# Drive a Tesla, get Sieg Heils? Apparently it ain’t easy being green any more **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 11, 2025, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drive-a-tesla-get-sieg-heils-apparently-it-ain-t-easy-being-green-any-more/1015416 "2025-03-11T03:52:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2025, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drive-a-tesla-get-sieg-heils-apparently-it-ain-t-easy-being-green-any-more/1015416/161 "2025-03-14T12:23:10Z")
I don’t think you can drive it when it’s offline, though. I guess it must allow a little emergency use, but i bet it’s hard to start it without it verifying itself. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2025, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drive-a-tesla-get-sieg-heils-apparently-it-ain-t-easy-being-green-any-more/1015416/162 "2025-03-14T12:30:07Z")
It may be something like with MCI highway motor coaches – I’ve always fantasized about turning one into a fancy RV so I’ve read a fair bit about them. When they detect abnormal conditions that don’t actually prevent operation (for example, absence of DEF – Diesel Exhaust Fluid) they go into a degraded mode of operation where they don’t actually quit, but just limp along slowly with the sole purpose of getting to a service center. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2025, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drive-a-tesla-get-sieg-heils-apparently-it-ain-t-easy-being-green-any-more/1015416/163 "2025-03-14T12:38:44Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > and the world’s ugliest Rivian! And THAT is really saying something! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![echoreply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/echoreply/32/3641_2.png) [@echoreply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/echoreply)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2025, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drive-a-tesla-get-sieg-heils-apparently-it-ain-t-easy-being-green-any-more/1015416/164 "2025-03-14T16:19:37Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > I don’t think you can drive it when it’s offline, though It works just fine offline. It will start, drive, and do all kinds of 1990s car stuff while it is offline. Obviously you can’t do online things like live traffic or stream Spotify. The phone as a key stuff only requires Bluetooth, so both the car and phone can be offline and it still works. Really, the biggest annoyance of being offline is that it takes 1-2 minutes for the online map routing to time out and compute the route based on offline data. The criticism is valid though. If Musk has a fit and disables people’s cars, who is going to come to our rescue? The CPSC, FTC, SCOTUS? And for a bit of whataboutism, any other connected cars are also vulnerable to this type of attack. My 2000 Suburban would be, too, except the OnStar cellular module is analog only (hasn’t worked since 2008 or so). > [@wolfpup](#): > > a couple more rebranded Teslas I want to get a license plate that says FELMO, but I’m not sure if anyone will get it, and if it is easily understandable, then I’m sure the state will deny it. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2025, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drive-a-tesla-get-sieg-heils-apparently-it-ain-t-easy-being-green-any-more/1015416/165 "2025-03-14T16:25:52Z")
It means “Friend of Elmo”, right? Just like “FOB” meant “Friend of Bill [Clinton]”. What’s the problem? ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2025, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drive-a-tesla-get-sieg-heils-apparently-it-ain-t-easy-being-green-any-more/1015416/166 "2025-03-14T16:52:44Z")
> [@echoreply](#): > > > [@puzzlegal](#): > > > > I don’t think you can drive it when it’s offline, though > > It works just fine offline. It will start, drive, and do all kinds of 1990s car stuff while it is offline. Oh, good to know. Thanks ---
**Author:** ![Ponderoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponderoid/32/19221_2.png) [@Ponderoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponderoid)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2025, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drive-a-tesla-get-sieg-heils-apparently-it-ain-t-easy-being-green-any-more/1015416/167 "2025-03-14T18:00:46Z")
A few years ago I read a couple articles that claimed Tesla was not allowing advanced features like autopilot to transfer to new owners without the new owner paying the license fees again to Tesla. I tried to google for those articles, and what I found today were nothing but reports of isolated cases of dispute whether the license fees were ever paid in the first place, not a consistent policy. But Tesla definitely has the power to just up and unilaterally decide to remotely _downgrade your car_ without even talking to you. ---
**Author:** ![echoreply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/echoreply/32/3641_2.png) [@echoreply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/echoreply)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2025, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drive-a-tesla-get-sieg-heils-apparently-it-ain-t-easy-being-green-any-more/1015416/168 "2025-03-14T20:50:11Z")
Remember, according to Trump it is illegal to boycott Tesla. Therefore, anyone shopping for a car had better consider buying a Tesla, and only reject them for non-political, non-boycott related reasons. So if you don’t want to find yourself sued into owning a Tesla, you had better decide you don’t want one based only on the color, and don’t collude with anyone about this decision. It needs to be made just between you and your family. I recommend documenting this. Perhaps a text chain with your spouse, where you decide not to buy a Tesla because the seat belt is uncomfortable. > But the Radical Left Lunatics, as they often do, are trying to illegally and collusively boycott Tesla > **[Truth Social](https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/114141854575248527)** > > Truth Social is America's "Big Tent" social media platform that encourages an open, free, and honest global conversation without discriminating on the basis of political ideology. > [@Ponderoid](#): > > Tesla definitely has the power to just up and unilaterally decide to remotely _downgrade your car_ without even talking to you Yes, they can do this. And again with the whataboutism, so can other car manufacturers with their modern cars. As far as I know, purchased or included benefits on Tesla cars are usually tied to the car, not to the owner. For example, old Model S cars with free supercharging sell at a bit of a premium over ones that don’t have it. What Tesla has done is modify these on cars that they receive as trade-ins, and then sell as used. So, for example, when used Teslas were in high demand, they might accept a trade-in with Full Self Driving (supervised), and then disable it, forcing the new owner to buy it again. The opposite also happened, add FSD to a used car they own to Incidents have definitely happened where there has been fuckups in the transfer of ownership, where somehow an addon feature has not been activated for the new owner, but despite whining and accusations, all the ones I recall seeing have been mistakes. ---
