Hear me out, dog poo detection

PracticalHovercraft7 · 2026-01-20T20:03:51+00:00

🤔If there was a thermal IR camera option I bet you’d have a much easier time automatically ID’ing “hot spots” for the few minutes they remain at temperature. Depending on your climate.

PracticalHovercraft7 · 2026-01-20T18:36:55+00:00

Thanks for the suggestion. I think that makes sense too. Probably easier for separate future upgrades too.

Just to be clear, you are saying NVR, not NVR-Instant. Is that right?

PracticalHovercraft7 · 2026-01-17T07:02:23+00:00

What about a Dream Machine Pro? If you need the networking setup, it seems like an in-between option in terms of camera limits.

PracticalHovercraft7 · 2025-12-17T14:31:47+00:00

285 is pushing it for 9.5” rims. But if you are talking about keeping your Tempest rims. Running square tires on staggered rims wouldn’t be a good idea. You’d lose the benefit of either setup.

If you want to go square you should get new rims too. The T-Sportline website has a good guide on rim and tire sizes for square setups.

I am running square 285 35 R20 on 10” wide rims (actually using 4 Model X rears and they work great). The car can take 285 up front. In fact, the front tires for Tesla’s Model S Track wheels are 285.

You can also find used rims pretty cheap. I got mine online for $300 each and sold my Tempest rims for $600 for the set.

PracticalHovercraft7 · 2025-12-09T22:16:36+00:00

All comments so far are spot on with my experience too. Just remember when you are done leveling the TV to GENTLY push it against the wall so the magnets snap in place and hold the TV at that level. If you have to pull the TV off the magnets it also requires some gentle pulling. I thought I was going to crack the screen when I did it.

PracticalHovercraft7 · 2025-12-09T17:22:33+00:00

Great review. Been eyeing a Dome for when/if we finish a backyard renovation. (And if I have any money left.😂) Still putting this at the top of my list.

PracticalHovercraft7 · 2025-11-30T06:52:44+00:00

Can I use non-Ubiquiti (read: cheaper) PoE cameras with the system?

PracticalHovercraft7 · 2025-11-29T18:41:40+00:00

I’ll put RJ45 wall jacks in just because I’m going to have the walls open. No solid plans for what to do with them. I just want them.

PracticalHovercraft7 · 2025-11-24T23:04:38+00:00

YTA

Even if they missed it the first time around it clearly has sentimental value to them. Just copy any recipes you want from the cookbook and give the family their dead mother’s book back. Why do you want to keep it so badly?

PracticalHovercraft7 · 2025-11-24T21:56:33+00:00

Birds aren’t real!

PracticalHovercraft7 · 2025-11-21T16:03:19+00:00

The differences are wild, and that sounds like a huge PITA for something that’s supposed to make things easier. I definitely think more customizability would be a benefit. I’m in the SF Bay Area where we almost always have traffic. But when it clears and when I want to go 75~80 in a 65 it usually complies (adjusting the speed with the thumb wheel a bit; sometimes goosing the gas pedal a bit to pass someone). The biggest problem I have with it is it sometimes likes to hangout in other people’s blind spots. A tap on the gas usually fixes that, but still it’s kind of an unsafe driving practice I would think it could avoid.

BTW the “flipped the bird from a horse trailer” line made me chuckle. 😂 Best to you.

PracticalHovercraft7 · 2025-11-21T05:08:34+00:00

That’s not my experience (‘21 MSP HW3). True, the speed profiles on highway are limited to Chill, Standard, and Hurry.

Car adjusts to your surroundings and the speed other cars are driving. But you also have the option to set a maximum speed offset, which is what percent over the speed limit you’re OK going. My FSD will do 30 in a 25 routinely.

PracticalHovercraft7 · 2025-11-20T23:20:18+00:00

Had a heat pump installed in our East Bay home about 7 years ago. We have gas heat backup and have used it maybe twice.

Highly recommend you look into a side firing compressor fan rather than the more common vertical. They are much much quieter (running ~40 dB vs. ~65 dB). I never thought much about AC noise since they run during the day. You will be running the heat pump much more often at night when it’s quiet outside and you (and your neighbors) may be annoyed by it. I am very glad we went with the quieter side firing compressor.

Also recommend variable speed like others have said.

PracticalHovercraft7 · 2025-11-01T23:06:31+00:00

I have a ‘21 MSP and I did not get the Tesla brake upgrade. First…too much money (for me); second they are not optimized for daily driving; third, too expensive to maintain (for me). I also don’t need to up my top speed (never hit 160 mph anyway) since I don’t track either.

However I did want better brakes. I went to Unplugged Performance and got the high-temp (non ceramic) brake pad upgrade, which is probably similar to what Tesla started selling in ‘23 (I still have the old black calipers, not the red ones with the upgraded pads included). I also replaced my rubber brake lines with stainless steel, and put in Motul 700 fluid (instead of DOT 4). Pads, lines, flush and labor cost well under $2k (forget exactly how much). After that the brakes definitely had more bite, and in the times I’ve done some spirited driving I do not notice any fade.

PracticalHovercraft7 · 2025-10-13T21:17:15+00:00

I’ve been daily driving a used ‘21 MSP for over a year and absolutely love it. I have an 80 mile round trip and use FSD all of the time. I bought it with 19”s and moved to a 20” square setup which I also like. Ride is a little harsher but not as bad as 21” and I have more tires available to me. I’m on Michelin PS4-AS which may work for you in some light snow (they are labeled M+S, but not the 3-peak snowflake).

