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@StealthP3D
My other cars had issues in the winter too
However, when the windows froze (and they did) they froze to the window frame
Thus, you could still open the door by pulling on it hard
Or by using alcohol and an ice pick and a scraper
With the Frameless window, the window freezes to the frame of the car.
Thus I’m nervous that pulling hard will break the window
Dude I say this respectfully
You’re from Washington
I’m a San Franciscan who has lived in Seattle, and now Minneapolis
Your pathetic Washington winters are NOTHING like Minnesota, where our HIGH temp might be minus 10 for a week
We might not hit 30 degrees for MONTHS
So Spare me your worldly knowledge.
You don’t know crap about me, or what I’ve done
You know nothing about MN winters either
I am an extremely intelligent person who has attended the absolute best institutions in the world
I am using all of your recommendations
I’m not some dumb ass that needs to be “taught” how to manage in winter
The problem:
It’s so cold here that your eyeballs freeze. Literally
We have been pounded by snow. It is unrelenting.
My S has done an admirable job
As I said, it’s the best all around car on the market
By leaps and bounds
It is 10x better than I thought it could be
But it is NOT the best winter car ever. Which is fine
Because it’s AMAZING
So please, just stop
You’re embarrassing yourself
Other cars can have similar issues but the end result wasn’t so bad and easier to recover from. I think if I did not have the luxury of a garage and a backup car, I’d hate this car in winter. You have to baby it through winter. I’ve never had to lube gaskets on any car.
Thanks to all of you for your thoughtful replies. Below are a few more details:
- ... and owning a house in Tahoe for 30 years...
- ... sub-zero package struck me as overkill for California and the occasional trip to the mountains.
You realize this is the Model S forum, right?
Most of us spent far more than $70k on our cars
I will take your advice.
I leave for Sydney On Tuesday.
No matter how much you spend on a car, the windows and doors will still freeze shut when weather conditions are conducive to that. Even a $1 million Ferrari/Bugatti/Lamborghini, etc. will freeze shut if parked in such conditions.
That's excellent news, I'm sure you're ready for some non-freezing weather by now.
Why can’t you admit Tesla could do a lot better here. Why do you think it’s discussed so often?
The only time my VW CC froze was when Ice was VISIBLE at the base of the glass on the OUTSIDE and I was to lazy to clean it thinking it would over power it, and usually did. If I cleared that it would always open. The Tesla’s freeze INSIDE. From trapped water/moisture that might have occurred days ago.
I washed my cars yesterday. They are both in a 45-50F garage. It’s cold out today 25F and windy. I guarantee if I took it to work, when I leave work they would be frozen. I guess I’ll take the Jeep today. I need to baby my baby.
Like any other car I treat this way, after a rain followed by a hard freeze it might need a few impacts with the heel of my gloved hand to free the seals but then it works normally. If I'm plugged in I generally pre-heat the car to reduce battery cycling and then I don't even need to scrape the ice off the windshield.
Fluffy snow is not the problem. It's rain (or washing), followed by cold weather that is the big issue.
I use -15F window washer fluid. The issue was that the nozzles were iced up.
I have bought a window cover that I use if our cars are outside and the weather is sketchy - awesome. In fact better than lifting wipers, but you have to have it with you and remember to put it on.
it is in fact below 0 celsiusCorrect - I didn't purchase that package. However, 29F is nowhere near 'sub-zero'.
First off, I think you are exhibiting an Americanized view in your observation that 29 degrees above "sub zero". As another post mentioned "sub zero" is merely another term for winter. If you go by the Centegrade scale "0" is 32 degrees Fahrenheit and I think that is a better reference for what the package is intended for, ie. below freezing. I live in Northern NJ and have had my "S" with the sub zero package for the last 3 winters. No issues whatsoever and very happy with its performance both in terms of traction and windshield visibility.Last week, I drove from the SF Bay Area to Lake Tahoe. Above 5000 feet, it was snowing (heavy flurries), snow on the surface, temperature 29-31F, on a two lane highway (US50).
We stopped for 2 hours while an avalanche was cleared, and then resumed travel in the dark. Soon, the road was barely visible through our iced windshield, with occasional white-outs from blown snow. I was reluctant to scrape the windshield due to concerns that I would be hit by a sliding vehicle, but when I was able to scrape it, it quickly frosted again.
While the traction was superb, there are serious Model S winter driving shortcomings:
I drove slowly, peering through 2 to 3 inch gaps in the frozen windshield. When we finally arrived at Lake Tahoe, I spoke with a Model X driver at a super charger who reported a similar issues. It was an absolutely terrifying experience which we survived. With a couple of exceptions, I would expect these features on any modern automobile, and certainly all of them on a car costing $100,000.
- The front windshield defroster is grossly underpowered, inadequate to keep ice from forming, and it was barely freezing
- There are no heaters at the base of the windshield to keep the wiper blades from freezing
- There are no heaters to keep the windshield spray nozzles free of ice
- There is no wiper blade or spray nozzle to clear the rear windshield
- There is no spray nozzle to clear the rear camera
- Because I was unclear as to the meaning of the blue vs orange indicator on the front windshield defroster, I discovered there is no Tesla User Manual when there is no cell service
- Without internet access, when I attempted to tune into an AM station for road conditions, I discovered that there is no AM radio
I have, it does suck, wipers just chatter.sub zero is necessary if you are in cold often. Wasn’t an option on my carYou had instant ice forming on the windshield in 29 degree weather?
Weird, I have never had any issues like this. Not sure what people mean by putting defroster on red but if I select "up arrow" on the climate control screen and set the fan at 3 or 4 and the temperature at 79, the windshield clears immediately and stays clear of ice. And 29'F is pretty warm, hard to imagine any issues at such warm temperature. We have had temps down to 0'F and no issues with ice build up.
The windshield defroster distributes air flow to the windshield. Touch once to defog the windshield (the icon turns blue). Touch a second time to defrost the windshield (the icon turns red and the heating and fan operate at maximum levels). Touch a third time to turn off and restore the air distribution, heating, and fan to their previous settings.
Thanks for your post and info. So from the posting, it sounds as the Tesla operated pretty much like any other ICE car I've owned and going through that area under those conditions. I go over that pass regularly with my X and I purchased the winter package, and I have no issues that you describe.Correct - I didn't purchase that package. However, 29F is nowhere near 'sub-zero'.