10 Ways To Ruin Your Tesla | DO NOT Make This Mistake. Why?

10 Ways To Ruin Your Tesla | DO NOT Make This Mistake. Why?:- One very exciting thing about electric cars and Teslas, in general, is that they are very different than typical cars. For myself and others, this is very exciting because it comes with new exciting features and lots of change from the same driving experience you’ve grown up with.

There are lots of videos and articles out there elsewhere that give tips and tricks for how to utilize Teslas the best way possible, but today, I’m going to talk about 10 things to avoid when owning a Tesla.

We’re going to talk about 10 ways to ruin your Tesla, so let’s get into it. The first one up is something that you may or may not know about, but it also doesn’t apply to every Tesla: that’s charging to 100%. For the most part, if you buy a Tesla, you’ll be receiving a battery with lithium-ion battery chemistry.

These are very advantaged batteries, and while Tesla quotes the EPA range for their cars, like 330 miles for the Model Y, that’s tested by the EPA in very specific circumstances. It’s also tested with the car charged up to 100%.

The general rule of thumb for these batteries though, is that for longevity, you should not charge them to 100% regularly. When asked by someone, who uses 50% of their Tesla battery each day, what the best charging option is, Elon Musk said 80% to 30%.

The common rule of thumb is typically to charge 80% or 90% unless you need it. According to mashable “But if you’re pressed for range, should you change this and charge up to 100%? Well, unless you absolutely must squeeze every bit of range out of your battery, the answer is still no.”.

When you set your charge limit above 90% in a Tesla, it will warn you on the screen saying “Charging repeatedly beyond daily driving needs will shorten battery life. Would you like to lower the charge limit?”. The reason not to charge to 100% comes in two forms.

First, it could reduce the life of the battery as mentioned. Likely this would mean accelerating battery degradation so that less energy is available as your car gets older.

The second part comes with regen braking. A big part of electric cars is regenerative braking which takes the energy from braking and puts it back into the battery. This helps a lot with efficiency, and back in 2019, when asked about charging to 100%, Elon Musk said “It’s not a big deal.

Charge 90% to 95% & you’ll be fine. At 100% state of charge, regen braking doesn’t work, because the battery is full, so the car is less energy efficient.”. So it’s twofold.

Charging to 100% each day is going to make the car less efficient, using more of the brake pads, and wear on the battery more than the necessary long term. For some people though, the argument is that you should just use the car as you use it.

If you don’t need 100% charge each day, then don’t use it, but Clean Technica says “Need to charge to 90%+ to get around in a convenient, stress-free, time-efficient way? Go for it!”. For myself, I charge to 80% each day and then go up to 100% around 3-4 times a year when I’m prepping for a long drive or road trip.

The confusing thing here is that while that applies to most Teslas, it now doesn’t apply for newly delivered Real wheel drive standard range Teslas. That is because these cars utilize LFP battery chemistry that prefers to be charged to 100%.

This is what is best for longevity in this car. Tesla’s Model 3 owners manual says “If your vehicle is equipped with an LFP Battery, Tesla recommends that you keep your charge limit set to 100%, even for daily use, and that you also fully charge to 100% at least once per week.”

They expand on this further when talking about charging habits, saying “Tesla recommends that you keep your charge limit to 100%, even for daily use, and that you also regularly charge your vehicle to 100%. If your vehicle has been parked for longer than a week, Tesla recommends driving your vehicle as you normally would and charging to 100% at your earliest convenience.”.

The way that they say you can tell, is if the battery image shows the daily range between 50% and 100% on screen. That’s how you know you have an LFP battery, which they started shipping on the Model 3 in the US last year.

So if you have an LFP pack, charge to 100%, if not, regularly charging to 100% will not be good for the longevity of the car.

In a similar vein, the second thing that could ruin your Tesla is running it down to 0%. Many are used to pushing it with a gas tank, but when it comes to a battery pack, going down to, or past 0% could significantly harm the battery long term.

Tesla has several warnings about this and will ask you to plug in when the battery is less than 20%, but in their owner’s manual, they specifically say, “If the battery’s charge level drops to 0% If you leave it unplugged for an extended period of time, it may not be possible to charge or use the Model 3 without jump start or replacing the low voltage battery.

Extended periods Leaving the Model 3 unplugged for the U.S. can also cause permanent battery damage. If you are still unable to charge the Model 3 after attempting to jump-start the low voltage battery, contact Tesla immediately.”

So running down to 0% could result in permanent battery damage, and lead you to have to get your Tesla jumped before it can charge again. Not an ideal situation.

Now #3 is something that may seem small, but that’s slamming the front trunk. In many vehicles, the hood is extremely heavy, to the point where people are used to slamming it, or dropping it, where it slams shut for you.

A Tesla is the complete opposite story. A good way to ruin your Tesla is to slam the front trunk. The front trunk on a Tesla is handy for extra storage, but you have to close it ever so softly to prevent damage to the hood itself and the latch.

