# Managing Two Teslas in the Family



## Bill Treloar

I Have a Model 3 and my wife is picking up her Model Y soon. Does anyone have any advice on how best to manage or combine the phone apps? How about combining or managing the key cards?

Thanks!
Bill


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## SoFlaModel3

My wife and I both have separate accounts. She never drives mine and I rarely drive hers, so if I'm driving hers I just take the keycard.


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## FRC

My wife and I share the same account, so it's a simple swipe to change from one to the other.


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## GDN

We have 2 model 3's. We have them on the same account. Truely we rarely swap cars, but do on occasion and it is just easy. The problem, even with them on the same account, you must open the app and select the car you want to unlock or get in and drive. Just because they are in the same account doesn't make them accessible without selecting the proper car. This really kind of drives me nuts - either car should unlock or start regardless of which one I have selected is my feeling.

There is a draw back I'll say to this, but it's about trust with you and significant other, both being in the same account - you can see and locate the car at any time. If you want to hide from the other half you better keep two accounts with no access to the account.

As far as keys are concerned, Tesla makes it very easy and you'll have extra keys, this is assuming they didn't change the key with the Y. We took both keys from one car and registered them in the other and vice versa. Keep track of them as you register them so you know which driving profile to tie to each one. Each one of us carry a key for an emergency and then other two are tucked away at home.

Edit - just read about a new feature coming soon called "Car Access". Looks like Tesla is making it easy for you to give access to the car to someone else on a limited or temporary basis. This might make it easier if you maintain separate accounts but want access on occasion.


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## Tesla Newbie

Our Models 3 and Y are on the same Tesla account. As GDN described, this makes it easy to use one another‘s car without having to fumble with the key card. Yes, this means that we have to actively select the other car, but for as often as the need arises this isn‘t a big deal to us.

What’s more important is that adding the Model Y to the mix finally solved a problem we‘ve had with the 3 since it arrived at the house. While both of us configured our phone as keys, he has been the car’s primary driver. Regardless, every time we approached the car together and I hopped into the passenger seat (regardless of whether I was first or second in the car), the 3 defaulted to my driver’s profile and Bluetooth connected to my phone for calls and audio. If he was driving alone, the profile and Bluetooth connection were, as expected, properly his. We unpaired and pared several times and always linked the phone keys to the appropriate profiles, but the problem persisted until ...

... we bought the Y. Now that my app is set 99% of the time to the new car, there’s no longer any confusion when we approach the 3 to ride together. The car sets the profile and Bluetooth connection to the guy who drives it every day.

As GDN described, remember that your existing key cards can be used for both cars, so there‘s no need to carry two in your wallets. You’ll end up with two spares stored in a safe place in case one gets lost. 

I should mention that the only issue we’ve had so far as a 2-Tesla couple is with Homelink. When we leave the house at the same time, the first person to back out triggers the auto down mechanism. Although the garage door has sensors to keep it from bisecting the car, it’s disconcerting the first time it happens. The solution is for the first driver to cancel the automatic down before it starts, but the second person is always a little reticent to get going. Something to think about.


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## Bigriver

We have 2 cars on one account. About the only problem we’ve had is that Tesla has on multiple occasions confused our cars. I’ve had service call me back about the wrong car. We had silence for months on a refund due to us, and finally found out they had denied it (without telling us) because they looked at the wrong car.

You can have the cars on 2 separate accounts, and then also grant permission to the other Tesla account to use the car. Then both cars show up. The only real distinction that I know of is that service appointments can only be made from the account that owns the car. I’m guessing the non-owning account cannot purchase upgrades either.


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## MachV

My friend and I manage several Tesla's for Turo rental. We have 2 different accounts. We give access to each others cars using the new Add driver feature. This is what I've learned. 

