# Garage Door Opener



## Allan_TX

Just got my "Y" yesterday. Love it! Please tell me it has the ability to open my garage door.  I'm trying to figure it out and keep seeing something calling Homelink, which I now understand does not come with my car. Is this the only way to open a garage door from the car? Thanks.


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## TomT

Allan_TX said:


> Just got my "Y" yesterday. Love it! Please tell me it has the ability to open my garage door.  I'm trying to figure it out and keep seeing something calling Homelink, which I now understand does not come with my car. Is this the only way to open a garage door from the car? Thanks.


Unless you use your own opener, yes.


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## Allan_TX

Unreal. Yeah, I'll put the Garage door remote next to my CB Radio.


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## garsh

They really should add Homelink as an option during the car ordering process, like they do for the mobile connector and wall connector.
It's terrible that new owners don't learn about this until after delivery.


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## Allan_TX

garsh said:


> They really should add Homelink as an option during the car ordering process, like they do for the mobile connector and wall connector.
> It's terrible that new owners don't learn about this until after delivery.


Agree. Had I known I would have ordered it.


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## Power Surge

Another reason I like my 18


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## NJturtlePower

My 2018 Model 3 had it preinstalled.

Just picked up a 19' Stealth Performance (July 2019 build) and I had to add it as a $325 accessory (now $350 + Tax). Well worth the cost IMO...I felt like a caveman having to press buttons in the meantime before install. Handsfree proximity activation is a gamechanger coming and going if you park indoors daily.


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## francoisp

NJturtlePower said:


> Handsfree proximity activation is a gamechanger coming and going if you park indoors daily.


I alway thought the proximity activation was dangerous because at least in my case it activates before I can see the garage door which means it will close if it's already opened and something could be in the way of the door. I whish there was a way to keep the door opened if it's already opened but that would probably require a whole different system.


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## garsh

francoisp said:


> ...it will close if it's already opened and something could be in the way of the door.


Your garage door opener itself should have a safety system to prevent it from closing if there's something in the way of the door.


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## francoisp

garsh said:


> Your garage door opener itself should have a safety system to prevent it from closing if there's something in the way of the door.


Of course there's a safety sensor but standard placement is 4 to 6 inches above ground which means that's it's low enough that it could go straight through between the wheels of a vehicle that's backing up. Ideally I should install a second safety sensor a couple of feet above ground but I'd prefer distinct open - close signals as opposed to a toggle.


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## garsh

If you're worried about the _safety_ aspect of a garage door closing, then the solution should be to prevent the opener from closing when it shouldn't, not on preventing one vehicle from telling it to close.


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## francoisp

garsh said:


> If you're worried about the _safety_ aspect of a garage door closing, then the solution should be to prevent the opener from closing when it shouldn't, not on preventing one vehicle from telling it to close.


I'm not trying to prevent the car from telling the door to close. The issue is not so much when leaving home and having the car automatically close the door. It's when returning home and having the car automatically sending the signal assuming the door is closed when it's opened which would cause it to close. For added safety, I need a second safety sensor higher up to prevent the door from closing if something is in the way and not seen by the standard safety sensor at 4 inches above ground.

Ideally I would like the car to have the ability to send distinct open and close signals when arriving or leaving home. That way if the door is already opened it stays opened.


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## NR4P

francoisp said:


> I'm not trying to prevent the car from telling the door to close. The issue is not so much when leaving home and having the car automatically close the door. It's when returning home and having the car automatically sending the signal assuming the door is closed when it's opened which would cause it to close. For added safety, I need a second safety sensor higher up to prevent the door from closing if something is in the way and not seen by the standard safety sensor at 4 inches above ground.
> 
> Ideally I would like the car to have the ability to send distinct open and close signals when arriving or leaving home. That way if the door is already opened it stays opened.


To avoid the accidental closing of the door, first set up a short distance in the Homelink options. I set mine to 30'. When you get near the driveway 70' plus, and see the door open, the door control on the screen will show up and then in very small letters below "cancel". So before you hit the 30' mark, you tap the door control and it will cancel.

