Oct 16, 2012
1young1 I emailed my Tesla Ownership Advocate regarding when we might expect to see Power Folding Mirrors implemented in the Model S as that is one of the reasons why I have not finalized my order. Being that the Model S is quite wide and I have single bay garage doors, it would be a hassle to not have the power-folding mirrors capability. I was hoping to finalize my order knowing that this would be a feature that can be added later and can be retro-fitted to existing production cars similar to the pano roof shade, opportunity console and rear reading lights. However, I was disappointed today to hear back from my Advocate that they have no plans to include Power-Folding Mirrors in the Model S now nor in the future. Below is the email that I got.
Does anyone else have any information on this or can confirm this?�
Oct 16, 2012
colinb Maybe I've never had the pleasure of having or needing folding mirrors but I'm not sure why this is a necessity? Did I just buy a car that is unusually wide?
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Oct 16, 2012
steve841 My last vehicle had them, only used them occasionally ... But I would appreciate the ability.
I do think this is one failing along with the center storage or lack thereof.
Bottom line... It's not a deal breaker for me.�
Oct 16, 2012
bonnie What are you looking for? Tesla has never implied/hinted/promised power-folding mirrors. They just confirmed that for you. The folks here on TMC have brought up the power folding mirrors as something they'd like to have, but that's it.
I think you got your confirmation ...�
Oct 16, 2012
MitchMitch I had to dig up the specs on my current car ( 2001 OldsmobileAurora ) whichI thought was fairly wide. . . I guess not. (73 inches) Also not as long I thought (200 inches) Having lived with 3 different sized garagesin the last 12 years, I do rely on my mirrors, when backing out of unfamiliarplaces, but after a few repetitions I can park the car within an inch everytime, as evidenced by tire marks on the carpet. No tennis balls on string, orexpensive parking lights. I don�t seethe mirrors sticking out that far from the fenders in pics on the specs page. Although they sound cool, (gee whiz?) I don�tsee necessity. I COULD get in line foramber turn signals.:biggrin:
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Oct 16, 2012
smorgasbord It's 2 to 4 inches wider than equivalent Audis, for instance:
Model S body is 77.3" wide, and mirror to mirror is 86.2"
An Audi A6 is 73.75" wide, and mirror to mirror is 82.1"
An Audi A7 is 75.2" wide, and mirror to mirror is 84.2"
Both Audis have power folding mirrors as an option.�
Oct 16, 2012
AnOutsider And I've hit the mirror once on backing out, and my wife several times on entering. If the S is wider, it's going to be an even tighter squeeze. Folding mirrors come in handy when you inch up to the door and see the mirror is JUST about to hit. Instead of reversing or reaching out and manually folding the mirror in, having it fold automatically is a nice feature.
It's also good for parking in the city.
It's not a deal breaker, but it's just one more of those simple things that the competition has and Tesla doesn't. Best car in the world guys...�
Oct 16, 2012
jcadman22 +1 Nice touch AO�
Oct 16, 2012
kevincwelch The list of "it's not a deal breaker" seems to grow a time moves forward. :/�
Oct 16, 2012
stephenpace +1. Next week I've scheduled changing my garage from two bays to one. Until then, I fold in the driver's mirror to give myself a bit more clearance, but would not want have had to do that in a heavy rain. I wouldn't doubt it shows up as a future option, but I wouldn't wait for it either.�
Oct 16, 2012
setritt +1...not waiting either but would order it if avail�
Oct 16, 2012
swegman Folding mirrors is something my wife has had on several of her cars and she loves it. Not for getting into the garage (we have 8 foot wide doors), but for when she parks in a lot with cars next to hers. Having the mirrors fold in by the press of a button (or when the car is turned off), she has had both type, has, according to her, prevented damage to the mirrors from reckless drivers.�
Oct 16, 2012
mitch672 I can understand this feature missing on early production cars, but if they are (according to Elon), building the "best car possible", they should consider offering this in the future, when they can source the components, and price it as an option, I think it's more important than many of the other "options" they have.
