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I've owned a Tesla model S for about seven years. I really enjoy the feeling of driving it, but I don't think I'd buy a Tesla again given the experience of owni

I've owned a Tesla model S for about seven years. I really enjoy the feeling of driving it, but I don't think I'd buy a Tesla again given the experience of owning it. In that time I've dealt with: Several "opportunities" to go "full self driving". This specific vehicle is running up on a decade, there is no way it'll materialize for this car. Weird sensor bugs - doors refusing to open, or more scary, opening while driving. Center console and driver gauges crashing - screens locking up and going blank and service tells me, 'try deleting some of your navigation history?' Updates sometimes failing, leaving the car sending notices that it's trying to update and can't, over and over. Windows that don't seal, or seal too high (making it difficult to open the door). Being told the built in 3G modem will have to be scrapped and replaced at my expense, requiring a whole new entertainment unit (including a new screen). Worse battery life than expected, despite being a cautious driver who babies that battery pack. Odd software bugs - it regularly double sends garage door commands, thinks the wrong key is in the vehicle (resetting the drivers seat to the wrong profile), fails to make and maintain Bluetooth, makes bad navigation assumptions (no, I'm not trying to drive to Prague from Seattle), back up camera locking up/freezing/delayed. Tons of fit and finish issues. When I first had the car, I was treated like royalty by their service team. These days they often brush aside concerns ("there's a recall for my vehicle", "oh? Yes. We'll contact you when we can service it." Months pass. "I never heard from you, is my vehicle still recalled?" "Yes, but you didn't schedule service. You should have scheduled.") Supercharger network is great... When you can use it. I've had several instances where the hardware didn't work, the speeds weren't correct, or people were idling with full batteries, blocking my use. So, all in all, I love this car and I hate this car, and it's just obnoxious and frustrating enough to warrant looking elsewhere. The things that make Tesla unique are fading as other manufacturers catch up, and frankly, I trust those other manufacturers to assemble a better car.

