Issues with my car

[FlyingHeavy]

After some genuine responses to my OP, several predictable flames (that accused me of being AI ), and a couple of posts that have the exact same experience as me, I realize that the flamers have questioned my credibility. I didn't realize that I wasn't a verified owner. I have now submitted the photos required for this. I also realized that my assertion of first seeing the Lucid on a Bond film must not have been accurate since several have questioned this, and my online searches cite no appearances yet on Bond Films. Perhaps we saw a Lucid TV advertisement while watching a Bond Film. So I apologize for my inaccuracy.

There were also some disagreements on the Tesla MS driver interface. Tesla S has gone full Ikea IMO compared to my 2014 P85D. I drove a demo MS last year and was appalled at the lack of buttons, tactile controls, and the supremely ugly "ipad stuck to the dash" that replaced the elegant built in large screen in my 2014. Since I bought my MS and have lifetime free supercharging, Tesla offered to give me free supercharging on a new one as well. (that offer has evidently since been rescinded) I declined Tesla's offer for some of the same reasons that the flamers cited. Turn signals on the steering wheel Tesla? Unsafe at any speed. Yoke steering wheel? You've got to be kidding. I only use a yoke when I'm flying large airliners for my large airline. (although my current airplane has a sidestick...but I digress)

Hopefully, the assertions of my lack of credibility are answered when they complete my owner verification. But, I stand by all my complaints of the OP. Just so you know, we decided to keep the Lucid despite the glacial rollout of software fixes to its problems. I spent $1500 on a ceramic coating in April 2024 for our Lucid. You don't do that unless you WANT to keep it. I WANT it to get better, and it has...ever so slowly. But it still falls far behind the feature set of my old Tesla, with the exception of Tesla's inexcusable lack of CarPlay. But my Lucid, although equipped with wireless CarPlay, doesn't often hook up to it as explained in the OP.

Thanks all for your feedback, and for the good belly laugh when they accused me of being AI.

 

[FlyingHeavy]

I appreciate your candor. Your experience is valid and I hope the Air is able to improve for you in time.

Thanks. I appreciate you saying that. I share your hope!

 

[Bobby]

After some genuine responses to my OP, several predictable flames (that accused me of being AI ), and a couple of posts that have the exact same experience as me, I realize that the flamers have questioned my credibility. I didn't realize that I wasn't a verified owner. I have now submitted the photos required for this. I also realized that my assertion of first seeing the Lucid on a Bond film must not have been accurate since several have questioned this, and my online searches cite no appearances yet on Bond Films. Perhaps we saw a Lucid TV advertisement while watching a Bond Film. So I apologize for my inaccuracy.

There were also some disagreements on the Tesla MS driver interface. Tesla S has gone full Ikea IMO compared to my 2014 P85D. I drove a demo MS last year and was appalled at the lack of buttons, tactile controls, and the supremely ugly "ipad stuck to the dash" that replaced the elegant built in large screen in my 2014. Since I bought my MS and have lifetime free supercharging, Tesla offered to give me free supercharging on a new one as well. (that offer has evidently since been rescinded) I declined Tesla's offer for some of the same reasons that the flamers cited. Turn signals on the steering wheel Tesla? Unsafe at any speed. Yoke steering wheel? You've got to be kidding. I only use a yoke when I'm flying large airliners for my large airline. (although my current airplane has a sidestick...but I digress)

Hopefully, the assertions of my lack of credibility are answered when they complete my owner verification. But, I stand by all my complaints of the OP. Just so you know, we decided to keep the Lucid despite the glacial rollout of software fixes to its problems. I spent $1500 on a ceramic coating in April 2024 for our Lucid. You don't do that unless you WANT to keep it. I WANT it to get better, and it has...ever so slowly. But it still falls far behind the feature set of my old Tesla, with the exception of Tesla's inexcusable lack of CarPlay. But my Lucid, although equipped with wireless CarPlay, doesn't often hook up to it as explained in the OP.