1. You can program a black keycard to work in many different Model 3's on the touchscreen. I don't know the limit but I have not hit it yet. This works, but of course its inconvenient.
2. You can share the account email/password OR the new feature to give access to up to 5 users for EACH car. It is MUCH more convenient and can use keyless entry and startup. Both allow all the features on the app except 2 things: purchasing upgrades (thank god!) and roadside service. I was allowed to schedule a service, but not roadside service. 
3. it is really easy to reprogram a black keycard to work in ANY model 3. takes seconds. You do it yourself, don't pay anyone.
4. It is easy to grant access to your car using Tesla's new feature, up to 5 users. But on the app you have to logout and log back in to see the new car. Takes less than a minute and can ONLY be authorized on the internet login, not the phone app.
5. If you are using car 1, you must be on your phone app on car 1 for it to work. If you swipe over to car2, its like you logged out and it doesn't work for that car.
6. First production Model 3's use a different black keycard than new ones. Its printed horizontal on the back. The new ones are printed vertically and MAY not work with older cars. Tesla may have fixed this by now.
7. There is no way to sort the cars in a particular order (not that I've discovered). If you drive car 5 it may be the 3rd one on the list. So when you launch the app, you have to change to your default car.

Hope this helps.


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## Bigriver

@MachV, you refer to the sharing access to the car as a new feature, but we've been doing it for at least a year. While we have 2 cars on one account, our solar is on another account, so we access both the cars as guests on the Tesla solar account. And we definitely could not make service appointments from it when on the non-owner account. I know that I tried and failed multiple times. But it's probably been at least 6 months since I tried. Perhaps they recently revamped/redefined the sharing process? It's always great to hear when they improve things.


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## MachV

Bigriver said:


> @MachV, you refer to the sharing access to the car as a new feature, but we've been doing it for at least a year. While we have 2 cars on one account, our solar is on another account, so we access both the cars as guests on the Tesla solar account. And we definitely could not make service appointments from it when on the non-owner account. I know that I tried and failed multiple times. But it's probably been at least 6 months since I tried. Perhaps they recently revamped/redefined the sharing process? It's always great to hear when they improve things.


Here is the link to Electrek's writeup about the feature which was just added for Tesla cars. Im not familiar with the solar side of it. Apparently this feature is not available in Canada yet.

https://electrek.co/2020/06/09/tesla-new-car-sharing-feature-access/


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## GDN

Tesla Newbie said:


> Our Models 3 and Y are on the same Tesla account. As GDN described, this makes it easy to use one another's car without having to fumble with the key card. Yes, this means that we have to actively select the other car, but for as often as the need arises this isn't a big deal to us.
> 
> What's more important is that adding the Model Y to the mix finally solved a problem we've had with the 3 since it arrived at the house. While both of us configured our phone as keys, he has been the car's primary driver. Regardless, every time we approached the car together and I hopped into the passenger seat (regardless of whether I was first or second in the car), the 3 defaulted to my driver's profile and Bluetooth connected to my phone for calls and audio. If he was driving alone, the profile and Bluetooth connection were, as expected, properly his. We unpaired and pared several times and always linked the phone keys to the appropriate profiles, but the problem persisted until ...
> 
> ... we bought the Y. Now that my app is set 99% of the time to the new car, there's no longer any confusion when we approach the 3 to ride together. The car sets the profile and Bluetooth connection to the guy who drives it every day.
> 
> As GDN described, remember that your existing key cards can be used for both cars, so there's no need to carry two in your wallets. You'll end up with two spares stored in a safe place in case one gets lost.
> 
> I should mention that the only issue we've had so far as a 2-Tesla couple is with Homelink. When we leave the house at the same time, the first person to back out triggers the auto down mechanism. Although the garage door has sensors to keep it from bisecting the car, it's disconcerting the first time it happens. The solution is for the first driver to cancel the automatic down before it starts, but the second person is always a little reticent to get going. Something to think about.


Good point about Homelink. We quit using auto close for the very reason you note. We almost always leave for work at the same time and the risk wasn't worth it.

It is much more rare, but auto open can be a little worrisome. After work we will occasionally meet for dinner or errands before we head home. If we pull up together the first car opens the door, the second car will do so as well, but that really just stops or closes the door. So in those situations the second person has to remember to "Cancel" the auto open. We haven't had an accident with it, but you must be aware of the situation and override it.