antisthenes 5y ago
> Worse battery life than expected, despite being a cautious driver who babies that battery pack. Can you elaborate on this? To me, this is 90% of importance of owning an electric car. If the range is significantly worse than expected, then the customer is being taken advantage of, since that's where most of the manufacturing cost lies.
- 01100011 5y ago
  I don't know, but it seems like range estimates assume the best case. Things like driving style, climate control, local vs highway, wind, elevation changes, extra weight in the vehicle, the age of the battery, charging habits... These all can affect range, sometimes significantly. Range anxiety is, in my opinion, the #1 issue with EVs right now. It will be helped by bigger batteries and more convenient charging.
colanderman 5y ago
I don't own a Tesla, but here's my pet peeve as a passenger: When the driver opens their door, the driver's seat starts moving backward. If you are sitting behind the driver, and have longer-than-average legs, this means your legs are now getting actively crushed by a motor. If it's your first time in a Tesla, you are probably now panicking trying to figure out how to open the damn door, which inexplicably operates differently than every other car door in existence. Not a pleasant experience. I've now learned to quickly and loudly remind the driver not to exit until I do when in this situation.
- minhazm 5y ago
  This is a completely optional feature. In fact it's off by default, you have to opt into Easy Entry and set up the exactly where you want the seat to go to. Many cars have this feature and it's 100% on the driver to make sure you set the depth to a reasonable level and to make sure you're not putting someone 6'3 behind you in the passenger seat when you know you have this feature enabled.
- ectopod 5y ago
  Motorised seats moving automatically can be very dangerous. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-57908134 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-57908134
- bin_bash 5y ago
  Every car I've owned in the last few years has a setting to move the seat when you open the door so it's easier to get out. This isn't Tesla specific.
  - alphabettsy 5y ago
    Idk about Tesla but every car I’ve had with this feature allowed you to disable with a physical or software selector.
    - bin_bash 5y ago
      Not only is it not on by default in Teslas but it's actually quite a bit of work to setup. Most cars it's just a toggle. In Teslas you have to setup a new profile and manually set the steering wheel and seat to the exit position. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94l43ILKRsA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94l43ILKRsA
ericmay 5y ago
For me the one killer feature of Tesla that isn’t brought up often enough is the UI display and that they actually keep the car updated and push out improvements. Similarly to how you see other manufacturers being able to assemble a better car (for now IMO), I trust Tesla on the software front because I’ll be damned if I’m buying a car with a crappy stock Android OS or similar until proven otherwise. > people were idling with full batteries, blocking my use How? If you’re at full and the Supercharger is at high capacity they start paying idle fees. I mean I guess someone can sit there for no reason but that’s a surprising story to me.
- FireBeyond 5y ago
  > How? If you’re at full and the Supercharger is at high capacity they start paying idle fees. I mean I guess someone can sit there for no reason but that’s a surprising story to me. Because the idle fee is less than some parking garages cost? Or less than the convenience cost of moving the car?
  - bin_bash 5y ago
    the idle fee is $1/minute
    - FireBeyond 5y ago
      That's a gamble/risk. It's only 50c/minute if the supercharger is not fully occupied when you park. If you're in some of the bigger cities, you can easily be approaching $30/hr for prime parking. And the idle fee is only for the period in excess of the active charging. Tesla also just massively increased charging prices: https://carbuzz.com/news/tesla-supercharging-costs-have-quadrupled-overnight https://carbuzz.com/news/tesla-supercharging-costs-have-quad...
      - bin_bash 5y ago
        If there were spaces open then GP wouldn't be having this problem. And $60/hour for parking would be outrageous anywhere in the country.
yodsanklai 5y ago
> Being told the built in 3G modem will have to be scrapped and replaced at my expense This is exactly why I don't like to buy devices that are coupled to unnecessary electronic components or batteries. For instance, a high-end speaker or headphone can last decades. Make it connected and battery powered, it'll be in a landfill within a couple of years. Environmental disasters in the making.
01100011 5y ago
> I really enjoy the feeling of driving it I am curious how much Tesla fans are impressed by Tesla-specific qualities of their vehicles vs, say, the exhilaration of driving an electric car. For many, Tesla was the first EV they have ever driven. I can understand thinking that your car is superior after associating it with the EV experience. For what it's worth, I don't own a Tesla, but I do drive an EV and it is the best vehicle I've ever driven.
- piperswe 5y ago
  My current daily driver is a Model 3. I think Teslas are a great gateway to the world of electric vehicles because they get people interested in the concept and introduce them to how driving an EV can be. I don't plan on my next daily driver being a Tesla due to Tesla's QC and fit & finish issues, but I am absolutely looking at other EVs like the BMW i4, Polestar 2, and even the Toyota bZ4X/Subaru Solterra.
- alphabettsy 5y ago
  I’ve also seen lots of posts from people who’d never owned a new car before and so of course the Model 3 is amazing. It is a great car, but not without flaws.
doty 5y ago
I say- it’s like they hooked a computer to a car. At first I thought “oh man, look! They hooked a computer to a car! Think of all the cool things you can do!” A few months later I had learned how to reboot the drivers side door latch because of a software failure, somewhere… and I thought “oh yeah, right. It’s like they hooked a computer to a car.”
userbinator 5y ago
doors refusing to open, or more scary, opening while driving. I guess that's what happens when you have an entirely "software defined" car --- software bugs, because they're more common than hardware ones, can cause far more problems. Do Teslas have the two-stage latch that I thought was a mandatory safety feature?
- powerbroker 5y ago
  After sitting through hundreds of pre-flight briefings on planes, that explain how to exit in an emergency (and given some briefings myself), I'm surprised that Tesla does a sloppy job of showing people how to open the doors of their car, when it is on fire. Spoiler alert: the normal door handles don't open the doors. Plot twist: the back doors have a completely different (and concealed) opening mechanism than the front doors. Surprise ending: you have to teach the backseat people how to unlatch their doors, after you just trial-and-errored your way out the front door(s).
postmeta 5y ago
Sounds like BMW and Audi are disabling 3G too, and they have NO upgrade path for many cars. https://www.audiusa.com/us/web/en/inside-audi/innovation/audi-connect/layer/legal/3g-downturn-faq.html https://www.audiusa.com/us/web/en/inside-audi/innovation/aud... https://www.mybmwi3.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=17401 https://www.mybmwi3.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=17401
- alphabettsy 5y ago
  Not limited to those brands either, but I suppose this impacts the user experience in a Tesla more where it heavily relies on a data connection.
- bellyfullofbac 5y ago
  I wonder if, just like there are portable FM transmitters that you can plug your iPod to and tune the car radio to, if there'll be portable 3G "base stations" that your car can connect to, and on the other side the base station would have a 4G/whatever antenna to talk to the infrastructure.
  - mhh__ 5y ago
    Transmitting in that band sounds like a good way to get your local RF authority coming round with the men in suits (for good reason). It could maybe be done by replacing the antenna with some kind of direct output that emulated a 3G tower perhaps, big job though.

