Venting… loaner model 3 sucks

[airborne spoon]

I have a 2014 P100D model S and I got the vehicle will not start and other BMS errors yesterday so I was able to drive it to to the service center and they said it's a isolation prob and they're gonna do a full diagnostic on the lift today to find the actual issue.

Anyway they were super helpful and very nice and even gave me a loaner even though my warranty expired almost a year ago. Because I'm a tourist and am camping 1.5 hours away from the service center.

But it's a model 3 and I don't how y'all drive these things on the regular. Like I left at 90% and I'm driving 150 miles and I'm arriving at 13%. That's only like 35-40% on my car but it's damn near a full charge for this thing. Luckily there is 1 supercharger only 30 miles out of the way from where I'm going so it's not a massive detour but still I wasn't planning on using a SC at all for this trip with my car.

Also does anyone else have a problem with how UNINTUITIVE everything is with the operation of this damn car‽ FFS nothing is easy to operate and even the locks I gotta swipe the damn card to lock and unlock and turn it on what a massive PITA.

I hate to punch a gift horse in the mouth because this loaner is a thousand times better than me having to pay for a rental car and I'm super grateful for the shop to be kind enough to loan it to me, but damn I ****ing hate the model 3 the seats aren't even comfortable in thos stupid car. How do you people take this crap

 

[GtiMart]

The card thing is because it's a loaner. Normally you would pair your cell phone and remove all that hassle. Like many cars, it's a matter of getting accustomed to it. I don't find my model 3 a hassle, but it requires a bit of getting used to. Some things are subjectively better once automated and you're used to it IMO.
As far as range, you know it's a matter of how you drive. You probably have a RWD that has a relatively small battery? I don't feel my LR AWD has any range issues.

 

[804son]

You got a Loaner, You poor thing. I don't know how you're dealing with your unprecedented Misfortune.

 

[blackT3$!@]

They should have given you uber credits. The two times I have had my 3LR AWD at the SC, they never offered me a loaner, only uber credits.

 

[Kairide]

As both a Model S and Model 3 owner I can say that the Model 3 is slower, louder and the suspension is not as good. But those are expected since there is a big price difference between the two.
Other than that, the Model 3 is a great car and is not unintuitive, nor as inefficient as you’ve stated. Basing your thoughts after one drive is pretty short sighted. Anytime you drive something new, you’ll find things you don’t like.

 

[gearchruncher]

They definitely have a short range RWD loaner. I have both a 100D Model X and a Performance Model 3 and the 3 for sure can go a lot farther.

Meanwhile I haven't gotten a loaner on either car in about 4 years when I take them in for warranty service.

The "how do you poor plebes deal with a car that a third as much as mine" doesn't tend to go over very well though. It's a solid troll though.

 

[BrownOuttaSpec]

But it's a model 3 and I don't how y'all drive these things on the regular. Like I left at 90% and I'm driving 150 miles and I'm arriving at 13%. That's only like 35-40% on my car but it's damn near a full charge for this thing. Luckily there is 1 supercharger only 30 miles out of the way from where I'm going so it's not a massive detour but still I wasn't planning on using a SC at all for this trip with my car.

Also does anyone else have a problem with how UNINTUITIVE everything is with the operation of this damn car‽ FFS nothing is easy to operate and even the locks I gotta swipe the damn card to lock and unlock and turn it on what a massive PITA.

When I got a M3 loaner I felt like the build quality was definitely way lower than my 2016 MS90D as well. I think if your phone was paired to the loaner you would have a much better experience. Did Tesla not add it to your profile automatically? Try to swipe left/right on your vehicle in the app to see if the loaner shows up. If not, you might be able to add your phone as the key using the settings in the car itself.

You are also going from 1 of the biggest battery/longest range vehicle (wk57 100 pack) to potentially one of the shortest range. Additionally, the rentals I have had were in extremely poorly maintained condition. Check the tire pressure to make sure it is up to spec.

 

[BrownOuttaSpec]

I have a 2014 P100D model S and I got the vehicle will not start and other BMS errors yesterday so I was able to drive it to to the service center and they said it's a isolation prob and they're gonna do a full diagnostic on the lift today to find the actual issue.

Can you make a separate thread to keep us updated about your BMS error? Also, let us know you if reach out to wk57 since they were the ones who upgraded your pack and keep us informed about your pack upgrade experience. I was thinking about doing a pack upgrade in the future.

 

[gearchruncher]

Additionally, the rentals I have had were in extremely poorly maintained condition. Check the tire pressure to make sure it is up to spec.

Now that you say that, the two times I ever got a Model S loaner, it was a total basketcase. If I judged Model 3's vs Model S's based on that experience, I'd say the Model 3 was a much better car. Much faster too since they always give you low spec Model S's.

I'd say the Model 3 was more intuitive too. What is this crap with having to carry a key fob around with me, and how the hell do I change stuff on the instrument cluster? Oh wait, things you already know how to do are "intuitive"?

