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8 Things To Do BEFORE Your Tesla Delivery Day

Updated: Feb 27




So you just ordered your new Tesla and are waiting patiently for your big delivery day! As a new tesla owner, there's a lot to be excited about, but there's also a lot you’ll need to do to prep for your Teslas' arrival. There are tons of articles out there on what to do During and AFTER your delivery, But what about BEFORE your Tesla even arrives? Well as a seasoned Tesla owner, I'm going to let you know everything you MUST and Should do before bringing home your new Tesla, and I'll make sure this is the ONLY article you’ll need. So let's get into it!

Complete Pre Delivery Tasks


Man signing Tesla Contracts


The first thing you’re going to want to do is make sure you subscribe to my youtube channel, for helpful Tesla content like this, this, this, this, and the post you’re reading right now which can be helpful for newbies. Ok but the real 1st thing you want to do is complete your Pre-Delivery Tasks. This will include downloading the Tesla app, creating your Tesla account, and logging in to complete your profile and provide your registration and delivery details. This is where You’ll select whether you plan on financing your new Tesla vehicle, or if you’d like to trade in your current vehicle. As your tesla delivery approaches, you’ll receive a notification to complete your credit application and submit your trade-in self-inspection. Just a quick note, if you plan on financing your car, definitely try using a credit union as they typically provide the absolute lowest interest rates. For example, I was able to get a 1.99% APR.

After everything is submitted, you’ll be waiting for your VIN, which you may need to be patient for since the time you receive it can vary due to various factors. Some people will get theirs the next day and others, like myself, will have to wait months. I waited 3 months for my VIN but I've heard others waiting much longer. This waiting period is where everything in this article comes into play but while we’re talking about the delivery process ill let you know what to expect before we move on.

Once you receive your VIN Number, you’ll need to purchase insurance either through Tesla or a 3rd party. All that's left to do after that is make your final payment, which will be your down payment if financed or your payment in full. You can do this online or in person on your delivery day, which is what I did by bringing a check for my down payment. If you guys want to check out my delivery day experience you can check out the video after you’re done reading this article.

Get a Charging Setup

The next thing you’ll want to do is prepare your home for charging your Tesla. When I purchased my Tesla back in 2021 it came with a mobile charger included which lets you charge your Tesla using a normal 5-15 outlet but gives you a slow rate of charge of about 3 miles per hour, it was a simple solution until owners could upgrade to either Nema 14-15 outlet or upgrade to a fixed Tesla wall charger. Unfortunately as of April 28th, 2022, Tesla no longer includes this charger, which means you’ll need to purchase a charging solution or be stuck without a way to charge your car besides using a Tesla Supercharger station. So before you go out buying one, ill help you out by explaining the 3 ways you’ll be able to charge your Tesla.

The most convenient place to charge your Tesla is at home, overnight, there are two options for home charging.



Tesla Mobile Connector


The first is using the Mobile Connector. Tesla's mobile connector is a portable charger that comes with two adapters which lets you plug into any ordinary NEMA 5-15 household outlet, or a NEMA 14-50 outlet if you have one. As stated before, using a 5-15 outlet will give you about 4-6 miles of charge per hour depending on the tesla you have, and is the slowest option. If you have a 14-50 outlet, you can get about 23 - 30 miles depending on the tesla you have. The mobile connector is the cheapest option and is great for a starter charger. Now, Tesla isn't the only company that produces charging solutions for Tesla, You can get similar chargers some with more features for better pricing, like the Lectron Portable Tesla Charger



Tesla Wall Connector


The next option for charging at home is the wall charger. This is a more permanent solution but offers much faster charging and gives you a ton of features. This charger needs to be hardwired to your electrical panel and installed onto a wall or post, which should be done by a qualified electrician. I've seen people do it themselves but I wouldn’t recommend it. Also, by using a qualified electrician you can get local electricity incentives or even get a full refund from your electric company. I recently had a wall charger installed and received a full refund for the cost of the installation which was about $600.

