My house has very steep driveway down to the garage and I have to go in forwards. I've tried going down in reverse but when you drive out forward you can only see the sky! So I really need this feature because at the top of my driveway is a pedestrian footpath with lots of use from people with dogs and kids on bikes etc. There is no way that they can hear me coming up the drive because I am going so slow. If it was an Ice car they would hear me reving like crazy to get up the steep slope. It's so steep that my 2015 Golf often stalls or shudders like crazy reversing up. The Model 3 of course handles this effortlessly and quietly but it is dangerous for pedestrians. I really HAVE to get this feature. Thanks for a great video.
Yes the car is definitely safer with the speaker fitted. Sounds like you have a good case for one. My daughter has a Hyundai i30 and it's near silent when it's running especially from behind or in a shopping centre car park. The VW Tiguan diesel I used to have definitely wasn't though. It depends on the car and the situation but EVs are extremely quiet and you need to be vigilant.
Why would anybody spend $60k+ to eliminate air & noise pollution and then spend another $300 to bring back uncontrollable and unwanted noise??? Just crazy ! 🤪
@@notinthemanual At least if it used a regular reversing alarm like trucks & machinery, everybody would know what the noise is warning of. A non generic sound makes no sense. Hopefully the software developers heeds the feedback. Great work Matt.🙂
@@notinthemanualhow did that go with duct tape? I mean cover it when not needed? I want this feature but dont want to get stuck with too loud unwanted sound.
@@balisingh143 The duct tape works well. I gradually covered up most of the holes on the plastic cover. I have left one row of holes and this gives an acceptable volume for me. This won’t be possible for factory fitted PWS speakers. The speaker now replaces the vehicle horn. Pretty crazy. I’m hoping my new model Y was built before the factory started fitting them.
Thanks Matt for taking the trouble. But this sounds terrible and I prefer the silence. I think the active safety features and cameras do more than enough to offset the lack of ICE noise.
I agree, sound and the actual purpose is moronic. I want an electric car not an ICE, I want silence. I won’t be buying another Tesla and if I do I’ll cut the wires to the speaker, making a noise to help keep stupid people safe, who aren’t paying attention.
Educational. I wondered what that weird sound was in reverse in the Tesla. Some hybrid cars, Nissan maybe, make this weird symphony of angels singing sound and I always look up at the sky when I hear those in the parking lot. When driving forward I didn't know Teslas (or my Hyundai) hybrid made any fake noise, people walk right in front of your car, then act surprised when the tires make a sound on any rocks or twigs.
Totally agree. I didn’t get one fitted to my new Model Y. If your PWS wasn’t factory fitted and you have a normal horn you can partially cover the speaker holes with tape. If the PWS also acts as your horn then you need that to be loud.
Also, modern day ICE cars at low speed are as quiet as a Tesla, so if it’s such a hazard then why don’t ICE cars have it. It’s a slippery slope, they will make you have it on all the time, I can see it happening.
Yes there are a couple of sites you can download from if you can’t be bothered making your own. It’s a shame you can’t change the volume when using it as an external speaker for music.
there should be a kind of single same sound approved across all vehicles, not a mess of sounds which would pollute carparks with odd noises and rathe confuse pedestrians. Some work to do for Govt I think. Meanwhile I would think of custom V8 noise and reduce record level for the reverse in a sound editor.
I agree. The white noise that the car makes in forward is perfect and similar to other manufacturers noise generators. People will get used to the weird sounds eventually and just assume it’s and EV but we are a long way from that point. At least the Tesla can be updated easily when they decide to do this.
This isn’t entirely accurate. There is a phenomenon that happens with humans regarding audible and visual cues. We become blind to matching repetitive sounds, shapes and colours. Such as safety colours hivis orange and yellow work shirts and reverse buzzers in mining. People are still getting hit because they tune out to the same repetitive sound and didn’t hear it, like wise the driver didn’t see the hivis orange shirt because everyone wears them and they lose their effectiveness.
Thanks George. I read that cars arriving early this year had it active but wasn’t sure if the earlier cars had the hardware installed or not and just need it activated but I doubt Tesla would go to the expense. The owners manual mentions some cars built prior to Nov 21 might not have it fitted.
