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What's the most surprising thing you've found once you got your Tesla?

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I must've received the short end of the stick. I had a professional check and remove all residue if there are any. Which didn't help then I called tesla mobile service to help, they came and said it's working perfectly even though they clearly saw how it didn't clean off the dirt/spots on the windshield.

We ceramic coated windshields. It makes a huge difference. I highly recommend this particular product, and one $17 bottle supplies enough for the entire car and all the windows. It's like a semipermanent Rain X! And it also protects your windshield at least to some degree from the micro-abrasion of sand and small rock impacts but of course it will not protect from larger impacts which have too much kinetic energy.I can't imagine owning a car and not doing this after seeing what an amazing difference it makes. Most of the time I don't even need the windshield wipers, but when I do it makes their action smoother and more effective. And it really improves visibility in rain because it makes the windshield more hydrophobic, and this makes it easier and safer to drive in the wet.
 
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What I find most surprising is that the car keeps getting worse with each of the latest updates when I was led to believe the opposite would be true.
- last updated broke bluetooth audio sync
- the one before that broke the changing system; it sometimes overcharges over the limit set
- the one before that broke the charging scheduler; now it doesn't stop charging after topping off so continues to top of in expensive time of use period
- the one before that made the rear camera look crummy and washed out
- the one before that broke the camera recordings complaining about memory stick being to slow when it always worked fine before
- the one before that made my car only unlock with my phone 50% of the time when it worked great when I bought the car

The problem is that these bugs keep accumulating even though I keep hoping that they'll get fixed but they don't. They keep introducing more and more bugs while adding trivial features I don't care about.
 
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What I find most surprising is that the car keeps getting worse with each of the latest updates when I was led to believe the opposite would be true.
- last updated broke bluetooth audio sync
- the one before that broke the changing system; it sometimes overcharges over the limit set
- the one before that broke the charging scheduler; now it doesn't stop charging after topping off so continues to top of in expensive time of use period
- the one before that made the rear camera look crummy and washed out
- the one before that broke the camera recordings complaining about memory stick being to slow when it always worked fine before
- the one before that made my car only unlock with my phone 50% of the time when it worked great when I bought the car

The problem is that these bugs keep accumulating even though I keep hoping that they'll get fixed but they don't. They keep introducing more and more bugs while adding trivial features I don't care about.

Goodness – sorry to hear about all this Perry!! We've got two performance Model 3s. I've never heard of anything like this or any of those specific issues before Perry so I have to wonder if you've got something wrong with your computer or the system RAM? Curious if anybody else has seen any of this – the one thing that I can say is that there is a certain amount of variability in how quickly the car recognizes the Bluetooth connection via the phone. Some of that I've discovered is actually due to the aggressive battery conservation settings on my phone which suspend the Tesla app and identify it as wasting battery. Make sure that the app is turned on before you head out to the car and that should at least mitigate your last problem.

As far as Bluetooth audio sync goes, we knew for sure never had any problems with that once the phone is actually logged in.

So you're sure that somehow the operating system is not saving your charging limit? I'm sure you are aware that the Tesla app is unreliable in terms of its ability to set the charging limit – and you could probably accidentally alter that if your touchscreen phone is still active and you don't turn off the screen? How long is your screen set to be active in your phone? Do you set charging limits from the phone or from the touchscreen in the car?

In your part of the country I suspect there somebody on the forum who can help you troubleshoot some of this?
 
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What I find most surprising is that the car keeps getting worse with each of the latest updates when I was led to believe the opposite would be true.
- last updated broke bluetooth audio sync
- the one before that broke the changing system; it sometimes overcharges over the limit set
- the one before that broke the charging scheduler; now it doesn't stop charging after topping off so continues to top of in expensive time of use period
- the one before that made the rear camera look crummy and washed out
- the one before that broke the camera recordings complaining about memory stick being to slow when it always worked fine before
- the one before that made my car only unlock with my phone 50% of the time when it worked great when I bought the car

The problem is that these bugs keep accumulating even though I keep hoping that they'll get fixed but they don't. They keep introducing more and more bugs while adding trivial features I don't care about.

Thank you for pointing this out. I'm in the software industry (and surrounded by those who are as well), and this is something we know is inevitable with frequent updates, especially on the scale that Tesla needs to do it at.

