Bought a Model 3...

"NotUnlessRoundIsFunny" (notunlessroundisfunny) 03/06/2019 at 17:57 • Filed to: Tesla, tesla model 3, model 3

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It’s been...interesting.

Everything from Great to Terrible.

How could I write something interesting for you fine folks of Oppo?

I’m not a professional car reviewer, so...maybe you could shoot me your questions or thoughts?

Thanks!

BeaterGT > NotUnlessRoundIsFunny 03/06/2019 at 18:08

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Did you test drive the Model 3 before you bought it ?

AestheticsInMotion > NotUnlessRoundIsFunny 03/06/2019 at 18:09

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How long have you had it? How has it held up? Did you get used to the minimal interior pretty quickly? What are your favorite and least favorite parts of the car? Does it feel quick? 

ttyymmnn > NotUnlessRoundIsFunny 03/06/2019 at 18:12

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Make an outline of what you think we might be interested in hearing about and write a sentence or two on each point. Easy peasy. We’re not going to judge your writing proficiency. Oh, and include lots of pictures.

Spanfeller is a twat > NotUnlessRoundIsFunny 03/06/2019 at 18:12

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Do you have any sort of regret as of now?

KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time > NotUnlessRoundIsFunny 03/06/2019 at 18:16

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Which model 3 is this? Long Range? AWD? Performance?

Has Autopilot? how is it?

What’s great what’s terrible?

NotUnlessRoundIsFunny > AestheticsInMotion 03/06/2019 at 18:17

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Wow, great questions!

A couple of quick answers:

D elivered in October.

A lot of fun to drive! It’s plenty quick for a daily (and I didn’t get the Performance, too pricey). 0-60 in 5s I think?

Cosmetically pretty good, but serious functional problems. I t’s spent three months at a service center since October.

I was surprised how quickly I got used to the single screen. I expected it to be awful , but I spent some time in a friend’s and I got used to it pretty quickly. I still fumble around to find some things but I’m sure I’ll adapt.

Thanks!

Cé hé sin > NotUnlessRoundIsFunny 03/06/2019 at 18:18

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Well, just to get started....what’s great? What’s terrible?

NotUnlessRoundIsFunny > ttyymmnn 03/06/2019 at 18:19

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That’s great advice, thank you. Especially coming from you, whose writing I very much admire!

ranwhenparked > NotUnlessRoundIsFunny 03/06/2019 at 18:30

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How did you like the buying process? Did you visit a store at all, or do it all online?

AestheticsInMotion > NotUnlessRoundIsFunny 03/06/2019 at 18:32

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How's the heat? AC? Care to go in any more detail about the functional problems? How did Tesla treat you in terms of your problems? Did you feel like a valued customer at a luxury brand? Did they send you off in a model S? 

ttyymmnn > NotUnlessRoundIsFunny 03/06/2019 at 18:37

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Aw, shucks, thanks . I have had tons of practice, though. Please don’t go back and read the first stuff I wrote....

NotUnlessRoundIsFunny > AestheticsInMotion 03/06/2019 at 18:42

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So far so good with heat and AC, but it hasn’t been warm enough to really test the latter.

As for how Tesla’s treated me...that’s the terrible part. I’m trying to figure out how to summarize that and make it interesting. And I say this as a Tesla fan.

The short answer to your questions :

“How did Tesla treat you in terms of your problems? Did you feel like a valued customer at a luxury brand?”

“Not well” and “absolutely not.”

I’m willing to forgive some issues because I respect what they’re trying to do is difficult. But they shouldn’t expect every customer to be that way.

The most maddening thing is I would s pend time helping them figure out what went wrong and how to prevent its recurrence for others .

But as far as I can tell, they’re not interested.

NotUnlessRoundIsFunny > ttyymmnn 03/06/2019 at 18:43

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LOL, that’s funny. It’s probably better to outside eyes than to your own.

How do you compose your posts? Do you write in some other editor and then copy/paste into Kinja, or do you just do the whole thing in Kinja? (That seems...risky).

ttyymmnn > NotUnlessRoundIsFunny 03/06/2019 at 18:51

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I have always done my work right inside Kinja. When I started, I was using Firefox, but FF didn’t support autocorrect on my Mac so I switched to Safari. I find that the Kinja editor can be a little quirky at times, but it’s really pretty darned good. The only safety I use is to copy all the text before I publish, just in case the publishing process borks and I can’t get it back. But even then, if i t does happen, I can usually start a new post and, when prompted, recover what I was working on before.

