1. How much does the home charger weigh? This sounds like the most 'first world problem' type issue, but with the geometry of my garage/driveway, the car on the left pretty much has to back in to its spot, and the one on the right pulls in forward. Either way, this puts the driver's side of the car toward the center of the garage, away from whatever side wall a charger would be plugged in to. So I was thinking if I got the Tesla I might have it mounted on the ceiling to drop down in the middle. Is this feasible? There is no charge port on the passenger side, right? The front and back wall of the garage have shelving with nowhere to plug a charger into.
Several people hang theirs from the ceiling. Check your local codes to see if there are any restrictions regarding where you can place a 14-50 outlet, though.
2. I've read you can program it to open/close your garage door based on GPS location. How reliable is this and what is the threshold? And how many doors can be programmed into it? My house has an electric gate and 2 separate garage doors. Is it also something I can open/close from the screen or once I set it, is it always automatic?
I have mine set to open/close my garage door when I'm within 20 feet. It has been super reliable for me. But I also didn't purchase a cheap/low quality garage door opener. Lots of people skimp on them because they're expensive, but to me $300 on a quality product that will last decades is money well spent.
3. I've also seen that you can set it to unlock / lock with your phone every time to walk up to / away from the car. Is there a setting to disable this when it knows it's at home? The convenience of not having to pull out a phone/key/card to lock and unlock it while out and about is nice, but I don't want it to be locked any time it's in my garage.
Like others have said, you can disable walk-away lock but it's not based on a location. Honestly, the lock in the Model 3 is just software ignoring the door handle sensor. It's not a traditional mechanical lock. With that said, if you carry your phone with you when walking around the house, the car will unlock when you approach it and pull on the door handle.
4. I guess along the lines of #3, will it only be fully 'off' or able to go into sleep mode or whatever if it's locked? I don't want it to be just sitting burning electrons all the time, but like I said, when my car is in my garage I want it unlocked at all times.
Even when in sleep mode, it uses electricity. There is no "completely off" mode, just varying levels of sleep. That's how you can use the phone key, key card, the app to wake the car remotely, software door handles, etc. The car also monitors several systems to make sure the 12v battery doesn't die, the main HV battery pack doesn't get too cold or too hot, etc.
5. From what I've read, it looks like I can expect about 1% / 3mi loss per day when not in use. I'm trying to figure out how this will factor in when I go on vacation. The airport is about 180 miles from my house. Assuming 220ish highway miles out of a full charge (that's about what I can expect, right?), I'd get to the airport with ~40 miles remaining. Sitting for 14 days losing 3 miles a day... well that means I come home to a completely dead battery. Adding extra time to go to a supercharger isn't particularly convenient. On the way there or on the way back, but there's no real way around it I guess.
I'll offer two suggestions here. First, change the car to display "%" and never use the miles indicator on the battery icon. Look at it like your mobile phone, basically. At 20%, you need to start looking for a charge, at 10% you're in battery save mode and searching for a place to plug in. Below 10% is a bad idea. The miles indicator isn't based on what your actual driving range will be, which makes it completely pointless.
Second, charge on the way to the airport. The battery will be its most warm so it will charge faster, and it obviously leaves you with enough range that you can not worry about the car being parked. Bjørn Nyland has done several videos about parking a Model S and a Model X at the airport, and he has shared several tips. While the Model 3 doesn't have an energy saver mode, everything else applies. Here's a video from an 8 day trip.
6. Looking around the forum, it seems like my $111 / month insurance quote is about on par with what others are seeing, right?
Only your insurance company can tell you what you'll pay, and only you can compare rates with other companies. Insurance rates are so different and have so many variables that you can't really compare with anybody else. Get a quote you're happy to pay, and pay it. Comparing with others is just going to make you angry when you find someone paying less than you.
7. Much fuss has been made about QC issues. Am I right to assume this is continually improving and new cars being delivered keep getting better fit / finish wise? I am 3 hours from a service center, so having to go get issues fixed is quite an imposition. I'm hoping that in another few months when I'm ready to order all those initial production issues will be a thing of the past.
For the most part, the P3D has been less impacted by the quality issues, because it was being made by humans on its own line. I don't know if that's still the case or not, but quality issues seem to come and go. When you get your car, if you like it, leave well enough alone. Pay a detailer to do a standard paint correction like you would with any car, and enjoy it. If there are major body panel issues, tell Tesla to fix them.
8. Other than if you choose to use a supercharger, are there any monthly or yearly recurring fees that are required?
Eventually the "premium" internet package will run out on the P3D, and you'll need to buy internet access for the car. There's a standard and a premium package, so you'll have a choice about what you pay in the future. I haven't heard of anybody needing to buy access yet, so I don't know how long the premium access lasts for us.
9. Talk to me about autopilot.
Oh boy.
All I see are options for 'Autopilot' and 'Full Self Driving.' But I see everyone talk about 'Enhanced Autopilot.' What's the difference?
Tesla changed the Auto Pilot packaging several weeks ago. Enhanced Auto Pilot has features like Navigate on Autopilot, Lane Change, and a few things of that nature. Basically, more than just keeping you in your lane. Auto Pilot, on the other hand, doesn't offer those features. It just keeps you in your lane on the highway. You need to change lanes on your own, it won't do Navigate on Autopilot (GPS/Map assisted assisted driving with lane change suggestions and automatic exiting of the highway).
And what's the point? So many people talk about how cool it is.
The point is driver assistance. It makes driving much less stressful, especially in traffic. And when not in traffic it makes driving more enjoyable.
But whenever someone posts about it doing something stupid, they're slammed with 'you should still be paying attention! keep your hands on the wheel!' So... which is it?
It's both. Autopilot isn't autonomous driving. Just like in airplanes it's not autonomous flying. It's an aide. Every time you enable Auto Pilot, it reminds you to keep your hands on the wheel and to stay alert. If the car detects you aren't holding the wheel, it will beep at you and eventually stop the car.
You are liable for what your car does, so pay attention.
I kinda feel like any middle ground between 'you are driving the car' and 'the machine is driving' is pointless.
You will
very quickly change your opinion. Especially on a 180 mile trip to the airport.
So help me understand... how do you use it in your daily life? Do you engage it, keep holding the wheel, maintaining awareness, and let it turn the wheel in your hands as it follows the road?
Yup. Exactly this. Every time I get on the highway, too. But I know where EAP is likely to fail, so I disable it in those conditions and take over.
I'm thinking I shouldn't spend the money on this option but I want to understand it better before making that decision.
You certainly don't have to, but look at it this way. Tesla gives people a free trial period of Autopilot, and the majority of those trials have converted into sales even at the increased price you have to pay after your order. So there's basically a $1000-2000 dummy tax on these packages.
10. I've read they're talking about adding a leasing option for the Model 3. I had originally planned to buy whatever car I get, but after talking to all the other dealers of all the other options, it seems like almost everyone leases. Do you think this will be a good option?
Dealers are going to tell you whatever makes them the most money, so that's a really bad way to gauge what's the most financially sound choice for you. The major benefit you can expect to receive from leasing an EV of any kind is that you'll return it in 4 years and most likely end up starting a new lease for the newest model. If it works financially for you, that's perhaps the cheapest way to guarantee you're always driving the newest EV tech. Otherwise, you should ask a fiduciary what's the smartest choice for you. Asking a dealer is like asking a burglar what the best home security system is.
Good luck, and enjoy your model 3. Oh, and also write to your representatives to tell them that the newest proposed legislation to make it illegal for Tesla to service their customers' vehicles in Texas is bull and their jobs depend on them not making idiotic laws like that.
