New Model S owner, a few things that bother me...

Purchased a used 2020 Performance Model S a few weeks ago, the guy who attempted to kill his family is what got me interested in potentially buying a Tesla, I wanted my family in a car that safe, I was already setup to charge at home so it was sort of a no brainer, initially was considering a Model 3 but that went out the the door when I found out I didn't qualify for the tax credit , used prices in the 70's seemed reasonable to me so I decided to go for it, my thoughts so far...

1. Tesla employees in the sales department are horrible
2. Their process to buy a used car sucks
3. I'm dreading dealing with their service department in the future
4. Where the hell is the front camera and why can't I see in front of me when I park
5. When I get out of the car to run in a store or something and I leave my wife and kids in the car it turns off
6. So glad I did a chrome delete within 3 days of picking up the car
7. I love being able to adjust the amperage on the charger thru the app
8. The climate control is not easy to use
9. Why did I think white interior would be ok with a 10 & 13 year old
10. I love the AWD and Ludacris mode

 

[THEbuz]

I was buying a car not an experience, but unfortunately the experience sucks, most of the people I dealt with weren't very helpful, I'll try to lay out some of my issues...

1. Had to put a $500 deposit to secure car I liked without seeing an photos, if I didn't, someone else could've bought it

2. After placing the deposit I wasn't allowed to drive the car

3. I put up the $500 just to actually see the car in person and everyone there thought it was strange I wanted to see the car, seriously still weird, I don't care for the normal car dealership experience either, I just didn't this either

4. The minimal interaction was great, but the interactions I had weren't very good, hopefully that makes sense

5. I got phone calls from at least 3 different people telling me to come pick up the car, I told them I just wanted to come see the car, one person in particular who called and was going over some script about what options the car had, I interrupted the script and asked about air suspension, afterwards his response was, "can I finish now", all of it minor and possibly petty still didn't sit well with me when I'm spending this amount of money, I think the fact that most of the employees were younger that's just what you get with the new generation of workers, I'm in my early 40's

6. The car has been good so far, I like the auto raise suspension based on location, that is sort of what got me wanting the S over the 3, the Ludacris mode is impressive, on the test drive for a long range S, I was told you had to go into park to switch modes, in conversation with someone else I learned that wasn't the case, that's a good thing

7. Tesla insurance customer service is a joke, phone wait times longer than the IRS, you can't get a quote until you enter a purchase agreement, I ended up going thru my agent and getting a great policy thru Progressive, Tesla wanted $248 a month for insurance, perfect driving record, my assumption is they purposely offered low rates initially to get more buyers, if I didn't get the rate I got with Progressive I wouldn't have bought the car, the Tesla added $60 per month to my current cost I had with AAA and I ended up with 100/300 coverage over the minimum I was carrying

I don’t disagree with your sentiment regarding young/er workers these days. It’s downright pathetic.

You can’t blame TESLA for #1 - #3, IMO. It’s just the market demand driving sales velocity. They are not accustomed to someone wanting to see a car before buying it, even a used one, because no one else does that. The freakin’ things just sell, man. Also, you can test drive a brand new Model S at just about any TESLA sales center by simply making an appointment.

 

[airborne spoon]

Stop saying crap like you dont have to do oil changes, oil degrades and needs to be replaced there is NO SUCH THING as lifetime oil, you motors should have the oil changed around 75k-100k miles.

Also just like any car there is a learning curve on how to operate it and there are plenty of ways to keep the car on when you get out, i leave my mom in the car from time to time and the easiest thing to do is just toss the key in the drives seat as you get out. but yeah dog mode or camp mode works fine as well.

the service centers are hit and miss, luckily I've had great luck with the Raleigh, NC one for about a year and now the old Rancho Cucamonga now highland service center the people are great and very nice and solve all my issues quick and easy. But I've read plenty of stories about crappy shops but i cant vouch for that as ive not expeirenced it.

 

[THEbuz]

Stop saying crap like you dont have to do oil changes, oil degrades and needs to be replaced there is NO SUCH THING as lifetime oil, you motors should have the oil changed around 75k-100k miles.

Also just like any car there is a learning curve on how to operate it and there are plenty of ways to keep the car on when you get out, i leave my mom in the car from time to time and the easiest thing to do is just toss the key in the drives seat as you get out. but yeah dog mode or camp mode works fine as well.

the service centers are hit and miss, luckily I've had great luck with the Raleigh, NC one for about a year and now the old Rancho Cucamonga now highland service center the people are great and very nice and solve all my issues quick and easy. But I've read plenty of stories about crappy shops but i cant vouch for that as ive not expeirenced it.

First time I’ve ever heard that motor oil for TESLA’s should be changed after 75k - 100k miles. Can someone else weigh in on that, also???

 

[airborne spoon]

First time I’ve ever heard that motor oil for TESLA’s should be changed after 75k - 100k miles. Can someone else weigh in on that, also???

It's basically a differential except it's under more stress and wear than one in a normal car. Tesla says it's lifetime oil and that's a load of bullshit, no such oil exists. Just change your oil at least every 100k miles

 

[TLLMRRJ]

First time I’ve ever heard that motor oil for TESLA’s should be changed after 75k - 100k miles. Can someone else weigh in on that, also???

