Aftermarket trunk lid

[Dan123]

I recently had a trunk lid replaced. The new trunk lid came with 2 holes for the license plate, spaced 8 inches apart. The typical U.S. license plate has 4 whole, spaced 7 inches apart. I had to buy an adapter to install the license plate.

Why is the new trunk lid different? Was it from a Tesla from some other country? Besides the license plate mounting, is there any other issues with using this trunk lid?

I also noticed some water inside the trunk when there are heavy rains. This was happening before the replacement, and continues to happen after the replacement. What can be causing this”

 

[stopcrazypp]

I recently had a trunk lid replaced. The new trunk lid came with 2 holes for the license plate, spaced 8 inches apart. The typical U.S. license plate has 4 whole, spaced 7 inches apart. I had to buy an adapter to install the license plate.

Why is the new trunk lid different? Was it from a Tesla from some other country? Besides the license plate mounting, is there any other issues with using this trunk lid?

I also noticed some water inside the trunk when there are heavy rains. This was happening before the replacement, and continues to happen after the replacement. What can be causing this”
View attachment 944035

The early 2018 cars had 4 holes. Tesla later switched to two holes and an adapter plate.
Model 3 Rear License Plate Mount (New from Factory)

Part number for the adapter plate is should be 1096844-00-B.

Here's a picture from that thread in 2019 when people noticed they switched.

I'm guessing it may be because if the holes were in the car, if people cross thread the screws, then the adapter plate can easily be replaced. The adapter is going to general stay in attached to the car, while the screw threads that get worn for cars that frequently replace their plates are the four threads on the adapter.

As for water in trunk, are you certain it got in before you opened the trunk? Depending on what year you have, the Model 3 rear glass design makes it so water from the trunk gets dump on rear glass when you open it and it can easily go down directly into the trunk. Tesla changed the weather seal a bunch of times through out the years which made things better but not completely. In heavy rain, water can also get in directly.
Rain Deflector Needed?

Video that shows revisions:

 

[tlr1000]

Sometimes the seals around the trunk aren't on properly. Go around it and make sure the entire seal is seated down as far as it can go. If one part is all the way down and another is not, that could cause a leak from an uneven seal.

Could also put the back seat down, crawl through from the back seat, have a helper shine a flashlight around the trunk from the outside and check from the inside if any light comes through. Trace the entire seal. Of course this will work best when there's low ambient light.

 

[Dan123]

The early 2018 cars had 4 holes. Tesla later switched to two holes and an adapter plate.
Model 3 Rear License Plate Mount (New from Factory)

Thank you for the information! I took the car to a Tesla service center, where a very unhelpful employee looked it at and said that he can’t help me. They didn’t tell me that all of them have two holes, or that there is an adapter available.

 

[Dan123]

Sometimes the seals around the trunk aren't on properly. Go around it and make sure the entire seal is seated down as far as it can go. If one part is all the way down and another is not, that could cause a leak from an uneven seal.

Could also put the back seat down, crawl through from the back seat, have a helper shine a flashlight around the trunk from the outside and check from the inside if any light comes through. Trace the entire seal. Of course this will work best when there's low ambient light.

Thank you, great idea to get through the seats. I can also have someone with a hose spray the car and see if I can spot any leaks.