Improved Trunk lighting - Is there demand?

[e-FTW]

Pete, thanks for a great product! And for dealing with us in such a professional and patient manner. We are well behaved so far, but car geeks can be demanding!

A few notes from my experience:

• Mine is a 70 (non-D) built in September 2015. No Premium anything (lighting or audio)
• The trunk lights on each side make a world of difference, and were easy to do. Patient, gentle pulling of the carpet, and cutting of the four punch-out connections on each side and I was done.
• No premium audio, so no messing with trim or a subwoofer
• The trunk hatch was hard, and removing the hatch release did not feel like it helped. I would have needed much stronger fingers to make a difference IMHO. But maybe that is me. Or my car's trim.
• What did work was the "sandwich": two layers of packing tape on the car's trim, and the thin cardboard Abstract Ocean insert from the packaging. I wedged that insert in between the spudger and the tape, once said spudger was in place under the edge of the OEM light.
• Once the spudger was fully inserted and got the edge of the light to come up a bit, I inserted the flat head screwdriver portion of a Leatherman Wave multi-tool next to it (or a flat-head screwdriver), on top of the cardboard and tape "sandwich".
• KEY: With the spudger maxed out, twist the screwdriver back and forth gently, focusing on getting that corner of the light out at an angle (and not the whole end of the light straight out).
• Take your time, and nothing should break.

With this approach, I was able to change the trunk hatch, front trunk, front door puddle lights with no noticeable scuffing of the trim. More to come. And YMMV, since trim seems to vary between cars.
And as a few have noted: even if you do nick the plastic trim, you would go temporarily blind trying to see that with the lights on.

 

[e-FTW]

On the red lights in the door openings: I think that generally, brighter is safer. So Pete, it could probably be marketed that way.
Am going to do those too in short order.

(And yes, I did consider going all red inside my red car after folks threw around the submarine/red alert analogies. But just for a second...)

 

[pete8314]

Pete, thanks for a great product! And for dealing with us in such a professional and patient manner. We are well behaved so far, but car geeks can be demanding!

A few notes from my experience:

• Mine is a 70 (non-D) built in September 2015. No Premium anything (lighting or audio)
• The trunk lights on each side make a world of difference, and were easy to do. Patient, gentle pulling of the carpet, and cutting of the four punch-out connections on each side and I was done.
• No premium audio, so no messing with trim or a subwoofer
• The trunk hatch was hard, and removing the hatch release did not feel like it helped. I would have needed much stronger fingers to make a difference IMHO. But maybe that is me. Or my car's trim.
• What did work was the "sandwich": two layers of packing tape on the car's trim, and the thin cardboard Abstract Ocean insert from the packaging. I wedged that insert in between the spudger and the tape, once said spudger was in place under the edge of the OEM light.
• Once the spudger was fully inserted and got the edge of the light to come up a bit, I inserted the flat head screwdriver portion of a Leatherman Wave multi-tool next to it (or a flat-head screwdriver), on top of the cardboard and tape "sandwich".
• KEY: With the spudger maxed out, twist the screwdriver back and forth gently, focusing on getting that corner of the light out at an angle (and not the whole end of the light straight out).
• Take your time, and nothing should break.

With this approach, I was able to change the trunk hatch, front trunk, front door puddle lights with no noticeable scuffing of the trim. More to come. And YMMV, since trim seems to vary between cars.
And as a few have noted: even if you do nick the plastic trim, you would go temporarily blind trying to see that with the lights on.

Thanks. We're in this together Without the support of TMC and the folks on here, my products wouldn't be half of what they are today. ::group hug::

 

[!S4]

Pete, I'm attempting to install the lighting in my 70D (June 2015 production) with premium lighting. I noticed that the legs of the OEM lights seem a little wider and while they fit nice and tight in the 2 trunk locations, the Abstract Ocean lights are very loose to the point they would fall out.

Is this a known issue? Before I go trying to "make it work", I'm happy to provide any details that would help you.

 

[pete8314]

Pete, I'm attempting to install the lighting in my 70D (June 2015 production) with premium lighting. I noticed that the legs of the OEM lights seem a little wider and while they fit nice and tight in the 2 trunk locations, the Abstract Ocean lights are very loose to the point they would fall out.

Is this a known issue? Before I go trying to "make it work", I'm happy to provide any details that would help you.

Not really a known issue, but somewhere waaay up thread there's a discussion about how some of the holes in the trunk liner (I assume that's the location) are a bit 'looser' on some cars. The solution is to wrap a couple of lengths of black electrical tape around the bulb (the bit that will live in the liner), or something similar. What I'm not sure is why the OEM bulbs are tight, and the AO bulbs are not; my bulbs are based on the earlier builds (i.e. from my S, a 4k VIN), and I think I read somewhere that the OEM bulbs went from a single SMT LED to two of them last year, but I didn't think the externals changed at all. Either way, the bulbs have been installed in all vintages of Model S's, including some fresh off the line, so if there is a variance, it shouldn't really make a difference.

