Tesla model S questions

Tesla model S questions

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Inspectorclueso

Original Poster:

677 posts

257 months

Saturday 6th November 2021
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Morning - posting here as appears more active than actual Tesla forum.

TA few Q's on model S from those with experience

- Rear seats, what are they like for 3 kids - 9, 12, 14, they appear to be decent, I've yet to try one with all of them in tow though ! I really struggle to see anything barring MPVs and the odd SUV that fits the bill here, hoping the S would be decent space.
- Free supercharging, is it worth targeting a car with this, how much does it cost to charge if you have to pay ? (I'll do about 15k miles a year)
- I'm looking at c.£40k to £50k on a used one if I go this route, unless my forthcoming salary sacrifice scheme is very good (Model 3's seem decent cost but are too small for us, S seems to escalate a lot on lease), hence options appear to be:

- 17 plate 75D
- 15 / 16 plate 85D or P85D (The P85D appeals, specs / performance generally seem good)
- higher miles 16 plate 90D

Are there any obvious models to aim for in this list, or any obvious drivers in my decision I may be missing ?

DrJFoster

90 posts

52 months

Saturday 6th November 2021
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Inspectorclueso said:
Morning - posting here as appears more active than actual Tesla forum.

TA few Q's on model S from those with experience

- Rear seats, what are they like for 3 kids - 9, 12, 14, they appear to be decent, I've yet to try one with all of them in tow though ! I really struggle to see anything barring MPVs and the odd SUV that fits the bill here, hoping the S would be decent space.
- Free supercharging, is it worth targeting a car with this, how much does it cost to charge if you have to pay ? (I'll do about 15k miles a year)
- I'm looking at c.£40k to £50k on a used one if I go this route, unless my forthcoming salary sacrifice scheme is very good (Model 3's seem decent cost but are too small for us, S seems to escalate a lot on lease), hence options appear to be:

- 17 plate 75D
- 15 / 16 plate 85D or P85D (The P85D appeals, specs / performance generally seem good)
- higher miles 16 plate 90D

Are there any obvious models to aim for in this list, or any obvious drivers in my decision I may be missing ?
Rear seats are ok for the ages you mention. The 7 seater option you sometimes see have 2 further ones in the boot but there's no ventilation so best avoided unless its short trips

Free supercharging is only on cars registered before April 2017 (so the years you mention should be ok) and even then Tesla may have stripped it. Only you can say whether its worth it, if its compared to charging at home, you're saving about 5p a mile, compared to charging on the move you're saving about 12p a mile. Cars that old though will charge relatively slowly, in fact all Model S and Model X charge slowly compared to the latest breed of cars.

There have been multiple phases of the Model S, I'd start here https://tesla-info.com/guide/tesla-model-s-buyers-... to understand the subtle differences between each but today I'd suggest looking for a Tesla AP equipped car which rules out the 85's and most of the 90s, and go for a 75D, and unless I was looking at a lot of charging away from home, I'd forgo free supercharging for a car with some Tesla warranty left and try and get an MCU2 which you should hopefully get for 50k. .




Inspectorclueso

Original Poster:

677 posts

257 months

Saturday 6th November 2021
quotequote all
DrJFoster said:
Rear seats are ok for the ages you mention. The 7 seater option you sometimes see have 2 further ones in the boot but there's no ventilation so best avoided unless its short trips

Free supercharging is only on cars registered before April 2017 (so the years you mention should be ok) and even then Tesla may have stripped it. Only you can say whether its worth it, if its compared to charging at home, you're saving about 5p a mile, compared to charging on the move you're saving about 12p a mile. Cars that old though will charge relatively slowly, in fact all Model S and Model X charge slowly compared to the latest breed of cars.

There have been multiple phases of the Model S, I'd start here https://tesla-info.com/guide/tesla-model-s-buyers-... to understand the subtle differences between each but today I'd suggest looking for a Tesla AP equipped car which rules out the 85's and most of the 90s, and go for a 75D, and unless I was looking at a lot of charging away from home, I'd forgo free supercharging for a car with some Tesla warranty left and try and get an MCU2 which you should hopefully get for 50k. .

Thanks for this - had come across that site, so will start the research, there seems a lot to it ! Re the AP, is it your view that this improves resale, I struggle to see that I would use it, but maybe I need to try it...

DrJFoster

90 posts

52 months

Saturday 6th November 2021
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It's the only credible site I've found that actually tells you stuff. Plenty of youtube channels on tiny fractions of the info but buyers guides are few and far between that actually tell you something more than "they face lifted it". Even the dealer Richard Symons buyers guide on you tube just seems a heavily simplified version of that one.

