New Tesla Owner questions

[ElectricNerd]

We’ve been looking for a more efficient vehicle to replace my truck as I eventually will need to go back to the office. I finally convinced my wife to look at a Tesla after we got irritated at the local dealers, mainly Toyota, charging markups and insane dealer adds. We own a RAV4 Hybrid and was hoping to find another one but I refuse to pay over MSRP for any vehicle.

We initially ordered a new ‘22 but the delivery time said June, and my wife really liked the look of the blue exterior with the sport wheels. We looked at Tesla’s preowned but all of those were out of our budget. We looked at Vroom, Carvana, CarMax and saw that Vroom had the lowest prices. She kept going back to a ‘21 blue with sport wheels that only had 10k miles on it so we ended up buying it. Got all of the paperwork done with our bank so now we sit and wait. My only concern is it was owned up north and not sure if it matters but it was a personal lease for only one year. Does that sound concerning?

I’m in Texas and there are two Tesla service centers near us. I plan on taking it to one just to have it checked over.

I don’t know what all if any of the extras it has installed. I plan on enabling the rear heated seats though. Excited!!

 

[focher]

Being in the cold weather won’t have any lasting impact. Teslas have a very robust Battery Management System (BMS) to protect the battery. The only thing that is gonna impact the battery is to constantly charge it to 100%, but the car’s software kinda complains a lot if you keep doing that so it’s doubtful the previous owner did.

Enjoy!

 

[ElectricNerd]

Thank you! I am more concerned about possible corrosion from salt use in the winter. Hopefully only one year of that if any won’t be an issue.

My utility provider offers a 50% rebate for installing a level 2 charger at home. I’m flipping back and forth between that and just having the electrician install a 240v outlet and just using that. Initially my wife will be driving it as she commutes every day to work.

Any gotchas to be concerned about? We live in a hot climate in the summer time. Any issues with heat? Any recommended accessories? I’m looking at a matte screen protector for the center screen, all weather floor mats, and shades for the pano roof.

 

[EVRider-FL]

I would hold off on accessories until you’ve had the car for a while. We have two Teslas in south FL, an S and a 3, and don’t find that we need any accessories or extra glass tinting. Whether you need anything for the glass roof will depend on your torso height and proximity to the glass, but the heat isn’t an issue for me or my wife.

 

[jrweiss98020]

Give the car a good washing, especially underneath.

A 240V/50A outlet will give you further choices: 3rd-party chargers that will charge at 40A instead of the 32A with the mobile charge cord and a 14-50 adapter. Check with your utility about exactly what adapters they offer rebates on. Mine gave me back $500 on a Chargepoint charger that plugs into my 14-50 outlet.

Ensure the Cabin Overheat Protection is on when parked outside in daytime, unless you really need all the charge for driving. Put the windows to Vent to help it out, if rain isn't a problem.

I like the 3D MAXpider floor mats and the SnapPlate front license mount. I wouldn't worry about a screen protector. Dunno anything about roof shades...

 

[focher]

Put in a 240V plug. More flexible and it's highly doubtful that you have higher charging needs than what the mobile connector offers. Of course, check what comes with your mobile connector because you might have to order the adapter.

 

[ElectricNerd]

I asked the sales consultant at Vroom about the charge cable and he assured that if it was missing they’d take care of it. I was thinking just a 240v outlet near my breaker box in the garage, so thank you all who mentioned that! What third party chargers would y’all recommend? Would this void anything with Tesla if I went third party? I’ll take a look at the Chargepoint charger. I’ll need to ask my utility provider what their rebate covers.

It can get to 105-110 in the summer here and the heat index even hotter. My concern would be getting a sunburn through the glass.

 

[focher]

Not to be pedantic, but the “charger” is built into the car. You will already have the EVSE which is the Mobile Connector that comes with the car, is plugged into an outlet, and has the cord that plugs into the wall. The Mobile Connector supports both 120V and 240V. It includes a standard 120V plug adapter and at least one that supports 240V. As long as the physical plug on the Mobile Connector works on your 240V outlet you are fine.

None of that or using any other EVSE will impact your warranty.

