2 Week Review

[hmp10]

When putting the screws back on, one of them went in but then didn't tighten - it just spins. The rest will tighten fully and stop spinning. Maybe I need one of these kits too . . . .

If the screw is spinning, it is not anchored to the backplate. This suggests one of three things:

- the screw is not long enough to reach the backplate (and that seems to be the case with the screws that were shipped with some cars)
- your brass inserts are in the rubber spacer (as they were in mine), and one of the spacers has detached from the backplate
- the brass insert is in the backplate but has come loose, which may be the case as these inserts are only press-fitted into the backplate and, once loosened, will stay loose.

I would recommend getting the kit. I may even apply SuperGlue to the inserts before I press them into the backplate. This is really not a very robust plate mounting system.

Lucid is a deepening mystery to me. Outside of software, continued driving convinces me more every day that they got all the really hard stuff brilliantly right: the powertrain, the suspension and braking, the component packaging, the solidity of the structure, the aerodynamics, the system efficiencies, most of the ergonomics. But on simple things that were mastered by most automakers decades ago, such as attaching license plates and weather stripping, they seem lost in the wilderness.

Software screwups I expected to some degree for a while. But making runs to the hardware store to buy weatherstripping adhesive and waiting for a packet of proper-length plate mounting screws to arrive is just not something I thought I'd be dealing with on a $170K car.

 

[CLTGT]

I would have thought anything I could easily take care of myself should be something that is a slam-dunk for them (like weather-stripping or screw length) Heck, I actually took care of that on my '73 Mustang and have some left over adhesive sitting in the garage and 100's of spare screws. I am prepared for delivery. Software stuff, I might need some extra blood pressure medication. I just had open heart surgery a few months ago to replace a Bicuspid Aortic valve (congenital thing) so my heart should be strong enough to endure the frustration of software short-comings, I hope.

 

[hmp10]

I just had open heart surgery a few months ago to replace a Bicuspid Aortic valve (congenital thing) so my heart should be strong enough to endure the frustration of software short-comings, I hope.

I had the same surgery in 2012 for the same reason. Trust me, it'll take more than software headaches to bring you down. And good luck with your recovery. I feel healthier almost 10 years later than I did before the surgery.

 

[CLTGT]

Thanks, I am already (four months post surgery) working out at a higher level than I did a few months pre-surgery. The one thing I got a little frustrated with is not being able to ski on the family trip to Telluride over Christmas. I must have asked the nurse that works with my surgeon three separate times if she was sure I could not ski. She would always say, "not this season". The heart is fine she says, but the sternum needs time. So, I spent some quality time with the wife snowshoeing, around 5 miles each day. The last day we started in town and snowshoed up to Mountain Village, 2 miles flat followed by 3 miles uphill, at altitude.

It's nice to hear from someone who has had the same experience.

 

[SaratogaLefty]

Thanks, I am already (four months post surgery) working out at a higher level than I did a few months pre-surgery. The one thing I got a little frustrated with is not being able to ski on the family trip to Telluride over Christmas. I must have asked the nurse that works with my surgeon three separate times if she was sure I could not ski. She would always say, "not this season". The heart is fine she says, but the sternum needs time. So, I spent some quality time with the wife snowshoeing, around 5 miles each day. The last day we started in town and snowshoed up to Mountain Village, 2 miles flat followed by 3 miles uphill, at altitude.

It's nice to hear from someone who has had the same experience.

In July 2021 I had an aortic valve replacement and a mitral valve repair. 18 months later doing fine.

 

[Bill55]

Another surprise yesterday . . . .

My permanent license plate arrived. To remove the license plate frame holding the temporary plate with which the car was delivered, I started by popping off the four caps over the mounting screws. I then started with the lower left screw but found it just rotated freely without backing out. I eased my finger under that corner of the frame to feel what was going on, and the upper left corner pulled away from the trunk without seeming to be attached to anything. Only the right two screws were actually holding the frame in place.

When I got the frame off, I found a truly bizarre mounting method. There is a backplate bolted to the trunk panel. On top of that backplate are four rubber spacers, apparently meant to float the frame away from the car so that it does not damage the paint. The screws for the frame go into threaded brass inserts in the rubber spacers but do not reach into the backplate. AND . . . the rubber spacers are mounted to the backplate only by tiny circles of double stick tape. That is all that is holding the plate on the car.

I tried to jerry-rig things by using some double-stick tape I had on hand to reattach the rubber spacers to the backplate, but the tape did not take a firm grip on the textured plastic backplate. Also, a couple of the brass inserts had pushed partway out of the rubber spacers from my attempts to remove the screws.

