Scalding Hot Door Handles!

[mbaier]

Wow. Swiss owner quoting Bobby Brown rapping. Total pwnage.

in the eighties I thought bobby brown was cool

 

[MileHighMotoring]

Stick a piece of the "fuzzy" velcro on the back side of the handle.......pretty simple fix.

I have two concerns with this fix - one, that somehow it will interfere with the handle operation and Tesla will say it's not a warranty fix since I added a piece of fuzzy velcro to them. And two, that the adhesive will fail in the super heat we're talking about and fall off, leaving a sticky gummy mess.

 

[blanche]

hmm... My car is parked out in the 95 degree sun all day. I didn't realize that warm/hot door handles were an issue. Never felt anything more than mildly warm door handles when I tug on them -- I don't really grip them with my entire hands.

 

[ecarfan]

I think individual variation in human physiology plays a significant role in the varying reactions to hot door handles posted in this thread. Some people's fingers are much more sensitive to temperature than others. My wife can handle hot pot handles without complaint, handles that I use pot holders on because I can't tolerate them bare handed. The difference is not explained by "Well she does all the cooking". She hates to cook, I do it. [emoji3]

 

[MileHighMotoring]

Thankfully our handles operate by popping the doors open with just a light tug, so it's a moment of discomfort only. But my kids aren't ... mature enough to let go quickly and have screamed. Of course, they scream at anything. Man kids are ... precocious.

 

[AndyM]

I have found this on 3 summers now... My kids and I call them "nuclear hot".
Pre-cooling the car exhausts enough cabin air out through the door handles, making them much easier to touch for more than just a moment.

 

[ddimit]

I think the color of the car greatly affects this as well. Seems to be less of an issue on white cars. I haven't noticed a problem on mine being in100+ degree days. But i bet its very much an issue on Black or darker colors.

 

[jkliu47]

I wonder if the handles could be manufactured with horizontal 'ribs' on the insides thus maintaining the current look and if that would reduce the scorch/freeze factor?

An alternative method could be to cast 'hollow' handles, thus reducing the heat mass.

 

[perkiset]

Here in Phoenix we really know about hot. The door handles were untouchable during the hottest part of our summer, where temps got into the 118+ zone this year.

I set an alarm for when I know I'm leaving somewhere, start by venting the roof with the AC on full, then close the roof about 5 minutes later. If I get the car into the high-70s, as has been reported above the handles are touchable. But even then, I pop it quick then reach for the corner of the window to finish opening the door.

Agree that, although uncomfortable and requiring a workaround, the sexy steel look is preferable to painted.

 

[jlucero]

Here in Phoenix we really know about hot. The door handles were untouchable during the hottest part of our summer, where temps got into the 118+ zone this year.

I set an alarm for when I know I'm leaving somewhere, start by venting the roof with the AC on full, then close the roof about 5 minutes later. If I get the car into the high-70s, as has been reported above the handles are touchable. But even then, I pop it quick then reach for the corner of the window to finish opening the door.

Agree that, although uncomfortable and requiring a workaround, the sexy steel look is preferable to painted.

what amazing detail! i will start doing the same. im in 100 degree hot dallas, and have a black car too....be careful everyone...cant wait for summer to end

 

[robert774]

I suppose Tesla could switch to plastic door handles that just look like chrome. That way they won't get hot.

To avoid this problem, pre-cool the vehicle using your app. Cool air circulates around the door handles and should make them tolerable on a hot day.

I noticed this too recently and was surprised that pre-conditioning cooled the handles.

 

[Dborn]

Not found it a problem in Australia.

 

[gregincal]

I find it's not so much the temperature as being directly in the sun. Generally the handles will be hot on only one side of the car.

- - - Updated - - -

Here in California, we're famously laid back and always wear our shirts untucked. So it's pretty easy to grab the handle with the bottom of my shirt, if it's a very hot day and the handle has been in the direct sun for a while.

That's what I do.

 

[MileHighMotoring]

Not found it a problem in Australia.

Everything's backwards there. I'll bet the INSIDE door handles are the ones that get hot there

 

[LetsGoFast]

In other threads on this subject, people have mentioned using gaffer's tape on the inside of the door handles. I've been meaning to try that myself for some time, but never seem to remember when I have the spare time. I know that the adhesive on gaffer tape is quite heat resistant, so theoretically it shouldn't melt or run.

 

[tezco]

Personally I love the feel of a solid metal door handle. Of course, since I can hold a beaker of boiling water for several seconds, the thermal downsides are of negligible concern to me. Plastics just wouldn't be a good substitute esthetically. Carbon fiber with a surface slab of metal veneer might feel and look OK though.

 

[Phil K]

Not only the handles, but the whole body, and I have problems closing the frunk.

 

[ibdb]

I've had a problem with the door handles being too hot to touch a few times. First in Eastern Washington in 105+ degree temps not long after we first got the car, but even recently on a mid-90s sunny day in Western Washington where we're not known for temperature extremes. I'm sure that having a darker color car contributed.

I'm reluctant to try a custom fix of my own given how often it's likely to be an issue where I live, but I absolutely see how it could be problematic in hotter locations.

 

[jak]

I have this problem with my car. Because I had my car wrapped in vinyl, I also had the handles wrapped in the same color. Problem solved - no more having to touch hot metal. Now it just feels warm.

 

[liuping]

I also have Xpel on the handles and I've never noticed the handles to be uncomfortably hot.

That may also be due to having a white car, or because San Diego is not as extreme as places like Phoenix.

Does anyone with a dark colored car in a hot climate have Xpel wrapped door handles for comparison?