AP is a bit of a weird one, for something that doesn't actually work very well it's seemingly loved by many. The older AP1 does what it says on the tin and works reasonably well, the Tesla offering, especially on the older cars, needs upgrades to keep up, but might one day do a lot more. The MCU2 unlocks a lot of its capabilities such as sentry mode and a useable dashcam hence why I see that as the kicking off point if you can afford it. But everything has a price, so a facelift 90D with AP1 and free supercharging if it was 10k cheaper than a 75D with MCU2.. it's a difficult call. I wouldn't go pre facelift, the headlights are dreadful from what I've read, something to do with xenons without a wash wipe which meant Tesla had to fit low powered bulbs for the Europe market. Thos older cars are also prone to door handle issues etc and are just getting on a bit now.

gangzoom

6,644 posts

220 months

Saturday 6th November 2021
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Inspectorclueso said:
Re the AP, is it your view that this improves resale, I struggle to see that I would use it, but maybe I need to try it...
I wouldn't put any emphasis on AP 1/2 differences at present on resale value. There is a BIG IF Tesla can develop/deploy 'Full Self Driving' (FSD) or anything close, than cars with AP2 hardware is fully capable of the running the latest coded provided you pay for it (£7k+) option at present.

You MIGHT get lucky and find an older AP2 with 'FSD' paid for, in which case you wouldn't need to pay anything to access the software when it comes to the UK.

The MCU2 is also available as an retrograde service item from Tesla for £1500 on any car, there is also the CCS charger retrofit for £200. You shouldn't rule out any older cars just based on MCU.

The biggest 'Issue' with older cars are the battery packs. Its very well documented the 85 packs are touch and go when it comes to rapid charging, Tesla found some thing inherently wrong with the pack designs when investigating fires and to date have not told customers/owners what the issues are. Anyone attempting to share information on these issues are hit with NDAs along with lots of letters from the Tesla legal team, so we have to assume its not a 'good' issue Tesla found.

Telsas solution to the 85 pack issues have been to limit rapid charging (slower than a 30kWh Nissan Leaf at times), and capping usable energy. Tesla have fiddle with some software changes to disguise these issues but inherent they remain.

Tesla 90 packs (and some 75 packs) also degraded much quicker than expected. Infact after about 50k miles some 90 packs ends up with barely any more usable capacity than 75 packs.

In all these situations the 8 year battery warranty doesn't apply. Tesla will simply spin the line 'they all do that'. If you have a castrophic pack failure Tesla will replace the packs with a brand new 90pack made using the latest chemistry, so in many ways having a castrophic pack failure is the best outcome for the owners when the cars get to 6-7 years old.

These are good cars, but there is alot of issues with older battery packs that Tesla have managed to sweep under the carpet, essentially just clock watching waiting to wash their hands of any warranty claims on the battery pack.

I would be very cautious of buying any of the 85 pack cars without a good idea of battery health, and be ready to deal with a £20k out of warranty repair bill as soon as the battery warranty is over.

Am planning to keep our 75D X longterm, but am also fully prepared to replace the battery back once the warranty on it runs out in 2025.

Edited by gangzoom on Saturday 6th November 12:24

Inspectorclueso

Original Poster:

677 posts

257 months

Saturday 6th November 2021
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Thanks for the info. It surprises me, given the potential issues that the residual values are so high. Unless there are lots of people that don’t actually research the purchase.

gangzoom

6,644 posts

220 months

Saturday 6th November 2021
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Inspectorclueso said:
Thanks for the info. It surprises me, given the potential issues that the residual values are so high. Unless there are lots of people that don’t actually research the purchase.
Tesla have done a class A job on making the battery issues 'dissappear', just like how they have worked out how to game EPA ratings for EVs.

Elon Musk may act like a fool at times, but he knows exactly what his doing when it comes to making $$$$.

ReformedPistonhead

965 posts

142 months

Saturday 6th November 2021
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I have a late 2019 S Performance, the “Raven” one which had the motor and suspension upgrades.

It was terrible for the first 6 months, new rear motor, new front driveshafts, loose aircon mountings, bad seat etc.

But since then it has been faultless. I got Free Supercharging as they did it for 3 months at the end of 2019.

I do enjoy not paying for fuel, have done 19,000 miles now and compared to the 2016 RS6 Performance it replaced has saved me a lot…

But if I filled up at home on my nice tariff it would be around £12 (100kwh x 12p per unit) compared to £80 for the same range in the RS6.

