My Door Handles are Invisible In the Dark!

[Rshephorse]

I Love the blacked out look of the car, I love the deep blue color of the car.... but as the days get shorter and the weather colder, I realize that finding the door handles is going to be a challenge, especially with gloves on! I also appreciate living and recreating in areas with little light pollution, but I've had a few sessions where I have to sweep my hands over the side of the car to find the handle, and though I've gotten better triangulating it from the corner of the window... it's still a challenge. I don't look forward to doing this when the car is covered in road salt, or in really cold weather when taking off a glove to do this will be nasty. Always one to find a cheap solution - I've taped a 'glow in the dark' sticker to the handle and this works OK. What I'm thinking of doing though is getting a 'blue' tritium vial and dremmeling out a small depression to epoxy it in- that way it will show late into the night and likely weather better than the sticker will. Any thoughts? It would be nice if these handles were backlit when you unlock the car!

 

[tashtibet]

owning M3 over 2 yrs and now MY-you'll get used to it-you can eyeball or guess relating to the edge of the door towards rear or down window-there it is!

 

[zecar]

I really like that the Y doesn't have all the breakable crap present in the Model X. I don't want lighted door handles.

 

[artnalex]

Just my opinion, but...that sticker looks unpleasant. But, I understand that you gotta do what you gotta do to help you see the handle at night.

The older I get the harder it is to see at night, so I’m interest to see what other solutions people have to offer.

 

[Klau2]

You can always chrome undelete your car. Haha

 

[Rshephorse]

Just my opinion, but...that sticker looks unpleasant. But, I understand that you gotta do what you gotta do to help you see the handle at night.

The older I get the harder it is to see at night, so I’m interest to see what other solutions people have to offer.

The sticker was really more to just play around and see if having something giving off light would be helpful. I might still repurpose a tiny tritium vial from a keychain.

 

[HeartSong]

I had come across some handle covers that use reflective material which may work as well
Reflective Door Handle Wrap for Tesla Model S 3 X and Y | Etsy

 

[Rshephorse]

I had come across some handle covers that use reflective material which may work as well
Reflective Door Handle Wrap for Tesla Model S 3 X and Y | Etsy

People have posted templates to make your own: https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/media/silhouette-door-handle.118436/full?d=1527938574

 

[Bruce2020]

I had come across some handle covers that use reflective material which may work as well
Reflective Door Handle Wrap for Tesla Model S 3 X and Y | Etsy

I probably don’t want the wrap for the entire handle. May be a tiny reflective logo will do, so it doesn’t look so tacky.

 

[artnalex]

Problem solved...

 

[imola.zhp]

Maybe add some exterior lighting to the parking area? We have an attached garage so I'm not thinking this will be a common issue for us.

 

[jsight]

Just wear this at all times: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079ZW38H6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_cm4KFbFG1YF0D

 

[cypho]

I'm sure it won't be long before there's a model Y version of this.

 

[Bruce2020]

Problem solved...

View attachment 601484

Not really. I have some luminous tapes for my hiking gear and flashlight. But the problem is the tape is not crystal clear. It is more like yellow and will look tacky to put a yellow dot on the black handle.

 

[spokey]

I probably don’t want the wrap for the entire handle. May be a tiny reflective logo will do, so it doesn’t look so tacky.

what about a really thin piece of 'glow in the dark' tape running along the top edge? By thin I'm thinking 1/16" or less. Not on the outer face but the top edge. Would keep the current look, hardly noticeable in the day but maybe just enough glow at night to outline the top edge.

 

[scissorfighter]

What I'm thinking of doing though is getting a 'blue' tritium vial and dremmeling out a small depression to epoxy it in

That’s a great idea. If I were going to do that though I’d want to remove the door handles and take them to the work bench for precision drilling. But that’s a ton of work. Also, be sure to use a clear optical cement (which would also be easier to fill/set if the handle were horizontal on the bench instead of vertical on the car).

 

[Rshephorse]

That’s a great idea. If I were going to do that though I’d want to remove the door handles and take them to the work bench for precision drilling. But that’s a ton of work. Also, be sure to use a clear optical cement (which would also be easier to fill/set if the handle were horizontal on the bench instead of vertical on the car).

I've looked at a few videos of what it takes to get a door handle out and they are daunting... I was thinking of using a jig, doing it on the car, if the recess matches the size of the tritium vial it would take a minimum of adhesive to hold it in place and could be done on the car...

 

[jmmowery]

I really like that the Y doesn't have all the breakable crap present in the Model X. I don't want lighted door handles.

"I like an escalator, because an escalator can never break. It can only become stairs." -Mitch Hedberg