10 Tesla Mistakes New Owners ALWAYS Make (I Did Too) transcript

If you just bought a Tesla, there's a really good chance that you're already making at least one of these mistakes right now. And the crazy part is is that some of these can cost you range, battery health, and even money. I know because I've made all of them myself. And if you're new here, I'm Jim, the Iowa Tesla Guy, and after owning Teslas for years and driving tens of thousands of miles, these are my top 10 mistakes that new Tesla owners always make and exactly how to avoid them.

And let's get started with the biggest one and that is thinking that your Tesla can actually go the full rated range. So, if your car says 320 miles when you buy it on the website, then you probably expect to go 320 miles, right? Well, sorry, the answer is actually no. Even in perfect conditions, you probably won't. And here is why. That number is based on EPA testing, which is done under very special controlled conditions.

Steady speeds, ideal temps, no wind, no hills. Now, real life is the opposite of that. You've got highway speeds, elevation changes, wind, all of that impacts your range. And in the winter, things get even worse. You could easily lose another 20 to 25% of your range just because it's super cold outside. Now, add to the fact that most people are only charging to 80% for daily driving, you can now see that 325 miles becomes something very, very different in real life.

So, what's the fix? Well, there are things that you can do to maximize your range and we'll get into some of that a little bit later, but for the most part, you just have to live with it. And the easiest way to do that is to switch your battery display from miles to percent. Trust me. To do that, just tap on the mileage on the screen and it will toggle. You can do the same thing in the app. Stop thinking about it in miles and start thinking about it like your phone.

You don't look at your phone and think, "Oh, I have 6 hours left before my phone dies." No, you think of it as I've got 42% left on my phone. Same idea here. Doing this almost completely removes all the stress and guesswork. And to go with that, start trusting the navigation. If you put in a destination, Tesla will just tell you what you need to do and where you need to charge. It's incredibly accurate these days. Trust the system.

All right, the next one. Don't charge your Tesla battery to 100% every single day. This one surprises a lot of new Tesla owners. It feels right. You know, more battery must be better, right? Well, actually, no. Tesla literally shows you on the screen where your daily charge limit should be. And it's usually around the 80% mark, at least that's what it is for my car. And there's a reason for that. Lithium-ion batteries don't like to sit around in high states of charge for a very long period of time.

So, if you charge to 100% and then just let it car sit, day after day, that can contribute to long-term battery degradation. Now, to be clear, this is not something that you need to obsess over, but it's a good habit to get right early. And so, here's what I recommend. Set your daily charge limit to around 70 to 80% and then forget about it. Plug in when you get home and just let the car manage the battery for you. Then, when you're going on a road trip, go ahead and charge to 100%, but do it so that you only leave it at that level for a short period of time.

Now, in 2026, Teslas will do a good job helping you out here. When you bump up that charge rate from 80 to 100, it will ask you, "Do you want this charge to be for good or do you just want it to be for this one charge?" And doing that will help you prevent overcharging later when you get home. Next, and this is probably the most real-world mistake people make. They buy a car and then they figure out the charging. That's actually backwards.

You really want to have a home charging plan in place from day one because this is what makes EV ownership absolutely amazing. You're waking up every day to a full tank. Now, technically, yes, you can use a standard 110-V outlet to charge. And if you drive only 30 to 40 mi a day, that actually might be enough. But, it is quite slow. You're only getting about 3 to 5 mi of range per hour of charging. So, if you want the full experience, look into a 14-50 outlet or installing Tesla's wall connector.

A 14-50 outlet is like what I would call something you'd use for a dryer. It's 240-V and allows you to deliver up to 32 amps to your car using the provided mobile connector. But, the best overall experience has to be the Tesla wall connector. It's faster, cleaner, and just easier to use day-to-day because it's always right there on the wall. For me, my wall connector cost about 500 bucks to buy, another 500 to install, but I got a $500 rebate for my utility company, and the entire installation, including the wall connector, was good for a 30% federal tax credit.

So, my total cost to install it was about 200 bucks. And it's been one of the best decisions that I've made since getting the car. Today, both my wife and I have Model Ys, and we share a single charger with absolutely no issues. And I'll say this, when people ask me if they should buy an EV, my first question is always can you charge at home? Now, if the answer's no, I'm honestly still very hesitant to recommend somebody buying an EV.

Next, this one's kind of fun, but it's also very real. And that's buying too many accessories too soon. You buy your Tesla, and you suddenly find yourself on Amazon buying everything. Organizers, trays, wraps, lighting kits. I've been there. Now, don't get me wrong, there are some things that are absolutely worth it. For the most part, I recommend that you live with your car for a few weeks, but there are some things that I would say you should definitely have on day one.

Get yourself a screen protector for your screens. That's a must. Get yourself some protection for the outside of the car. More on that here in a bit. And finally, the last thing you want to have on day one is a good set of floor mats, and that brings me today's sponsor, 3W. You can always tell a great mat by how it survives winter. 3W uses premium TPE, and that's a modern rubber-like material that stays flexible in those freezing temps.

So, no cracking, curling, or stiff warped edges. They're tough, weatherproof, and built for the brutal Midwest slush and salt. Clean up is simple. Pull them out, rinse, wipe, done. They also install instantly. Because they're precisely molded, they drop right into place with a perfect fit. No fighting with the edges. And the best part is the full covered system. You can get mats at the front, rear, frunk, trunk, both sub trunks, and the full cargo area.