And in the event you miss the cancel time, turn on the Homelink chime on so it "bings" when the whenever the signal is sent, so you can tap the control and reverse the door as necessary.

Unfortunately, Homelink is 1 way and the door open/close is nothing more than a toggle so the car doesn't know the status. But wouldn't it be great if the front camera would see the door open or close and act accordingly? Wishful thinking.


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## JasonF

garsh said:


> If you're worried about the _safety_ aspect of a garage door closing, then the solution should be to prevent the opener from closing when it shouldn't, not on preventing one vehicle from telling it to close.


Or just set them all so you have to push the on screen button instead of transmitting automatically. That’s the safest option for both cars and humans, unless you live by yourself.

I even go as far as blocking the sensor with a bucket or plastic bottle if I have the car in the way of the garage door for a while, just in case someone walks into the garage from the house and blindly hits the button.


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## EasternSP

Kinda clunky to have to find the icon on the screen to open or close the garage door. How difficult is it to integrate with the high beam so a double flick would trigger the signal? Heck, my Harley had that feature 10 years ago.


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## francoisp

EasternSP said:


> Kinda clunky to have to find the icon on the screen to open or close the garage door. How difficult is it to integrate with the high beam so a double flick would trigger the signal? Heck, my Harley had that feature 10 years ago.


There's a big button right at the bottom of the screen on the left side. The button shows up automatically at each of your predefined locations.


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## EasternSP

Yeah, I noticed that recently. Was starting to realize it wasn't there all the time. Didn't see anything about it in the op manual yet.


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## Barbaraosa

garsh said:


> They really should add Homelink as an option during the car ordering process, like they do for the mobile connector and wall connector.
> It's terrible that new owners don't learn about this until after delivery.


I feel the same way. 

I also am pissed that they removed the parking sensors. Cameras don't warn you when you're close to hitting a Tesla supercharger, for instance.


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## NJturtlePower

Barbaraosa said:


> I feel the same way.
> 
> I also am pissed that they removed the parking sensors. Cameras don't warn you when you're close to hitting a Tesla supercharger, for instance.


You back in to Superchargers... rear plus side cam views not enough?


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## JasonF

NJturtlePower said:


> You back in to Superchargers... rear plus side cam views not enough?


It pains me to say this, but we're entering a time when a lot of people will back up without looking even at the backup camera until they either hear a horrible noise, or the proximity warning goes off. Mandatory backup cameras did absolutely nothing to help.


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## Barbaraosa

JasonF said:


> It pains me to say this, but we're entering a time when a lot of people will back up without looking even at the backup camera until they either hear a horrible noise, or the proximity warning goes off. Mandatory backup cameras did absolutely nothing to help.


The backup camera shows you what's there but distances aren't clear so you don't know how close you are to the thing you are about to hit. That's why the green/yellow/red indicator is so nice.


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## Feathermerchant

Reason you should back in is it's a lot safer than backing out. Ask and fleet manager what the largest cause of accidents is.


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## NJturtlePower

JasonF said:


> It pains me to say this, but we're entering a time when a lot of people will back up without looking even at the backup camera until they either hear a horrible noise, or the proximity warning goes off. Mandatory backup cameras did absolutely nothing to help.


I don't doubt it....they're call BAD drivers and they are rampant!

I'm in a bunch of local FB Tesla groups and it's disgusting the amount of posts about curbed wheels. Most blame it on their wife or SO or Tesla directly (low profile means you just drive until you hit something apparently). Some go as far as saying don't fix it it will just happen again...no you suck at parking, FACT!🤦‍♂️

Wheels and tires are not made to be used like bumper cars....back in, use the available cameras and reverse tilt mirrors and practice like you're 16 again if needed! Same applies to Supercharger


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## NJturtlePower

Feathermerchant said:


> Reason you should back in is it's a lot safer than backing out. Ask and fleet manager what the largest cause of accidents is.


