Questions from potential first time buyer

[TechnoMinds]

I have a few questions for Model Y owners.

1. For seasonal tire changes, do I have to go to Tesla Service center? Or are most garages comfortable with Tesla?
2. Since the car doesn't come with spare tire, is there a jack? If not, is a normal jack suitable?
3. Any special instructions for towing?
4. Can tow hitch option be added later: Thinking of bike rack option
5. For those in very cold climates (I am in Montreal), how well does heated charging port work? Is freezing rain a problem? How about the door handles?
6. Just how hard is the ride for both tire sizes? We have A LOT of potholes.
7. Is the lack of CarPlay or specifically, WAZE a big issue? I am so addicted to the traffic features of Waze.
8. Does the car accept voice commands for anything? I understand the AP function allows you to look at the screen. But still, would like to be hands free as much as possible.
9. Lastly, without any physical controls for climate control, is it a pain to adjust while driving? Is there voice control? "Hey Tessi, turn up the heat."

Thanks everyone. I am so close to pulling the trigger. I am very excited.

 

[MrTuna]

1. I live in the upper midwest and so far only do all-seasons. But yes if that is your route, just ask the shop "Have you ever changed tires on a tesla". If they don't answer fast, call the next one.
2. No and no. You can buy one called modern spare, OR you just use roadside assistance. I have never changed a tire on the side of the road (not that safe TBH), so I will not be getting a spare.
3. The manual has a section, not much to it.
4. yes. First party for 1k ish, or third party for 300-400.
5. We don't know yet! Has not been a cold winter since it came out. The charge port SHOULD help a lot. The door handles let you "rock" them side to side in case of ice.
6. To me, this is more reason to just do the 19s. No need to switch out tires in the summer, and much less flat chance.
7. You can use Tesla Traffic Incidents and Information in your browser. I was addicted to waze also, but personally have switched to Tesla nav and it is "fine"
8. Yes most things. You can for example say "my ass is cold" and get your seat warmer turned on.
9. I enjoy it. When I go back into an ICE car with buttons, I have a panic attack. Most important stuff like climate is on the bar always on the screen. You never need to dig deep into menus for the normal stuff you do while driving.

 

[Rockster]

1. As long as the garage you use knows Tesla's and understands how to jack it up without damaging the battery, you're fine. Around here I use a chain called "Discount Tire" and my local Discount Tire is very comfortable working with Teslas.
2. Most people keep a inflater/sealant kit and/or a patch kit in their car for tire mishaps. The typical jack I've seen people use is a floor jack with a hockey puck-type adapter to ensure proper connection with the car's lift point(s). I have no familiarity with a scissor-type jack. Others here might chime in.
3. Flatbed tow only.
4. Need to add tow hitch at time of ordering. Other than a third-party kludged solution that's likely to be unsatisfactory, tow hitches cannot be retrofit.
5. Sorry. Can't help. Dallas area. Cold not an issue.
   
6. Not a lot of potholes around here, either.
7. I don't use Waze. The traffic aware features of the onboard GPS work well for my use. Maybe others can chime in on how they might use Waze. Even without CarPlay I can connect my iPhone to the car and stream content that way. The various streaming options in the car make that unnecessary most of the time, though.
   
8. There are lots of voice commands, many of them very humorous. ("Eject the passenger" turns on the passenger seat heater. "I'm cold" raised the temp one degree. Etc. There are lists posted in various threads, if you care to dig further.)
9. Yes. See above.

Pull the trigger! You won't regret it.

 

[Ynotelectric]

I'll take a crack at this as well, though many the answers will be same/similar to Mr.Tuna. I am in Ohio, but I am actually from Ottawa, so a close neighbour to Montreal.