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## garsh

I'm so glad my two-car garage has separate doors for each car.


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## Gordon87

I have some related questions: We have a Tesla 3 at our house in Illinois. We are planning to purchase a Y for a new condo in Florida. If I buy it through my existing Tesla account, will I be able to specify a Florida delivery address when placing the order or will it erroneously default to my home address in IL in my Tesla account?

Also, once we get the car, I know that I need to select the right car in the app for the app to work. When I select the FL car the first time, will it always default to the FL car when I open the app until I select the IL car or will I need to swipe to the FL car each time I open the app? I am hoping it is the former as it will get tiresome to have to swipe each time while we are in FL.

Thank you all in advance for your advice.


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## FRC

IIRC, there is a point in the order process when you are asked to select a delivery center. Absent that, you can always request a chat from the order page online.

We own a 3 and a Y, housed in the same garage. My app remains on the car I last selected until I swipe to the other car. Then it remains on that car until I swipe again. Regardless of which car I'm sitting in.


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## Gordon87

FRC said:


> IIRC, there is a point in the order process when you are asked to select a delivery center. Absent that, you can always request a chat from the order page online.
> 
> We own a 3 and a Y, housed in the same garage. My app remains on the car I last selected until I swipe to the other car. Then it remains on that car until I swipe again. Regardless of which car I'm sitting in.


Thanks.


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## shareef777

Is there a technical reason as to why we have to specify the Tesla in the app for the BT key to work? Unlike most people here, my wife and I regularly swap cars and it's getting to be a major PIA to have to load the app and verify/choose the car we're getting into.


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## SoFlaModel3

Gordon87 said:


> I have some related questions: We have a Tesla 3 at our house in Illinois. We are planning to purchase a Y for a new condo in Florida. If I buy it through my existing Tesla account, will I be able to specify a Florida delivery address when placing the order or will it erroneously default to my home address in IL in my Tesla account?
> 
> Also, once we get the car, I know that I need to select the right car in the app for the app to work. When I select the FL car the first time, will it always default to the FL car when I open the app until I select the IL car or will I need to swipe to the FL car each time I open the app? I am hoping it is the former as it will get tiresome to have to swipe each time while we are in FL.
> 
> Thank you all in advance for your advice.


You will enter the registration address which will trigger where/how the car is delivered.


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## NR4P

We should have a 2nd Tesla in the coming months. Second one on order (X) is part of the current cars (3) account as an RN. It has my referral code. Just learned an owner referring themselves gets only 1000 Supercharger miles. 

Given the issues with two cars on one account (BT etc) anyway, I was thinking of taking the RN over to a new account before delivery. Assuming they will do it. We rarely drive each others cars currently. 

Anyone do this and then you do get the 2000 Supercharger miles, 1000 per account?


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## SoFlaModel3

NR4P said:


> We should have a 2nd Tesla in the coming months. Second one on order (X) is part of the current cars (3) account as an RN. It has my referral code. Just learned an owner referring themselves gets only 1000 Supercharger miles.
> 
> Given the issues with two cars on one account (BT etc) anyway, I was thinking of taking the RN over to a new account before delivery. Assuming they will do it. We rarely drive each others cars currently.
> 
> Anyone do this and then you do get the 2000 Supercharger miles, 1000 per account?


Yeah you would get 1000 miles in both accounts. Also, you can list each other as additional drivers and still control each other's cars via the app. That's what my wife and I did.


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## shareef777

I’ll add that when adding someone to your account as a driver, they have practically full access to the car. The only thing not available is the ability to purchase any added features (FSD, perf boost, etc). Otherwise, it’s identical to having the vehicle under your own account.

Found this when my cousin added me to his X and EVERYTHING started popping into my Teslamate system.


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## Bigriver

shareef777 said:


> The only thing not available is the ability to purchase any added features (FSD, perf boost, etc).


Weirdly, the Roadside Assistance menu item is also missing from the authorized account. Can schedule service for anything you want, but can't contact roadside service for a disabled vehicle from the non-owner account.