antisthenes 5y ago

> Worse battery life than expected, despite being a cautious driver who babies that battery pack. Can you elaborate on this? To me, this is 90% of importance of owning an electric car. If the range is significantly worse than expected, then the customer is being taken advantage of, since that's where most of the manufacturing cost lies.

01100011 5y ago
I don't know, but it seems like range estimates assume the best case. Things like driving style, climate control, local vs highway, wind, elevation changes, extra weight in the vehicle, the age of the battery, charging habits... These all can affect range, sometimes significantly. Range anxiety is, in my opinion, the #1 issue with EVs right now. It will be helped by bigger batteries and more convenient charging.

colanderman 5y ago

I don't own a Tesla, but here's my pet peeve as a passenger: When the driver opens their door, the driver's seat starts moving backward. If you are sitting behind the driver, and have longer-than-average legs, this means your legs are now getting actively crushed by a motor. If it's your first time in a Tesla, you are probably now panicking trying to figure out how to open the damn door, which inexplicably operates differently than every other car door in existence. Not a pleasant experience. I've now learned to quickly and loudly remind the driver not to exit until I do when in this situation.

minhazm 5y ago
This is a completely optional feature. In fact it's off by default, you have to opt into Easy Entry and set up the exactly where you want the seat to go to. Many cars have this feature and it's 100% on the driver to make sure you set the depth to a reasonable level and to make sure you're not putting someone 6'3 behind you in the passenger seat when you know you have this feature enabled.
ectopod 5y ago
Motorised seats moving automatically can be very dangerous. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-57908134 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-57908134
bin_bash 5y ago
Every car I've owned in the last few years has a setting to move the seat when you open the door so it's easier to get out. This isn't Tesla specific.
- alphabettsy 5y ago
  Idk about Tesla but every car I’ve had with this feature allowed you to disable with a physical or software selector.
  - bin_bash 5y ago
    Not only is it not on by default in Teslas but it's actually quite a bit of work to setup. Most cars it's just a toggle. In Teslas you have to setup a new profile and manually set the steering wheel and seat to the exit position. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94l43ILKRsA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94l43ILKRsA

ericmay 5y ago

For me the one killer feature of Tesla that isn’t brought up often enough is the UI display and that they actually keep the car updated and push out improvements. Similarly to how you see other manufacturers being able to assemble a better car (for now IMO), I trust Tesla on the software front because I’ll be damned if I’m buying a car with a crappy stock Android OS or similar until proven otherwise. > people were idling with full batteries, blocking my use How? If you’re at full and the Supercharger is at high capacity they start paying idle fees. I mean I guess someone can sit there for no reason but that’s a surprising story to me.

