Deep Dive
Shownotes Transcript
Welcome back to the Why Tesla Model Y podcast. This is episode 12. If you're a prospective Model Y buyer, a Model Y owner, or just can't get enough on Tesla and the Model Y in general, then you're in the right spot.
Here at the Why Tesla Model Y podcast, we primarily follow the weekly happenings and news on the r slash Tesla Model Y subreddit. Back when I was in the market for a Tesla, I was searching endlessly for a podcast solely focused on the Model Y, which did not exist. So I ended up on Reddit and other forums to learn more about the vehicle.
But I've always preferred audio content versus scrolling, especially, of course, on my daily 30 plus minute commute. So if you resonate with any of what I just mentioned, you are in the right place. As I mentioned, this is episode 12. Right before I get into the items that caught my attention over the past week over on the r slash Tesla Model Y subreddit page,
Real quickly, I want to shout out the five-star review of the week. Shout out to P. Sutherland. The review, of course, five stars. Only the five-star reviews get read. But it reads, the podcast really helped my decision. It says, short and sweet, thanks to listening to your podcast. We take delivery tomorrow on a 24 Model Y Long Range five-seater. Thank you again.
Peace, Sutherland. Shout out to you. That's a big moment, big decision. And that's, as I always say, what the podcast was started for, was to help prospective buyers, even if it's not with the purchase decision, just in the
the um you know thought that thought that goes into your next car purchase whether it's a Tesla or otherwise of just little things about accessories is an EV worth it can I make it work you know living in an apartment which color should I go with thoughts on uh tint and little things like that that uh these random posts that cat might catch my attention over the past week
I found value in it and I tend to tended to resonate with, you know, three, four, five, five posts seemingly every week as I scrolled through that r slash Tesla Model Y subreddit.
So as I always say, that's why I created the podcast was just to consolidate some of those helpful posts that that, you know, folks like like you guys listening post every single week in that in that thread. And I reported back to the people just an audio form versus versus scrolling through Reddit. So peace, other than glad I could help out. Appreciate the review.
As more and more come in, I'll continue to read off any that I think are worthwhile. But good to hear that at least one of you guys found value in the podcast. All right. First post that caught my attention over the past week. This is...
something i'm sure most of you have heard by now but they launched the quicksilver paint option for the model y in the us this is something that had been exclusively available overseas europe asia other markets this post it was actually five days ago and i'm recording this on april 30th so on april 25th this post from uh colonel sanders loves kfc
Interesting username. It says, Tesla officially launches Quicksilver paint option for Model Y. It's got a photo of an inventory Model Y performance dual motor for 53K. But the body of the post reads, currently only available on long range and performance models. This was an inventory one. I did not see it yet for a custom order. Given that this post was five days ago, I just logged in before recording the podcast today.
I shouldn't say logged in. I went to the Tesla site. I tried to custom order a Model Y. And sure enough, that still holds true. I don't yet see that Quicksilver paint option for the Model Y.
i think most of us were kind of expecting this if again if you've been scrolling through the subreddit you've seen or at least i've seen a few posts from various users i haven't reported on but i've i've seen them with you know quick silver color that light silver color model y on you know delivery trucks uh in the us so it seemed as though um
the quick silver model was starting to hit the ground in the U S it was just a matter of, is this something that we're going to make publicly available? Is this just a few exclusive, I don't know, perhaps imported models that they, they, they brought from overseas, but sure enough, it seems as though at least an inventory, you can now get yourself a quick silver colored. So that light silver color model Y here in the U S, um,
I'll read a couple comments. I don't think comments are as helpful for this. I just wanted to announce that news. But the top most upvoted comment says,
Just my two cents, I prefer the chubby look. I like the wide rear of the Tesla. I think it gives it an amazing look of the Model Y specifically, I should say. Another comment on here, I can't remember where I found it. Can't find it anymore, but it basically said, "I used to like Quicksilver until I saw it in person "and it looked more blue in person to the user."
which is fair i've seen actually a couple posts now where of real life photos not just the stock tesla photo of the quicksilver paint and it does seem to change colors quite easily whether it's cloudy it's a sunny day you know it's parked in a garage it looks completely different it almost looks like that stealth darker gray in some lighting situations whereas in the sun i think it looks great
So, long story short, for any of those of you that wanted a different paint option, it seems that it's now available for inventory existing pre-built models. Not yet available, though, for the custom order, at least at the time of recording on April 30th.
