12 ms·

Sadly, there's a cadre of devoted Tesla cultists who routinely underplay these build issues and even insinuate that early adopters should endure them for the sa

Sadly, there's a cadre of devoted Tesla cultists who routinely underplay these build issues and even insinuate that early adopters should endure them for the sake of the brand. I really want a Model Y, but these quality issues are massively concerning.

thedrbrian 6y ago
Genuine question. What makes the model Y desirable? To me it’s just a funny looking , awkwardly proportioned minivan with a weird interior. It’s not hyper aggressive like a German car or cheap and handsome like a Mazda. It’s just an egg with a load of seats.
- chc 6y ago
  Mazda doesn't make any EVs at all.
  - rad_gruchalski 6y ago
    They do MX-30.
    - chc 6y ago
      I just Googled it and...it doesn't appear to be out?
      - rad_gruchalski 6y ago
        “First Edition from £27,495^ now available to pre-order. Deliveries starting early 2021” https://www.mazda.co.uk/cars/mazda-mx-30/ https://www.mazda.co.uk/cars/mazda-mx-30/ Not sure how much “out” does it have to be to be considered “out”.
- dm319 6y ago
  Tesla have got EV infrastructure figured out. Here in the UK if you want to go for long journeys you need distributed high speed charging. Teslas are also efficient with the electricity and have decent range, while being pretty fast. Those are the plusses anyway...
- kemiller 6y ago
  If you want an EV that can do everything an ICE car can do, including reasonably convenient road trips, it's still the only option. (The delta is not quite as strong in the European or Chinese markets, but it's still there.) Things that people like about EVs and Teslas specifically: 1) The driving experience is very special. Startling acceleration, single-pedal driving, near-silent low speed operation. 2) Operating costs are very low. Next to no routine maintenance, inexpensive "fuel". 3) Class-leading safety due to low CoG and lack of engine in the crumple zone. 4) Great software that is updated frequently over the air. 5) Arguably the best proto-self-driving/advanced driver assistance that gets better over time. 6) Hands down the best charging infrastructure and experience. The build quality issues are real, but tend to be overblown by the media. The looks, inside and out, are definitely polarizing. I personally love the minimalism but would like better materials. But it's inarguably different, and for lots of people that's exciting in and of itself.
  - frosted-flakes 6y ago
    > single-pedal driving Is that why I always see Tesla cars continually flashing their brake lights? Is it even possible to just coast?
    - tomp 6y ago
      Maybe they brake automatically - “regenerative braking”? I remember when I was test-driving Model S, the driving experience was very different from an ICE car, because as soon as you took your foot off the pedal, it started braking quite noticeably. To get an equivalent experience to an ICE car, you had to keep the pedal pressed ever so slightly (or change the settings). Maybe regenerative braking is also when the brake lights turn on.
    - kemiller 6y ago
      Maybe... there's some kind of threshold of deceleration that triggers the brake lights when pulling off the throttle but I don't know what it is. It could also be autopilot on.
    - noodle 6y ago
- scottlocklin 6y ago
  "Muh technology." Anyway, on the upside none of my techie friends will be able to give me shit for owning an Italian sports car. Or if I do, I'll laugh at them for owning an ill constructed and expensive golf cart.
- zionic 6y ago
  >handsome like a Mazda Wow
- maxdo 6y ago
  Model y Performance owner, maybe because most of the “aggressive” ICE German cars are slower compared to model Y which is still SUV with big trunk etc ? Whenever I get into German car I feel like I’m in 80s, so many obsolete details . I like minimalism . I want my car drive fast , with good sound , easy to load stuff. Electric car is so much better for daily commute .
- _ph_ 6y ago
  The statement about not being handsome like a Mazda has some irony in it, as the Tesla head designer, Franz von Holzhausen, previously was a lead designer at Mazda, before he joined Tesla. Speaking for myself, I actually quite like the design of the Teslas. They are very smooth and have a quite different approach than most mainstream makers. I dislike especially the overly edgy brutal look with huge radiator openings, which has crept into the car market since 2010. Maybe it is me being a physicist, but I can also appreciate how the design maximizes aerodynamic efficiency, even if that means other compromises. Which is partly responsible for Teslas leading in range tests. As I like simple elegant shapes, I appreciate how from the front edge of the windscreen to the very back of the car, there is a single smooth curvature of the roofline.
zionic 6y ago
Meanwhile the /r/teslamotors subreddit (home to the so-called cultists) top comments are all calling Tesla out on this one.
- heyoni 6y ago
  Maybe that means they're not cultist... :O
- reitzensteinm 6y ago
  The same /r/teslamotors where the moderators decided the story seemed fake and they should get to the bottom of it, posting a private video against the wishes of the car owner? The members of the sub are generally quite reasonable, but it's consistently pruned of content that could be damaging to Tesla. I read it for many years until that started to creep me out. https://www.reddit.com/r/teslamotors/comments/j6jc7w/a_formal_request_for_more_evidence_in_the_tesla/ https://www.reddit.com/r/teslamotors/comments/j6jc7w/a_forma...
  - ashtonkem 6y ago
    And where the mods are mass deleting comments providing civil but negative feedback to the mods? Yeah, that's a really bad look.
  - fomine3 6y ago
    It looks like horrible censorship.
- Tepix 6y ago
  I don't see the story on r/teslamotors nor anything related to the story.
sleepybrett 6y ago
I was considering a tesla until I saw reports of the whompy wheels problem, and then started reading what tesla was telling people about the problem. https://www.flickr.com/photos/136377865@N05/sets/72157658490111523/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/136377865@N05/sets/72157658490...
- root_axis 6y ago
  Damn. I bought a Model 3 in Feb of this year, I definitely would have held off if I had seen this first. Anecdotally, my car has been perfect, 0 issues cosmetic or otherwise, but it's obvious I've just been lucky. I really love the car, it's a dream vehicle that exceeded my expectations despite the hype, but there's no getting around the fact that I am sacrificing an unnecessary amount of safety for a cool car. Certainly I could not justify purchasing another Tesla the next time I need a car.
  - abc_lisper 6y ago
    Unsafe is not how I would describe a model 3. It is not as comfortable as other cars.
  - maxdo 6y ago
    Relax that Flickr account is known fake
  - _ph_ 6y ago
    I don't think there are any safety issues with the suspension of the Model 3. Check our the teardowns by Sandy Munro. He is not shy of critisizing Tesla, but had nothing bad to say about the suspension. The suspension is the one part in a car, which is easily inspectable by just looking at it. And which has not changed much over time. Any competent mechanic should be able to check it. If there were fundamental issues with Tesla suspensions, the net would be full of reports about it and of course authorities would have acted, but beyond that one crusader against Tesla, no one has claimed they are unsafe. Actually, by most accounts, the Model 3 is one of the safest cars you can buy. However, the suspension of any car is a vital part that is exposed to the outside and exposed to wear constantly. While most electric cars don't require much maintenance - Tesla does not have a maintenance plan any more - the brakes and suspension I would have checked by a mechanic at least biyearly, as this is a very important mechanical part you want to be serviced before there is a failure.
ineedasername 6y ago
Cultists need cars too. Just because you're trying to summon a Nameless Horror doesn't mean you don't need to get from point A to point B. And why not drive a Tesla so that the Thing With Too Many Angles has an incrementally better ecosystem in which to settle back down for an eon or two of sleep?

