Parking Assist?

[jchag]

New Model S owner and I've used the adaptive cruise, AP, summon, but I don't know how to use the parking feature. I keep checking for a parking indicator while driving slowly in lots, but haven't seen anything

 

[ABCCBA]

I have found that it only identifies open spots between two vehicles, not open spaces without vehicles. While I tested this many times, I don't use it because I don't want to be parked so closely to other vehicles.

 

[mblakele]

Have you checked to see if it's still calibrating? From the manual:

Note: If the Autopark icon does not appear at potential parking spaces when driving at the indicated speed, it is possible that Autopark is calibrating. Autopark requires a calibration process when Model S is new, or when tires are changed (see Calibration on page 80).

[...]
Calibration

During a parking sequence, Autopark must maneuver Model S with a great deal of precision. Therefore, before it can be used, Autopark must complete a calibration process. Calibration can take anywhere from 30 minutes to several days, depending on driving behavior. When Autopark is calibrating, a note displays on the Driver Assistance settings screen indicating that calibration is in progress. When calibration is complete, this note no longer displays and Autopark is available for use.

Note: Autopark repeats the calibration process whenever tires are changed. ​

 

[Btrflyl8e]

I've had difficulty getting it to recognize open parking spaces that it should see, based on the criteria it uses...

 

[kort677]

it's been a bust, not ready for prime time. I can park just fine on my own.

 

[BertL]

OP, from other threads, it appears some people have gotten it to work and like what it does, while others like me remain disappointed and have never experienced the possible joy parking assist could provide.

While the need to parallel park is not needed very often in areas I frequent, I have never once been able to get my MS to identify the opportunity, even when there are cars on both ends of a long-enough area, there is a curb I believe is sufficiently high for it to sense, and I pull forward and back to be a little closer or further from the adjoining parked cars, but the "P" indicator never appears when I want it to. Oddly, I get more false positives when my MS offers to park itself -- generally as I'm pulling up to stop at a light with cars stopped to my right (generally with no curb to their right), or like the other day in stop-and-go freeway traffic where the "P" appeared out of nowhere as I was creeping along and cars were still stopped on my right.

As @kort677 says, it's not ready for prime time and IMHO is definitely a Beta function that could use some work.

 

[royewest]

I've had my S60 for about a month. This weekend it started offering to park for me. Does a very nice job and enormously amused my teenager. Win-win.

 

[WannabeOwner]

Dunno if my experience is any help, but I can't remember seeing the [P] symbol on dash when passing a suitable parking space, but then when i stop and select Reverse it immediately offers me the Autopark screen (with a "Start" button). It might be that I wasn't paying attention and the [P] was there, and I just didn't notice it and selected Reverse anyway ...

 

[Boatguy]

Dunno if my experience is any help, but I can't remember seeing the [P] symbol on dash when passing a suitable parking space, but then when i stop and select Reverse it immediately offers me the Autopark screen (with a "Start" button). It might be that I wasn't paying attention and the [P] was there, and I just didn't notice it and selected Reverse anyway ...

I've used it multiple times, both parallel and three point perpendicular. I just used it for perpendicular last week to show a friend. It backed into a very awkward spot terminated by a dumpster and a tree, no problems. The "P" is pretty subtle, maybe people just don't see it.

FWIW, I've also been using this feature on my i3 for two years, parallel parking in San Francisco. It has gotten me into very tight spots more than once; spots I would not have attempted manually. But it won't do the perpendicular parking.

Automated parking is definitely not a new or unproven feature.

 

[McMuggets]

Tesla really needs to put this in bold:

I was told by my delivery specialist that Park Assist activates after driving around enough and allowing the car to "calibrate and learn" your city and the situations for parking. Probably the shape of curbs as well. Apparently, the way you can get it to finally offer the "P" to you is to drive around enough and do some parallel parking on your own, or perpendicular parking. Most people are seeing it work after 1 week of ownership. Some people who don't drive around enough need a few more weeks. Either way, get in your Tesla and have a drive around the inner city and let it scan parked cars.

If you check the manual it says in one of the lines about park assist that says the Tesla needs to calibrate before offering you the "P". So they did specify it, but definitely not anywhere easy to find.

 

[Boatguy]

Tesla really needs to put this in bold:

I was told by my delivery specialist that Park Assist activates after driving around enough and allowing the car to "calibrate and learn" your city and the situations for parking. Probably the shape of curbs as well. Apparently, the way you can get it to finally offer the "P" to you is to drive around enough and do some parallel parking on your own, or perpendicular parking. Most people are seeing it work after 1 week of ownership. Some people who don't drive around enough need a few more weeks. Either way, get in your Tesla and have a drive around the inner city and let it scan parked cars.

If you check the manual it says in one of the lines about park assist that says the Tesla needs to calibrate before offering you the "P". So they did specify it, but definitely not anywhere easy to find.

There is probably some calibration by the ultrasonic sensors when the car is brand new, but it's not with respect to your particular city or it's curbs. I have used parking assistance in cities I visited for the first time, and in places that would not be called a "city" at all.

For perpendicular parking it needs two cars on either side of the space so it can detect the space. For parallel parking it seems to use both the camera and the ultrasonic sensors and can find spots that are not bounded by other vehicles, though it definitely does better when the space is bounded by a car at each end.

 

[dcmetro]

This is one feature I haven't seen at all...in my case. Granted, I'd just had the car for a week but would love to see how it works. If a garage or empty spaces, then wouldn't show up at all? Is that the intended behavior?

 

[Need]

This is one feature I haven't seen at all...in my case. Granted, I'd just had the car for a week but would love to see how it works. If a garage or empty spaces, then wouldn't show up at all? Is that the intended behavior?

As far as I could tell, it won't. I only played with it 3 or 4 times, but the only times the "P" will show on screen is when there is a space big enough between 2 other cars. And that's what the Tesla OA told us when we test drove the car. We pulled into an Olive Garden or some other chain restaurant parking lot. The parking was mostly empty but there were 2 cars parked far away from the restaurant and with a space in the middle. So we did the self park demo...and one of the car has a person sitting inside. She was the waitress at the restaurant. She came out and gave us dirty look... why are you guys back your car into this tight parking spot when the entire lot is empty??

 

[dcmetro]

As far as I could tell, it won't. I only played with it 3 or 4 times, but the only times the "P" will show on screen is when there is a space big enough between 2 other cars. And that's what the Tesla OA told us when we test drove the car. We pulled into an Olive Garden or some other chain restaurant parking lot. The parking was mostly empty but there were 2 cars parked far away from the restaurant and with a space in the middle. So we did the self park demo...and one of the car has a person sitting inside. She was the waitress at the restaurant. She came out and gave us dirty look... why are you guys back your car into this tight parking spot when the entire lot is empty??

Haha. Hope that's improved soon then.

 

[Impala1ss]

I've never tried to perpendicular park yet but wonder how it works. I get that you have to drive slowly by other cars parked, with an open space in the middle, and the "P" comes on. Then what? You put the car in reverse and it parks itself? Since you have to be close to the cars in order to get the "P", how does the Tesla get into the spot. If it's close to the other cars it obviously can't simply swing the front out and back into the space. The car must back as far as it can, go into Drive and pull out to try to center itself, and then back up again into the spot. Is this correct?

Does the car "see" other vehicles driving through the lane? Pedestrians? If so does it stop for them or ignore them while it is parking. I'd hate for the car to pull forward to center itself and get hit/hit another car.