**Author:** ![Capn\_Carl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/838e76/32.png) [@Capn\_Carl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capn_Carl)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2025, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drive-a-tesla-get-sieg-heils-apparently-it-ain-t-easy-being-green-any-more/1015416/169 "2025-03-14T21:52:09Z")
As Echoreply stated, all manufacturers of modern cars have the power to downgrade the cars. They don’t downgrade customer’s cars because this would anger their customers. They also have the power to _upgrade_ the cars. Tesla does this. They’ve been doing it for years now. Owners are notified of an update which typically includes new features, and the owner can choose to accept the update or not. Usually the new features include buttons to disable or customize the new feature. ---
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2025, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drive-a-tesla-get-sieg-heils-apparently-it-ain-t-easy-being-green-any-more/1015416/170 "2025-03-15T02:27:07Z")
> **[Multiple Teslas set on fire in Germany](https://www.newsweek.com/tesla-vehicles-set-fire-berlin-germany-elon-musk-2044692)** > > German police said that four vehicles were set on fire in Berlin on Friday morning, and that political motives could not be ruled out. ---
**Author:** ![MacDoc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/macdoc/32/18696_2.png) [@MacDoc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacDoc)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2025, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drive-a-tesla-get-sieg-heils-apparently-it-ain-t-easy-being-green-any-more/1015416/171 "2025-03-15T04:10:27Z")
> **[Lauren Young (@thisislaureny) on Threads](https://www.threads.net/@thisislaureny/post/DHKnBfcNa2p/tesla-tea-party-anyone)** > > Tesla Tea Party, anyone? ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2025, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drive-a-tesla-get-sieg-heils-apparently-it-ain-t-easy-being-green-any-more/1015416/172 "2025-03-15T12:28:57Z")
Moderating Hey, just a reminder: From the FAQ **Illegal activity.** Do not post material that in our opinion encourages or facilitates activity that is illegal in the U.S. Discussion of whether an activity should or should not be illegal is permissible. We encourage people to abide by local U.S. law, which varies by jurisdiction. Please do not post suggestions or advice on how to evade local U.S. law. ---
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2025, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drive-a-tesla-get-sieg-heils-apparently-it-ain-t-easy-being-green-any-more/1015416/173 "2025-03-15T14:54:14Z")
just as a FYI, it should read **SIEG** Heil (in the title) ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2025, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drive-a-tesla-get-sieg-heils-apparently-it-ain-t-easy-being-green-any-more/1015416/174 "2025-03-15T17:16:41Z")
> **[Tesla is done in Germany: 94% say they won't buy a Tesla car](https://electrek.co/2025/03/14/tesla-is-done-in-germany-94-say-they-wont-buy-a-tesla-car/)** > > A survey of over 100,000 Germans revealed that 94% won’t buy a Tesla vehicle. It doesn’t bode well for the... But that still leaves 6% who might! ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2025, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drive-a-tesla-get-sieg-heils-apparently-it-ain-t-easy-being-green-any-more/1015416/175 "2025-03-15T17:41:41Z")
> [@Al128](#): > > just as a FYI, it should read **SIEG** Heil (in the title) Oh, good catch. I’ll fix that. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2025, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drive-a-tesla-get-sieg-heils-apparently-it-ain-t-easy-being-green-any-more/1015416/176 "2025-03-15T17:47:46Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > But that still leaves 6% who might! How many of those wouldn’t have purchased a Tesla anyway? 33% of German households don’t have cars at all. There are 58 cars for every 100 German people. Seems like a useless statistic to me. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2025, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drive-a-tesla-get-sieg-heils-apparently-it-ain-t-easy-being-green-any-more/1015416/177 "2025-03-15T19:45:59Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > But that still leaves 6% who might! Is that the same 6% that drink American beer? ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2025, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drive-a-tesla-get-sieg-heils-apparently-it-ain-t-easy-being-green-any-more/1015416/178 "2025-03-15T19:52:46Z")
Probably the same 6% who belong to clandestine banned political movements. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2025, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drive-a-tesla-get-sieg-heils-apparently-it-ain-t-easy-being-green-any-more/1015416/179 "2025-03-15T19:57:28Z")
> [@Al128](#): > > just as a FYI, it should read **SIEG** Heil (in the title) We’re slipping, folks. 173 posts before someone points out a typo in a word from a foreign language? We can do better ! 😁 ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2025, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drive-a-tesla-get-sieg-heils-apparently-it-ain-t-easy-being-green-any-more/1015416/180 "2025-03-15T20:00:21Z")
> [@Aspenglow](#): > > Oh, good catch. I’ll fix that Thanks. 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drive-a-tesla-get-sieg-heils-apparently-it-ain-t-easy-being-green-any-more/1015416.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drive-a-tesla-get-sieg-heils-apparently-it-ain-t-easy-being-green-any-more/1015416.md?page=10)