My April '23 Model 3 which was built in Shanghai and delivered to NZ doesn't have normal horns, instead it uses the PWS speaker for ALL external sounds, including thr UFO sound while reversing, and the horn. The wiring is there for the horns, but 12v isn't present when the horn is pressed. This is disappointing because I hate the sound of the PWS, and I have no idea why people would volunteer to pay money to have it fitted.
That’s why I made this video to warn people. It’s obviously a good safety feature but just a terrible way to do it. I can’t believe they have replaced the standard horn! I have a model Y on the way that was built on 12th of May but I don’t think they were fitting PWS at factory for Model Y until end of May. Fingers crossed. I have duct tape over the speaker grille which makes it sound much better but if the normal horn is gone it makes that difficult.
Yes. You don’t get used to it. It’s amazing how Tesla don’t allow people to customise the noise in reverse. The white noise in forward is good enough for both directions. I’m glad my new Model Y doesn’t have one fitted.
My 2022 Y isnt fitted with one and i have been quoted $290 to have it installed. I purely wanted to be able to change the lock sounds of the car, so if i cant turn off the forward and reversing sounds i won't go ahead with having it retrofitted
Forward is fine as it’s just like a white noise. It’s just that horrible reverse sound. I have now traded this car for a Model Y last August and I haven’t fitted a PWS to my new car yet for the same reason. Here in Australia they will become a legal requirement at some stage so I’ll resist as long as I can.
This is why I made the video so people can make an informed choice. I haven’t fitted one to my new model Y. Not until they improve the functionality of at least allow us to change the volume and sound.
Our 2023 Australia delivered Model Y doesn’t have it and thank Fuck for that. How embarrassing, catering for morons who shouldn’t have a licence and pedestrians who aren’t paying attention. In reality there is so much ambient noise in todays world that people become ‘noise blind’ and the effectiveness would be low if not non effective.
my fremont m3 rwd i can't hear the going forward noise at all from inside, but the backup noise is very noticeable, and coming from a ICE automatic, im still learning how to back up well, as i am generally used to keeping my foot on the brake to back up, now i have to try and feather the throttle to move slowly. otherwise i have gotten quite used to how it drives. had it a little over a month now, and it took a little over a month for delivery after placing my order. only one option, color blue.
Thanks PM. Congrats on the new car. Yes I got used to one pedal driving pretty fast as I drive the car everyday but my wife still prefers the roll setting when she drives it occasionally.
i left is on default settings, and rarely touch the brake pedal, i wouldn't mind getting the regen braking set to a stronger level, as if i dont need it all i just dont release the throttle as much.
Matt ,Off topic is that a mag safe mount directly behind your steering wheel as I am considering mounting my phone for the purpose of using waz Thanks Max
Check out my previous video on the buttons. I put a link to this mount there but it’s not mag safe. That’s my cheapo android I use for ScanMyTesla so it’s a vice type mount. I am going to be reviewing a mag safe mount in the next week or so that will be perfect for that. I’ve been looking for a good one for a while to mount in line of sight. This one will even unlock using Face ID. I was hoping to get it mounted and filmed today but got too busy. I’ll try and film during the week.
I had one retrofitted by a mobile technician but he didn't seem to know anything about getting boombox installed. AllI have is the reverse and forward sounds.
@@healeydave I had it fitted at a service centre. They definitely said they need to connect to the car and load firmware. I didn’t actually see what they did though.
@@notinthemanual Ah, ok, I have sent a couple of messages via the Messages section in the Service menu in the Tesla App but I haven't had a response yet. It took them days to process the original service request though, so I guess I'm just going to have to be patient. They seem much slower to respond these days here in the UK.
@@healeydave I found their knowledge on the PWS to be pretty poor here in Australia. Service was as helpful as they could be though. They are probably busy fitting accessories to the record numbers of cars they are selling. Definitely not as fast to respond here either but very helpful when they do.
that sound is like a drill to my head. the legislation doesnt say you have to put high peach sound. they can put an actual engine sound instead of this tortuer device sound .
@@frh219 It can’t be turned off unfortunately. One of the reasons I made this video was to let everyone know this. I currently have some duct tape covering most of the speaker grille and it’s a much better volume in reverse.
Yes. I was torn between safety and noise pollution. It’s a real shame Tesla have done it this way. I decided not to fit one to my new Model Y until they improve it.