You can't have the "best possible car" if it's too wide to fit in people garages or tight parking spaces.
This is NOT a narrow vehicle, I just compared it to the specs of my 2012 Plug in Prius, which has an overall width of 68.7", the Model S has an overall width of 86.2", that's a big difference, 17.5". Surprisingly, they have the same cabin volume, ~94 cubic feet.
PiP specs: 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid Performance and Specs
Model S specs: Model S Specs and Standard Features | Tesla Motors
EPA comparison page: Compare Side-by-Side�
Oct 16, 2012
Raffy.Roma In Europe the Model S without power folding mirrors would be considered very negatively. So I hope that in 2013, when Model S will be delivered also in Europe, power folding mirrors will be available for Model S.�
Oct 16, 2012
earthling While I love my fold-in mirrors and use them about 90% of the time, if I didn't have them I probably wouldn't mind too much. But with this being such a high ticket item, I can understand people's consternation.
However... perhaps Tesla is not too concerned about it because they're closer than they can let on about having... drum roll please
Fold-in Cameras!
Cheers =)�
Oct 16, 2012
contaygious This is awful if true. It's one of the widest cars out there: basically a hummer. How is my suv narrower than a sedan and they aren't trying to add auto folding mirrors? I can barely fit into my sf garage even after remodel to widen it.last I checked I was told it might come as update possibly so now I'm disappointed to say the least. Guess I will manually fold in my mirror daily because I like this car, but I'm compromising to drive "the worlds best car".�
Oct 16, 2012
EarlyAdopter Yeah, I think something is up. At the test drive event in Seattle back in July I asked several of the product and engineering people if they might offer power folding mirrors on the Model S at some point in the future. I just got a lot of wide grins, bright eyes, and "well, we can't say - but we might be working on something" nod nod, wink winks back.
I think they're pushing for a revision in the vehicle code to allow for side cameras, as we already know for the Model X, and are holding out on it happening soon enough to offer them on the Model S, too. Any early Model S owners care to remove one of your side mirrors and check for extra wiring already there?? :biggrin:�
Oct 16, 2012
1young1 Not sure the reason for your snarky comment but I'm just sharing the new information which I think a lot of people would be interested in hearing about. And yes, while Tesla has never officially indicated that they would introduce power-folding mirrors, they have to some degree indicated in the past that this would be a feature that they would be including in the future. IIRC, even George B. has said in the past that this was something they are working on. One of TMC posters, I believe it was Spatterso911, posted back in July in the "Unknown" thread (post #120) that he spoke to the engineer that was working on the power-folding mirrors and was told it was going to be part of the car.
Obviously, the plan has changed and we know now that power-folding mirrors will not be implemented in the car. For some people, it's no big deal...but for me it is and I'm disappointed because it makes a difference in my daily ownership experience.�
Oct 17, 2012
Dborn I have had automatically folding mirrors on both my last two cars - a Lexus and a Merc B. They fold when i park and remove the key. They are a fantastic feature in car parks and on the street and definitely minimise the chance of damage by passers by squeezing through. This is my main reason for wanting them. The "best car in the world"? No parking sensors, no folding mirrors, no centre console (altho' it may be coming), all little pinpricks which alone may not be deal breakers, but this is a luxury car folks - get real, it needs to have what the competitors have in terms of luxury features. Is the rear view mirror auto dimming for instance? No one has commented on this. If not, then this is yet another missing feature.�
Oct 17, 2012
spatterso911 I'm sufficiently surprised by the response 1young1 received, juxtaposed to what I was told previously, that I am inclined not to wholeheartedly believe either story at this point. Perhaps financial concerns have affected future features, or we were just flat out lied to by people representing themselves as "the engineer on this project or that project". Perhaps the new policy at Tesla is to "under promise/over deliver" when it comes to new or proposed features of the cars that people are inquiring about. Or perhaps it doesn't exist until it exists, as we have seen with rear LED lighting and visor vanity lighting. For that matter, we may never see lighted vanity mirrors or the myriad other things we have been led to believe one way or another are coming down the pipeline. I am disappointed in the increasing number of compromises that are being dealt as time goes on. As AO said "best car in the world, remember?" I hope that meant at least better than a $20K Kia Forte which, by the way, has front and rear stowable cup holders, lighted visor vanity mirrors, adequate rear trunk lighting, map pockets with bottle holders, and power folding side mirrors.�
Oct 17, 2012
Norbert I suppose for now they have enough to do with ramp up, and they'll probably do more vertical integration before they consider adding more features. Once production runs smoothly, they'll become more open-minded, but for now I guess they are busy working towards having a properly running company.�
Oct 17, 2012
bob_p At some point, Tesla will need to offer more "luxury" features - if they want to continue attracting new buyers. Right now, there are enough "early adopters" to take as many Model S as Tesla can produce. But to achieve their goal of 20,000 next year, they will likely need to attract a larger group of potential buyers - people who are replacing $50K+ cars - and who are used to having some of these basic "luxury" features - that have been available for many years.
