Update: Thinking About a Tesla Model 3

tcannon521 10/15/2019 6:18pm
10/15/2019 6:18pm
XXVoid MainXX wrote:
I didn't realize that about the regen numbers. Could it save on battery cycling by storing that regen power for acceleration power without having to hit...
I didn't realize that about the regen numbers. Could it save on battery cycling by storing that regen power for acceleration power without having to hit the battery? At least not have to hit it as hard?
I’m not sure, my guess is the limitation is in wiring and current hardware. I can’t imagine hitting a battery with even 150kw for 5 to 10 seconds could frag the pack. That said, if the vehicle is at 100% charge or the pack is cold, regeneration will not engage. Those moments are when you realize how much regeneration helps with stopping 🤣
1
tcannon521 10/15/2019 6:22pm
10/15/2019 6:22pm
SEE ARE125 wrote:
[img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2019/10/15/379619/s1200_B9BA984B_5ED7_4EFA_ABEF_2B7E95621559.jpg[/img]

KHI Guy wrote:
Every vehicle I own has needed brake work before the pads were worn out. Hopefully Tesla doesn't use the junk steel for rotors that every other...
Every vehicle I own has needed brake work before the pads were worn out. Hopefully Tesla doesn't use the junk steel for rotors that every other manufacturer is using. The rotors always seem to warp, or start to pit with rust spots after a couple of years. Every Honda I have ever owned has had the brake caliper pins freeze at some point. Not that big of a deal (but still a pain) when parts are plentiful and inexpensive, but my fear is that a $50 and two hour job on a Honda would be a $1,500 and two days in the shop with a Tesla. I have never asked them, but I could see something stupid like refusing to sell you parts to work on it yourself.
SEE ARE125 wrote:
I agree, and $1,500 seems steep, but with no oil changes, air filters, coolant, belts, fuel filters, and most importantly gas, I wonder how $1,500 stacks...
I agree, and $1,500 seems steep, but with no oil changes, air filters, coolant, belts, fuel filters, and most importantly gas, I wonder how $1,500 stacks up compared to an ICE car? Granted it’s a $1,500 hit which sucks, but compared to $50 here and $100 there for the various needs of an ICE car, I imagine overall the cost for electric would have to be cheaper over the long term? It just seems like there’s a lot less moving parts which means a lot less to wear out, but I don’t know, I don’t own one. I am convinced electric is where it’s at though, just waiting for something that fits our needs. I’m really interested in the electric F-150 that’s coming. Once they’ve been out a bit and I’m convinced the bugs have been worked out, I may replace this 13mpg Tundra I’m driving. lol
To my knowledge there isn’t anything proprietary about the brakes and calipers. I did a quick google search and ceramic brake pads were $50.
1
XXVoid MainXX
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XXVoid MainXX 10/15/2019 6:23pm
10/15/2019 6:23pm
XXVoid MainXX wrote:
I didn't realize that about the regen numbers. Could it save on battery cycling by storing that regen power for acceleration power without having to hit...
I didn't realize that about the regen numbers. Could it save on battery cycling by storing that regen power for acceleration power without having to hit the battery? At least not have to hit it as hard?
tcannon521 wrote:
I’m not sure, my guess is the limitation is in wiring and current hardware. I can’t imagine hitting a battery with even 150kw for 5 to...
I’m not sure, my guess is the limitation is in wiring and current hardware. I can’t imagine hitting a battery with even 150kw for 5 to 10 seconds could frag the pack. That said, if the vehicle is at 100% charge or the pack is cold, regeneration will not engage. Those moments are when you realize how much regeneration helps with stopping 🤣
I didn't know that either.
KHI Guy
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KHI Guy 10/15/2019 7:04pm
10/15/2019 7:04pm
SEE ARE125 wrote:
I agree, and $1,500 seems steep, but with no oil changes, air filters, coolant, belts, fuel filters, and most importantly gas, I wonder how $1,500 stacks...
I agree, and $1,500 seems steep, but with no oil changes, air filters, coolant, belts, fuel filters, and most importantly gas, I wonder how $1,500 stacks up compared to an ICE car? Granted it’s a $1,500 hit which sucks, but compared to $50 here and $100 there for the various needs of an ICE car, I imagine overall the cost for electric would have to be cheaper over the long term? It just seems like there’s a lot less moving parts which means a lot less to wear out, but I don’t know, I don’t own one. I am convinced electric is where it’s at though, just waiting for something that fits our needs. I’m really interested in the electric F-150 that’s coming. Once they’ve been out a bit and I’m convinced the bugs have been worked out, I may replace this 13mpg Tundra I’m driving. lol
On the surface, it would seem that the lack of routine maintenance would make a Tesla cheaper to own. What routine maintenance is there? Just tire rotations and wheel alignments?