100% .... I used to drive commercially in NYC with box trucks, if you can drive there, you can drive anywhere.

In my personal vehicles I back in EVERYWHERE, stores, work, malls doesn't matter. Only place I don't back in is my garage.


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## skygraff

NJturtlePower said:


> I don't doubt it....they're call BAD drivers and they are rampant!
> 
> I'm in a bunch of local FB Tesla groups and it's disgusting the amount of posts about curbed wheels. Most blame it on their wife or SO or Tesla directly (low profile means you just drive until you hit something apparently). Some go as far as saying don't fix it it will just happen again...no you suck at parking, FACT!🤦‍♂️
> 
> Wheels and tires are not made to be used like bumper cars....back in, use the available cameras and reverse tilt mirrors and practice like you're 16 again if needed! Same applies to Supercharger


I would never pass the blame but I will say that it isn’t right to cast aspersions about people’s driving skills based on curb rash in Teslas.

First, there are sight line issues in these cars and different body types can exacerbate that just like how the mirrors have limited adjustment and don’t work for all heights as well as they should (although mirrors aren’t the best way to gauge parking position). Second, the tire/wheel setup is flashy and cool but forgives nothing (unlike many cars a lot of new owners drive before). Third, there are myriad external factors impacting successful parallel parking (e.g., road/curb design/refinishing and the way adjacent vehicles - especially the front one - are positioned, etc.). One other factor that shouldn’t be but probably is: the width of these vehicles relative to wheel position can be either a new experience (for people coming from 90’s compacts) or just deceptive but practice should remedy that.

Not that it has anything to do with driving ability but, if you haven’t experienced it when it’s working (which is rare), the auto-park and summon functions are just as likely to curb a wheel as to leave the car dangerously close to the traffic lane. Never let it scrape or park me too far from the curb when auto park has worked (watch it closely and don’t trust it but sometimes have to fix the wide ones). I have had two summon scrapes when I commanded my car forward to a space that had opened in front of it (closer to the restaurant door on a rainy night after dining with my elderly parents). I saw it turn its wheels toward the curb and canceled the summon but the signal was delayed.

The point is, no excuses but no need to cast stones. Nobody’s perfect and even the best drivers can’t control all factors.


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## Feathermerchant

We look for pull thru. No backing at all.


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## JasonF

Barbaraosa said:


> The backup camera shows you what's there but distances aren't clear so you don't know how close you are to the thing you are about to hit. That's why the green/yellow/red indicator is so nice.


Yes, but I'm talking about people who don't look at the backup camera, or the on-screen indicators, either. They just back up until they either hear a crunch, or hear the parking chimes turn into a warning signal, whichever comes first.

There are people who do the same thing with lane changes - use the blind spot alert as a shoulder check. Just move on over blindly until they either hear a crunch or a warning from the blind spot alert.

It disturbs me both because those systems aren't that reliable, and also because everyone knows that, but they don't care enough about their car (or anyone else's) to worry about hitting anyone. For those people, it's just something that happens sometimes.


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## NR4P

So many folks discounting the needs for parking sensors due to backup cameras. Seems so many have forgotten about pull in parking. With diagonal parking you cannot back in without great effort and then you are facing the wrong way. And then there are the garages and the inevitable wall in front of the car when you pull in forward.

Car does not have a front camera to see the bumper when parking.
Its a blind spot to most drivers.


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## garsh

When I was your age, we drove cars with NO cameras and NO ultrasonic sensors.
Somehow, we survived having to park such monstrosities.
</nowgetoffmylawn>


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## JasonF

garsh said:


> When I was your age, we drove cars with NO cameras and NO ultrasonic sensors.
> Somehow, we survived having to park such monstrosities.
> </nowgetoffmylawn>


The generation before that parked cars so huge they needed binoculars to see the other end of it. No cameras, no chimes.


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## Klaus-rf

Feathermerchant said:


> We look for pull thru. No backing at all.


 That would make an interesting garage.


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