The rear seats have plenty of room for 3 adults, just your feet are a little higher than normal.

The build quality inside is more cheap US $20,000 car than expensive German £120,000 car sadly, but the FSD as it behaves now is the best system I have used, basically on motorways I am 90% more relaxed than I am with straight active cruise control.

The main issue is that it is a massive car, 2.2m wide so as hard as a Range Rover and would not take it through the Rotherhithe tunnel for example, just wouldn’t fit.

Also do not hit a pothole. In 32 years of driving I have never buckled a wheel until the Tesla, I have now done it 3 times in 2 years. £50 to the wheel experts to straighten again but it costs me a tyre every time (I am 6 new tyres and 3 wheel straightening in 2 years which does negate some of the fuel savings). I think it is just soooo heavy that the wheels don’t stand a chance on our terrible roads.

I usually keep my main motorway car for 3 years but I think given the free fuel I will keep it until it gets too unreliable or until the battery becomes an issue (they have already slowed down my charging via software and it’s only 2 years old).

I regularly do 350 mile trips in it, but I will stop and give it 20 minutes charge every 2 hours. So battery is running between 15% and 75% which means it still charges quickly. If you want it to get to 100% on a stop from 15% be prepared to wait 1.5 hours, but it will get to 70-75% in 20 minutes which is all you need.

It is noisier inside than the wife’s hybrid Q5 and if you shut the door it sounds like my son’s 1971 MGB, whereas the Audi’s doors sound like they are made of granite!

PS I think they are trying to make the free supercharging non transferable, so beware of buying one with it, it may get remote borked by Tesla when you go and register as the new keeper.

Good luck with the search.


Inspectorclueso

Original Poster:

677 posts

257 months

Saturday 6th November 2021
quotequote all
ReformedPistonhead said:
I have a late 2019 S Performance, the “Raven” one which had the motor and suspension upgrades.

It was terrible for the first 6 months, new rear motor, new front driveshafts, loose aircon mountings, bad seat etc.

But since then it has been faultless. I got Free Supercharging as they did it for 3 months at the end of 2019.

I do enjoy not paying for fuel, have done 19,000 miles now and compared to the 2016 RS6 Performance it replaced has saved me a lot…

But if I filled up at home on my nice tariff it would be around £12 (100kwh x 12p per unit) compared to £80 for the same range in the RS6.

The rear seats have plenty of room for 3 adults, just your feet are a little higher than normal.

The build quality inside is more cheap US $20,000 car than expensive German £120,000 car sadly, but the FSD as it behaves now is the best system I have used, basically on motorways I am 90% more relaxed than I am with straight active cruise control.

The main issue is that it is a massive car, 2.2m wide so as hard as a Range Rover and would not take it through the Rotherhithe tunnel for example, just wouldn’t fit.

Also do not hit a pothole. In 32 years of driving I have never buckled a wheel until the Tesla, I have now done it 3 times in 2 years. £50 to the wheel experts to straighten again but it costs me a tyre every time (I am 6 new tyres and 3 wheel straightening in 2 years which does negate some of the fuel savings). I think it is just soooo heavy that the wheels don’t stand a chance on our terrible roads.

I usually keep my main motorway car for 3 years but I think given the free fuel I will keep it until it gets too unreliable or until the battery becomes an issue (they have already slowed down my charging via software and it’s only 2 years old).

I regularly do 350 mile trips in it, but I will stop and give it 20 minutes charge every 2 hours. So battery is running between 15% and 75% which means it still charges quickly. If you want it to get to 100% on a stop from 15% be prepared to wait 1.5 hours, but it will get to 70-75% in 20 minutes which is all you need.

It is noisier inside than the wife’s hybrid Q5 and if you shut the door it sounds like my son’s 1971 MGB, whereas the Audi’s doors sound like they are made of granite!

PS I think they are trying to make the free supercharging non transferable, so beware of buying one with it, it may get remote borked by Tesla when you go and register as the new keeper.

Good luck with the search.
Thanks for your perspective....When I've looked at them, I've thought the same re interior, I've usually had decent quality German cars and a Tesla interior does feel low rent in comparison.

The alterations they land on you re battery bother me...Not sure I'd be happy if the range starts to get downgraded without my say so !

gangzoom

6,644 posts

220 months

Saturday 6th November 2021
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This is a good real life demonstration of actually how good even a 7 year old Model S is. Amazingly its as efficient at Mway speeds as a Model 3, and still does 200 miles or so even in very cold temperatures.

