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Basics: Red 2020 Model 3 Long Range AWD. Ordered 7/27, received 9/17. White interior. Standard 18” wheels.
Ordering: I had a standard ordering process as Tesla would want. My estimated delivery was 6-8 weeks from my 7/27 order date. My Sales Associate promptly responded to all of my emails (after a few weeks I sent an update request once a week). For whatever reason, Tesla didn’t have the correct phone number on file, so I didn’t get text updates for a few weeks and miss two updates. No big deal, once my SA got it set straight, I got all the texts following. Strangely, the order page never showed my VIN number. I got a text with the VIN notification (in Texas, we need to set up our insurance 5 days before we can take delivery) but no updates to the page until delivery.
Delivery: The delivery process was truly touchless. I was given a fairly large window in which to receive the car. I did a once over of the car based on a checklist I printed out, got into the car and started reviewing the interior. My delivery date was approaching, but not quite at, the end of the quarter, so the dealer was prepping for large amounts of deliveries for the next two weeks or so and the dealership was mostly empty but the lot was packed with cars.
Initial Car Quality: Overall, the quality was pretty good. Only two things were reportable: The trim on one of the doors was off, so the chrome trim didn’t line up properly (this would be repaired at my home). Additionally, there was a spot on the steering wheel that was a bit discolored. Neither of these issues were deal breakers, so I took the car home.
Charging: Austin Power will pay half the installation cost of of EV infrastructure. When I was researching options, I quickly eliminated just using the car as is (The charge time would be something insane like 2 days with a standard outlet). Tesla offers a charging solution (Wall Charger) which offers a very fast charge, however it also locks me into Tesla’s charging infrastructure. Instead, I went with the NEMA 14-50 option which was installed between my two cars on the divider between the two garage doors. The work was done in about 2 hours and cost about $1200 (AP will pay half). With a wall charger, the price would roughly be $500 extra (price of the connector).
Easily the biggest surprise of the car is the way I approach charging. I pictured I would charge the thing every night (I have the charger limit set to 80% so that is definitely viable), but it turns out 260 is more analogous to a tank of gas and range anxiety hasn’t been a reality in the first two weeks of ownership. I bought a second mobile connector and put a bike holder in to wrap the cable around. I set the car to charge at 12AM if it is plugged in at all. Definitely don’t miss the gas station.
Overall Quality: First thing about the Tesla: It’s not an Audi. It reminds me more of a Honda in terms of overall build quality. The door feels less premium when you shut it. The materials a good, not great. The vegan leather is just not the genuine article. Other than that, it’s fine.
Drive: Just shift into drive. Super weird. It’s fast as hell. The acceleration can cause your ears to pop due to the pressure. It drives like a facsimile of a BMW. There’s something about it that is a bit...synthetic?
At first I didn’t care for the regen braking but as you drive you start to get used to it. Soon enough, you’re driving with only the accelerator. The brake hold is awesome. I sometimes get a little caught off guard when our CR-V idles forward.
I only bought standard autopilot which is kind of hit or miss to be honest. The lack of lane change kind of screws everything up when driving with autopilot and the thing disengages with the turn signal.
Other Tech: The fact that the car is electric is just the start. The center screen took little to no getting used to. The phone key is a game changer. I keep the card key on my person most of the time, but the phone can be paired and assigned to a user.
The app is great. It wakes up the car to check charging status. You can trigger the air conditioning or heat ahead of time which is super convenient.
Sentry mode is pretty useful. I haven’t really had any reason to be concerned as of yet, but I just threw a 500 GB hard drive in the USB slot and the car formatted it automatically.
I have only had one software update so far, and it was to have the car read speed limits. Cool feature. Took about 25 minutes to install at 2AM.
The fact that the car isn’t ICE means I can start it from in the house. The memory settings are extensive. The car remembers everything.
the little things:
Ordered a spare tire and a patch kit (Patch kit for day to day, spare for long distance)
Frunk isn’t super useful (it has recently shrunk to match the Model Y, but the Model Y has a heat pump), so I bought a front truck cooler for any traveling we do (more on that in a later post)
Tesla ships accessories (patch kit, emergency kit, included mobile connector) with a Velcro type bag, so they don’t roll around the car.
I ordered the Model 3 rubber floor mats.
The car doesn’t come with homelink standard (it’s a $300 add on). Screw it, I’ll use a garage door opener (or my phone. The garage door motor is smart)
The charger cable gets stuck in the charge port (for security purposes), so you have to unlock the charge port to release the cable. It’s a little annoying at home and I wish it was something I could omit at home.