So, thought that was worthwhile. I think the only other thing to think about there is how is Tesla going to price it? For at least folks in the US, the stealth gray, so the dark gray paint color, at least for 2024 models when you custom order, it's included free of charge. All other paint colors are additional charges.
So I think it's the white and the blue are $1,000 extra if you're custom ordering your Model Y to get white or blue, it's an extra $1,000. And then black and red, I think, are the two that they tack on $2,000 for those specific paint colors, which is a bummer because I think black and red are obviously the two best looking Model Ys in my opinion. So it's going to be interesting to see where they slot in Quicksilver, you know,
You know, will it be $1,000? My thought is that it's probably going to be an extra $2,000 at least, along with the black and red color option.
Moving on, next post that caught my attention over the past week, steering modes. This is from user Comfortably Bot, posted a couple days ago. It says, "Steering modes, what's the difference? Seriously, I don't feel any difference between the comfort, standard, and sport steering modes on my Model Y Performance. I've tried each one multiple times and get the same feel in terms of road bumps, turning stiffness, etc. What exactly is the difference have you experienced between the modes?"
Before I go into the comments here, I will note that just in my experience, again, I've owned a Model Y since January, so only four, four and a half months now. All steering modes just coming from
you know, regular gas powered vehicle over to a Tesla, all steering modes are pretty dang stiff and that there's quite a bit of resistance just to turn the wheel. Whereas, so my wife, for instance, has a Volkswagen. I came from a 2013 Kia Optima. It was much, much easier, far less resistance to actually turn the wheel, which is some point out and I'll read it through some of the comments here in a bit. But
That's generally preferred when you're going at high speeds. Think about on the highway, you hit a bump, you don't want that wheel jerking back and forth. You want it to hold you in a straight line. However, it can be a pain at slower speeds where it's tougher to turn the wheel in general, or perhaps you're slowing down to take a turn or in parking situations.
random antidote, but I saw a reel, I think, on Instagram the other day with somebody driving a Rolls Royce, and they demonstrated in the reel with one finger they had on the steering wheel, they were able to make a complete 90 degree turn of the wheel. And so it was indicating how it's the most comfortable vehicle available. That's definitely not the case with Tesla. Not in the comfort situation, but...
more so just the fact that you cannot use just one finger to turn the wheel. You've got to truly put some force in it. And so all steering modes, just my two cents, feel pretty dang stiff compared to other vehicles. So let me read through some of these comments. Most upvoted comments says, I think it just changes the resistance on the wheel only. Sport is harder to turn than comfort, etc.,
Next comment. I went from standard to comfort because when driving on the freeway, I found it easier to hold a straight line in comfort mode. Standard felt a little twitchy to me. This wasn't a scientific experiment, but it was my impression, and I've left it in comfort ever since and been happy with how it drives. I actually found that to be the opposite. I found standard and sport to be more solid, less twitchy, less...
You know, mobility when driving at high speeds on the highway, holding a straight line, whereas comfort, at least of the three, gives you more comfort, more ease in turning the wheel, less overall resistance.
so actually this next comment goes and adds to that exact point it says on my model model y performance sport has way more resistance great for higher speeds while standard is decent and good for lower speeds comfort is so soft decent for parking for the first year i only ever use sport i like the precision feel of it that's actually something i should probably try i've only ever had mine in comfort mode because it
I still think it has way too much resistance. I wish it was a bit easier to turn the wheel, but I've always only ever had mine in comfort mode. Another comment, actually a few agree with this sentiment here. It says, "I wish it would adjust steering ratio, but it only changes the resistance. I would prefer extremely light resistance at low speed for parking and high resistance to keep things smooth and precise at high speed.