Thanks all for your feedback, and for the good belly laugh when they accused me of being AI.

I’m happy to try to help you with CarPlay. You may send me a private message and we can jump on a call.

 

[Leftlane]

Batteryman - 7 replies to the OP? Why are you taking it so personally? The OP shared a list of legitimate concerns and not an indictment of you for buying a Lucid - and you basically proved his point.

 

[AirPlur]

As someone coming from a Tesla and eagerly awaiting my AGT (any day now), these kinds of threads always scare me. That said, I have the good fortune (and perhaps sense?) to use a telephone and contact several real owners. The feedback I got from them?

Best care I’ve ever owned.

Walks all over the Tesla Model S it replaced.

Race car posing as a luxury sedan.

Several annoying software issues early on, all largely remedied.

You are going to love this car.

The people at Lucid actually care about you. You can speak with a real, live human.

DDP ain’t FSD, but I didn’t expect it to be. Because of what it cannot do, it also cannot kill you.

It has been a consistent theme in terms of my personal experience with the cars during test drives and speaking with people who own them being overwhelmingly positive but there being a disproportionate amount of nit picking and negativity here. I simply chalk it up to the fact that people who have issues actively search out a place to speak about them and those who are satisfied are less inclined to speak up.

With regard to the original post? I feel for you (assuming you’re a real person with legitimate issues). You spent a lot of money on what you hoped would be the best car in the world and were disappointed. I hope however this ends for you that it ends well.

I've found that EA charging stations are the veritable water coolers of EV ownership, minus Brand X of course, and that's where I've also heard similarly from owners face-to-face. And FWIW, my first Lucid ownership experience was ultimately a lemon return. What car did I unhesitatingly replace it with? The only comparably packaged/dynamic/luxurious/range-endowed/designed car on the market: another Lucid. If software imperfections and occasional service appointments expected of a car startup are deal breakers, a Lucid probably isn't the car for you (yet, but we're all rooting that it will be someday). Are OP's gripes valid? Sure! Does it suck that they are dealing with them after a hefty investment? Extremely! Are there other benefits over other cars that make some like myself and many others here hopelessly in love, in spite of the known issues? Apparently!

Either way, OP, my human heart (which you've since proven you possess as well, my bad) goes out to you.

 

[Batteryman]

Batteryman - 7 replies to the OP? Why are you taking it so personally? The OP shared a list of legitimate concerns and not an indictment of you for buying a Lucid - and you basically proved his point.

Thats how you respond to a troll, but obviously he wasn't one. Bond movie made me think he was one.

 

[Batteryman]

Software has improved considerably, why anyone complains as if it is a big gripe, I just don't get it.....and they compare it to Tesla...which lacks a lt in the software aspect as well.

 

[AirPlur]

Thats how you respond to a troll, but obviously he wasn't one. Bond movie made me think he was one.

According to the internet quick start guide you're not supposed to respond to trolls, no?

 

[DeaneG]

@FlyingHeavy I've also experienced a couple of the issues you describe with my Air GT, my fifth EV. Door locks are a little erratic, and profile selection can be an issue.

My wife and I use the fob exclusively now. It's been pretty reliable but sometimes the car takes a second or two to react.

We keep the unused fob in a faraday pouch to avoid profile confusion on entering the car. A workaround for sure. We've had similar issues in our Volvo EV and chose to disable automatic profile switching as a result.

I accept these shortcomings and a few others because the Air is, as I think you said, an outstanding example of design and mechanics.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned "FSD" yet. Lucid has never promised FSD. If a salesperson told you FSD was coming within two years, they were not correct, and management should have had a clarifying discussion with them.

 

[Steveinarizona]

Where are the BUTTONS? Lucid is much better for ergonomic

That is one of my most common complaints. Car companies call it "minimalist design"; I call it "cheapist design". They do it to save money as it is much cheaper to put everything on an inexpensive tablet. I can even understand this on a mainstream vehicle. But I cannot understand this on a luxury vehicle. I want HVAC controls permanently on my dashboard; I want switches for my seat; I want a traditional lever for a turn signal; etc. In a world of EVs car companies are looking for ways to distinguish their upper end EVs from the lower end ones. Having buttons and switches is an excellent starting point.

