One week with a Model 3

Simple car = simple manual

 

Now for some bad news!

Last Sunday, 12/30, I took my 10 day old, pristine car and ran some errands around lunch time. I parked in a large parking lot, waaaay out in left field with no cars within 50 yards, to protect my baby. I returned in an hour and the parking lot had filled up and there were cars jammed all around me. I approached the car from the front and noticed a note under my wiper. I read the note in horror! I walked to the back of my 10 day old, pristine car, barely able to put one foot in front of the other. And there it was, someone had rearended my parked car! , The car is certainly driveable but it is going to need a whole new rear bumper fascia. I estimate the damage to be at least $1000. The perp had the integrity to leave his name and contact info.

I contacted him Sunday evening, trying my best to stay calm. He gave me all his necessary insurance information and was very apologetic. He had just got a new Mercedes Bunz two days ago and said he was unfamiliar with all the complicated controls on the car and how big it was! (you just can't make this stuff up!) I thanked him for doing the right thing by leaving me a note.

I filed a report with Geico (my insurance carrier) yesterday and will take my car to a local body shop tomorrow to get an estimate. They have done work for me in the past and I was 100% satisfied. And so the journey to get my car back to pristine begins.

I can honestly say I am no longer satisfied with the panel gaps and paint quality on the rear of my model 3. Tesla should have given me a warning about incompetent drivers. If they can't do better than this, they are going bankrupt!

 

Update: Took the car to my body shop for a look-see this morning. They said the gouges in the bumper fascia might be repairable, but it would be Geico's call subject to negotiation. Here is the problem, Geico will send an adjuster to my residence to generate an estimate. If Geico wants a new bumper fascia, my local body shop cannot do the work because Tesla will not sell parts to third party vendors.

I then called Tesla service for their take on it. They said correct, work can only be done by Tesla certified independent body shops (in order to maintain quality control). She said there are several sensors and cameras in that rear bumper fascia that require training to R&R. She gave me the name of a certified vendor about 12 miles from my house who would be able to do the work. However, that vendor cannot do anything until Geico gives me a written estimate.

Now, I will wait for the Geico adjuster to contact me to proceed to the next step.

 

Tesla's are very high tech cars. My life depends on those rear sensors and cameras when using Autopilot. I want a trained repairman working on my car, not a grammar school dropout.

Regarding Autopilot, it is truly amazing. It is a bit unnerving when using it the first couple of times but you get used to it fast. It is still a BETA program but updates and refinements are coming out a couple times a month. Autopilot makes me a better driver because I can direct my attention to what is going on around me rather than focusing solely on the car.

 

I agree, Autopilot is still in BETA form with some rough edges. I have tried auto lane change several times and it has worked every time for me with no problems.

I think that Tesla has written the auto lane change algorithm very conservatively. For example, the driver may think there is enough room to pass, but if the autopilot cameras sense that a car is approaching behind too fast, it will abort at the last second. Perhaps, that car that was 100 yards behind was traveling at a rate of speed significantly higher than your rate of speed. Down here in SoCal it is not uncommon to see people driving 85/90+ mph on the freeways. I am a 'speed limit driver" which is 65 mph on the freeways in most cases. Since I am a Beta tester on a Beta product, I cheat a little bit. I look in my mirrors first, to see if the lane is completely clear (several hundred yards), before I initiate the auto lane change with the turn signal.

Another issue for me is how quickly Autopilot makes a lane change when initiated with the turn signal. The car moves over quite rapidly, more so than I would manually. I see pros and cons to this and why Tesla wrote the algorithm this way - if the lane is clear, get over quickly and be on your way. I think the algorithm will be rewritten in the future as between what it is now and the way I manually make lane changes, a happy medium.

My wife would like to see a change in lane keep assist. Rather the car centering itself in the lane with Autopilot, she would like to see Autopilot move to the right or left of the lane a foot or two when a vehicle is present in the adjacent lane and the lane on the other side is clear. In my opinion, that might be an OTA update in the future.

I find it exciting to have the opportunity to be part of the community that is testing this technology, gathering information, and giving feedback. We are taking the first tiny steps toward Full Self Driving. Consequently, I am very cautious when using Autopilot and more engaged than when I am driving manually. I have come to the conclusion that Autopilot is a better driver than I am in most situations. YMMV.

 

I had the privilege to visit the great State of Minnesota about 25 years ago on a road trip. Beautiful State. I would even consider moving there if it weren't for the fact that I would never move to a State that might have people like me as residents!

Here is how I "justified" a model 3, solar panels, and going pretty much 100% electric at my residence.

• California is in the midst of perpetual drought caused by climate change, resulting in increased prices on everything.
• California is experiencing record heat and cold temperatures caused by climate change. Each year new records are being set causing upheavals in lifestyle.
• Deaths related to heat are increasing at 8% to 9% each year in California with no end in sight. Unfortunately these deaths affect mostly the very young and elderly.
• Cancer rates are increasing related to climate change primarily by polluted air and increased use of pesticides used for new strains introduced by warmer weather. This has hit very close to home as a result of deaths by brain cancer in two very close relatives.
• I live 40 minutes from beautiful Alpine forests at 6000 ft. elevation. The pine trees are being destroyed by the Pine Bark Beetle. Although there has been a lot of expensive research, no antidote has been found yet. The Pine Bark Beetle was first introduced into California along the California/Mexico border, 150 miles south of me, about 15 years ago. As the climate gets warmer and drier, the Pine Bark Beetle finds new amenable habitat further north. It is estimated that the Beetle is traveling northward at the rate of 30 miles per year. California is in danger of becoming barren even at higher elevations in the very near future.
• Wildlife predators in the mountains (bear, mountain lion, coyote, etc.) are becoming more aggressive as a result of diminishing populations of animal species that are unable to adapt to rapid climate change. There is an alarming rate of predatory animals going into fenced yards and devouring domesticated dogs and cats (and I live in a community of 36,000 population)!
• California farmers are having a difficult time surviving during climate change. Traditional fruit and vegetable species are no longer viable in hotter and drier climates. Ground water resources are drying up and that requires importation of water which is very expensive. Newer species that are drought tolerant/heat resistant are more expensive and less tasty.

And that is just for starters, there is more. But all is not lost.......yet. California's progressive State government has enacted very expensive legislation to combat climate change. California is converting rapidly to BEV personal transportation and solar installations to power their residences. And they are learning these technologies are saving them money in the process. That was enough for me to "justify" adopting new technologies and modifying my personal lifestyle to combat climate change.

Minnesota residents can learn from the past errors of California and implement technologies that will soften the blow, if not eliminate, the impact of climate change. I hope that Minnesota will always remain beautiful with the challenges of climate change. Minnesota farmers should be particularly concerned. I come from a long line of farmecologists, as well as my wife. We both worked in the fields from a young age during the summers and sometimes after school to assist our families in harvesting crops. We know that it was difficult making ends meet back then and even more difficult now with the new challenges of climate change.

It is easy to "justify" a model 3 when climate change starts to hit close to home.