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Chris Redfield was right! Tesla Model 3 manual recommends punching open a stuck door

Sacrilicious

Sacrilicious

Member
Oct 30, 2017
3,316
So, the Tesla Model 3 has an unusual door handle design. It's supposed to be a little more aerodynamic, but it has issues with freezing over in cold weather.

Today I came across the official solution in the owner's manual and burst out laughing.

FK9-SIK-VQAA-zi-K-3.jpg


Apparently it should be done carefully, with the strength of firmly knocking on your neighbor's door. Just make sure not to dent your $50k car in the process.

(Punch me open if old)
 
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stangthang26

stangthang26

Member
Aug 15, 2018
680
God, I can't wait to see 20 year old Teslas being driven by teenagers and seeing what kinda weird shit they have to retrofit. I remember on my first car the stereo would control the AC, so if we wanted to listen to music on the way to school at a good volume. We'd have to bundle up in the winter
 
Griffith

Griffith

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
5,585
User Banned (3 Days): Inflammatory generalizations
I don't understand why any person with functioning brain cells would want to own a Tesla.

They are engineered with hubris first and consumers last.

I'm not even sure if owning a Tesla fits the definition of ownership since the company has more sway over what the vehicle can or can't do than the owner.

And heck the company will even go out of its way to incriminate their customers when the product malfunctions or is misused and for some reason people see, or ignore, those news and keep buying them.

For all I know or care, it's a fucking cult at this point.
 
TheMadTitan

TheMadTitan

Member
Oct 27, 2017
27,199
Or, just follow me here, we go back to the regular ass lever and key hole as a backup for when shit goes wrong instead of assuming everyone is going to be physically capable of mustering up enough force to punch their car door open.
 
dammitmattt

dammitmattt

Member
Oct 28, 2017
246
Griffith said:
I don't understand why any person with functioning brain cells would want to own a Tesla.

They are engineered with hubris first and consumers last.

I'm not even sure if owning a Tesla fits the definition of ownership since the company has more sway over what the vehicle can or can't do than the owner.

And heck the company will even go out of its way to incriminate their customers when the product malfunctions or is misused and for some reason people see, or ignore, those news and keep buying them.

For all I know or care, it's a fucking cult at this point.
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Posts like yours come from a place of extreme ignorance and are never in good faith, but I'll be the bigger person and not say "fuck you" for being incredibly insulting.

I've been driving a Model 3 for 4 years and it's by far the best car I've ever owned. Despite having one of the first 20k models, which were notorious for poor build quality, the only maintenance issues I've had are a couple of minor things covered by warranty plus new tires. Every time I get in my car, it's an absolute joy to drive. It just works, and it just goes fast. Enhanced autopilot isn't perfect, but it works really well 98% of the time, and I'd estimate that 75% of my highway driving is done by the computer. When everyone was bitching about gas prices, I was "filling up" my car for the equivalent of $5-10 (or even frequently free). The UI is constantly changing and evolving, adding new features and capabilities over time for free. There's a reason why brand loyalty is best in the industry - and it's not because we're in a fucking cult.

And lastly, despite it being 4 years old, it's currently worth about 80% of what I paid for it because resell values are so strong, so I've essentially been paying about $150/month (or $5/day) to drive it during this time. Can you say that for any other $50k car out there?

And yes, Elon Musk has proven to be quite the dick, but I can separate out the love for my car with my disdain for the human in charge of the company.
 
Griffith

Griffith

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
5,585
dammitmattt said:
Posts like yours come from a place of extreme ignorance and are never in good faith, but I'll be the bigger person and not say "fuck you" for being incredibly insulting.

I've been driving a Model 3 for 4 years and it's by far the best car I've ever owned. Despite having one of the first 20k models, which were notorious for poor build quality, the only maintenance issues I've had are a couple of minor things covered by warranty plus new tires. Every time I get in my car, it's an absolute joy to drive. It just works, and it just goes fast. Enhanced autopilot isn't perfect, but it works really well 98% of the time, and I'd estimate that 75% of my highway driving is done by the computer. When everyone was bitching about gas prices, I was "filling up" my car for the equivalent of $5-10 (or even frequently free). The UI is constantly changing and evolving, adding new features and capabilities over time for free. There's a reason why brand loyalty is best in the industry - and it's not because we're in a fucking cult.

