plays X musica radio station, NOT the actual music, how do we fix that? Also, when I favorite a song, it favorites the radio NOT the song. And if I thumbs up, not sure when I can find the list of thumbs up song? Anyone more experience with Tesla Media, which by far is the best feature for me haha... all songs for free?

4- I am charging at 32A at home from my previous EV outlet, and I am dabbling if I should update to max at 48A? If I charger higher ampers does that deteriorate battery faster? Should I go with the Power wall just to be future proof 72A dual or just the portable as an additional to keep in the car is enough at 32A / 48A? My daily commute is 45miles total, I mean range is more than enough. I'm inclined to get additional portable as tech might change for better charging speed, but I doubt as home chargers might top at a limit. Electrician said I need a 100A breaker, Tesla guy said a 60A is enough to charge 48A? What was your experience on this topic? Sorry, long post here.

5- The left rear lights seems a bit off by a tad when compared to flush right rear lights, is this something I need to worry about now as regard of leaking and condensation? Better address that when balancing the wheel on the SC?

Appreciate any comments!

Cheers and drive safe!

 

[Sportstick]

2- The wheel is not balanced, the car tends to steer right if I let the wheel lose, is that normal? Or it needs to be balanced at SC? will be contacting to check on that later on.

Appreciate any comments!

Balance is a wheel/tire assembly issue and results in vibration when lacking, either through the steering column/wheel (front) or seat cushion (rear). The symptoms you describe could possibly be as simple as 1) driving on a road with a severe crowning to the pavement, 2) uneven tire inflation, or 3) possibly improper alignment. If you have a tire gauge, check cold readings in the morning, and ensure right-to-left are equal, both front and rear. If you rule out unequal pressures, and are convinced the road contour is not the issue, report the symptom of directional instability to the dealer who should then confirm the alignment specs.

 

[Glamisduner]

Balance is a wheel/tire assembly issue and results in vibration when lacking, either through the steering column/wheel (front) or seat cushion (rear). The symptoms you describe could possibly be as simple as 1) driving on a road with a severe crowning to the pavement, 2) uneven tire inflation, or 3) possibly improper alignment. If you have a tire gauge, check cold readings in the morning, and ensure right-to-left are equal, both front and rear. If you rule out unequal pressures, and are convinced the road contour is not the issue, report the symptom of directional instability to the dealer who should then confirm the alignment specs.

The TM3 does not display tire pressure levels?

 

[fseir]

3 - these are just limitations of the version of Slacker Radio that comes standard with Teslas. You can request a specific song, but you may or may not get it, and based on that song request, you will then get a station based on similar music. When you thumbs up it, you are “liking” the station, not the song. If more control is important to you, you may want to upgrade to a premium account, or use something better, like Spotify, unfortunately over Bluetooth.

 

[Sportstick]

The TM3 does not display tire pressure levels?

I don't know, but I would confirm with a reliable hand-held digital gauge.

 

[Dan_LA]

Balance is a wheel/tire assembly issue and results in vibration when lacking, either through the steering column/wheel (front) or seat cushion (rear). The symptoms you describe could possibly be as simple as 1) driving on a road with a severe crowning to the pavement, 2) uneven tire inflation, or 3) possibly improper alignment. If you have a tire gauge, check cold readings in the morning, and ensure right-to-left are equal, both front and rear. If you rule out unequal pressures, and are convinced the road contour is not the issue, report the symptom of directional instability to the dealer who should then confirm the alignment specs.

Appreciate all replies! Hope everyone had a safe long weekend.

Yes I checked tire pressure seems fine, cool thing is it takes 3 swipes. And you were spot on, i did feel some vibration specially when lateral force was applied on tires.

Anyway, i'm already scheduling service for improper alignment. Thanks!

 

[Dan_LA]

3 - these are just limitations of the version of Slacker Radio that comes standard with Teslas. You can request a specific song, but you may or may not get it, and based on that song request, you will then get a station based on similar music. When you thumbs up it, you are “liking” the station, not the song. If more control is important to you, you may want to upgrade to a premium account, or use something better, like Spotify, unfortunately over Bluetooth.

