No power = broken window!

[Scapegoat]

Maybe good advice.

But not aware of it. It warned to open a window so that you could access the car from the outside if you exited, but don’t recall the risk of damage being shown.

Also - it’s -4°C and there was no heating in the car, sitting with the windows open for 3 hours would not have been tempting even if I had known

 

[stopcrazypp]

The fact that it’s not been engineered out - have the car windows drop by 2% before the auxiliary battery drops into protection mode,

There is actually a similar feature already for cold weather where it does not retract fully into the trim (to prevent window from freezing stuck). However I believe it only works on arrival and when you open and then close the door.

Window slightly open in cold weather

Moderator comment - thread renamed from "Windows open" I had just finished explaining to swmbo that I had enabled the TeslaFi option to email if windows or doors left open or unlocked when an email pops through "Car has had a window down for 15 minutes" And sure enough, Tesla app was offering...

teslamotorsclub.com

or have a trim that is just flat against the door frame, and not covered.

I think earlier frameless designs used that design, but due to it creating a poorer seal, I think most have switched to something that retracts into it.

 

[init6]

I'd switch from miles to % range as soon as you get the car back. It's just a guesstimate after all. With % you get to make the guess and 1% makes you think twice about driving.

 

[vanhtu1987]

The size of the energy buffer is visible over the CAN bus so if you're handy with an Arduino you can access it (along with loads of other data that is very useful to gauge your battery's health and other system's activities such as how much energy is being used for heating, etc.).

On my car (MS 75D), the buffer is a fixed 4KWh. With heating/AC off I could extract about 15 miles from it at a maximum. ScanMyTesla is an easy solution to show this data.

In the winter, the PTC heater consumes anywhere between 1.6-3kW so the range provided by this buffer would easily be cut in half or even less if the battery must be heated. Range Mode will adjust the temperature in which the battery will actively be heated, on my car it is -10C, without Range Mode it is around 0C.

 

[GtiMart]

You can always monitor your charging at home. The Tesla app can show you what's going on. It's not just software updates, you might lose home power altogether. I charge when I arrive home for that type of reason, I don't rely on a schedule, especially if I know I have an appointment the next day.

When you made it to your destination and saw the chargers broken, did you check PlugShare or another such app to see if there were other Level 2 chargers around? Whatever the provider... Or maybe fast chargers (CCS) ? You always need multiple options... Heck, a normal wall plug would have done too, to add the little bit of power you needed to make it home. Did you check if there was an outside standard plug accessible somewhere? Have you bought the mobile charger?

In general there's electricity everywhere. It's a matter of planning, having fallback options. You should not have risked it home.

It's a bummer for the window, but the emergency release is just that, for emergencies. Maybe you opened the door a bit fast?

 

[Need]

Didn't know that the manual release opening door could crack the window. I am pretty sure someone on my passenger seat had used the manual release a few times when I first got the M3 but the car has power (never ran out of power ever). So is there a difference between using the manual release when there is power and when there is no power? I thought manual release does not lower the window even when there is power for the car. Or maybe because it is so cold that the window freezed to the seal on the door?

BTW, if my car says it has 12 miles in the winter and I have to go 12 miles, I will probably call for a tow unless I know it is 12 miles all downhill. This week my car went from 235 miles to 165 miles on the range but I only drove 35 miles actually. It is cold and short local trips to and from my son's school.

 

[GtiMart]

You don't need to call for a tow, you need to find power around you. Earlier if possible, but even at 12 miles, there's probably something closer than that.

The emergency door release now lowers the window just like the button. However, since you mechanically open the door, you might do it faster than the time it takes to lower that window. The button makes you wait before the latch opens.

 

[UrbanSplash]

Sorry you had a rubbish day. With it being so cold, I would not be chancing anything regarding distance. Range is taking such a hit in the last week. But yes, despite the window not lowering, I wouldn’t expect broken glass.

 

[GtiMart]

I've heard of people breaking glasses here with frozen doors. I think the windows were frozen to the seals and they opened the doors too quickly with a powerful pull. The window didn't have time to lower once it got unstuck from the seal. At least that's my theory. Even if the window doesn't go down, it should flex a bit instead of breaking if you're doing it gently. It happened to me once, I heard scraping at the top trim but nothing broke.

 

[Jason71]

The windows used to be toughened. And this was not a major problem. Now they are laminated they are no longer appear to be toughened. You can see from the photo. Broken windows have become a much more common problem since then so i have read. It is effectively a design flaw but good luck claiming on the warrentee.

 

[Durzel]

Ouch. The manual actually warns it can break the trim, so actually this is a known limitation (why it is technically emergency use only). However yours broke the glass somehow. Maybe the cold weather had to do with that, or your window calibration is off.

From how it was described he ran out of HV power, and then 12v died between then and recovery turning up (because it’s not being maintained by the HV anymore).