I called Customer Service to see if they could send me a new backplate assembly. Instead, they said that a Service Center will contact me today. Meanwhile, every time I get out of the car, I check to see if the plate is still hanging on with only two small pieces of adhesive tape keeping the right-side spacers attached to the backplate.

For me the spacers were not installed, but the screws used for the temp tag were too short to go through the plate and frame. I had some screws of the right size and length by chance. One of the brass thread inserts in the mounting plate on the car would not loosen and pulled out of the plastic. I glued it back in place and attached the plate without further issue. The Lucid frame had the plastic screw caps, but no screws, which seems like and oversight as the delivery center used very short screws to attach the paper thin temp plate to the mounting bracket.

 

[hmp10]

For me the spacers were not installed, but the screws used for the temp tag were too short to go through the plate and frame. I had some screws of the right size and length by chance. One of the brass thread inserts in the mounting plate on the car would not loosen and pulled out of the plastic. I glued it back in place and attached the plate without further issue. The Lucid frame had the plastic screw caps, but no screws, which seems like and oversight as the delivery center used very short screws to attach the paper thin temp plate to the mounting bracket.

Jeez, what's going on here? Some cars come with screws too short; others come with correct-length screws. Some cars come with spacers; some don't. Some have the threaded brass inserts in the backplate; some have them in the spacers. Some plates are held in place only by adhesive tape on the spacers; others are anchored in the backplate.

It's as if assemblers are rummaging around parts bins with each coming up with his own ad hoc method for attaching the license plate to the car using whatever bits and bobs he happens to come across.

 

[Lucken]

It's as if assemblers are rummaging around parts bins with each coming up with his own ad hoc method for attaching the license plate to the car using whatever bits and bobs he happens to come across.

Sort of sounds like what goes on with Tesla.

 

[hydbob]

Was your mounting plate part of a package? Mine was inside a pre-packaged set with mounting plate, rubber spacers, screws, plate cover and screw covers

 

[hmp10]

Was your mounting plate part of a package? Mine was inside a pre-packaged set with mounting plate, rubber spacers, screws, plate cover and screw covers

It's the rear plate giving me trouble. The car was delivered with the temporary plate already installed in the frame and mounted to the rear backplate. I live in Florida which doesn't require or even issue front plates, so I asked not to have the front plate installed. The front plate mount was given to me in a foam bag that contained only a backplate with no other parts or accessories either for attaching it to the car or attaching a license plate to the mount. In a plastic sleeve I also received a black steel plate with "LUCID" etched on it which, I suppose, was meant to mounted on the front if you didn't have a license plate to mount.

 

[Victor Osaka]

In regards to the Sunvisor. Don't they swing out to shade the side windows? Thus leaving the canopy view uninterrupted?

 

[hydbob]

In regards to the Sunvisor. Don't they swing out to shade the side windows? Thus leaving the canopy view uninterrupted?

Except for the 2 mounting points, it detracts from the uninterrupted view, but not a big deal to me, since I'm driving anyways

 

[MoniputerLM]

I have had my Lucid Air Dream edition for 2 weeks - here are my initial observations

+
the build quality is very good and I like the exterior design very much (everyone comments about it very positively)
the Lucid drives and handles very nicely
the fit and finish of the interior is very nice and the use of materials is very refreshing
the shape of the dash is very nice (although the shape might hinder functionality)
the steering wheel is particularly nice in its feel and design (except for the right volume control knob which you have to keep moving up or down - it doesn’t fully rotate) and the flat bottom is hefty in a very good way
the front headlights provide excellent visibility (but you see 4 “black squares” in the upper part of the illumination which is annoying)

-
the A pillars are extremely think and because of the angle of the windshield create a large visibility problem
the sun visor is right in the middle of the windshield and greatly negates the visibility advantage of such a large piece of glass - it should either fold in 1/2 or be mounted on the side like the Tesla X
the front windshield also appears slightly distorted because of its steep rake and the reflections from the upper dash
the floor mats are too light in color and show dirt almost immediately
the key is too plasticky and light and is not befitting the car
the dash shows the range when you get in or out of the car but when you are driving it only shows the battery %
when you are stopped the car will often roll backwards - this is unacceptable - even if you press on the brake firmly to lock the brake this often lasts for only a second or so and the car will roll backwards
the wireless phone charger will fit an iphone 13 pro max only if it is not in a case
the passenger airbag warning light stays on all the time if no one is in the passenger seat - it is bright orange and basically at eye level as it is by the rear view mirror - this is extremely annoying at night
the multi speaker stereo system sounds slightly above average but once again certainly not befitting a car of this price
the interior of the door pull is plastic and not in keeping with the rest of the interior - it should be alcantara or another substantial and tactile material
when driving sometimes you have to depress the accelerator a lot for the car to get up to speed (it can be very laggy) - it makes you feel like the car is pulling a trailer
because the door is so large and the windshield so sloped it it hard to reach out and close the door upon entry - it could really use the Tesla X door closing mechanism

im going to address the software/infotainment in a subsequent post as I have a lot of comments - and very few of them are positive

I had two layers of blackout vinyl applied over the seatbelt light. It's half the brightness now.

