Winter Weather/Snow/Ice Best Practices?

[newlucidguy]

first weeks of ownership, northeast US, I got just a very light snow - driver door got some frozen snow in the handle and would not present itself for me to open the door, I had to go in through the passenger seat and reach over open the driver door handle from the inside then go 'round to get in. fortunately that worked, but the snow was so little - what happens in rest of winter? especially in 'real' snow or ice? the handle motor was not enough to break up the little frozen snow that did get inside. I am going to make a magnetized felt cover for that handle for next time (kind of crazy that's needed .. are tesla handles heated? the lucid handle really should be). hopefully the motors don't get damaged from trying to open (made a clicking sound which I imagine was the gear slipping to the next set of teeth?). honestly, disappointed in that, and I had warmed the car for 30 mins before going out so if there were a handle heater, it would have worked by then (or if the cabin temp was sufficient to warm the snow inside, that would have been fine, but it wasn't). anyone have any suggestions on this? I'll post pics of my magnetic felt workaround.

 

[stratus]

first weeks of ownership, northeast US, I got just a very light snow - driver door got some frozen snow in the handle and would not present itself for me to open the door, I had to go in through the passenger seat and reach over open the driver door handle from the inside then go 'round to get in. fortunately that worked, but the snow was so little - what happens in rest of winter? especially in 'real' snow or ice? the handle motor was not enough to break up the little frozen snow that did get inside. I am going to make a magnetized felt cover for that handle for next time (kind of crazy that's needed .. are tesla handles heated? the lucid handle really should be). hopefully the motors don't get damaged from trying to open (made a clicking sound which I imagine was the gear slipping to the next set of teeth?). honestly, disappointed in that, and I had warmed the car for 30 mins before going out so if there were a handle heater, it would have worked by then (or if the cabin temp was sufficient to warm the snow inside, that would have been fine, but it wasn't). anyone have any suggestions on this? I'll post pics of my magnetic felt workaround.

Did you try pushing on the handle to release the snow/ ice? That worked for me.

 

[newlucidguy]

Did you try pushing on the handle to release the snow/ ice? That worked for me.

I pushed it a little and that locked all the doors. I was afraid to break it. Do you know how far past fully retracted I can push it in safely?

 

[stratus]

I pushed it a little and that locked all the doors. I was afraid to break it. Do you know how far past fully retracted I can push it in safely?

It hasn’t happened to me in a while, so I cannot recall exactly how much pressure I applied, but If I remember correctly, it wasn’t much. I would email service and inquire . We get a lot of snow here and door handle malfunction has been a very infrequent occurrence for me.

 

[newlucidguy]

Great, thanks for the tips!

 

[stratus]

Great, thanks for the tips!

I think you will experience a few winter frustrations , but most of them can be resolved. Perhaps I have been lucky, but my experience during winter has been seamless.

The biggest irritants are blocked cameras , and for some the frunk doesn’t function properly in winter.

 

[hydbob]

I pushed it a little and that locked all the doors. I was afraid to break it. Do you know how far past fully retracted I can push it in safely?

You can push it in pretty far. Definitely enjoy to break any ice that formed overnight unless it's super thick

 

[ME2U]

Out of curiosity, has anyone tried a silicone spray on the rubber gasket to see if it helps with the water/freezing issue? I haven't had this issue (yet) so I'm trying to see if something proactive can be done other than not use it.

I used silicone grease or spray since long time and it works great. I prefer grease, specifically "Dielectric Tune Up Grease" for a more durable and cleaner application. Put some on your finger tip and massage the rubber... I know it sounds weird but it works lol, not the rubber the grease

 

[Electrified]

My AGT is my daily driver which means it is outdoors 24/7, when the temp is 25F and below I will pre-condition the battery to warm it up when I wake up while I spend the next 45-60 minutes getting ready to head into the city.