Helping my parents get a Tesla

RhondaHonda said:
The mobile connector only supports 32A of charging so you should be fine. I had an electrician install my outlet last week for the mobile connector for $250. Your parents got a great deal.
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A handyman can operate legally in California for small amounts of work. That photo looks like about what my parents got done in their garage, but again, the outlet was installed about 3 feet from the breaker panel. Maybe I'll take a photo of it since there's really nothing that can identify their house. I'm going over there tomorrow to help them with delivery.
RhondaHonda said:
The mobile connector only supports 32A of charging so you should be fine. I had an electrician install my outlet last week for the mobile connector for $250. Your parents got a great deal.
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I had to go over to help them with the registration agreement (which was a huge pain for my mom as “co-registrant”) and took a photo of their wall. It was less than 3 feet from the breaker to the outlet.

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y_p_w said:
A handyman can operate legally in California for small amounts of work. That photo looks like about what my parents got done in their garage, but again, the outlet was installed about 3 feet from the breaker panel. Maybe I'll take a photo of it since there's really nothing that can identify their house. I'm going over there tomorrow to help them with delivery.

I had to go over to help them with the registration agreement (which was a huge pain for my mom as “co-registrant”) and took a photo of their wall. It was less than 3 feet from the breaker to the outlet.

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That’s how mine is as well, just below the panel. I think your parents will do just fine with it after the initial setup. I wouldn’t even mess with the free charging as it sounds like they don’t drive too much and have the ability to charge at home.
 
So today is pickup day, and I'll go out with them to pick it up. I don't think their demo drives included freeway time, and they want me to look up how to get all the mirrors preset for them. But I don't think they could have handled the purchase process without a lot of help. It's not that they can't handle step by step electronic tasks, but if something doesn't work perfectly they have difficulties figuring out how to proceed or try different things. There was so much that had to be done electronically in the purchase process including uploading insurance info and approving (digitally signing) the registration docs and viewing the purchase stuff.

I mentioned approving the registration documents. It was really bizarre. I helped my mom sign into the Tesla app but couldn't see anything about the car at all. It was like it was for a random person who didn't own a Tesla but might be using it to look up info or maybe buy a T-shirt. I checked my dad's registration info and it included my mom as the co-registrant with her email address which was used for her Tesla account. I thought that I helped her connect the accounts before but didn't see anything. But then I logged in to her account on the Tesla website and it had the car listed and the options to approve the registration forms. But for my dad this was done on the app. But now with all that done the car shows up when she logs into the Tesla app.

Still waiting for the delivery day instructions to pop up on the app. And we're going to find out if the Mobile Connector was included, and if not whether they'll sell one on the spot.
 
y_p_w said:
So today is pickup day, and I'll go out with them to pick it up. I don't think their demo drives included freeway time, and they want me to look up how to get all the mirrors preset for them. But I don't think they could have handled the purchase process without a lot of help. It's not that they can't handle step by step electronic tasks, but if something doesn't work perfectly they have difficulties figuring out how to proceed or try different things. There was so much that had to be done electronically in the purchase process including uploading insurance info and approving (digitally signing) the registration docs and viewing the purchase stuff.

I mentioned approving the registration documents. It was really bizarre. I helped my mom sign into the Tesla app but couldn't see anything about the car at all. It was like it was for a random person who didn't own a Tesla but might be using it to look up info or maybe buy a T-shirt. I checked my dad's registration info and it included my mom as the co-registrant with her email address which was used for her Tesla account. I thought that I helped her connect the accounts before but didn't see anything. But then I logged in to her account on the Tesla website and it had the car listed and the options to approve the registration forms. But for my dad this was done on the app. But now with all that done the car shows up when she logs into the Tesla app.

Still waiting for the delivery day instructions to pop up on the app. And we're going to find out if the Mobile Connector was included, and if not whether they'll sell one on the spot.
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This sounds really frustrating. Not so much the process of getting the car, but the level of handholding you are having to provide. My mother is non-techie but she does her best to figure stuff out and calls me if she gets stuck. Between your mom and dad and the people that work at Tesla I'm not sure why you have to do all this work for them.

I'm not trying to be mean I just don't get it. If picking up the car for them is this hard they should have got a Corolla and gone to a traditional car dealer where the sales and finance people can do all the "hard work" (filling out paperwork etc).

