Yesterday I took my car to the car wash, following the on-screen instructions to put it into Tow Mode so that the car would roll freely. Worked perfectly.
As I reached the end of the wash, I went to take it out of tow mode, following the onscreen instruction to press the park button on the end of the control stalk, which I did. Nothing happened. I read the instructions again to make sure I was doing it properly and I was. I tried putting my foot on the brake and pressing the button. No joy. But, with the brake on, the roller in the chain track bounces my car up in the air, and the car wash line shuts down, as I panic and keeping doing what it says, foot on the brake, off the brake, multiple times in rapid succession - trying any combination I thought might work. By now I had people screaming to move my car and I told them I couldn't get it into gear.
So they told me to turn the car to the right to clear the lane. Do you know how hard it is to turn the wheel with the car off and no power assist? And how embarrassing it is to have the most technologyly advanced car in the world and I can't get it into gear despite following the on-screen instructions exactly? Luckily I was able to get pushed out of the way.
I then called Tesla support and told him of the problem. He asked if I were in the car and I said yes and he said to first put my foot on the brake. Then push the button on the control stalk, which I did. He then asked if a dialogue box had appeared about engaging the parking brake and I said yes, and he said to hold down the red bar until the box disappeared, which I did, but the car was still off.
He then said to pump the brake pedal a few times, which started the car. I asked why the on-screen instructions didn't say to go through that sequence and his response was that he didn't know, they got a lot of calls on it. And then I asked the obvious -- why don't you change the software so that when you do what it says on the screen, i.e. push the button on the end of the stalk, it takes it out of Tow Mode as stated? No response to that.
My adrenaline level was in overdrive by the time I left. Makes Autopilot seem perfect. That's been my car wash for over 15 years, and now I'm embarrassed to go back & will have to find another.
As I reached the end of the wash, I went to take it out of tow mode, following the onscreen instruction to press the park button on the end of the control stalk, which I did. Nothing happened. I read the instructions again to make sure I was doing it properly and I was. I tried putting my foot on the brake and pressing the button. No joy. But, with the brake on, the roller in the chain track bounces my car up in the air, and the car wash line shuts down, as I panic and keeping doing what it says, foot on the brake, off the brake, multiple times in rapid succession - trying any combination I thought might work. By now I had people screaming to move my car and I told them I couldn't get it into gear.
So they told me to turn the car to the right to clear the lane. Do you know how hard it is to turn the wheel with the car off and no power assist? And how embarrassing it is to have the most technologyly advanced car in the world and I can't get it into gear despite following the on-screen instructions exactly? Luckily I was able to get pushed out of the way.
I then called Tesla support and told him of the problem. He asked if I were in the car and I said yes and he said to first put my foot on the brake. Then push the button on the control stalk, which I did. He then asked if a dialogue box had appeared about engaging the parking brake and I said yes, and he said to hold down the red bar until the box disappeared, which I did, but the car was still off.
He then said to pump the brake pedal a few times, which started the car. I asked why the on-screen instructions didn't say to go through that sequence and his response was that he didn't know, they got a lot of calls on it. And then I asked the obvious -- why don't you change the software so that when you do what it says on the screen, i.e. push the button on the end of the stalk, it takes it out of Tow Mode as stated? No response to that.
My adrenaline level was in overdrive by the time I left. Makes Autopilot seem perfect. That's been my car wash for over 15 years, and now I'm embarrassed to go back & will have to find another.
