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Major issues with Tesla Model 3

amirm

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Seems like Tesla is getting pretty complacent. Screwing up basic things like braking??? https://www.consumerreports.org/hyb...lls-short-of-consumer-reports-recommendation/

In our tests of both Model 3 samples, the stopping distances were much longer than the stopping distances we recorded on other Teslas and other cars in this class.​
The Tesla Model 3’s 152 feet is 21 feet longer than the class average of 131 feet for luxury compact sedans and 25 feet longer than the results for its much larger SUV sibling, the Model X.​
CR’s experience with the Model 3’s braking is not unique. Car and Driver, in its published test of a Model 3, said it noticed “a bizarre amount of variation” in its test, including one stop from 70 mph that took “an interminable 196 feet.”​
“I’ve been testing cars for 11 years,” Car and Driver Testing Director K.C. Colwell said in an interview with CR, “and in 11 years, no car has stood out with inconsistent braking like this. Some trucks have. . . . It was just weird.”​

Musk is saying it is just a problem with ABS programming and says a software update should fix it.

Other problems like wind noise and putting everything in a center mounted display may not have such simple fixes.

He is really taking his eye off the ball at a time when competition is getting much stronger.
 

rvsixer

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As a Model 3 reservation holder, I am waiting and sticking by my never buy a first year car rule (or course I did break that rule once, and had a three year fight getting N***** to buy that lemon back). Most all brands have problems with new models (but imo Tesla should really have let the beta testing be done by beta testers, not first adopters).

I am guessing consolidation via touchscreens will become the norm, just like iPhone interface became the norm after everyone gasped "where is the physical keyboard this will never catch on". The online SPL tests I could find have it at the same or slightly lower SPL reading than a Model S (on the same stretches of road at the same speed). In fact the reviews saying its quiet far outweigh those who say its noisy. Possibly a manufacturing variance issue, leaving out sound isolation somewhere? And besides the braking issue, there appears to be a relative lack of corrosion protection.

I only wished the car had any real competition from other manufacturers. No other BEV brand combines practical road trip capability , the ability to fix and improve the car over time via OTA updates, and the proven safety of the skateboard platform. Now if you want a local'ish car, lots of solid choices out there and more coming.

All imo and ymkwhmv etc.
 
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dallasjustice

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I think the iPad on wheels will be the future for autos. Volvo has been doing it since 2016 and others are headed in that direction.

For me, the two issues with Tesla is range and safety technology. Tesla gets a lot of credit for having probably the best auto-pilot system. But there seems to be good evidence now that the auto braking doesn’t really work well.

 

Frank Dernie

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ABS programming is difficult to get right. If they are trying to do it all themselves, which is very likely to optimise regeneration during braking, it will not only be more difficult but they won't have the experience of Bosch for example. Before ABS was banned from Formula 1 as a driver aid I worked with Bosch on our system at Benetton with Michael Schumacher, we spent a huge proportion of our testing time on it and still didn't get it completely sorted before it was banned.
If the model 3 system doesn't work properly it is very likely the S and X are not optimised either.
Pretty shocking since the S has been on sale a long time, even here in the UK.
Having written that I have a 1997 sports car with ABS which "works" but if I am pressing on I switch it off because it isn't optimised either.
I considered a Tesla S but decided on a plug-in hybrid instead as a better compromise between green in town and no battery anxiety on long journeys.
 
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amirm

amirm

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I have a friend who is a huge Tesla fan and has owned them from day one or something like that. He got the Model X and I was surprised how many things were wrong with it. Even basics like the doors opening would not work with faulty proximity sensors. I mean a door needs to work before releasing a car. There was also temperature sensitivity that was causing malfunctions. He didn't have such an experience with his Model S. So to read that the Model 3 has serious issues, seems to me has become a norm in the company and it should not.

On the touch panel thing, that is fine but why skimp on another display where the normal gauge cluster is? Good example of that is in the new VW Touareg for 2019 (which won't come to US!):

2019-volkswagen-touareg-19.jpg
 

NorthSky

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amirm

amirm

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I feel confident, very ....
http%3A%2F%2Fo.aolcdn.com%2Fhss%2Fstorage%2Fmidas%2F7079451e7716ce40ffc079ea57b0fa69%2F0%2Felon-musk-and-grimes-arrive-for-the-2018-met-gala-on-may-7-at-the-picture-id955815414
That explains why he is distracted from the business of the company! :D

Wonder if he will try to re-engineer her collar so that it doesn't stab her to death with that sharp point sticking down!!!
 

NorthSky

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Elon Musk is asking for help; supporters to shut the haters off.
If he can improve the breaking distance from a software update and improve the dashboard so that drivers can keep an eye open on the road ahead, keep his workforce, satisfy his investors, increase production, penetrate the Mexican wall (selling cars in Mexico city), get into China, save money from the jet fuel of his rockets, expand solar energy, get into ultra expensive cars for the Abu Dhabi car market, pick girlfriends who don't have to wear his unsafe gear, ... he should be able to rise above the lava.
 

dallasjustice

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It seems like owning a Tesla is more of a hobby. Maybe most owners are just EV enthusiasts; not regular car owners. This guy’s experience would be my worst nightmare. I once owned a Lincoln with a rattle in the instrument gauge cluster. The dealer couldn’t fix it. I got rid of the car about a month after I bought it. Nothing is more annoying to me than paying for a “luxury car” and have to listen to rattles when driving it. If you watch the video all the way through, the part about total rattle abatement is hilarious. No normal car owner would put up with all of these problems.
 