And lastly, despite it being 4 years old, it's currently worth about 80% of what I paid for it because resell values are so strong, so I've essentially been paying about $150/month (or $5/day) to drive it during this time. Can you say that for any other $50k car out there?

And yes, Elon Musk has proven to be quite the dick, but I can separate out the love for my car with my disdain for the human in charge of the company.
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I rest my case.
 
dammitmattt

dammitmattt

Member
Oct 28, 2017
246
platocplx said:
You can't defrost a door handle.
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No, but you can turn on the climate system remotely (from anywhere) and warm the car up from the inside out, which would in turn loosen up the handles IF this incredibly rare situation was to occur.

Also, I spent a lot of time in the northeast in the winter earlier in my career (back in the mid 2000s) and I had many a door handle and/or door that were difficult to open due to the ice and cold and needed similar treatment. This is a MECHANICAL door handle (unlike the Model S/X or a million other cars these days) and it will always be able to be opened, even if it needs a bit of elbow grease, just like any other car.
 
nekkid

nekkid

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
21,823
I understand why people dislike Tesla, I really do. But you've got to choose better gotchas than this. A gentle knock to release some ice on the door handle is hardly scandalous. Similar to people who think it's outrageous you need to look slightly to the side rather than slightly down to see your speed.
 
Senator Toadstool

Senator Toadstool

Attempted to circumvent ban with alt account
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
16,651
dammitmattt said:
Posts like yours come from a place of extreme ignorance and are never in good faith, but I'll be the bigger person and not say "fuck you" for being incredibly insulting.

I've been driving a Model 3 for 4 years and it's by far the best car I've ever owned. Despite having one of the first 20k models, which were notorious for poor build quality, the only maintenance issues I've had are a couple of minor things covered by warranty plus new tires. Every time I get in my car, it's an absolute joy to drive. It just works, and it just goes fast. Enhanced autopilot isn't perfect, but it works really well 98% of the time, and I'd estimate that 75% of my highway driving is done by the computer. When everyone was bitching about gas prices, I was "filling up" my car for the equivalent of $5-10 (or even frequently free). The UI is constantly changing and evolving, adding new features and capabilities over time for free. There's a reason why brand loyalty is best in the industry - and it's not because we're in a fucking cult.

And lastly, despite it being 4 years old, it's currently worth about 80% of what I paid for it because resell values are so strong, so I've essentially been paying about $150/month (or $5/day) to drive it during this time. Can you say that for any other $50k car out there?

And yes, Elon Musk has proven to be quite the dick, but I can separate out the love for my car with my disdain for the human in charge of the company.
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I'm gonna love being murdered/manslaughtered in those 2% of the times
 
m_shortpants

m_shortpants

Member
Oct 25, 2017
11,201
dammitmattt said:
Posts like yours come from a place of extreme ignorance and are never in good faith, but I'll be the bigger person and not say "fuck you" for being incredibly insulting.

I've been driving a Model 3 for 4 years and it's by far the best car I've ever owned. Despite having one of the first 20k models, which were notorious for poor build quality, the only maintenance issues I've had are a couple of minor things covered by warranty plus new tires. Every time I get in my car, it's an absolute joy to drive. It just works, and it just goes fast. Enhanced autopilot isn't perfect, but it works really well 98% of the time, and I'd estimate that 75% of my highway driving is done by the computer. When everyone was bitching about gas prices, I was "filling up" my car for the equivalent of $5-10 (or even frequently free). The UI is constantly changing and evolving, adding new features and capabilities over time for free. There's a reason why brand loyalty is best in the industry - and it's not because we're in a fucking cult.

And lastly, despite it being 4 years old, it's currently worth about 80% of what I paid for it because resell values are so strong, so I've essentially been paying about $150/month (or $5/day) to drive it during this time. Can you say that for any other $50k car out there?

And yes, Elon Musk has proven to be quite the dick, but I can separate out the love for my car with my disdain for the human in charge of the company.
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Yup. If the product and experience weren't compelling, do these people really think folks would still be buying them? I've had mine for 3 months and my sentiments are the same as yours. The car is very much a "greater than the sum of its parts" experience, but apparently that means it's a cult.