Um, so wrap up with that one. I agree. Um, it does tend to have, you know, a lot more resistance than it needs to, uh, less at lower speeds, but I think it should be much easier to turn the wheel than it is. Uh, I mean, I consider myself in relatively good shape, uh, in my thirties, I shouldn't have any trouble turning a steering wheel, but it is
You have to throw a couple hands on it or make sure you've got a decent grip on the steering wheel if you're looking to make a true 90 degree or 180 turn versus other vehicles. It's much, much easier to turn the wheel. So just my two cents there. I thought that was a worthwhile post to read through. This next post I want to read. This is actually a follow-up to, man, it was probably episode three, episode four back in the day when I touched on
accessories and one of the posts specifically was focused on the the sexy knob the SE or I should say S3 XY knob it's an aftermarket knob or accessory you can plug into the center console section of the Tesla that as the name suggests it's applicable to Model S Model 3 Model X Model Y
Great, clever name. But anyway, let me read through the post. It says, Shortcuts Installed. It's got a photo of this knob with what looks to be air conditioning passenger and driver seat.
images and then air vents up on the top right. So it's got four different settings on the knob and it says just installed the S3XY sexy knob. So far it has been pretty convenient using for things like volume, fan speed, drive modes toggle, unlock the glove box from a centralized physical control versus reaching for on-screen options especially while driving.
Other stuff, like temporarily disabling with a single click the child locks on the rear doors when adult passengers are trying to get out has been pretty convenient. So, pretty unique use case there, at least for that last one. But, I kind of like this. It does take up some real estate in your center console. So, the sliding cover to that large center console section...
What is that maybe 40% almost 50% of it is taken up now by this knob that fits in pretty well same color same texture completely horizontally covers the width of that center console but the Essentially that that cover as I just said it no longer shuts all the way it shuts about 50 60% Until it hits that that knob so it sits in there pretty flush, but it gives you you know less accessible
hand room at least, to reach into that storage space. So this is something that's caught my attention. I think it's a really unique accessory. Part of me, especially when driving, I miss the physical knobs just for something like turning up the volume. Granted, I use the steering wheel controls for that quite a bit. So I should say, you know, adjusting the airspeed, adjusting the temperature, little things like that. Drive mode toggle, I think that's a unique use case for it.
I do miss kind of having, you know, a actual knob to turn the wheel and adjust those items. So this has caught my attention that it's dynamic. You can plug in different, you know, essentially buttons on this knob. So let me read through some of the comments.
One, actually the most upvoted one, says, "Does your center console light always stay on considering the slide isn't closed all the way?" OP never replied to that comment, but a few different folks say yes, it does stay on. The close mechanism is about an inch from closing. However, the slide is flush with the knob. So there's essentially no problem. The light does not leak out.
especially if you have an aftermarket tray underneath the slide door, shouldn't be an issue. Another comment, I'm loving mine so far, although I've only had it a few days. Another comment, got mine Friday. It's nice for my wife to have access to it instead of trying to use the touchscreen while I'm driving. I put in a couple of the buttons on the back of the armrest for my kid to turn on the heated seats back there and control the rear vent. That's a pretty neat use case as well.
I probably got a little happy with it. Enhanced Auto had a discount on the buttons, so I've got another two pack. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with. The knob pretty much covers anything else. One says nice, looks like a clean install.
So for a new user that's seeing this for the first time, said, "This is new to me. Do those four buttons next to the knob do anything?" The OPXR respond to this one said, "Yes, the knob shows the action that the button will perform. You have three pages on the knob to assign different actions. Depending on the action you select, spin the knob to set the value for that option, e.g. push side button, scroll to set value, done."
So that's really neat. The final comment I'll read just says, "Got mine last week too. Install was a breeze and loved the iPhone functionality as well. Thinking of getting a mount for the phone in front of steering wheel to take advantage of all the cool S3XY app functionality too." So from all I can see, I mean, the folks that have it and have installed it love it.