 

[DevTech]

I had two layers of blackout vinyl applied over the seatbelt light. It's half the brightness now.

Do you think Lucid can remedy the brightness of the seatbelt light through an OTA update?

 

[hmp10]

Do you think Lucid can remedy the brightness of the seatbelt light through an OTA update?

I think the posts were referring to the passenger airbag warning light over the rearview mirror. It is lit only when the front passenger seat is vacant. My guess is that it is not controlled through software but rather with a pressure switch.

 

[CLTGT]

It really should have had some sort of timer associated with it so that it would light up initially and go away 30-60 seconds later.

If something like this is an issue for me, I am sure Lucid will love to see the “less than perfect” application of black electrical tape over the offending light. Not a good look for such an expensive car. A little thing like this can really cheapen their image if we all go and put tape over anything we find offensive.

I disconnected a similar offensive light/buzz on my ‘73 Mustang. I am sure I can find a way to do the same here. Hopefully, I won’t be breaking out my interior trim tools…

 

[hmp10]

It really should have had some sort of timer associated with it so that it would light up initially and go away 30-60 seconds later.

Federal regulations in 49 CFR § 595.5 specify that the passenger airbag warning light "shall remain illuminated for the entire time that the air bag is 'off'." The regs also specify that it shall be yellow and "shall be clearly visible to occupants of all front seating positions."

So Lucid doesn't have the option of timing out the light or using a less vibrant color. Whether muting the intensity of the light would conflict with the requirement that the light remain visible to all front seat passengers is a matter of judgment, I guess, but Lucid probably erred on the side of assured compliance in determining the intensity.

This light seems to bother some drivers more than others, judging from posts here. It may be more of a problem for drivers such as I who have had eye procedures or lens replacements that create halo effects around bright lights. With the light positioned right above a rearview mirror that one glances at frequently, the intensity of this light against a black background at night can be very distracting.

 

[hydbob]

Federal regulations in 49 CFR § 595.5 specify that the passenger airbag warning light "shall remain illuminated for the entire time that the air bag is 'off'." The regs also specify that it shall be yellow and "shall be clearly visible to occupants of all front seating positions."

So Lucid doesn't have the option of timing out the light or using a less vibrant color. Whether muting the intensity of the light would conflict with the requirement that the light remain visible to all front seat passengers is a matter of judgment, I guess, but Lucid probably erred on the side of assured compliance in determining the intensity.

This light seems to bother some drivers more than others, judging from posts here. It may be more of a problem for drivers such as I who have had eye procedures or lens replacements that create halo effects around bright lights. With the light positioned right above a rearview mirror that one glances at frequently, the intensity of this light against a black background at night can be very distracting.

Yea, I honestly didn't even give it a second thought until you guys mentioned it. Checked it again at night and haven't thought about it again.

 

[hmp10]

If something like this is an issue for me, I am sure Lucid will love to see the “less than perfect” application of black electrical tape over the offending light. Not a good look for such an expensive car. A little thing like this can really cheapen their image if we all go and put tape over anything we find offensive.

I doubt if a small piece of nicely-trimmed black electrical tape above a rearview mirror that only the driver looks at, anyway, is going to be noticed by many people.

 

[hmp10]

Yea, I honestly didn't even give it a second thought until you guys mentioned it. Checked it again at night and haven't thought about it again.

This is not meant as a slam against Lucid, but merely as an observation that applies to many other car companies.

From all the videos and interviews I've seen, there are almost no "elders" among the people who designed and engineered the Air. (Rawlinson and Hochholdinger are knocking on the door but not yet quite through it.) But there have been quite a few posts on the Lucid forums that suggest a lot of Air buyers, especially of the Dream Edition, are considerably more "up in years", as they say.

These designers and engineers -- especially with younger ones seeming to dominate in the interior design and styling -- haven't yet had to deal with the arthritis, cataract surgeries, and other minor infirmities that surely lie in their futures but have already arrived for a fair chunk of their customers.

Thus things such as light haloing at night and having to bend arthritic necks and backs to get under low roof rails lead to things such as putting bright lights into peripheral vision fields or failing to program automatic seat and steering wheel retraction for exiting the car. These considerations are just not part of their design lexicon.