I currently own a BMW M3, but with a 4th child on the way, I am looking to purchase a used P85D. I need the rear facing seats, and P85Ds with rear facing seats are fairly rare to find. I know that Tesla stopped supporting service centers retrofitting the rear facing seats in existing cars, but is there any way to still get this done, or am I stuck limiting my search to cars that already have them?
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There have been a few threads about this, I would try searching for them. Last I heard, the service centers can do it, for a fee of course. The other thing I saw is that someone took it to a body shop (probably a Tesla approved one) and they added the reinforcements there.
With that being said, are you sure you want to put one kid in the 3rd row? Some people love it, some people hate it.
After the novelty wore off, my kids hate it. There's no air flow back there. You can't sit there in a hot summer day, even with tinted windows and the rear sunshade and portable fans. One of my kids gets car sick from looking back while driving. Etc. etc. etc.
If it's possible, I would try an extended test drive to see if the RFS are an option you truly need.
With that being said, are you sure you want to put one kid in the 3rd row? Some people love it, some people hate it.
After the novelty wore off, my kids hate it. There's no air flow back there. You can't sit there in a hot summer day, even with tinted windows and the rear sunshade and portable fans. One of my kids gets car sick from looking back while driving. Etc. etc. etc.
If it's possible, I would try an extended test drive to see if the RFS are an option you truly need.
Thanks for the reply! I called the nearest service center to me, and they said they cannot do it any longer because Tesla stopped supporting it about 6-8 months ago or so.
I did do some searching, and it looks like all the more recent Teslas now have the proper structure in the bumper and everything, that Tesla did that to avoid assembly line complexity. But, I cannot confirm that is true..
The rear facing seats wouldn't be used all that often, by wife's SUV is the "family car", but there are occasions when I do have to have all the kids in my car at once. I really don't want an SUV or a mini van, I much prefer a sedan, plus I really like the P85D, so with 4 kids, the rear facing seats would be necessary from time to time...
I did do some searching, and it looks like all the more recent Teslas now have the proper structure in the bumper and everything, that Tesla did that to avoid assembly line complexity. But, I cannot confirm that is true..
The rear facing seats wouldn't be used all that often, by wife's SUV is the "family car", but there are occasions when I do have to have all the kids in my car at once. I really don't want an SUV or a mini van, I much prefer a sedan, plus I really like the P85D, so with 4 kids, the rear facing seats would be necessary from time to time...
I wrote one of the DIY on this. The service bulletin that describes the work is publicly available. Tesla won’t sell you the seats or the special rear bumper reinforcement. It is not built in regularly as posted above. The threaded holes for all the mounts are.
A Tesla approved body shop can get the reinforcement bar and install it for you. That part cost me about $310 part & labor.
The small parts, the switch for the hatch, etc., are listed in the service bulletin and can be bought directly from Tesla.
My kids love it. Great solution for kids ~3 to ~10 years (depending on size and weight).
My DIY Rear Facing Jump Seats Retrofit (with Service Bulletin / Official Instructions)
A Tesla approved body shop can get the reinforcement bar and install it for you. That part cost me about $310 part & labor.
The small parts, the switch for the hatch, etc., are listed in the service bulletin and can be bought directly from Tesla.
My kids love it. Great solution for kids ~3 to ~10 years (depending on size and weight).
My DIY Rear Facing Jump Seats Retrofit (with Service Bulletin / Official Instructions)
I have 4 kids. I bought the rear seats for my first Model S (85D). The kids LOVED them - for 6 months. Then they hated them. They argued about who had to sit in the back. We had to bribe and threaten to get someone back there in the end.
I sold that car and did not order the rear seats on my P100D. No complaints from the kids yet. No one misses them. Of course, not all of us fit now, but that has rarely been an issue.
I sold that car and did not order the rear seats on my P100D. No complaints from the kids yet. No one misses them. Of course, not all of us fit now, but that has rarely been an issue.
Bridor
Member
I had my seats retrofitted at the Buena Park Service Center. I love them. I do not use them all the time, but it is great to have them when you need them. At the time, I had six kids at home. Now I only have four at home. My kids still fight over who will sit in them when they are needed... My youngest loves the fact that he can open and close the rear hatch using the hidden switch in the back. Give them a call and see if they can accommodate you. Having a Tesla, you can just use it as an excuse to do an all-electric road trip.