1. Nothing particularly special about the wheels or tires on a Tesla so any shop should be fine. BUT.... lifting the vehicle does have special requirements given the body and battery pack. There are specific locations to lift from and it is advisable to get "lifting pucks) that fit into the specific locations you need to lift from. These are widely available and not expensive. If the shop does it correctly, changing tires should be trivial.
2. Nope, you are on your own. As mentioned "Modern Spare" can sell you one, but it will eat into your storage space. Still probably the best option because the jury is out on the effectiveness of the "slime + compressor" option.
3. As mentioned, there is a section in the manual. There is a specific tow hook stored in the frunk that needs to be mounted in a location on the bumper (you can see the circular cut out in many pictures).
4. Yes it can be added. Some Youtube channels show the installation of the after market option.
5. Time will tell. There hasn't been the weather yet to test this.
6. I would strongly urge you then to stick with the Gemini (19") wheels. Not only will you save some money, but those will be a bit more forgiving than the other options. However, be warned that the ride on the Y is generally pretty stiff. Great when you are feeling sporty, but not so much when day to day on rough streets.
7. Tough call, pretty personal I think. I too loved waze, but I am doing just fine without it. The default navigation is based on Google and is the best "built in" navigation system I have had in a car (and I have had many, they generally suck). What's missing that you can't easily fix is the speed trap warnings. Less an issue for me as I normally keep my speeding below the "I want to pull you over" threshold (i.e. 118 km/h in 100 km/h zone). But again this is personal. Mr. Tuna, thanks for that link, I may give it a try.
8. Generally good voice recognition! Beats my 2018 Audi Q5 hands down.
9. Mostly not an issue for me so far, it is pretty much a set it and forget it thing. Voice control does work with the HVAC.

 

[DanDi58]

Regarding #4, I'm pretty you can buy the trailer hitch from Tesla after purchase for $1200. I assume that includes installation at the SC. There are a couple of threads on here about towing which also include aftermarket purchase. I'm going to get the hitch up-front for a bike rack.

 

[LNL_HUTZ]

About the hitch: you can pay Tesla $1K (USD) as part of your build or $1,200 after delivery. That will include their 2" receiver, trailer plug, and software. If you get an aftermarket hitch, it will cost roughly one-third and should work just fine for a bike rack. However, it will not give you Trailer Mode, so the sensors will probably constantly react to the bikes.

About voice controls: I have found that the available commands generally work better than other cars I've had, but I've also been surprised by things that you can't control with your voice (at least not yet). You can definitely say "my balls are cold" to turn on your seat heater.

 

[TechnoMinds]

Wow! Thank you guys for the fast a thoughtful answers.

As silly as it sounds, the most concerning is the Waze. We have so much road construction in our city that knowing which streets are closed or are backed up is extremely valuable. I will look into a phone holder option to run waze off that.

So let me ask a few more since you guys are so helpful. I can tell Tesla owners are proud of their cars.

1. What is the deal with internet connection? How much does it cost? Is it free the first year? Etc.
2. Can I tether the car to my phone for data connection? My cell provider allows hot spotting.
3. what color should I get. lol

 

[Ynotelectric]

1. Free the first year if you have the "premium" interior. Given that is all the Y comes with, you get 12 months connectivity (4G). After the free year, it costs $10 (USD) a month, not sure for Canada.
2. Yes you can, but what is available is somewhat mixed. This page describes it well and has a table that explains what is available under what conditions:Connectivity .
3. White is popular so you can save some money that you will immediately blow on accessories . I have white. But I like the blue and the red as well.

 

[LNL_HUTZ]

1. Free the first year if you have the "premium" interior. Given that is all the Y comes with, you get 12 months connectivity (4G).

This probably won't always be the case. Once the RWD goes on sale, they might make the premium interior a paid add-on for that trim. I think that's the deal with the M3, anyway. Premium connectivity from Tesla gets you traffic information, music and video streaming, and probably some other stuff. The car connects to your Wi-Fi at home and I'm sure it would just as easily connect to a mobile hot spot, but I don't know if all the functionality remains available.

I was a big Waze aficionado and Tesla's traffic and routing options seem fairly robust to me. So far, I haven't missed CarPlay or Waze, but that's partly because I only had wired CarPlay in the past and find it liberating to be able to leave the phone in my pocket as opposed to plugging it in every time.

By the way, you can sync your iOS calendar with your car so that your appointments show up as navigation destinations. You can also "share" a location from an iPhone with the Tesla app, which sends it directly to the nav screen in the car.

 

[TechnoMinds]

This probably won't always be the case. Once the RWD goes on sale, they might make the premium interior a paid add-on for that trim. I think that's the deal with the M3, anyway.

I hadn't heard about that. Is it announced? When? I am planning on purchasing in Feb/March

By the way, you can sync your iOS calendar with your car so that your appointments show up as navigation destinations. You can also "share" a location from an iPhone with the Tesla app, which sends it directly to the nav screen in the car.