As for the aviation history stuff, I try to work at least two weeks ahead, and for that, the future post feature is a godsend. Hell, I’ve even got a Father’s Day post scheduled for June. I have never tried using drafts. If it’s not scheduled like the Tu-Th history posts, I’ll just schedule it for a week or so out, publish in the future, then go back and reset the post date when I’m ready to publish. You can find all future posts under Manage: Your Posts: Scheduled.

If you feel the urge to take up this writing thing, I’d be happy to answer any questions you might have, or even take a look at something before you post. You know where to find me, at least every Tuesday and Thursday at 12:35 ET.

Cheers.

NotUnlessRoundIsFunny > BeaterGT 03/06/2019 at 18:52

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I only test drove a friend’s Model 3, which was almost exactly what I wanted, and I really liked it much more than I expected! But I didn’t get any “official” test drive, which is a first. There’s a story there, too.

nermal > NotUnlessRoundIsFunny 03/06/2019 at 18:55

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Tell more about the actual buying experience.

When you’re ready for your NEXT car, would you buy another Tesla (or other direct sale brand ), or go back to a dealership ?

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > NotUnlessRoundIsFunny 03/06/2019 at 18:57

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An honest review sounds like the kind of thing that would pull random people out of random corners of the internet to create a kinja account so they can spew utter nonsense. That’s always a good time and makes for entertaining reading.

NotUnlessRoundIsFunny > TheTurbochargedSquirrel 03/06/2019 at 19:04

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This really made me chuckle.

I honestly did not expect how polarizing the reactions would be when I’ve posted about my experience on forums elsewhere .

There are two basic categories of comments :

1 . Tesla sucks! This is more evidence! Tesla ’s a total scam and a fraud and definitely short the stock and everyone who says something positive about Tesla or Elon or EVs is a fanboi.

2 . You suck! Tesla is Great and Perfect and YOU are obviously doing something wrong and apparently you don’t deserve to enjoy a Tesla because you are a bad person and all hail Elon.

So yeah, that’s fun.

But I feel like Oppo might be a better place for this kind of thing...

NotUnlessRoundIsFunny > ttyymmnn 03/06/2019 at 19:08

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Thanks for the advice and the kind offer. I may take you up on it.

This writing thing does not come easily for me.

DutchieDC2R > NotUnlessRoundIsFunny 03/06/2019 at 19:15

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Ive been reading through your answers and, especially the ‘I didn’t get a test drive, there’s a story there too’, this part makes me believe you already could’ve had a hunch that your experience with Tesla would be.......below par, to put it in a subtle way.

What made you go through with the purchase anyway? With dealing with Tesla and the possible ‘Tesla treatment’? (This is what I don’t get , not only with Tesla, with other brands as well).

NotUnlessRoundIsFunny > DutchieDC2R 03/06/2019 at 19:28

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Um, bad judgment? :-)

I have to figure out how to tell this story in a non-boring way. But essentially I was up for an adventure and the Model 3 was the weirdest new car I found. So I thought I’d learn something, plus the tax credit was dropping by half at the end of 2018, so...

NotUnlessRoundIsFunny > DutchieDC2R 03/06/2019 at 19:29

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And, I really agree with you about poor treatment by some brands.

My “luck” is bad with these things typically. I sometimes think I missed my calling as a “beta tester.”

AestheticsInMotion > NotUnlessRoundIsFunny 03/06/2019 at 20:03

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As a fan, that makes me really sad. I was hoping you’d have been treated like a king, but I can’t say I’m surprised...

Do you at least have the car in working order now? Have the issues been bit enough to make you look into trying to return it? 

ttyymmnn > NotUnlessRoundIsFunny 03/06/2019 at 20:03

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Any time.

Trust me, i t comes easier the more you do it.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > NotUnlessRoundIsFunny 03/06/2019 at 21:47

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Have you ridden in the back seat at all? My boss has a Model 3 and there is a very odd loud harmonic in the rear that seems to amplify road noise and makes it next to impossible to converse with front seat occupants. Road noise in general seems abnormally high to me.

NotUnlessRoundIsFunny > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 03/07/2019 at 00:16

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That’s a really good question. I haven’t ridden in the back seat though I did drive with five people aboard for some short trips. So I don’t know about the noise level back there, or any strange harmonic. I’ll have to check that out.

That said, I’ve never thought the car was super-quiet anyway. I mean, yes, you don’t have the normal glorious sounds of regular old internal combustion going on, but...

because of that, you notice everything else. If you’re sitting still, you hear the little pumps and blowers for climate and such. If you’re moving, by the time you’re up to speed you hear the tire noise, and wind noise, etc.

So, compared to my ICE sedan, it’s not that much quieter. I know my ICE car has Active Noise Reduction through the stereo, and I suspect the Model 3 does not. So maybe that helps even it out.