Each make of car has their own nuances, so I would imagine whatever you saved on maintenance would get spent somewhere else on the car. Instead of worrying about your tranny going out, now you have to worry about the "blue screen of death", haha.

I agree that electric is where it's at. I haven't followed the Electric F-150, but that does sound interesting.
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ocscottie
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ocscottie 10/18/2019 2:29pm
10/18/2019 2:29pm
Damn, that guys kid has grown up, i remember seeing his channel way way back. Some cool shit!
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Awcc 10/18/2019 4:00pm
10/18/2019 4:00pm
60k for the performance version though? I'd say let someone else take the hit and check out this link in your area.
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KHI Guy 10/18/2019 5:22pm
10/18/2019 5:22pm
ocscottie wrote:
This made me think of this thread:

https://youtu.be/wvLmBfwmA04
Hmmm... I guess a Tesla motor is more than just wires and brushes. It looks like there is some stuff that can break in there.
tcannon521 10/18/2019 5:39pm
10/18/2019 5:39pm
ocscottie wrote:
This made me think of this thread:

https://youtu.be/wvLmBfwmA04
KHI Guy wrote:
Hmmm... I guess a Tesla motor is more than just wires and brushes. It looks like there is some stuff that can break in there.
Elon has said the Model 3 motors/drivetrain are validated to 1,000,000 miles in preparation for the robotaxi future.
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KHI Guy
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KHI Guy 10/19/2019 5:15pm
10/19/2019 5:15pm
I went on the Tesla site today and looked at the Model 3 design page. I saw that the Model 3 Performance went up $1,000, the wheels changed from silver to grey, the deposit changed to a $100 non refundable, and delivery time estimate changed from 2 weeks to 8-10 weeks. Shocked I know that Tesla is constantly messing with the prices and standard features of the car, but is there any way to get some sort notice before they are about to do that? Do they send announcements out before hand, or just make these random changes over night?

I was planning on placing my order around March 1st because 1) I don't want to take delivery of Performance Model 3 in the middle of winter, and 2) I was hoping on a price break when the tax credit goes away, like they have done before.

I wonder if the price and delivery time increase on the Model 3 is an indication that they are allocating parts to the Model Y for an early release?
XXVoid MainXX
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XXVoid MainXX 10/19/2019 6:36pm
10/19/2019 6:36pm
KHI Guy wrote:
I went on the Tesla site today and looked at the Model 3 design page. I saw that the Model 3 Performance went up $1,000, the...
I went on the Tesla site today and looked at the Model 3 design page. I saw that the Model 3 Performance went up $1,000, the wheels changed from silver to grey, the deposit changed to a $100 non refundable, and delivery time estimate changed from 2 weeks to 8-10 weeks. Shocked I know that Tesla is constantly messing with the prices and standard features of the car, but is there any way to get some sort notice before they are about to do that? Do they send announcements out before hand, or just make these random changes over night?

I was planning on placing my order around March 1st because 1) I don't want to take delivery of Performance Model 3 in the middle of winter, and 2) I was hoping on a price break when the tax credit goes away, like they have done before.

I wonder if the price and delivery time increase on the Model 3 is an indication that they are allocating parts to the Model Y for an early release?
I read about it the other day.'

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/10/17/tesla-adds-100-non-refundable-order-fee…
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KHI Guy
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KHI Guy 10/20/2019 8:35am
10/20/2019 8:35am
XXVoid MainXX wrote:
I read about it the other day.'

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/10/17/tesla-adds-100-non-refundable-order-fee…
I caught that after I googled "Tesla Model 3 price change" yesterday Laughing I didn't see it in my normal morning news viewing. If I would have caught the price increase and destination time increase beforehand, I probably would have bit the bullet and ordered it.

I did sign up to get news updates on the Tesla site, so we'll see how that goes...
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ktmdan 10/20/2019 2:04pm
10/20/2019 2:04pm Edited Date/Time 10/20/2019 2:05pm
We recently reverse engineered the model 3 at my job. We hacked into the CAN bus and really got into the nitty gritty. The car was very surprisingly fast on the test track. It would be a great daily driver for sure. My boss seemed to think that the Chevy Bolt was a better buy however.

