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Power Trunk

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When I first picked up my Roadster one of the first things I noticed was the UI design of the trunk, specifically the closing process. I was brought up to see touching car paint as almost blasphemous (figuratively, but it really is a very strong negative association). I cringe every time I need to put my palms on my car and crush all the dirt and grit into the paint to close the trunk. In previous cars I always found some way around this (yank down on the inside latch and rush my hands out of the way, push down on the decal/emblem, etc), but with the Roadster I can't figure out anything other than trying to remember to keep a clean washcloth with me.

I was wandering if anyone had converted their trunk to close electronically. I'd appreciate any recommendations of kits, links to instructions, or thoughts on the process. I've never done anything remotely like this before but it doesn't seem like it should be that hard; just need an electric motor that winds up a wire. I tried searching online but I keep finding kits that require you to replace the latch so going both ways is electronic, and that seems overkill; the trunk already opens just fine. I'll pay someone to do it if I need to, but it seemed like something that might be a fun project that a beginner could take on.

Thanks.
 
Sounds like too much work and money for what its worth. I personally enjoy seeing a Roadster scratched, chipped, and appreciated with miles building than a clean, neglected, and low mileage Roadster that barely gets to see the light of day. Also any scratches created by closing the trunk with your hand and causing abrasive scratches can easily and always be buffed out, polished, and waxed to look like new again.

Other ways to get around your issue would be to paint armor the truck / car.
 
I do not mean to sound snarky here but what you observe regarding the closing of the trunk is just one of many little annoyances that you will encounter during your euphoric ownership and driving of your new roadster.

After four years of Roadster ownership and using it as a daily driver, here are the ones of mine that come immediately to mind in no particular order:

  • Danger of chopping your head off by forgetting that the window is up when entering the driver’s seat
  • Anything that you put in said trunk will rattle and make noises all out of proportion to what is in there
  • You can hear the radio with the top off at 60 mph, sort of, but at 75 mph you learn to enjoy the sound of the wind
  • No one in an SUV or pickup truck knows you are there if you are on their RH side
  • In rainstorms, frequent use of regenerative breaking is good, until you really need the brakes, the brakes are soaking wet due to lack of use, and all of a sudden all is not good
  • The radio antenna sucks – there is no cure for this
  • AM radio reception sucks even more – there is also no cure for this
  • The need for the SC to reset the tire pressure monitor software twice each year when changing over between performance and winter tires
  • A front air dam which is very good at swallowing any burning cigarette butts thrown out by drivers in front of you. If the top is on when this occurs and you are not a smoker, it will cause you to take the top off even below freezing until you can figure out a way to get the cigarette butt out of the front air dam (hint: a three foot length of ½ inch PVC taped to a vacuum cleaner snout)
There are other annoyances that I have managed to correct such as the sub-par OEM windshield wiper, leaves collecting in and unbalancing the PEM fan, headlights with the light output of a votive candle, excessive understeer, a variety of squeaks and rattles, and the OEM radio.

But, out of all the cars I have owned, the Roadster is without question the most fun. All of the little annoyances are what they are -- little annoyances.:biggrin:
 
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It's certainly not sitting in the garage; I take it out almost every day. But I still want to keep it looking as nice as possible. It's possible to keep a car nearly pristine for many years (at least until you're sitting in a grocery store and someone let's their buggy run across the entire parking lot into your car - actually happened to me once *grrr*, but I digress). In any case, regardless of the practical effects, my feelings are a conditioned response with decades of reinforcement; adding a motor seems much easier than reprogramming myself. :)

I've certainly come across a number of inconveniences so far, but many do seem to be addressable to some degree. I have the convex addons on my mirrors, HID headlights, an appointment to replace the stereo (or at least the HU, ugh), was looking at the trunk lighting addition I saw on here a little while ago. The trunk is just the next one on the list (and probably the biggest inconvenience I've come across yet). I guess I'm looking at ownership of the Roadster as a hobby in a way; something I can constantly work on and add things to and improve.