Tesla even has specific closing directions in their owner manual. They say “The Model 3 hood is not heavy enough to latch under its weight and applying pressure on the front edge or center of the hood can cause damage.”.

There are very specific directions for how to close the trunk. First, “Lower the hood until the striker touches the latches.”. Then “Place both hands on the front of the hood in the areas shown (in green), then press down firmly to engage the latches.”

Lastly, “Carefully try to lift the front edge of the hood to ensure that it is fully closed”. There’s even an illustration of exactly where your hands should go when closing, touching the green boxes only. This is a bit over the top in explanation, but it is something to look out for.

You have to be delicate with your Tesla’s front trunk if you don’t want to damage it. It’s also specific to each car because if you look at the Model S owners manual, you’ll see slightly different hand positioning when latching the front trunk.

this is even more so an argument for why Tesla needs an automatic closing front trunk like Rivian, Lucid, GM, and more are doing now, but that’s for another video.

#4 is a pretty interesting one, and it’s fairly new for vehicles: software unlocking, or jailbreaking your Tesla. There are certain features in Teslas vehicles that the hardware is capable of, but the software does not enable.

Sometimes this is things like an acceleration boost, where they want to charge you extra, but others are safety-related. Top speeds are being capped because maybe the hardware could go that fast, but it wouldn’t be safe, or good for the car as a whole long term.

In any case, there are companies like Ingenext, which sell third-party software unlocking modules for Teslas. For example, this one is called Ghost upgrade, and they say “The update transforms your dual motor into a Performance.

It adds 150HP to your car…you’ll be able to do 0-60mph in 3.2 seconds”. That’s a cool upgrade to be able to receive, but one thing you’ll find quickly is that you have to worry about each Tesla update.

They say, “To update a Tesla, you will be able to authorize it from the Ingenext web application and proceed to its installation.

We are not responsible for any modifications the manufacturer may make to your car (ex: turning off certain features, etc.).”

So essentially, Tesla could disable this upgrade, and then you’re stuck. They have been known to do this, with the vehicle recognizing the third party install.

Additionally, this is a sure-fire way to void your Tesla warranty. If all works out fine, then it’s up to you, but if a significant repair was necessary, and it’s no longer covered under warranty due to this upgrade, that’s not a fun situation.

For some, these upgrades are worth the risk, but for others, this would be considered a definite way to ruin your Tesla. As stated by the vehicle suggest “there is a lot of debate as to whether you should make third-party modifications to your vehicle.

It commonly ends with you expelling your warranty, however, there area unit automobile enthusiasts UN agency like to modify, tune and boost their vehicles.

That is the market that Ingenext taps, and thus, this cat-and-mouse show between Tesla and Ingenext keeps going.”. We’ll get to the rest in just a minute.

#6 is very specific to Teslas, and it relates to how you open the doors. In Model 3 and Y, they use digital releases for the doors, and the handles on the outside of the car are flush with the body of the car. For many, this is confusing when first getting into a Tesla.

Then, once inside, it can be unclear how you get out. You press the button at the top of the handle inside, the door unlatches, and you’re good to go, but there is also a manual release located below the handle. Often, this release is intuitive for people when first exiting a Tesla, but this is not meant to be used regularly.

This manual door release is meant only for the rare case when the car loses power, and the powered releases for the door do not function properly.

Tesla’s owner’s manual says “To open a front entrance within the unlikely state of affairs once Model three has no power, pull up the manual door unharness set before of the window switches.”.

Regarding the use of these regularly, Tesla says “Manual door releases are designed to be used only in situations when Model 3 has no power. “.

If you try this release, you’ll notice that the window doesn’t roll down, and instead, the door rips through the car’s interior trim.

Doing it a few times won’t make permanent damage, but using this regularly will eventually cause real damage to the door, window, and trim. Use the normal button, and you’re good to go.

#7 is something I have personal experience with, and that’s a hardware modification or upgrade to your Tesla. Now, arguably, these upgrades are a way to improve your Tesla, not ruin it.

I installed a third-party suspension upgrade on Model Y that improved the ride quality, but I had quite the time with Tesla service because of that upgrade. There were issues with Model Y, and because I had done this third-party upgrade, I had to coordinate with the third-party shop to see if it was their issue, or if it was Tesla’s issue. It was very stressful.

Ultimately, I had a very large repair on Model Y that Tesla refused to cover under warranty because they blamed the third-party upgrade in the car. It was truly unrelated, but Tesla said that this was their assessment, and I could take the car elsewhere for another opinion.

Regardless of who’s fault it truly was, and it was likely a Turo renter of mine, it caused a huge headache for me, and is something I don’t plan on doing again, but it’s going to be easiest to keep your Tesla largely as Tesla delivered it when it comes to true vehicle parts like suspension so that you can have any necessary repairs covered under warranty.