I ran the safety testing and I got to blow up, overcharge, penetrate, and set the batteries on fire 8)
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Shawn142 10/20/2019 3:32pm
10/20/2019 3:32pm
ktmdan wrote:
We recently reverse engineered the model 3 at my job. We hacked into the CAN bus and really got into the nitty gritty. The car was...
We recently reverse engineered the model 3 at my job. We hacked into the CAN bus and really got into the nitty gritty. The car was very surprisingly fast on the test track. It would be a great daily driver for sure. My boss seemed to think that the Chevy Bolt was a better buy however.

I ran the safety testing and I got to blow up, overcharge, penetrate, and set the batteries on fire 8)
Man.. while Tesla is still newish and working out the kinks in production and development I already have a long experience in knowing what to expect from a Chevy. On paper the Bolt may be a better deal, but in reality it's build on Chevy quality standards which I want none of.
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jasonward73 10/21/2019 5:50am
10/21/2019 5:50am
Johnny Lock wrote:
The only thing that turns me off about Tesla is what do maintenance and repair costs look like after the warranty is up? It’s not like...
The only thing that turns me off about Tesla is what do maintenance and repair costs look like after the warranty is up? It’s not like I’d have it towed to the local dealer.

Edit for grammar
Brakes, tires, alignments, etc.... All the same as a non Tesla. You can take it anywhere. Otherwise there is no maintenance. Battery, drive unit, computer crap, etc... must be done by Tesla directly.

Extensive body work must also be done by a Tesla certified shop. Minor work can be done anywhere you prefer.

Reference - I own a Performance Model S and a Performance Model X. I don't drive tons of miles but I DRIVE these cars. Multiple days at the dragstrip and plenty of experience making muscle car and Supercar owners cry from stoplight to stoplight.
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jasonward73 10/21/2019 5:54am
10/21/2019 5:54am
XXVoid MainXX wrote:
It depends on how hard you drive your car. Like he said, majority will have very little brake pad wear but if you drive your car...
It depends on how hard you drive your car. Like he said, majority will have very little brake pad wear but if you drive your car hard or ever drive it on the track they'll wear pretty quickly. Super capacitors could solve that issue even if you race it.

https://www.carthrottle.com/post/this-tesla-model-3-burned-a-set-of-bra…

https://youtu.be/YMl41JzQLWE

Also (Tesla owners correct me if I am wrong) but I believe there are different modes that you can put it in to use more or less regen for your braking. From what I understand some people prefer old school feel, which would use more brake pad than regen.
There are two options. Regen and basically no regen. You definitely want regen on. It take about 30mins of driving to get used to it. Feels like you took a manual transmission car and were cruising at 50mph in 5th gear and then just dropped it into 3rd gear. It works great and unless you're a super aggressive driver you barely ever touch the brakes.
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jasonward73 10/21/2019 5:59am
10/21/2019 5:59am Edited Date/Time 10/21/2019 6:00am
KHI Guy wrote:
I went on the Tesla site today and looked at the Model 3 design page. I saw that the Model 3 Performance went up $1,000, the...
I went on the Tesla site today and looked at the Model 3 design page. I saw that the Model 3 Performance went up $1,000, the wheels changed from silver to grey, the deposit changed to a $100 non refundable, and delivery time estimate changed from 2 weeks to 8-10 weeks. Shocked I know that Tesla is constantly messing with the prices and standard features of the car, but is there any way to get some sort notice before they are about to do that? Do they send announcements out before hand, or just make these random changes over night?

I was planning on placing my order around March 1st because 1) I don't want to take delivery of Performance Model 3 in the middle of winter, and 2) I was hoping on a price break when the tax credit goes away, like they have done before.

I wonder if the price and delivery time increase on the Model 3 is an indication that they are allocating parts to the Model Y for an early release?
Follow Elon on twitter. He announced the price increase. He increases the price as more autopilot related features roll out. The sooner you buy the better you are in most cases. All the updates that are on the new cars you get on your car via free OTA update. I just got an update on my Model X this morning. Most updates are like your iphone/android phone updates (minor bugs/issues) but every few months or so you get a new feature.

It's awesome. I can sit and watch Netflix or Youtube now when I supercharge.
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jasonward73 10/21/2019 6:11am
10/21/2019 6:11am
KHI Guy wrote:
It’s time for a new driver, and I’ve been really intrigued by Teslas since the Model 3 came out. So, I went and drove two of...
It’s time for a new driver, and I’ve been really intrigued by Teslas since the Model 3 came out. So, I went and drove two of them last week, a Model 3 Dual motor and a Model 3 Performance. The point of the test drive was hoping that I would hate the car, and therefore making my car purchase that much easier. Well, it didn’t quite work out that way…

The best way to describe the experience was this: The Dual motor is really quick, it throws you back in your seat when you hit the accelerator (notice I didn’t say “gas pedal”, Grinning ). The Performance model….Holy Shit! That thing throws you in the BACK SEAT when you hit the pedal. I had heard people describe Tesla as a “technology company”, not a car company. With that in mind, I was expecting to find some glaring obvious deficiencies with the car, but I just didn’t really see anything from the hour or so I spent with them. They seem to have gotten the “car” part mostly right.