I guess people who only buy one brand of deodorant because it works for them are also part of a cult.
 
nekkid

nekkid

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
21,823
m_shortpants said:
Yup. If the product and experience weren't compelling, do these people really think folks would still be buying them? I've had mine for 3 months and my sentiments are the same as yours. The car is very much a "greater than the sum of its parts" experience, but apparently that means it's a cult.

I guess people who only buy one brand of deodorant because it works for them are also part of a cult.
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I test drove absolutely loads of EVs before I ordered and I was determined to not want the Tesla for this reason, but in the end I got one because I couldn't find anything better.

People say they're expensive, but if you can find a car with the same performance, cabin and luggage space, and standard functionality (lane assist, adaptive cruise, remote controls, heated electrically adjustable seats with memory etc.) for cheaper I'm really keen to hear what that is.

Oh well. I'm in the cult of "buying what makes sense to me" now, God help me.
 
Fat4all

Fat4all

Woke up, got a money tag, swears a lot
Member
Oct 25, 2017
92,562
here
why are y'all going against the manual

the manual says to punch the door

follow instructions
 
m_shortpants

m_shortpants

Member
Oct 25, 2017
11,201
nekkid said:
I test drove absolutely loads of EVs before I ordered and I was determined to not want the Tesla for this reason, but in the end I got one because I couldn't find anything better.

People say they're expensive, but if you can find a car with the same performance, cabin and luggage space, and standard functionality (lane assist, adaptive cruise, remote controls, heated electrically adjustable seats with memory etc.) for cheaper I'm really keen to hear what that is.
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Same boat. I really liked the Ioniq 5, but all the dealerships in my area were charging 5k - 7.5k markup. With the new EV credits from the inflation reduction bill, that's mitigated somewhat, but at the time waiting was not an option for me.
 
Clay

Clay

Member
Oct 29, 2017
8,107
Griffith said:
I rest my case.
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Lol.

What in that post proves what you said?

I wouldn't buy a Tesla personally, but I've test driven one a few times and they're extremely fun to drive. And they were the best option by far for a long time if you wanted something with more power and range than a leaf or whatever.

And luxury cars as a whole are anti-consumer. If you want to drive a Honda or Toyota or whatever go for it, but it's not like Tesla is the only car manufacturer that has anti-consumer practices. Are BMW/ Mercedes/ Audi part of the cult as well?

Senator Toadstool said:
Very cool you rich folk get to beta test this stuff on streets where I'm walking. Sorry I don't have sympathy for you
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You're still walking on the streets? Jesus, be careful. People are dropping like flies out there. Goddamn rich folks and their wanton Tesla murdering.
 
MrKlaw

MrKlaw

Member
Oct 25, 2017
33,038
TheMadTitan said:
Or, just follow me here, we go back to the regular ass lever and key hole as a backup for when shit goes wrong instead of assuming everyone is going to be physically capable of mustering up enough force to punch their car door open.
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My BMW had regular lever handles and quite often the doors would freeze closed. You could pull on the door handle ok to crack the ice but the frameless windows would freeze to the seals so couldnl't pull down. I just had to wait.

At least with tesla I'd likely have pre-warmed the car to reduce the chance and I'd probably get in sooner.

They aren't perfect cars, and Elon fanboys are tiresome as fuck, but the hyperbole works both ways sometimes
 
nekkid

nekkid

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
21,823
Senator Toadstool said:
Very cool you rich folk get to beta test this stuff on streets where I'm walking. Sorry I don't have sympathy for you
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My autopilot config only functions on motorways/dual carriageways where it is illegal for pedestrians to be. It also prevents me from not being in control should I have an issue with its decision making, the same as any other manufacturer.

Curious whether you'd have the same energy with a Skoda driver who uses auto steer/auto brake.
 
Shelbyville Milhouse

Shelbyville Milhouse

Member
Oct 25, 2017
22,378
Oh, so you complain that it doesn't work when it's cold and yet you also complain when it catches on fire randomly? What the hell do you people want??
 
