Any tips or tricks for freezing weather?
We've had our Model 3 71 plate for about 2 months now; first electric car nevermind first Tesla.
I been reading loads of posts about people smuggly going out to their preheated cars while their neighbours are scraping their windshields etc but, while the preheat is amazing, the outside of the car has been frozen pretty much every morning this week.
Temps around-6⁰ where i live mean I've been heating the car and trying the defrost feature but it's still been so frozen outside that I can't use the door handles or open the boot.
Inside of my car is toasty warm but I can't get in it anyway haha
Am I missing something?
Again, I'm a really new owner so all help would be appreciated.
You could try the unlatch door function.
https://youtu.be/Yjz5HRshuHg?si=gp42M4kxwkYFyz8a
^This works great to get into your car when door handles are frozen.
But not if glass is frozen in place and you have to rip it out under the seals.
Ah yeah definitely use defrost for a while before unlatching the door! Good point there!
I second this. I left my car at the train station for a few days. I came back to an ice cube. Using the latch feature is really important.
To open frozen door handles push in the thin part of the handle to crack the ice before using as normal.
This is what is recommended in the manual and it's what I've been doing (had it less than a month) with no issues so far and I can't see the weather getting much colder than it is now in the UK.
The cabin heats up quickly, but it takes time for that heat to work its way out and defrost exterior surfaces. In temperatures like these, if possible, I’d kick it off defrosting much earlier - 30+ minutes before if time is available.
As per the manual, door handles can be unstuck (for the black handles) by pressing down on the long end to pivot it the “wrong way” and break the ice, then use it as normal. Alternatively, there’s now an “unlatch door” option in the app.
The windows being double glazed probably doesn’t help in this situation.
Don't be silly, 5 minutes in "defrost mode" is enough to melt all the ice, 10 minutes absolute maximum. The cabin gets up to 30c in defrost it's actually uncomfortably hot when you first get in.
Door handles can take a while but a quick thump with your hand helps.
As other have said: defrost for longer than you think. Also, while it's possible to unlatch via the app, be very wary of frozen windows which can't drop when you open the door and then hit the surround.
In short, just leave it to sort itself out, as long as you have the time. It'll also warm the battery which will be much better for it once it's being driven.
Also (I assume you know this) you're better off having it plugged in to power when you do the heating as it will then draw power from the mains, rather than from the (cold) battery.
Useful thank you.
Regarding the point about plugging in for preheating, what if I have a charging schedule for off peak (0000-0500), but have preconditioning to be done by 0800? Will the car ‘know’ to start charging for the preconditioning, or should I set another charging schedule?
Thanks
Set another schedule. Power will not be delivered outside of the schedule. That's the main point of it.
Turn off auto mirror folding in all driver profiles. Obviously preheat the car using the mobile app. We take a large jug of indoor temperature water (not hot but just stored in the house to be at indoor temperature) and pour over the door handles and around the window frames on the doors we will be opening before attempting to open doors. If it’s going to be far below freezing overnight you can consider putting the windscreen wipers in service mode when parked up for the night so they don’t freeze in place if needed. We just turn our auto wipers off so they don’t attempt to swipe while frozen.
That caught me out the other morning. Mirrors not unfolding.
- Defrosting may take longer than you expect. It's so cold where we are, that the car needs to be on defrost for around 45 minutes before the charging port latch can be opened (if it was closed). So defrost, well in advance before departure.- Unlatch the driver's door through the app if door handles are frozen (as the other person commented)
Those are the only two things that I go by, and haven't had any issues.
You might find this useful: https://www.tesla.com/en_GB/support/winter-driving-tips
Preheat earlier so the warmth wicks through to areas like the cameras and door handles. Only 30-40 minutes earlier.
To open a frozen door, depress the "wrong" end of the handle slightly. It'll go in and crack the ice. Super easy to open after that.
Finally, watch out for the lights if it's dark. They lose a huge amount of light when frosted over. Take cup of tepid water for those.
I don’t have an EV. Nevermind a Tesla. I’m just here to get jealous of how you can pre-heat and defrost your cars 😂
30 minutes works well for us all screens etc pretty much clear -7 this morning and worked a charm because some idiot forgot to put it in the garage last night 🤦♂️😇😂
De-ice the headlights. Otherwise they produce bigger-all light, and LEDs don’t produce heat.
This is my first winter with my M3. I’ve been using the defrost feature which is great and the car gets pre-heated. What is really strange though is that my bonnet is caked in snow and doesn’t move because there is no engine to get warm and melt it. Not a problem at all, just a strange situation. 16 miles and it was still there whilst I was toasty inside!
You lot are worrying me. I have a M3 on order to replace my Enyaq, which is awesome at preheating and no issues getting into even now at -7.5. Sounds like I have a lot to learn about cold weather tricks.
There's nothing to worry about. People don't always read the owners manual, hence they have issues.
There are procedures to break any ice from the door handles but you don't need to do this. You can pop the doors open from the app. They'll defrost whilst you're driving as the cabin warms up.
The only thing you really need to do is waft a Ziploc bag of warm water across the headlights lenses and A-pillar cameras.
I'm sure your Enyaq didn't defrost the headlights either.
Remember, these cars have sold VERY well in Norway and Canada. If there were any genuine issues, you wouldn't be learning about them from a UK forum.
Tesla Cold Weather Best Practices.
Ta. Used to all sorts of winter and many cars so just trying to get ahead of the game while I wait for delivery.
Just add the option to open the drivers door on the app. Believe me… it’s a life saver
This is also useful precaution for the winter months https://www.amazon.co.uk/nextzett-91480615-Rubber-Stick-White/dp/B004B8GTQG/
Recommend Gummi Pflege for the seals to prevent them sticking. Had this recommended to me for my first car with frameless windows, I've used it on everyone since including the Tesla and never had the doors stick once.
Thanks for all the help everyone.
It's good to see people have had similar issues and I'm not just an incompetent Tesla owner haha
I'll get my wife to read this thread too so she's clued in
I schedule my preheat for 15 minutes before I leave each day. By the time I go everything has defrosted.
set the depart time earlier. (
I completely agree. On my first Tesla too. I got it last week. The boot has frozen and I couldn’t get my things out. The charge cap was frozen shut and when I plugged in the charger it couldn’t latch! Finally the door handles are so frustrating. I have to first unlatch my door on the app and then unlatch the others from inside the car. This car is terrible in the cold 🥶
Worst Ive had this year is -2 one morning and frost a few others. I tend to just put the air con on normally for about 10-15 minutes before I leave and its completely clear by then and the door handles have defrosted as well if you leave it long enough..
Tried getting into my Tesla at 5am this morning in North London - interior was heated to 28c but the doors were frozen solid.
Methinks I’ll hide a can of antifreeze in the hedge for future emergencies. Found a solution: pressing downwards with your thumb in a firm motion on the door lock while using the other fingers to operate the handle.
Tricky if you are a left hander like me