The charging speed however is slow, but with a brand new 90kWh pack, you will have an EV with massive range and better charging speeds. There is a real potential these older cars could last a long long time if Tesla continues to support them with new battery packs.

Its just a shame Elons ego is too big to admit the issues they have with the older 85/90 packs.

https://youtu.be/GYXjLwkQnnA

lost in espace

6,268 posts

212 months

Saturday 6th November 2021
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I was interested in an early S but you really need the CCS and MCU upgrade, another £3k on the purchase price.

ReformedPistonhead

965 posts

142 months

Sunday 7th November 2021
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Inspectorclueso said:
Thanks for your perspective....When I've looked at them, I've thought the same re interior, I've usually had decent quality German cars and a Tesla interior does feel low rent in comparison.

The alterations they land on you re battery bother me...Not sure I'd be happy if the range starts to get downgraded without my say so !
I think when mine was brand new it would state 343 miles range when at 100% and it now states 339 miles after 2 years and 18,000 miles. So that bit isn’t bad. But it does feel like they have slowed the charging rate (most likely to protect their warranty costs of battery replacement, oooo sorry I mean protect the battery) when it gets above 70% full. So far no issue with that as I said above, my need for a coffee kicks in before the car runs out of electrons and I get bored at a charger after 20 minutes anyway so move on.

I have a love / hate relationship with mine, the build quality really bothers me but the basically free (aside from wheels) running costs mean I cannot justify selling it for an eTron RS GT or a Taycan.

And honestly I would not recommend anyone get an EV which is not a Tesla for long journeys, simply because of the supercharger network which is so far ahead of everything else. At an average motorway stop there will be 8-12 Tesla Superchargers, all working and 2-4 Other chargers, at least one borked for all other cars, usually with hybrids plugged in. I genuinely could not do the journeys I do right now in an EV Audi/Porsche. I cannot wait for that to change.

ZesPak

24,794 posts

201 months

Monday 8th November 2021
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ReformedPistonhead said:
I have a late 2019 S Performance, the “Raven” one which had the motor and suspension upgrades.
...
The build quality inside is more cheap US $20,000 car than expensive German £120,000 car sadly, but the FSD as it behaves now is the best system I have used, basically on motorways I am 90% more relaxed than I am with straight active cruise control.
...
It is noisier inside than the wife’s hybrid Q5 and if you shut the door it sounds like my son’s 1971 MGB, whereas the Audi’s doors sound like they are made of granite!
...
That's a lot of hyperbole I can't agree with.
The interior got a massive overhaul and the difference between a 2015 Model S and 2019 Model S is night and day.
I'd say it's more on par with a BMW 5 series of about a decade ago, definitely not a cheap hatchback but not as top notch as the best Germany has to offer today.

I've yet to see a 20k car that would come close, not to mention a 1971 MGB.

The width comment is valid though, they are massive. But they are even more massive inside. The boot is enormous and we regularly have 3 passengers in the back without an issue.

ReformedPistonhead

965 posts

142 months

Monday 8th November 2021
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ZesPak said:
ReformedPistonhead said:
I have a late 2019 S Performance, the “Raven” one which had the motor and suspension upgrades.
...
The build quality inside is more cheap US $20,000 car than expensive German £120,000 car sadly, but the FSD as it behaves now is the best system I have used, basically on motorways I am 90% more relaxed than I am with straight active cruise control.
...
It is noisier inside than the wife’s hybrid Q5 and if you shut the door it sounds like my son’s 1971 MGB, whereas the Audi’s doors sound like they are made of granite!
...
That's a lot of hyperbole I can't agree with.
The interior got a massive overhaul and the difference between a 2015 Model S and 2019 Model S is night and day.
I'd say it's more on par with a BMW 5 series of about a decade ago, definitely not a cheap hatchback but not as top notch as the best Germany has to offer today.

I've yet to see a 20k car that would come close, not to mention a 1971 MGB.

The width comment is valid though, they are massive. But they are even more massive inside. The boot is enormous and we regularly have 3 passengers in the back without an issue.
The interior did change yes. But mine is the latest one and it still rattles. Plus the passengers side pretend leather around the glove box fell off within 3 days of purchase. I said the door shut causes rattles like a 1971 MGB, it does. The interior is actually a nice place to be, it misses door bins but that’s about it. It is just made of cheaper materials than an Audi is. Going from an RS6 to this was quite a climb down, despite this being more expensive.