Every piece uses a high lip tray design that traps melted snow and salt, so it never reaches your carpet. Plus, they look great. The Model Y version even has the subtle Y pattern throughout. If you want durable, winter-proof, easy-to-clean mats that protect every inch of your Model Y, check out the links below. Thanks to 3W for sponsoring today's video. Next, if you live anywhere in the winter, this one matters a lot.

And that's not using preconditioning for your battery before you start to drive. When your battery is cold, everything suffers. You lose range, regenerative braking is limited, and charging is slower. And new Tesla owners just don't realize how big of an impact this has. But, there's some good news, and it's an easy fix. If your car is plugged in, just turn on climate from the app 10 to 15 minutes before you leave. Or even better, you schedule departure.

Set the time that you plan to leave and the car will automatically warm up your battery and cabin for you. And the best part, you're using power from the wall and not your battery. So you start your drive with a warm car and maximum efficiency. This next one is something almost every brand new Tesla owner messes up at first, but Tesla has lately made this super super simple. And that problem is not setting up your phone as a key.

This is one of those features that completely changes how you interact with the car. You just walk up and it unlocks. You get in, you press the brake and you go. When you leave, it locks automatically. There's absolutely nothing to think about. Now, here's how to set it if you haven't already done so. Open the Tesla app, go to locks and pair your phone as a key. Make sure Bluetooth is on and the app has permission to run in the background.

And one tip, keep your key card in your wallet as a backup. Now your phone is going to work 99.9% of the time, but that partial percent is when you're going to be glad that you had that manual key. Next, here's something that new Tesla owners are not taking full advantage of is because you're probably not driving your Tesla the way that it was meant to be driven for you. There are so many settings in this car and they make a huge difference in the driving experience.

For example, stopping mode. If you're not having it set to hold, you're missing out on true one pedal driving. That's where you can come to a complete stop without touching the brake at all. It's smoother, it's more efficient, and honestly, it's a lot more fun. Steering mode is another one. If it feels too tight or too heavy, you can change it. Acceleration, same thing. You can make it more relaxed or more responsive.

And don't forget about driver profiles. Set up one for yourself so your seats, your mirrors, and your preferences are automatically saved. It's worth taking 10 to 15 minutes just to go through everything. If you want to learn more, I have an entire video right here walking you through all of the settings of your car. Now this next one I learned the hard way and that's not protecting your paint early in the process. Now Tesla paint has gotten a lot better, but it's still not great in my opinion.

Especially on certain colors, they can be more prone to chipping and I can tell you that red appears to be one of those colors. And the design of the Model Y in particular tends to kick up debris especially onto the lower part of those rear doors. On my first Tesla, I didn't do anything and I ended up with rock chips pretty quickly. On my new Tesla, I went with full paint protection film, but that's not for everybody.

So here's the practical approach. At minimum, protect the rear door panels. Tesla sells PPF kits especially for this and I think you can pick them up for around $50 and they're super easy to install if your car didn't actually come that way from the factory. I would also add mud flaps to reduce debris from getting up to the car to begin with. If you do those two things early, you're going to save yourself a lot of pain later.

The next one is a quick one, but it can save you a headache and that is for people not setting your trunk height for your garage. I didn't do this on my first Tesla and yeah, I hit a garage. I got a nice scratch on the back of the car when it was pretty new. Fortunately, this problem is completely avoidable, so here's how to fix it. Manually open the trunk and position it to where you want it to be. Then press and hold the trunk button until you hear it beep.

Now it will remember that height for that location. You could be somewhere else like a grocery store where you might want it to go fully open. Again, adjust to where you want to be, press the button and hold, and it'll lock that in. You are free to change that setting to anything you want based on any location that you want. All right, we're going to finish up with a few rapid-fire mistakes. Number one, don't use mechanical door handles unless you have to.

Using the manual pull won't actually lower the window slightly like the button does. And open the door manually can actually cause damage to your glass to the point that it could break. Second, if your screen ever freezes, don't panic. Just hold both scroll wheels on the steering wheel until the car reboots. Takes about 30 seconds, and this can be done while driving even if you need it. Wouldn't necessarily recommend it, but if you have to, you can do it while driving.

I think you're going to find that rebooting is rare, but I typically find myself rebooting my car a couple of times a year. The last one is to make sure you turn on sentry mode, especially when parked in public. It's one of the best built-in security features and can save you a lot of headaches if something happens. The car will keep track of who is around your car, and you can review the clips later from the screen or even from your app.

Tesla ownership is honestly one of the best experiences out there, but avoiding these mistakes is what takes things up to the next level. For those of you that have owned a Tesla for a while, what common mistakes did I miss? Let me know in the comments. And while you're down there, please do me a favor and tap that like button. And if you're new to the channel, subscriptions are always welcomed. And finally, if you're looking to pick up a Tesla of your own, and I would highly recommend it, make sure you start that process with a referral link.

You can use any referral link you want, but if you want to start out at Iowateslaguy.com, that would be great. Thanks so much for watching. We'll catch you on the next one. >> Woo!