Quote:
Originally Posted by afadeev
Tesla forums certainly have their share of nuts.
But pound for pound, this place has way more rabid anarchists and anti-EV-at-all-cost weirdos than the other way around. Unless, that is, you run into a vegan... 
I generally agree with many of the observations and the sentiments, but will make a few corrections in case anyone is wondering. - The most under-rated EV feature (for me) is ability to pre-heat or pre-cool the car to your liking on short notice. Any time of the year. That really stands out each time I drive my ICE cars.
- Squeaky steering is, most likely, failing FUCAs (front upper control arms). It's a weak point in Model 3 suspension that usually lasts ~35-50K miles.
Very easy DIY job, but a job nonetheless.
- Fan speed is liable to whistle if you haven't replaced the HVAC filters (2 of them). A particularly contortionist job in MY'18-19 Model 3s, revised for easier maintenance in subsequent years.
- Stock Model 3 shocks are sh*t, and have minimal travel before hitting bump stops. Once you hit the bump stops, the suspension gets unsettled. Easily upgradable, as it is with BMWs (I highly recommend Ohlin's).
- You can turn TC fully OFF in Performance cars. TM3-Performance also comes with excellent track mode that allows infinite variations of torque transfer between front and rear axles/motors. You can NOT turn TC fully OFF in cheaper trims.
- Brakes are under-sized on non-Performance Model 3's, not that the 99+% of the buyers of those cars will ever notice!
- Tesla (and other commercial DC) SuperChargers are rip-offs. Tesla prices theirs at parity with cost of gasoline per mile, and then jacks the prices up/down depending on time of day, traffic, demand, etc.
- You absolutely have to have access to a home or work L2 chargers to get savings from electricity propulsion. The difference is ~4.5 : 1 in per mile EV cost advantage over gasoline when charging at home.
- Highway driving above 75 mph does consume more energy, as it does with ICE cars. We just don't care as much about mileage as EV drivers do
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- I get ~20% energy consumption penalty when doing 80+mph (allegedly) in an EV. So figure, ~3.5 : 1 in EV per mile cost advantage over gasoline when charging at home.
- I get additional ~5-20% energy consumption penalty when driving in sub-freezing temps, but this number is not a constant. If the battery is warm after spending the night in my garage, the penalty is ~0%. If the battery starts getting too cold, it uses energy to heat itself. The colder, the more energy is consumed, regardless of what temperature you set to maintain inside the cabin.
- You can buy a key fob, though I find that opening the car with cell-phones is far easier and more convenient. I've had 99.9% reliability with iPhones opening Model 3s, a bit more hit and miss with Androids, but keep a backup key card in my wallet anyway.
- Depending on battery chemistry in your car, you may (or may not) want to regularly charge to either 80% (NCA or NCM) or 100% (LFP) of battery capacity. For longer road trips, I charge to 100% without hesitation.
- Normally, I charge my NCM EV (Model 3) to 80% once a week (or longer), and LFP EV (Lexus RZ) to 100% once once a week (or longer). Unless I know I will go somewhere far, then it's 100% for both.
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Thanks for the squeaky fan fix, ill look into the filter change, as i believe it was changed a little over a year ago.
From my understanding, you can not turn off traction or stability control 100%, unless you go into "drift" mode which is only the rear wheels when turning, then all wheels when straight so its really only good for doing donuts. Again, this is only in the performance model, unfortunately. Ive heard of people getting stuck in the snow because they cant turn off traction control. Slip start does not really disable it, it just gives you a little bit more at lower speeds, causing people issues in the snow.
The brakes are more than undersized. The brake pedal feel is mushy. It doesn't bite as well as my BMWs or even my 2018 Camry if you can believe that.
I spoke on the key fob in my post, do you have one?
LFP battery does not like to be charged 100% either just like lithium ion. If you need a link i can probably find the scientific study. LFP also enjoys similar charges BUT doesnt take *as* much abuse when 100% charged, again, still not "good" for it speaking of longevity.