NotUnlessRoundIsFunny > Spanfeller is a twat 03/07/2019 at 02:27

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Yes, I have one huge regret: that I let them deliver the car.

They were really pushing this option at the time, with the assurance that if you didn’t like the car for any reason you could return it for a full refund. So they dropped it off at my house, gave maybe a three-minute orientation, and left. Then they refused to honor the return, and here we are.

So yeah, don’t do that.

Go to a delivery center and look it over with a fine-tooth comb before you even consider accepting delivery. On the other hand, if they’re getting rid of stores, I’m not sure where you’ll go, anyway.

NotUnlessRoundIsFunny > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 03/07/2019 at 02:31

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Quick answers are:

It’s a long-range, RWD. It’s a daily driver, and 5s 0-60 was plenty fast for me, and I didn’t want to spend the big premium for the AWD Performance version.

Autopilot is always changing. It got a lot better about six months ago. In some situations it’s great (like stop-and-go traffic). In others, it’s nerve-wracking (like a lightly-traveled highway that doesn’t have great road markings). But, it’s kind of amazing and fun when it works!

And...see next comment for the others! :-)

NotUnlessRoundIsFunny > Cé hé sin 03/07/2019 at 02:38

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Great: the car fits me, it’s fun to drive , good range, lots of clever advances, and it’s the strangest / most different car I looked at.

Terrible: experience with Tesla the company. They d elivered the car defective and have yet to make it right...almost five months later. I didn’t expect perfection out of the gate, but I expected them to sort things out quickly. No dice.

The terrible parts are what I’m struggling to figure out how to write, so it doesn’t just sound like venting. I’m a fan of what Tesla is doing or I wouldn’t have bought the car...but, sheesh.

pip bip - choose Corrour > NotUnlessRoundIsFunny 03/07/2019 at 04:23

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how are the panel gaps?

NotUnlessRoundIsFunny > pip bip - choose Corrour 03/07/2019 at 08:38

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To my eyes, they’re fine. I’d heard so many stories that I was expecting worse, and was just kind of resigned to worse. But they seem reasonably consistent.

NotUnlessRoundIsFunny > ttyymmnn 03/07/2019 at 08:42

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Once you’ve published a piece, can you still go back and edit it whenever? I often have typos in my comments and don’t realize it until much later, but a post will still let you edit, is that right?

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > NotUnlessRoundIsFunny 03/07/2019 at 09:12

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I would love to ride in a Model S and see what that’s like. I’m sure it’s sublime. The Taycan has me unreasonably excited.

Dru > NotUnlessRoundIsFunny 03/07/2019 at 09:22

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How’s the road noise?  Also curious about if there’s any options etc that it doesn’t have that you wish it did?

Dru > NotUnlessRoundIsFunny 03/07/2019 at 09:25

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That’s tough to hear.  My gold standard for customer service from car brands is BMW.  When my dad bought his Mini in 2002, it gave us poor folk the chance to experience the BMW treatment, and going to anything else sucked. 

NotUnlessRoundIsFunny > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 03/07/2019 at 09:30

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Model S does seem a little quieter...not sure how big a role the air suspension plays. The interior isn’t exactly opulent, and I actually prefer being in the Model 3. Plus the Model 3 is just weirder—I mean that in a good way.

I’m looking forward to seeing the Taycan, too!

NotUnlessRoundIsFunny > Dru 03/07/2019 at 09:34

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The road noise isn’t bad, but it’s not super-quiet, either. Part of it is because other parts of the car aren’t making much noise, you notice things like road noise more.

I don’t think there are options I miss, but I do wish it had better streaming audio or Sirius XM. So far, neither are available—you just have to use your phone and data plan.

Speaking of phones, wireless charging would be nice, too.

7:07 > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 03/07/2019 at 09:41

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I would love to sit in one and measure the frequency response while driving.  If you want to try, use Spectroid if you have Android, or SpectrumView for iOS.  You could run it over several road surfaces and at different speeds.  Screenshot the results and see if there’s high noise at a certain frequency.  I’ve done this on test drives and the look on the salesman’s faces are usually priceless.   Equally funny when I ask them to stop talking so I can hold out a decibel meter and take a reading.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > 7:07 03/07/2019 at 09:59

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I used spectroid to identify exhaust harmonics in my IS300. Seriously great little piece of software. 

7:07 > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 03/07/2019 at 10:02

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ttyymmnn > NotUnlessRoundIsFunny 03/07/2019 at 10:14

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You can edit a post that you created basically forever. You can also reset the post date and time to repost it at a later date (though mods generally frown on “reposted for the morning crowd” sort of thing) . Comments or replies, however, can only be edited for 15 minutes.