He used the manual door open handle to exit, as there was no power, which also meant the window didn’t drop, and then made the mistake of trying to close the door again. Glass meets trim, trim wins.

 

[duncans]

Design flaw. You don't even need a flat battery for this to happen: Model Y - Exit Button Malfunction?

 

[White Shadow]

I hate petrol stations (the benefit of owning an EV is never going to them) and used to regularly brim the tank then run to fumes.

Naturally there are occasions where time constraints meant I’d stretch it really close - regularly doing 30 miles on 0 range.

Only got caught out once - 200 yards from a station in 20 years.

4 years of EV ownership and charging from home means that has changed and now regularly run round mostly full - until this weeks series of unfortunate events.

Today was proceeded by a few days of having house guests using the drive and therefore had let the range run down further than normal.

Yeah, your situation seems to be the perfect storm of crap. And it really sucks that your window broke after everything else you went through that day. You'd think the 12V battery would still have enough juice left to at least lower the window a little bit. It seems crazy that it was too dead to even do that much.

 

[brkaus]

Dang. Sorry about your bad day.

Options are pretty limited when cold, but if you have the adapter you should be able to plug in anywhere (with permission) and get a ride while it charges. Problem is if cold it may not ever catch up

Yes, that’s the standard design for frameless windows.

 

[Bikeman]

Am I alone in thinking there needs to be an "In Case of Problems" section somewhere buried in the phone app that has functions such as "lower all windows one half inch, or one centimeter?" There used to be windows functionality in the app. Maybe it is time they bring that back.

 

[brainhouston]

I’m just waiting for someone to tell you that they always lower the windows on their Tesla when their battery is low so that they can open the doors without damaging the car.

This should be New Tesla Owner 101 and added to manual and even software to warn you something about it when battery is dying...

or have a trim that is just flat against the door frame, and not covered.

i brought this up before in another thread, its done for security so thiefs don't just go around left n right n open teslas with wire hanger...
but i do agree that something should be added as an option to software, but it can't be automatic.
imagine u left ur car n went home or to get warmed up n car will drop windows by itself, then someone will come along n easily open the door... etc...
not everyone will sit n wait in the car when HV is dead...

Am I alone in thinking there needs to be an "In Case of Problems" section somewhere buried in the phone app that has functions such as "lower all windows one half inch, or one centimeter?" There used to be windows functionality in the app. Maybe it is time they bring that back.

yes, definitely, but see above...

 

[bo3bdar]

As a software guy, can I say WTF with an update the fails and doesn't charge the car? Who writes software that sucks this badly?

The smartphone mentality of write terrible software today so we can update it tomorrow needs to end immediately. For critical components like a car and a charger they need a better class of software engineer to avoid making this type of inexcusable mistake.

 

[Simavon]

Didn't know that the manual release opening door could crack the window. I am pretty sure someone on my passenger seat had used the manual release a few times when I first got the M3 but the car has power (never ran out of power ever). So is there a difference between using the manual release when there is power and when there is no power? I thought manual release does not lower the window even when there is power for the car. Or maybe because it is so cold that the window freezed to the seal on the door?

BTW, if my car says it has 12 miles in the winter and I have to go 12 miles, I will probably call for a tow unless I know it is 12 miles all downhill. This week my car went from 235 miles to 165 miles on the range but I only drove 35 miles actually. It is cold and short local trips to and from my son's school.

When I give our Ukrainian guests a lift anywhere, one of them - the mum - is completely unable to remember to use the button rather than the manual release. I've given up reminding her, because it has no effect. (It's not a language thing, she has the best English of the three, and is the only one who is unable to learn). However the window and trim are fine despite her efforts.

When there's power, the manual release does lower the window, but someone who opened the release and pushed the door simultaneously might be able to damage it. I don't think if you just pull the handle but don't put any pressure it's really that big a deal. Maybe I've just been lucky.

 

[kelvin 660]

Just a tip, but I have enabled "start charging" and "stopped charging" notifactions in the app. Then, when I wake up I check that I have three Tesla icons showing. If not, I check what's happened. If it failed to charge, it gives me some time to charge the battery before setting out for the day...

 

[MashinBenzin]

When I give our Ukrainian guests a lift anywhere, one of them - the mum - is completely unable to remember to use the button rather than the manual release. I've given up reminding her, because it has no effect. (It's not a language thing, she has the best English of the three, and is the only one who is unable to learn). However the window and trim are fine despite her efforts.

When there's power, the manual release does lower the window, but someone who opened the release and pushed the door simultaneously might be able to damage it. I don't think if you just pull the handle but don't put any pressure it's really that big a deal. Maybe I've just been lucky.

I have a similarly memory challenged relative. She used the manual release two days ago when it was -4, luckily the window survived.

Believe this should be a warranty claim - the warning says it may damage the trim, not break the glass.

I never use mileage in the car but this screenshot from Tessie shows how far out the car range is