I haven't had an issue with charging like you've mentioned, but changes to the cameras (whether it be the backup camera or the sentry recordings) are real and a significant number of people did have issues with those updates. And defending "oh, it's just the backup camera" won't hold up to legal trials, since at least in Canada they've been required on vehicles for a few years.

Not to mention the update that brought Emergency Lane Departure Avoidance (or whatever it may be called), which on some roads forces you into the wrong lane. That was bad. It has since been made so that turning it off is a permanent settings, you don't have to turn it off every time you drive.

The only notable daily improvement for my own driving that I can recall is the ability to assign driver profiles to a phone or key card, which honestly the car should have come with, it's 2019 :p but I'm very glad they added it. There are of course things that get fixed that I don't notice, like the recent dog mode issue fix. That's the problem with having so many features -- regressions or simply issues from day one are likely to happen.

Now since I've made another post to this thread, I'll pay the tax and mention another surprising thing:

The electric power steering feels way too good compared to other cars with electric power steering, which all feel way too light and give no feedback from the road. The standard setting on the Model 3 is perfect, giving good feedback while not being so heavy that it's a burden.
 
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What a fun idea for a thread, @DopeGhoti . You guys/gals have covered pretty much everything I could think of to add.

I had no idea so many people hate chrome trim, and non-black wheels :D
(Puts flame suit on...)

I'm right there with ya, man. I guess we're (maybe just "I'm"?) old. These kids nowadays with no chrome 'n black wheels, listenin' to that thumpin' bass music... GET OFF MY LAWN! ;) Actually, I like the look of no chrome and black wheels on some cars. As long as they're not mine. :D

Maybe just one thing to add...

There are a lot of really steep hills in our town. I was so used to having to really start mashing down on the go pedal to get up some of them in my old Honda, that I nearly launched my Tesla through the back of the car in front of me the first time I drove up a particularly steep hill.

It feels like once you've "set" a speed with the accelerator pedal, the car does whatever it needs to do to maintain that speed up a hill, without you having to adjust pedal pressure.
 
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The Tesla hate surprised me a bit. There aren't so many, but they are obsessed with hating Tesla. It's like a religious thing with them.
Amen, brother.

There's a surprising amount of them in this area. It seems that the majority of them drive diesel 4X4 pickups.

Last week while driving on the interstate, I had a big Dodge Cummins Turbo Diesel 4X4 race by me on the left, pull over into my lane, then rapidly slow down in front of me, while at the same time start throwing up clouds of thick black smoke. Just... wow. After I went around him, he chased me down and attempted to do it again. I immediately took an exit off the freeway. Didn't want to have to deal with an unsafe, aggressive, and apparently angry driver.

It's also very common to find large 4X4 pickup trucks ICE'ing the local Supercharger when there are plenty of open parking spots. They'll often park across the lanes to block two spots.
 
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Creep is disabled, I was also trying to park, making small adjustments. Brake hold is not the problem, as soon as the brake is not engaged as I start to accelerate. I wonder if creep would help? I do want to go slightly in the direction the gear is selected, or at least not roll in the opposite direction. I don’t have hills where I live to try, I have find somewhere to try again.

I’m sure there is a way, just have to learn how to cope. Any San Francisco folks out there to comment?
Not sure if this has been responded to yes, but you can release Hold by pressing the accelerator rather than the brake. If you’re on a steep hill, you may still have to stab it a bit to keep from rolling back at all.
 
I found two surprises: the wonder of being able to simply let off the pedal and have regen braking slow the car sufficiently to take a corner at speed. You get pretty good at this after a little practice. The objective is to never touch the brake if you can help it.

Second surprise was that with Tune-In and streaming, I can listen to BBC Radio Four (much better than NPR), rock n' roll from Madrid, any radio station in America, or any podcast I want. At first I was grumpy about no Sirius XM radio. But now I'm even happier, and I'm not paying for satellite radio!
 
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...

There are a lot of really steep hills in our town. I was so used to having to really start mashing down on the go pedal to get up some of them in my old Honda, that I nearly launched my Tesla through the back of the car in front of me the first time I drove up a particularly steep hill.

