Startup difficulties

[G4WFT]

I seem to have more and more of the following problem when first getting into my M3P:

I gain access without issue, using my phone. But, I'm then unable to put the car into "gear" - it chimes at me and tells me to put the key card over the centre console. Usually, after a short period of this faffing around, it suddenly decides to cooperate.

Is it just that the Bluetooth connection between car and phone is intermittent? Usually the phone is in my trouser pocket. Its one of those things that's no great problem in the grand scheme of things but irritating nonetheless. It seems to happen more often than not lately. If there's songwriter different I need to do I'll do it!

 

[Adopado]

I seem to have more and more of the following problem when first getting into my M3P:

I gain access without issue, using my phone. But, I'm then unable to put the car into "gear" - it chimes at me and tells me to put the key card over the centre console. Usually, after a short period of this faffing around, it suddenly decides to cooperate.

Is it just that the Bluetooth connection between car and phone is intermittent? Usually the phone is in my trouser pocket. Its one of those things that's no great problem in the grand scheme of things but irritating nonetheless. It seems to happen more often than not lately. If there's songwriter different I need to do I'll do it!

If your phone is set as a key you shouldn't need to use your keycard at all, obviously. Do you have a partner with the phone app too? I ask because sometimes it shows up with one phone but the other it doesn't. Tried reinstalling the app? If that's not it and rebooting the car doesn't solve it then it may be worth a service query.

 

[MrBadger]

I had an occasional issue when waiting with the car supercharging. On several occasions, when going to drive off, the car prompted me for the keycard.

I never got to the bottom, always have key card or the car changed its mind after a short while, but two thoughts.

1. On some of these situations, I had also been locked out of the car. On one of these, I was parked next to a Tesla chap who said it can happen if I don't walk away far enough from the car before returning. Sounds like its not your issue unless you have changed your routine.

2, My Fitbit has NFC. I wear Fitbit on the left hand and if I let my arm flop on the console, the NFC in the Fitbit can trigger a keycard request.

 

[Alex987854]

I've not had exactly this issue, but when my Android phone doesn't connect to the car and let me in, turning bluetooth off and on seems to help.

Have you tried resetting your phone and your car? Either or both might be a fix.

It might be useful to know what sort of phone you have.

 

[Sparkeur]

i have the same. On Android, flicking Bluetooth off and on on the phone fixes it. Why it happens, I do not know.

 

[Glan gluaisne]

FWIW, I've never seen anything like this, but 99.99% of the time I only have the fob in my pocket, my phone is very often turned off and I've never had to use the keycards, except to check they worked when picking the car up.

No idea why the fob seems so reliable, as I believe it uses Bluetooth LE just like the phone. It doesn't seem to matter which pocket I have the fob in, either, it works as well in a trouser pocket as a jacket pocket. I don't usually use the "buttons" on the fob, unless opening the frunk, boot or charge port, most of the time I just use the fob in the same way as a phone, to enable keyless entry and start.

I'm not sure why they bothered with the key cards, really, I think it would have been better to just supply the car with the fob, rather than the cards. The card doesn't seem to be that user friendly, as you have to physically place it over the B pillar to unlock the car, and place it over that shiny and slippery spot on the centre console to turn the car on. The latter feature seems a bit poorly thought through, as with nothing to hold the card in place it's bound to slide off, plus, for those of us that are right handed, it's not that easy to place the card there or recover it before it goes slideabouts.

IMHO, the fob is pretty good value, my only real criticisms are that the car doesn't come with it as standard and that the fob doesn't come with anything to allow it to be put on a keyring. Given that you have to carry a card around anyway, it's no more hassle to carry the fob on a key ring.

 

[Neilman]

I have always used the top lock/unlock button on the fob to leave then enter the car.
How do you use it without button presses?

I also use it for trunk/frunk opening - hope to use it for trunk closing as well next week

 

[Sparkeur]

IMHO, the fob is pretty good value, my only real criticisms are that the car doesn't come with it as standard

I completely agree. I don't use the keycard and I find the phone (when it works) to be difficult with shopping bags in hand or in sunshine.
I am in the market for a fob but not sure which one to go for yet.

 

[Glan gluaisne]

I have always used the top lock/unlock button on the fob to leave then enter the car.
How do you use it without button presses?

I also use it for trunk/frunk opening - hope to use it for trunk closing as well next week

Presumably the same way as with a phone, as long as the fob is in your pocket, or within a metre or so of the car, then it just unlocks as soon as you touch a door handle to get in. I believe the fob uses Bluetooth LE, in the same way as the phone, as when you get it you have to pair it with the car in the same way. The fob came with two CR2032 cells, and it's still on the first one, after about 11 months use, so it looks as if the battery life isn't too bad.

