Someone Else's Problem: Plug Me In, Daddy - Another Tesla Model 3 Performance

[Matt2000]

These things are ten a penny now, common as horse shit...

I'll get a proof pic tomorrow. It was tempting to put this off but I can't get any better pictures at the minute and I'm too excited to wait.

This was delivered today, two weeks after I should've originally been collecting it from Solihull. Thanks, Covid-19...

It's another Tesla Model 3 Performance and Leviathan is entirely to blame. I knew as soon as I drove his last August that I needed to have one, then I worked on making the idea a reality. I've been commuting to work by train for eleven and a half years and I'm absolutely sick of it, while it may be quick at its best the service is incredibly unreliable. What better reason to make myself poor for the next four years?!

I went for a test drive in Milton Keynes on the 13th Feb, not that I needed to but any excuse for a play in their RHD Model 3 Performance and ordered the next day on the 14th. My original car came over on the last ship from the US before manufacturing of RHD cars took a break and ultimately shut down due to the pandemic. That car was stranded in Solihull as the shopping centre (mall) containing the Tesla store was closed, thankfully the Birmingham delivery centre were able to re-assign me an identical car and have it brought to me under lockdown.

I can't drive it much at the minute but I'm content with sitting in it and playing, I've been going through and setting things up today. I also installed my wireless phone charger, the Samsung T5 SSD and the little console tray I got. As anyone dealing with Tesla will know, there are a few little faults that I have noted but none are catastrophic and there aren't any that make me want to book in with the service centre.

I don't think there are actually many differences between mine and Leviathan's car, apart from mine having different coloured wheels and lacking the fancy glass in the roof that shows as orange when wet (they changed supplier). Mine has the full self-driving package that isn't too useful yet but I hope will be during my initial 4 years of ownership. The Deep Blue paint is fantastic, I was originally considering the Midnight Silver Metallic but MWF convinced me to look at the blue again and I'm glad I did. In the shade it looks as dark as the paint on Bugsy, however when the sun hits it a much brighter blue comes out.

Plans? I need to spray the whole thing down with detail spray and wipe it off as there is all sorts of fluff and junk on the surface, not enough to need washing but enough to make me think it's covered in scratches. I want to get Alloygators fitted to protect the wheels from kerbing and just need to decide on the colour, I was going to go with graphite but probably black now. It'll need winter tyres in the... winter, so I'll need some different alloys for those. Considering my options.

I'll add some more information and maybe some more pictures tomorrow, we're on lockdown and I don't have a driveway so I don't want to spend too much time outside. I made a crappy video this afternoon while I was going through and settings things up, also showing of my wild face fungus that I refuse to trim until I have to go back into the office. It still needs time to process so here's are a couple of screenshots:

 

[93Flareside]

WHAAAAAAT? No way!

Well done!

 

[Matt2000]

WHAAAAAAT? No way!

Well done!

I've been trying to make you think I was getting a new Defender with my posts about getting something.

 

[93Flareside]

I've been trying to make you think I was getting a new Defender with my posts about getting something.

I knew the smart is going at some point and one of your LR’s was going... I didn’t think another LR unless you really are that nuts, I really had no idea.You fooled me.

 

[DanRoM]

Okay, that's come totally out of left field

Having driven @leviathan's car too, I totally approve of this, and extra for you for choosing a great colour.

Did it come with a rear spoiler already attached?

 

[leviathan]

Yes! Congratulations, and damn, I'm actually jealous of the color choice - blue on gunmetal gray wheels looks awesome.

I don't think there are actually many differences between mine and Leviathan's car, apart from mine having different coloured wheels and lacking the fancy glass in the roof that shows as orange when wet (they changed supplier).

Yours should have come with HW3 (aka "FSD computer") from the factory, while mine is running on the older HW 2.5, awaiting a retrofit. Means yours should show lots of extras in the Autopilot visualization like traffic lights, directional arrow road markings and other stuff, and learn to stop at red lights by itself soon-ish. While mine has learned to show traffic cones yesterday, and is now convinced that any roughly red-ish triangular-ish or red/white reflective object is a traffic cone, including pedestrians with red handbags

Also your screen layout is the wrong way around, you should make a service appointment to fix it

Have fun with it, and looking forward to seeing it at the Ringmeet!

 

[DanRoM]

We need a dragstrip at Ringmeet...

 

[Matt2000]

Did it come with a rear spoiler already attached?

It did yes, fortunately they have sorted that now.

Yes! Congratulations, and damn, I'm actually jealous of the color choice - blue on gunmetal gray wheels looks awesome.


Yours should have come with HW3 (aka "FSD computer") from the factory, while mine is running on the older HW 2.5, awaiting a retrofit. Means yours should show lots of extras in the Autopilot visualization like traffic lights, directional arrow road markings and other stuff, and learn to stop at red lights by itself soon-ish. While mine has learned to show traffic cones yesterday, and is now convinced that any roughly red-ish triangular-ish or red/white reflective object is a traffic cone, including pedestrians with red handbags

Also your screen layout is the wrong way around, you should make a service appointment to fix it

Have fun with it, and looking forward to seeing it at the Ringmeet!

I love the aggressive look with these wheels and the blue is even better than I thought it would be. Currently it has 2020.8.3 installed, hopefully the latest update will come through soon. It still needs to be driven more before I can use Autopilot but I will get there.

