We have now had our Model 3 for 3 years and 55,500 miles. So, I thought I would give an update, and fortunately, it is mostly a good update.
Range - One big question people have is range and how much have we lost? And you could say 3 or 8%. If you look at the graph below, we are down 3% or 9 miles from when we got the car. If you include the 5% range boost, we received a year into owning it, we have lost 8%. After owning a Roadster for 9 years, I learned not to obsess over the battery. When I take a road trip, about every other month, I will often charge to 100%, and I am not worried if I drop below 10%. Normally I charge to 90%. I learned on the Roadster that there are two battery issues we are trying to balance. If you charge too high, too often, then yes you will damage your battery. But if you rarely charge above 80% or let the pack go below 20% the BMS never gets a chance to balance the cells or learn the true top and bottom of your battery. Both issues will decrease your range. Balancing is important (on the Roadster this started at 83%), then you will be limited by the weakest cell. A cell that does not have a chance to balance to bring it back in line will be noticeably weaker than the other cells. And if it has been months, or worse years, where the BMS has not seen the true top or bottom or bottom of your pack, the BMS will be conservative and keep you from reaching the full top and bottom again reducing usable range. The second thing you might notice from the graph is variation. The miles can change 4 miles from one day to the next. So do not obsess if you see a change. As possibly the next day you will see a change back. Or after an update range will apparently drop, then 2-3 updates later it can come back up.
Issues – Fortunately we have been quite pleased with our Model 3. We have had 3 minor issue, none of which have kept us from driving. All were easily and conveniently fixed by a mobile Ranger in our garage. One issue was our glove box would pop open on a bump. He added a stronger spring. We also had an issue with the Frunk not releasing. So, on a second trip he replaced the actuators as I heard they had a bad batch. The third issue was a plastic ring in the charge port was missing and he came and put in a new one. No repair took over 20 minutes, none kept us from using the car. So yes, we had a few issues, more than we have had with our other cars, but they were all quickly and easily resolved. Therefore, we are still bullish on our Model 3 and Tesla.
Special Care? – For us the Model 3 is a car. No ceramic coating, no special care, and I even have taken it through a few car washes. That said I do try to hand wash when possible and keep it clean. I wax it several times a year and clean the inside and seats with shop towels and rubbing alcohol. The car, inside and out still looks very good. Yes, I have had a few scratches, mostly by me, and mostly on the rims that I have touched up a few times with touch up paint. But overall, it is in very good shape. And I am looking for the next 55,500 miles.
Changes? – What if anything would I change? Nothing really. Most updates have made the car better. And I can truly say the car is noticeably better than when I got it. But some updates appear to cause a drop in range, or like a recent one that replaced a nice portion of the maps with silly car animations that add nothing. I wish we had the ability to pause on updates or not accept the ones that appear to be a step back. But I guess we need to take the good with the bad and so far there has been more good than bad.
Range - One big question people have is range and how much have we lost? And you could say 3 or 8%. If you look at the graph below, we are down 3% or 9 miles from when we got the car. If you include the 5% range boost, we received a year into owning it, we have lost 8%. After owning a Roadster for 9 years, I learned not to obsess over the battery. When I take a road trip, about every other month, I will often charge to 100%, and I am not worried if I drop below 10%. Normally I charge to 90%. I learned on the Roadster that there are two battery issues we are trying to balance. If you charge too high, too often, then yes you will damage your battery. But if you rarely charge above 80% or let the pack go below 20% the BMS never gets a chance to balance the cells or learn the true top and bottom of your battery. Both issues will decrease your range. Balancing is important (on the Roadster this started at 83%), then you will be limited by the weakest cell. A cell that does not have a chance to balance to bring it back in line will be noticeably weaker than the other cells. And if it has been months, or worse years, where the BMS has not seen the true top or bottom or bottom of your pack, the BMS will be conservative and keep you from reaching the full top and bottom again reducing usable range. The second thing you might notice from the graph is variation. The miles can change 4 miles from one day to the next. So do not obsess if you see a change. As possibly the next day you will see a change back. Or after an update range will apparently drop, then 2-3 updates later it can come back up.
Issues – Fortunately we have been quite pleased with our Model 3. We have had 3 minor issue, none of which have kept us from driving. All were easily and conveniently fixed by a mobile Ranger in our garage. One issue was our glove box would pop open on a bump. He added a stronger spring. We also had an issue with the Frunk not releasing. So, on a second trip he replaced the actuators as I heard they had a bad batch. The third issue was a plastic ring in the charge port was missing and he came and put in a new one. No repair took over 20 minutes, none kept us from using the car. So yes, we had a few issues, more than we have had with our other cars, but they were all quickly and easily resolved. Therefore, we are still bullish on our Model 3 and Tesla.
Special Care? – For us the Model 3 is a car. No ceramic coating, no special care, and I even have taken it through a few car washes. That said I do try to hand wash when possible and keep it clean. I wax it several times a year and clean the inside and seats with shop towels and rubbing alcohol. The car, inside and out still looks very good. Yes, I have had a few scratches, mostly by me, and mostly on the rims that I have touched up a few times with touch up paint. But overall, it is in very good shape. And I am looking for the next 55,500 miles.
Changes? – What if anything would I change? Nothing really. Most updates have made the car better. And I can truly say the car is noticeably better than when I got it. But some updates appear to cause a drop in range, or like a recent one that replaced a nice portion of the maps with silly car animations that add nothing. I wish we had the ability to pause on updates or not accept the ones that appear to be a step back. But I guess we need to take the good with the bad and so far there has been more good than bad.