On the other hand, does Tesla need to offer every feature available on the latest Lexus, BMW or Mercedes? No! Many of those features are "cool" but probably not very useful. For example, my LS 460 has the automatic parking feature. It's cool to demo this to people the first time. But it's not really practical to use in real-life, because it takes time to line up the parking box on the display and tell the car exactly where it needs to park - and you can't take that much time sitting in front of a parking space...
When my turn comes up to commit to my Model S order - I will compare it to other cars in the same price range - and will verify that I'm willing to trade off the long-range EV and other unique Model S features vs. the "luxury" features available in comparably priced cars (including features in my 6 year old LS).�
Oct 17, 2012
kevincwelch I'm inclined to believe neither as well. There may be no official plans for it right now as they are trying to get out of the gate, but I can't believe that they would unilaterally dismiss these common "luxury" items for future releases or other models.
(maybe Kia should make an electric car.)�
Oct 17, 2012
AnOutsider After they got that designer from Audi they've been making some pretty sexy vehicles. The optima would make a nice EV.�
Oct 17, 2012
bonnie Whoa. I was trying to figure out what confirmation you were looking for, since that was your question. It seemed (and seems) a reasonable response to the post. Ftr, I've never heard anyone at Tesla even refer to power-folding mirrors. That doesn't mean you didn't hold that conversation with them - but surely I'm allowed to ask what additional confirmation you're looking for if you already received confirmation from Tesla.
Had you asked if anyone else had been told this by Tesla previously, I wouldn't have asked. Sorry you took that as snarky.�
Oct 17, 2012
VolkerP meta lesson learned: We should not fight over the contradicting bits of information that any Tesla sales reps are throwing to us.
on the mirror subject:
Why should Tesla allocate any resources towards advanced mirrors, while they are lobbying the DOT to allow cameras (as seen on Model X). If the lobbying doesn't come through, Tesla would be without a fallback solution - which is a sensible approach for a startup company with limited resources.�
Oct 17, 2012
AnOutsider That's assuming they still plan to do that. We have no indication of that, and indeed, the latest X's have been seen without camera mirrors. It should also be fairly easy to source these from Mercedes. I guess time will tell on this one.�
Oct 17, 2012
kevincwelch Can someone explain to me why one would want side mirror cameras or a rear view mirror camera in an otherwise normal automobile and why Tesla would invest in such a technology? (I did not think the rear view out the hatch was that atrocious.) I can understand in a van/truck or possibly an SUV to have a rear view camera, but not side view cameras.�
Oct 17, 2012
bonnie Improved aerodynamics.�
Oct 17, 2012
kevincwelch How significant? Is this implying that there would be structurally no "mirror" attached to the door and that the view would be from a screen inside the car?�
Oct 17, 2012
mnx I think I've heard the figure 5% tossed around before. (5% improved aerodynamics).