 

[FlyingHeavy]

As someone coming from a Tesla and eagerly awaiting my AGT (any day now), these kinds of threads always scare me. That said, I have the good fortune (and perhaps sense?) to use a telephone and contact several real owners. The feedback I got from them?

Best care I’ve ever owned.

Walks all over the Tesla Model S it replaced.

Race car posing as a luxury sedan.

Several annoying software issues early on, all largely remedied.

You are going to love this car.

The people at Lucid actually care about you. You can speak with a real, live human.

DDP ain’t FSD, but I didn’t expect it to be. Because of what it cannot do, it also cannot kill you.

It has been a consistent theme in terms of my personal experience with the cars during test drives and speaking with people who own them being overwhelmingly positive but there being a disproportionate amount of nit picking and negativity here. I simply chalk it up to the fact that people who have issues actively search out a place to speak about them and those who are satisfied are less inclined to speak up.

With regard to the original post? I feel for you (assuming you’re a real person with legitimate issues). You spent a lot of money on what you hoped would be the best car in the world and were disappointed. I hope however this ends for you that it ends well.

Thanks! We still own both the MS and the Lucid which gives me an objective view of both. They sit right next to each other in my garage. When I go out around town, unless my wife has the Lucid, I'll often take it over the Tesla for all the reasons in my OP (quieter, rides better, beautiful interior, etc) But I do so knowing that continuing connectivity and other issues will probably frustrate me. So I try to set my bar a little lower and just try to enjoy the driving experience. If this entire car was a piece of junk, it would already be gone. But it isn't. So we still have it. I have high hopes that it will eventually live up to my expectations. But Lucid needs to get busy fixing the keys, the profiles, the audio connectivity, CarPlay, and give us the self driving mode that we paid for. We've already waited 18 months.

 

[FlyingHeavy]

@FlyingHeavy I've also experienced a couple of the issues you describe with my Air GT, my fifth EV. Door locks are a little erratic, and profile selection can be an issue.

My wife and I use the fob exclusively now. It's been pretty reliable but sometimes the car takes a second or two to react.

We keep the unused fob in a faraday pouch to avoid profile confusion on entering the car. A workaround for sure. We've had similar issues in our Volvo EV and chose to disable automatic profile switching as a result.

I accept these shortcomings and a few others because the Air is, as I think you said, an outstanding example of design and mechanics.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned "FSD" yet. Lucid has never promised FSD. If a salesperson told you FSD was coming within two years, they were not correct, and management should have had a clarifying discussion with them.

Great suggestions DeaneG. I was concerned about fob interference as well. That may be some of the problem. But often I simply use my fob, my wife's is nowhere close, and her phone is not there either. Even with her mobile and fob keys isolated, the car often wakes up to her profile with my fob in my pocket.

 

[WildRide47]

That is one of my most common complaints. Car companies call it "minimalist design"; I call it "cheapist design". They do it to save money as it is much cheaper to put everything on an inexpensive tablet. I can even understand this on a mainstream vehicle. But I cannot understand this on a luxury vehicle. I want HVAC controls permanently on my dashboard; I want switches for my seat; I want a traditional lever for a turn signal; etc. In a world of EVs car companies are looking for ways to distinguish their upper end EVs from the lower end ones. Having buttons and switches is an excellent starting point.

I'm all for that. Imagine the advertising advantage. "Other cars require you to go into submenus when trying to do basic things, but our car has buttons which allow you to not take your eyes off the road and do it in one easy step" I'm sure a good advertiser would say it better than me, but I think that would be a great point, especially against the Taycan which has no buttons and even has you go into the screen to adjust your air vents!!

