My First Tesla and I have questions

[VizagDude]

Hello all, couple of days back took delivery of my first Tesla, Model S Long Range deep metallic Blue. Very exited to own this. Coming from a Porsche Caynee, so the experience is a little different with drive and interior aesthetics. But from what I have seen, I liked the MS the most luxurious of all the Teslas I test drove.


Anyways, to my questions:

Wheel Rim covers - I learnt the actual rims of the car are covered that can me removed and clipped back on. I am not sure why. Are these required for safety or increase the range? What do you guys do, keep them on always or take 'em off?

Car Wash - How do you guys wash your car? Do you go to the regular car wash like the tunnel ones or exterior wash, or do you guys wash it yourself. I've owned other luxury cars before, but always used the regular car wash with no issues. But I saw some videos that claim the car wash messed up their car paint and some sensor, etc.

Insurance - I have Progressive insurance for our cars and their quote came around $230/m but I have to pay for the whole year, which I did not want to commit before I saw the car (in case I have to reject the delivery), so the App offered me Tesla insurance, which I took. But now I realize, it only lists Me as the policy holder. Did not take the details of my wife or son and there was no option to add them. Are they automatically covered if when they drive the MS. I live in DFW, TX

Paint protection - I have seen a lot of videos where folks are spending close to 5 grand to cover their entire car with a layer of transparent skin (don't know what is the right term). Is that really required? The paint on Teslas are that delicate? What am I missing?

Home Charging - Since this is my first EV, I have no clue about the home chargers. What do you guys recommend? There seems to be multiple options. The default charger that came with the car takes for ever looks like. How much does your electricity bill increase when you charge your car every day at home?

Thank you for your time and advice on the above.

 

[redmunds]

Wheel Rim covers - I learnt the actual rims of the car are covered that can me removed and clipped back on. I am not sure why. Are these required for safety or increase the range? What do you guys do, keep them on always or take 'em off?

They are to improve range. I keep mine off around town (~95% of the time) and only put them on for long distance road trips.

Home Charging - Since this is my first EV, I have no clue about the home chargers. What do you guys recommend? There seems to be multiple options. The default charger that came with the car takes for ever looks like. How much does your electricity bill increase when you charge your car every day at home?

I had a NEMA 14-50 installed. Luckily they could put it next to sub-panel, so it was only $400 even with "Tesla Premium" pricing. Works great!

 

[mtbwalt]

If you do have professional electrical work or install performed, please note that the installers that Tesla lists in your area are just a suggestion. Most electricians can do this work to code and professionally, and you will often find a potentially much better price not using the Tesla suggested contractor for your area. EV installs are a growing business for electricians and almost all will have heed experience doing them. Like with anything, get a couple of quotes.

 

[mswlogo]

Just a note of caution: The $20 receptacle the electrician has in their van may well be fine for installations like ovens etc, where (a) peak current is only reached for a few seconds, and (b) the appliance remains connected for long periods of time. But for EV charging, where you have sustained high current and (in some cases at least) repeated plugging / unplugging, it's worth investing the extra $75 or whatever in a sturdier receptacle.

I've been researching exactly this recently, trying to figure out the best charging solution for a vacation rental we just bought. There are multiple threads on this showing pictures of melted outlets - but there are also folks out there who have been using the cheaper ones with no problems, so YMMV.

Final thought while we're on the subject: There's also the "corded mobile connector", which has a NEMA 14-50 plug permanently attached and is capable of charging at 40A rather than the 32A of the Gen2 mobile connector. Worth considering if 25% faster charging is of interest. My new-to-me LR+ that I picked up on Wednesday came with both a Gen2 and a corded mobile connector in the trunk, which is a bonus.

Even better, avoid the outlet all together. Even the good outlets can meltdown too. More points of failure too.

And most DIY and electricians forget the required GFCI needed for the outlet. All you 14-50 folks have a GFCI in your panel, right. …. I thought so. Oh you installed it before the code change. So you can skip that silly stuff right. Many have the wrong size breaker too. Should be 40A GFCI.