Am I missing something here? I need some input from people with Tesla experience out there to either talk me out of buying one, or talk me into it.
You're not missing anything. Pull the trigger. Best cars I've ever owned. So much fun to drive.





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KHI Guy
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KHI Guy 10/21/2019 9:07am
10/21/2019 9:07am
jasonward73 wrote:
Brakes, tires, alignments, etc.... All the same as a non Tesla. You can take it anywhere. Otherwise there is no maintenance. Battery, drive unit, computer crap...
Brakes, tires, alignments, etc.... All the same as a non Tesla. You can take it anywhere. Otherwise there is no maintenance. Battery, drive unit, computer crap, etc... must be done by Tesla directly.

Extensive body work must also be done by a Tesla certified shop. Minor work can be done anywhere you prefer.

Reference - I own a Performance Model S and a Performance Model X. I don't drive tons of miles but I DRIVE these cars. Multiple days at the dragstrip and plenty of experience making muscle car and Supercar owners cry from stoplight to stoplight.
That's some good information, thanks. I asked a lot of these questions when I went to the Tesla store, but really didn't get a whole lot of definitive answers. If I asked about anything in a positive light, it was like "Yes, sure, that's right..." If I asked about any of the "problems" that seem to be reported on the internet, it was always "No, we never heard that before..." I guess that is to be expected.

I did read an interesting story about someone buying a salvaged title Tesla to rebuild. He said the it would only charge to about 70 miles of range, and that Tesla "locked" the car down unless he got it re-certified by Tesla. Not that it's relevant to my purchase, but just thought it was interesting that they would do that.
tcannon521 10/21/2019 9:44am
10/21/2019 9:44am
Electrek just released an article with a driver already eclipsing 100,000 miles on a Model 3. While higher mileage Tesla’s are common, I’m curious how much better the new generation 2170 cells perform with the updated cooling and chemistry. The article states all charging was DC superchargering as well which makes the results even more impressive.

Article
1
tcannon521 10/21/2019 9:49am
10/21/2019 9:49am
KHI Guy wrote:
I went on the Tesla site today and looked at the Model 3 design page. I saw that the Model 3 Performance went up $1,000, the...
I went on the Tesla site today and looked at the Model 3 design page. I saw that the Model 3 Performance went up $1,000, the wheels changed from silver to grey, the deposit changed to a $100 non refundable, and delivery time estimate changed from 2 weeks to 8-10 weeks. Shocked I know that Tesla is constantly messing with the prices and standard features of the car, but is there any way to get some sort notice before they are about to do that? Do they send announcements out before hand, or just make these random changes over night?

I was planning on placing my order around March 1st because 1) I don't want to take delivery of Performance Model 3 in the middle of winter, and 2) I was hoping on a price break when the tax credit goes away, like they have done before.

I wonder if the price and delivery time increase on the Model 3 is an indication that they are allocating parts to the Model Y for an early release?
A good reference is, the first two months of every quarter are mainly focused on overseas deliveries. They then focus on North America in the 3rd month of each quarter. This is becoming more prevalent as more countries are added and demand keeps increasing. Hopefully once the China factory this year and the Europe factory next year will curb some of this.
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KHI Guy 10/21/2019 11:28am
10/21/2019 11:28am
tcannon521 wrote:
Electrek just released an article with a driver already eclipsing 100,000 miles on a Model 3. While higher mileage Tesla’s are common, I’m curious how much...
Electrek just released an article with a driver already eclipsing 100,000 miles on a Model 3. While higher mileage Tesla’s are common, I’m curious how much better the new generation 2170 cells perform with the updated cooling and chemistry. The article states all charging was DC superchargering as well which makes the results even more impressive.

