Thanks Pitch,
I'll watch this thread with interest, and contribute when I can, after I collect my car on the 15th.
Best wishes,
Martyn.
God only knows where this will go but with so many current owners on TZ and by the looks, many coming over the hill, I thought a one point stop for lease deals, tips, tricks and general info and moans may be useful and entertaining.
I am sure the brand bashes and EV haters may pop up but hopefully they will move on.
Anyway, first tip and stolen from FB, 15 months in and I didn’t even know this.
Today’s TOP TIP:
Along the bottom bar of your screen, towards the left are the two window heating icons. The furthest squarer one heats the rear window but did you know it also demists/heats your wing mirrors?
The next icon is for heating the windscreen but did you know it has two settings? Press it once (the icon goes partly orange) and it de-mists your windscreen, press it again (the icon goes fully orange) and it de-frosts
Enjoy
Pitch
Thanks Pitch,
I'll watch this thread with interest, and contribute when I can, after I collect my car on the 15th.
Best wishes,
Martyn.
Our next car will be an EV so will watch this thread with interest
There’s an interesting series of comparisons in the latest What Car mag between different versions (diesel, petrol, hybrid etc) of various classes of cars with full costs assessed over 3 years.
The Tesla 3 is matched against versions of the BMW 3-Series and, despite the higher purchase price, ends up nearly £2k cheaper over that period than the cheapest BMW version.
Anyone getting a standard Model 3 wait a few days until after software update and you'll get the heated steering wheel and rear seats gratis.
Things I've learned in my few days so far:
1. Definitely set your phone up as a key, scheduling charging, preheating, location finding, have all come in handy already.
2. If you share the car, make sure you set up driver profiles - absolutely amazing how many customisations are available in the settings and to have it all exactly as you like every time is great (except lumbar support)
3. Haven't quite figured out the base autopilot/TACC yet
4. I personally find the rearview mirror/rear visibility pretty pants
5. The sound system is top banana
6. The steering is really satisfying, with very tight turning circle and small steering wheel, you don't even need to go fast to have fun...
7... But it goes really fast and that's fun too!
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Great idea for a thread Pitch. Thanks for the initial tip, mine arrives later this week !
Seems like TZ has gone Model 3 crazy in recent weeks.
I don't have any tips. Perhaps except to say that you can take the aero caps off and buy something like this which will give you the spoke look if you should prefer that. I will probably do this eventually. Not 100% sure how it works, but will report back when I do it. I believe Wileeeeeey is also planning to do this so may add info !
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wheel-Cover.../dp/B094VL7GZN
Thanks, yes I saw that a few hundred people got locked out as the app went down the other week - so I slipped keycard straight into my wallet! As you say, gives me insurance as I never go anywhere without my wallet.
I did find another bugbear - my two kids have car seats, both isofix. My son is older so the main seatbelt is still used to secure him in his seat. However my daughter has a car seat with integrated straps, therefore with isofix no need to plug in seatbelt. As it turns out, that leads to constant 'bongs' whilst driving with her in the car as it detects she's there but thinks she's now wearing a seatbelt. Apparently in the US you can tap on the icon that appears on the screen and set the seat to 'car seat mode'. As a workaround I've just had to feed the seatbelt through and plug it in, no big deal but a bit unnecessary when you know the feature exists.
Edited to add that Tesla Motor Club UK&I subforum has been pretty good for tips and help, not quite TZ but there's a few of us over there!
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Great thread and looking forward to being able to contribute.
Sold my missus Ford Ranger and purchased her a Model 3.
So far, all we have is a charger in a box :)
Car is coming in March, so we have quite a wait!
Interestingly (although OT), Rangers are in short supply and we sold it back to the dealer early. Paid £29k +vat, kept for 4 years, sold for £22k +vat. Which I thought was amazing.
Great thread Pitch. Really useful.
I saw online putting your car into “Joe Mode” makes the constant beeping a bit quieter so will do that when I’m next in it. The beeping in Tesla is more vicious than the Bear Pit!
I did buy the wheel things Boss pasted but haven’t had a chance to put them on yet due to the rain. Will report back once I’ve done it.
Nice one - & I have a question:
is there any way to extinguish the rear brake lights in a M3 when coming to a stop without going into Neutral or Park?
My pet hate is following people in traffic who blind me with their rear brake lights when at a standstill & I am now contributing to it!
Any info appreciated!
Cheers
Paul
Another tip - this time of year use the voice command 'ho ho ho'. You'll thank me later! :)
Buy the optional Tesla car shaped keyless entry key, it's much less flaky than the app on your phone and the car is always open when you get to it
Goodo chaps and looks like this thread could be very useful.
The app has got grumpy at times with the odd new update and I have on a few occasions had to get my iPhone out. I liked the idea of the key so thought I would give it a go a few weeks ago. It is still in the box.
Another nice touch is the temp control, you can touch and slide across the screen rather than tapping.
Pitch
I'm a couple of days into ownership and still happy with it.