That’s for people who don’t want any warranty concerns and would consider their car ruined if they voided a certain part of their warranty, but I understand that the risk is worth it for others wanting to upgrade their Tesla.

Next up, for #8 is messing with Autopilot. Every single Tesla delivered includes basic autopilot. On freeway drives, this means the car can drive for you for quite some time.

However, Tesla requires that you regularly touch the wheel to prove that you are paying attention. The system is still designed so that if something goes wrong, you are ready to take over.

Tesla used to regularly report data from Autopilot accidents, and their last report, in Q4 of 2021 said “In the 4th quarter,

we recorded one crash for each four.31 million miles driven within which drivers were mistreatment by Autopilot technology (Autosteer and active safety features).

For drivers UN agency weren’t mistreatment Autopilot technology (no Autosteer and active safety features), we tend to record one crash for each one.59 million miles driven.

By comparison, NHTSA’s most up-to-date knowledge shows that within us there’s an associate degree automobile crash every 484,000 miles.”.

Essentially, using Autopilot ensures a safer ride, but a big part of Autopilot is you paying attention. So the safety of this system depends on you paying attention, but third-party tracking devices are out there that will make it so you don’t have to prove your presence.

There are weights out there, specifically designed to attach to your Tesla steering wheel. This replicates the weight of your hand on the wheel that Autopilot looks for, meaning you can be hands-off when driving in Autopilot.

Many different sellers offer similar options, and some, like Autopilot Buddy, go as far as to add a phone mount right onto the steering wheel.

So your distraction device can attach right onto the apparatus that is bypassing Autopilot safety, and allowing you to not pay attention. It’s just an incredibly dumb thing to do for safety, and completely ruins the safety of the Autopilot system.

Tesla specifically says, “As with all Autopilot options, you want to be on top of things of your vehicle, listen to its surroundings and be able to take immediate action together with braking.”.

Please do not use these devices, or support the companies selling them. Instead, find a comfortable position for your hand, pay attention, and use Autopilot as intended.

Luckily, Tesla has been implementing a new system that uses the interior camera for driver monitoring, in addition to the steering wheel, so this could be an accessory that no longer works in the future.

but it hasn’t been completely added across the board yet. Also, older Model S’s and X’s can’t do this monitoring because they lack the interior camera.

#9 is something that we wish Tesla would implement, and that’s bidirectional charging. According to Electric back in February of 2021 “Tesla is voiding your warranty if you try to power your home with your electric car battery pack”.

Teslas have big batteries that could help in power outages but aren’t meant to reverse the way that energy goes.

Other cars like the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Ford F150 Lighting are enabling this feature, but Tesla isn’t yet. This particular owner wired up their house from their car and quickly found messages about their 12V battery needing replacing.

This replacement wasn’t covered under the warranty as Tesla specifically says “Using the vehicle as a stationary power source” is included in exclusions and limitations of the warranty.

It seems that the 12V battery was functioning fine, but the car recognized it was being used improperly and shut this down.

Then Tesla service found out about the reverse charging through social media, but either way, this is a sure-fire way to void your Tesla warranty. As with all warranty risks, it’s up to you, but this is something that could ruin your car.

Last up is #10, and this relates to the warranty. Since Teslas are such a new and specific technology, there are some warranty restrictions specifically involving who can work on the car.

Regarding the battery their area unit restrictions for “try to service the battery space by non-certified personnel, non-adherence to battery charging pointers, mistreatment the vehicle as a stationary power, source, flood or fire damage (exclusions apply for battery fires within limitations), collision or general damage that has intentionally not been repaired that leads to future battery failure.”.

So if your battery needs servicing, a surefire way to ruin your car and your warranty is to get it serviced outside by a certified Tesla professional

Tesla battery replacements, although rare, are extremely expensive, so if you’re under warranty, definitely be sure to only have Tesla service it when necessary.

As a quick review of things that could ruin your Tesla, you have

#1 charging to 100% regularly. In most Tesla’s, you want to charge to 80% or so for battery longevity, but new LFP packs are recommended to go to 100% daily.

#2 Never drain your car down to 0% as this can cause permanent damage.

#3, close your front trunk very gently and follow the guidelines.

#4, don’t software unlock things with third-party equipment unless you’re prepared to deal with software complications and warranty concerns.

#5, pay attention to curbs to avoid curb rash.

#6, don’t regularly use manual releases for your doors.

#7, watch out for warranty concerns with third-party hardware modifications too.

#8, use autopilot as intended.

#9, don’t wire up a bidirectional charging situation, as this will void your 12V battery warranty, and lastly, only have your car serviced by Tesla-certified technicians to avoid warranty concerns.

when it comes to properly maintaining your Tesla, and ensuring that you don’t ruin it. Most of what we talked about won’t have an effect immediately, but long term it could prevent you from getting the most out of your car.

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