|
|
Post by gato on Apr 6, 2022 6:15:50 GMT -5
Some time ago, I had a luncheon with some of my fellow LEO retirees. One of them always has some new toy to show off at these affairs. On this day it was a $100,000 Tesla, with some ridiculous amount of horsepower. We all trooped out to the parking lot to have a look at this mortgage-sized vehicle. After poking around front to back, I asked Jimmy: "no spare tire?" Turns out Teslas don't come with spare tires. It will do a 1/4 mile in a little over 9 seconds; just don't run over a roofing nail.
"So if you get a flat you have to tow it?" I asked. Turns out you can't tow a Tesla; something about the regenerative system overloading the flag bucket spin socket or something: you burn out something expensive. You have to flat bed your Tesla.
"Not to worry, said Jimmy, showing off the Tesla app on his phone. "You tap this icon here and someone may respond with a spare tire." (May... not will) And if no one shows up? Elon has you covered for a 60 mile flatbed trip. Hopefully you're within 60 miles of someone carrying the special Tesla tires. Can't you put some other tire on the car? Sure, but if it blows out (weight) and your Tesla pachyderm is damaged, Mr. Musk puts your warranty through the shredder (runs on Tesla batteries).
|
|
|
|
Post by rickyguitar on Apr 6, 2022 7:31:30 GMT -5
I don't suppose there is a built in umbrella either.
I view them as nothing more than a status symbol or toy. At least a Hummer seemed to have practical aspects.
I have a Chevy that has the battery under the spare. That was almost a deal breaker for me.
|
|
|
|
Post by themaestro on Apr 6, 2022 8:24:57 GMT -5
They don't design cars for emergency or do-it-yourself repairs and maintenance.
My Nissan Sentra has 137k miles. I was thinking that maybe it's time for new spark plugs. It turns out that the intake manifold plenum has to be removed to get to the spark plugs. I guess that the old ones will stay there until they actually start causing a problem.
Gone are the days when you could get yourself home with duct tape, a paper clip and a nail file.
To be truthful, cars are a lot more dependable than in the old days, where at 100k miles, the car was only good for your kid to drive to school and maybe make it there. My Sentra has never had anything mechanical done to it.
|
|
tej
Quarternote
Posts: 13
|
Post by tej on Apr 6, 2022 8:34:22 GMT -5
High insurance rates helped kill off the muscle cars of the sixties. Most of today's electric cars are A LOT faster, so how long until it happens again?
|
|
|
|
Post by rickyguitar on Apr 6, 2022 10:41:53 GMT -5
I am guessing another thing they have in common is a problem with ice.
|
|
|
|
Post by modbus on Apr 6, 2022 11:01:58 GMT -5
To be truthful, cars are a lot more dependable than in the old days I think we hit peak reliability about 10 or so years ago. Cars are getting awfully complex these days to meet all the regulations -- variable valve timing, turbos, CVTs, and cylinder deactivation all increase fuel economy but are a lot less reliable than the old tried and true OHV engines with EFI from a few years back. When you add in all the tech stuff they cram into brand new modern cars, I doubt many of them make it to 200k. |
|
|
|
Post by walshb 🦒 on Apr 6, 2022 14:13:28 GMT -5
My Nissan Sentra has 137k miles.... My Sentra has never had anything mechanical done to it. It's about the same with our Altima, about the same mileage, also. Even with a CVT tranny that you hear so many bad things about. I replaced the power driver's seat switches once, but that's the only thing beyond standard maintenance. I got the part cheap off eBay. The other day, wife said the trunk wouldn't open with the fob or the button inside the car. We pulled down one of the rear seats and had our grandson crawl in back to pull the trunk release. Then I got out my meter and verified there was voltage, but nothing was changing when pushing the trunk release button. I did an internet search and found that there is a Valet button inside the glove box. Sure enough, somehow it had gotten turned to the "on" position. I guess I'll be leaving the spark plugs in there, assuming it's the same situation as your Sentra. |
|
|
|
Post by langford on Apr 6, 2022 19:55:11 GMT -5
High insurance rates helped kill off the muscle cars of the sixties. Most of today's electric cars are A LOT faster, so how long until it happens again? I suspect insurance rates have more to do with the age/gender of the people who drive them than their speed.  |
|
|
|
Post by markfromhawaii on Apr 7, 2022 10:52:22 GMT -5