Yes, there is a camera on the outside of the car and a screen somewhere on the inside.�
Oct 17, 2012
swegman I don't recall reading anything from Tesla about folding mirrors, but I was told by their sales people that folding mirrors would be on the car. I was told over the past 3 years that the Model S would include lots of things, which so far, have turned out to be inaccurate (being kind to Tesla).�
Oct 17, 2012
earthling ...the twenty-first century coolness factor?:biggrin:
As much as I am a curmudgeon on some things, I also am willing to trust in the foresight of forward thinking creative types. My initial reaction is the same as you Kevin, but perhaps the cameras would do double duty in that they would be incorporated as input devices for future computerized systems.
Cheers =)
ps. To paraphrase Henry Ford, "If customers were asked what they wanted, they would have said Bigger Mirrors!"�
Oct 17, 2012
contaygious The problem with cameras is they won't be retrofitted considering we would need two screens as well.�
Oct 17, 2012
earthling Sorry Bonnie but your post did have a very slight snark factor. But after re-reading it I realized why; you didn't include an emoticon for confused:�
Oct 17, 2012
Arnold Panz Not just aerodynamics, but probably helps reduce/eliminate blind spots as well.
I made this point to a few people at Tesla, and they agreed, which is that of all the cars that should have power-folding mirrors, the Model S (and really, any wide EV) should because unlike a regular ICE car, I NEED to park this car in my garage. Right now I just park in my driveway and don't use my garage for a car (very common in Florida), but as discussed in previous threads, I'm planning on putting the car into the garage for charging, and would love the convenience of the additional 6 inches of space to pull into the garage. I can't be the only one with this issue, so it seems like on odd thing to have considered and rejected. Again, this definitely isn't a "perfect" car, but definitely not a dealbreaker either from my perspective.�
Oct 17, 2012
EarlyAdopter I believe that's because those Model X's are being driven on the road, and the cameras aren't DOT legal yet.
As to the question of why cameras over mirrors - in addition to style and efficiency, cameras can offer low light night vision and dynamic HDR reducing glare from headlights without dimming everything else. Reflective glass has outlasted it's usefulness.�
Oct 17, 2012
ElSupreme Well as a cyclist I think that glass still has some advantages.
First it is 2 way. I can see you sitting in the seat, and tell if you are paying attention or can see me.
Second it works when there is no power, or when the car is off.�
Oct 17, 2012
AnOutsider Hmm, fair point, though does that matter at this stage? The whole car isn't yet road-legal (at least not for sale to consumers)�
Oct 17, 2012
jerry33 Quite a bit. Each mirror takes at least one horsepower to push through the air at 60 mph, maybe more in an areodynamic car like the Model S.
There would be a small camera where the current mirror is.
Note that Audi has displayed prototypes of this same kind of system.�
Oct 18, 2012
AustinPowers +1 on all accounts
In Europe, not having power folding mirrors WILL be a definite deal-breaker for many who are considering the Model S, as it is a lot wider than most other cars in the same category, hell it's wider than most cars on the market here. Remember not every country has space to waste like many US states. Roads are narrower here, so are garages, parking spaces, especially in public parking garages, where power folding mirrors are almost a must-have for cars that wide.
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+1 also
Remember the Model S is supposed to be a "premium" sedan. What's so premium if you don't offer many of the aforementioned amenities that are available (standard ot optional) on most cars even of far "lower" price-categories?
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That is something that bugs me as well about many electronic inventions to be added into cars now or in the near future.
As soon as you lose power (or because of some other glitch) you lose the function of the device, be it a camera (mirror), electric doors/handles, electric parking brake or whatever.
Some things are better left mechanical as they are. Especially everything that has to do with doors, brakes and mirrors.�
Oct 18, 2012
kevincwelch Agree completely.
The concept of camera mirrors is in my opinion idiotic and a safety hazard. Consider all the glitches (freezes, pixelation, etc.) with the computer screens so far. What would happen if your "mirrors" suddenly became pixelated or blacked out? No visibility.
This is one of those situations in which my response to the 2-5% loss in aerodynamics is: "So what?" Safety overrides that in my opinion.
