Cold Weather Best Practices To ensure that Model 3 provides you with the best ownership experience possible in harsh cold weather conditions, follow these best practices.
Before Driving When snow and ice accumulate on your vehicle, moving parts, such as the door handles, windows, mirrors, and wipers can freeze in place. For these reasons, and to achieve maximum range and performance, it is helpful to warm the cabin and Battery before you leave. There are several ways to do so: • Touch Schedule, available on both the charging and climate control screens, to set a time when you want your vehicle to be ready to drive (see Scheduled Charging and Scheduled Departure on page 167). • On the mobile app, navigate to Climate > Turn On Climate and set to HI (or customize the temperature at which you want to heat the cabin). The Battery also warms as needed. • On the mobile app, navigate to Climate > Defrost to melt snow, ice, and frost on the windshield, driver and passenger windows, mirrors. The Battery also warms as needed. NOTE: Tesla recommends activating climate settings at least 30-45 minutes before departure (see Climate Controls on page 132). Preconditioning times depend on outside temperature and other factors. NOTE: In extremely cold weather or icy conditions, it is possible that your charge port latch may freeze in place. Some vehicles are equipped with a charge port inlet heater that turns on when you turn on the rear defrost in cold weather conditions. You can also thaw ice on the charge port latch by enabling preconditioning using the mobile app.
• To proactively prevent ice buildup, apply WD-40 to the door handle pivot pins if you are expecting freezing rain, heavy snow, or icy conditions. Reapply as needed (see Applying WD-40 to Door Handle Pivot Pins on page 86).
Windows • On the mobile app, navigate to Climate > Defrost as mentioned previously. Your vehicle heats the driver and passenger windows to melt ice that could prevent windows from moving. • Model 3 automatically makes a slight adjustment to the position of the windows to make it easier to open doors in cold temperature. • Use the mobile app to schedule a service appointment for Tesla to provide hydrophobic coating to your windows for a nominal fee.
Mirrors
NOTE: Warming the Battery using Scheduled Departure or the mobile app before driving can also reduce charging time at a Supercharger or third party fast charger, especially if the Supercharger or third party fast charger is close enough that Trip Planner does not have sufficient time to precondition the Battery (see Warming the Battery Before Supercharging on page 85).
If ice buildup is expected when parking, turn off AutoFold Mirrors. Touch Controls > Mirrors > Auto-Fold. Ice can prevent exterior side mirrors from folding or unfolding.
Door Handles
Wipers
• If door handles are frozen in place, you can usually remove ice with a few forceful bumps to the door handle using the bottom of your fist. See Removing Ice From Door Handle on page 86 for more information.
84
NOTE: Side mirrors automatically heat as needed during preconditioning, or when the rear defroster is turned on.
If you expect snow or ice to build up when parked, touch Controls > Service > Wiper Service Mode > ON. This raises wipers against the windshield so they can defrost when the windshield defrosts (see Wipers and Washers on page 60).
MODEL 3 Owner's Manual