Article
That was a good read. I wonder what the reliability will be like with mileage and years on the vehicle? My daily driver I just retired was just under 15 years and 300,000 miles. I was going to keep it longer, but the oil pan developed a rust hole, and it didn't make sense to put more money in repairs than what the car was worth. When I like a car, I want to keep it as long as possible. Hoping a Tesla can go longer than that. Cool
XXVoid MainXX
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XXVoid MainXX 10/21/2019 11:57am
10/21/2019 11:57am
KHI Guy wrote:
I went on the Tesla site today and looked at the Model 3 design page. I saw that the Model 3 Performance went up $1,000, the...
I went on the Tesla site today and looked at the Model 3 design page. I saw that the Model 3 Performance went up $1,000, the wheels changed from silver to grey, the deposit changed to a $100 non refundable, and delivery time estimate changed from 2 weeks to 8-10 weeks. Shocked I know that Tesla is constantly messing with the prices and standard features of the car, but is there any way to get some sort notice before they are about to do that? Do they send announcements out before hand, or just make these random changes over night?

I was planning on placing my order around March 1st because 1) I don't want to take delivery of Performance Model 3 in the middle of winter, and 2) I was hoping on a price break when the tax credit goes away, like they have done before.

I wonder if the price and delivery time increase on the Model 3 is an indication that they are allocating parts to the Model Y for an early release?
tcannon521 wrote:
A good reference is, the first two months of every quarter are mainly focused on overseas deliveries. They then focus on North America in the 3rd...
A good reference is, the first two months of every quarter are mainly focused on overseas deliveries. They then focus on North America in the 3rd month of each quarter. This is becoming more prevalent as more countries are added and demand keeps increasing. Hopefully once the China factory this year and the Europe factory next year will curb some of this.
It looks like the China factory should start pumping out cars soon but I think it's going to be at least a few years before a European factory starts production. It's been a lot of fun watching GF3 go up though!
tcannon521 10/22/2019 9:24am
10/22/2019 9:24am
XXVoid MainXX wrote:
It looks like the China factory should start pumping out cars soon but I think it's going to be at least a few years before a...
It looks like the China factory should start pumping out cars soon but I think it's going to be at least a few years before a European factory starts production. It's been a lot of fun watching GF3 go up though!
I have a feeling the European GF is online or almost online by the end of 2020.
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XXVoid MainXX 10/22/2019 9:57am
10/22/2019 9:57am Edited Date/Time 10/22/2019 9:59am
XXVoid MainXX wrote:
It looks like the China factory should start pumping out cars soon but I think it's going to be at least a few years before a...
It looks like the China factory should start pumping out cars soon but I think it's going to be at least a few years before a European factory starts production. It's been a lot of fun watching GF3 go up though!
tcannon521 wrote:
I have a feeling the European GF is online or almost online by the end of 2020.
They still haven't even announced a site or funding that I am aware of. Hopefully that will change on tomorrow's earnings call.
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XXVoid MainXX 10/23/2019 3:37pm
10/23/2019 3:37pm
Listening to the conference call now. Elon just said they'll announce the location of the European gifafactory before the end of the year.
tcannon521 10/23/2019 3:56pm
10/23/2019 3:56pm
XXVoid MainXX wrote:
Listening to the conference call now. Elon just said they'll announce the location of the European gifafactory before the end of the year.
Yep, I’m listening as well. It’s great to hear Model Y is ahead of schedule. This could be the first vehicle they are ahead or on time delivering!!
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XXVoid MainXX 10/23/2019 4:03pm
10/23/2019 4:03pm
Well, they're not delivering yet. Hope they come through. My stock is up enough today I could finally trade it in for a Tesla. I'll probably hang onto it a little while longer though. Smile
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mxer146 10/24/2019 11:26am
10/24/2019 11:26am
KHI Guy wrote:
It’s time for a new driver, and I’ve been really intrigued by Teslas since the Model 3 came out. So, I went and drove two of...
It’s time for a new driver, and I’ve been really intrigued by Teslas since the Model 3 came out. So, I went and drove two of them last week, a Model 3 Dual motor and a Model 3 Performance. The point of the test drive was hoping that I would hate the car, and therefore making my car purchase that much easier. Well, it didn’t quite work out that way…

The best way to describe the experience was this: The Dual motor is really quick, it throws you back in your seat when you hit the accelerator (notice I didn’t say “gas pedal”, Grinning ). The Performance model….Holy Shit! That thing throws you in the BACK SEAT when you hit the pedal. I had heard people describe Tesla as a “technology company”, not a car company. With that in mind, I was expecting to find some glaring obvious deficiencies with the car, but I just didn’t really see anything from the hour or so I spent with them. They seem to have gotten the “car” part mostly right.

Am I missing something here? I need some input from people with Tesla experience out there to either talk me out of buying one, or talk me into it.
Fell free to ask away anything you need to know. I’m a tech for Tesla.
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