 

[AWDtsla]

Not really a known issue, but somewhere waaay up thread there's a discussion about how some of the holes in the trunk liner (I assume that's the location) are a bit 'looser' on some cars. The solution is to wrap a couple of lengths of black electrical tape around the bulb (the bit that will live in the liner), or something similar. What I'm not sure is why the OEM bulbs are tight, and the AO bulbs are not; my bulbs are based on the earlier builds (i.e. from my S, a 4k VIN), and I think I read somewhere that the OEM bulbs went from a single SMT LED to two of them last year, but I didn't think the externals changed at all. Either way, the bulbs have been installed in all vintages of Model S's, including some fresh off the line, so if there is a variance, it shouldn't really make a difference.

One of the holes for lights in my trunk is bigger than the other. I exchanged the lights just to check. Looks like poor QC on die that stamps cuts them out, at Tesla.

 

[tmoz]

I have an 85D (June 2015) without premium audio or lighting. I cut out one of the trunk punch-outs but don't see the wires I'm supposed to attach to.
There are cables wrapped very tightly in tape, but I'm hoping these are not the cables I'm looking for.
Is the wiring harness I'm looking for free from tape? how far did people have to dig to find the wires?
I replaced the frunk and trunk bulbs that were already there, now I'm trying to do the last two bulbs, but my installation has stalled.

Thanks,
Tom

 

[bmah]

I have an 85D (June 2015) without premium audio or lighting. I cut out one of the trunk punch-outs but don't see the wires I'm supposed to attach to.
There are cables wrapped very tightly in tape, but I'm hoping these are not the cables I'm looking for.
Is the wiring harness I'm looking for free from tape? how far did people have to dig to find the wires?
I replaced the frunk and trunk bulbs that were already there, now I'm trying to do the last two bulbs, but my installation has stalled.

The cables you will need are taped to other wires, you'll need to cut the tape to allow the cable to reach the punch-out. If I remember correctly the tape was white on my car (85D, April 2015 build, no premium audio or premium lighting). Basically look for a cable that ends in the type of connector that fits into the bulbs. You'll probably need to pull the carpet back near the top to get access to the cables, if you didn't do that step already. On my car, the side opposite the charge port was easier, so I suggest you start from that side.

 

[tmoz]

The cables you will need are taped to other wires, you'll need to cut the tape to allow the cable to reach the punch-out. If I remember correctly the tape was white on my car (85D, April 2015 build, no premium audio or premium lighting). Basically look for a cable that ends in the type of connector that fits into the bulbs. You'll probably need to pull the carpet back near the top to get access to the cables, if you didn't do that step already. On my car, the side opposite the charge port was easier, so I suggest you start from that side.

Thanks. That is the side I'm on. I suppose the good news is that I do see some type of cable. The bad news is that I have to pull the carpet out. I'll take a look at that.
Thanks again.
Tom

 

[bmah]

Thanks. That is the side I'm on. I suppose the good news is that I do see some type of cable. The bad news is that I have to pull the carpet out.

tmoz, you don't need to remove the carpet altogether. Just gently pull down from the top edge until you see the area that you need. You can reach around to the back side of the carpet to cut/remove the tape and re-route the cable, and then once you have the cable going to the punch-out and the light plugged into the cable, you just tuck the carpet back under the plastic trim. It's hard to explain in text, but it's actually pretty easy to do (or at least it was on my car).

 

[Peter_M]

tmoz, you don't need to remove the carpet altogether. Just gently pull down from the top edge until you see the area that you need. You can reach around to the back side of the carpet to cut/remove the tape and re-route the cable, and then once you have the cable going to the punch-out and the light plugged into the cable, you just tuck the carpet back under the plastic trim. It's hard to explain in text, but it's actually pretty easy to do (or at least it was on my car).

And the tape you have to undo is just a little piece - you don't have to untape a long stretch of cable. Once you find the un-connected connector, it will be obvious. I found I could just pull on the wire and it would tear the little piece of tape easily.

 

[tmoz]

tmoz, you don't need to remove the carpet altogether. Just gently pull down from the top edge until you see the area that you need. You can reach around to the back side of the carpet to cut/remove the tape and re-route the cable, and then once you have the cable going to the punch-out and the light plugged into the cable, you just tuck the carpet back under the plastic trim. It's hard to explain in text, but it's actually pretty easy to do (or at least it was on my car).

Thanks Bmah,
I'm just a little nervous pulling the carpet away, but I assume it will tuck back in just fine.
I'll give it a try tonight.

