Sentry Mode (yes or no)

[Chemaster]

I just ordered a M3 on Friday and should have it within two weeks.

I’ve been considering using Sentry Mode to help protect the car from the potential of people keying or dinging door. However, I curious to know if using Sentry Mode may piss off someone who is causally just walking a little to close to car and they may respond with a keying after the alert. If this makes sense.

Is it always best to leave Sentry mode on all the time?

 

[1965Falcon]

I always have mine on, no issues after 3 years. It only flashes the lights when you get close... lots of other security system do the same. Mostly a lot of videos of people walking by...

 

[Prodock]

I wish I could shut the flashing lights off, then I’d keep it on…but also it uses a little battery so if you leave the car for an extended period of time just be aware of the battery drain. Sentry mode is an awesome feature though, I’ve had some interesting videos of people looking at our MYP.

 

[LoudMusic]

I have mine set to be on except at home. It's never been useful. I don't think it's any kind of deterrent. Possibly if enough people get busted by it for doing bad things and the story gets to the news then it will become public knowledge that Teslas are always watching and people won't misbehave around Teslas.

 

[jjrandorin]

Is it always best to leave Sentry mode on all the time?

If you want to do the equivalent of putting an extra roughly 8000 miles a year on your battery, I guess so (cause thats what using sentry mode 24 X 7 will do). You will be both putting about 8k miles on it and paying for those miles while its just sitting there, if you turn on sentry mode 24 X 7.

 

[Tronguy]

There's settings one can make to disable Sentry mode when the car is in certain locations. I happen to have a garage and, when the car is in there, well, that's a great place to turn Sentry mode off.

Nobody has wasted the effort to ding the car. But YouTube is full of videos where some malefactor keyed a car and that good 'ol 4-way camera system not only caught it, it caught the license plate of the idiot who did it. Given that it doesn't use that much energy, I'd leave it on.

 

[Chisale]

I pretty much only use Sentry now when parking in very sketchy areas or if I have something expensive in the car. Frankly, it's quite expensive to run all the time even while on home charging. And if you are away from home and supercharging then it is incredibly expensive to operate. My feeling is that it might fend off somebody who might be wishy-washy on wanting to cause harm. If their appetite is strong, then Sentry isn't likely to deter much.

 

[jjrandorin]

There's settings one can make to disable Sentry mode when the car is in certain locations. I happen to have a garage and, when the car is in there, well, that's a great place to turn Sentry mode off.

Nobody has wasted the effort to ding the car. But YouTube is full of videos where some malefactor keyed a car and that good 'ol 4-way camera system not only caught it, it caught the license plate of the idiot who did it. Given that it doesn't use that much energy, I'd leave it on.

I use sentry mode when I am out and about (grocery shopping, restaurants, etc). The amount of power it uses is worth it for that to me. I dont use it at home (I park in a garage) and at work (we have gated parking at work). Since the OP said "all the time" thats how I interpreted the question, as there are definitely people who use sentry mode 24 X 7 as well.

 

[1965Falcon]

If you want to do the equivalent of putting an extra roughly 8000 miles a year on your battery, I guess so (cause thats what using sentry mode 24 X 7 will do). You will be both putting about 8k miles on it and paying for those miles while its just sitting there, if you turn on sentry mode 24 X 7.

I have it plugged in at both work and home so it's not using battery, good point if you are parking it for a long time while out and about.

 

[jeremymc7]

With exception of when being parked in my garage with a half dozen cameras watching the outside and inside my Tesla’s always has sentry on.

 

[jjrandorin]

I have it plugged in at both work and home so it's not using battery, good point if you are parking it for a long time while out and about.

Yes, it is putting that additional wear on the battery. Its just filling it back up whenever you have it plugged in. If you are using sentry mode 24 X 7 you are putting approximately 8k miles on your battery while just sitting there, and the car is never going to sleep (so the battery pack will never really balance the cells properly, which happens when its sleep).

 

[neurocutie]

Yes, it is putting that additional wear on the battery. Its just filling it back up whenever you have it plugged in. If you are using sentry mode 24 X 7 you are putting approximately 8k miles on your battery while just sitting there, and the car is never going to sleep (so the battery pack will never really balance the cells properly, which happens when its sleep).

? Sentry mode can be setup to be disabled at work and home so no wear or battery usage for at least 50% of the time in a typical day, with the car sleeping...

 

[jeremymc7]

The cabin overheat protection is going to put wear on the battery as well; but obviously not as much or as often.

To me the upside of the EV is that you can run all this stuff if you so choose. On an ICE you would likely have to install an extra 12V battery and a bunch of wiring to say have a dual cam setup for recording and possibly 4G notification.

I ache person needs to determine if any battery wear for running supplemental systems is worth a potential wear.

I’m sure there are some who keep their sentry on 24/7/365; but most of us likely only use it at work / shopping / etc.

That said I know people that keep it on in their own garage. You can get a security and SD car for $30 with no monthly fees. Prob a better choice in that case.

 

[RayK]

I have mine set to off at home (parked in the driveway but watched over by my security cameras) but active everywhere else. I've reviewed many clips where a person crosses in front of the car and the lights flash but nobody has investigated closer. Most people don't even seem to react to the lights but I figure it's because there's way too many Teslas in my neck of the woods and it's probably something that they are used to seeing.

 

[jjrandorin]

? Sentry mode can be setup to be disabled at work and home so no wear or battery usage for at least 50% of the time in a typical day, with the car sleeping...

Sure it can, but, but the OP said (again)

Is it always best to leave Sentry mode on all the time?

They didnt say "All the time except for work and home". Both of the times I answered in this thread it was in relation to 24 X 7 usage, which is what I read "all the time" (instead of "everywhere but work and home") to mean.

 

[one2many]

I do it for some big thing, at home its off, unless
the rug rats are out. Its also nice to see a meter maid almost
wet herself when she gets too close.

 

[nate704]

using the battery is good thing. Sentry mode is NOT putting anything stress on the battery. The batteries are meant to be charged discharged regularly. Just drive it and use it as intended.
It is not some rare collectible item that sits in a safe.

 

[davewill]

I use sentry mode when I am out and about (grocery shopping, restaurants, etc). The amount of power it uses is worth it for that to me. I dont use it at home (I park in a garage) and at work (we have gated parking at work). Since the OP said "all the time" thats how I interpreted the question, as there are definitely people who use sentry mode 24 X 7 as well.

Same for me. Vandalism is only one aspect. I figure I'm as likely to get hit in a parking lot as I am driving around, and I definitely favor running the dashcam while driving.

I will admit that if I didn't feel as secure as I do with my work parking situation, leaving Sentry on at work would be a tough decision.

 

[gearchruncher]

Just be aware- leaving sentry mode on 24/7 is the same as driving about 7,500 extra miles a year. This is both expensive and not particularly in line with "sustainable transportation."

using the battery is good thing. Sentry mode is NOT putting anything stress on the battery.

This is completely wrong. Batteries wear out due to total amp hours through the battery. Sentry absolutely wears the battery exactly the same as if you drove a lot more each year.

 

[nate704]

Just be aware- leaving sentry mode on 24/7 is the same as driving about 7,500 extra miles a year. This is both expensive and not particularly in line with "sustainable transportation."

This is completely wrong. Batteries wear out due to total amp hours through the battery. Sentry absolutely wears the battery exactly the same as if you drove a lot more each year.

Batteries wear out. yes, like everything on Earth does, which is NOT my point. By not using the sentry mode, will your battery performance have any meaningful gain over the entire operation of the vehicle? Absolutely NOT. Getting stressed out by something like this is not good for you. just enjoy and drive.