Took delivery Sunday - initial impressions

[Polymer]

You’re totally right, with the doors open, looking at the edges and the metal stamping, it looks like cheap sheet metal. I think they did this for weight savings but this should not be on a luxury car. I hate to keep bringing it up but my BMW 328i has these doors that feel solid and has a great mechanical CLUNK to it. Kinda like a well-oiled rifle assembly. The Tesla door closing sounds like a clang.

Yeah...it is annoying at first..and confusing...You get used to it though and find it doesn't matter because the car itself drives pretty solid....but yes, one of those little things I wish was a bit better...

I think the one issue with Telsa is that with most cars, the more you pay, the better everything else. Now of course some is very subjective but in general things are better...maybe minor things are not but most of that again, will be subjective.
With Teslas you get big things that are better..and major parts of the car that seem to be that of a far lesser car...There is less of an overall this is just better in nearly all aspects..it is more of a tradeoff....I think most people find though that the good outweigh the bad...

On a separate note....I'm not sure why the window wipers are done via the screen..that seems like a safety issue to me....it starts to rain, which impairs vision somewhat..and you have to look away from the road to turn them on? There might be a better way to do this but seems like an oversight...Yes you can press the button to have it move a bit but ultimately, during the rain, you have to look away...or have it on auto all the time...

 

[nate704]

On a separate note....I'm not sure why the window wipers are done via the screen..that seems like a safety issue to me....it starts to rain, which impairs vision somewhat..and you have to look away from the road to turn them on? There might be a better way to do this but seems like an oversight...Yes you can press the button to have it move a bit but ultimately, during the rain, you have to look away...or have it on auto all the time...

Use the voice command. easy!

 

[Zalick]

Yeah...it is annoying at first..and confusing...You get used to it though and find it doesn't matter because the car itself drives pretty solid....but yes, one of those little things I wish was a bit better...

I think the one issue with Telsa is that with most cars, the more you pay, the better everything else. Now of course some is very subjective but in general things are better...maybe minor things are not but most of that again, will be subjective.
With Teslas you get big things that are better..and major parts of the car that seem to be that of a far lesser car...There is less of an overall this is just better in nearly all aspects..it is more of a tradeoff....I think most people find though that the good outweigh the bad...

On a separate note....I'm not sure why the window wipers are done via the screen..that seems like a safety issue to me....it starts to rain, which impairs vision somewhat..and you have to look away from the road to turn them on? There might be a better way to do this but seems like an oversight...Yes you can press the button to have it move a bit but ultimately, during the rain, you have to look away...or have it on auto all the time...

As someone who lives in an extremely rainy climate, this is a concern of mine. The suit wiper feature and lack of a true intermittent setting, was almost a deal breaker. I drive in rain 160 days a year on average. I’ve been practicing with the voice control for the wipers.

 

[sleepydoc]

White interior cleans easily with warm. soapy water, or just plain water. My daughter has had her white-interior Model X for 6 years, four boys now 6 to 13, no problems with cleaning it, ever. Looks new. Of course, none of us drives naked, though I did live in SoCal for a while.

I have a MYLR with a white interior and had concerns when I bought it, too. I actually looked and found companies that sold aftermarket leather (and vinyl) replacement seat covers so I took a chance because my former car had black leather and I hated how hot it got in the sun and was tired of scorching my thighs when I had shorts on.

After 2 years my interior still looks great. I actually would have preferred grey since it would hide more but I haven’t had any problems cleaning the white. I actually got chocolate on it a few days ago and it wiped off without a trace!

 

[sleepydoc]

You’re totally right, with the doors open, looking at the edges and the metal stamping, it looks like cheap sheet metal. I think they did this for weight savings but this should not be on a luxury car. I hate to keep bringing it up but my BMW 328i has these doors that feel solid and has a great mechanical CLUNK to it. Kinda like a well-oiled rifle assembly. The Tesla door closing sounds like a clang.

THe doors should close easily. I came from an Audi A4 and they’re not as solid but not that I’m used to them I don’t notice. When I think about it, why do people care how the door sounds? Tesla‘s have a 5 star crash rating which is what really matters.

I considered the Commuter case but I love the Defender. It’s saved my hide so many times. I just don’t love it when I’m trying to induction charge or trying to fit it into the DJI drone controller. Requires removing from case.