 

[dmurphy]

Even better, avoid the outlet all together. Even the good outlets can meltdown too. More points of failure too.

Sure, but that's not exclusive to outlets. Here's the remnants of the quick disconnect (Similar to an AC compressor disconnect) for my Wall Connector ... You can see the blade on the left opened up, causing resistance, and eventually melting its guts. (The surface corrosion is post-meltdown when I left it out in the rain.)

Ended up replacing the disconnect with a pair of Polaris splice blocks. Much better connection.

 

[LJG0053]

Congratulations on your new Tesla. The more you drive it the more you will like it. The others have covered your questions adequately. However, please post any further questions you may have as we are all here to help a fellow owner.

 

[VizagDude]

Oh boy, I did not expect these many responses. Really appreciate all of you taking the time to read and respond.


Car Wash - I did find a touch less carwash near my place and tried it out today. The max is $16, not bad, but it does not dry completely. So, there are some spots of dry water droplets which was annoying. I'll stick to my regular car wash next time around, that I use to take my Porsche Cayenne. I am never a big fan of washing my car. Too lazy and old

Insurance - I did reach out to a local Progressive agent and waiting on quote from them

Wheel Covers - I removed one to check it out. TBH, I loved the alloy wheel that was hidden. Coming from a Prosche Cayenne, I am used to that look. But I could not find the center and lug nut caps on Tesla store. I found some on Amazon, not sure if they are the right ones.
Would highly appreciate if someone can post a pic of their wheels with the OEM center cap and lug nut covers for comparison.

Home Charger - NEMA 14 - 50 seems to be winner of this thread. Shall update once I have decided.

 

[NewbyMaybe]

The range increase from the wheel covers will help reduce your electric bill. If the bill is not an issue because you charge at work (search free chargers in your area) or elsewhere then the covers will help you charge less frequently. If you drive a lot then supercharging may be necessary. If you charge at home with an ordinary 110 outlet then you may need to plug in everyday.

 

[NewbyMaybe]

I rinse my car at the $3 car wash, usually right before driving it somewhere. A few spots will still need to be dried, I use the car wash mitts from dollar tree, they make quick work on my silver wheels.

 

[NewbyMaybe]

Insurance is high, hoping Tesla insurance gets to Florida soon.

 

[dannycamps]

Touch-less car washes are risky too, for a number of reasons.

There was some anecdotal reports here not too long ago that the chemicals used in touchless car washes would negatively react with the black trim pieces in the new refresh models causing temporary(?) discoloration. Not sure if that is still the case or not.

Home Charger - NEMA 14 - 50 seems to be winner of this thread. Shall update once I have decided.

I had a wall charger installed for convenience (mounted outside my garage) as I already had a NEMA 6-20 outlet installed for my last EV. I'd agree that a 14-50 outlet would future-proof you for this and any other EV you may want to get and is probably the more cost-effective solution especially if you are just going to use the EVSE that came with your Tesla.

 

[mtbwalt]

One drying solution that I saw a deatailer use that I liked was to use a portable leaf blower for the drying stage prior to the microfiber towel drying. It gets off 95%+ of the water quickly, but is really useful in cracks and crannies that would otherwise later drip. Having most of the water off means your drying microfiber stays dry longer. I happened to have an electric leaf blower and it works very nicely for this application.

 

[SoCal Buzz]

Oh boy, I did not expect these many responses. Really appreciate all of you taking the time to read and respond.


Car Wash - I did find a touch less carwash near my place and tried it out today. The max is $16, not bad, but it does not dry completely. So, there are some spots of dry water droplets which was annoying. I'll stick to my regular car wash next time around, that I use to take my Porsche Cayenne. I am never a big fan of washing my car. Too lazy and old

Insurance - I did reach out to a local Progressive agent and waiting on quote from them

Wheel Covers - I removed one to check it out. TBH, I loved the alloy wheel that was hidden. Coming from a Prosche Cayenne, I am used to that look. But I could not find the center and lug nut caps on Tesla store. I found some on Amazon, not sure if they are the right ones.
Would highly appreciate if someone can post a pic of their wheels with the OEM center cap and lug nut covers for comparison.

