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Cheapest way to get updated Fascia for older Model S?

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Yeah the performance is an understatement the newer headlights SUCK.... I love my Bi-Xenon Headlights, my wife has a 2016 with crappy LED's with the stupid eyebrows that burn out every 12 months... you can keep those. My 2014 P85+ smokes her 2016 in both lumens and handling. I view (pun intended) the 2016+ as a downgrade.

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Low beams
On the straightaway, visibility was fair on both sides of the road. On curves, visibility was inadequate in all 4 tests.

The low beams created some glare.

High beams
On the straightaway, visibility was good on both sides of the road. On curves, visibility was inadequate in all 4 tests.
View attachment 571219
Does anyone know if they fixed this issue on the new PLAID S? Trying to decide if I should upgrade before getting my CT.
 
Getting a front lip for the stock bumper really changes the look of the nosecone.

refresh vs nosecone
That nosecone car has modded headlights though, that makes a big difference. Honestly I think that's the first thing you need to do before doing the bumper- frosting/painting the led strip to look more like the 2016+ and blacking out the internal housing goes a long way to making the nosecone car look fresher.

I like HIDs better than LEDs so the modded nosecone headlights are fantastic, as you get the more current look.

The cool thing is that, if you're brave, it's cheap. If all you do is paint, it's less than $10 in paint plus probably $30 or so for new butyl seals. Or go nuts and spend over $1k to change the projectors and have it done by a pro.
 
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Looks like I will be getting a new front end, courtesy of my 22 year old daughter, anyone know a good shop in the National Capital Region here in the DC Swamp that has done a Refresh upgrade to a 2014 P85+....
 

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The cool thing is that, if you're brave, it's cheap. If all you do is paint, it's less than $10 in paint plus probably $30 or so for new butyl seals. Or go nuts and spend over $1k to change the projectors and have it done by a pro.
even retrofitting projectors if you're going to bother opening them up to paint isn't that much more work. the upgraded projectors are around $150 and the adapter to mount them is roughly $70. So for an additional $250 you can have much better headlights than the stock HIDs.
 
That nosecone car has modded headlights though, that makes a big difference. Honestly I think that's the first thing you need to do before doing the bumper- frosting/painting the led strip to look more like the 2016+ and blacking out the internal housing goes a long way to making the nosecone car look fresher.

I like HIDs better than LEDs so the modded nosecone headlights are fantastic, as you get the more current look.

The cool thing is that, if you're brave, it's cheap. If all you do is paint, it's less than $10 in paint plus probably $30 or so for new butyl seals. Or go nuts and spend over $1k to change the projectors and have it done by a pro.
Yeah blacking out your headlights and frosting the drl have a big impact on the overall front of the car.

You can snag the led headlights for cheap on ebay. They are just notorious for their burnt DRL. You would also have to buy the hid emulator which is expensive.
 
Hello all, Finally after years of debating on the refresh bumper and wondering which way to go. (unplugged-T-Sportline - Oem) I finally decided and went OEM and I couldn't be happier! Thanks to Arvin out in Cali. The guy really knows what he is doing. I'm on the East Coast and was considering driving out to Cali so he could install for me. Arvin convinced me to try to do the install on my own and I'm proud to say that I did it! Oem is the way to go! I try to send pics.
 
Not sure if it's the cheapest but it will be close and will definitely be the best: sell your car and buy one that's refreshed. In the end if you play your cards right you may be out a grand or two but you'll at least have improvements to show for it that aren't simply aesthetic. Also, your car being hacked together will be a tough sell later on. Most people aren't going to want a car that has aftermarket parts that make it look like the newer car. Most in that price range will be fine with the nose cone and would rather have OEM parts with a nosecone rather than some weird underbite that is aftermarket parts. You'll never recover any of that money and you'll probably even lower the price if your car or make it more difficult to sell later. Sell yours for the upper end of what the market will bear (you'll need patience) and find something refresh that's on the lower end of market value and you'll be far happier. Use the opportunity to get the other things you maybe wish you had as well. Different color, different options, etc.