I tried favoriting but that even got worst.. it saves the "Song Name" radio Station... and when I thumbs up, I am assuming it's learning which song I liked most...

Thanks for info, though!

 

[Dan_LA]

I don't know, but I would confirm with a reliable hand-held digital gauge.

It does have tire pressure, main page, swipe 4 times to the left the menu below the car.

 

[nvx1977]

4- I am charging at 32A at home from my previous EV outlet, and I am dabbling if I should update to max at 48A? If I charger higher ampers does that deteriorate battery faster? Should I go with the Power wall just to be future proof 72A dual or just the portable as an additional to keep in the car is enough at 32A / 48A? My daily commute is 45miles total, I mean range is more than enough. I'm inclined to get additional portable as tech might change for better charging speed, but I doubt as home chargers might top at a limit. Electrician said I need a 100A breaker, Tesla guy said a 60A is enough to charge 48A? What was your experience on this topic? Sorry, long post here.

If you plan on charging via the UMC (the charging cable that comes with the car), the max it can do is 32A. If you want to up the amperage, you need to buy the Wall Connector.

Model S/X/3 Wall Connector

If you go the Wall Connector route, you only need a 60A breaker. That will get you the max 48A that Model 3 can draw. However the Wall Connector itself can handle more, so if you ever got an S or X with dual charger, you could futureproof the installation by putting in the 100A breaker, keeping in mind your cable run from breaker to Wall Connector needs to be rated for 100A (could be pretty expensive depending on the length).

My recommendation is to stick with the UMC for now and see if you're satisfied with the 32A. Personally I think it's fast enough.

 

[Dan_LA]

If you plan on charging via the UMC (the charging cable that comes with the car), the max it can do is 32A. If you want to up the amperage, you need to buy the Wall Connector.

Model S/X/3 Wall Connector

If you go the Wall Connector route, you only need a 60A breaker. That will get you the max 48A that Model 3 can draw. However the Wall Connector itself can handle more, so if you ever got an S or X with dual charger, you could futureproof the installation by putting in the 100A breaker, keeping in mind your cable run from breaker to Wall Connector needs to be rated for 100A (could be pretty expensive depending on the length).

My recommendation is to stick with the UMC for now and see if you're satisfied with the 32A. Personally I think it's fast enough.

Hey,

Thanks for sharing your tips here. I thought the UMC unit was able to reach 48A, the Tesla sales guy told me so, not 100% sure and I couldn't find any info on that. But you are right, 32A is fast enough and maybe better for the battery as well. The mindset is different when you are financing and purchasing a car vs leasing a bmw i3 for instance.

If someone can direct me to the technical specs of the UMC, that would be great. I will check with Tesla again and see if I can get more info for those that want 48A charging speed.

Thanks

 

[EchoDelta]

If someone can direct me to the technical specs of the UMC, that would be great. I will check with Tesla again and see if I can get more info for those that want 48A charging speed.

Thanks

Original UMCs could do up to 40A via NEMA 14-50 or NEMA 6-50 plug stubs, which requires 50A+ breaker.
The UMC that comes with Model 3 is limited to 32 A, which requires a 40A+ breaker.

I don't think you'll notice the difference in charge utility for most scenarios; but the difference in current does make it massively safer on the temperature aspect (thermal load increases as square of current). With model 3 aiming to be more mass-market, there's going to be many more poorly installed cables, outlets, extension cords, and electric hacks. That small difference from 40A to 32A can keep a lot of marginal situations safe.

