Tesla moments

[ReddykwRun]

Go to any parking lot in the US. Count the number of cars parked nose-in and cars backed-in. Come back and tell us the results.

Or you can even Google images of some big parking lot near airports.

Sky is blue doesn't need citation. Just go out and look at the sky.

Here is one for you: I count zero cars backed-in

I see 10, probably a bunch of prepers prepared for a quick get away. Yes, I admit, I am a "backer".

 

[hiroshiy]

Most people find pulling nose first into parking places easier than backing in.

You guys will change your mind coming to Tokyo - you won't be able to park your car front-in. Too tight.
コインパーキング - Google Search

You can see rectangles, where you are supposed to park, but with Model X your tires will step on lines on both sides, meaning you have some space between rectangles to open your doors.

 

[Electroman]

I see 10, probably a bunch of prepers prepared for a quick get away. Yes, I admit, I am a "backer".

8 of those went nose in and pulled forward to the spot in front !

 

[mblakele]

Moderator note: The general discussion of head-in vs back-in parking is kinda off-topic for the "Tesla Moments" thread.

I call for a truce between the back-in-ians and the head-in-ites.

Bruce.

Based on recent posts, this is worth repeating.

 

[Bill Price]

One of the funniest moments I've had was when I drove over to see an old friend that I had not seen in about 25 years. He came out of his house and in his most clueless expression exclaimed, "Man, that sure it a damn fine car!! What kind is it?" To which I replied, "It's a Tesla." Cluelessly he asked another question....."A Tesla? Man, she sure is pretty! Who makes them?"

 

[ReddykwRun]

a guy in a POS pickup truck pulled up next to me and started honking his horn. i glanced at him and he waved at me for a few seconds. i gave him the "who are you?!" look and he got angry and flipped me off and tried speeding off. I jumped from 75 to 90 in 2.1 seconds and promptly showed him whos boss

Ever consider he might of been excited to see a "real ev " in person and might of had a question and / or a compliment and in 2.1 seconds along with the "who are you" attitude you confirmed in his mind what others may say about "those" types that drive electric cars. Bless your heart.

 

[brucet999]

Here's a prank this Roadster owner likes to pull occasionally.

View attachment 231527

I love that license plate, not that many people who see it will know what a Tesla coil is.

 

[DavidB]

I too, have had my TESLA moments. The desk clerk / manager of a motel in Montana asked for my Make and Model and when I said Tesla he replied that that was enough, "We do not get too many Teslas. Can I look at it?" I took him for a short ride and he was thrilled. Then he told me that he needed to get right back because his wife was due to deliver their third child, a BOY. All other attributes aside, my Tesla "Trigger" is a wonderful personal ambassador and door opener.

I stayed at a motel in Maine for a week, and one morning I gave the owner's son a spin, including launching the car when pointing up a steep road. When he got back to the motel, he exclaimed, "Mom, Dad: We have GOT to sell this motel and buy a Tesla!"

One of the funniest moments I've had was when I drove over to see an old friend that I had not seen in about 25 years. He came out of his house and in his most clueless expression exclaimed, "Man, that sure it a damn fine car!! What kind is it?" To which I replied, "It's a Tesla." Cluelessly he asked another question....."A Tesla? Man, she sure is pretty! Who makes them?"

"Tesla? Where in the world are they?" "California, huh? What company owns them?" "I KNOW you said Tesla makes them, but what company owns Tesla?"

 

[ohmman]

Two people have recommended one of these stories for this thread, so I decided to drop in.

We recently took a ~2800 mile road trip with our X and our Airstream. Lots of Tesla moments there. One occurred after charging at the Mount Shasta Supercharger. As we pulled out of Shasta and made a left to approach the I-5 on-ramp, another motorist informed us that one of my camper taillights was not operating. My wife was driving, and she pulled off in a gravel area in the on-ramp so I could check before we entered the highway. It was just a slightly loose 7-pin connection at the LED adapter, and when I went back to check on the taillights, California Highway Patrol pulled in behind me.

I explained to the officer what I was doing, and he seemed relatively disinterested and instead started asking me about how towing was going with the Tesla. We talked about range, and I expressed my feelings about the 90 packs being less than optimal in the Tesla collection, especially when towing. He told me he agreed, as he also had an X that he uses to tow a boat to Shasta Lake! He said he has difficulty making the round trip from Mt. Shasta City to the lake and back up the hill with the boat. We agreed it's probably due to the lack of aerodynamics with the boat. My wife was a little concerned watching the 10-15 minute exchange with the CHP in the trailer rear view camera.