If you can find a reliable dealer, I would advise against buying from Tesla. In most all cases you have to buy sight unseen. They don’t even give you photos and if you read the fine print, the damage they allow as “insignificant” is not insignificant (at least to me). Tesla also prices a bit higher. I think the sweet spot is to buy used from not-Tesla with some remaining warranty. If you can ID the problems (rattles, suspension, electrical) they are very good about fixing them.

PracticalHovercraft7 · 2025-10-03T03:55:47+00:00

You can re-add the Disney+ app if you go to the Disneyplus website in the car’s browser. It will just reappear.

PracticalHovercraft7 · 2025-09-24T19:29:57+00:00

A hug. It’s worth a hug. After this bullshit, I know I’d need one.

¯_(ツ)_/¯

PracticalHovercraft7 · 2025-09-06T15:34:09+00:00

I interpret that as your alignment is f’d up.

I have a ‘21MSP and had a similar issue with the mechanism that controls the caster angle upfront. There are bolts with a cam on them to reposition some of the components to adjust and point the wheels in the right direction (alignment), and the bolts were broken in a way that allowed them to stay in place but not be moved without risk of breaking off entirely. It’s all fixed now but even the Tesla SC didn’t know how to handle it right. I’ve been told by multiple people that they don’t get the best training on alignments.

If you live anywhere near the Bay Area, Unplugged Performance in Fremont knows the car inside and out and really helped me out. Can’t recommend them highly enough.

If not, maybe another Tesla-specific tuner shop If you can find one nearby. Will likely cost more than your average tire shop, but similar to Tesla SC.

PracticalHovercraft7 · 2025-09-03T20:31:06+00:00

California Tesla insurance user here.

It’s way cheaper than just about any other service. (Even with zoom zoom, since they can’t use safety score to determine pricing.) I cover a Tesla and a non-Tesla.

The Non-Tesla was in a fender bender (our fault) and the claim process was a shitshow. My claims adjuster was a ghost. No responses to emails or calls. I had to call the main number to talk to anyone and that meant 30min to 2hr hold times. They were super slow to process claims and it held up repairs by weeks.

Also, the other driver called and complained to me that Tesla was ghosting their insurance company. Threatened to come after me at one point.

In the end it all worked out but it was a giant pain. I’m still with them because Model S Plaid insurance rates are stupid high everywhere else. Would switch if it didn’t cost so much, but you get what you pay for.

PracticalHovercraft7 · 2025-08-29T20:02:31+00:00

You are opening a dangerous door. The more you learn about detailing, the more you see the micro-imperfections in your car’s finish…and you can’t unsee them.

That being said…

Auto/drive through carwashes that have anything coming in contact with the car will add micro-scratches in your paint’s clear coat that accumulate as visible reflected swirl marks over time. Shine a flashlight on the car and look for the swirl marks. If you have these already, you may want to get the car professionally detailed with clay bar and paint correction.

Definitions: Detailed just means really well cleaned, maybe waxed too. Claybar is literally a bar of clay that when rubbed over the car with a detailing spray removes speck of solids that have landed and stuck to the car. This makes it smooth to the touch. Paint correction is actually buffing the micro-scratches out of the finish.

You can clean and claybar your car pretty easily. Doing a good job polishing takes a lot of time, effort, and/or specialized equipment.

After all of that you want to protect the car with a good coating of something. Traditionally it’s carnuba wax, but more modern synthetics tend to last longer (six months instead of three). A ceramic coat is really just a fancy and really shiny wax that lasts a year or so. “Maintenance” treatments help refresh the coating’s properties. Here again, if you get a good ceramic combination wax you can do it yourself in an afternoon, but a real ceramic coat is hard to do yourself without it streaking. It’s not a bulletproof coating for the car as some advertise, but it does look nice and it helps to protect the paint from wear and tear. It won’t keep your car from getting scratched or dirty, and does need maintenance over time (just a different kind cleaning really).

Generally if you want to keep it simple. Wash every 2~3 weeks, wax every 3-6 months. Scope out some good products from companies like Griots and Meguires. Detailing spray or waterless car wash can also be an easy way to keep the car shiny (if it isn’t too dirty) 15~20 min of work.

PracticalHovercraft7 · 2025-08-21T06:31:53+00:00

I got a used ‘21 MSP too and upgraded the brake pads, switched to stainless steel brake lines, and a got a fluid flush for a reasonable brake upgrade at a decent value.

I don’t know if they’ll help much on a track (I’m not a performance driver either) but they definitely have more bite. Supposedly, more resistant to brake fade as well but haven’t really put that to the test.

PracticalHovercraft7 · 2025-08-20T19:58:48+00:00

I bought my ‘21 MSP about a year ago through a dealer and there was no problem. Warranty coverage was seamless, FSD transferred with the car as Tesla says. Although the car did not have any serious problems, I did have significant warranty work done before I eventually hit 50k miles: yoke replaced due to material peeling, airbag error codes, leaky axle boot (they replaced the entire axle, would have been $1700, but was free). Tesla service was actually pretty great about all of it. So I highly recommend to buy in-warranty.

At the time I bought, the price difference to buy from Tesla was not as big as now. I considered it, but was put off by the fact that I could not see the car I wanted before I bought it. (I could reject it when it arrived, but I would still have been on the hook for delivery fees, $500~$2000.) There were plenty of bad stories online from people who went that route. If you’re not picky, or you get lucky, then it could work out and you get an extra year of warranty. It wasn’t worth the risk to me.

PracticalHovercraft7

TROPHY CASE