It seems like there's tons of functionality on it. It gives you the actual physical knob and control and it's pretty interactive. So you select, do I want to adjust the volume? Do I want to adjust the fan speed, the tilt on the seat that I'm sitting in? You press the button and then boom, you can turn the dial to adjust that particular setting.
So really, really cool. Interested to hear for those of you that have installed it, feedback, whether it's worth the purchase price and the money or not. Let me see if I can find it quick. I want to try to report on what the price is and I minimize the one that linked to it. So we got time. Let me actually just look up the price. All right. So
Looks like anywhere from 200 to 300 bucks. T Sportline, pretty popular Tesla accessory shop, has that knob itself with all the functionality, 329 bucks. Another one sells what looks like the same one for 265 bucks. Another one, 329. So 250, 330 bucks.
pretty penny. I personally don't think I would purchase it at that price. It's a nice to have functionality rather than a need to have, although I think it's pretty dang cool. But curious to hear y'all's thoughts. It seems like those that have bought it love it. So curious to hear if you guys have an experience with it. All right, two more posts that caught my attention over the past week. Excuse me. One
is from Para Waiting NC. It says, would a Tesla make sense if I drive 40 to 60,000 miles a year? I usually drive no more than 150 to 200 miles per day, so I think the range on any of the cars is great for me, but I'm concerned with battery degradation. Does it hurt the battery if I drive that many miles a year versus someone who only drives 10 to 15k? Another concern for me is tire wear.
I've heard it can be bad, but I've also heard I can buy special tires made for EV cars. Anyone have experience with this, thanks for any help.
Top comment from Cali Summer Dream says the more you drive the more you should get a Tesla. The energy savings will be huge assuming that you can charge it home overnight to the tune of 5 to 7k savings a year. If you don't drive aggressively your tires will last around 50,000 miles. If you drive that much calendar aging will matter less than cycle aging.
A Tesla battery is expected to last around 1,500 cycles. If you get a long range, you should get around 500k out of the original battery. So in 10 years, you're going to need a new battery. 10 years later, the Model Y will probably have lived its entire useful lifetime. In these 20 years, you will have saved over $100,000 in energy cost. So while you want to trust and believe that the math adds up, I haven't done the calculations myself,
But I think the sentiment is true in that it should last a heck of a long time, the battery that is, before you need a replacement. So even if you're driving that many miles per year, you can expect a good 10 years before you even need to think about replacing. Which for myself, that I drive maybe 15,000 miles a year, gives me hope that I will not have to think about battery replacement as long as I own the View.
Another comment. Seems like you're at the sweet spot for daily driving, 150 to 200 mixed driving, i.e. not 80 miles per hour. This would allow you to charge at home and save a lot of cash. I don't think battery is really a concern. Get a long range with 19s for the best efficiency and enjoy the lack of maintenance. Um...
Another comment, kind of different topic, but says, don't bother with special EV tires unless you want the road noise reduction. Chill mode on acceleration will bring down tire wear. It will still be slightly higher than a lighter, less torquey vehicle. The tire wear I think they're referring to there.
and then finally i'll leave off with this one um actually let me read two more uh one says have a charger at home or work and don't have to step into a gas station ever again full self-driving will be very useful for your commute um i'll echo that sentiment and even take a step back i don't think full self-driving is necessary um i think just basic autopilot is more than enough for
highway commutes of 50, 100 miles, whatever it may be. Does a fantastic job at reducing fatigue with just being able to be hands-free for the most part, not have to be overbearing with every turn, acceleration, braking decision as the car does that for you. Comment goes on to read, you were the target customer for EV. Light on the gas pedal and you don't need to worry about tires.
And then finally, last comment I want to leave off with says, my wife drives north of 20, excuse me, my wife drives north of 30,000 miles and loves it. She charges every day to 80%. I haven't done a deep dive degradation test, but after 13 months of use, it still shows original range.