 

[jjrandorin]

I have a 2014 P100D model S and I got the vehicle will not start and other BMS errors yesterday so I was able to drive it to to the service center and they said it's a isolation prob and they're gonna do a full diagnostic on the lift today to find the actual issue.

Anyway they were super helpful and very nice and even gave me a loaner even though my warranty expired almost a year ago. Because I'm a tourist and am camping 1.5 hours away from the service center.

But it's a model 3 and I don't how y'all drive these things on the regular. Like I left at 90% and I'm driving 150 miles and I'm arriving at 13%. That's only like 35-40% on my car but it's damn near a full charge for this thing. Luckily there is 1 supercharger only 30 miles out of the way from where I'm going so it's not a massive detour but still I wasn't planning on using a SC at all for this trip with my car.

Also does anyone else have a problem with how UNINTUITIVE everything is with the operation of this damn car‽ FFS nothing is easy to operate and even the locks I gotta swipe the damn card to lock and unlock and turn it on what a massive PITA.

I hate to punch a gift horse in the mouth because this loaner is a thousand times better than me having to pay for a rental car and I'm super grateful for the shop to be kind enough to loan it to me, but damn I ****ing hate the model 3 the seats aren't even comfortable in thos stupid car. How do you people take this crap

I felt the exact same way you just said about a Loaner model S I had a year ago when my car was with tesla for a couple days. I mean I hated (HAAAATTTEED ) it. it was a big, bloated pig while driving it, the screen was too low to actually be useful, the car itself was way too big. The only thing I found useful at all was the hatchback.

I knew after driving that loaner that I would never in a million years own a model s of that vintage.

So, shrug... guess its what you are used to.

 

[Mayer]

I picked up my second MS in June after I got hit in my old MS.
My new S needed minor service.

My experience with a loaner M3RWD is the opposite?

I’m shopping for one now, but may wait for the updated M3.

 

[El joe]

I felt the exact same way you just said about a Loaner model S I had a year ago when my car was with tesla for a couple days. I mean I hated (HAAAATTTEED ) it. it was a big, bloated pig while driving it, the screen was too low to actually be useful, the car itself was way too big. The only thing I found useful at all was the hatchback.

I knew after driving that loaner that I would never in a million years own a model s of that vintage.

So, shrug... guess its what you are used to.

I felt the same way. I took my 2019 Model 3 SR+ in for service and was given a 2017 Model S P100D as a loaner. I was thrilled and couldn't wait and was shocked that I really didn't like it compared to my 3. The screen dug into my right knee due to it being so low and vertical, I hate the cup holder situation and how it took up precious arm real estate, the lack of door cubbies, etc.

 

[airborne spoon]

Can you make a separate thread to keep us updated about your BMS error? Also, let us know you if reach out to wk57 since they were the ones who upgraded your pack and keep us informed about your pack upgrade experience. I was thinking about doing a pack upgrade in the future.

The rear DU has water from the coolant over time ya know that manufacturer defect lol but it did take 188k miles to fail. So they are gonna order me a new motor that should take a couple days and hopefully that's all that is wrong. I haven't gotten the estimate yet but he did say the price has gone down for the motor.

 

[RayK]

<snip>
I hate to punch a gift horse in the mouth because this loaner is a thousand times better than me having to pay for a rental car and I'm super grateful for the shop to be kind enough to loan it to me, but damn I ****ing hate the model 3 the seats aren't even comfortable in thos stupid car. How do you people take this crap

I used to have a BMW (2000 E46 323i). Purchased over the internet for about $32K - which is to say that I didn't give my money to any of the local dealers. I always went to a dealer for repairs in the 19 years I owned it. I almost always got a free loaner; if not from the dealer's inventory (BMW of Mountain View, CA), then from a local Enterprise office a couple of miles away (BMW had an arrangement with them and I got shuttled there by BMW service). As with BMW, they offered a loaner commensurate with what your car was. So for me, it usually was another 3 Series; 325i, 328ci, 328i Convertible. Once, I got an i3 REx for the weekend. As bad as it was for an EV, it got me thinking that a proper EV could work for me. The last time I had the BMW serviced, they said that they had a brand new X2 and "would I like to have that one?". Of course I said yes. I might have bought one of those if I didn't get my 3.

The couple of times I've gone to the Santa Clara Tesla Service Center for work on my car (essentially walk-up service), I was offered Uber credits or invited to wait in their waiting room. They either didn't have any loaners as it was the middle of the day or they were reserving cars for longer term service work (both times I went in was for tire issues). For the other service issues on my 3, I've had mobile service out to my house. HW3 update, 12V battery replacement, cabin filter change, FCA re-seal, charge port deadfronts. So far, the Model 3 has been the least problematic car I've owned since about a 1971 Capri 2000 that I had (and worked on myself for most things - I drew the line at a clutch replacement).