FireBeyond 5y ago
> How? If you’re at full and the Supercharger is at high capacity they start paying idle fees. I mean I guess someone can sit there for no reason but that’s a surprising story to me. Because the idle fee is less than some parking garages cost? Or less than the convenience cost of moving the car?
- bin_bash 5y ago
  the idle fee is $1/minute
  - FireBeyond 5y ago
    That's a gamble/risk. It's only 50c/minute if the supercharger is not fully occupied when you park. If you're in some of the bigger cities, you can easily be approaching $30/hr for prime parking. And the idle fee is only for the period in excess of the active charging. Tesla also just massively increased charging prices: https://carbuzz.com/news/tesla-supercharging-costs-have-quadrupled-overnight https://carbuzz.com/news/tesla-supercharging-costs-have-quad...
    - bin_bash 5y ago
      If there were spaces open then GP wouldn't be having this problem. And $60/hour for parking would be outrageous anywhere in the country.

yodsanklai 5y ago

> Being told the built in 3G modem will have to be scrapped and replaced at my expense This is exactly why I don't like to buy devices that are coupled to unnecessary electronic components or batteries. For instance, a high-end speaker or headphone can last decades. Make it connected and battery powered, it'll be in a landfill within a couple of years. Environmental disasters in the making.

01100011 5y ago

> I really enjoy the feeling of driving it I am curious how much Tesla fans are impressed by Tesla-specific qualities of their vehicles vs, say, the exhilaration of driving an electric car. For many, Tesla was the first EV they have ever driven. I can understand thinking that your car is superior after associating it with the EV experience. For what it's worth, I don't own a Tesla, but I do drive an EV and it is the best vehicle I've ever driven.

piperswe 5y ago
My current daily driver is a Model 3. I think Teslas are a great gateway to the world of electric vehicles because they get people interested in the concept and introduce them to how driving an EV can be. I don't plan on my next daily driver being a Tesla due to Tesla's QC and fit & finish issues, but I am absolutely looking at other EVs like the BMW i4, Polestar 2, and even the Toyota bZ4X/Subaru Solterra.
alphabettsy 5y ago
I’ve also seen lots of posts from people who’d never owned a new car before and so of course the Model 3 is amazing. It is a great car, but not without flaws.

doty 5y ago

I say- it’s like they hooked a computer to a car. At first I thought “oh man, look! They hooked a computer to a car! Think of all the cool things you can do!” A few months later I had learned how to reboot the drivers side door latch because of a software failure, somewhere… and I thought “oh yeah, right. It’s like they hooked a computer to a car.”

userbinator 5y ago

doors refusing to open, or more scary, opening while driving. I guess that's what happens when you have an entirely "software defined" car --- software bugs, because they're more common than hardware ones, can cause far more problems. Do Teslas have the two-stage latch that I thought was a mandatory safety feature?

powerbroker 5y ago
After sitting through hundreds of pre-flight briefings on planes, that explain how to exit in an emergency (and given some briefings myself), I'm surprised that Tesla does a sloppy job of showing people how to open the doors of their car, when it is on fire. Spoiler alert: the normal door handles don't open the doors. Plot twist: the back doors have a completely different (and concealed) opening mechanism than the front doors. Surprise ending: you have to teach the backseat people how to unlatch their doors, after you just trial-and-errored your way out the front door(s).

postmeta 5y ago

Sounds like BMW and Audi are disabling 3G too, and they have NO upgrade path for many cars. https://www.audiusa.com/us/web/en/inside-audi/innovation/audi-connect/layer/legal/3g-downturn-faq.html https://www.audiusa.com/us/web/en/inside-audi/innovation/aud... https://www.mybmwi3.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=17401 https://www.mybmwi3.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=17401

alphabettsy 5y ago
Not limited to those brands either, but I suppose this impacts the user experience in a Tesla more where it heavily relies on a data connection.
bellyfullofbac 5y ago
I wonder if, just like there are portable FM transmitters that you can plug your iPod to and tune the car radio to, if there'll be portable 3G "base stations" that your car can connect to, and on the other side the base station would have a 4G/whatever antenna to talk to the infrastructure.
- mhh__ 5y ago
  Transmitting in that band sounds like a good way to get your local RF authority coming round with the men in suits (for good reason). It could maybe be done by replacing the antenna with some kind of direct output that emulated a 3G tower perhaps, big job though.