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## shareef777

Bigriver said:


> Weirdly, the Roadside Assistance menu item is also missing from the authorized account. Can schedule service for anything you want, but can't contact roadside service for a disabled vehicle from the non-owner account.


Ah good catch, didn't dive into the service menu. My guess is it avoids any option that's billable. Likely even a service call will require the owner to authorize the invoice before work is started.


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## NR4P

Thanks for the info on one vs two accounts. I have reached out to Tesla to see if and what is involved to move my RN to a new account. Let's see...


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## Bigriver

shareef777 said:


> Ah good catch, didn't dive into the service menu. My guess is it avoids any option that's billable. Likely even a service call will require the owner to authorize the invoice before work is started.


That makes sense, but not how it is. I scheduled service and am currently interacting with Tesla on my non-owner, authorized account (because that is the only way I can also see my solar).

Here is view from account that owns the car.









Here is view from authorized account. Service is still there, but Upgrades and Roadside Assistance is missing.


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## shareef777

Bigriver said:


> That makes sense, but not how it is. I scheduled service and am currently interacting with Tesla on my non-owner, authorized account (because that is the only way I can also see my solar).
> 
> Here is view from account that owns the car.
> View attachment 39025
> 
> 
> Here is view from authorized account. Service is still there, but Upgrades and Roadside Assistance is missing.
> View attachment 39026


Yes, but it's more like "tech support" until they actually have to show up for billable service. I'm curious if they'd actually show up if the service requires an invoice to be approved. I opened up a ticket for the AC smell and they sent me an invoice to approve for "non-warranty" work. I didn't approve it and so they didn't show up.


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## Bigriver

shareef777 said:


> Yes, but it's more like "tech support" until they actually have to show up for billable service. I'm curious if they'd actually show up if the service requires an invoice to be approved.


I have twice interacted with Service all the way through the end, paying the non-zero bill, all on the authorized account, and using the credit card attached to the owner's account. I don't even have a credit card associated with the authorized account. Emails noting the invoice are sent to both the owner account and the authorized account, so it would not be possible for an authorized user to do something in a vacuum without the owner seeing it. Also, all details of the upcoming/ongoing service show up in both accounts, totally the same as far as I can tell. Still, the point is that the authorized account is able to do more than just drive the car.

Also of note, any supercharging (paid or referral) gets drawn from the owner account even when driven under the authorized account. Actually, the only reason I ever log onto my owner account is to check the referral balance, which I can't see from the authorized account.


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## shareef777

Bigriver said:


> I have twice interacted with Service all the way through the end, paying the non-zero bill, all on the authorized account, and using the credit card attached to the owner's account. I don't even have a credit card associated with the authorized account. Emails noting the invoice are sent to both the owner account and the authorized account, so it would not be possible for an authorized user to do something in a vacuum without the owner seeing it. Also, all details of the upcoming/ongoing service show up in both accounts, totally the same as far as I can tell. Still, the point is that the authorized account is able to do more than just drive the car.
> 
> Also of note, any supercharging (paid or referral) gets drawn from the owner account even when driven under the authorized account. Actually, the only reason I ever log onto my owner account is to check the referral balance, which I can't see from the authorized account.


My guess is the tech didn't do their due diligence to verify that it wasn't the vehicle owner authorizing the invoice. I'm betting the invoice itself shows the owner's name, so someone else approved a legally binding contract without their name even being on it.

Kind of like how I've given my credit card to my daughter to use when shopping in the mall.


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## Bigriver

shareef777 said:


> My guess is the tech didn't due their due diligence to verify that it wasn't the vehicle owner authorizing the invoice. I'm betting the invoice itself shows the owner's name, so someone else approved a legally binding contract without their name even being on it.


Well in this case I am both owner and authorized account holder, so nothing non-kosher here. Curious if it would work differently for others.


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## shareef777

Bigriver said:


> Well in this case I am both owner and authorized account holder, so nothing non-kosher here. Curious if it would work differently for others.


I sure hope so lol. I've got others authorized for my vehicle and it was never made clear to me that they're able to charge anything to MY credit card on-file. Logically that would explain why they don't offer the upgrade options for authorized users.


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