We attract a lot of attention with the Tesla + Airstream combo, so there are many interesting conversations about a Tesla's ability to tow. In Oregon, at the Cape Blanco State Park, a camper was so moved by the combo that he hammered his fist directly on our camper despite the fact that we had gone inside for the evening. In Victoria, I could barely get camp set up because of the crowd that showed up when we backed in. But the most interesting was just outside of Bend, Oregon, where I spoke with a man and his family for a bit before he hesitantly asked me, "were you camping on the Oregon coast two years ago before the 4th of July?" In fact, we had, at Harris Beach, and he'd seen us there. Pretty neat that the combo can make that much of an impression.

 

[Kenz]

Best car I have ever owned. Dropped mic.

 

[Fred42]

I stayed at a motel in Maine for a week, and one morning I gave the owner's son a spin, including launching the car when pointing up a steep road. When he got back to the motel, he exclaimed, "Mom, Dad: We have GOT to sell this motel and buy a Tesla!""Tesla? Where in the world are they?" "California, huh? What company owns them?" "I KNOW you said Tesla makes them, but what company owns Tesla?"

This thread reminds me of the monthly feature Life in These United States I used to read in Reader's Digest 50 years ago.

 

[xrayangiodoc]

Hmm.. I have never even opened the frunk in my 3 years of driving Teslas. Not once, except when the sales guy showed me how to open and close when I picked it up.

I guess you don't use the window washers in Texas much? You need to open the frunk to refill the tank.

 

[wdolson]

I use the window washers some, but I've never had to add window washer fluid. Though I have had the frunk open. I even changed the 12V battery.

 

[WallyB]

I plan on never having a car without a Frunk...I insulated mine and it makes a great weekend cooler.

 

[Vestniek]

I had a 2001 Saab with a neat feature: there was a little sliding door in the glove box which, if opened, allow air conditioned air to flow through the glove box. It was big enough for a few cans of drinks or a sandwich.

Now if Tesla could just provide something similar for the Frunk, it would make a great cooler, one that could stay cool even when you park the car.

 

[Momentum1]

I plan on never having a car without a Frunk...I insulated mine and it makes a great weekend cooler.

What a great idea!!! How did you insulate the frunk?

 

[PRLM3]

I plan on never having a car without a Frunk...I insulated mine and it makes a great weekend cooler.

Yes, do tell!

 

[alcibiades]

Getting a text in the morning from a service advisor telling you he and all of his contacts had been let go. #teslamoments

 

[milleron]

Best car I have ever owned. Dropped mic.

I always say that about every car I've ever had, including my S75D, but it's not too surprising because every new car I've gotten replaced one that was made 10-15 years earlier. New always beats obsolete. The minor exception was, in fact, with my Tesla -- it's HUD is not nearly as good as the one I got in my new Pontiac Bonneville TWENTY-SEVEN years ago. At least my Tesla has a binnacle IC. If the refreshed version has neither an IC nor an HUD, I might end up keeping my '17 Model S for 10-15 years, too.

 

[wdolson]

I always say that about every car I've ever had, including my S75D, but it's not too surprising because every new car I've gotten replaced one that was made 10-15 years earlier. New always beats obsolete. The minor exception was, in fact, with my Tesla -- it's HUD is not nearly as good as the one I got in my new Pontiac Bonneville TWENTY-SEVEN years ago. At least my Tesla has a binnacle IC. If the refreshed version has neither an IC nor an HUD, I might end up keeping my '17 Model S for 10-15 years, too.

The leaked images show a small instrument cluster for the refresh, but without the side panels where you can display what you want, it's a step backwards IMO. If the leaked images are correct, I wouldn't be able to see the instruments in my normal driving position. With my 2017 I miss the warning messages at the bottom of the instrument cluster because the steering wheel obscures them. I have long legs and a short torso, so with the seat back my line of sight to the bottom of the instrument cluster is blocked by the top of the steering wheel. It looks like the dash will be lower in the refresh putting all the instruments down there.

I kept my 1992 Buick for 24 years because I couldn't find anything I thought was a better car. The electronics changed a lot, but cargo capacity actually went down, gas mileage did not really improve (my Buick was capable of 18 mpg city and 25 highway and larger cars today are only marginally better if at all), and while the official specs said that acceleration improved, in reality it usually got worse because newer cars are flogging smaller engines to get more output which may get good peak horsepower, but over the entire range it's worse than the old V-8.

Sure the newer cars have back-up cameras, better infotainment systems (I had a cassette player), navigation systems, and other bells and whistles, but as cars, there was little improvement and possibly some backsliding. The Model S was the first car I looked at which was actually a better car than my Buick. 4X efficiency, 3X cargo capacity, and close to 1/2 the 0-60 time. It was way more than I had budgeted for, but I stretched to buy it because I knew it was worth it.