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Speaking as an engineer, I consider Musk to be a genius, and what he's accomplished so far is amazing, the kind of stuff that will stay in history books. But his ambition entails risk, and he won't always succeed or come out ahead. I'm rooting for him.
 

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I'm sure the Tesla fans will try to turn this to something positive too.....
But the fact is that Tesla is releasing cars with major issues and the market is "a lab of mice".

I mean a door needs to work before releasing a car.
You are being way too critical! :D

I think the chances of Tesla going bankrupt within 3-5 years as a car manufacturer is high. When the other brands have competing cars in every class, it's going to be tough for them.

Either way, Tesla and Musk will also be remembered for bringing EV with long range to the market.
 

Thomas savage

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The Tesla fans / owners seem to behave a bit like the ‘high end ‘ audio fans in defending substandard (poorly manufactured in this case) products, it’s a fascinating phenomenon.

There seems to be a level of personal investment that obscures objective appraisal, as if to criticise the purchase would be to publicly lay bare a personal fault and thusly denial seems to take over as a kind of self preservation.
 

Frank Dernie

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I looked into a Tesla but the interior quality was poor for the price and I was most concerned about battery life if fast charging is used often.
One of my ex-colleagues had a senior role at Tesla for a while, when I mentioned my concern about supercharger use v battery life he said "Trust you to think of that, not many people realise this is the case".
I decided a plug-in hybrid was my choice to remove pollution from town but remove anxiety about a flat battery.
Biggest problem with all these vehicles is weight. I spent my whole career designing for lightness because on a F1 car 10kg heavier = 0.35 seconds per lap slower. That is a huge loss of performance. I have a psychological barrier over owning a heavy car!
 

Bjorn

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Hydrogen car is much lighter. Hydrogen tanks weigh very little. Long range and can be filled up in minutes. Obviously we need a much better infrastructure for fueling stations and more vehicles but it's coming. It's not a substitute for EVs but a nice addition. The new Hyundai Nexo is quite nice.
 

Cosmik

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In the UK we have legislated to ban all internal combustion engines by 2040, and some want to make it 2030! It is the perfect example of wishful thinking, assuming that manufacturers will invent radical new technology if only they are forced to do so. We have only just seen that this can be a fantasy. I expect that if this crazy scheme goes ahead (and when it comes down to the wire, do we really think it will ?) we will end up with a crashing economy and half of South America poisoned with the mining of lithium.

I also think this is an example of where governments desperately attempt to 'bootstrap' the economy by using legislation to stimulate needless activity. It is the equivalent of legislating to spend tax-payers' money on incentives to dig holes and fill them in again, in the process stimulating a boom in all the industries associated with hole digging, making Britain one of the world leaders in green hole digging & filling technology.
 

Frank Dernie

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Hydrogen car is much lighter. Hydrogen tanks weigh very little. Long range and can be filled up in minutes. Obviously we need a much better infrastructure for fueling stations and more vehicles but it's coming. It's not a substitute for EVs but a nice addition. The new Hyundai Nexo is quite nice.
I quite fancied a Toyota Mirai but the nearest hydrogen refuelling spot to us is 20 miles away and no chance near my daughter's house in Wales. It wasn't especially light though 1850kg or so. The plug in Prius is 1550, for example although the Porsche Panamera plug in hybrid is 2200 so very un-Porsche like (common platform with Audi A8)
 
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Rod

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The flip side of Tesla.
I remember when the coal guys started coming into Calif. as management(mining) and safety was changed from "Safety First" to "Production is first in a safe manner" They also switched from safety is the responsibility of the company to safety is the responsibility of the worker. If you read the article below you can see this in the company's statements about an injury “the employee was performing work on a piece of equipment that he was not authorized or tasked to work on.” There it is.
I knew it was bullshit at the time and the consequences would be felt by the workers. They didn't shut down the production line on this worker and this is the result.
https://www.revealnews.org/blog/im-not-who-i-used-to-be-severely-injured-worker-sues-tesla/
Telsa-Son-Nguyen_Kuroda-8-906x675.jpg
 
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Bjorn

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I quite fancied a Toyota Mira but the nearest hydrogen refuelling spot to us is 20 miles away and no chance near my daughter's house in Wales. It wasn't especially light though 1850kg or so. The plug in Prius is 1550, for example although the Porsche Panamera plug in hybrid is 2200 so very un-Porsche like (common platform with Audi A8)
Today's Toyota Mirai is already outdated technically. A new version is coming early 2020.

But yeah, hydrogen filling stations needs to be built. Will not happen over night.
 

Sal1950

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The Tesla fans / owners seem to behave a bit like the ‘high end ‘ audio fans in defending substandard (poorly manufactured in this case) products, it’s a fascinating phenomenon.
There's a price to be paid for proving what a dedicated little tree hugger you are.
They don't work too well in the general sense, and they'll also crash now and then.
But hey, they claim the highest safety standards in the industry so manybe you won't get hurt too badly.
 

Dialectic

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Tesla made a blandly designed electric sedan a status symbol, which is no small accomplishment, and the company's fight against the system of state-regulated, independent auto dealerships in the United States--which indisputably harm American consumers--is commendable.

However, in light of Tesla's dependence on various forms of government subsidy, Musk's attitude toward the risks that his company's products and production methods generate is perplexing. If a company relies on the public sector to stay in business, the company has to be squeaky clean, so to speak. It's impossible for a company to achieve squeaky cleanliness when it rejects the engineering and production process know-how of the major manufacturers in its sector in favor of making and selling a car in beta test mode and then relying on hacks and software updates to fix it.

On balance, I am not a fan.
 
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