Hansshow latest Frunk kit 17-20 M3

[GlynG]

Just fitted my 2020 M3P with the latest version of Hansshow's Frunk kit. There appears to be different versions of the same version number which when coupled with a less than useless installation manual and little help when you contact Hansshow (read that as none in a timely fashion) It makes it an interesting Install.

Let me say from the start - The kit is now fully fitted, works perfectly and is super quiet, bought for £369 from EV Accessories, which I view as reasonable

I, like most others, watched YouTube videos of others installs - so everything was clear in my mind before fitting it, however looking at the detail on the videos I see so many versions and differences in the kits contents and my kit was a lot different.
Its labelled on the Box as V4.3 - but its bugger all like the 4.2 and 4.3 kits I see advertised.

The instructions that come with the kit has photos - but of low quality, the photos show the wrong lock and there is little coverage of the electrical connections that need to be made - though many are quite obvious - well to me anyway but many many years ago I was a motor mechanic and electrical work doesn't phase me at all. The "suction Motor" is nothing like the ones I've seen in every install online and some parts I expected were not in the kit - like the replacement body strut mounts and the emergency release cable Is weird and I still cant work out how it works If I need it.

I did email Hansshow for some clarification the kit was indeed for my model, how the emergency release could work and received a reply - but all they asked was what my order number was, since then I've heard nothing.

All previous kits had a wiring loom with connections to both primary and secondary lock actuators plus a new connection for the lock status signal and two brackets that are fitted to the lock securing bolts - one for the secondary actuator and the other for connecting the emergency release cable on the primary release lever.
The new (very small) suction motor has two cables connected to it - one is to the lock secondary actuator and the other IS the emergency cable. This motor is no longer secured to the chassis rail and held on by double sided tape and nylon ties deep in the bowels close to the steering column shaft - It fits just below the lock and nylon tied in - but I made a steel bracket as there is a bolt hole just below the lock and drilled the suction motor to be able to rivet the motor to the bracket and bolt the whole thing in place.
Previous kits had the connectors to the actuators colour coded as they are identical in size and this prevented you from connecting the primary circuit to the secondary circuit - the new kit has just one connector and its not colour coded - so I made an educated guess it should go to the primary actuator - and obviously got it right as it all works fine.

After testing the kit I spent maybe an hour on cable management so it all looks OEM - no stray wires anywhere.

I've not refitted the frunk tub yet as I have a missing tub clip and hopefully the Tesla Ranger who is due Thursday to fix the detaching rear spoiler will have a spare one in his van.
Also - The control box for the frunk kit has a flashing red light and to me a flashing red light indicates a fault - though everything is working fine - and may just signify the system is powered - a question I sent to Hansshow - but they haven't replied yet - so just in case the tub can stay out for now.

 

[alexeiw123]

Also - The control box for the frunk kit has a flashing red light and to me a flashing red light indicates a fault - though everything is working fine - and may just signify the system is powered

I just finished installing the same kit after finding the same differences that you have described. Mine also had a constant red flashing light. Did you end up getting an answer? Is this expected?

 

[M1tch]

Is this one of the auto opening/closing jobbies? Id probably use my trunk if I had that function as currently I almost always forget I have it!

 

[GlynG]

I just finished installing the same kit after finding the same differences that you have described. Mine also had a constant red flashing light. Did you end up getting an answer? Is this expected?

I did continue to try an get an answer - and eventually I did - though its gobbledegook - Here is the reply
"it works fine then doesn't have the problem ,if your frunk have same functional issues, you can add my what'sapp:+8613044219654, i will let the frunk engineer help you"
So that was clear as mud.
I did contact EV accessories - the business I bought the kit from - Nigel, Indicated he would elicit a reply from Hansshow but thinks the flashing light is simply an indication its powered - that was weeks ago and no reply. It all remains working fine. I can only conclude with Hansshow you are on your own - god help me if i need to claim on the warranty. ----------BUT --- did I listen to myself? - Nah - I also bought the Trunk powered system.

