My Trip to Detroit Auto Show and Meetings with Ford

[Hammered]

I love watching Sandy, but these are some of the most hideous looking bottle openers I've ever seen for $150. Those wheels, c'mon!

Yeah, that's really bad. I would have cut it and then used one of my fiber laser engravers to etch the lines into it. That's just really bad -- easily a B-stock unit.

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[The Electric Duo]

Is the referral code not a two way street? The typical influencer copypasta they put on each video is way over the top -- it's just spam. I don't use any influencer links ever, be it amazon, tesla, or otherwise. I'll click it, extract the item out, and then use my own or someone else's via another browser breaking any / all referral links.

The Tesla referral links get the buyer $500 off and several months of FSD Beta subscription so there is quite the incentive to find a referral code to use. And for the referrer, I've seen several estimates that it is worth about $1,000 in value. I know some people that basically have lifetime free Supercharging because of referrals and one person got a free Boring Company flamethrower and Tesla PowerWall.

 

[SWO]

Is the referral code not a two way street? The typical influencer copypasta they put on each video is way over the top -- it's just spam. I don't use any influencer links ever, be it amazon, tesla, or otherwise. I'll click it, extract the item out, and then use my own or someone else's via another browser breaking any / all referral links.

As to the question of "does a referral link drive opinion" -- Yes, to an extent. There's no referral link / reward that can polish a turd though. Kyle for example tests every EV he can get his hands on, and from an external appearance provides a fair overview of products / services. Their primary cars are a porsche and a rivian last I paid attention. It's pretty difficult to really say he promotes tesla any more or less because of a referral link. Now a channel that only talks about tesla, they're probably simping hard using all means to drive revenue or buy favor with them.

I think you'd find it to be a futile effort to find someone who watched 1 video about a tesla and just had to go and order one. Impulse buying of a vehicle is done more in-person, and tesla just doesn't have many locations where one can drive one, let alone leave same-day. When I see some nonsense I'll call it out. People know what a referral link is and must use it while purchasing to provide any benefit.

The most recent BS I've come across is Munro's cybertruck bottle opener they're hocking for something like $150. The whole "help us buy and teardown a cybertruck" video they did was just horseshit to put it nicely - not exactly referral link associated but they're selling bullshit under false pretenses. I flamed them on that nonsense, and apparently others did too. I liked one idea put forth regarding "investment for profit sharing". The backlash had them make a subsequent video trying to justify the nonsense, particularly considering their complete reports often cost as much as a vehicle.

The 'joke' bottle openers (I can produce these for less than $2/ea)


The reply post-backlash (the math here is off, furthermore their decision to hold onto parts they could sell vs house is just a bad practice particularly around new vehicles where other shops would be more than happy to buy the parts at a premium to get them 'now')


That's some disingenuous nonsense they also did with the model S. That I take exception with. It's tangent, but related.

Well, we can agree that Munro is a clown.

As for Kyle, he has no problem hocking stuff. Watch this video (complete with affiliate link) and tell me this isn't a commercial. I'm pretty sure Tom tested the same charger and broke it.



Affiliate links work, that's why Tesla uses them. Arguing they don't sell cars sounds futile to me.

 

[Mach1E]

Well, we can agree that Munro is a clown.

As for Kyle, he has no problem hocking stuff. Watch this video (complete with affiliate link) and tell me this isn't a commercial. I'm pretty sure Tom tested the same charger and broke it.



Affiliate links work, that's why Tesla uses them. Arguing they don't sell cars sounds futile to me.

Almost impossible to know if they work.

Do they convert non-buyers into buyers or would the people clicking for the discount have bought the car anyways.

It’s the issue with lots of advertising.

Old example- yellow page ads with a “tracking phone number.” You got 50 calls….. success!!! Except that 80% of people flipping through the yellow pages were just looking for your phone number and would have called anyways.

More modern example is any google paid search ads. For the same exact reason as the yellow pages.

That said, kinda like all advertising, there is some measurable benefit. But is it worth the $1500 per lead (discount plus paying the influencer)? Tough to say.

 

[mkhuffman]

Well, we can agree that Munro is a clown.

As for Kyle, he has no problem hocking stuff. Watch this video (complete with affiliate link) and tell me this isn't a commercial. I'm pretty sure Tom tested the same charger and broke it.



Affiliate links work, that's why Tesla uses them. Arguing they don't sell cars sounds futile to me.

I don't know Kyle from Adam (or Larry), but he seems like a nice guy just trying to make a living talking about cars. What a great job. And we all know how he pays his bills, so why are we so critical of it? If people don't see value in what he does, then don't support him. But why is it people have to tear him (and others like him) down like he is doing something wrong?

