Australian Model 3 Highland experiences, tips, tricks

[Mes1]

This has now been picked up by Drive as an 'exclusive' - Tesla Model 3 electric car under investigation in Australia for possible compliance breach

oh man I don't care about a tether point for the middle seat hah I want my delivery day upheld!. They better not cancel it as my NL company is paying them next week and I'm picking up in 2 weeks, fingers crossed

Who would even try put 3 tethered baby seats into a model 3! that's nuts just buy a bigger car for this use case, not what Model 3 is intended for IMO

Even if they recall, would I need to comply, I dont want to waste my time installing a middle tether, pointless.

 

[Mes1]

"Another option available to Tesla is removing the rear-centre seatbelt and re-certifying the Model 3 as a four-seater."

what a silly option, I still want 5 seats in my car, if I need to transport 3 teens in the back or friends why can't I legally use the seatbelt that's already there if they are old enough to not require a child seat.

This would open a big can of legal worms, I mean we agreed and purchased a 5 seat car not a 4 seater

 

[B3AU]

Even if they recall, would I need to comply, I dont want to waste my time installing a middle tether, pointless.

Probably - I'm sure your insurance company would be happy to avoid paying out if there was an active recall on the car if anything happened and the car owner - your financier - probably won't be thrilled about having a car with an active recall on it.

 

[Jules22]

"Another option available to Tesla is removing the rear-centre seatbelt and re-certifying the Model 3 as a four-seater."

what a silly option, I still want 5 seats in my car, if I need to transport 3 teens in the back or friends why can't I legally use the seatbelt that's already there if they are old enough to not require a child seat.

This would open a big can of legal worms, I mean we agreed and purchased a 5 seat car not a 4 seater

Yeah I don't think that is remotely realistic.

 

[Murphster]

We already know that this isn't a total sh*tshow because as even the article suggested the bolt is there. I dare say things would look a whole lot worse if it wasn't. But this has to be a simple fix and not worth getting too upset over.

One could ask why this even happened, it seems a really dumb mistake to make. But as long as it is rectified quickly then should be fine. I am keen to see an update on what is happening before I need to go calling my lease company and insurance provider to make sure it is all good. I have a slight concern on that front, but maybe worried over nothing.

 

[sammody]

All I can say is... sorry

Just in case this gets buried... can someone who has the highland confirm this for me pleaseeeeeee??

All I can say is.. sorry for opening this can of worms :S

 

[Jules22]

all good mate, was a valid question

 

[StealthGrey]

I've managed to get around this issue by avoiding having children at all costs

This has aged poorly

 

[james8]

What do you do if you want to use a mobile connector and it's not long enough? E.g. at a campsite or something.

Mobile Connector

The Mobile Connector is compatible with Australian adaptors. The max charge rate is determined by the adaptor. Every Mobile Connector comes with a 6 metre cable to allow for maximum flexibility in parking locations. Recommended for Model S, Model 3, Model X and Model Y. Includes: 1x Mobile...

shop.tesla.com

I read the MC will detect a voltage drop along a regular extension lead - can you use a heavy duty extension lead? Can anyone recommend one that works?

Can you use one of these off the non-wall end of the Tesla MC? https://shop.tesla.com/en_au/product/mennekes-type-2-adapter---7_5m

 

[paulp]

What are the chances this causes an issue in Australia? The more I read up on it the more I am very eager to see what the new deliveries look like. Is there a chance that the early deliveries were not quite Aussie specs?

This isn’t something that the Gov are likely to just let slip when they are so hard enforcing this with other manufacturers.

*** Maybe one could argue that there are only two rear seats in this car. The middle “seat” isn’t really a seat, is so skinny. So nobody is ever putting three child seats in this car. If you want to put a child seat in the middle you could just tether it to the two other tether points. Which kinda makes sense.

Not sure that makes it any more legal though.

My first model s was a 4 seater, so no centre seat belt. It therefore had child restraints for 2 seats

 

[meloccom]

Can you use one of these off the non-wall end of the Tesla MC? https://shop.tesla.com/en_au/product/mennekes-type-2-adapter---7_5m

Unfortunately no, what you are buying is a Type 2 to Type 2 adapter, designed to work with cable-less Type 2 “charging units”. This is not a Type 2 extension and the plugs are designed not to allow this. Extension cables are frowned upon If not illegal.

