One Year, 29K Miles, Still Grinning

omarsultan said:

So, year ago yesterday a nice man from Fremont (and his son) dropped off a shiny new MC Red over tan S85 in my driveway. 29,000 miles later I though I would provide a quick update on how my "long term test drive" is going.


THE STATS

• 29,385 miles driven
• My "Trip B" stats are 29,361.9, 9,980 kWh, 337 Wh/mi

Notes: I have found, as charging options have filed in, I have gotten more of a lead foot. When I first received my MS, I averaged closer to 311 Wh/mi, but when the Fremont SC came online and they added more chargers at our San Jose office, my Wh/mi has crept northward.


BATTERY

• When I first got the car, it would range charge to 269 miles. Now it range charges between 263 and 267 miles. Ideal miles is something like 304.
• After experimenting a bit early on, I consistently daily charge to 90%
• I max charge at least once a week
• I SuperCharge at least once a week
• There are times when I will max charge and/or SC on consecutive days - the most is 4 days in a row
• The lowest I have let the battery go is 19 miles of rated range

Notes: I do not coddle the battery - I drive my MS like I have my previous cars and I am pleased with how the battery it holding up.


COST OF OWNERSHIP

• I have a dedicated ToU EV meter, so I know exactly how much it costs me to drive--my monthly average for the last six months is $51. I almost always charge off-peak to take advantage of the $0.06/kWh rate (I have rooftop solar and net metering, so you could argue its effectively lower, but that's another thread). My monthly fuel cost for my previous ICE was $700-900
• The next largest expense has been care care products.
• Still on the original Primacy tires - over 3/16" of tread depth left, which I attribute to being religious about checking pressure and rotating tires every 6,000 miles

WARRANTY WORK

• The two major items are the "70 mph drone" for which they swapped the drive unit and finicky driver seat adjustment controls (which just started to act up, so no resolution on that yet)
• There were a couple of little cosmetic things early on like a trim piece with a small visual defect and a door seal that was not seated quite right--everything was handled quickly and with a minimum of drama.

Notes: Tesla Service is jaw-droopingly good. My reference sample is Audi, Acura, BMW, Lexus, MB and everyone I have encountered from William at Ownership to Hugh at the online store to the entire Rocklin SvC puts the other guys to shame. I have zero qualms about long-term ownership of my MS, even after the warranty and ESA expire.


DO OVERS and RANDOM THOUGHTS

• I do not regret not getting the P, OK every once in a a while I do, but 99% of the time, I am happy with the performance the S offers
• The 21" wheels are growing on me--if I were to spec the car again, I might opt for those, in spite of the ding to TCO
• Love the pano roof - use it way more than I thought I would - one of my favorite things to do is tool down the highway, roof open, windows down and stereo on 11, not going anywhere in particular, just enjoying the drive
• I optioned the car with nearly everything (tech, air, pano, studio sound) but the jump seats and would do the same again
• Still hate the cup holder placement and still don't miss the center console

Bottom line, after a year and a lot of miles, I still smile when the door handles pop out to greet me and I still look forward to driving the car, even if its simply going out to get milk.


O

[NOTE: Originally posted on the TM site, but figured folks here might be interested too]

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Great post -- really appreciate all the little details about real-world experience.

I got Mr. T about a month ago (June 26, VIN P44650). P85, maxed out except for jump seats, and no problems so far. Averaging 367 wh/mi, which is notably worse than most folks on TMC -- not sure if that's because I'm more lead-footed than average or just because I live in the hills with twisty roads, which perhaps aren't as efficient to drive. Still, that's 33700 / 367 = 92 MPGe!

Thanks Omarsultan. This is the stuff that keeps those of us on the waiting list going!

Great summary. I'm right behind you with VIN 15639 and nearly 23k miles but still a few weeks away from 1 yr. I noticed you got the fog light retrofit. How much did that cost?

omarsultan said:

• The 21" wheels are growing on me--if I were to spec the car again, I might opt for those, in spite of the ding to TCO

[NOTE: Originally posted on the TM site, but figured folks here might be interested too]

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You've got a few after market choices now for the turbine look.

- TSportline TST 19" , comes in grey, silver, and black. 8.5" width (0.5" wider than OEM). Offset is 35mm so they fill out the wheel well better. they accept the factory center caps and lug nuts and do not require a centering ring (a huge plus). This is what I have and I love them because you get all the benefits of the 19s including the looks of the turbines without any of the issues of driving on low profile 21s. I believe a set of 4 will run you $1500-$1600. very nice. pic below. available on Tsportline's page and I think here on the TMC marketplace too. These wheels have been independantly verified and successfully passed testing. results are posted somewhere on these threads. I went wider with my tires too. 255/45ZR19 Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3. I *highly* recommend these tires. There is a massive difference in feel and grip compared to OEM goodyear and primacies. and they are quieter.

- Rial Luganos 19" . there are 2 color colors I think, gunmetal and silver. they do not accept the factory center caps and they do require a centering ring (not good). I can't recall exactly but they might not accept the factory lug nuts either. Plus the 'turbine spokes' have way too much of a curve to them and IMO this strays too far from the factory look and I don't think they look good. I do not recommend these. As these were the first aftermarket turbines that fit, many early owners got this but there have been cases of even these 19s bending on potholes. IMO stay away from the Rials.

- Axis MS 21". a few choices here two with regards to both color and width. If you are ok with driving on 21" low profiles, this is probably your best aftermarket 21" turbine option. Much cheaper than OEM too so cost of maintenance is seriously reduced if you damage them. A set of 4 will run you $1376 on tirerack. I do believe they accept the factory center cap and lug nuts. I am not 100% positive but I think you might not need a centering ring either *but you need to verify this*. If I ever go with 21s, this is what I'll go with as I'm not going to fork out $8k for Tesla's OEM rims. These are a decent match. As these are pretty much new wheels, I dont have any data points on these for quality. I'd imagine they are decent. They were just announced the other day here The Tire Rack and Axis wheels bring you the new Model MS in 21 ! and it says its a 'direct fit' for the Model S so they may also be manufactured to OEM spec and not need a centering ring. You can go staggered here too as they offer wider rims. offset is 40mm so they match OEM spec.

TSportline grey TST: also I have a whole gallery of photos of these here: TeslaGreyTurbineTST




Axis MS 21" grey:

Thanks for taking the time to post your experience.

After only a month the people around me have noticed I'm generally a nicer person. I feel more calm and I let thing roll off my shoulders now. I don't mind hitting red lights anymore. I use to cuss out people in front of me when they made me hit a red light because of their lack of attention. Not anymore. Tesla has really created a special vehicle.

I'm driving an ICE now while my car is in for Optocot. Ugh! I've creeped back to my old angry self.

Thanks for posting your experience.

Yes, very good read, jealous that you get TOU metering...
Are you doing much driving in the hills out there, can't imagine how you could get the lifetime Wh/m up that high without a real winter.