Truly enjoyable experience especially now with FSD
I want to express my deepest gratitude to the Tesla team for putting together such a fantastic, fun-for-all end-of-summer party at Westbury branch. Our family had an incredible time exploring the showroom, test-driving the Cybertruck, and completing the tablet activity list—which included a family photo, trying out the boombox, and watching the light shows etc. The kids absolutely loved the Cyberquad, getting their faces painted, and painting on a real Cybertruck. Munching on the great snacks and chicken nuggets, receiving a custom goodie bag with a tote, coloring book, and pen with Tesla Logo, and topping it off with ice cream made the day truly special. Experiencing this community firsthand makes me feel incredibly proud to be a Tesla owner, and I love that the event was open to everyone. It is a brilliant marketing strategy; by cutting out the middleman dealership, Tesla makes it possible for anyone to own a premium vehicle at a reasonable price without sacrificing quality. The Summer Party & EV Car Show back in 2022 in Tarrytown was also a great place to learn about aftermarket parts to personalize your vehicle. I even got a CNICK Tesla key ring there, which has saved me several times when my phone battery died and I didn't have a key card on hand. I would greatly appreciate more events like this in the future—they are remarkably informative and fun at the same time.
My ownership journey since 2021 has been incredibly smooth, and I haven't had to visit a traditional auto shop once. The only maintenance event I've encountered was a single, unrepairable flat tire, and Tesla Service turned a stressful breakdown into an absolute breeze by promptly sending a tow truck.
The only area where Tesla truly needs to improve is the trade-in program. After submitting detailed photos and receiving a finalized trade-in value, my offer was cut down significantly weeks after I picked up my new 2026 Model Y in Brooklyn. I wish Tesla would schedule a physical inspection with customers for a final value confirmation upfront, rather than dropping the price post-sale without providing a detailed explanation.
Other than that, thank you for constantly innovating to make life more affordable, safer, and enjoyable. The mobile app is incredibly smart and user-friendly. I am especially grateful for Sentry Mode. Knock on wood, I have never had an alarm go off, but imagining an unexpected hit-and-run where a truck with a trailer side-swipes your car and leaves the scene makes you realize what a crucial lifesaver it is. This is particularly true when parking in College Point (any densed industrial area), where LARGE commercial trucks frequently have to navigate tight corners when the parked cars jam packed both sides of the streets.
Finally, a quick note on Full Self-Driving: it is mind-blowing that the voice recordings I submit during manual interventions are actually reviewed and implemented. Thanks to those updates, my Tesla now confidently takes me to work on my exact preferred route every day. While FSD sometimes acts like a typical New Yorker on the highway—waiting until the absolute last second near the exit gore area to merge onto the 495—I can easily nudge it by hitting the turn signal so it merges safely without getting trapped at the island. It also struggles a bit when vehicles double-park without their 4-way flashers on, though it bypasses them beautifully when their hazards are blinking. However, FSD still struggles to adapt to sudden, large drops in speed limits. I recently drove through Virginia, which is heavily monitored by speed cameras. Whenever the speed limit dropped drastically, I immediately had to take over manually because FSD failed to slow down quickly enough, especially when set to a more assertive driving profile. Looking ahead, I hope future hardware updates add a camera or sensor dedicated entirely to detecting and avoiding large potholes. Thank you again for ANOTHER amazing event and an incredible ownership experience!