So, Trunk Version 7 - again, nothing like the version 7 I've seen on YouTube - my kit only requires one lead to fish through to the boot lid - and its a small plug that actually passed through the plastic trunking like throwing a sausage up an entry - I was braced for a pig of a time trying to wangle it through - but I pulled firmly and the cable jut flew through with just one tug - I did give the tubing a spray with WD40 Silicon prior to the pull - perhaps I got lucky.
Anyway - Inside the boot lid there is now a tiny control box this one cable connects to and from that control box are the three connections for the boot release button, the lock motor and the new button I fitted to close the boot, It was super easy. indeed the easiest part of the job. There is no connection now to the rear light clusters and the new close button has returned to the rectangle shape

I removed the rear bumper to do a proper install - I see some that pass the cables from the struts through the rear light electrical connection hole, also see the cable pushed through the gap between the bumper and the body of the car - and the cables brought in via the two holes in the back panel with grommets already in - which i guess is fine but I wanted those holes for my new rear reflectors in the bumper that illuminate and have sequential Indicators built in. The Model 3 has a grommet on the right hand side below the light cluster and to the right, quite low down and removing Tesla's grommet revealed a 20mm hole - which is the same size as the grommet fitted by Hansshow to the strut cables - the right strut cable didn't require the extension that is supplied in the kit because the control box is fitted to the right hand side just below the light cluster and its long enough to connect to the control box. The left hand side - my car had an indent in the steel in the same place as the grommet hole on the right - so i drilled a 20mm hole with a step drill and passed the cable through that. There is a video online that shows this method -

The suction motor is a small thing and mine located just below the boot lock catch - behind the carpet of the lower boot section.

The last two jobs were to connect power and connect to the CAN bus, I powered down the car on the screen and let it sit 5 minutes before i made any connections. 12V from the connection under the rear seat - next to the high voltage plug - which i pulled after powering down the car whilst i made that connection. Once power was connected i connected the CAN bus then re-plugged in the high voltage and pressed the brake pedal to wake the car back up.

This control box also has a flashing red light - and this kit too all worked first time out the box, no issues at all.

 

[Durzel]

EVOffer kits (frunk and trunk) have much better support in my experience.

 

[GlynG]

EVOffer kits (frunk and trunk) have much better support in my experience.

Yes I heard that too but - There is no CE mark on their kit and UK based business cant import them because of that - though i appreciate you can order direct from abroad. So far both my Hansshow frunk and Trunk kits are working magnificently - as are my Illuminated sill plates on all 4 doors from Hansshow - and these have replaceable batteries - unlike Tesla's.

I think Hansshows kit is good but support due to language is clearly a bit of an issue.

 

[Durzel]

I think if you're a bit hands on, as you are, then you're probably fine. @Mr H has installed a bunch of Hansshow kits (he did my EVOffer one). I've just heard horror stories about people not being able to get warranty support, etc.

For what it's worth he installs it the exact same way you did, by drilling a hole on the left hand side. He even touched it up as part of the install process - a pro through and through

I'm actually surprised that their kit has a CE mark, is it actually legitimate? (no offence)

Also nice one on the illuminated sill plates - Tesla's solution seems bizarre given the battery will eventually run out, and its just stuck down!

 

[GlynG]

I'm actually surprised that their kit has a CE mark, is it actually legitimate? (no offence)

I've no idea. I ordered my kits from EV Accessories, the owner (Nigel) I was speaking to regarding getting the EV Offer kit and he told me he isn't allowed to ship them in to retail in the UK because of the lack of CE mark, - He is a Hansshow approved retailer.
I've just looked at the box and there is a CE mark, but given the Chinese don't tend to let trademarks or whatever get in their way I don't know if its legitimate and as long as everything keeps working I don't particularly care.

 

[Mr H]

I have a direct contact at Hansshow and can get warranty issues (for my work) resolved very quickly. I’ve even had a new suction motor sent to a customer that was out of warranty FOC.

The flashing red light indicates the system is working correctly.

 

[alexeiw123]

Thank you for the detailed replies, this is very timely for me and extremely valuable! I'm also in a RHD market so that helps too.

I picked up 2x frunk kits, 2 trunk kits and 2x kick sensors. One for my car and one for a friends. I did the first install last night; discovering those same differences you pointed out. I had also been scratching my head over the differences in the trunk kit contents so your recent post really clears things up for me. While it seems that all the changes are positive and make for an easier install, would it hurt them to label the components, plugs and produce up to date instructions?

It fits just below the lock and nylon tied in - but I made a steel bracket as there is a bolt hole just below the lock and drilled the suction motor to be able to rivet the motor to the bracket and bolt the whole thing in place.

The safety release lead being incorporated is handy but it did make it tricky for me to find a suitable location to mount. I ended up using two zip ties to a bracket that was under the frunk latch mechanism. I would love to have it bolted using the thread that was there but I do not have anything for fabricating brackets.