 

[Vostok]

on our Model YLR it seems to have improved recently. I'd say 5 times out of 10 its still a little slow to take off for my liking but i can live with it.

I don’t have Autopilot, but TACC will slow down and stop in traffic, but in my experience, it won’t start up again.

 

[sishome]

"Another option available to Tesla is removing the rear-centre seatbelt and re-certifying the Model 3 as a four-seater."

what a silly option, I still want 5 seats in my car, if I need to transport 3 teens in the back or friends why can't I legally use the seatbelt that's already there if they are old enough to not require a child seat.

This would open a big can of legal worms, I mean we agreed and purchased a 5 seat car not a 4 seater

Yes, this is the most interesting option. I bought 5 airplane tickets for my family. When I was entering the airplane, the luggage guy told me that I can have only four people in my group, and they don't care what happens to the fifth person, but they won't allow them to fly. What would I do?

 

[paulp]

I don’t have Autopilot, but TACC will slow down and stop in traffic, but in my experience, it won’t start up again.

I have autopilot and last time I used it (very rare) it would slow down and stop behind traffic, then start again with them.

 

[Vostok]

What do you do if you want to use a mobile connector and it's not long enough? E.g. at a campsite or something.

I read the MC will detect a voltage drop along a regular extension lead - can you use a heavy duty extension lead? Can anyone recommend one that works?

As @meloccom pointed out, extending the Type 2 end is a no-go.

Using an extension lead on the wall socket end of the UMC is discouraged but it is fine provided you get an appropriately rated lead. Given people might not understand what the relevant parameters are, and therefore put themselves at risk, it is easier to issue a blanket warning against using extension leads.

I have an extra-heavy duty 10A, 10 metre extension lead that I have used a number of times with my UMC without any issues. “Extra heavy duty” must relate to the conductor size, not ruggedness of the sheath or frequency of use. I got this one from Bunnings, it has 1.5mm conductors and can carry 10A continuous without getting warm:

https://www.bunnings.com.au/hpm-10m-1-5mm-10a-3-core-extra-heavy-duty-tradesman-extension-lead_p4420227

1.5mm conductors for 10A are OK for 10m and 15m leads but borderline for 20m. For 15A, 1.5mm conductors are OK for a 10m lead but not thick enough for anything longer, and therefore unsafe. You’d need to go to 2.5mm conductors for > 10m at 15A.

It’s this kind of nuance/risk that the lawyers at car companies want to avoid hence the blanket “don’t do it”. I would never use an extension lead with only 1mm conductors for a mobile charger.

I have found a 10 metre lead is plenty long enough for any situation I have been in to date (over 4 years Tesla driving).

 

[Murphster]

All I can say is.. sorry for opening this can of worms :S

You know I have been really panicky and worried this arvo that the posts here were the reason this has all blown up.

But I have just found a thread on the Facebook group Tesla Owners Australia that was started on the 24th Dec by someone who posted that their car didn’t have the child seat tether.

A couple of users commented that they have made complaints, one to a friend of hers in the Aussie car standards department.

So don’t worry too much, it wasn’t your question or my responses that has publicised this.

Tesla Owners Australia | Model 3 highland owners: | Facebook

Model 3 highland owners: Can you please check if there is an anchor point behind the middle rear seat to tether car seat? It looks like Tesla has done some cost cutting and removed the middle one....

www.facebook.com

 

[sammody]

I have autopilot and last time I used it (very rare) it would slow down and stop behind traffic, then start again with them.

Same as my experience.

 

[dronus]

Can anyone tell me if the rear of the front seat slides have plastic covers on the m3h?
My current ice car doesnt and ive had people jam their toes in there (dont ask!)

These are avail on aliexpress

 

[Travis Smith]

I think it would be good is Tesla Au did a premium connectivity for a year, even if it’s not discounted. Make it easier for NL claims haha

 

[Murphster]

FYI, The Holiday update arrived last night.