That is good to know. I completely understand why Tesla doesn't want to let other software inside their system. I just hate to give up on all of the cohesion of my existing phone integration.

 

[DanDi58]

I hadn't heard about that. Is it announced? When? I am planning on purchasing in Feb/March

The RWD was available to preorder when the Y was first announced. No date has been announced for actual production yet, and you can't order it on-line now.

 

[LNL_HUTZ]

The only thing that's been announced is that there will be an RWD option. If you look at the M3 configurations, the cheapest trim comes with "partial premium" interior, which only gives you 30 days of free full connectivity.

 

[angus[Y]oung]

@MrTuna Regarding Waze: I don't have a MY yet either, so I cannot personally attest to this, but you may want to check out this tip (in this good roundup of tips):

.

 

[PKOttawa]

Re. Colour..

I have a black performance and I think it looks really sharp. However, Teslas have terrible paint and my PPF installer warned me that the black might not hold up very well.. he recommended grey followed by blue and red - from a paint robustness perspective.

 

[TechnoMinds]

@MrTuna Regarding Waze: I don't have a MY yet either, so I cannot personally attest to this, but you may want to check out this tip (in this good roundup of tips):

.

Thanks, that guy Andy makes good videos. Super informative without being too "fan boy".

 

[toneman82]

On #6: I test drove an LR Y with 20s. It wasn't that bad, but smooth roads around the area. I purchased the car with 19s, but ordered TSportline rims (matte black). Its cheaper than the $2k upgrade to 20s and rides a bit better. And just about any tire shop can swap your tires to different rims.

For big potholes, I found the model Y with 19s handles them better than my AMG Mercedes with active suspension (in comfort mode). That could would clunk hard and one time took out my alignment. The Y handles them very well.

 

[TechnoMinds]

Thanks @toneman82. That is helpful.

I have a followup on winter related stuff for those in cold climates. We get many nights of freezing rain. How well does the Y defrost windshield? Often with my ICE I have to use my car starter 10 minutes before I want to leave just to open the doors and get in.

 

[Kabillyhop]

Thanks @toneman82. That is helpful.

I have a followup on winter related stuff for those in cold climates. We get many nights of freezing rain. How well does the Y defrost windshield? Often with my ICE I have to use my car starter 10 minutes before I want to leave just to open the doors and get in.

The Y hasn't seen a winter yet, but my Model C defroster was very fast. I'm hoping the Y will be just as good, but we haven't had a frost yet in the big smoke. Your phone can turn on the defrost and heat so the car will be ready when you go out.

Someone mentioned otherwise above, but you will need winter tires. Anyway, I think it's the law in Quebec. The good news is that the Tesla is the best vehicle on winter roads (ice and snow) that I have ever driven. At least my model C was, and I'm expecting the extra weight and clearance will make the Model Y even better. BTW, I'm from the Laurentians where as you know we do get winter

 

[Sirpal]

TechnoMinds, I'm in Montreal area and a potential buyer as well.

You may find this link useful, based on my concerns about winter. From my understanding, you can program the car to heat or AC 30 minutes before leaving. You can do it with a remote starter on any car but I would feel too guilty to waste gas and pollute.

Newbie Technical Questions

Also, on Kijiji there are some owners who post ads just to show their car and talk to potential buyers. I only saw ads for the model 3 (and met a guy) but model Y owners may do the same in a the future. They do this for free and the only benefit is you can use their referral code so each one will get 1500km of supercharger.

If your worried about potholes and comfort you can look on Turo to rent one (around 225$/day cad in MTL).

For the tow option, I'm not an expert but had similar questions. Yes in US$ aftermarket options are around 300$ vs 1000$ from tesla. But if you include shipping (and not even duty) the aftermarket option was around 800$ cad vs 1300$ from tesla (but 1600$ with tesla if you do it later)... and the 800$ was not even installed (but can be done by yourself). And you may not have the "tow" mode with aftermarket but needs to be validated.

Good luck in your decision process!

 

[TxPanda]

The lack of waze is going to be a personal preference.

Spotify Tip: If you’re going to share the car with a spouse, and you got Spotify family plan, make your Tesla its own Spotify account and share playlist with it. That way, your spouse’s listening habits don’t effect your algorithms.

The biggest things I miss is XM radio and audible. But using Bluetooth work fine.