So, Trunk Version 7 - again, nothing like the version 7 I've seen on YouTube

Relief, I was doing my head in. As I had ordered the kick sensors, I thought this extra black box must be the kick sensor, although the complex loom was confusing me. Turns out that the kick sensors are being shipped separately and this mystery unlabelled black box is the control box.

The flashing red light indicates the system is working correctly.

Thankyou for this clarification, very helpful!

 

[GlynG]

Thank you for the detailed replies, this is very timely for me and extremely valuable! I'm also in a RHD market so that helps too.

I picked up 2x frunk kits, 2 trunk kits and 2x kick sensors. One for my car and one for a friends. I did the first install last night; discovering those same differences you pointed out. I had also been scratching my head over the differences in the trunk kit contents so your recent post really clears things up for me. While it seems that all the changes are positive and make for an easier install, would it hurt them to label the components, plugs and produce up to date instructions?



The safety release lead being incorporated is handy but it did make it tricky for me to find a suitable location to mount. I ended up using two zip ties to a bracket that was under the frunk latch mechanism. I would love to have it bolted using the thread that was there but I do not have anything for fabricating brackets.


Relief, I was doing my head in. As I had ordered the kick sensors, I thought this extra black box must be the kick sensor, although the complex loom was confusing me. Turns out that the kick sensors are being shipped separately and this mystery unlabelled black box is the control box.


Thankyou for this clarification, very helpful!

@alexeiw123 - me too on the small control box and kick sensor. I didn't order a kick sensor but the little box wasn't something i had seen online - only because i laid all the cables out the night before installing did i work out what everything was for. Did you find the cable up to the boot lid easy to pull through as i did?

Hansshow needs to get someone to sort out the installation manual and labels on the harnesses into proper English.

 

[alexeiw123]

Did you find the cable up to the boot lid easy to pull through as i did?

I haven't got to the trunk/boot installs yet.
I Installed my frunk with relative ease and last night we installed the frunk in my friend's car. Not so so smooth though this time though! All went quickly and tested well but as soon as the trunk liner was installed the frunk would no longer close completely. It was missing the latch that secures it down.

Must have been a dozen times we removed the liner, tested it working, adjusted things, then replaced the liner to find it not closing completely. After 2 hours or so of frustration, we gave up and installed and fastened all the trim again... and then it worked.

I mean it's good that it's working but there must be some super fine tolerance somewhere for it to be so sensitive to not closing, which doesn't give a lot of confidence. As an extra concern, when the frunk wasn't closed properly, the UI showed it as closed, so from the drivers seat it could easily be missed.

Have taken a video of the latch and will try out this Hansshow support.

Boot (trunk) installs tomorrow - sans kick sensor. Hopefully it's trivial to add the kick sensor later.

 

[GlynG]

I haven't got to the trunk/boot installs yet.
I Installed my frunk with relative ease and last night we installed the frunk in my friend's car. Not so so smooth though this time though! All went quickly and tested well but as soon as the trunk liner was installed the frunk would no longer close completely. It was missing the latch that secures it down.

Must have been a dozen times we removed the liner, tested it working, adjusted things, then replaced the liner to find it not closing completely. After 2 hours or so of frustration, we gave up and installed and fastened all the trim again... and then it worked.

I mean it's good that it's working but there must be some super fine tolerance somewhere for it to be so sensitive to not closing, which doesn't give a lot of confidence. As an extra concern, when the frunk wasn't closed properly, the UI showed it as closed, so from the drivers seat it could easily be missed.

Have taken a video of the latch and will try out this Hansshow support.

Boot (trunk) installs tomorrow - sans kick sensor. Hopefully it's trivial to add the kick sensor later.

Usually a failure to latch and fully close the bonnet is just adjustment of the actual lock - release the two bolts and raise the whole lock up 5mm. Also did you adjust inwards the two rubber bungs on either side of the bonnet? - little round hard rubber bungs that turn and screw in or out - it could be the thickness of the liner tub holding the bonnet a little too high for the lock catch to engage - so the suction lock doesn't have anything to pull - just try turning the rubber bungs fully in - and slowly out when testing until your happy with the bonnet to wing heights being correct. The only other part that can be adjusted is the cable from the suction motor to the secondary latch - make sure there is no slack at the lock end where the cable attaches and the spring is clipped on, if there is slack it will reduce the amount of pull the soft close can apply to the bonnet.