Also, if you plan on starting a series or want to keep your posts in a place that is easy to find, you can use a unique tag. For example, all of my aviation stuff is posted to

https://oppositelock.kinja.com/tag/wingspan

The only drawback is that anybody can use the same tag and have their stuff post to that place. I’ve had a few interlopers over the years, but hey, it’s a free service.

Michael > NotUnlessRoundIsFunny 03/07/2019 at 10:37

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What was wrong with it? So far not too many details on anything. Just was hoping for a few more “normal” person perspective.

You mentioned bad return stuff, what was the problem? And was it really a problem or just buyers remorse?

Would really love to hear your story, even if in a dear diary type of format.

NotUnlessRoundIsFunny > nermal 03/07/2019 at 11:19

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Will do...the buying experience was mixed. Some was easy (like configuring the car on the website and placing my deposit) but the actual delivery parts were rushed and rough.

Next time, I guess I’d still consider buying direct. But I’d insist on a lot more time with the exact car I was buying before I took delivery.

I’m not sure how Tesla is going to do that if they don’t have any stores. Maybe they’ll offer pickup at their service centers?

NotUnlessRoundIsFunny > ranwhenparked 03/07/2019 at 11:21

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All online . When I bought it, there were few Model 3s actually in stores that you could sit in or drive. And Tesla’s promise was that if you didn’t  test-drive it, you had three days to return for a full refund.

NotUnlessRoundIsFunny > AestheticsInMotion 03/07/2019 at 11:32

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Most of the car works most of the time, now.

I would have been a lot happier if they had taken this one back and given me a new one, so they could figure out what’s wrong with this one on their own time. I tried, and that whole process was awful.

I hope I can figure out how to write more detail without it being boring.

wkiernan > NotUnlessRoundIsFunny 03/07/2019 at 12:14

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How many miles does it have on it now? And d o you charge it at home, and if so, how ?

VajazzleMcDildertits - read carefully, respond politely > NotUnlessRoundIsFunny 03/07/2019 at 14:06

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I’ve heard mixed stories on car delivery after confirmation of purchase . Did you have any hiccups there?

Which trim did you buy and which options did you get? Are you one of the few who got one with the higher priced self-driving kit?

With so little driving noise, what sounds are you hearing in its place?

What have you managed to fit with the seats folded (if they fold) and the trunk full? Max upper bound of Costco purchasing, stuff like that.

Do you like it?

Has anything broken on it yet?

Is it comfortable in ways you didn’t expect?

Do people wave or otherwise take notice of you on the road?

Are there a lot of Model 3s in your neighborhood?

Do you like beef jerky?

Can you drive in the HOV lane solo? 

NotUnlessRoundIsFunny > wkiernan 03/07/2019 at 16:15

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[Checks app, hoping connection will work]

Just a little over 600 miles now...

I do charge it at home. I put in a Chargepoint Home 32A charger, because it will charge anything (the Tesla comes with an adapter). Plus it’s networked to the Chargepoint app, which I also use if I use a charger in a parking lot or wherever.

Could charge faster with the Tesla wall connector, but that only works for Teslas. The little Chargepoint box gives me about 30 miles of range for every hour of charging.

NotUnlessRoundIsFunny > VajazzleMcDildertits - read carefully, respond politely 03/07/2019 at 16:16

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These are really good questions! I think I have enough to work on a post.

Until then, yes I like beef jerky! :-)

NotUnlessRoundIsFunny > Michael 03/07/2019 at 16:26

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Thanks! It’s been really helpful reading everyone’s questions. I’m going to try to outline a post based on this.

I want to tell the story about what’s wrong without turning it into a boring complaintfest. But for starters:

T he turn signals didn’t work correctly, and the main computer would shut down and reboot randomly. Or it wouldn’t wake up at all.

The only instruments are on that one screen, so losing the computer is kind of a problem .

And that was all on the first day!

VajazzleMcDildertits - read carefully, respond politely > NotUnlessRoundIsFunny 03/07/2019 at 19:00

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Nice.

NotUnlessRoundIsFunny > ttyymmnn 03/08/2019 at 19:02

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What’s the best way to share a draft or outline with you? Is there some way to “follow” you on my private blog or something?

ttyymmnn > NotUnlessRoundIsFunny 03/08/2019 at 19:20

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Easiest thing would be to drop me an email, if you like. You can reach me at my screen name at gmail. 

NotUnlessRoundIsFunny > ttyymmnn 03/09/2019 at 02:24

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Will do. Once again, thank you!