Brent
Brent
go to the tesla webpage and search for body shops. There were three in my area. One was a very pricey shop that mostly does exotics. I didn’t even try them. The next said it was no problem.
Body Shop Support
The seats you have to scrounge. The parts forum here usually has some. Some show up on eBay. Craigslist, etc.
Tesla Parts for Sale
One good suggestion is to try and find a local person, and switch out your not-cut carpeting with the cut carpeting from the donor car. Will save you some time, and the donor car will look better.
Try to get the strikers with the seats. They are about $100 each. The strikers changed in fall 2014 (look on the diy thread). So you may or may not be able to use them depending on your model year and the donor car model year. The seats didn’t change as far as I’ve seen.
Body Shop Support
The seats you have to scrounge. The parts forum here usually has some. Some show up on eBay. Craigslist, etc.
Tesla Parts for Sale
One good suggestion is to try and find a local person, and switch out your not-cut carpeting with the cut carpeting from the donor car. Will save you some time, and the donor car will look better.
Try to get the strikers with the seats. They are about $100 each. The strikers changed in fall 2014 (look on the diy thread). So you may or may not be able to use them depending on your model year and the donor car model year. The seats didn’t change as far as I’ve seen.
$150 bumper insert from Tesla, $150 to install it from any shop that is OK with Tesla bumper cover, the insert just bolts on.
~ $1000 for a third row from the market place here. Get the side strikers, Tesla overcharges for those.
$5 for the plastic bits.
$? I forget what the switch costs.
Installation takes about an hour, maybe more if you're moving slow and careful.
~ $1000 for a third row from the market place here. Get the side strikers, Tesla overcharges for those.
$5 for the plastic bits.
$? I forget what the switch costs.
Installation takes about an hour, maybe more if you're moving slow and careful.
I had my body shop add the RFS after my accident. Search and you shall find. I can also provide a detailed BOM/parts list if needed.
For the record:
- seats added after the accident
- separate quote and request made to Tesla via the body shop
- $3500 installed
- Tesla recertified my car after the repair and didn’t say anything about the seats
- there’s a cover piece on the back seats that is used to surround the latch points.
- apparently that is not a piece you can order separate, you must replace the rear seat to get it, screw that at $1200
For the record:
- seats added after the accident
- separate quote and request made to Tesla via the body shop
- $3500 installed
- Tesla recertified my car after the repair and didn’t say anything about the seats
- there’s a cover piece on the back seats that is used to surround the latch points.
- apparently that is not a piece you can order separate, you must replace the rear seat to get it, screw that at $1200
Weird you were told the second row covers aren’t available. I got them from the dealer for $2.00 each. They are listed in the service bulletin also.
2ND ROW BEZEL UPPER
1013633-00-A
$2.00
2ND ROW BEZEL LOWER
1014277-00-A
$2.00
You need to find/buy the metal garnish clips for these separately. I have not found that part number.
2ND ROW BEZEL UPPER
1013633-00-A
$2.00
2ND ROW BEZEL LOWER
1014277-00-A
$2.00
You need to find/buy the metal garnish clips for these separately. I have not found that part number.
Last edited:
Guess I should mention that the 2nd row covers I got didn’t fit exactly right out of the package. Parts guy checked the other two he had in stock and they were all the same, so I nipped off a piece with my pocketknife to get them to fit together nicely.
Thank you, everyone for the info, its much appreciated! The only question that I have right now, is in regards to the "metal garnish clips":
can you describe these at all in more detail, or provide a photo or anything? How did you source them without a PN?
Thanks again!!
can you describe these at all in more detail, or provide a photo or anything? How did you source them without a PN?
Thanks again!!
Fwiw, if anyone is making a parts list, The fastener quantities aren’t correct in the work order posted above. Lines 9 and 10 should be more than 1 each.
And I didn’t need the cover on line 7. You probably don’t if you are moving seats from one car to another. It attaches to the seats and will/should move with them
And, remember, the strikers depend on the model year.
And I didn’t need the cover on line 7. You probably don’t if you are moving seats from one car to another. It attaches to the seats and will/should move with them
And, remember, the strikers depend on the model year.
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