If you do the boot jobby I would say take the bumper off and then the kick sensor will be a piece of cake - The bumper only has one screw either side in the wheel arch plus three plastic clips at the bottom of the wheel arch liner - of course if you have mud flaps they need to come off too.
When the rear light clusters are out there is a bolt that secures the bumper underneath - and 6 bolts underneath the car itself - the bumper then just lifts off, I'm sure (though i didn't try this) that the two bolts underneath closest to the front of the car could be left in place provided there are two of you removing the bumper - The bottom panel of the bumper is very flexible which makes it a pig to engage the bit nearest the front of the car when refitting the bumper - It would be best to have two people man handling the bumper and one underneath to guide the undertray into its slots - anyway, If the two bolts were left in place there is enough flexibility in the undertray for the bumper to be unclipped and bent outwards and let the whole thing flex and sit on the floor whilst you do the cable feeds - and fit the kick sensor. However, if you have the inspection panel in the rear bumper undertray then that just unclips and you could mount it on that panel - so dead easy to do.

Good luck with your installs and have fun.

 

[alexeiw123]

Usually a failure to latch and fully close the bonnet is just adjustment of the actual lock -

Yes we troubleshooted latch position, bungs, bonnet hinges and suction motor adjustments. It actually came good after we gave up and put it all back together one final time. A bit of a mystery at this point but I suspect it might be the actual positioning of the U hook on the bonnet itself after setting up a video camera inside.

Good luck with your installs and have fun.

I did my trunk install today. All went well - the pull through to the boot was still tight but doable. Didn't use the silicon spray I had on hand and pulled it through with the plug on although it wasn't exactly easy. I actually went against the video instructions I've seen and got power from the 12V under the steering wheel, as shown in the instructions. I believe the one under the seat is a switched 12V, where the one from the front is permanent, hopefully leading to better experience when the car is in sleep. I was able to run the motor leads through bung holes on both sides and pulled through a string line to the foot sensor mounting point so the install will be trivial when that hardware arrives.

Quick question, does your boot open status report incorrectly with this version of hardware? The video on the website shows that you press the brake to get the UI to show the close button, however when I open my boot, the display briefly shows it open, then closed. From there, the display shows as the boot closed, even if it is left open. Pretty annoying behaviour, hopefully something that can be rectified if it's not just mine.

 

[Durzel]

The replacement catch that attaches to the back of the car has to be precisely aligned so as to be in the middle of where the boot latch lands. Mine was off by about 1mm as you can see in this photo on first installation and it was enough for it not to latch properly when the boot was set to soft close.

You will need to climb into the back of the car from the rear seats if you want to adjust it properly without having to constantly guess if you’ve done it right.

This is from an EVOffer kit but the same principal applies.

Also regards switched 12v - having the kit always powered might sound good in practice, but in reality I’m not sure what the benefit is. If the car is asleep and locked then I can’t see how the foot sensor would open the boot. If the car is awake (due to Sentry or whatever) then it’ll be powered by the switched 12v.

 

[tlr1000]

For anyone else installing the trunk kit, consider running the strut cable through a factory available location rather that drilling a new hole through the metal. I do realize some professional installers drill a hole but I haven't heard any rationale that makes this a better option than using an existing factory hole. Drilling a hole would mean extra work of using some rust inhibitor on the bare metal edges of the hole and vacuuming the metal shavings which is difficult to do a good job for the shavings falling on the inside part of the hole drilled. Cons seem to outweigh the pros.

 

[alexeiw123]

No issues with alignment, opening and closing just fine, it's the UI that's out of step. Have since discovered that this is happening on both hansshow and EV offer kits since the recent car update. EV offer have fixed with a firmware version and I've started a conversation with hansshow to do the same.

having the kit always powered might sound good in practice, but in reality I’m not sure what the benefit is. If the car is asleep and locked then I can’t see how the foot sensor would open the boot. If the car is awake (due to Sentry or whatever) then it’ll be powered by the switched 12v.

I was seeking a switched 12V for the frunk rather than going to the battery terminals but realised that the phone app can unlatch the trunk/frunk when the car is 'asleep' several seconds before the car wakes up and turns on the 12V. This would avoid the occasional instance of walking up to the car when sentry hasn't been on and having to wait for the car to wake.

At least that's my story and I'm sticking to it, because it probably added a good hour to the install for me! Happy with the outcome though.

