Cabin Overheat Protection - Necessary?

[Falcon73]

How necessary is this feature to protect the car, if at all?

100F is the highest I can set it to and that's not really that hot for an empty car. It's taken quite a bit of energy while I've been at work today, along with sentry mode, but I feel it's running too much. I don't really care how hot the car is when I get into it as it cools off so quickly and so much more quickly than our old MX ever did. That thing took a LONG time to cool off, if it ever did.

I use a windshield shade and all windows are tinted on top of the factory roof tint; yes even the windshield is tinted. It's pretty much a requirement in these parts and I'm very happy for the ventilated seat in the M3H.

Ultimately, my goal is to use the LEAST amount of energy and Cabin Overheat Protection would seem to be a waste.

Maybe I can try the fan mode only and see how that goes (No A/C).

I'm in SoCal and, at least until June Gloom arrives, it will be very hot in parked cars around here, even during nice days of mid-70s.

Thoughts are welcome.

Thanks,

 

[E90alex]

There is no need to “protect the car” by actively running the AC when it’s parked unless you have something inside that is sensitive to temp (eg food). And in those cases I would have it set to “keep climate on” instead of using cabin overheat protection.

I have it set to fan only but idk if I ever noticed it turn on before. Although I’m not in a terribly warm climate.

Just park in the shade if you can and/or use sun shades.

 

[jjrandorin]

How necessary is this feature to protect the car, if at all?

Its not (at all) important for "protecting the car". The feature was put in for "kids and Pets", not to protect electronics. Every so often though, threads pop up here asking or with people intimating that somehow we need to protect the car by running cabin overheat protection.

Some of these following threads might be for other models but the feature is basically the same across the model range so its the same exact discussion:

Cabin Overheat Protection

Hi, Just wondering how exactly does the Cabin Overheat Protection work (i.e., the activation mechanism) in Model X Refresh (2022+). I noticed in the Tesla app: - for Model X: it shows "only" the 3 activation temperature settings: 90F, 95F, 100F but there is no mention about "No A/C" option...

teslamotorsclub.com

CABIN OVERHEAT PROTECTION

I hadn’t turned this on since I read that it degrades battery life, but today my car interior went up to 127°. I expect with the upcoming hotter summers this will likely happen more often, so I wondered if I should turn it back on? I want to keep the electronics from getting damaged from the...

teslamotorsclub.com

Model 3 cabin overheat protection

A doubt that I still haven’t seen answered in any forum or site, and that in these times of heat popped up into my mind. What is the limitation that exists in the Model 3 that maes it so that you cannot have cabin overheat protection at the same time as you have the alarm on, as happens in the...

teslamotorsclub.com

Remote Climate Control and Cabin Overheat Protection

So reading through information about climate control I came across a group of people who seemed to insinuate that using remote climate control to cool the car down, say while shopping and a few minutes before leaving the store, was extremely bad for battery longevity. But of course now I cannot...

teslamotorsclub.com

There are definitely more threads than this, but this should be enough to get started if you want to read more

 

[jjrandorin]

I have it set to fan only but idk if I ever noticed it turn on before. Although I’m not in a terribly warm climate.

Im in a warmer southern california area than the OP is (in Temecula) and have had my model 3 for more than 5 years now. I dont use cabin overheat protection. When we park outside, we just access the tesla app 5-10 minutes before we are going to get into it and turn on the HVAC remotely. No cabin overheat protection.

 

[Falcon73]

Thank you very much for all the replies, this is most useful.

It seems a bit redundant with Camp mode and dog mode and things like that but I'll try the AC off for cabin overheat and see how hot it gets.

But this would seem to only make sense when I'm running Sentry mode because the car will already be on.

I park it in the garage at home so this is only an issue when I'm at work or out and about or at my parents house. They live in Palm Desert.

 

[joelkfla]

The Model Y Owner's Manual says:

Cabin Overheat Protection may take up to 15 minutes to enable once you exit the vehicle. This feature is intended for passenger comfort and has no impact on the reliability of your vehicle's components.

 

[Falcon73]

Since I put it on no A/C it's working well for me now.

 

[TravelFree]

I had no problems with my older Teslas activating COP. But this year I got a new 2024 Model S and the COP is really flakey. I know about the 12 hour time limit and the need to reset it. Also that it doesn't work when battery is less than 20%. My problem is how to activate it on Day 2 after the 12 hour limit shuts it down. I've read all the suggestions and tried them all and there is no sure fire way anything works.

At home is not a problem because I can just go open the door sit in it and turn on the car, exit and lock it up and it will come back on when the temperature is over 100°. But what if I have to leave the car in a parking lot for 7-10 days while away on a cruise?

Some have pointed out that the COP is not to protect the car but only for personal comfort. Well from experience that statement in the manual is just rubbish. First of all COP doesn't work when I am in the car. That is what the AC is for. Second, I have had damage in my older 2020 Model S when the cabin temperature got over 150° for all day in the sun. Certain adhesives in the cabin begin to melt and come loose and in one case dripped onto the carpet. So again that sentence in the manual is just nonsense.

I wonder if to turn it on from the app just is very very slow to respond. I have had success activating COP from the app if I unlock the car and leave it unlocked for 5 minutes. Then lock it up and after another 10 minutes with the temperature hitting 130° COP finally comes on. I get notification on my phone. When I check the app it shows it finally came on. I don't know what the minimum time is but 15 minutes seemed to do the trick in the two times I tested.
I also observe if I check sooner to the main Tesla app screen it will pop up that the command failed. This failure notice also shows when testing dog mode and camp mode including HVAC on and off . So it seems the entire app controls is very slow except for lock and unlock that responds quickly. Haven't tested windows venting.


My personal wish list is for Tesla to allow it to remain on until the battery gets to 20% SOC which should be enough to get to a charger. I will always charge up to 80-90% before leaving the car in the sun for several days while away on a cruise.