I love my Roadster #609. I really want to keep it as an original. But there are a number of things that annoy the hell out of me. So I took it to Carl Medlock of Medlock and Sons for some work. For those of you who do not know, Carl has a Roadster repair shop in the Seattle area, and works on cars from all over the country. Carl used to work for Tesla, but is now doing his own thing. Most of us know Tesla's Roadster service is hit-and-miss, so it's nice to have an alternative.
I had Carl and his sons Randy and Austin do several things for me. I needed the tire pressure monitor sensors (TPMS) replaced as two of them were intermittently failing. I had also long wanted to find a double-DIN dash for may car so I could install a unit with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. I also had one of my door sills cracked and wanted a replacement. And I decided to install their sound dampening kit, which is basically where they take everything apart that they can and install sound-dampening foam. I cannot wait to get it on the road to hear the difference!
Luckily for me, Tesla is currently buying back Roadsters and taking them on trade-in, and then parting them out to owners who need parts. Carl snagged a DDIN dash for me and was able to get it installed. He also has a guy building carbon fiber parts for him, so my door sills got replaced too.
Just checked out the work yesterday, which is about 90% complete. I'm thrilled with the work. Carl is not cheap, but he's not any more than Tesla. I think he might be a bit less than Tesla, actually. But you really get good value for what Carl does and he stands behind his work. If you're not happy with something, he'll take care of it.
Below are a few photos with short descriptions. Happy to answer any questions you might have about my mods. The key to me was to only do mods that were factory options at the time my car was manufactured. Hopefully I've been as true to that goal as possible.
First, the old dash is removed:
Next, the single-DIN enclosure is cut out and this DDIN enclosure is installed:
Unit sitting in the right place but not yet hooked up:
My old amp was shot, so a new amp is installed and tucked here:
New microphone for Siri is being installed where original mic enclosure is:
New USB cable installed where old 30-PIN connector was. Debated about installing lighting connector, since I have Apple, or installing a USB connector so any type of device could be installed. Went with USB. Plan to recess this cable, ultimately, and then get a USB - lighting connector that will sit on top, giving me flexibility:
The final product up close. I went with the Alpine ILX-207. I also considered the Alpine ILX-650, which also fits. Instead of the Alpine amp, I had a bit higher-powered amp put in, the Rockford Fosgate Power T1000X5ad recommended by Randy, Carl's son:
Wider shot of the cabin with the mods:
Here are the new door sills. Carl has them wrapped. I may have him re-wrap these and go for a less glossy look:
Here's Carl with my baby, #609!
Let me know what you think with your comments!
I had Carl and his sons Randy and Austin do several things for me. I needed the tire pressure monitor sensors (TPMS) replaced as two of them were intermittently failing. I had also long wanted to find a double-DIN dash for may car so I could install a unit with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. I also had one of my door sills cracked and wanted a replacement. And I decided to install their sound dampening kit, which is basically where they take everything apart that they can and install sound-dampening foam. I cannot wait to get it on the road to hear the difference!
Luckily for me, Tesla is currently buying back Roadsters and taking them on trade-in, and then parting them out to owners who need parts. Carl snagged a DDIN dash for me and was able to get it installed. He also has a guy building carbon fiber parts for him, so my door sills got replaced too.
Just checked out the work yesterday, which is about 90% complete. I'm thrilled with the work. Carl is not cheap, but he's not any more than Tesla. I think he might be a bit less than Tesla, actually. But you really get good value for what Carl does and he stands behind his work. If you're not happy with something, he'll take care of it.
Below are a few photos with short descriptions. Happy to answer any questions you might have about my mods. The key to me was to only do mods that were factory options at the time my car was manufactured. Hopefully I've been as true to that goal as possible.
First, the old dash is removed:
Next, the single-DIN enclosure is cut out and this DDIN enclosure is installed:
Unit sitting in the right place but not yet hooked up:
My old amp was shot, so a new amp is installed and tucked here:
New microphone for Siri is being installed where original mic enclosure is:
New USB cable installed where old 30-PIN connector was. Debated about installing lighting connector, since I have Apple, or installing a USB connector so any type of device could be installed. Went with USB. Plan to recess this cable, ultimately, and then get a USB - lighting connector that will sit on top, giving me flexibility:
The final product up close. I went with the Alpine ILX-207. I also considered the Alpine ILX-650, which also fits. Instead of the Alpine amp, I had a bit higher-powered amp put in, the Rockford Fosgate Power T1000X5ad recommended by Randy, Carl's son:
Wider shot of the cabin with the mods:
Here are the new door sills. Carl has them wrapped. I may have him re-wrap these and go for a less glossy look:
Here's Carl with my baby, #609!
Let me know what you think with your comments!