Automatic folding mirrors? The MS should have those. Camera mirrors? Tesla should avoid these.�
Oct 18, 2012
contaygious Now that I've seen the mirror fold in Ben's helpful video I'm starting to think they gave up on this because it doesn't help much with the way the mirrors fold anyway. At most you'd save a few inches. I'm still not happy, but it seems I wouldn't gain as much as I'd like anyway.�
Oct 18, 2012
richkae If the purpose of cameras is for aerodynamics, then have both. Above 40mph the physical mirrors fold in. If the camera or screen have failed in some way, don't fold in. Above 40mph, none of the reasons stated for preferring physical mirrors apply.�
Oct 18, 2012
AustinPowers Yeah right. You're going 100 mph on the highway, want to change lanes to overtake and your camera mirror blacks out. Great for safety ;-)�
Oct 18, 2012
dsm363 You could always merge back into your original lane. Such a system might be able to auto-extend the physical mirrors if the cameras stopped working. I think it's a good compromise.�
Oct 18, 2012
J in MN If the parking spaces are so narrow that you must fold the mirrors, how do you get in and out of the car?�
Oct 18, 2012
earthling If you're going 100 mph, then what's behind you is not so important.�
Oct 18, 2012
kevincwelch Dukes of Hazzard style, of course.�
Oct 18, 2012
Arnold Panz This is no joke. In Germany (and most of Europe) every medium sized town or bigger has narrow roads, very tight parking etc., which is why small cars (like Smarts) are so popular there. With a wide car like an S, every inch is going to be critical. I have a lot of sympathy for Austin Powers -- I would NOT want to drive the S through the middle of Frankfurt!�
Oct 18, 2012
NigelM I'll agree with Arnold that Germany (and Europe generally) has narrower roads than I'm used to in the U.S. OTOH, the last 3 years I lived in Germany I had a Mercedes S which is only ~3 inches narrower and had no problems at all. Multi-level parking wasn't fun but streets were ok.�
Oct 18, 2012
AnOutsider A ford s?�
Oct 18, 2012
NigelM Ha, I should have written Mercedes S! Thanks Marcus. Shows how obsessed we can get; corrected my post.�
Oct 18, 2012
AnOutsider Heh, not being a follower of the brand, I honestly couldn't think of another S. thought you liked it retro�
Oct 18, 2012
dpeilow You're talking about cars where the brakes are controlled by software and worrying about a simple link from a camera to a screen?�
Oct 18, 2012
AustinPowers
That's a good one
No but in all honesty, it often works like so:
You let your passengers get out first, fold in your mirrors (not just to get into the parking space easier but to avoid damaging them or them getting damaged by other people parking their vehicles next to you) then drive into the parking space so your passenger side is as close to the wall (or concrete post or whatever, see my second picture) as possible, then get (or squeeze) out.
Here is an example of a typical "getting out" situation in parking garages over here:
That's where the advantages of sliding doors (or the Model X falcon wings) can really make a difference.
And to give you another idea:
Note that these aren't vehicles the size of a Model S but rather typical European cars used in cities and for running family errands (as well as everything else). And in case anyone thought so, no, these are no "joke" pictures but gruesome reality.
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Really? Come over here and drive on the Autobahn at 100 mph (which is only 160 kmph). You will see that what is coming from behind definitely IS important.
Cars coming at you from behind in the left lane mostly do far more than 125 mph, the limit of many cars being 156 mph (250 kmph). Hence the importance of functioning mirrors.
And yes, many Autobahns still only have two lanes, of which the right is blocked most of the time by rows of slow freight-trucks/lorries, and even if there happen to be three lanes, then the lorries are on the right, they overtake using the middle lane (and they do that often, and often very abruptly), so you have to constantly be on the lookout and able to change to the left lane at short notice -
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+1
Even though driving through the middle of Frankfurt on the main roads won't be a problem. But as soon as you turn into many secondary roads it will definitely become uncomfortable - and I don't mean the ride quality.�
Oct 21, 2012
Raffy.Roma That's absolutely true. I agree with you.�
Oct 21, 2012
dsm363 The mirrors (side and rearview) do auto-dim. I agree that they need to add these other features over time and I hope they are able to retrofit some of them.�
Dec 2, 2012
DrTaras Great analysis. I was looking for a specific rear-view camera thread, but couldn't find one so excuse me if I post this here and am okay if it gets moved.