The vast majority of charging is on level two. We've supercharged around 5,000 miles for road trips. I don't think battery degradation is a real concern with these cars. Obviously, anything can happen, but I think it's reasonable to expect a few hundred thousand miles before battery issues for the average driver. With the amount you drive, any car you get will be worthless, quotes, by the time you're done with it anyway. Um...
So I don't have much personal sentiment to add there. I drive far less than that per year. Can't say I'll ever get to a point where I drive 40 to 60,000 miles in a year. But I tend to agree. I mean, especially if you, you know, you drive 150 to 200 miles per day,
I think the key there is, you know, is that 150 to 200 miles to work and back? As in, are you ending up at the house every night? You can charge it home every night. If so, even without the long range, I think you'll be perfectly fine. I think that is specifically, as one of those comments read, the perfect instance to get an EV to save on those fuel costs. That is the perfect use case and solution.
target audience per se for an EV. That was Signal Cockroach 902335 with that comment that I 100% agree with. So anyway, I thought that was a worthwhile read. I'm sure some of you fall into that category as well. Maybe not putting 40 to 60,000 miles on the car per year, but perhaps driving 50, 100, 150 miles per day
or at least a few times a week. I think that's worthwhile to keep in mind.
Final post that caught my attention over the past week, then we'll wrap this baby up for episode 12. This one, it's always an interesting read. Anytime I see a post generally asking about accessories, again, non-sponsored here, so this is just fully going off of reading what other folks feel, and I'll add in my two cents here and there. The post is from Quantum Bitcoin four days ago. It says, what are your must-have accessories for your Model Y?
I recently got mine. I'm wondering about the paint, the windows, the mats, the screens. Is a ceramic coat necessary or is a good waxing enough? Does everyone need a screen for the top during the summer or just those in the south? Buy them from Tesla itself or from somebody else. Thanks for any tips. The most upvoted comment, one that, again, four months into my
Model Y ownership I haven't even thought about, nor have I purchased, whereas I feel like I was to the point now where I've got basically everything I need. This comment says, cover the air vents on the floor with mesh to avoid rattling pebbles. A reply to that says, wish I got mine sooner. I have no idea how to get rid of the rattling pebbles either. So this is something I'm not sure why Tesla, and obviously I've seen other vehicles actually with the same technology,
kind of structure. They've got these wide open air vents underneath the front driver and passenger seat just for floor, you know, feet directed air for their rear passengers that have no mesh, no covering whatsoever. So for those with, you know, children like myself, if they drop something, it falls right in there. It's going to be pretty dang tricky to get out.
This post was helpful because for that specific instance of covering the air vents in the floor with mesh, there's actually a, within that reply thread, there's a link to an air vent for the Model 3, the Model Y, and the mesh that covers it for about seven bucks. So that's something that I plan to purchase here in a moment. More comments though for accessories.
Mud flaps and ensure you have the bottom rear door PPF for rock chips. Glass screen protector for peace of mind. I personally have the matte screen protector from... I'm going to forget who I got it from. I can check real quick.
Again, non-sponsored, but it was Test Bros was where I got the matte screen protector. That's worked pretty well for both reflection and minimizing any sun reflection, but also fingerprints. While there's still some, it's far less with the screen protector. Wheel covers, which cover the lip of the rim. So MagBack, I know is a dealer, a market,
online that sells many items but is known for those wheel covers that cover the lip the rims which is I haven't gotten yet but I think it's quite necessary because the rims the wheels itself stick out further than the actual wheels for some odd reason and are quite prone to curb rush and then finally this comic goes on to read personally do-it-yourself PPF or professional PPF bumper and
The bumper is very hard for first timer. Again, I haven't PPFed any part of my vehicle. I would like to do a full PPF satin wrap at some point. It just costs a heck of a lot of money to get it installed. And that would frustrate the heck out of me to install it myself. So I agree with that. Pretty dang thin paint on Tesla's. So that's something to consider as well.
