iWeasel410
Member
Ok - I'm done installing mine successfully. I followed a combination of the instructions that were provided by the manufacturer (which are terrible):
Tesla Model 3 electric tailgate installation instructions | Intelligentized Auto Parts | Hansshow
And this YouTube video:
I wasn't anticipating having to remove the bumper to do this installation, so it was more work than I originally thought. Going through the firewall was really not a big deal at all because you're just going through a rubber grommet that's already there. I didn't use the 1/2" bit like suggested in the video. I used a much smaller bit and then shoved the power connection through so it makes a nice tight seal. Really, running the power was actually the easiest part even though I thought it would be the hardest. Also note you need to remove the plastic piece under the passenger side dash to get to that grommet where you need to drill through. I already knew how to do that from having to replace the air filters. If you need help with that step, just find one of the videos on replacing the air filters and it will show you how to pop that piece off.
Also, my kit cable with an extra button and an extra cable which apparently I don't need unless I want to use the second button. It doesn't look like you need to connect the CAN-H or CAN-L connectors and I never figured out what the Yellow wire is for. Here is the cable that I ended up not using:
View attachment 466030
In order to get the car to think the trunk is always closed so that I can close the trunk from inside the car or from the app (by clicking OPEN when it's already open) I had to make one modification. There is a blue wire on the harness that goes to the existing trunk latch that needs to be removed from the harness. This is not documented anywhere. I'm not sure if maybe some kits come with this wire already removed?
View attachment 466031
Once that wire was removed, I could control open and close from inside the car.
Also worth mentioning is that with the default settings, it wouldn't close at all. You need to increase the closing power setting to 5 to get it to close properly. In order to do this, you need to use a screwdriver and put it in the latch so that the box thinks the trunk is closed, then hold the little black button on the controller until it beeps 5 times I think. I had to increase the speed setting as well by holding down the trunk close button. These steps are outlined in the written documentation link at the top of this post, but the english is not great, so it might be confusing.
Overall I'm very happy with the final results, even if it did take the better part of a day to get it done.
FYI and I'm not sure if anyone has noticed this yet, but the non-CANBUS system tricks the car into thinking the trunk is always closed. The result is the lights in the trunk not turning on. When you first open or close to trunk you may see the light flash on for about a second. As far as I know, there are no fixes for this yet.