thedrbrian 6y ago

Genuine question. What makes the model Y desirable? To me it’s just a funny looking , awkwardly proportioned minivan with a weird interior. It’s not hyper aggressive like a German car or cheap and handsome like a Mazda. It’s just an egg with a load of seats.

chc 6y ago
Mazda doesn't make any EVs at all.
- rad_gruchalski 6y ago
  They do MX-30.
  - chc 6y ago
    I just Googled it and...it doesn't appear to be out?
    - rad_gruchalski 6y ago
      “First Edition from £27,495^ now available to pre-order. Deliveries starting early 2021” https://www.mazda.co.uk/cars/mazda-mx-30/ https://www.mazda.co.uk/cars/mazda-mx-30/ Not sure how much “out” does it have to be to be considered “out”.
dm319 6y ago
Tesla have got EV infrastructure figured out. Here in the UK if you want to go for long journeys you need distributed high speed charging. Teslas are also efficient with the electricity and have decent range, while being pretty fast. Those are the plusses anyway...
kemiller 6y ago
If you want an EV that can do everything an ICE car can do, including reasonably convenient road trips, it's still the only option. (The delta is not quite as strong in the European or Chinese markets, but it's still there.) Things that people like about EVs and Teslas specifically: 1) The driving experience is very special. Startling acceleration, single-pedal driving, near-silent low speed operation. 2) Operating costs are very low. Next to no routine maintenance, inexpensive "fuel". 3) Class-leading safety due to low CoG and lack of engine in the crumple zone. 4) Great software that is updated frequently over the air. 5) Arguably the best proto-self-driving/advanced driver assistance that gets better over time. 6) Hands down the best charging infrastructure and experience. The build quality issues are real, but tend to be overblown by the media. The looks, inside and out, are definitely polarizing. I personally love the minimalism but would like better materials. But it's inarguably different, and for lots of people that's exciting in and of itself.
- frosted-flakes 6y ago
  > single-pedal driving Is that why I always see Tesla cars continually flashing their brake lights? Is it even possible to just coast?
  - tomp 6y ago
    Maybe they brake automatically - “regenerative braking”? I remember when I was test-driving Model S, the driving experience was very different from an ICE car, because as soon as you took your foot off the pedal, it started braking quite noticeably. To get an equivalent experience to an ICE car, you had to keep the pedal pressed ever so slightly (or change the settings). Maybe regenerative braking is also when the brake lights turn on.
  - kemiller 6y ago
    Maybe... there's some kind of threshold of deceleration that triggers the brake lights when pulling off the throttle but I don't know what it is. It could also be autopilot on.
  - noodle 6y ago
scottlocklin 6y ago
"Muh technology." Anyway, on the upside none of my techie friends will be able to give me shit for owning an Italian sports car. Or if I do, I'll laugh at them for owning an ill constructed and expensive golf cart.
zionic 6y ago
>handsome like a Mazda Wow
maxdo 6y ago
Model y Performance owner, maybe because most of the “aggressive” ICE German cars are slower compared to model Y which is still SUV with big trunk etc ? Whenever I get into German car I feel like I’m in 80s, so many obsolete details . I like minimalism . I want my car drive fast , with good sound , easy to load stuff. Electric car is so much better for daily commute .
_ph_ 6y ago
The statement about not being handsome like a Mazda has some irony in it, as the Tesla head designer, Franz von Holzhausen, previously was a lead designer at Mazda, before he joined Tesla. Speaking for myself, I actually quite like the design of the Teslas. They are very smooth and have a quite different approach than most mainstream makers. I dislike especially the overly edgy brutal look with huge radiator openings, which has crept into the car market since 2010. Maybe it is me being a physicist, but I can also appreciate how the design maximizes aerodynamic efficiency, even if that means other compromises. Which is partly responsible for Teslas leading in range tests. As I like simple elegant shapes, I appreciate how from the front edge of the windscreen to the very back of the car, there is a single smooth curvature of the roofline.