I agree with you that the Model 3 seats are not as comfortable as a pair of Recaros that I had in my Capri, and later on transferred into a 1980 Mazda RX-7. I wish that there was a way to put them into my 3 (I still have the pair sitting in my garage). The back seats of the 3 are pretty bad but they are a lot better than the first version they had in there (late 2017 - early 2018 cars). Too low to the floor. You'd sit with your knees up in your face (joking a bit but close to the truth). Same goes for the suspension. Early models were much stiffer than my BMW ever was. This was fixed before I bought my car (July 2018). This was my experience when I rented a 3 in January 2018 off of Turo.com. The VIN on that rental was 7xx (seven hundred).

As for the keycard issue, as others had said before me, you would usually use a smartphone to access the car. Walk up (with phone close to the car), the car detects the phone and automatically unlocks, you open the door and get in. For about the first half year I had my 3 I would exclusively use the card. Then I decided to "get with the times" and attached my phone to the car. During the last 4.5 years, after changing my phone twice, I still am not 100% happy. Just this morning when I went to get in my car, the door stayed locked. Phone was in my hand next to the B pillar. I then used the non-passive fob I keep in my pocket to unlock the car. It happens only once in a while but it's frustrating. Strike that. Mostly it's embarrassing to be seen in public pulling on the door handle (sometimes more than once) and nothing happens.

So yeah, the 3 is not the perfect car. It does take some time getting used to the central display and nothing out in front of you on the dash. Some controls are not easily found at first. But it beats pouring gas into an ICE.

BTW, I have driven a Model S P100D once. Before the 3 was released, back in March 2017, Tesla contacted me and offered a test drive of an S or X. I took them up on the offer. I think that the crew came down from Palo Alto to a Los Gatos parking lot for the day. The Tesla guy that came along for the test drive said he wasn't too familiar with the area so he let me choose the route. I did a combination of city and highway driving. What impressed me was an on-ramp to Highway 85 where I almost floored it after coming around the turn to the on-ramp (it was a little bit wet and I didn't know how the car would handle the slippery road). It's a straight, slightly uphill climb and then a dedicated lane on the highway for the cars coming on. That made my decision to buy a 3 even more solid.

 

[jsmay311]

I can barely read the OP's posts cuz that avatar gif is so distracting/annoying.

 

[RSpanner]

The rear DU has water from the coolant over time ya know that manufacturer defect lol but it did take 188k miles to fail. So they are gonna order me a new motor that should take a couple days and hopefully that's all that is wrong. I haven't gotten the estimate yet but he did say the price has gone down for the motor.

I would love to respond but your Avatar is making me sick.

 

[jjrandorin]

For anyone having an issue with the animated gif, I suggest looking at this thread and the post from woof:

TMC Forum Avatars that Move

First off,...thank you, Thank You, THANK YOU to those TMC members who either (a) never selected an avatar (So they have colored alphabet squares as avatars) or (b) selected a calm, quiet, peaceful, motionless avatar. Bless you. OK, at the risk of creating a firestorm (be sure to bring your...

teslamotorsclub.com

if you use google chrome, for example, there is a chrome extension called "animation policy" that you can add, that gives you choice to either let animated gifs move all the time, move once, or not move at all. I am sure other browsers have a way to do this as well.

Animation Policy

Run animations only once, or disable animation completely.

chrome.google.com

This is not a moderator note, its just a regular member note.

 

[airborne spoon]

For anyone having an issue with the animated gif, I suggest looking at this thread and the post from woof:

TMC Forum Avatars that Move

First off,...thank you, Thank You, THANK YOU to those TMC members who either (a) never selected an avatar (So they have colored alphabet squares as avatars) or (b) selected a calm, quiet, peaceful, motionless avatar. Bless you. OK, at the risk of creating a firestorm (be sure to bring your...

teslamotorsclub.com

if you use google chrome, for example, there is a chrome extension called "animation policy" that you can add, that gives you choice to either let animated gifs move all the time, move once, or not move at all. I am sure other browsers have a way to do this as well.

Animation Policy

Run animations only once, or disable animation completely.

chrome.google.com

This is not a moderator note, its just a regular member note.

Hahahahah you'd hate to see the tech forum I'm on like every 10th person has a gif avatar.

It's not to be annoying I just like it, but I do find it humorous that it annoys people

but you can get a parrot in any countries flag if anyone wants to join the parrot gang

 

[RayK]

but you can get a parrot in any countries flag if anyone wants to join the parrot gang

You should be able to get your choice of parrot for each flag. I wanted the Australian flag to be of a cockatiel (had several as pets many years ago), not the generic ring-necked parakeet.

 

[viper2ko]

i traded in my 2017 S for a 2023 M3P. Its a fun car to drive and the supercharging speeds are about 3 times faster than my old S. that being said, my next car will most likely be an S again, or X.