 

[Blue Lectroid]

I'm all for that. Imagine the advertising advantage. "Other cars require you to go into submenus when trying to do basic things, but our car has buttons which allow you to not take your eyes off the road and do it in one easy step" I'm sure a good advertiser would say it better than me, but I think that would be a great point, especially against the Taycan which has no buttons and even has you go into the screen to adjust your air vents!!

“Back to the Future”

 

[Neurio]

give us the self driving mode that we paid for.

As mentioned earlier, Lucid has *never* promised self driving. No one is going to provide true self driving anytime soon, so give up on that hope. What Lucid has promised is hands free highway driving, which is supposed to be released by the end of the year per their recent statements.

 

[scal_air]

....
Thanks all for your feedback, and for the good belly laugh when they accused me of being AI.

Darn these AIs are becoming sensitive...

Just joking Flying Heavy. The mobile keys are a problem for me too but curiously, only on my Android phone. I must say that the iPhone works flawlessly. Don't know why. It may be that the apple phones are usually upgraded to the same ios version and of course have only one manufacturer. Anyway, when I have issues, a phone restart, car reboot and finally unpairing and repairing have always solved my issue. Take Bobby up on his offer - I'm sure he can help.

 

[kickgas]

I've also seen the Air on TV. It was featured during the last episode or two of Succession on HBO.

 

[tonybot]

After some genuine responses to my OP, several predictable flames (that accused me of being AI ), and a couple of posts that have the exact same experience as me, I realize that the flamers have questioned my credibility. I didn't realize that I wasn't a verified owner. I have now submitted the photos required for this. I also realized that my assertion of first seeing the Lucid on a Bond film must not have been accurate since several have questioned this, and my online searches cite no appearances yet on Bond Films. Perhaps we saw a Lucid TV advertisement while watching a Bond Film. So I apologize for my inaccuracy.

There were also some disagreements on the Tesla MS driver interface. Tesla S has gone full Ikea IMO compared to my 2014 P85D. I drove a demo MS last year and was appalled at the lack of buttons, tactile controls, and the supremely ugly "ipad stuck to the dash" that replaced the elegant built in large screen in my 2014. Since I bought my MS and have lifetime free supercharging, Tesla offered to give me free supercharging on a new one as well. (that offer has evidently since been rescinded) I declined Tesla's offer for some of the same reasons that the flamers cited. Turn signals on the steering wheel Tesla? Unsafe at any speed. Yoke steering wheel? You've got to be kidding. I only use a yoke when I'm flying large airliners for my large airline. (although my current airplane has a sidestick...but I digress)

Hopefully, the assertions of my lack of credibility are answered when they complete my owner verification. But, I stand by all my complaints of the OP. Just so you know, we decided to keep the Lucid despite the glacial rollout of software fixes to its problems. I spent $1500 on a ceramic coating in April 2024 for our Lucid. You don't do that unless you WANT to keep it. I WANT it to get better, and it has...ever so slowly. But it still falls far behind the feature set of my old Tesla, with the exception of Tesla's inexcusable lack of CarPlay. But my Lucid, although equipped with wireless CarPlay, doesn't often hook up to it as explained in the OP.

Thanks all for your feedback, and for the good belly laugh when they accused me of being AI.

Thanks for becoming a verified owner and coming back with your perspective and not giving up on us. My ownership has been largely trouble free other than rare unlock issues or profile switching. Even if that frustrates me momentarily, I forget everything once I start driving this amazing driving machine. I am sure Lucid will continue to improve wherever possible, assuming some of these issues are not hardware or supplier limitations.

 

[DeaneG]

... I forget everything once I start driving this amazing driving machine...

Same here. If I think too hard about my Air while it is sitting in my garage, I'm disappointed about the wonky navigation software, inability to have nav on one screen and media on another, etc. But then I get in and drive it, and wow, still a fantastic experience after 2.5 years. Those other things will be fixed eventually.

 

[borski]

No one is going to provide true self driving anytime soon, so give up on that hope.

Waymo would like a word

(But yeah, outside of them and outside of the few locales in which they work, I totally agree)