 

[tmoz]

Thanks Bmah,
I'm just a little nervous pulling the carpet away, but I assume it will tuck back in just fine.
I'll give it a try tonight.

OK - the passenger side connector in the truck was right there out in the open when I pulled down the upper carpeting cover. Piece of cake.

I thought I was home free, but now the driver side connector is not visible.

Finally found the connector - it was near the charger port, not near the punch out.
That one was tough.

All assembled and everything back into place.
phew.

Looks nice though.

Thanks to all for their tips!
Tom

 

[Peter_M]

OK - the passenger side connector in the truck was right there out in the open when I pulled down the upper carpeting cover. Piece of cake.

I thought I was home free, but now the driver side connector is not visible.

Finally found the connector - it was near the charger port, not near the punch out.
That one was tough.

All assembled and everything back into place.
phew.

Looks nice though.

Thanks to all for their tips!
Tom

Good to hear you got it done. The connector seems to be near the charge port on some cars (like yours) and near the punch out on other cars (like mine).

 

[bmah]

All assembled and everything back into place.
phew.

Looks nice though.

Great, I'm glad you got that working. And you're an expert at this now!

 

[pete8314]

Teslarati have just posted a review of the lights: DIY Tesla Model S and X Ultra-Bright LED Interior Light Kit - TESLARATI.com, with some useful installation pictures.

 

[Andyw2100]

Teslarati have just posted a review of the lights: DIY Tesla Model S and X Ultra-Bright LED Interior Light Kit - TESLARATI.com, with some useful installation pictures.

That's an excellent and accurate review, Pete. Congratulations!

 

[Dukeybootie]

Spent the morning installing 12 of these guys and have a few things to add.

1. The spudger was just okay. Had to ditch it for a screwdriver for anything involving plastic trim.
2. I used a wadded microfiber towel to protect the plastic trim from the screwdriver (and also as a fulcrum). And still managed to put a very fine scratch on the rear hatch door when the screwdriver slipped during one attempt. If you are really paranoid about scratches, put masking tape all over the plastic hatch trim and you should be fine.
3. The rear hatch door was definitely the hardest one.
4. I broke one of the rear footwell brackets trying to pry out the old LED. The plastic bracket is just too brittle. With the second bracket, I used pliers to break all four retaining clips on the old LED (it's going in the trash anyway so i didn't care). No prying needed after that--it just fell out of the bracket. Wish I had thought of this with the first bracket...

Anyway, looking forward to seeing the difference once the sun goes down today. Thanks for the great product, Pete (and check your support email regarding order #7001 please)!

 

[SomeJoe7777]

I did all 17 lights on my 85D this afternoon. Some tips:

- To get a light out, using the spudger, get the tip into the side of the bulb that has the small recessed area, then work the spudger towards one corner of the bulb, then try to pull up on that corner. Don't try to pull the entire side of the bulb at once.
- For the rear footwell lights, the plastic bracket is not strong enough to pry against with the spudger. Instead, remove the plastic bracket from the metal bar under the seat, then use a pair of channel-lock pliers to compress the plastic retaining clips on the old bulb to work it out of the plastic bracket. Install the new bulb, then reattach the plastic bracket to the metal bar under the seat.
- If your car doesn't have premium interior lighting (mine didn't), you won't have factory lights installed for the two rear trunk corners, nor for the rear door puddle lights.
- For the two in the rear trunk, the wires are taped to other wires behind the trunk trim. Driver's side wires with connector are taped next to the charge port. Passenger side wires are taped near the right rear tail light. Passenger side trim is more difficult to remove and get behind, so start with the driver's side.
- For the rear door puddle lights, it's actually not real hard to get the rear door trim panels off, follow the procedure in this video: Rear Door Panel Removal of the Tesla Model S - YouTube
- Rear door puddle lights wires are taped to the same wires used for the red light.

The new lights are awesome, very bright and look great. Trunk lighting is vastly improved with the extra two lights.

Big thanks to everyone for their advice in this thread (and the other one in this forum), and kudos to Abstract Ocean for these lights!

 

[e-FTW]

I did all 17 lights on my 85D this afternoon. Some tips:

- To get a light out, using the spudger, get the tip into the side of the bulb that has the small recessed area, then work the spudger towards one corner of the bulb, then try to pull up on that corner. Don't try to pull the entire side of the bulb at once.

I know we are 54 pages in, and at this point might be nitpicking, but: in my experience, you are better off not trying to move the spudger sideways to prevent scuff marks. I just inserted another tool next to it to work the corner. But again, nitpicking.

Great point about using the spudger on the recessed area! Totally forgot that in my previous remarks, even though that is what I did.

Man, only six lights in, I gotta get going!