I have walk away lock enabled, so I don't need to press the fob button to lock the car, it locks maybe 10 to 20 seconds after the fob going out of range, it seems.

 

[G4WFT]

Thanks for the replies. To answer a couple of points, the phone is a Oneplus 3, so a few years old, though I can't imagine that's an issue here. And I don't have a FitBit or any similar device, so that's not a factor. The phone opens the car without issue for 90% of the time - just occasionally I have to get it out of my pocket to work.

 

[Roy W.]

Thanks for the replies. To answer a couple of points, the phone is a Oneplus 3, so a few years old, though I can't imagine that's an issue here. And I don't have a FitBit or any similar device, so that's not a factor. The phone opens the car without issue for 90% of the time - just occasionally I have to get it out of my pocket to work.

There have been odd reports from others on here about having to take the phone out of a pocket to make it unlock the car.

You’re not wearing lead-lined trousers by any chance?

 

[G4WFT]

There have been odd reports from others on here about having to take the phone out of a pocket to make it unlock the car.

You’re not wearing lead-lined trousers by any chance?

Had to give 'em up, couldn't find a belt strong enough to hold 'em!

 

[philgods]

How many other things is your phone connected to via Bluetooth?
Mine phone is always connected to my watch, and I be noticed that if I also have my Bluetooth headphones playing, I can't unlock the car (I guess the limit for my phone is 2 devices).

 

[spooksman]

+1 for the advice of Bluetooth off and on.

Happened a few times and that fixed it, but in the end I deleted the phone key (from the car) and re-addded it and it has not occurred again...

 

[G4WFT]

How many other things is your phone connected to via Bluetooth?
Mine phone is always connected to my watch, and I be noticed that if I also have my Bluetooth headphones playing, I can't unlock the car (I guess the limit for my phone is 2 devices).

No other devices. I haven't even paired the phone with the car for calls etc.

 

[Adopado]

I have always used the top lock/unlock button on the fob to leave then enter the car.
How do you use it without button presses?

I don't have one but I would guess you need to set it up on the screen like you would do for a new phone.

 

[Roy W.]

I don't have one but I would guess you need to set it up on the screen like you would do for a new phone.

I’d have thought it needed to be paired as a BT key to even be able to use the buttons.

IIRC the original Model 3 key fob wasn’t “contactless” and you had to use the buttons. I’m not sure if that version ever made it to the UK, or was USA only.

As a key fob user, perhaps @Glan gluaisne can enlighten us.

 

[Glan gluaisne]

I’d have thought it needed to be paired as a BT key to even be able to use the buttons.

IIRC the original Model 3 key fob wasn’t “contactless” and you had to use the buttons. I’m not sure if that version ever made it to the UK, or was USA only.

As a key fob user, perhaps @Glan gluaisne can enlighten us.

Yes, you're right, it has to be paired initially, in much the same way as a phone. After that it works as a proximity "key", in the same way as a phone, so just walking up to the car enables the doors to be unlocked and opened when the handle's pushed. Alternatively, the car can be unlocked by pressing the top of the fob, as you would with a conventional remote type one.

The fob functions are:

• Keyless/proximity locking and unlocking, much the same as a phone
• Locking/unlocking the doors by pressing the centre "button" on the fob
• Opening the frunk by pressing the "front" of the fob
• Opening the boot by pressing the "rear" of the fob
• Opening the charge port by a long press on the "rear" of the fob

Most of the time I don't use the fob buttons, but just stick it in my pocket, and use it in keyless mode. I have the car set to walk away lock, and until I got the car cover I also had it set to automatically fold the mirrors on lock, as a visual indicator that the car had really locked when walking away.

 

[Jason71]

So you are saying that the phone opens the door but then does not activate the car. That is unusual. I think everyone has had issues with the phone not unlocking from time to time but once it unlocks using proximity then its fine.
If you have used the phone to unlock with the unlock button that is not the same that will work over GSM so does not prove the phone is near the car so does not necessarily activate it. but if it has proximity unlocked then that is odd.
I assume from your description you don't have pin to drive? It is not uncommon for me for the car to freeze up on entry and not let me enter the pin for what seems like forever. In reality its probably 15 seconds. if I did not have P2D and was trying to go into drive during this period maybe I would get what you a getting.
If it does this try waiting and see if it fixes itself every time after a few seconds if so it may be the same slow to wake up issue. if so try a reboot I sometimes find this helps.

 

[G4WFT]

Jason, that's spot on. The phone unlocks as normal (by proximity). I do have pin-to-drive and I have experienced the slowness of that to respond, as you described. This is quite different. To be absolutely honest, I'm not sure whether the P2D screen comes up before the message about needing the key card - I'll take note next time it happens. I'll also try a reboot. I'm so new to the Tesla that I still have to keep remembering that you might need to reboot the car!