It feels like once you've "set" a speed with the accelerator pedal, the car does whatever it needs to do to maintain that speed up a hill, without you having to adjust pedal pressure.

One thing the Vancouver Tesla test drives do is send you up a steep-ish hill fairly soon after getting in the car. It's just absolutely effortless. And then you step on it some more and you're pulling some sick acceleration up a steep hill instantaneously with no effort. Flabbergasting. I'm sure that alone has a lot of people throwing their wallet at the employees for a down payment.

Thread tax: Another surprise is that you can have significant amounts of "fun" (say, aggressive driving on a backroad) and still get the rated efficiency if you're careful to only use regen and not use the brake pedal. Gosh dang that's fantastic. No gas car I've owned could have that much more fun without burning much more fuel than rated.
 
The AC cools the car off fast!
Coming from a Phoenician, that means something.

My small town stays within 5F of Las Vegas, so we're pretty hot, too. Absolutely no complaints about AC capacity here. On a hot day, I can set the temp at 60F, and eventually the AC fan will actually slow down. Best AC I've ever seen in a car.
 
There are a few things really.

1. Just how much I would love driving this my Model 3.

Normally I'm kind of a hermit. My friends have to prod me to get out of the house and I thank them for that. I deal with chronic anxiety and it's easy to become a shut in if you don't have great support from those around you. But this car seems to override this issue. To my surprise I found myself making up reasons to go places and drive people around. It's been awesome!!!

2. How inadequate every other car is after you get used to driving a Tesla.

When I visit my aging mother in Vegas a few times a year, I used to drive her car since she really doesn't use it any more. Before my Tesla, I used to enjoy driving it because it had the ability to get up and go and the interior seemed very nice. But compared to my Tesla it's like driving a wet noodle with loose wheels. You mash the throttle and wait for the secondaries to open up for what feels like an eternity before the horsepower comes on. I will be driving to Vegas from now on. :)

3. Throttle response.

Now I know that it's well known that Tesla's are quick, but until you drive one you really don't know what that means. I remember the first time that I felt the need to use acceleration to get around a potential problem. I almost caused a new issue because when I mashed the throttle I got to where I was aiming and then passed it way before I expected too. Getting out of the way is no longer a problem. :)

I could really go on and on... But I'll spare you.

LOVE THIS CAR!!!
 
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On top of everything that I like about this car and was already mentioned,
I would like to add that the car itself can be considere as a "mobile" room extension to your home.

What I mean is that when you are not driving, and need for example to wait somewhere for any reason,
instead of going to a coffee shop, which can be noisy or crowded,
you can just seat in your car and relax like if you were in your living room.

You can listen to some music, or use your phone or your laptop like at home,
(or watch Nettflix or YouTube on a big screen... when V10 will be available),
and you don't have to worry about the outside temperature because you can turn the A/C or the heater,
(see Dog Mode).

To keep the A/C or the heat on, takes a little bit of energy, like about 1 to 2 kWh (check Bjørn Nyland) or 4 to 10 miles per hour,
but this is one of the great advantages of any EV compare to an ICE car, forwhich you would have to keep the engine
running otherwise to get some fresh air or some heat.
 
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Driving a standard shift for 30+ consecutive years I was amazed that in one year I have reached for the gear shift twice and started for the clutch once. I expected difficulty getting used to regen because of the comments. Instead, it feels so much like down shifting, I adapted immediately.
 
We ceramic coated windshields. It makes a huge difference. I highly recommend this particular product, and one $17 bottle supplies enough for the entire car and all the windows. It's like a semipermanent Rain X! And it also protects your windshield at least to some degree from the micro-abrasion of sand and small rock impacts but of course it will not protect from larger impacts which have too much kinetic energy.I can't imagine owning a car and not doing this after seeing what an amazing difference it makes. Most of the time I don't even need the windshield wipers, but when I do it makes their action smoother and more effective. And it really improves visibility in rain because it makes the windshield more hydrophobic, and this makes it easier and safer to drive in the wet.

When you coated your windshield did you prop up the windshield wipers somehow? I’m going to coat mine but even when you put the wipers in service mode you’re unable to prop them so they aren’t against the glass. It sure if you can just coat under them then put them down in between coats or not.