I made this video a year ago. Currently it’s 33km/h (21mph). I don’t remember if it was a different speed back then. Once you get close to these speeds the tires become the biggest source of noise anyway. This system definitely needs to be customisable. I haven’t fitted a PWS to my Model Y yet.
@notinthemanual i get the tire speed thing = noise but until it goes that fast why isn't it making a noise and I almost got hit by a tesla in a parking lot today and if it had been making a noise it could have been completely avoided so I looked it up and can't find any proof that they actually make that noise and if the driver can turn them off or down then they are useless 🤷🏼♂️
@@andrewadams4000 I only explained the tire noise thing as I thought you were asking why they turn off after a certain speed. The noise can’t be turned off or changed by the driver. I agree 100% they should make some noise at car park speeds but it needs to be a noise that pedestrians associate with a car. I drive both EV and petrol cars regularly I haven’t had a single incident with my EV but our Hyundai i30 is pretty silent from the front and I have had people walk right out in front of me when driving that car. You need to be careful in any car as so many people are looking at their phones instead of where they are going and you need to be aware. Kids can just run out regardless of noise. Most of the time it’s the driver not being careful enough. If drivers are careful and people look before they walk out then it’s a non-issue. But real life isn’t that perfect. It’s for those times when pedestrians or drivers aren’t paying attention that the sound is needed. You can’t just put the blame solely on either party.
@@andrewadams4000 Just to clarify by customisable I meant being able to change the sound it makes to something that can be associated with a car. The current white noise sound could be improved in my opinion.
@notinthemanual I think the law says it supposed to make the same reverse noise when it's going forward until the speed specified but pedestrian have right of way in parking lots and you aren't supposed to go over 15 mph in them so the sound should be on the whole time it's in a parking lot I unload peoples car for work and the amount of times I've almost been hit by people speeding 30+ is astounding
No adjustment I could see. I used duct tape over the speaker holes. I have now traded this car for a MY and I won’t be fitting a PWS speaker until you can adjust it.
The stupid thing about it is the amount of children that get killed every year in their own drive way but their own parents in ICE vehicles. Reality is noise won’t stop it from happening.
I haven’t seen anything relating those incidents to noise or EVs. That is definitely a vision thing and reversing cameras + ultrasonics do a lot to reduce the risk. I know we were paranoid & never reversed out of our garage without checking the kids were safe inside beforehand. No one should have to go through that.
Not an option for most cars. Some older cars have the option to make it quieter but I didn’t know there were cars out there that had the option to turn it off. Does your car have that? Which model do you have and what country are you in?
@@notinthemanual nvm you’re right I think. It looks like the switch is not there for teslas manufactured after November 2021. That is really stupid if I’m to give my 2 cents
@@Yixuidhalbh Haha. I thought there was some new feature I didn’t know about. I haven’t fitted the PWS to my new car and it was built just before they started fitting them at the factory.
@@notinthemanual yea man I really wish they put a toggle switch at least so you’re not forced to deal with that annoying electronic humming but it is what it is. It’s not that bad when you’re inside the car at least
@@Hypa81 That would be nice to have that feature. I might make a short on the live sentry mode PA feature. I actually filmed this but forgot to add it in 🤦♂️
Yer absolutely, I’m not out in any rush to buy one for our 2023 Model Y. So glad it didn’t come with one. Modern day brand new ICE cars at low speed are as quiet as a Tesla, next thing they will have the speaking going 24/7 at all speeds, you wait and see!
It’s a stupid and idiotic device, I’m so glad our 2023 Australia Delivered Tesla doesn’t have it. Drivers need to watch where they are driving and pedestrians need to watch where they are walking. We are catering for morons not paying attention.
I was happy to find out that my new Model Y missed out on the factory fitted PWS. A couple of weeks later and it would have had one. This speaker now replaces the normal horn which means you can’t tape over it. The white noise sound it makes in forward is pretty good and would be useful backing out of a blind driveway but as you said if you’re careful it isn’t needed. The horrible loud noise it makes in reverse is unnecessarily loud and so unusual people won’t recognise it as a car.
Thanks for the feedback but that’s my style. I’ll save you some boredom and suggest you don’t watch my other videos as I do even more talking. I think RU-vid shorts would be something you would prefer.