Aya

Aya

Member
Sep 7, 2018
1,262
an obscure body in the S-K system
MrKlaw said:
My BMW had regular lever handles and quite often the doors would freeze closed. You could pull on the door handle ok to crack the ice but the frameless windows would freeze to the seals so couldnl't pull down. I just had to wait.

At least with tesla I'd likely have pre-warmed the car to reduce the chance and I'd probably get in sooner.

They aren't perfect cars, and Elon fanboys are tiresome as fuck, but the hyperbole works both ways sometimes
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Auxiliary heating is a very common option these days. It's not just Tesla. I had it on a VW years ago and it's an awesome option to have in cold climates.
 
m_shortpants

m_shortpants

Member
Oct 25, 2017
11,201
Senator Toadstool said:
Yeah because these people are only doing it on highways that done have sidewalks! Sure never seen YouTube!
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The person you were quoting and responding to said enhanced autopilot works 98% of the time, which prompted your manslaughter comment. Enhanced autopilot is a highway feature.

In any case, even a base Toyota Corolla comes with cruise control + autosteer which will work on any street. So if that's the concern, probably better to stay inside for the foreseeable future.
 
MrKlaw

MrKlaw

Member
Oct 25, 2017
33,038
Aya said:
Auxiliary heating is a very common option these days. It's not just Tesla. I had it on a VW years ago and it's an awesome option to have in cold climates.
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I tried to spec that on my last BMW but the best it would do is run the ventilation. I think maybe a UK or EU limitation not allowing the engine to run wihtout you in the car. I've seen it on some diesels but never owned anything but petrol.

Just saying its more common on EVs (standard even) and freezing doors isn't unique to EVs or flat handles
 
Herr Starr

Herr Starr

Member
Oct 26, 2017
2,220
Norway
As someone who lives in a part of the world that has cold winters and who owns a Tesla Model 3, there's a bit of a misconception in this thread. You're not supposed to punch the door. You're supposed to give the broad part of the handle sudden but careful pressure with the soft underside of your fist. You don't dent the door this way and barely even touch the metal. Both sides of the handle are designed to have mobility both in and out for this exact purpose, allowing you to easily break any ice that may have gathered overnight. It works, too.
 
ray_caster

ray_caster

Member
Nov 7, 2017
663
Herr Starr said:
As someone who lives in a part of the world that has cold winters and who owns a Tesla Model 3, there's a bit of a misconception in this thread. You're not supposed to punch the door. You're supposed to give the broad part of the handle sudden but careful pressure with the soft underside of your fist. You don't dent the door this way and barely even touch the metal. Both sides of the handle are designed to have mobility both in and out for this exact purpose, allowing you to easily break any ice that may have gathered overnight. It works, too.
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I choose to believe you are supposed to punch the door.
 
nekkid

nekkid

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
21,823
Herr Starr said:
As someone who lives in a part of the world that has cold winters and who owns a Tesla Model 3, there's a bit of a misconception in this thread. You're not supposed to punch the door. You're supposed to give the broad part of the handle sudden but careful pressure with the soft underside of your fist. You don't dent the door this way and barely even touch the metal. Both sides of the handle are designed to have mobility both in and out for this exact purpose, allowing you to easily break any ice that may have gathered overnight. It works, too.
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"Well I hate Teslas and I've heard there's a picture of the Will Smith slap in the instruction manual"
 
Aya

Aya

Member
Sep 7, 2018
1,262
an obscure body in the S-K system
MrKlaw said:
I tried to spec that on my last BMW but the best it would do is run the ventilation. I think maybe a UK or EU limitation not allowing the engine to run wihtout you in the car. I've seen it on some diesels but never owned anything but petrol.

Just saying its more common on EVs (standard even) and freezing doors isn't unique to EVs or flat handles
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There shouldn't be any regulation or limitations on that option as it is basically a separate small engine that works independently from the main engine, so the car will not be on when you activate it.

Though curiously, as former owner of that brand myself, I have heard a similar thing from another Bmw user who had webasto on the car but could not use it. In the end they had to go to a specialized garage that found that the webasto itself was disconnected from the factory somehow, but with a bit of work managed to integrate it again.
 
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