# Guy gives his 97 year old grandpa a ride in his Tesla **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 3, 2018, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guy-gives-his-97-year-old-grandpa-a-ride-in-his-tesla/822347 "2018-10-03T02:05:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2018, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guy-gives-his-97-year-old-grandpa-a-ride-in-his-tesla/822347/1 "2018-10-03T02:05:08Z")
[Welcome to the future, grandpa.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6Nw6xp0NfM) ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2018, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guy-gives-his-97-year-old-grandpa-a-ride-in-his-tesla/822347/2 "2018-10-03T04:30:53Z")
Awwwwww. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2018, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guy-gives-his-97-year-old-grandpa-a-ride-in-his-tesla/822347/3 "2018-10-03T05:13:03Z")
I think I would’ve been as stunned by it all as he was. I’ve never seen a Tesla in action before. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2018, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guy-gives-his-97-year-old-grandpa-a-ride-in-his-tesla/822347/4 "2018-10-03T11:45:47Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > I think I would’ve been as stunned by it all as he was. I’ve never seen a Tesla in action before. If there’s a dealer near you, go take one for a test drive. Even if you have no intention of buying, it’s worth checking one out. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2018, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guy-gives-his-97-year-old-grandpa-a-ride-in-his-tesla/822347/5 "2018-10-03T14:43:15Z")
That totally fucking rocked! ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2018, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guy-gives-his-97-year-old-grandpa-a-ride-in-his-tesla/822347/6 "2018-10-03T15:43:29Z")
I really like the grandfather. He gets around so well for 97. Very sharp and understood the new tech after it was explained. I’m curious to see how easily these cars can be maintained. It’ll take at least ten years of maintenance history to learn how well they hold up. I wonder if the electric motor is fully serviceable? Replace the brushes, bearings, or even rewind the armature? Then there’s the external components, relays, start capacitor etc. It’ll require a whole new type of mechanic. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2018, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guy-gives-his-97-year-old-grandpa-a-ride-in-his-tesla/822347/7 "2018-10-03T16:57:01Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I really like the grandfather. He gets around so well for 97. Very sharp and understood the new tech after it was explained. > > I’m curious to see how easily these cars can be maintained. It’ll take at least ten years of maintenance history to learn how well they hold up. > > I wonder if the electric motor is fully serviceable? Replace the brushes, bearings, or even rewind the armature? Then there’s the external components, relays, start capacitor etc. It’ll require a whole new type of mechanic. Well, here’s one data point: [This man was so fed up trying to get his Tesla fixed that he ended up doing it himself](https://www.cnbc.com/2018/08/28/tesla-owner-frustrated-so-fixes-his-own-model-s-easy-as-legos.html?utm_source=fark&utm_medium=website&utm_content=link&ICID=ref_fark). From the article: “When I opened it up, I find out that it’s the easiest car I’ve ever worked on. Easiest device I’ve ever worked on. They built a Lego car. It’s like putting together Legos, taking apart Legos. If you can put together Legos you can put together a Tesla Model S.” ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2018, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guy-gives-his-97-year-old-grandpa-a-ride-in-his-tesla/822347/8 "2018-10-03T17:30:41Z")
This is fantastic! Thanks for sharing it. I just love the part where the grandson says you can recharge at the super charger in an hour, and the grandpa replies, “Takes that long, eh?” ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2018, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guy-gives-his-97-year-old-grandpa-a-ride-in-his-tesla/822347/9 "2018-10-03T18:08:17Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I wonder if the electric motor is fully serviceable? Replace the brushes, bearings, or even rewind the armature? Teslas use 3-phase induction motors. No brushes. I doubt that any modern electric car uses motors with brushes. ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2018, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guy-gives-his-97-year-old-grandpa-a-ride-in-his-tesla/822347/10 "2018-10-04T08:19:49Z")
> [@Max\_Torque](#): > > This man was so fed up trying to get his Tesla fixed that he ended up doing it himself . If you can put together Legos you can put together a Tesla Model S." From your link: > [@](#): > > Among his issues were leaking tail lights, failing door handles, a passenger window behind the driver that fell out of place and faulty wiring in his driver’s side door. > He says if he had been able to get a timely appointment, he was looking at a minimum of $14,000 in costs. Something does not compute. Either it’s Lego, or it’s $14,000 . And it’s pretty rare these days for _any_ 5-year-old car to have failing door handles, and a window that falls out. Plus the threat of a $14000 repair bill. I’ll be getting a Tesla only after the bugs get fixed and parts are available. Maybe in 20-30 years ? And by then, I’ll be 97 like the grandpa in the video. But I’ll be cool. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2018, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guy-gives-his-97-year-old-grandpa-a-ride-in-his-tesla/822347/11 "2018-10-04T11:08:03Z")
That video got 1.4k down votes. Who the hell are these monsters?! Lol Anyway, sweet vid. Love the Grandpa. ---