I know what you mean about 2016-ish cars, they loaned me one each time my 2019 car was in being fixed and it was awful inside.

Anyhow, as I said, love/hate. I am currently at south mimms enjoying free electron flow so it is not all bad!

ZesPak

24,794 posts

201 months

Monday 8th November 2021
quotequote all
ReformedPistonhead said:
The interior did change yes. But mine is the latest one and it still rattles. Plus the passengers side pretend leather around the glove box fell off within 3 days of purchase. I said the door shut causes rattles like a 1971 MGB, it does. The interior is actually a nice place to be, it misses door bins but that’s about it. It is just made of cheaper materials than an Audi is. Going from an RS6 to this was quite a climb down, despite this being more expensive.

I know what you mean about 2016-ish cars, they loaned me one each time my 2019 car was in being fixed and it was awful inside.

Anyhow, as I said, love/hate. I am currently at south mimms enjoying free electron flow so it is not all bad!
If you have wheels coming off every half year, a rattly interior that starts to fall a part in the first week and the doors of a 1971 MGB, I can't believe anyone but the biggest fanboy who would put up with that.

Your car is faulty, there's no other way about it.

RobbyJ

1,609 posts

227 months

Monday 8th November 2021
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I've got 3 kids, 15,12 and 8 and they all fit well. The 15 year old who's over 6ft can moan a little about the seats not reclining but other than that it's a really good fit. We always travel with loads of stuff and manage to fit it all in with the boot loaded to the glass. Having the big space under the boot and the frunk is a real plus too.

My wife has a Touareg and we've stopped using it for family trips and just use the Model S now. Whilst the boot is a better shape than the Touareg overall you can get slightly more in the Model S which given the form factor of the car is amazing. The back seat is also better width wise than the Touareg.

Inspectorclueso

Original Poster:

677 posts

257 months

Monday 8th November 2021
quotequote all
Thanks for all replies....I think I've landed on IF I went down the Tesla route I'd feel more comfortable if it had 4 / 5 years of battery warranty left. Or I go for a Salary Sacrifice depending on how much they come out at....

Heres Johnny

7,383 posts

129 months

Tuesday 9th November 2021
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If you want an example of the cheap interior, take a look at the rear parcel shelf in the MS.

Or look at the kick plates

Or the rusting hatch damper mounting brackets.

I ran an MS for nearly 5 years (2 different cars). Charging is slow by todays standards, even on a super charger and the more efficient of the 2 cars (a 90D on 19" wheels) struggled to do 220 miles even in good weather. We have a model 3 now and thats a whole different proposition, still built cheaply but the battery and charging are at least much better (although you do need a V3 supercharger to make the most of it).

As good as the MS was back in their day, the design in many areas is really falling behind now on the core basics. Whether the 2021 facelift will be any better when it gets here, especially if they carry over the CCS adapter, is an open question. The battery cells are the old ones so I don;t hold out much hope.

ReformedPistonhead

965 posts

142 months

Tuesday 9th November 2021
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ZesPak said:
ReformedPistonhead said:
The interior did change yes. But mine is the latest one and it still rattles. Plus the passengers side pretend leather around the glove box fell off within 3 days of purchase. I said the door shut causes rattles like a 1971 MGB, it does. The interior is actually a nice place to be, it misses door bins but that’s about it. It is just made of cheaper materials than an Audi is. Going from an RS6 to this was quite a climb down, despite this being more expensive.

I know what you mean about 2016-ish cars, they loaned me one each time my 2019 car was in being fixed and it was awful inside.

Anyhow, as I said, love/hate. I am currently at south mimms enjoying free electron flow so it is not all bad!
If you have wheels coming off every half year, a rattly interior that starts to fall a part in the first week and the doors of a 1971 MGB, I can't believe anyone but the biggest fanboy who would put up with that.

Your car is faulty, there's no other way about it.
That brings us to the other part of Tesla ownership, aftercare. Which is woeful. Things eventually get fixed but they cannot do anything about cheap plastics.

Sorry if I come across as a fanboy with my statements.



gangzoom

6,644 posts

220 months

Wednesday 10th November 2021
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The way Tesla have capped charging speeds on 85 pack cars really is frankly unacceptable. Given how much noise people make panel gaps and plastics am susprised hardly any one mentions this massive problem.

Will the same thing happen to Model 3s as they age??

I wouldn't touch a 85 pack Tesla unless I has £20k set aside for a brand new battery replacement.

https://youtu.be/ZVx6rCvvNNk