By the way, EVSE stands for Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment.

 

[ElectricNerd]

Thank you! There’s so much to learn about this new to us EV.

 

[puckpurnell]

When the time comes, the 240V NEMA 1450 is a very simple way to go. (Ask the electrician to install the plug with the round ground pin up.) With a 50 amp circuit, you'll be able to charge at 32 amps which equates to about 29 miles per hour. Plenty. The pigtail is available at Tesla and elsewhere.

 

[ElectricNerd]

Fortunately we have an electrician who we’ve had several things done in our house, and I’m sure installing a 1450 will be a breeze for him since I would have it installed right near the breaker box.

 

[jessepotter]

Read some reviews about Vroom before purchasing. I've seen horror stories. The risk is not worth a couple thousand dollars to me, but may be for you.

 

[Willy’sEV]

You mention that some of the pre-owned on the Tesla website are out of your budget. Is it possible they have FSD installed? That can be removed by Tesla, so that is $10,000 back in your pocket.

You don’t need another charger unit on the wall in your garage, all you need is the electrician to install a 240v line (which is 2, 120 volt lines), a NEMA 14-50 outlet with the ground in the up position, 50 amp breaker, #6 copper wire. If the car does not come with it, you buy the 14-50 plug that goes on the end of the EVSE to plug into the 14-50 outlet. Good luck.

 

[ElectricNerd]

Just chatted with a Tesla rep and they said if they car comes with FSD, they can’t remove it and lower the cost any. You are correct, their used cars have FSD, thus their prices are much higher than what I’m seeing on third party sites.

 

[Willy’sEV]

That is not what has been reported in the past, if the car came with FSD it could be removed. Perhaps speak with another rep, you may get a different answer. Perhaps there is another forum member who could weigh in on this who has bought a used car from Tesla and had the FSD removed. I don’t see why it cannot be removed, it is only software.

 

[ElectricNerd]

Second rep said the same thing. If they were to discount the FSD off of the ones I have seen on their website, they would be right in my budget and I would jump on it in a heartbeat. I just can’t see paying $53k for a 2021 Model 3 SR and with the same blue exterior and sport wheels with black interior

 

[budygadi]

If Tesla.com sells used Teslas without FSD, that will kill Tesla sales on vroom/carvana/etc or kill their profits by possibly forcing them to sell for much lower than tesla.com

 

[ElectricNerd]

If Tesla.com sells used Teslas without FSD, that will kill Tesla sales on vroom/carvana/etc or kill their profits by possibly forcing them to sell for much lower than tesla.com

I would much rather buy directly from Tesla but I don’t need FSD and have a certain budget to follow. If new wasn’t 4-5 months out, I’d get a new one. I’m concerned interest rates will be higher this summer and my trade in will be worth much less.

 

[Willy’sEV]

I would much rather buy directly from Tesla but I don’t need FSD and have a certain budget to follow. If new wasn’t 4-5 months out, I’d get a new one. I’m concerned interest rates will be higher this summer and my trade in will be worth much less.

If you really want new, than buy new. I believe your wait time will be much less. Some people do not take the car or defer delivery. I ordered the beginning of 4/21 took delivery on 5/4/21. They quoted me 90 days. I think my car was someone who did not want the car and it was on the way. I am sure you will get one sooner. I think if you buy a used one, you will look back and always be disappointed. As far as your trade, the chip problem is not going away anytime soon and cars will be in short supply making your trade in still on the high side. Good luck.

 

[Andy7]

I got a Tesla charger, which was less expensive than several of the other brand chargers. The other reason, which some will disagree with, is that if there were a problem related to the charger and the car, Tesla would not be able to shift the blame. The cost to install it was probably not much more than putting in an outlet, as it is pretty straightforward. You can download the instructions to check; I almost decided to do it myself, but among other things did not want to drill through the brick wall to run the heavy duty wire needed for any high amp socket. If you use the cable that comes ith the car you will be unplugging and coiling it regularly, which is a waste of time (and not much fun). You could leave the cable at home if you only use the car locally, but I do not do that. Enjoy the car!