Mud flaps, screen protector, floor mats, Amazon is fine. That's another comment there. Another comment, rubber mats is probably the biggest one for me personally, but silicone cup holder inserts are way underrated. Another one, matte screen protector, all-weather floor mats, turtle wax, rear floor vent covers, interior bins for the console, tire pump, so an air compressor and plugs,
i don't use a shade on the top and don't plan to i'm in georgia it's pretty dark and blocks almost all heat i have side windows tinted it's a 25 and windshield tinted to 50 which cuts down on heat a lot while driving um to add my two cents to that i mean it's just springtime here in texas and i'm over six feet tall and so i don't know if that carries any weight but i for what it's worth i maybe my head sits a little bit higher
to the glass
the glass roof of the Tesla. And so I've noticed just in the springtime, even if it's, you know, a mild 80 some degrees here in Texas that, um, I will feel the heat on the top of my head. Um, whereas the roof glass of Tesla's model Y model three, whatever it may be, it comes tinted. That is the only glass on the Tesla to not just come colored, but come tinted, uh, with some UV protection. But, uh,
enough light does still get in to where it's not a bothersome amount of light. It's more so just there is some actual heat that comes from that ceiling glass that I do think, you know, some sort of shade, I've seen even retractable shade options, I think that would help with. I'm not sure why that is. You know, I think it's obviously that glass is taking heat away
All day. I mean, even, you know, I park in a covered garage, but the second I pull it out into the sun, I do feel some heat that hits the top of my head. So for what it's worth, I do think eventually that that covered shade could be worth it.
The other unique use case I have for some sort of shade to cover that roof glass is I've got a child. And so I had the situation the other night where it's completely dark, my daughter's sleeping in the back seat, and we're on the highway, but we're in a section driving through the city. There's tons of lights every 10 yards, it seems. So they're constantly flashing. We're pulling under toll booths.
We were leaving the airport, so we stopped under an overhang that's brightly lit. You stop at stoplights, etc. Streetlights, they shine right in. So I didn't wake her up for the record, but it was on my mind of, you know, perhaps that's a tad annoying to where every time I drive under a light, you know, a flicker of that light hits her right in the eyes. Higher chance of the kid waking up.
Didn't happen, but for whatever reason my mind went there So that between a little bit more heat summer days spring days fall days Especially if you're down here in the south I do think that that could be my next accessory that I purchased but after those You know floor air vent mesh covers is perhaps some sort of retractable
you know, headliner essentially to cover that glass when, when I need it or for those particularly hot days. Um, anyway, I think that's enough on the accessory category of, of at least three podcasts now covered, uh, similar posts with most sought after and recommended accessories. Uh, check YouTube as well. I got lost in the world of YouTube for, uh,
you know, when I was a prospective buyer, but even when I was awaiting delivery of my Tesla, I was consuming hours of YouTube content. I don't have any myself. The Why Tesla Model Y podcast, we don't have a presence on YouTube, but there's tons of good creators out there. Just search Tesla Model Y accessories. You can find hours worth of content on there. And obviously visuals, videos showing you
exactly what it looks like, just keep in mind that nearly all of those videos are sponsored. You'll see it in the description. You'll be able to catch on pretty clearly in the video that those videos that you're probably watching were served to you. They were promoted. And obviously those influencers, while it might be a great product, they're getting a cut of, you know,
any accessories that you purchase by clicking on their link, etc. So take it with a grain of salt, but that'll point you in the right direction in general with what accessories you need to be thinking about as a prospective buyer or even a Model Y owner that like myself just haven't thought about things like
The wide open floor vents in the rear under the front driver and passenger seat that can easily become a black hole for things that are dropped in the backseat. So this one felt all over the place, but episode 12, it's officially in the books. I will publish this tonight. It's Tuesday, April 30th.
late at night. So I'm sure you guys won't hear this till later than the week, but as always, I appreciate your time. Appreciate you guys tuning in. Um, appreciate the reviews as well. So continue to leave the five-star reviews, leave a written review if you may, uh, or if you, you feel led to do so. And I'll read that off in a future podcast. Uh, appreciate you guys as always. And we will see you next week.