I just wanted to add one thing: The rear view camera does not have those 'runway' overlay guides that ALL my past rear back-up cameras have had both OEM and aftermarket.
Again, seems like a rather simple fix that the supplier should have. My 2 cents! :cursing:�
Dec 3, 2012
PRJIM Power Folding mirrors on the Model S would only be of marginal benefit as the side view mirrors are mounted on huge bulky brackets.�
Dec 3, 2012
JoshG I have no idea what that means. The car is REALLY wide. Folding the mirrors in will be of great benefit to some of us with narrow garage doors or just for added parking lot or side-swipe protection against damage. What do the brackets have to do with it?�
Dec 3, 2012
AnOutsider I think maybe he meant when they folded in, they would still be fairly wide (as far as the stalks) -- though it should still save a few inches (which can be crucial, especially overseas)�
Dec 3, 2012
contaygious The mirrors are quite long. In fact with them folded in it would make the s narrower than my SUV, but its wider now.�
Dec 3, 2012
vfx We have been told that is coming.�
Dec 3, 2012
William3 The graphics are going to look funny because Tesla made the mistake of mounting the camera off center. They're probably reluctant to add the graphics because it will so obviously point this out.
It also makes the calculations tremendously more difficult -- which might explain the delay.�
Dec 3, 2012
brianman We have? I missed that. Cool!�
Dec 4, 2012
DrTaras So is Christmas but I'm guessing that's coming sooner. Can you tell me if you have a ball park on that ETA?
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I've seen other cars with off center mounts and they have the runway guides. Infiniti comes to mind. Not that this is a deal breaker, but I'm guessing that if this (associated) company can put rockets in orbit, they can certainly put a flunky on this project to figure out how to do the overlay from the off set. Statement of course is tongue and cheek! :tongue:�
Dec 4, 2012
William3 With the camera off center, and the fish eye lense, you'll get this weird issue of the two graphic lines not being a mirror image of each other.
It's easy to imagine. Take your Model S, backup perfectly centered into a spot, and notice the two painted white lines in the rearview camera image. It looks funky.
That's what the graphic will look like. Assuming they program the graphic lines correctly, then it will get even weirder when you turn your wheel.
Also, has anyone else noticed the poor frame rate of the rearview camera (more noticable at higher speeds)? It seems like it is only 10-15 frames per second, and very delayed. I don't have my car yet, so this observation was in a test drive car.�
Dec 4, 2012
PRJIM Mine is at least 20fps when moving and probably higher. My main complaint of the HD camera is the way images look in high or low light conditions. Rear view images almost look as if they have had an instagram effect applied under these lighting conditions.�
Dec 5, 2012
NigelM It's not a mistake, the manual control for the trunk is is in the center. The Roadster already has guidelines and that's got a fish-eye off-center camera also. n all honesty, after a month with the car, I find the fish-eye view perfect for parking/reversing and lines really aren't necessary if you're a reasonable driver.
Huh? No offence, but you're imaging problems that don't exist yet (or at all, Tesla knows how to do this...see my Roadster comment above)
The test cars are so far behind us now, it would be better if everyone focused on production cars.�
Dec 5, 2012
brianman Speaking for the apparently unreasonable drivers, I'd like an optional (via setting) set of lines please.�
Dec 5, 2012
jerry33 The set of lines would certainly be useful for those who don't regularly drive the car (and to help prevent that first ouchie)�
Dec 5, 2012
contaygious Auto turning lines are very helpful! I really hope they come even if they look wonky.�
Dec 5, 2012
William3 Totally agree, I hope they come also. Just pointing out Tesla's off-center mistake. Couldn't disagree with Nigel more on this. I'd rather the trunk handle be off-center than the camera be off-center. Terrible design choice. The Roadster's rearview camera is also a joke.�
Jan 6, 2013
DrTaras In my garage, the rate limiting step is passage into the garage, but once inside there are no barriers between the other garage so it opens up.