@SWO, this isn't directed at you. I just feel so many in this thread are being too hard on the people who make a living talking about the things we are interested in.

And Munro can be annoying. But he is just a man, an old man, doing what he loves and trying to make money doing it. The bottle opener was a stupid idea, but whatever. I am not going to buy one. And anyone who does deserves what they get. And you know, we all do stupid things over the course of our lives. Most of the time they are not as public as Munro's bottle opener. But it does not make them any less stupid.

 

[Hammered]

Well, we can agree that Munro is a clown.

As for Kyle, he has no problem hocking stuff. Watch this video (complete with affiliate link) and tell me this isn't a commercial. I'm pretty sure Tom tested the same charger and broke it.

Affiliate links work, that's why Tesla uses them. Arguing they don't sell cars sounds futile to me.

People use tesla affiliate links because it's a win-win for the user. They're not selling cars off of a yt vid. If you're looking for a coupon / reduced price for something, do you really care where it comes from when it does what you need?

For portable chargers I'll use cheapies off amazon as long as they work. Why spend 3x as much when it can be upgraded / replaced in 3 years with something better. I didn't bother watching that vid as it looked like an advert and I have no need for such a thing. EVSEs are really simple devices. The last one I snagged has variable current selections and both ends use common compression sealing ends for easy cable upgrades / swaps making it very easy to attach any head / charging cable.

 

[Kamuelaflyer]

people who have some nostalgia for the “Mustang.” Yup…… that’s us

Taking your comment entirely out of context and far more seriously than intended. Probably not as much nostalgia as some would think. Personally I haven’t genuinely liked a Mustang made since about 1967. The mach-e was the first ev that had nice styling according to me. I’m not alone either (scary huh? )

 

[Mach1E]

Taking your comment entirely out of context and far more seriously than intended. Probably not as much nostalgia as some would think. Personally I haven’t genuinely liked a Mustang made since about 1967. The mach-e was the first ev that had nice styling according to me. I’m not alone either (scary huh? )

That makes my other Mustang sad to hear that.

But yeah, nostalgia doesn’t apply to everyone. But there’s enough of us around to be affected.

 

[Jimrpa]

The Tesla referral links get the buyer $500 off and several months of FSD Beta subscription so there is quite the incentive to find a referral code to use. And for the referrer, I've seen several estimates that it is worth about $1,000 in value. I know some people that basically have lifetime free Supercharging because of referrals and one person got a free Boring Company flamethrower and Tesla PowerWall.

I don’t mean to pry (since it’s your industry as well), but don’t they also get paid by YouTube for making and posting the videos? In essence, “double-dipping” as it were? Sorry if I’m asking an inappropriate question. I’ve never understood the whole YouTube thing.

 

[Jimrpa]

Taking your comment entirely out of context and far more seriously than intended. Probably not as much nostalgia as some would think. Personally I haven’t genuinely liked a Mustang made since about 1967. The mach-e was the first ev that had nice styling according to me. I’m not alone either (scary huh? )

Oh! Come on now! The mustang 2 represented the pinnacle of automotive styling and performance!

 

[DevSecOps]

I don’t mean to pry (since it’s your industry as well), but don’t they also get paid by YouTube for making and posting the videos? In essence, “double-dipping” as it were? Sorry if I’m asking an inappropriate question. I’ve never understood the whole YouTube thing.

Maybe he'll reply if you give us the secret on how we can make money herding highly technical, independent cats.

 

[Jimrpa]

Maybe he'll reply if you give us the secret on how we can make money herding highly technical, independent cats.

Dude, I spent almost my entire career doing that. If I knew how to do that, I’d be one of those Silicon Valley billionaires , obsessed with who has the biggest … yacht ???

 

[Kamuelaflyer]

Maybe he'll reply if you give us the secret on how we can make money herding highly technical, independent cats.

I actually almost sort of liked the 2013 or so Mustangs. Maybe 2014. Obviously did not like it enough to buy one though.

Oh! Come on now! The mustang 2 represented the pinnacle of automotive styling and performance!

I prefer them over the 1973 Mustang. Ugly arsed thing that it was. Mind you prefer them over is like choosing between a mud sandwich on sourdough or Italian bread.

 

[Mach1E]

Oh! Come on now! The mustang 2 represented the pinnacle of automotive styling and performance!

You can make a Mustang II cool……. It just takes a LOT of work:
https://www.motortrend.com/features...tang-ii-is-it-an-evolution-or-revolution/amp/

 

[AKgrampy]

You can make a Mustang II cool……. It just takes a LOT of work:
https://www.motortrend.com/features...tang-ii-is-it-an-evolution-or-revolution/amp/

Yea - you just have to make it not look like a Mustang II!

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