For anyone else installing the trunk kit, consider running the strut cable through a factory available location rather that drilling a new hole through the metal. I do realize some professional installers drill a hole but I haven't heard any rationale that makes this a better option than using an existing factory hole. Drilling a hole would mean extra work of using some rust inhibitor on the bare metal edges of the hole and vacuuming the metal shavings which is difficult to do a good job for the shavings falling on the inside part of the hole drilled. Cons seem to outweigh the pros.

Agreed. The latest kit actually has a grommet on each of the rear struts. For the RHS, there is a grommet under the right taillight that can be removed and the Hannshow grommet fits perfectly. On the left hand side, there is a smaller circular grommet behind the rear bumper that goes in to the under frunk area. I cut that grommet with a box cutter then used needle nosed pliers to stretch it open and passed the two plugs through it with no issue. I was able to reuse that grommet then. That leaves another slightly larger grommet on the corresponding right hand side that can be used for the kick sensor.

As my kick sensor hasn't yet arrived, I drilled a pilot hole where I can align the template from underneath and pulled string line from the controller, through the right hand grommet and down to the tailgate access hatch so hopefully I can pull the cable and install the kick sensor without having to remove the tailgate again. Not to mention leaving the option of removing all modifications without a trace.

 

[Durzel]

No issues with alignment, opening and closing just fine, it's the UI that's out of step. Have since discovered that this is happening on both hansshow and EV offer kits since the recent car update. EV offer have fixed with a firmware version and I've started a conversation with hansshow to do the same.

Yeah I heard that from EVOffer too, though I’m on the firmware that they say is incompatible (2022.20.x) and I don’t have any problem opening or closing the trunk from the screen.

I was seeking a switched 12V for the frunk rather than going to the battery terminals but realised that the phone app can unlatch the trunk/frunk when the car is 'asleep' several seconds before the car wakes up and turns on the 12V. This would avoid the occasional instance of walking up to the car when sentry hasn't been on and having to wait for the car to wake.

At least that's my story and I'm sticking to it, because it probably added a good hour to the install for me! Happy with the outcome though.

Sorry just to be clear - you’re using a switched 12v for the frunk? Where did you find one in the frunk area? I’d rather have mine switched 12v to be honest.

 

[alexeiw123]

I don’t have any problem opening or closing the trunk from the screen.

It's interesting that it affects some and not others. I wonder what the contributing factors are. Does your trunk have a few seconds delay in opening?

Sorry just to be clear - you’re using a switched 12v for the frunk? Where did you find one in the frunk area? I’d rather have mine switched 12v to be honest.

Sorry, I should have been clearer. I'm using permanent 12V in both the frunk and the trunk. I originally didn't like the idea of permanent 12V in the frunk, so went looking for an alternative but stopped looking pretty quickly after I realised that the frunk controls are responsive before the car has powered the switched 12V locations, so would result in annoyances when opening the frunk at home.

After that, I was installing the trunk and decided that I would forego the video suggestions of under seat 12V (assumed switched) and follow the Hansshow instruction to access permanent 12V under the RHS A pillar. It's not terribly hard to access but it is a few pieces of trim extra.

On the Hansshow vs. EVOffer topic: are there actual hardware differences at play here? with the latest hansshow hardware that I received (V7 but different to V7 I've seen in other videos?) the hardware looks identical to what I've seen in EVOffer install videos. Down to the loom labelling, packaging and control box plugs and design.

 

[Durzel]

My trunk does open slower, yes, but that’s because I was told that I had the control box in a “test mode”. Now when I open it it does a sort of reverse soft close where it starts to move before actually opening properly. It’s hard to explain really.

I have no idea about the commonality of parts between Hansshow and EVOffer, although I would say that I’ve bought quite a few things from China on Aliexpress, as well as stuff from the States that has clearly just been repackaged or even drop shipped from China, and I could easily believe that there is a small number of core manufacturers of the electronics, looms, etc and hundreds of businesses claiming that it’s their bespoke product.

I have an EVOffer system bought in mid 2021, so mine is by no means current.

I’m interested in potentially rewiring my trunk kit to the battery (punching through the rubber grommet that is on pre-2021 cars), or that footwell permanent 12v live mounting point, I’ve just been too lazy to get around to it to be honest. The obvious advantage of wiring them both to the 12v battery directly is that you can isolate both of them really easily in the event of any issues.

Forgot to add - you’re right that the under seat 12v (aka penthouse) is switched. People seem to think it’s not, but it definitely is not permanently live.