Anyway, hope it goes smoothly, I bet eventually they will come to love the car, and hope you get to enjoy the car from time to time as well! If you are picking up in Vallejo, Black Bear Diner is across the street, or there's Chick-Fil-A a few blocks down, so you at least you have good food options for lunch!
 
dogememe said:
This sounds really frustrating. Not so much the process of getting the car, but the level of handholding you are having to provide. My mother is non-techie but she does her best to figure stuff out and calls me if she gets stuck. Between your mom and dad and the people that work at Tesla I'm not sure why you have to do all this work for them.

I'm not trying to be mean I just don't get it. If picking up the car for them is this hard they should have got a Corolla and gone to a traditional car dealer where the sales and finance people can do all the "hard work" (filling out paperwork etc).

Anyway, hope it goes smoothly, I bet eventually they will come to love the car, and hope you get to enjoy the car from time to time as well! If you are picking up in Vallejo, Black Bear Diner is across the street, or there's Chick-Fil-A a few blocks down, so you at least you have good food options for lunch!
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They really want it and the kind of electronic purchase process is not exactly what they're comfortable with. But this is probably just a one time thing, although I know they're going to ask me for help when they can't figure out something else. I get laid with guilt trips if I don't help out, but that's just the way my parents are. And if I refuse to help out, my parents could lose that order fee and they yell at me for not helping them out. But on the bright side they're probably going to let me take it out and my car crazy 12 year old is going to love it.

I know the area quite well because of a certain amusement park. Haven't been there in a while though. My family was more Chevy's or a hot dog at Costco. That being said....

Michael Warring.

https://www.michaelwarring.com
 
y_p_w said:
They really want it and the kind of electronic purchase process is not exactly what they're comfortable with. But this is probably just a one time thing, although I know they're going to ask me for help when they can't figure out something else. I get laid with guilt trips if I don't help out, but that's just the way my parents are. And if I refuse to help out, my parents could lose that order fee and they yell at me for not helping them out. But on the bright side they're probably going to let me take it out and my car crazy 12 year old is going to love it.

I know the area quite well because of a certain amusement park. Haven't been there in a while though. My family was more Chevy's or a hot dog at Costco. That being said....

Michael Warring.

https://www.michaelwarring.com
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Fair enough, enjoy your car and food and let us know how it goes :)
 
JeffKeryk said:
Our Tesla purchase process was extremely simple. Far easier than any dealership purchase; not even close.
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But it probably feeds into how comfortable you are with electronics. At a car dealer it's a lot of paperwork and a lot of signatures, but they'll have people to handhold the buyer through the process. I think they probably could have gone to a Tesla store and asked an advisor for help, but that's at least 20 miles away since they live in a dead zone for any actual locations.

I'm generally comfortable with doing things through mobile apps and websites. My parents aren't. They use their electronics on their own successfully once set up for them, but if it doesn't work perfectly they have a hard time adapting without help, whether it's me or a friend.
 
dogememe said:
Fair enough, enjoy your car and food and let us know how it goes :)
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My dad plans on driving home in his older car and for all my trouble I'm probably going to tour around in the Model 3 with my mom and get something to eat. We're probably not going to stick around in Vallejo. Maybe see if we can charge it at a Supercharger to see how it's done.

I think all the difficult (for my parents) stuff is done and now they can enjoy it. And if they can't charge at home right now because the Mobile Connector will take time to ship, probably leaving the charge setting at 100% would be fine since they'll use charge going uphill and then regain some of it going downhill without worrying about being out of regenerative braking capacity.
 
y_p_w said:
My dad plans on driving home in his older car and for all my trouble I'm probably going to tour around in the Model 3 with my mom and get something to eat. We're probably not going to stick around in Vallejo. Maybe see if we can charge it at a Supercharger to see how it's done.