 

[nvx1977]

Model S/X/3 Gen 2 Mobile Connector Bundle

 

[GenSao]

4- I am charging at 32A at home from my previous EV outlet, and I am dabbling if I should update to max at 48A? If I charger higher ampers does that deteriorate battery faster? Should I go with the Power wall just to be future proof 72A dual or just the portable as an additional to keep in the car is enough at 32A / 48A? My daily commute is 45miles total, I mean range is more than enough. I'm inclined to get additional portable as tech might change for better charging speed, but I doubt as home chargers might top at a limit. Electrician said I need a 100A breaker, Tesla guy said a 60A is enough to charge 48A? What was your experience on this topic? Sorry, long post here.

No need to install a powerwall unless you have solar panels. =) The Tesla home charging page has a lot of information.

Wall Connector

• High Amperage 72 A max charge (90 A circuit breaker) = N/A, S & X 100 kWh battery models only
• Standard 48 A max charge (60 A circuit breaker) = 44 Miles of Range per Hour, Max for Model 3 LR.

1st Gen Mobile Connector

• 40 A max charge (50 A circuit breaker)= 37 Miles of Range per Hour

2nd Gen Mobile Connector

• 32 A max charge (40 A circuit breaker) = 30 Miles of Range per Hour, Max for Model 3 SR.

As others have stated, your existing 32 A home EV outlet should be enough. Keep it simple unless you need to upgrade for speed. An example would be if you need to charge in the day and do not have to the time to charge overnight. Install a 90 A Breaker with 100 A rated conductor conduit only when you install a hard wired wall connector.

 

[Dan_LA]

Original UMCs could do up to 40A via NEMA 14-50 or NEMA 6-50 plug stubs, which requires 50A+ breaker.
The UMC that comes with Model 3 is limited to 32 A, which requires a 40A+ breaker.

I don't think you'll notice the difference in charge utility for most scenarios; but the difference in current does make it massively safer on the temperature aspect (thermal load increases as square of current). With model 3 aiming to be more mass-market, there's going to be many more poorly installed cables, outlets, extension cords, and electric hacks. That small difference from 40A to 32A can keep a lot of marginal situations safe.

Thanks good point here on safety.

 

[Dan_LA]

No need to install a powerwall unless you have solar panels. =) The Tesla home charging page has a lot of information.

Wall Connector

• High Amperage 72 A max charge (90 A circuit breaker) = N/A, S & X 100 kWh battery models only
• Standard 48 A max charge (60 A circuit breaker) = 44 Miles of Range per Hour, Max for Model 3 LR.

1st Gen Mobile Connector

• 40 A max charge (50 A circuit breaker)= 37 Miles of Range per Hour

2nd Gen Mobile Connector

• 32 A max charge (40 A circuit breaker) = 30 Miles of Range per Hour, Max for Model 3 SR.

As others have stated, your existing 32 A home EV outlet should be enough. Keep it simple unless you need to upgrade for speed. An example would be if you need to charge in the day and do not have to the time to charge overnight. Install a 90 A Breaker with 100 A rated conductor conduit only when you install a hard wired wall connector.

Thanks for making it even clearer, yes I checked the Manual of Gen 2 Connector and only max at 32A. And yes, since it's a 310 miles range, I guess you still need to plan ahead when to charge or not. With my previous EV i3, 75miles electric range, I had to charge everyday basically. So charging speed was crucial.

Either way, soon they are building a Supercharger near my home in 2019

 

[a.void]

Thanks for this info. I'm getting my electric installed soon, and I didn't realize it's now 40A vs. 50A.

Are we able to get the 1st gen cable for 50A from Tesla?

 

[fseir]

Thanks for this info. I'm getting my electric installed soon, and I didn't realize it's now 40A vs. 50A.

Are we able to get the 1st gen cable for 50A from Tesla?

You’d have to find a used one on eBay or craigslist.

Question I have, is when people talk about “increased thermal load” with the 50A vs 40A, where is that at? The breaker? The UMC? I have a 50A breaker and I’m using the gen 2 UMC, but if I buy a gen 1 UMC, does this put me at higher risk of a fire from increased heating? Or is the risk that someone might try to use the gen 1 UMC on a 40A circuit??