Unfortunately, not using the trunk is not an option. I live in Pittsburgh so I rarely dare go anywhere without the top with me; only 1 out of 7 days are sunny in these parts. And 70% of my trips are either to the grocery store, where I'll need to put food in the trunk, or carting the kids around to activities, to which they often need to bring various items (instruments, costumes, etc). I think I've used the trunk every time I've driven the car since I bought it, save 1 or 2.
 
When I first picked up my Roadster one of the first things I noticed was the UI design of the trunk, specifically the closing process. I was brought up to see touching car paint as almost blasphemous (figuratively, but it really is a very strong negative association). I cringe every time I need to put my palms on my car and crush all the dirt and grit into the paint to close the trunk. In previous cars I always found some way around this (yank down on the inside latch and rush my hands out of the way, push down on the decal/emblem, etc), but with the Roadster I can't figure out anything other than trying to remember to keep a clean washcloth with me.

I was wandering if anyone had converted their trunk to close electronically. I'd appreciate any recommendations of kits, links to instructions, or thoughts on the process. I've never done anything remotely like this before but it doesn't seem like it should be that hard; just need an electric motor that winds up a wire. I tried searching online but I keep finding kits that require you to replace the latch so going both ways is electronic, and that seems overkill; the trunk already opens just fine. I'll pay someone to do it if I need to, but it seemed like something that might be a fun project that a beginner could take on.

Thanks.

I also cringe every time I touch the paint closing the trunk, especially if it's dirty. And it's dirty a lot because it's my primary driver with lots of dirt roads here in VT. If you develop a good electric system, I'd be interested in checking it out. I'm obsessed with weight, especially in the back, so it has to be a light-weight solution. I'd also like to keep the option of closing the trunk manually.

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I do not mean to sound snarky here but what you observe regarding the closing of the trunk is just one of many little annoyances that you will encounter during your euphoric ownership and driving of your new roadster.

After four years of Roadster ownership and using it as a daily driver, here are the ones of mine that come immediately to mind in no particular order:

  • Anything that you put in said trunk will rattle and make noises all out of proportion to what is in there
Don't forget to store your CANs in between the seats so they don't roll around in your trunk. You can pull them out with the drawstring on the bag. If you have an older CAN that came without a bag, let me know and I'll send you one.

  • The radio antenna sucks – there is no cure for this
Shortly after I got my Roadster 4+ yrs ago I complained about this and the NY service center re-routed the radio antenna and - voila! - suddenly I had both FM and HD radio! I didn't test AM. I no longer care because I mostly use satellite (SeriusXM) at this point.

There are other annoyances that I have managed to correct such as the sub-par OEM windshield wiper, leaves collecting in and unbalancing the PEM fan, headlights with the light output of a votive candle, excessive understeer, a variety of squeaks and rattles, and the OEM radio.

But, out of all the cars I have owned, the Roadster is without question the most fun. All of the little annoyances are what they are -- little annoyances.:biggrin:

Yup. :smile:
 
+1 on all annoyances listed

My major pain was the door sills(sp?) and the mud, stones and water accumulated there to totally destroy clothing while getting in or out of the car. That was addressed in a thread in the forum with under door rubber seals that helped with that. Next was the road noise that hcsharp addressed in the squeek, rattle and cold thread that added duraliner and other covers to the rattling floor and doors and added a little heat to the toes.

The fact you really don't know when the brake lights are on was a worry for me until I read the RED LED solution hooked up the the third brake light over the rear window.....end of problem.

Other great solutions for a number of Roadster quirks are available for new owners thanks to the generous nature of the Roadster family.

Roadster as a hobby ......... definitely!!!

Oh by the way .... Girot's waterless car wash spray and a microfiber cloth help with the trunk fingerprints........ just use a liberal amount of spray before using cloth to prevent scratches from debris.
 
Don't forget to store your CANs in between the seats so they don't roll around in your trunk. You can pull them out with the drawstring on the bag.

I find the best place for my CAN-JR is in the CAN Holder that slides out from under the center console, in its bag to keep it snug and scratch-free. Some call it a CUP holder.