Can someone point me in the direction of this "Ben video" please?
I measured my manually folding in the driver's side only mirror which gives an extra 3.5"�
Jan 6, 2013
GeekGirls While we weren't looking for power folding mirrors to seal the deal, we were very concerned about the size of the Model S getting into and out of our garage. We don't have a straight approach, our driveway pretty much dictates backing into the garage while turning hard to squeeze in diagonally. Our RX450h already seemed like a slightly tight fit and the Model S specs show it as four inches wider and eight inches longer. Yikes.
We did eventually pull the trigger and prepared ourselves for a garage remodel if strictly necessary. As it turns out, I'm delighted to report that it hasn't been a problem at all. There were a few factors that helped: (a) the Model S has a surprisingly tight turning radius for a car of its size, which helped in our situation, and (b) most vehicles widths are measured without the mirrors. The mirrors on the Model S don't stick out nearly as far as some vehicles, presumably as an intentional part of the aerodynamic design. Mirrors included, it's only a little over 2 inches wider than the vehicle we were used to parking.�
Jan 6, 2013
IlliniT Very helpful info GG. I live in a condo and have some concerns about a slightly tight fit for my parking spot. Your observations definitely made me feel better.�
Oct 31, 2013
JPP At today�s event @ Chrissy Field in SF, I had the opportunity to talk with Jerome G, and get a close look at his personal (well..corporate with MFG tags) red P85+ (debadged). He was very generous and gracious with his time, and fairly candid. He noted that essentially every new feature/add-on/update/retrofit gets put on his S early (he really is on the bleeding/alpha edge), with all of the attendant woes and benefits. He has tested tires (original Contis, new Michelins), suspension upgrades, parking sensors, power folding mirrors, and so on.
I asked about the power folding rear view mirrors and the engineering/retrofit. The mirrors had to be redesigned. Specifically, the chromed casting that is the mounting stem/arm had to be redesigned/re-engineered, and is a bit beefier to contain some of the components, specifically the motor. He in fact was a bit disappointed about the need to rework and slightly alter this component. The power and control wiring is however present in all Model S (no new/additional wiring or power needed). Jerome opened up his driver�s side door to show me that the existing �standard� driver�s armrest window control panel (presumably standard Mercedes part) is swapped out for one (likely another Mercedes part from the bin) that has 3 additional mirror control buttons at the top (sorry, no photo�I did not want to impose). He pressed the buttons to show me the mirror folding/unfolding. I asked about the complexity of the retrofit�he said about 1-2 hours of tech time, and no major issues. Just deinstall/reinstall 2 mirrors and the new armrest control panel�no software/firmware issues. I did not specifically ask, but I assume that your existing body color shell/housing for the mirror gets reused/reinstalled. The upgrade should be available shortly. I did not ask about price�again was trying to balance data gathering against his generosity of time and information.�
Oct 31, 2013
justaddsun @JPP, thanks so much for that inside info. I just remembered installing that same Mercedes mirror control panel on my last AMG. Also did the OEM side motorized mirrors retrofit myself which took about 30 minutes max (on the MB).�
Oct 31, 2013
AnOutsider Thanks for that info JPP.
This is one of those that I would like to have, but could do without. If it's outrageously priced, I'll go without.�
Nov 1, 2013
NigelM I had one side mirror replaced after it was hit and the cost was just over $1,200; I can't imagine that replacements with motors and new interior controls would cost less than $3,000 minimum.�
Nov 1, 2013
AnOutsider Well if they reuse the housing, maybe not. But $3k just isn't worth it to me, especially since I plan to just dump this sig once AWD is out.�
Dec 5, 2013
ABVA I got folding mirrors. Now the Tech package includes folding side view mirrors albeit price of Tech package has gone up from $3,500 to $3,750. So for measly $250 you can get folding mirrors. It is not a separately priced option.�
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