agoldman
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jan 23, 2020
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- Charleston, SC
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- GT Cyber Orange
I confess, I am reading these recent tesla posts to make me feel better about my ME and it's minor niggles that people are reporting. Here is another from today:
Are there some drawbacks? Sure. I've learned a few things since I got the car:
- I will probably never achieve the rated 300+ mi range. From reading the forums here (and my own experience), that would require never driving above 65mph, accelerating/decelerating like a robot, driving only on flat terrain, in 50F+ degree weather, using the HVAC system sparingly, charging to full (Tesla recommends against), etc, etc. For my own usage, this has functioned more like a 240-250mi range vehicle.
- There is NO live customer service, unless you are purchasing a vehicle or have a roadside emergency. Not as in "the hold times are long" - I mean there are actually no reps to talk to outside of those two areas. For a unique product with its own design and ecosystem, this is a gaping oversight.
- Charging to 75-80% will take 30-40 minutes. This contrasted with the 15-20min I was quoted by sales reps, which might be achievable using a v3 supercharger alone, but that is hardly typical. With the range issues above this can easily turn a 5hr roadtrip in your ICE vehicle into an 8hr adventure in your Tesla. 8hrs of driving can become a 13-15hr marathon.
- There is no built-in AM radio - you need to stream it through an app like Tune-In. Really?
- Navigation, especially with charging stops for a roadtrip, leaves a lot to be desired. In a world where Waze exists, how is it not in Tesla? Oh, and half the supercharger destinations will point you to a mall parking lot where you'll need to drive around for 10 minutes to find out where they are.
I list these items above because they are all things that are important for prospective owners. I probably would have been a bit more cautious with my purchase had I known about them. But all of this stuff pales in comparison to what I experienced today.
My wife and I are in the midst of a 40-day roadtrip, the first leg of which cuts through the northern US. Admittedly, the current weather conditions are a bit extreme, with temps ranging from 10F to -10F the past few days. This resulted in our car's range falling to ~150mi on some parts of the trip, significantly extending our driving time. But at least we were able to get from point A to point B safely. Until today.
Today, our Model Y's heater stopped working suddenly, only blowing cold air through the vents. This appears to be a well-documented issue the past few months, with the only fix being a lengthy visit to a service center.
and then there is this:
My range loss in extreme cold (sub 20 degrees) has been more like 50-60%. In "regular" cold (20-45 degrees) it's more I'm that 30-40% range.
Are there some drawbacks? Sure. I've learned a few things since I got the car:
- I will probably never achieve the rated 300+ mi range. From reading the forums here (and my own experience), that would require never driving above 65mph, accelerating/decelerating like a robot, driving only on flat terrain, in 50F+ degree weather, using the HVAC system sparingly, charging to full (Tesla recommends against), etc, etc. For my own usage, this has functioned more like a 240-250mi range vehicle.
- There is NO live customer service, unless you are purchasing a vehicle or have a roadside emergency. Not as in "the hold times are long" - I mean there are actually no reps to talk to outside of those two areas. For a unique product with its own design and ecosystem, this is a gaping oversight.
- Charging to 75-80% will take 30-40 minutes. This contrasted with the 15-20min I was quoted by sales reps, which might be achievable using a v3 supercharger alone, but that is hardly typical. With the range issues above this can easily turn a 5hr roadtrip in your ICE vehicle into an 8hr adventure in your Tesla. 8hrs of driving can become a 13-15hr marathon.
- There is no built-in AM radio - you need to stream it through an app like Tune-In. Really?
- Navigation, especially with charging stops for a roadtrip, leaves a lot to be desired. In a world where Waze exists, how is it not in Tesla? Oh, and half the supercharger destinations will point you to a mall parking lot where you'll need to drive around for 10 minutes to find out where they are.
I list these items above because they are all things that are important for prospective owners. I probably would have been a bit more cautious with my purchase had I known about them. But all of this stuff pales in comparison to what I experienced today.
My wife and I are in the midst of a 40-day roadtrip, the first leg of which cuts through the northern US. Admittedly, the current weather conditions are a bit extreme, with temps ranging from 10F to -10F the past few days. This resulted in our car's range falling to ~150mi on some parts of the trip, significantly extending our driving time. But at least we were able to get from point A to point B safely. Until today.
Today, our Model Y's heater stopped working suddenly, only blowing cold air through the vents. This appears to be a well-documented issue the past few months, with the only fix being a lengthy visit to a service center.
and then there is this:
My range loss in extreme cold (sub 20 degrees) has been more like 50-60%. In "regular" cold (20-45 degrees) it's more I'm that 30-40% range.
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