
Tesla drops Model Y price by $3k - PaulWaldman
https://www.engadget.com/tesla-model-y-price-drop-215340622.html
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lwhalen
Is there a way to disable all the Tesla telemetry, even if it means reduced
functionality? I'd love a Model X, but I refuse to own a car that tracks my
location and reports it back to the mothership. I'm so serious about this,
I've disabled my BMW cell subscription (and cut the cable to the cell modem).

~~~
coronadisaster
All cars nowadays appears to have this[0] and I wish that a law would force
manufacturers to provide instructions for disabling internet connectivity and
all telemetry or meta data collection.

0\. [https://www.businessinsider.com/ford-exec-
gps-2014-1](https://www.businessinsider.com/ford-exec-gps-2014-1) (comment
from 2014)

~~~
lwhalen
BMW dealership did it for me after I signed a standard form that, yes, this is
what I wanted. A friendly chat with the master mechanic gave me the rough
location of the cell box (easy to get to in a convertible) and a 'wink wink
nudge nudge' understanding that, while cutting that cable is absolutely not
recommended, the car wouldn't spontaneously explode if it somehow became
accidentally disconnected.

~~~
serf
BMWs have always (since CAN introduction in 99 at least) had the nice ability
to silently disable modules that are no longer in communication with the rest
of the bus.

Most other luxury cars will throw a million lights and warnings on the dash
for a missing module, and the warnings must be coded out with specialty
software.

BMWs tend to only throw a lot of lights when there is a specific module error,
or the module acting up is vital to powertrain operation.

This also has the unintended consequence that nearly every light you end up
seeing on a BMW will be a costly repair rather than just some nuisance error
message.

This feature is a godsend when making a BMW based race-car and ripping out
miles of wire.

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remote_phone
If you get into an accident and need repairs, be prepared to wait months. My
wife damaged the rim on the bottom of the ca near the front door, and the
entire car had to be disassembled. I saw pictures and it was crazy how much
had to be taken to get to the one small panel at the bottom of the car. Even
the back and front seats had to be removed. And then it cost $13,000. Luckily
it was covered by insurance but it’s still a ridiculous amount.

Tesla’s are good, not great. They are fun to drive and not having to fill up
is great but if you have any problems expect a lot of pain.

~~~
rasz
Dont you mean drive months in an insurance covered loaner?

~~~
remote_phone
Insurance usually covers a rental car for 30 days.

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PaulWaldman
There are many reports of poor quality from current Model Y deliveries.
Interesting that they would try to ramp up sales and subsequently production
before addressing these issues prior to leaving the factory. It's
significantly more costly to fix quality problems in the field, all that
factory automation can't be used at the service centers. Then also even having
to contend with returned vehicles by unsatisfied customers.

~~~
natch
Actually speaking with actual owners I hear that Model Y build quality is
great.

With Tesla more so than with other companies, you have to take negative things
you hear online with a large grain of salt, because there is an
extraordinarily active group of short sellers of the stock who are highly
motivated to spread negative rumors online in desperate attempts to lower the
stock price. Model Y build quality issues are one such rumor.

Model 3 did have some issues early in the production cycle but they have
learned a lot and tightened it up, and Model Y benefits from those learnings,
though the rumor is still easy to spread due to its resonance with the
earlier, but also exaggerated, Model 3 issues.

~~~
blinkingled
Umm I live in an neighborhood where few apartment complexes have car charging
stations and one of my pastimes is observing build quality of Teslas (and
sometimes Leaf or some other ones) - I have not yet found a Model 3 without
uneven panel gaps - some are acceptable if you don't compare them to another
mainstream car but still it's not what one would expect from a $35K car.

~~~
GaryNumanVevo
Same, coworker had to take his brand new model X back to Tesla, three times to
get the panel gaps fixed. They just took a rubber mallet to his car

~~~
natch
Different priorities. I have a coworker who thinks that they need to charge
their Model X to full on each leg of a long journey! Very wrong. Quite odd
what people think and do including coworkers.

I know another guy who could not abide having concrete in his patio, and had
to have it replaced with tiles!

Point is there are always people who get obsessed with strange things.
Including panel gaps. Like your coworker.

Someone showed me an imperfection on my Model 3 panel gaps once and I hadn’t
even noticed it. And now I couldn’t even tell you where on the car it was. It
was so minor as to be unnoticeable unless you are actively looking for it.

Meanwhile the factory is only getting better.

~~~
GaryNumanVevo
Panel gaps are a result of poor quality control and poor precision
manufacturing. Something I would expect in a car that costs 3-4 times less
than a Tesla. He's a car guy, but we've never owned vehicles with panel gaps,
and I've driven all sorts of tin cans.

~~~
natch
Like I said these were problems early on in the production cycle of Model 3.

But I will take a Model 3 with panel gaps over a Skoda or a Corolla without
them 10 times out of 10.

BTW the long term costs are equivalent because of gas and maintenance savings
and the lifetime of a Model 3 being 3x longer, and it also keeps your family
alive unlike the Skoda or other cars which are not as safe.

~~~
touristtam
> BTW the long term costs are equivalent because of gas and maintenance
> savings and the lifetime of a Model 3 being 3x longer, and it also keeps
> your family alive unlike the Skoda or other cars which are not as safe.

The same argument have been used for VW/Audi diesel cars since the 90s,
alongside resale value. It doesn't hide the fact that Tesla are extortionate
outside the USA, and have used some questionable practices to survive in this
cut-throat market against long established corporation.

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riantogo
After 10 yrs of BMW I moved to Model 3 and love it. It truly feels like the
future. Most of my driving is on autopilot. Love the acceleration, the big
touch screen, the updates, everything.

However, the little noises makes it feel like a cheap build. Been multiple
times to the shop to fix the squeaky seats, steering. Now the steering has
started making some creaking sounds. The only solution is to drive with music
turned up.

~~~
SheinhardtWigCo
This seems to be the Tesla ownership tradeoff: you can live on the bleeding
edge of driving experiences available today, if you’re willing to tolerate bad
build quality and a service experience that makes Comcast look good.

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WalterBright
I've had good service from Comcast (though their prices are really high).

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SheinhardtWigCo
Actually, yeah, recently I have too.

