Tesla axes referral programs for cars, solar panels

You can no longer get Supercharging miles from your referrals of Tesla's vehicles and solar panels. A notice on the company's site states: "vehicle products and solar panels are no longer eligible for Referral awards" as of September 18. The only active referral program is for the Solar Roof, which gives referrers monetary rewards of up to US$500 and free Powerwalls.

With these programs axed, it isn't clear if the company will fulfill some of its bigger promises to referrers. Those promised Roadsters still haven't gotten them, and people have been complaining in online forums about not receiving free Powerwalls and other rewards from years ago.

Source: Engadget

Tesla begins testing of Full Self-Driving Beta software in Canada

Just ahead of its wider release in the US, the Tesla Full Self-Driving Beta software is rolling out to its early access fleet in the country. The Full Self-Driving Beta v10 allows Tesla vehicles to virtually drive themselves on highways and city streets. However, it's still considered a level 2 driver assist because it requires driver supervision at all times. You are still responsible for the vehicle, and you need to keep your hands on the steering wheel at all times.

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Tesla Model Y comes with heated steering wheels in Canada

Source: Tesla

What was initially a feature exclusive to China is now coming to Canada—and it's one feature that'll help drivers who get cold fingers. Tesla Model Y deliveries in the country have started to arrive with heated steering wheels.

According to Joe Trinidad, who is part of the Model Y Canadian Group on Facebook, he got a Model Y Long Range AWD SUV with a heated steering wheel. Trinidad got his delivery from Tesla's sale center in Vaughan, Ontario. This feature first came out in China for the Model Y and then started coming to the SUV in the US before making its way here.

Source: Tesla North

Tesla's service centres now offer collision repairs

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It's now possible to get some collision repair work done in Tesla's Service Centres. The company sent out a message to its customers entitled "Collision Repair is Here." It lets them know that local Tesla Service Centres can be used as alternatives to body shops for "minor dents, scuffs, scratches and more." And with its optimized flow, Tesla claims the company can fix the damages quickly.

Tesla's CEO Elon Musk first mentioned its plans to perform most collision-related work in-house back in 2018. Now, the carmaker covers repairs like "suspension and axle damage, front and rear bumpers, hoods, liftgates and side mirror caps, along with doors, wheels and all glass repairs." The company request customers to head to the Service menu in the Tesla app and choose "Collision & Glass Repair" to schedule an appointment.

Tesla is supposedly pushing to move its customer communications through its app instead of through calls since this will provide a written record of all communication.

Source: Engadget