New Model S Owner - Random Questions and Observations

[MrFC1000]

Fresh owner of a 2016 90D with only 32k miles and mint condition - most excited I've ever been to own a car and imo best upgrade of all time. 20+ years driving brand new Lexus, the last 12 driving the flagship LS, and this Tesla is amazing! Some of the info I read is dated, so I have questions...

Questions:

1. My car was made 03/16 (pre-refresh), so it has Autopilot HW1 - is there no way to enable dash cam on that version?
2. Lane departure warning - I never see anything appear on the screen, no matter how hard I try to scare the guy next to me on the highway, and it's enabled - what might I be missing?
3. Do you feel safe at all putting anything in the rear hatch area with all the break-grab-and runs? I find it just slightly annoying to have to use the frunk to hold my bags.
4. Are there any updates in the future that might benefit us from that timeframe ('16) or do you think this is it?

Amazing in so many respects to even list, so here are my somewhat unique positive observations:

1. Absolutely love the sunroof when I usually hate them. Not sure how they did it, but the fact you can see out of it well, and yet the sun doesn't blind you at all and it doesn't get hot still amazes me. It really opens up the cabin!
2. I can't even stand to get into other cars with all those damn buttons, knobs, dials, and switches. I've only been driving this for 4 days and the dual screens are just so natural now. I admit also getting into a Model 3 I feel like that screen is too small lol! Love still having the second screen behind the wheel too.
3. I know technically the Model 3 measures more interior room, but when you sit in an S, it feels so much roomier imo, and that's coming from a guy who used to drive the extended Lexus LS. I like roomy.
4. Handling and Ride Quality I love. Okay, I don't have the air suspension, so bumps are rough, but overall the smoothness, agility and feel to me are top notch.
5. Hot as hell in the summer where I work, so the ability to turn on the air 5 minutes before I leave is may6be my most beloved feature!
6. All the connectivity.

Okay, now the bad:

1. This white with shades of grey interface - wtf? I thought I had something set wrong. It's okay to see, but just so bland - I don't get it.
2. Fit and finish - feels less sturdy than my son's 2015 Altima. Moving parts make lots of not good sounds and worry me long term. Doors
3. Kind of bummed that my 2016 is probably maxed out on any useful updates going forward. Can't expect those to go on forever, and I don't regret my purchase, but seeing the tech in the Model 3 makes me long for something to look forward to that I probably won't be able to see since we are limited on CPU and cameras/sensors.
4. Some cheap parts - some stuff feels great, but seats are sub par, and all that super cheap plastic is surprising. The worst is the plastic on the arm rest under the cupholders - it's like the cheapest plastic that could actually support an arm and a cup.

Those are kind of it. So amazed at this car, even if people feel it might be "dated" a bit - not compared to anything else on the road! I do love the Model 3 also, and it was a hard choice I still agonize over whether I made the right choice. I do know I can't imagine owning any other than a Tesla going forward.

 

[ucmndd]

1. No
2. “Lane departure warning” as it exists now very subtly vibrates the steering wheel to let you know you’re wandering. That’s it, no visual indication.
3. The frunk is no safer, but on a positive note you don’t need to break a window to get into it. If you live in the Bay Area I’d not leave anything valuable in the car, period, and leave the parcel shelf open and seats down any time you’re parking in public.
4. Plenty of small enhancements coming in the future that you may or may not appreciate. Major features or functionality additions? Not likely.

 

[BrownOuttaSpec]

I recently purchased a similar car 2016 S 90D about a month ago.
1. No, Built in dash cam isnt available for our car. After reading this (Link) I purchased a Blackvue 900S-2ch.
2. With Lane Departure on, your steering wheel should give a slight vibrate/buzz
3. I have that rear shelf that goes over the trunk. You cant see anything in the truck with that on the back.
4. Probably nothing major will be added. Autopilot wont get upgraded since they no longer are partnered with MobleEye who made the AP software.

 

[bmah]

Original owner of an April 2015 S85D here. Mostly repeating what other people have said but...

1. No built-in dash cam. In 2016, I added a Blackvue DR650GW-2CH front-and-rear dashcam, which was fairly popular at the time.
2. Lane departure vibrates the steering wheel.
3. My use of the trunk depends on where I am, what I'm putting in it, and where else I might need to stop before I can unload. If the trunk is empty, I will tend to leave the cargo cover off so the bad guys can see there's nothing back there.
4. Tesla will do updates that aren't specific to the AP1 hardware and that are supported by the hardware. So we miss out on the EAP and FSD goodies that everyone's getting excited about. On the other hand, we also miss a lot of the drama that comes from living on the bleeding edge. Read the software update threads here to see what I mean. I have found it best to accept the car for what it is and what it can do today (which is pretty darned awesome), rather than get overly anxious about things that Tesla (or Elon) said will come at some time in the future.

Congratulations on the new car and welcome to TMC!

Bruce.

 

[RScottyL]

IIRC, the dash cam is only available with the Model 3.

It will probably come to the Model S and Model X with the refresh coming soon!

It only records in 720p, so you are better off going with a better dash cam anyway!

 

[MrFC1000]

Thanks for the replies.

I really want to add front and rear dash cams, and I've heard the Blackvue is really good. I would prefer to make them look as "built-in" as possible. What's the best way to go about installing those?

 

[Magellan55]

IIRC, the dash cam is only available with the Model 3.

It will probably come to the Model S and Model X with the refresh coming soon!

It only records in 720p, so you are better off going with a better dash cam anyway!

Model S has the dashcam now too (newer ones). Front camera plus rear facing side cameras. Plus Sentry mode.

 

[kdiorio1]

Recently purchased 2016 Model S P90D.
Looking for recommendations for making the cup holders more usable? I find the cup holders work best with my travel mug, but if i stop at Starbucks I'm always holding the coffee cup because I'm afraid it will fall over.
Thinking of add a tube/Sleeve of some kind to make the cup holder deeper, but have not invested much time yet.

In reading this thread most of my other questions have been answered, specifically about the dash cam and lane departure warning. I wish the lane departure warning was less subtle. I owned a Cadillac XT5 previously and they had the flashing light on side mirrors along with seat and wheel buzzing which you could not miss!

Last Question - defrosters - we have had several days of rain and high humidity recently and i struggle to keep the front window from having condensation. I've used the blue and red settings on the defroster (red helps best but heats up car). Anything i'm missing on a setting or the way the air conditioner is running that could be causing this?

Glad to be part of the TESLA S club!! So happy to have found this car - i wasn't looking but could not have passed it up!

 

[hcdavis3]

Recently purchased 2016 Model S P90D.
Looking for recommendations for making the cup holders more usable? I find the cup holders work best with my travel mug, but if i stop at Starbucks I'm always holding the coffee cup because I'm afraid it will fall over.
Thinking of add a tube/Sleeve of some kind to make the cup holder deeper, but have not invested much time yet.

In reading this thread most of my other questions have been answered, specifically about the dash cam and lane departure warning. I wish the lane departure warning was less subtle. I owned a Cadillac XT5 previously and they had the flashing light on side mirrors along with seat and wheel buzzing which you could not miss!

Last Question - defrosters - we have had several days of rain and high humidity recently and i struggle to keep the front window from having condensation. I've used the blue and red settings on the defroster (red helps best but heats up car). Anything i'm missing on a setting or the way the air conditioner is running that could be causing this?

Glad to be part of the TESLA S club!! So happy to have found this car - i wasn't looking but could not have passed it up!

I was wondering what the blue defrost button does.