Ok, so I did it. I added an Apple Lightning connector to the bottom edge of the phone dock in my 2023 Model 3 so I could easily charge my iPhone in the dock without removing my PopSocket. It wasn't super easy, but now I'll be a happy camper for years to come.
To do this (at a minimum) you need a charging cable with a 90 degree connector, and it requires (1) cutting a hole in the bottom of the phone dock for the charging connector to stick through and (2) cutting away some plastic in the underlying trim piece to make space for that connector and cable.
I chose to go a bit above-and-beyond by using a 12V-to-USB_A converter (bought on Amazon) and making a little electrical harness to take power from the harness that connects to the wireless charger. This allowed me to (A) keep the wireless charger operational and (B) not use up any of the existing USB-C ports. But going this route made the project quite a bit more difficult, so I probably wouldn’t recommend it. (And if I had to do it again, I'd probably use
Posi-taps to tap into the 12V power much more easily and cheaply than making that janky harness, which was a PITA.)
My setup:
Instead of using a 12V converter, I think there’s probably got to be a way to simply fish a USB extension cable down to one of the USB-C ports in the center console without interfering with the sliding door mechanism, but I’m not 100% sure since I didn’t try it myself. Alternatively, you could probably route a cable underneath/along the trim on the side of the center console to one of the rear USB-C ports.
If you want to go with the simpler approach and plug into a USB-C port, here’s what you’d need:
Materials:
- A Gen 1 Model 3 phone dock USB-A charging cable
- I used one with a Lightning connector, but USB-C cables are also available
- A different non-Tesla 90-degree cable might also work and could eliminate the need for an extension cable, but try at your own risk. The OEM cable worked well, in part because the connector has a very slight taper to it, which helps to get a snug fit in the hole you'll cut for it.
- A USB-C male to USB-A female extension cable
- Possibly required: Replacement trim clips from Tesla
- Optional: small p-clip and #10(?) sheetmetal screw for cable management (not 100% sure about the screw size)
Tools:
- Drill and drill bits
- Small hand files (flat and round)
- X-acto knife (or similar)
- Dremel with cutting wheel (or some other tool to cut away plastic from trim piece)
- Screwdriver and T20 torx bit
(This photo shows a Gen 1 Model 3 USB-C phone charging cable as an example. I used a Lightning connector version of the same cable in my install.)
Steps:
- Remove the phone dock/charger/trim piece.
- How-to videos:
- This one shows mostly the same process as the one above, but it also shows how to disconnect the harness from the wireless charger:
- After removing the trim, make sure that all of the metal clip inserts are accounted for and not broken. Otherwise it won't go back together right. I lost one and broke another and had to replace them. My local service center gave me a handful for free just by asking.
- Remove the underlying trim piece.
- How-to video:
- (same vid as first one above but with a different start time)
- Requires a T20 torx bit
- Figure out how to route the cable to a USB-C port before proceeding*.
- If you try to route it to one of the USB-C ports in the “front” storage area, make sure it won’t interfere with the sliding door mechanism
- Cut a hole for the charging cable connector using a drill and files.
- See photos in next post for recommended location.
- Be careful to only make it just big enough for the connector to stick as far through as necessary. You want a snug fit. I used a drill bit to drill two holes next to each other, then I used an x-acto knife to connect the holes and trim away the suede. Then I used two small files -- one flat and one round -- get the size and shape of the slot just right to fit the connector.
- Cut away plastic from the underlying trim piece to make room for the connector and cable.
- With both trim pieces removed from the car, you can do “dry fits” by fitting the 2 trim pieces together with the cable inserted into the dock to see where material needs to be removed. Ideally, make your cuts strategically so that the remaining plastic will prevent the connector from being pushed back out the hole you created in step 4. Alternatively, you could just glue the connector in place instead.
- Reinstall everything.
*If do you attempt this install and find a good way to route the charging cable to one of the USB-C ports, please share how you do it.
[There's a limit to how many photos I can put in a single post, so I'll continue in another post...]