Definitely looking forward to Ringmeet, even the drive over should be great. I intend to keep my free supercharger miles for that, the distance is almost exact so it would be an entirely free trip.

We need a dragstrip at Ringmeet...

Yes!

Oh yes, my terrible video has now processed. Sorry about the scruffy appearance.

 

[Matt2000]

I'm not messing around, fitted my console wrap tonight along with door button labels. Only got a picture of the wrap as the light was fading, this is brushed black.

That's glue residue at the bottom and it came off easily.

I also set PIN to drive, my phone is usually out of range but it's a good precaution. I just hope I don't forget it.

 

[leviathan]

Definitely looking forward to Ringmeet, even the drive over should be great. I intend to keep my free supercharger miles for that, the distance is almost exact so it would be an entirely free trip.

Be aware that referral free miles expire after 6 months. So they should work for Ringmeet, but if you still have any left afterwards, use them up soon-ish before they poof out of existence.

Good call on the wrap, brushed black looks good. Why they still use that piano black finish is a mystery to me, I've seen no positive response to that anywhere really - and they even put it exactly the same in the Model Y.

 

[Matt2000]

Be aware that referral free miles expire after 6 months. So they should work for Ringmeet, but if you still have any left afterwards, use them up soon-ish before they poof out of existence.

Good call on the wrap, brushed black looks good. Why they still use that piano black finish is a mystery to me, I've seen no positive response to that anywhere really - and they even put it exactly the same in the Model Y.

Thanks for the reminder, I may use some before (I want to get it ceramic coated and that may mean travelling some distance) and the miles to and from Ringmeet would use about 900, supercharging two or three times along the way in either direction.

Brushed black was the only wrap that made sense to me while keeping the wood dash, which I like. There are wood effect wraps but they're just too much. This is nice and subtle while resisting scratches, fingerprints and reflections.

 

[Momentum57]

Came for the thread name... Oh and congrats on the car

 

[Matt2000]

Due to the lockdown I still can't drive this anywhere but I can sit in it for work team meetings on MS Teams. Made my most meaningful contribution.

Also updated to the latest software version 2020.12.5, a little slow using my phone as a hotspot but I imagine an equivalent download would complete during a normal commute.

Oh, and I had to clean some bird dirt off the glass roof already. Damn birbs!

 

[47]

Cool, congrats! Also, very nice colour!

 

[Misrabelle]

Lost it at the thread title! Congrats again!!

 

[Matt2000]

Cool, congrats! Also, very nice colour!

Lost it at the thread title! Congrats again!!

Thank you both! I found an excuse to go for a drive last week to test the lights in the dark but haven't been out in it this week, never had a good excuse. Auto high beams will take some getting used to as they sometimes confuse road signs for other cars but the lights in general are like night and day (pun intended) compared to my other cars.

 

[Matt2000]

Snuck out for a quick drive yesterday (Thursday) evening, the thing has 35 miles on it now so it's practically a write-off...

I gave it some more beans, probably the first time I've had a chance to properly floor it and I wasn't disappointed. Uphill too, 30 to 60-and-a-bit took no time at all. Autopilot still says no as I haven't driven it enough yet. Can't wait for a chance to try summon, auto parking and finally get some proper photos.

 

[MWF]

I wouldn't worry about enjoying the car from time to time. We drove from here to Deptford to drop off the dog the back via Hastings to deliver a couple of bits to my mum and weren't stopped or shown any attention by the police.

 

[Matt2000]

The birds around here are relentless, I've been going out every other day to clean the turds off it and try to keep the paint in good nick. Due the rinsing and dust the thing looks like crap but at least it won't have damaged paint. I spoke to the local detailing company that I want to ceramic coat it and they're still open, if we're given a little more freedom this weekend I'll go over and see them to get a sample area done.

I still need to get Tesla to sort the minor defects I've found, I looked at booking service but it doesn't look like mobile service covers this area as they wanted me to book in at Milton Keynes. Again, if we're given more freedom I'll get it booked in, I'm now expecting to be on furlough until the end of the month so may as well use the time. I may as well post the defects so you can all laugh at the build quality, they are:

Spoiler not fully glued on - sloppy.

Trim sticking up where it shouldn't be

Glue residue on door card

The interior items can wait but I'd like to get the spoiler sorted before the ceramic coating is done, in case they have to buff the panel for some reason. The detailer suggested doing the rest of the car and leaving the boot, which I may go with.

Just installed the latest update, still only 47 miles on the clock. Autopilot is finally enabled though and I tested charging last week at a local Pod Point. It cost me 66p for 3kW but strangely they haven't knocked that 66p off my balance yet.

 

[Matt2000]

Picked Nebs up from the detailers this afternoon after leaving her there yesterday morning, they did a cracking job of cleaning up Telsa's half arsed paint finishing and applying the Autosmart Matrix Black ceramic coating. Very slick to the touch and shiny like a shiny thing. Interior surfaces were treated too, no visible difference to show as you would expect but they're protected. Now done 102 miles, had more chance to drive it since the lockdown was eased a little here. Need to charge it soon.

Tried to keep these as authentic as possible, with hindsight I should've taken my DSLR but phone photos are good enough.