zionic 6y ago

Meanwhile the /r/teslamotors subreddit (home to the so-called cultists) top comments are all calling Tesla out on this one.

heyoni 6y ago
Maybe that means they're not cultist... :O
reitzensteinm 6y ago
The same /r/teslamotors where the moderators decided the story seemed fake and they should get to the bottom of it, posting a private video against the wishes of the car owner? The members of the sub are generally quite reasonable, but it's consistently pruned of content that could be damaging to Tesla. I read it for many years until that started to creep me out. https://www.reddit.com/r/teslamotors/comments/j6jc7w/a_formal_request_for_more_evidence_in_the_tesla/ https://www.reddit.com/r/teslamotors/comments/j6jc7w/a_forma...
- ashtonkem 6y ago
  And where the mods are mass deleting comments providing civil but negative feedback to the mods? Yeah, that's a really bad look.
- fomine3 6y ago
  It looks like horrible censorship.
Tepix 6y ago
I don't see the story on r/teslamotors nor anything related to the story.

sleepybrett 6y ago

I was considering a tesla until I saw reports of the whompy wheels problem, and then started reading what tesla was telling people about the problem. https://www.flickr.com/photos/136377865@N05/sets/72157658490111523/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/136377865@N05/sets/72157658490...

root_axis 6y ago
Damn. I bought a Model 3 in Feb of this year, I definitely would have held off if I had seen this first. Anecdotally, my car has been perfect, 0 issues cosmetic or otherwise, but it's obvious I've just been lucky. I really love the car, it's a dream vehicle that exceeded my expectations despite the hype, but there's no getting around the fact that I am sacrificing an unnecessary amount of safety for a cool car. Certainly I could not justify purchasing another Tesla the next time I need a car.
- abc_lisper 6y ago
  Unsafe is not how I would describe a model 3. It is not as comfortable as other cars.
- maxdo 6y ago
  Relax that Flickr account is known fake
- _ph_ 6y ago
  I don't think there are any safety issues with the suspension of the Model 3. Check our the teardowns by Sandy Munro. He is not shy of critisizing Tesla, but had nothing bad to say about the suspension. The suspension is the one part in a car, which is easily inspectable by just looking at it. And which has not changed much over time. Any competent mechanic should be able to check it. If there were fundamental issues with Tesla suspensions, the net would be full of reports about it and of course authorities would have acted, but beyond that one crusader against Tesla, no one has claimed they are unsafe. Actually, by most accounts, the Model 3 is one of the safest cars you can buy. However, the suspension of any car is a vital part that is exposed to the outside and exposed to wear constantly. While most electric cars don't require much maintenance - Tesla does not have a maintenance plan any more - the brakes and suspension I would have checked by a mechanic at least biyearly, as this is a very important mechanical part you want to be serviced before there is a failure.

ineedasername 6y ago

Cultists need cars too. Just because you're trying to summon a Nameless Horror doesn't mean you don't need to get from point A to point B. And why not drive a Tesla so that the Thing With Too Many Angles has an incrementally better ecosystem in which to settle back down for an eon or two of sleep?