I'm kind of sad the more I learn about Teslas

Normally I would agree. However, when trying to streamline the costs, I prefer not paying for things other people want that I will never use.

 

Those are part of what I was talking about earlier:

 

http://www.ctrl-bar.com

 

I agree wholeheartedly. It's always disappointing to buy a new car only to find that the feature that you used daily last year is now either removed or upgraded so that it can't be made to work the same way any more. It's almost like you need to examine a changelog before putting your money on the line.

 

Our Prius was four days out of the showroom when I crowbarred the factory stereo out of the dash and put in something good.

Honestly, I wouldn't have bought the car if I hadn't already done the research to learn that it was an easy swap.

Our other car is an "unswappable" and the only reason we went for it is because we aren't planning to own it long-term.

 

I was wondering how those would work. The analogue audio signal coming from the device would have to be converted to something the Tesla tablet can play. Looking at the listing, it appears it only converts a digital signal to analogue. It would let you use your jacked headphones with the Tesla, but not input from a radio.

 

Lots of computers just work when you plug an $8 USB sound card (with analog input) into them. Surely somebody tried that on a tesla tablet by now?

 

That's more than just personal preference; current situation is downright dangerous. One fait accompli that particularly irks me, is the SINGLE button (in a row of identical buttons) for choosing vent mode (options typically heat, high/low, vent, heat/windshield, and windshield-only*). You have to:

1. Look down and find it.
2. Continuing to look down, push it multiple times till the mode you want shows (on a tiny LCD display)
3. Go to fast you'll go past it, get to do it all over again (gen 5 Prius apparently allows you to go forwards or back, small comfort)

By this time you stand a fair chance of going over the centre line or the ditch (or off the cliff).

* The latter sadly missing on Toyotas.

 

Current Teslas' USB-C are power only -- no data. There is one USB-A drive port in the glove box that supports data and power.

 

Is the lack of AM that much of a dealbreaker? I mean you could go full-Grandpa-mode and carry a transistor radio in your shirt pocket.

Plus it's a Tesla so you can put in your earbuds, lie back and close your eyes

 

Yes and I can use a Sony Walkman (defunct) for playing CDs, But I would rather have a radio that can pull in weak stations when travelling and I spent $1000 to replace the portable CD player (too difficult to change CDs while driving) with a built-in (and got Android Auto). If the car manufacturer will not include the features that I want, I either will have to spend additional money for a third party solution or buy from a different manufacturer. I will not compromise my travelling comfort/convenience just because the marketing people are Apple techno-lemmings.

JeffD

ps: I also will

• Never accept run-flat tires
• Never accept different tire sizes front/rear
• Require a spare tire
• Require the new safety features
• And as Mendel said I require convenient controls while driving (the steering wheel buttons do work)

 

But will it give reasonable results in a Tesla, or will it be overwhelmed by electrical interference and noise?

In my state, those dual earbuds are illegal until the driver assistance systems reach Level 4. Not a problem right now, while traffic enforcement is effectively zilch, but could become a problem again if enforcement ever returns.

 

Does anybody remember getting 'alternator whine' through the car's radio?

 

How about Vibrator and we had generators with carbon brushes.

Bob Wilson

 

Pro and Con

In my neck of the woods featured on the news for a few days recently there was a Tesla that passed a stopped school bus . 12 year old crossing in front of the bus hit and seriously injured after bouncing off the windshield of the Tesla. Of course speculation about automated features being used.

And there was today as I was pulling into my local Walmart there was a cluster of fire trucks around a conventional pickup truck and lots of foam and water all around. Black and hard to discern the charred markings around the engine compartment. Felt sorry for the car parked next to it. Bet it doesn't make the news tonight.