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congrats on the plaid! and sounds like you've had a very tesla experience so far lol
to me at least the quality issues can be forgiven once a car becomes nauseatingly fast for only $130k... considering how much more you'd need to pay to beat this with an ICE vehicle (and that's still only if the road is long enough) i still say it's good value to be the biggest gun on the road
at what % charge do you start to notice a drop in power? and have you reached a speed yet where the acceleration starts to drop off?
patgilm, thanks very much for your detailed write-up.
the defects are sadly not surprising but very disappointing for a brand new $130K car.
as i mentioned in my post after a quick drive in the much lesser model 3, the crown jewel here is the drivetrain... smooth, quiet and incredibly (insanely in the plaid case) fast.
quite incredible to think of a large sedan being so fast.
congrats and look forward to hearing more comments over time.
Interesting review. I will be interesting to read about your charging experience over time. The quality problems you describe remind me of GM in the 80s and early 90s. Glad you like your Tesla.
I agree, my charging experience will be interesting since it is a little different than most here with EVs in that I will not be keeping my car in the garage but instead running the cable under the garage door. I wish the cable was a little longer so I wouldn’t have to back into my driveway but it is what it is. Because of this, I don’t see me plugging in every night but instead only when it gets down below a certain range, say 100 miles.
Speaking of charging, I ended up buying the Tesla wall charger for $550 and the install that originally was estimated to be around $1,800 only cost me $895 as it wasn’t too difficult to run the line and the more insulated wire I wanted to use to hide in the wall wasn’t available due to supply issues so I had to use conduit instead. Doesn’t look great but does the job.
Good thing is my work offers a benefit where they paid for the charger. Maryland also offers a rebate of 40% of the total cost of the charger and installation and my electric supplier offers a $300 rebate as well so it didn’t cost me that much out of pocket.
I agree, my charging experience will be interesting since it is a little different than most here with EVs in that I will not be keeping my car in the garage but instead running the cable under the garage door. I wish the cable was a little longer so I wouldn’t have to back into my driveway but it is what it is. Because of this, I don’t see me plugging in every night but instead only when it gets down below a certain range, say 100 miles.
my suggest is to put two small pieces of wood (a tad thicker than the charging cable) by the sides of the cable before you close the garage door so the door doesn't sit on the cable. in my case i got those wood floor samples from home depot and they work perfectly. i absolutely don't want the door to pinch the charging cable carrying that much current.
and same here, i usually charge two times a week when it gets down to about 15-20%
my suggest is to put two small pieces of wood (a tad thicker than the charging cable) by the sides of the cable before you close the garage door so the door doesn't sit on the cable. in my case i got those wood floor samples from home depot and they work perfectly. i absolutely don't want the door to pinch the charging cable carrying that much current.
and same here, i usually charge two times a week when it gets down to about 15-20%
Thanks for the suggestion, I will do that. I didn't even think about it to be honest.
One area I didn't mention was the sound system in the S. I have read here and other forums how good the sound systems are in Teslas even though there is no name brand manufacturer attached to it. When I first got my car I played some music from my phone through and was a little underwhelmed. I then found the equalizer settings and wow, what a difference. The sound system is excellent and I am very impressed.
My favorite factory system has always been the Mark Levinson system in my 2008 LS600hL and nothing has really come close. The B&W system in my X7 is excellent but still isn't as good as the ML system in my LS but the cabin area is much bigger so no surprise there. I'm not sure the Model S is as good as the ML system in the LS because it's been a while since I've heard that but it is one of the best I've heard in a while.
One area I didn't mention was the sound system in the S. I have read here and other forums how good the sound systems are in Teslas even though there is no name brand manufacturer attached to it. When I first got my car I played some music from my phone through and was a little underwhelmed. I then found the equalizer settings and wow, what a difference. The sound system is excellent and I am very impressed.
My favorite factory system has always been the Mark Levinson system in my 2008 LS600hL and nothing has really come close. The B&W system in my X7 is excellent but still isn't as good as the ML system in my LS but the cabin area is much bigger so no surprise there. I'm not sure the Model S is as good as the ML system in the LS because it's been a while since I've heard that but it is one of the best I've heard in a while.
Originally Posted by LeX2K
Tesla sound system is designed by Tesla in house.
They hired some former high level B&O guys and since it's no name and built in-house, they save a lot of cost so they don't charge much for it. Also have some great SW enhancements on sound so overall it sounds pretty good. Unfortunately the great sound is accompanied by a lot of road noise on highway so it is what it is.
They hired some former high level B&O guys and since it's no name and built in-house, they save a lot of cost so they don't charge much for it. Also have some great SW enhancements on sound so overall it sounds pretty good. Unfortunately the great sound is accompanied by a lot of road noise on highway so it is what it is.
To be honest I still don't hear much road noise so far. It is really really quiet and I don't remember the 3P I test drove having much either. I wonder if it is magnified because there is no engine noise to mask it.
To be honest I still don't hear much road noise so far. It is really really quiet and I don't remember the 3P I test drove having much either. I wonder if it is magnified because there is no engine noise to mask it.
Model S is better than the 3 in that regard, and that was extensively improved for the refresh version you have.
in the plaid case) fast. 