**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:** [October 4, 2018, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guy-gives-his-97-year-old-grandpa-a-ride-in-his-tesla/822347/12 "2018-10-04T11:33:06Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > From your link: > > Something does not compute. Either it’s Lego, or it’s $14,000 . It’s easy to do yourself but the repair shops charge a fortune anyway because most Tesla owners don’t know any better. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2018, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guy-gives-his-97-year-old-grandpa-a-ride-in-his-tesla/822347/13 "2018-10-04T11:34:15Z")
[Cop pulls over Tesla because of touchscreen](https://www.liveleak.com/view?t=92Zad_1538499667) ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2018, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guy-gives-his-97-year-old-grandpa-a-ride-in-his-tesla/822347/14 "2018-10-04T11:48:24Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > [Cop pulls over Tesla because of touchscreen](https://www.liveleak.com/view?t=92Zad_1538499667) Whew, so happy to see the cop wasn’t a dick about it. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2018, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guy-gives-his-97-year-old-grandpa-a-ride-in-his-tesla/822347/15 "2018-10-04T12:13:16Z")
If he’s 97, he could have _met_ Tesla. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2018, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guy-gives-his-97-year-old-grandpa-a-ride-in-his-tesla/822347/16 "2018-10-04T15:30:56Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > From your link: > > Something does not compute. Either it’s Lego, or it’s $14,000 . > > And it’s pretty rare these days for _any_ 5-year-old car to have failing door handles, and a window that falls out. Plus the threat of a $14000 repair bill. > I’ll be getting a Tesla only after the bugs get fixed and parts are available. Maybe in 20-30 years ? > > And by then, I’ll be 97 like the grandpa in the video. > But I’ll be cool. 🙂 I have zero direct personal experience with Teslas, but I’ve heard (and correct me if I’m wrong, anyone) that they have snazzy door handles that fit flush to the car, and they only pop out to where they can be grabbed when the car senses someone approach with the key. The handles go flush when the car is in motion. It may have been something to do with that mechanism. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2018, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guy-gives-his-97-year-old-grandpa-a-ride-in-his-tesla/822347/17 "2018-10-04T15:53:23Z")
> [@Max\_Torque](#): > > I have zero direct personal experience with Teslas, but I’ve heard (and correct me if I’m wrong, anyone) that they have snazzy door handles that fit flush to the car, and they only pop out to where they can be grabbed when the car senses someone approach with the key. The handles go flush when the car is in motion. It may have been something to do with that mechanism. Likely. A family member used to own a Tesla Model S, and this describes door handle behavior correctly - including the handles occasionally _not_ popping out when the key fob approaches. You can also touch the handles to cause them to retract (to lock the doors), and touch them again to cause them to pop out. [Good video demo here.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ji92dFHLhA) It is, as you say, snazzy, but a failure may mean that the door can’t be opened. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2018, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guy-gives-his-97-year-old-grandpa-a-ride-in-his-tesla/822347/18 "2018-10-04T16:15:04Z")
Typical over engineering mistake. Substituting a proven and reliable door latch for one controlled by a computer is a questionable feature. Retracting door handles look very cool when it works. It’s a PITA when you’re locked out and stranded in the parking lot at Walmart. It really frustrates customers if parts aren’t easily available. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2018, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guy-gives-his-97-year-old-grandpa-a-ride-in-his-tesla/822347/19 "2018-10-04T16:18:08Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Typical over engineering mistake. > > Substituting a proven and reliable door latch for one controlled by a computer is a questionable feature. > > Retracting door handles look very cool when it works. It’s a PITA when you’re locked out and stranded in the parking lot at Walmart. It really frustrates customers if parts aren’t available. People probably had similar concerns about power windows when they were introduced. No one “needs” power windows, and what if something goes wrong? We’ll see how these door latches work over time. ---
**Author:** ![Flyer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/flyer/32/7298_2.png) [@Flyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flyer)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2018, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guy-gives-his-97-year-old-grandpa-a-ride-in-his-tesla/822347/20 "2018-10-04T16:56:46Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > People probably had similar concerns about power windows when they were introduced. > > No one “needs” power windows, and what if something goes wrong? > > We’ll see how these door latches work over time. When power windows break down, it’s an inconvenience; and it may be quite troublesome, especially if they fail in the down position when bad weather is approaching. BUT such a failure generally does not prevent you from actually using the car. Reliability of something is only one consideration. Another, and sometimes much more important, is-- “What happens when this system fails?” A 1% chance of a life-saving machine breaking down is far more concerning than a 50% chance of a toaster failing. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guy-gives-his-97-year-old-grandpa-a-ride-in-his-tesla/822347.md?page=2)