I think all the difficult (for my parents) stuff is done and now they can enjoy it. And if they can't charge at home right now because the Mobile Connector will take time to ship, probably leaving the charge setting at 100% would be fine since they'll use charge going uphill and then regain some of it going downhill without worrying about being out of regenerative braking capacity.
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https://www.amazon.com/LENZ-Charging-Adapter-Certified-Compatible/dp/B07VR5QD56/

Get one of these through Prime for tomorrow and come up to Napa I have a Schumacher SC1455 Level1/2 EV charger in the box still, used it once, you can have it for $50 :D No need to spend $250 and wait two weeks for the Tesla charger :)
 
dogememe said:
https://www.amazon.com/LENZ-Charging-Adapter-Certified-Compatible/dp/B07VR5QD56/

Get one of these through Prime for tomorrow and come up to Napa I have a Schumacher SC1455 Level1/2 EV charger in the box still, used it once, you can have it for $50 :D No need to spend $250 and wait two weeks for the Tesla charger :)
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Thanks for the offer, but I think they're going to insist on Tesla OEM. It's not my money.

Today is a really nice day though. Maybe a drive to Calistoga and back to the East Bay to see how it feels on a longer drive? My parents' credit card is already on their Tesla account, so I figure if we need to charge we can do it immediately. There are a distinct lack of Superchargers in Napa Valley though, and I'm not quite sure how destination charging works.
 
I hope Tesla's success changes the car buying process for the better. Younger people just won't buy stuff unless they can do it online and have it delivered. Car companies will lose if they don't adapt and get rid of the old-school dealer nightmare process.
 
AuthorEditor said:
I hope Tesla's success changes the car buying process for the better. Younger people just won't buy stuff unless they can do it online and have it delivered. Car companies will lose if they don't adapt and get rid of the old-school dealer nightmare process.
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I honestly was more impressed with that process than anything. I usually end up keeping vehicles as long as I do because I hate the buying process. The Tesla was stress free and didn’t eat up my time.
 
y_p_w said:
Thanks for the offer, but I think they're going to insist on Tesla OEM. It's not my money.

Today is a really nice day though. Maybe a drive to Calistoga and back to the East Bay to see how it feels on a longer drive? My parents' credit card is already on their Tesla account, so I figure if we need to charge we can do it immediately. There are a distinct lack of Superchargers in Napa Valley though, and I'm not quite sure how destination charging works.
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That type of adapter should come with the car anyway. Mine did.
 
Torrid said:
That type of adapter should come with the car anyway. Mine did.
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Still not sure how to use anything else. I thought to use (for example) ChargePoint it requires that an account be set up that would recognize the vehicle. I'm going to inevitably help them with it. I get that it might be possible to use some random charging system that doesn’t require an account, but not sure where that might be.
 
y_p_w said:
Still not sure how to use anything else. I thought to use (for example) ChargePoint it requires that an account be set up that would recognize the vehicle. I'm going to inevitably help them with it. I get that it might be possible to use some random charging system that doesn’t require an account, but not sure where that might be.
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The only ones I've used that weren't Tesla had free charging that required me to download an app and register. I haven't used it in so long that I never downloaded it when I got my current phone, so I'm not too well versed in that. I do remember using the app to check in and then selecting which charger I was at in the app.
 
y_p_w said:
Still not sure how to use anything else. I thought to use (for example) ChargePoint it requires that an account be set up that would recognize the vehicle. I'm going to inevitably help them with it. I get that it might be possible to use some random charging system that doesn’t require an account, but not sure where that might be.
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Yes, ChargePoint has an app, then you tap your phone to the charger to use it.
 
Asked if they sold the Mobile Connector at the store, and was told they do but they’re typically sold out quickly and they didn't have any today. Not sure how long it will take to ship, but I ordered one for my parents.

The car has been interesting. It only had an 80% charge and my dad asked to have it charged a bit more and it was at 96% when we left. Not sure when to charge it, but it’s not going to run out of charge any time soon. Was able to sit in one while waiting and figure out the Supercharger rates that are close to their home.
 
y_p_w said:
Asked if they sold the Mobile Connector at the store, and was told they do but they’re typically sold out quickly and they didn't have any today. Not sure how long it will take to ship, but I ordered one for my parents.

The car has been interesting. It only had an 80% charge and my dad asked to have it charged a bit more and it was at 96% when we left. Not sure when to charge it, but it’s not going to run out of charge any time soon. Was able to sit in one while waiting and figure out the Supercharger rates that are close to their home.
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Pics or it ain't real! I take it you got a RWD Single motor? Great car! Dare I ask what you paid? Did oyu order or take from local inventory?
 
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