# One year review and thoughts..



## Needsdecaf (Dec 27, 2018)

1 year ago 
we took delivery of our first Tesla, first EV, just in time for the $7,500 tax credit deadline. The ordering and paperwork process was pretty painful. Since then I've put on quite a few miles (all but 100 or so of the above were driven by me), remarkably in the Houston metro area for the most part. It had done 5-6 trips to Dallas and back, most in the same day.

Mods have included:

* XPel PPF on full front end. 
* XPel XR prime tint 20% all around, back window one piece. 
* RPM Tesla roof seal kit
* RPM Tesla led door and trunk lights
* RPM Tesla center console wrap in carbon fiber
* Plasti-Dip wheel coating in Brass Monkey
* GTechniq Crystal Serum Light ceramic coating.

Future mods:
* Scan My Tesla (on the way, I ordered the wrong connector initially)
* Wrapping exterior chrome (not black)
* Caliper painting
* Powder coat wheels

Mods if I decide to keep car long term:
* Power trunk close
* Big brake kit
* Coilovers

Maintenance and maladies:

* squeaky center console fixed
* bluetooth mics replaced
* loose driver's seat back repaired
* torn lower underbody tray replaced with updated part (both)
* Screw in tire plugged
* Tires rotated once
* Windshield replaced once with two cracks
* Windshield repaired two other times with two chips
* Tires about 1/3 life left. Will be replacing with Continental ExtremeContact DWS06

* Nearly $1,800 in savings electricity vs fuel.

I have to say that this is a great daily. Certainly not perfect, IMO. But I can't imagine having driven 29k in my GTI.

Likes:

* EV drivetrain is super smooth
* 1 pedal driving rocks
* Giant google maps display
* Autopilot really reduces fatigue on trips and in traffic
* Great headroom and overall comfort
* Acceleration is fantastic
* OTA updates make car fresh every 45 days
* No need to fill up every 3 days.

Gripes:

*Lateral bolstering on seats is pathetic
* Friction brakes pretty weak for speed of car. May need better pads. 
* Bouncy ride not so great. 
* Autopilot ping-pings in lanes fairly frequently
* TACC not always smooth; tends to late brake and hard
* Don't get me started on the streaming audio buffering and not loading. Brutal
* NOA fairly useless 
* Paint quality as delivered not great
* Hard to shut trunk and occasionally doors
* need better labeling for door release buttons (newcomers always pull the emergency release)
* Interior parts quality does not match price tag

Yes, some of those gripes have aftermarket fixes, and will be addressed.

Overall an excellent daily driver. Room for improvement for sure.


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## bcamp83 (Jan 2, 2019)

Very similar experience here. 13k miles in San Antonio with trips to Austin and New Orleans. Agree with all the likes. Same color and interior as well. 

EV driving is so smooth. 
one pedal driving is amazing 
giant google maps
acceleration    zoom zoom. Serious safety feature in Texas. I love knowing I can get in front of someone or move out of the way. 


dislikes are different. I noticed the ping ponging on my last trip but never so much before that. I thought it was the wind. 
PHANTOM Braking! This happens too much to be a good thing. It's not everyday, but when it happens, it scares the hell out of me and I'm afraid of getting rear ended. Strong braking at 70 mph for no reason is not acceptable. 
NOA is not as useful as I hoped. Though I do like it for moving into a faster lane just so that TACC doesn't follow the slow poke in front of me. 
I second the hard to shut trunk, it's ridiculous. 

My final thoughts are that all non EV cars are primitive. I've crossed that line and can't stand to even ride in an ICE car let alone drive it. If you're reading this, and on the fence about how things are, I've been very happy and I can't look back.


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## Kimmo57 (Apr 10, 2019)

I used to roll my eyes when people complained about the lack of electric trunk lid. Then I bought the car and soon after the kit. Now I wouldn't give it up for anything, it really is useful.


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## Needsdecaf (Dec 27, 2018)

Kimmo57 said:


> I used to roll my eyes when people complained about the lack of electric trunk lid. Then I bought the car and soon after the kit. Now I wouldn't give it up for anything, it really is useful.


Yeah, it seems ridiculous but the design of the trunk makes it very difficult to shut completely. It's not a great design. Difficult to pull and high up in the air. Only really good way is to give the inside handle a hard yank but then the trunk SLAMS.


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## Maverick_Tesla (Feb 6, 2020)

Hi Needsdecaf,
When you say torn underbody tray, are you referring to damage to the jacking points? Can you elaborate on the repair? My car is also damaged and currently waiting to hear what Tesla is prepared to do. 
Cheers Maverick


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## Needsdecaf (Dec 27, 2018)

Hello!

No, no damage to the jacking points. The front and rear of the car is covered up by a fibrous aerodynamic panel. It's black and it's made of some kind of composite of...something with fiberglass holding it together (I know it's fiberglass because it's hairy and makes me itch!).

If you search around, there are a bunch of threads on this. The panel is very weak and can rip off when driving through deeper puddles, as happened to me. Mine was the front. Some have had the rear rip off. The new ones are supposedly stronger but looked the same to me.....

Tesla's repair is to replace the panels. There is a bulletin on it. I had mine covered under warranty but others have not.

Here is my thread:

https://teslaownersonline.com/threads/puddle-1-front-undertray-0.12729/#post-232427

Here is the master thread on the issue:

https://teslaownersonline.com/threads/underbody-panels-tearing-off.10617/


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## Maverick_Tesla (Feb 6, 2020)

thanks for the reply Needsdecaf, I am hoping someone in this community has had a similar experience to me that they can share. 
cheers 
Mav


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