Inductive charging is inherently finicky and any case will make it less efficient at a minimum. Personally I prefer a cord anyway because it‘s more secure, more reliable, more efficient and faster. Even in the best case (An Apple MagSafe charger that Keeps it perfectly aligned) inductive charging is only 75% efficient. Now add a thick case and slightly misaligned coils and you’ve dropped off a cliff. This isn’t Tesla‘s fault - it’s a limitation of the technology.

On a separate note....I'm not sure why the window wipers are done via the screen..that seems like a safety issue to me....it starts to rain, which impairs vision somewhat..and you have to look away from the road to turn them on? There might be a better way to do this but seems like an oversight...Yes you can press the button to have it move a bit but ultimately, during the rain, you have to look away...or have it on auto all the time...

Yeah, that was another boneheaded move by the high-school level UI team at Tesla. At least you can now put the wiper icon on the app bar for easier access. If you press the button on the end of the turn signal stalk it will swipe the wipers and also bring up the wiper menu. To be honest, though, this is something where I prefer a mechanical control that you can operate by touch without looking.

Use the voice command. easy!

The same, tired response that people tried to use when the V11 interface first came out. Voice commands are not a solution to poor interface design.

Still hate v11

Voice is where it’s all going. Every person in Scotland is thinking "I'll keep the heid, but ah dinnae ken."

teslamotorsclub.com

 

[nate704]

The same, tired response that people tried to use when the V11 interface first came out. Voice commands are not a solution to poor interface design.

Still hate v11

Voice is where it’s all going. Every person in Scotland is thinking "I'll keep the heid, but ah dinnae ken."

teslamotorsclub.com

It is the best response/solution to the issue. Would you rather crash while trying to look for a button on the screen?

 

[sleepydoc]

It is the best response/solution to the issue. Would you rather crash while trying to look for a button on the screen?

And that is exactly the problem. We have a poorly designed interface that is not safe to use in a stressful situation and the only solution is a feature that is poorly documented, flawed and inconsistent.

 

[Polymer]

It is the best response/solution to the issue. Would you rather crash while trying to look for a button on the screen?

You mean like the windshield wipers?

 

[Polymer]

Yeah, that was another boneheaded move by the high-school level UI team at Tesla. At least you can now put the wiper icon on the app bar for easier access. If you press the button on the end of the turn signal stalk it will swipe the wipers and also bring up the wiper menu. To be honest, though, this is something where I prefer a mechanical control that you can operate by touch without looking.

Yeap..I mean, I press the button, it wipes a bit... brings up the menu..press..but I have to actually look at the screen to find it....not exactly great when rain starts and you're in the middle of fast moving traffic....Not what I want when I need to see what is going on.

I don't mind the interface for almost everything else..I like having the big screen, I don't mind controlling it all that way, in fact, I prefer it..but this was one of those things that never should've been done that way. It is very much a safety issue..

 

[Manbutter]

It's possible that your particular car does have issues, but from the sum total of your original post and this post, it really seems like you just have a bad case of buyers remorse. It really reads like you just wanted the BMW, but couldn't / wouldn't buy it. Your solutions at this point are:
1) Have service fix what is really (actually) wrong with the car, and accept it's not what your were really wanting (BMW).
2) Sell it, buy the BMW
3) Drive it and enjoy it for the pure driving experience that Only a Tesla has. Best DCFC charging network, Best Software, class leading performance.

Good luck with your decisions....

Thank you. Maybe it’s the huge life decision of buying a car and the cost. I vaguely remember 12 years ago (the last time I bought a car), I had buyers remorse on the BMW too. From all the hype about ultimate driving machine blah blah I expected rainbows to spout out of the steering wheel. But it took a cross country trip 10 years later on Route 66 to fall in love with my BMW 328i convertible.

Probably will take the same for this Tesla. Dropping $65k on a car is a pretty terrifying decision so maybe I’m looking for love that just doesn’t happen at first sight.

 

[Manbutter]

im a baby wipe guy. after coating the seats, i just get a baby wipe and wipe it off easy peasy

What did you coat it with? Scotchguard? And how often do you have to do that?