There's a bit of a learning curve using the screen. It's not always immediately obvious where things are, but a few presses later I can usually find what I need. Except DAB, I think I have DAB, but can only find FM. I got Radio 5 on InTune, but I assume that runs on internet which is not guaranteed where I drive.
Other car is a AMG GLC and in many ways the Tesla is superior and in many way it's behind.
The acceleration, cost to run, and entertainment features are all miles ahead. I also like the sparse interior, the glass and they keyless system linked up to driver profiles.
I could make a list of stuff that's not as good.
The steering is stiff (comfort mode) and doesn't have much feel.
The auto dipping headlights are slow to dip and slow to turn off. It's embarrassing being flashed for being late to dip.
The brakes aren't great, admittedly I'm probably spoiled by AMG brakes, but there's not a lot of bite and you really feel the weight of the car through them.
The GPS has repeatedly taken me on routes that a closed. I know it uses Google, but the Google Maps on my phone does it right, so I don't know the issue.
I guess this is because, regardless of the cost, this is still a mid range family car and I'm probably being harsh comparing it against an AMG.
Our car came only with the black Tesla RFID cards, I have one inside my phone case in case the phone or Tesla App go down. Even in the case of the latter, as long as you don’t log out of it, the phone still works.
Haven’t had any issues with the car not detecting the phone and not open up.
Carrying one of the RFID cards is even fewer peanuts than the peanuts for a car shaped key!
I have the RFID cards as well but they're not comparable to the keyless entry key, each to their own but on a 60k car I don't begrudge paying £150 for a proper key that probably should have been included anyway, maybe things have got better on subsequent software releases but I've had my M3P since Sep 2020 and the app on the iPhone was fairly unreliable then to open the car as you approached it. Failed about 1 in 10 I found
Heated seats and steering wheel are here. Thanks Ryan for the head’s up.
This text is getting sent out to people picking up their cars in the next week (myself included);
Due to the global supply chain challenges impacting the industry, your Model 3 maybe delivered without the two usb-c ports and wireless charging functionality in the front of your vehicle. You will be able to charge your phone with the USBC ports in the back of your vehicle. Once available, we will invite you to a service appointment to retrofit the ports and activate the wireless phone charging functionality. The 10 minute appointment can be scheduled at your home address.
Lots of frothing about this and some plonkers saying they'll reject the car! Lol. At least Tesla are offering to retrofit unlike BMW that isn't offering touchscreens or Merc without electric seats. It's a bit annoying but by all accounts there is a global chip shortage. Who knew?
Their text systems do seem a mess to be honest. Have had so many texts. Many of them repeats ! Weather delay meaning delivery delay. Was late to find out the registration and vin but since they have sent me the same text three times telling me the info.
They asked me where I wanted it delivered around four times! I replied each time.
Haven’t had the one about the USB yet but perhaps will get it soon All part of the fun I guess !!!
I have a dog and kids and lots of sports kit, so have assumed the model 3 with a boot wouldn't work.
Apparently you can now order a model Y that's like a 3 but a hatchback.
Anyone any thoughts on this one?
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If the dog would go in the boot then the 3 is a no go but the Y would be perfect. Looking at Feb delivery;
https://www.tesla.com/en_GB/modely/design#overview
Does anyone know if there a difference between my wife and I sharing the same email/Tesla account on the app vs us using our own emails and having the other added on the “add additional driver” section?
Ok cool, just gave myself a new account and went out to set it up along with naming the key cards. Will see if it works later on.
I have wireless charging and AFAI working USBs, but I don’t have the bigger range so far. Hoping this is a software update to unlock more potential.
I lost 9 miles over range overnight and asked a friend if this was normal. Immediately he knew I had Sentry on and told me to turn it off at home. He loses 1-2 miles overnight.
I drove a model 3 today, a work colleague just got his. Never been in one before, the interior is very bland apart from the huge screen but was a comfy place to sit. The heated steering wheel was very good! Driving it was nice, the acceleration was good - did not seem as powerful as I thought but that's maybe as it was so quiet and you had no other sense of speed - I do drive a M240 which is pretty quick so maybe I am use to a quick-ish car. Overall the car was impressive, was not overly sold on the braking, also it braked fairly hard once you came off the accelerator pedal but he said you can turn that off.
Would I buy one? Still no, for a personal car its way to expensive for what it is. As a company car (which his was) it does make total sense, he recons it will save him (and the company) many thousands compared to his previous ICE car.
Seeing a few videos online of Americans who are able to use their Tesla like a Ring Doorbell. They can view all the Tesla cameras and even speak.
Is this an American update only or does anyone here have this?
Here are some Tesla anacronyms I've lifted from a Tesla Facebook Group;
For the new and soon to be owners: Here’s a basic list of Tesla/EV acronyms that get bandied about.