When I was working for Hawaiian Electric Company, one of my responsibilities was to oversee the deployment of fast charging stations. Tesla required an adapter that the vehicle owner could buy to use our chargers. Not sure if that’s still the case today. Their Model 3 costs considerably less than the original Model S. Most vehicle manufacturers that used to have “drive while flat” tires now provide a spare. Still, as far as EVs are concerned, I’m still not sold on battery life expectancy and the cost per mile. I think hybrid electric vehicles (e.g., Prius) still offer the best bang per buck. Execs back while I was working didn’t like me saying that. 😉
|
|
|
|
Post by gato on Apr 7, 2022 12:58:52 GMT -5
When I was working for Hawaiian Electric Company, one of my responsibilities was to oversee the deployment of fast charging stations. Tesla required an adapter that the vehicle owner could buy to use our chargers. Not sure if that’s still the case today. Their Model 3 costs considerably less than the original Model S. Most vehicle manufacturers that used to have “drive while flat” tires now provide a spare. Still, as far as EVs are concerned, I’m still not sold on battery life expectancy and the cost per mile. I think hybrid electric vehicles (e.g., Prius) still offer the best bang per buck. Execs back while I was working didn’t like me saying that. 😉 "Teslas don’t use run-flat tires from the factory. This is because Tesla wants to use the tires that’ll maximize the performance of each Model. You can still retrofit your Tesla with run-flat tires yourself after purchase if you are willing to sacrifice performance." (No spare tire provided either, but if you remove the trunk lining you can cram a Tesla spare in there, just in case). |
|
|
|
Post by oldfartbassplayrwalt on Apr 9, 2022 10:03:25 GMT -5
another similarity- the hero of both screaming out "I'm the king of the world"
|
|
|
|
Post by tahitijack on Apr 9, 2022 13:57:46 GMT -5
This week one of our Tesla owners drove his beloved Tesla up a curb across a sidewalk, across a landscape buffer down a rip rap embankment and almost into the waters of Dana Point Harbor. Don't know if they read this thread before making that try to see if a Tesla is as airtight as an old VW bug.
|
|
|
|
Post by rickyguitar on Apr 9, 2022 14:20:48 GMT -5
^ Maybe a status thing. Look I can afford to trash my Tesla!!
|
|
|
|
Post by gato on Apr 10, 2022 6:08:54 GMT -5
It used to be a now and then thing ... spotting a Tesla in traffic .... they are now becoming ubiquitous. The wife and I drove into downtown LA to visit my brother and sister-in-law, which meant lots of toe tapping on the brake pedal and full stops on the "freeway".
The Teslas were everywhere: beside us, ahead, behind .... and heading south on the other side of the freeway divider. Lots and lots of them. Maybe these drivers were tired of high gas prices. Maybe they'd had one too many catalytic converters stolen off the cars parked in their driveways. Or maybe they thought "what are the odds that I'll get a flat tire and have to depend on my Musk App to get a spare tire delivered."
|
|
daddy
Quarternote
Posts: 33
Formerly Known As: Individual-One
Age: 114
|
Post by daddy on Apr 12, 2022 15:00:37 GMT -5
I still don't like that dern fuel injection or 12 volt systems.
|
|
|
|
Post by gato on Apr 12, 2022 15:20:22 GMT -5
Update: out and about yesterday around town, I noted that not only do Tesla's lack spare tires, they seem to lack directional signals as well.
|
|
|
|
Post by modbus on Apr 12, 2022 17:32:48 GMT -5
I claim ownership of the Tesla Roadster that currently in its own orbit around the sun.
|
|
|
|
Post by gato on Apr 13, 2022 4:47:49 GMT -5
I claim ownership of the Tesla Roadster that currently in its own orbit around the sun. You gonna be outta luck you get a flat tire out there, dude. |
|
|
|
Post by rickyguitar on Apr 13, 2022 20:13:45 GMT -5
I claim ownership of the Tesla Roadster that currently in its own orbit around the sun. You gonna be outta luck you get a flat tire out there, dude. True dat |
|
|
|
Post by tahitijack on Apr 14, 2022 9:40:58 GMT -5
On this day in 1912 the Titanic hit the iceberg and sank. Oddly it is also the date President Lincoln was shot in 1865.
|
|
|
|
Post by markfromhawaii on Apr 14, 2022 11:52:41 GMT -5
Just heard that ol’ Elon made an offer to buy Twitter for $54.20/share. If you can’t beat ‘em, buy ‘em.
|
|
|
|
Post by gato on Apr 14, 2022 16:44:13 GMT -5
On this day in 1912 the Titanic hit the iceberg and sank. Oddly it is also the date President Lincoln was shot in 1865. Lincoln was in Ford's Theater watching the Ice Capades. Many years later, a descendent of John Wilkes Booth, opened a Ford dealership in the Bermuda Triangle selling Lincolns. |
|