White interior is stunning. Remains to be seen if it stays that way.
hell even if you don't have one, it'd probably make more financial sense to spend $300 to upgrade your GDO than for a stupid HomeLink receiver...
Donezo. The Tesla garage door already had MyQ on it. Liftmaster(? They're all like one company now) makes an adapter for older garage doors, and I installed that on the Honda garage door. I managed to get them into homekit, too which is cool.
Its funny that you say something about the drive feels synthetic but than use that to compare it to a bimmer. I felt my wife's former X3 felt synthetic.
Either way, congrats! And get some wheel locks. Apparently, where I live stealing model 3 rims has become a hot commodity.
Its funny that you say something about the drive feels synthetic but than use that to compare it to a bimmer. I felt my wife's former X3 felt synthetic.
Either way, congrats! And get some wheel locks. Apparently, where I live stealing model 3 rims has become a hot commodity.
Thanks man! Honestly, i haven’t driven a BMW in over a decade.
Originally Posted by Aman
Congrats! Sometimes I forget just how many neat little features Teslas have. Sounds like a lot of fun getting to know the car.
thanks! It’s definitely an experience. All the toy box crap is pretty funny but ultimately not useful, but there’s always some hidden thing I find that I didn’t know about.
The thing rattles quite a bit. Some of the fit and finish just isn't as well executed as Acura or Audi.
Door closing sounds like chevy quality
Congrats Kurt! I would love an EV someday even though I've never even ridden in one. I'm sure like you, I'd be looking for excuses to drive it. The items quoted, especially rattling would be a deal-breaker for me. I cannot STAND a car that rattles.
Congrats Kurt! I would love an EV someday even though I've never even ridden in one. I'm sure like you, I'd be looking for excuses to drive it. The items quoted, especially rattling would be a deal-breaker for me. I cannot STAND a car that rattles.
Thanks!
Yeah, there's really only one rattle at the moment. I haven't actually taken a look at it, I don't think it's a big thing.
The acceleration is the truth. On paper, it has the same acceleration as the S4, but it make my ears pop with the insane torque.
Well, they did just finally unlock the ECU for the B9 platform so tuning a turbo beast will likely be pretty cool.
Good guess! But I'm happy with my set of B8.5 for now.
Kurt, congrats...I'm all EV for my lawn equipment.
I'm sure the torque is great...I just feel like there will be a day (apparently 2035 for Cali) where EV will be shoved down
our throats and you won't be allowed to rape the ozone layer anymore. I want to wait until then.
Congrats to you though, this is as excited as we have seen you about anything other than your dog (don't tell the wife).
to @Sarlacc point...I would probably NOT get wheel locks in hopes the wheels get stolen. Probably expensive as fuck...
keep deductible at $100 and take that insurance check and get some sexy Advan and lowering springs. Stance on that car is
the difference between looking goofy and looking mean as fuck.
Congrats! I still have yet to experience an all electric vehicle. I bet it's a blast to nail it from a stop. All the best luck with it!
Thanks!
It's similar to an ICE vehicle with a few major exceptions
You literally sit in it, put it in drive, and go. There's no starter or anything like that
EVs leverage Regenerative Braking heavily, so the car doesn't coast really at all. The second you take your foot off the accelerator, it slows down (this can be configured in the Model 3, but honestly you get used to it quickly and it has other benefits, specifically range and...)
The previous bullet point makes the car extremely easy to drive in the city. When you take your foot off the accelerator, the car stops gradually. The regen will take the car to a complete stop. As a result, you can actually operate the vehicle exclusively with the accelerator.
Generally, efficiency drops at higher speeds. The car is much more efficient in the city (150ish mpge vs 100 mpge highway)
It's similar to an ICE vehicle with a few major exceptions
You literally sit in it, put it in drive, and go. There's no starter or anything like that
EVs leverage Regenerative Braking heavily, so the car doesn't coast really at all. The second you take your foot off the accelerator, it slows down (this can be configured in the Model 3, but honestly you get used to it quickly and it has other benefits, specifically range and...)
The previous bullet point makes the car extremely easy to drive in the city. When you take your foot off the accelerator, the car stops gradually. The regen will take the car to a complete stop. As a result, you can actually operate the vehicle exclusively with the accelerator.
Generally, efficiency drops at higher speeds. The car is much more efficient in the city (150ish mpge vs 100 mpge highway)
10-02-2020, 12:59 PM
Congrats! Sometimes I forget just how many neat little features Teslas have. Sounds like a lot of fun getting to know the car.