That's my $0.02 worth exactly what you paid for it.
I've been out here in these streets practicing what I preach and I have to say... my plan has worked flawlessly. I'm on Model S #6 and #7 now and I've made thousands of dollars during the incremental upgrades over the years.

Early on, I would see an option or feature I wanted and waste so much time and money putting that feature into my older car only to sell the car a couple of months later. I gave up on wasting time/money upgrading my earlier models with upgrades here and there. Instead, I just focused on finding good deals on newer versions of the cars I wanted and then selling my older car for good money once I found it's replacement. I've been doing this for years now and my cars are substantially better than the ones I started out on. Not only have I not spent thousands trying to make my car look newer but my cars are newer with all of the features/options that come with them and I've made money in doing so.
 
Hello all, Finally after years of debating on the refresh bumper and wondering which way to go. (unplugged-T-Sportline - Oem) I finally decided and went OEM and I couldn't be happier! Thanks to Arvin out in Cali. The guy really knows what he is doing. I'm on the East Coast and was considering driving out to Cali so he could install for me. Arvin convinced me to try to do the install on my own and I'm proud to say that I did it! Oem is the way to go! I try to send pics.
Hey DrakeM , would love to see those pix and any additional info you have, been debating for years and haven’t decided yet.
 
IMO, all of those aftermarket refresh kits look a bit 'off.'


Instead, I'd strongly recommend doing a chrome delete and refinish your original headlights with Lexus projectors and a black reflector. It really does a lot for the look of the car.


Untitled.png
 
IMO, all of those aftermarket refresh kits look a bit 'off.'


Instead, I'd strongly recommend doing a chrome delete and refinish your original headlights with Lexus projectors and a black reflector. It really does a lot for the look of the car.


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is it just the angle or did you tint the fog lights as well?
 
Hey DrakeM , would love to see those pix and any additional info you have, been debating for years and haven’t decided yet.
 

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Hello all, Finally after years of debating on the refresh bumper and wondering which way to go. (unplugged-T-Sportline - Oem) I finally decided and went OEM and I couldn't be happier! Thanks to Arvin out in Cali. The guy really knows what he is doing. I'm on the East Coast and was considering driving out to Cali so he could install for me. Arvin convinced me to try to do the install on my own and I'm proud to say that I did it! Oem is the way to go! I try to send pics.
Had mine done by Arvin. He’s the real deal and couldn’t be happier!
 

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March 9th 2022
Thank you for your purchase and patience.
We are expecting the front bumper refresh kits to arrive at our facility for fulfillment within the next 7 to 14 days.
Your order will be fulfilled as soon as they arrive.
Thank you again for your understanding and for being a loyal Tsportline customer.
Customer Service Team
[email protected]
Office: 310-880-3256

Hopefully get my car back in April.
 
March 9th 2022
Thank you for your purchase and patience.
We are expecting the front bumper refresh kits to arrive at our facility for fulfillment within the next 7 to 14 days.
Your order will be fulfilled as soon as they arrive.
Thank you again for your understanding and for being a loyal Tsportline customer.
Customer Service Team
[email protected]
Office: 310-880-3256

Hopefully get my car back in April.

Did you get your car back yet? I’m also looking for someone in the NCR to do the fascia refresh. The first quote I got was for about $3,000 and I’d be without the car for 10-15 days.

I’m going to get a few more quotes before making a decision.
 
I saw the Tsportline version and it looks.....weird with the huge black T section they used to fix the under bite.

There is a thread that talks about using all OEM parts and making it fit with a custom T (someone custom made it and sells it).
I am interested in doing this as well on my P85DL+ just for my own enjoyment.

I agree, there is something off with the Tsportline bumper fitment... like the car hood has an underbite.

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