Home Charger - NEMA 14 - 50 seems to be winner of this thread. Shall update once I have decided.

The lug nut covers and center caps are not OEM. Just pick a few on Amazon or eBay with your color preferences.

 

[henderrj]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned time of use options with power companies. Where we live it's less than half the cost for electricity if I charge during their off times. Since that's the middle of the night, that's what I do. It greatly reduces the cost of charging the car. Saves me 30 to $50 a month. Depending on how much I drive. The point being that the highest amperage charger can get the most done during the time period that they allow for the lower rate. To say that the other way around, you may not be able to charge fully during the off-peak time if you drive a lot. You'll have to check with your local utility to see what the deal is where you live.

 

[beatle]

I'm surprised nobody recommended the NEMA 6-50R. It's also a 50A 240V receptacle so you still get the same charge rate as a 14-50, but it has no neutral. This means one less wire to run. EVSEs (including the Tesla UMC) don't need a neutral to function properly.

 

[Midnightsun]

This means one less wire to run.

I ran a neutral to the wall connector however taped it off on both ends. Better have a neutral in case the new charger/device needs a neutral, alway good to plan for the future unknowns.

 

[dmurphy]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned time of use options with power companies. Where we live it's less than half the cost for electricity if I charge during their off times. Since that's the middle of the night, that's what I do. It greatly reduces the cost of charging the car. Saves me 30 to $50 a month. Depending on how much I drive. The point being that the highest amperage charger can get the most done during the time period that they allow for the lower rate. To say that the other way around, you may not be able to charge fully during the off-peak time if you drive a lot. You'll have to check with your local utility to see what the deal is where you live.

It all really depends. We also have a TOU plan available, but doing so moves all of our daytime usage to a substantially higher rate. It would crush me - EV charging is only a fraction of our bill.

 

[DayTrippin]

Insurance is high, hoping Tesla insurance gets to Florida soon.

Careful for what you wish for. Tesla has incredible insight into your driving habits. SO if you drive like a turtle all the time, maybe it might work for you. I don't mind occasionally exercising the throttle and speed/acceleration capabilities of my Tesla and I am sure that would adversely impact my rates.

 

[CincoPesos]

Careful for what you wish for. Tesla has incredible insight into your driving habits. SO if you drive like a turtle all the time, maybe it might work for you. I don't mind occasionally exercising the throttle and speed/acceleration capabilities of my Tesla and I am sure that would adversely impact my rates.

Exactly why I opted out of their Safety Score program. Tesla insurance gave me a great rate but I still get a kick out of showing off to newbies riding along and the wife and kids still get a thrill out of the speed burst on open roads. I use Chill Mode 90 percent of the time and am not sure I want my rates to go up for the other 10%.

 

[VizagDude]

Careful for what you wish for. Tesla has incredible insight into your driving habits. SO if you drive like a turtle all the time, maybe it might work for you. I don't mind occasionally exercising the throttle and speed/acceleration capabilities of my Tesla and I am sure that would adversely impact my rates.

I can vouch for this. I had a score of 94 and the Insurance showed that my rate for the following month was down by $12 or something. I was happy and I thoguht Tesla insurance was really good. But then, I had my friend come over and I wanted to show off my new ride. So, I took on a 15 min ride where I showed them the power of my MSLR and how it handels the turns and and regenerative braking, etc.

What do you know, my saety score went down by 23 points or something and it showed my insurance would go up by $116 for the following month. I had all below 5 categories in RED
1. Forward Collision Warnings
2. Hard Braking
3. Aggressive Turning
4. Unsafe Following
5. Forced Autopilot Disengagements

WTF!!!

Waiting on a quote from my current Insurance with my other cars are on.

 

[Snerruc]

Insurance is high, hoping Tesla insurance gets to Florida soon.

That’s just Florida. My S is cheaper than my daughters Lexus.