2FA - Two-Factor Authentication. (Important: Make sure your Tesla account has this facility enabled)
AP - Autopilot
AP1 - Autopilot hardware manufactured after late September 2014 and before October 2016
AP2 - Autopilot hardware manufactured after October 2016 and before August 2017
AP2.5 - Autopilot hardware manufactured after August 2017 and by Hardware 3
AP3 - Autopilot hardware manufactured in/after February 2019 for Model S / Model X, and in/after April 2019 for Model 3
AWD - All-wheel Drive
BEV - Battery Electric Vehicle
BLE - Bluetooth Low Energy
BMS - Battery Management System
CAV - Clean Air Vehicles
CCS - Combined Charging System
CPO - Certified Pre-Owned
CR - Consumer Reports
D/C - Direct Current
DC - Destination Charger
EAP - Enhanced Autopilot
EBS - Emergency Braking System
ECU - Electric Control Unit
EPA - Environmental Protection Agency (rated mileage)
EV - Electric Vehicle
EVSE - Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment
FPS - Frames Per Second
Fremont - Where U.K. Model 3 was manufactured before China
Fremont Classic - An American made U.K. Model 3
Frunk - Not exactly an acronym but… Front Trunk
Froot - For those who refuse to use Frunk… Front Boot
FSD - Full Self-Driving
Giga 1 - Gigafactory 1 in Nevada
HW2 - Autopilot Hardware 2
HW2+ - Autopilot Hardware version 2 and after
HW2.5 - Autopilot Hardware version 2.5
HW3 - Autopilot Hardware version 3
HOV - High-Occupancy Vehicle
IC - Instrument Cluster, the screen above the steering wheel
ICE - Internal Combustion Engine. A popular way of referring to petrol cars in the Tesla communities
ICED - refers to a petrol car blocking an EV charger
IR - Infrared Radiation
kWh - Kilowatt an hour (kilo=1,000; 1kWh = 3-4 mile range)
LPF - Lithium Iron Battery
LR - Long Range
LTE - Long Term Evolution or 4G network
OA - Owner Advisor
OTA - Over-the-air
P3D - Performance Model 3 Dual Motor
M3 - Model 3
M3P - Model 3 Performance
MCU - Media Control Unit (touchscreen)
MCU 1 - Has an NVIDIA Tegra-3 chip. All Model S and Model X built before the end of March 2018 have this version.
MCU 2 - Has a more powerful Intel x86_64 processor. All Model 3 have this version as well as the Model S and Model X built after the end of March 2018.
MiC - Made in China
MIT-AVT - MIT Autonomous Vehicle Technology Study
MR - Medium Range
MS - Model S
MX - Model X
MY - Model Y
MSM - Midnight Silver Metallic - Tesla’s Dark Grey
NN - Neural Network. Is the software in charge of identifying objects around the car
NoA - Navigate on Autopilot
P2D - Pin To Drive (Important make sure you car has this enabled)
PPF - Paint Protection Film
PIV - Plug In Vehicle
PUP - Performance Upgrade Package
R/F - Refreshed (Model 3 delivered after Dec. 1st 2020
RPH - Range Per Charge (miles)
RWD - Rear-Wheel Drive
SC - Service Centre
SR+ - Standard Range Plus
SoC - State of Charge
SuC - Supercharger
TACC - Traffic-Aware Cruise Control
TMC - Tesla Motors Club
TPMS - Tire Pressure Monitoring System
UI - User Interface (the screen)
ULEZ - Ultra Low Emission Zone
V9 - Version 9
VIN - Vehicle Identification Number
WLTP - Worldwide Harmonized Light Test Procedure (rated mileage)
ZEV - Zero Emission Vehicles
Pro tip. If you are looking for Tesla tips and reviews, do it incognito.
Elon has some absolutely crazy acolytes and once youtube and facebook think you're into Teslas you can kiss goodbye to meaningful recommendations.
Rear visibility definitely sucks. A car was following me last night, perhaps a little closer than I'd like and in the dark, in town I struggled to see it though a rain splattered boot window.
The Tesla Model 3 UK Owners FB page has been my go to from day 1, loads of info.
Pitch
Some more Tesla terminology;
Unicorn Spec - transitional SR+ cars with the old faster engine and new bigger battery
#teamwhite #team blue etc - the colour car you got
Muggles - non Tesla EVs charging at Superchargers (currently only in the Netherlands)
Granny Charger - standard 3 pin charger that plugs into a wall socket and chargers very slowly (maybe 6 miles per hour range added).
I spent quite a bit of time deciding on the Model 3, prior to that I was considering a used Model S. This website I found to be an incredible resource for historical information and it even has mail alerts you can set up should you be on the lookout to purchase a used Tesla https://tesla-info.com/ (no affiliation)
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Yeah, played the fart noise inside and outside. Scared the life out of my wife, quite funny. Tempted by a meme horn, really tempted. Also had a play today with the sound settings and brought in a bit more sound from the rear speakers.
Around town it’s a great car, seriously good. Bit rough on the bumps but a very good drive. Honestly reminds me a bit of the motorbike how I can make lights and get out at roundabouts and junctions - rapid. Quite loud on the motorway, you can see how people make a good living from putting sound insulation into Teslas and why the Model S is recommended more for mile munching.
How everyone getting on with their new wheels????
Pitch
Absolutely loving it!! Have checked out the charging stations which work well. The car is smooth and comfortable and feels as premium as it needs to.
Still learning all the features but I can see why current owners are so pleased.