The Wall charger will give you up to 44 miles of range per hour. And comes with features like an auto-sensing handle to open the charge port. Wi-Fi connectivity for over-the-air updates, remote diagnostics and access controls, Variable amperage configurations, and more. Another great thing about the wall charger is that if you are unable to park your car in a garage, you can also have it installed outdoors as it's also weatherproof. The wall charger is probably your best choice if you own your home and want the most convenient charging option. Just like with the mobile charger, there are lots of alternative wall chargers as well, I recently installed the MaxPeedingRods Level 2 Tesla Wall Charger which is an awesome alternative.


Tesla Supercharger Station


Lastly, the 3rd charging option is to use a Tesla Supercharger station, I won’t go into detail but it's basically like a gas station for electric cars. There are currently around 40,000 superchargers globally and are accessible 24/7. These chargers are specifically made for Tesla and can charge your car up to 200 miles in 15 minutes. If you have an adapter, you’ll be able to use just about any other electric vehicle charger but these are far less convenient to use and are not as reliable. A Tesla supercharger or other charging station would be your best option if maybe you live in an apartment complex or condo without access to a garage or power outlet. If you are interested, check out my video on the Tesla Supercharger.

Prepare Your WiFi Network


TP-Link Deco Mesh WiFi System


One way Tesla differs from a traditional gas-powered car is that it's a computer on wheels, and what that, your Tesla will constantly be updated bringing you new features, security updates, and bug fixes over time, making your Tesla feel brand new no matter how long you’ve had it. But to receive these updates it needs to be connected to the internet via WIFI, and since you’ll either be parking your car in your garage or driveway, it may not be able to reach your wifi router. So before you bring your Tesla home, you’ll want to test the connection strength in those areas. To make sure your Tesla always has a reliable connection, I recommend upgrading your wifi system to a MESH wifi system. Mesh WiFi works by using two or more devices or “nodes” to create a secure and strong wifi network throughout your home. You can place one of these nodes in your garage or near your driveway so that your tesla has a strong connection to the internet at all times. This is important because you’ll want to have the latest security updates installed before you get in your car in the morning. I recommend the TP-Link Deco Mesh WiFi System.

Get Some Tesla Accessories

The next thing I recommend you do before your Tesla delivery is get yourself some MUST-HAVE Accessories. If you’ve been on YouTube binge-watching Tesla content you’ll realize that Tesla accessories are always a hot topic and there is a good reason why. The most important reason is protection, your Tesla is not a cheap purchase, and if you’re like me you’ll want to protect your purchase for as long as you can, and you can do it by getting some simple accessories to protect your car, these include, Floor Mats, a Screen Protector, Center Console Wraps, Cup Holder Inserts, Mud Flaps and cargo protectors. Besides protection, as you may be used to driving a typical car, Teslas are completely different as they introduce a minimalistic approach, meaning a minimal amount of buttons and storage compartments, which you want to get things like a center console organizer tray, sunglasses holder, and a phone mount. Theres also limited USB ports so if you have anything that uses a regular USB cable you won't be able to use it without an adapter, which is where a USB hub like the TEMAI USB Hub can come in handy. You might also want to improve your driving comfort, for example, Teslas seats have fixed headrests which can be uncomfortable for most people, you can fix this with comfortable Tesla Neck Headrests. And lastly, if you just want to stand out from every other tesla you can add cool upgrades like Custom Seat covers, LED Strips, and carbon fiber parts like front and rear Spoilers. There are thousands of tesla accessories out there and I recommend getting the necessities so you have them ready on day one. If you watch my delivery day video, you’ll see that on the way to pick up my Tesla, I had the back seat full of accessories ready to put on before I even left the Tesla Store. You can even see the phone mount installed as I'm driving home in my new Tesla. I'll leave some links to my MUST-HAVE accessories but you can get everything I mentioned and more at AccessoriesForTesla.com

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