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New England Group here on TMC? Still Alive?
- Thread starter Ollie Jones
- Start date
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- Tags
- groups New England USA
Doug4650
Member
Yes, there is a New England group. You posted in the group. Looks like there has been 5 or so posts this week.
longshadows
Member
As I get closer to one day actually taking delivery of my Tesla, I'm beginning to wonder about maintenance. How do other New Englanders care for their Teslas during these long and dirty winters? Does anyone take it to a car wash? (Can a Tesla safely even go through a car wash?)
Also, coatings? What sort of "clear coats" are members using? Opti Coat Pro + gets a lot of promo on Tesla sites. Is it worth the cost? Any recommendations about where is the best place to get it done?
Thanks!
Also, coatings? What sort of "clear coats" are members using? Opti Coat Pro + gets a lot of promo on Tesla sites. Is it worth the cost? Any recommendations about where is the best place to get it done?
Thanks!
I might be the exception because I dare to bring my car to a car wash, and I do not have any paint protection. My car is leased, I am retired, I live in a condo with no garage and no ability to wash the car at home, and like the car to look good but am not a fanatic about it. All of those are factors in my apporach.
I live near a "laser" touchless car wash and bring it there. No brushes or cloths are used, just spray. Then I wipe it off with some decent microfiber cloths.
In addition, i do not object when the service center offers to wash the car on those few occasions when I have had it in for service (it is only 18 months old). To me, the car looks very good.
FWIW, I spoke with out nearest approved Tesla body shop when I first had the car and asked about paint protection. He said that Tesla paint is excellent, that the rumors of its being "soft" are wrong, and that it would be a better investment to pay a body shop (i.e., his business) to take care of any paint issues that arose during my lease period. Whether or not he'd have given different advice had I said I wanted to own the car for 10 years, I have no idea.
I live near a "laser" touchless car wash and bring it there. No brushes or cloths are used, just spray. Then I wipe it off with some decent microfiber cloths.
In addition, i do not object when the service center offers to wash the car on those few occasions when I have had it in for service (it is only 18 months old). To me, the car looks very good.
FWIW, I spoke with out nearest approved Tesla body shop when I first had the car and asked about paint protection. He said that Tesla paint is excellent, that the rumors of its being "soft" are wrong, and that it would be a better investment to pay a body shop (i.e., his business) to take care of any paint issues that arose during my lease period. Whether or not he'd have given different advice had I said I wanted to own the car for 10 years, I have no idea.
Yes, I wash my Model S at a car wash once in a while. It goes through just fine.
Issues respecting winter weather I've discovered. Please notice that I use the term "driver assisance" for "autopilot."
- Clean snow and ice off the bumpers, or you'll baffle the sonar gizmos that help with driver assistance. There are six each on the front and rear bumpers.
- Don't trust autopark when there's snow and ice around.
- When the upper center of the windshield isn't clear, the camera up there can't see forward and so you won't have driver assistance available.
- When the pavement has vehicle tracks on it, driver assistance gets squirrely. I think, but I'm not sure, that it sometimes mistakes a vehicle track for a lane marking. So it kinda wobbles around.
- When it's wicked pissah cold, specifically below +5 degrees F, don't use the charging feature that delays charging until a certain time. Instead, let charging start as soon as you plug in the car. I think a cold battery sometimes can't accept a charge. (The Fremont-based Teslites call this a "cold-soaked battery"). So begin charging while the electric bits are still warm from driving.
- Cold weather cuts range. It takes kWh to heat the cabin. In northeastern MA, a forty-mile drive eats fifty miles of nominal range when it's cold. Plan accordingly.
- I have the dual-motor model S. It is great in snow. I tried without success to do donuts in an empty parking lot. It hasn't slipped on a hill for me yet.
- When it's cold in the morning, use the phone app to turn on the cabin heat while the car is still plugged in. Notice that cabin heat comes right on when you turn it on. No engine: no need to warm it up.
- When you first set out in the morning when it's cold, regenerative braking is inpoerative. That can be fun when you're half asleep.When it's cold in the morning, you can use the phone app to tell the car to charge a little more. That can warm things up so regenerative braking works.
"Made in California" is a good thing. But "Made in Detroit" also means "we know about cold weather."
Alternately, reduce the charge rate so that the car is charging all night. Start to charge when you plug in, and finish with a warm battery/regen right when you leave.
Some have reported problems with a cold battery not taking a charge, but the battery heater should warm the battery and allow charging to start. I have plugged in my cold-soaked car (overnight in ~20F, unplugged, then driven 1.5 mi to a 30A J1772). The chargepoint app reported the car was drawing full power, but the car wasn't charging. After about 30 min the car started to charge after the battery heater worked its magic.
That's because you can't completely turn off the traction control on AWD cars (well, not without pulling fuses, anyway). Snowy parking lots are a blast with a RWD car. Turn off traction control from the menu and do all the donuts you want.
On the otherhand, I can get stuck on an ice-covered hill (with Hakka R2's), if I stop. The traction control just sputters (although I have not tried disabling the traction control in that case). As long as I maintain forward momentum, I haven't gotten stuck.
I also got stuck in moderately deep snow on a hill. Again, the traction control wouldn't let the car do anything. But if I turned it off, I could rock the car and get it free.
Oh, and yes, I use the local touch-free laser wash all the time once the roads dry between storms (due for another).
Babasnoopy
Member
I went to Q Car Care in Burlington MA. The owner, Ben, is a good guy & young entrepreneur. I have full front and rear clear bra protection, as well as his proprietary Q Complex nano coating on the whole car. When I do a proper cleaning, whether in my driveway or via the laser touch less wash, the car looks silky smooth and almost permanently wet. It's gorgeous. Go see Ben. Tell him Eric with the Blue Tesla sent you. I also have a jug of Optimum Tire goop. It gives your tires a very classy, not flashy matte shine. Takes 5 minutes and lasts for quite a while in normal weather.
We have a 2018 Model S which has gone through two winters and part of a third. It's my wife's daily driver and, in winter, we take it through a car wash whenever it looks dirty and we have a good dry day. Make sure to turn off the wipers and fold in the mirrors. The car wash we go to sprays the underside of the car which is important in my view, because of the chemicals which are put on the road. As to maintenance, when the car was two years old we scheduled two year service, as per the owner's Manual, at the Tesla Service Center in Peabody Mass. I waited about 3 hours while the service was done. No other service except for a new set of tires at Town Fare Tires, Portland, Me.