Here's scientific evidence using a respected oil analysis service that the oil needs to be changed in the drive units. It's a Model 3, but even Tesla recommended annual oil changes at one point for the older Model S:

Tesla Model 3 - Oil Change

 

[leoita]

Just purchased MY
No front camera, no sensors its really a big deal. Every time I park I am afraid hitting the curb. It's really messed up.

 

[airborne spoon]

Just purchased MY
No front camera, no sensors its really a big deal. Every time I park I am afraid hitting the curb. It's really messed up.

Learn how to drive
The Tesla is the first of my 8 cars over my lifetime that has all these sensors and crap. However, I still managed to never hit a curb or back into anything because I know the car.

Simplest way to do it is to practice in your driveway place a curb sized object (or a chalk line) down and drive up to it till you think you're good. Get out and look adjust as necessary and repeat till you know when to stop. I learned this in CDL school where you have to stop within 1ft of a line you can't see, and aced it by practicing.

People have become soft and poor drivers because of all the "assistive" crap these days it's just sad.

 

[DayTrippin]

Just purchased MY
No front camera, no sensors its really a big deal. Every time I park I am afraid hitting the curb. It's really messed up.

I agree with you wholeheartedly. For being such "advanced" cars, they really screwed this up. Why should I have to go practice parking it when most cars at this price range, which are less technologically advanced, have better parking aids. Heaven knows how bad the nose and tail of our 3 would look if we had one without the sensors. My wife has to park in an underground labyrinth at work. I didn't realize how bad it was until I picked the 3 up from her work to run an errand.

Anway practicing parking at home might help as airborne spoon suggests IF your parking environment is similar. I don't know about you but I go a lot of different places to park, I drive several cars, and I want my life to be simpler. So if I can have a backup camera and parking sensors make my life easier, I am all for it. TBH - the nose of my Y was much harder to "find" than my S.

Those pilots flying the planes with wing tip cameras for taxiing obviously have gone soft and become poor pilots... WTH - we are all terrible drivers too because we have gone soft and use GPS-assisted navigation to find our way home too. You aren't jack if you can't navigate by maps and dead reckoning. Who the hell needs in cockpit tire pressure readout when you can have a pencil tire gauge right next to your slide rule snazzily stuffed into your pocket protector? You ain't a real engineer unless you can use a slide rule anyway! I don't need nothing that requires electricity to do my calculations because as I am saving my electrons for the car.

 

[dannycamps]

Alternatively, you can turn the HVAC on "keep" or "camp" mode.

Or just do what I do and turn on dog mode which my kids find funny, but my wife hates

 

[Tam]

Or just do what I do and turn on dog mode which my kids find funny, but my wife hates

Yes, but be aware that since dogs don't know how to tune the radio or change the music so the dog mode does not allow changing anything on the screen. Dogs can touch or lick the screen, but nothing happens.

If there are humans in the car, they might want to access the screen to control something like fan speed, music change, and lock/unlock doors, so dog mode is not advisable in this case.

 

[THEbuz]

It's basically a differential except it's under more stress and wear than one in a normal car. Tesla says it's lifetime oil and that's a load of bullshit, no such oil exists. Just change your oil at least every 100k miles

I dunno, man. TESLA doesn’t officially recommend any such oil change(s), and TESLA provides an 8yr / 120k drivetrain warranty. It seems to me that they are otherwise taking on a LOT of liability by NOT recommending any oil change(s) for their EV, if what you are saying is accurate. I’m starting to doubt that now.

 

[DayTrippin]

Not changing your drivetrain oil may not make a huge difference in the warranty period so Tesla could give a flying you know what. Everyone's usage is different as well. So maybe your car sees more severe usage than others, so in that case it might make sense to do it.

Since I am aware of the issue, and I plan on keeping my car long-term, I'll spend the minimal amount of dollars needed on preventative maintenance to save costs down the road. Since Tesla massively devalued my 3 with all the price cuts, I am driving it until it drops. If this gets me an extra 20-40k miles, without a major repair, then it is clearly worth it to me.

Most likely my 3 and S will be the last Teslas I buy. Not being to upgrade the FSD HW, massive price drops, de-contenting, etc. have pretty much ensured I'll be shopping elsewhere when these bite the dust.

 

[techno79]

I'm surprised no one in this group considers filling the windshield wash fluid maintenance. It really sounds like that's where we're going on the griping. Some of it is legit, but some are so over the top on this whole board in general, we really need to consider that maintenance as well!

 

[THEbuz]

I'm surprised no one in this group considers filling the windshield wash fluid maintenance. It really sounds like that's where we're going on the griping. Some of it is legit, but some are so over the top on this whole board in general, we really need to consider that maintenance as well!

Fair point, but bear in mind that the lack of maintenance (cost and effort) was/is part of the value proposition for many TESLA buyers/owners and a huge reason (for some) why so many were willing to pay such a higher upfront cost for a TESLA.