 

[Manbutter]

I agree it isn't really a luxury car. You're paying for tech and the advanced battery tech. My doors also required more force to close, but I think it's as combination of the seals and eventually my muscle memory just learned to provide more force. In my Sienna which is traditional framed windows, I just let go of the door and provide zero additional force and it closes just fine.

The next vehicle Tesla makes should definitely be a minivan. I would have loved a vehicle with more headroom, a bigger rear window, sliding doors, and full reclining middle seats. One thing Tesla does incredibly well is take risks. Whereas the Sienna with the super sliding seats and ottomans have a million warnings about never using it while driving, I bet Musk would make all 6 seats recline fully. Like first class airline seating.

 

[everydaychris]

What did you coat it with? Scotchguard? And how often do you have to do that?

oh dang. Not to sound like that guy.. but you should check out my youtube channel. I did a video where I coated it with gyeon something.. I forgot coat your white seats!

 

[Corndart]

Yeap..I mean, I press the button, it wipes a bit... brings up the menu..press..but I have to actually look at the screen to find it....not exactly great when rain starts and you're in the middle of fast moving traffic....Not what I want when I need to see what is going on.

I don't mind the interface for almost everything else..I like having the big screen, I don't mind controlling it all that way, in fact, I prefer it..but this was one of those things that never should've been done that way. It is very much a safety issue..

Seems like it'd be easy to change the behavior of the wiper button. Keep it simple, something like 1x for a manual single wipe, 2x for auto, 3x off.

I wouldn't try to navigate all the settings : manual single wipe / low / medium / high / auto / off . But those three options, without having to look down at the screen, particularly in dark/rainy/gloomy weather, would be nice.

 

[bobbyjae]

It is the best response/solution to the issue. Would you rather crash while trying to look for a button on the screen?

Have you tried using voice commands with kids in the back? It doesn't work very well.

 

[804son]

Thank you. Maybe it’s the huge life decision of buying a car and the cost. I vaguely remember 12 years ago (the last time I bought a car), I had buyers remorse on the BMW too. From all the hype about ultimate driving machine blah blah I expected rainbows to spout out of the steering wheel. But it took a cross country trip 10 years later on Route 66 to fall in love with my BMW 328i convertible.

Probably will take the same for this Tesla. Dropping $65k on a car is a pretty terrifying decision so maybe I’m looking for love that just doesn’t happen at first sight.

Good Luck and Give the car a chance to grow on you.

 

[nate704]

Have you tried using voice commands with kids in the back? It doesn't work very well.

My kids are 6 and 3 and they know when to shut up.

 

[sleepydoc]

The next vehicle Tesla makes should definitely be a minivan. I would have loved a vehicle with more headroom, a bigger rear window, sliding doors, and full reclining middle seats. One thing Tesla does incredibly well is take risks. Whereas the Sienna with the super sliding seats and ottomans have a million warnings about never using it while driving, I bet Musk would make all 6 seats recline fully. Like first class airline seating.

I doubt Tesla would make a minivan but I'd love to see one. We've actually looked at the VW id.buzz.

I have to ask, though - how do you need more headroom? I'm close to 6 ½ feet tall and I have plenty of headroom in our MY. Even with a sunscreen over the sunroof that sags a bit I have plenty of room.

 

[Zalick]

I doubt Tesla would make a minivan but I'd love to see one. We've actually looked at the VW id.buzz.

I have to ask, though - how do you need more headroom? I'm close to 6 ½ feet tall and I have plenty of headroom in our MY. Even with a sunscreen over the sunroof that sags a bit I have plenty of room.

If the Buzz had come out on schedule, it would likely be parked in my garage instead of my MYP. talk about polar opposite’s. If they made a real people mover it would complete the conquering of legacy auto.

 

[gx9901]

If the Buzz had come out on schedule, it would likely be parked in my garage instead of my MYP. talk about polar opposite’s. If they made a real people mover it would complete the conquering of legacy auto.

That might have been the case for me too. My path toward the MYP started with me wanting to get a new Honda Odyssey to replace my old one, but for some reason my wife said she would only agree to let me get a new car if I get a Tesla. I looked up the Modey Y and saw the 3.5s 0~60 time for the MYP and that was that*.

*well, I did test drive and read a ton of posts here, but I'd be lying if I didn't say the 3.5s was the main reason it hooked me.