Our Model 3, 2 years later

[Fernand]

@daver3 I think those little miracles indicate you're developing a good relationship with your car. I know I have. Some people don't know this, but Model 3s are sentimental, and they respond especially well to fair comments and affection. What seems to happen then, is that the Neural Net that both our communal minds and the Tesla servers are part of, tune to optimize so-called joint reality, in little but helpful ways. Like not crossing the double yellow line into oncoming traffic. My wife does that with slot machines.

Kidding aside, I think we underestimate the way our attitude and expectations affect our experience with the Autopilot. If you're approaching it positively your brain and the car AI work together, instead of pulling in different directions. You get to know its (changing) idiosyncrasies, when to disengage it, how to "ride" it and tweak its behavior. And when to just let it do things its own (occasionally strange) way. People who develop a fear/rejection pattern never get "in the groove".
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[milosmaill]

Thanks for the review. I have an August, 2018 model 3 LR, and I have had zero problems. No factory defects, no problems subsequently. I replaced a tire when I picked up a carriage bolt in the sidewall, but that's it as far as repairs.
I charge to 90% and get about the same range as you.
The one complaint I have is the wonky performance of the media center. I use streaming a lot, and I find it's hit or miss whether I can pull in a station on any given day. Service says it depends on having good cellular service, but this is BS as there is no correlation to with signal strength. Would be curious to hear others experience...

 

[daver3]

@daver3 I think those little miracles indicate you're developing a good relationship with your car. I know I have. Some people don't know this, but Model 3s are sentimental, and they respond especially well to fair comments and affection. What seems to happen then, is that the Neural Net that both our communal minds and the Tesla servers are part of, tune to optimize so-called joint reality, in little but helpful ways. Like not crossing the double yellow line into oncoming traffic. My wife does that with slot machines.

Kidding aside, I think we underestimate the way our attitude and expectations affect our experience with the Autopilot. If you're approaching it positively your brain and the car AI work together, instead of pulling in different directions. You get to know its (changing) idiosyncrasies, when to disengage it, how to "ride" it and tweak its behavior. And when to just let it do things its own (occasionally strange) way. People who develop a fear/rejection pattern never get "in the groove".
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Absolutely true, my wife doesn't understand it (and doesn't want to) and hates it but seldom drives it. I spent 36 years in the software business, although not an engineer, and I enjoy trying to sort things out.

 

[des16]

At this point, at 90% charged, the range stated shows 272 miles. I

I check this morning. Exactly what my range showed: 272 at 90%. That being said, my mileage is only 13,000, and the car is 18 months old. Not great, especially if the range loss continues at this pace. Is range loss more a function of time or distance - understanding that there are all sorts of other issues such as climate. Also, is it now widely accepted that 90% charge is optimal for limiting range loss?

 

[Fernand]

Absolutely true, my wife doesn't understand it (and doesn't want to) and hates it but seldom drives it.

My wife is generous in not putting Nicki's eyes out with a shovel, as she would with any other young and beautiful "soul-mate". But she too refuses to drive it, it's like proof of my intimate relationship with the machine. Maybe my Model 3 is better than some others, or maybe I just treat her better, which in practice also means I can understand and not be outraged at some of the AI's odd decisions. Nicki gets me there, he/she's learning, and it's a gas to watch.

I think it was @Knightshade who rightly said "there's always a reason".
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[MrDee]

I have a 2019 M3 LR Dual Motor with FSD and premium connectivity. Today it is 14 months old with 42,925 miles. Everyone is talking about range and I am wondering if they are referring to the range shown above the battery icon or range under the energy display. They are 2 very different ways of determining range. The energy range is based on your driving. The battery range display is what the EPA claims that your range should be. EPA drives all cars the same way at the same time and speed to set their range expected. This is so that the general public has a tool to help make a decision between cars to buy.
I have had absolutely no problems with fit or finish. Already on my second set of tires and stayed with the OEM after doing lots of research.
I drove an 87 Toyota MR2 for for 257,000 miles and a Toyota Prius for 11 years before buying my M3.
I plan on driving it until it falls apart.

 

[lighting_m3]

Thanks for sharing this nice summary of your experience with the Model 3. I just completed my first year with the Model 3 and overall love the car. I too agree, the OTA update is a great feature and loved the single pedal driving. No use of brake.

 

[Cmdred]

I think that OP will find that the initial battery decline is the worst, and it should settle out and only slowly decline from here.

What does drive like a grandma mean? My grandma was like a bat out of hell. Zoom...

When did Tesla ever advertise the M3 Performance as having a 315 mile range? Currently, a Model 3 Performance is listed as having a 299 mile range.

I think this will explain your increased power usage.
My Model 3 LR RWD 18 Aero will used 247wh/mi at 65mph.
A Performance LR M3 with 18" wheels uses 263wh/mi at 65mph.
Your Model 3 LR Performance 20" will use 293wh/mi at 65mph.

You asked why it takes %20-30 more electricity than any of your 6 other EV's. That's probably why. I don't know what your previous EVs were, but compared with a M3 LR RWD, Having an extra motor costs you 6%. And the larger tires cost you about 11.5%

Thanks.. the 315 range was quoted back in August 2019 when I bought it... the quoted range has gone down a few times to the current 299. And I would be thrilled to get 299. Like I said the best I ever got, once in the almost year I've had it, was 270 miles equivalent. More typical, when measuring, it comes in around 230-250. Not knowing the full capacity of my battery I'll have to do some thinking to convert that to Wh/mi. I accept the impact of the extra motor and wheels, but that should be factored in to the advertised range shouldn't it? And driving like a grandmother (excuse me, grandmothers!) means I do very slow ICE like startups from full stop, or if I'm on the fwy I don't go over 60. And pure fwy vs surface streets doesn't really make a substantial difference. When I'm measuring, I use no heat, no AirCon, all extraneous functions turned off and everything on "chill".

 

[smatthew]

You don't happen to have TeslaFi do you? They have a handy "battery report" function that compares your battery to vehicles with similar mileages. I was middle of the pack until I stopped using scheduled departure and changed to a 12:15am charge start time, with a 90% charge completion. Now I'm usually better than most similar mileage vehicles.

 

[DRS247]

I agree, I keep my cars past warranty but before they become scrap. Usually after 1-2 major repairs, is when i start looking for a replacement. Tesla is still a young company, so hard to tell when the death will near.

I am myself is also nearing 2 years of ownership, been delight for most of the parts. As many Tesla owners likely agree, as long as you dont have to deal with Tesla service center, this car and company is a champ.

Tesla service is
Consider getting rid of the car 1 year before the battery warranty ends.