Retrofit Bumper and LED

[Lyon]

I can almost guarantee you guys the hood is the same. There is no way they would re-tool for a new hood that was close but ever so slightly different and the difference you're seeing in the picture is so small that it could be light, shading, angle of the photo, etc. In fact, it's not "could be" so much as "is". When it all shakes out I'm willing to throw money down on the fact that the old hood will be identical to the new. 95% of the aesthetic retrofit is going to be the bumper cover. The only real unknowns are the small parts behind the floating logo. We don't know if that's part of the bumper cover, if it's it's own piece, etc.

But I'm willing to bet that for us pre-AP guys we're going to be able to swap bumper covers, add in the trim piece for the grill and call it a day.

The potentially complicated bit here is going to be the headlights. I vaguely remember someone taking them apart and stating that the controllers were inside. That's great news. If they are CAN controlled and the new lights also have internal controllers than in a best case scenario you might be able to simply plug them in and tell the firmware that the car now has LED lights. Easy peasy.

I've seen both side by side and the hoods are different. I suspect that the hood shape change is one of the reasons for the increased range.

 

[FlatSix911]

An how do you access the 12 Volt battery posts? What about the tow hook socket access?

Just jump it from the cigarette lighter port. Oh wait, there isn't one.

Actually, there is a easy mod to make the 12V console port active when parked so you can use a standard battery charger.

Ingineer said: ↑
BTW, it's a simple matter to keep the 12v outlet in the console live all the time if desired. It's just a simple relay in fuse box #2 (the one on the passenger side under the removable cowling cover - see owners manual). Simply make up a jumper consisting of short piece of 14AWG or better wire with a couple of male 1/4" spade terminals. Pull the front most passenger side relay out and insert the jumper into the now exposed 1/4" female receptacles, and you're done, the 12v outlet is now on all the time. You can quickly change it back anytime by removing the jumper and reinstalling the relay.

 

[HankLloydRight]

Cool!! But can you recharge the 12v battery with that shunt in place?

 

[FlatSix911]

Cool!! But can you recharge the 12v battery with that shunt in place?

Yes, I use a CTEK charger to recharge through the 12V port. Takes care of the vampire load.

 

[mrElbe]

An how do you access the 12 Volt battery posts? What about the tow hook socket access?

Found the answer today to my own question. While helping a fellow Tesla friend installing a dashcam today we found a new style fuse box with very tiny fuses in the location old former fuse box under the cover between Frunk cavity and windshield.. At the back of this fuse box is now the official positive jumper point. His Model S was delivered just before the new style announcement.

 

[llavalle]

At the back of this fuse box is now the official positive jumper point. His Model S was delivered just before the new style announcement.

Interesting... So it's a nose-cone equipped car.. without a jump post behind the nose cone...

How does one opens the frunk without power? Where's the manual release cable?

 

[Lex]

Jump the 12V? Under what circumstances would one do that? Is there a "normal" condition where the 12V can die while the big battery is OK?

When the 12V dies, it takes the car with it, and in the current Tesla platform (and EVs so far in general) the 12V system is pushed to the limit every day so the 12V battery(ies ? my last warranty paperwork suggested there are 2) have so far needed frequent replacements, eg. annual.

And considering that pretty much everything including the Parking Brake are run from the 12V, you can have an car that cannot even be towed if you do not feed it some 12V to take the brakes off.

 

[travwill]

IMHO, Tesla needs to stop offering any retrofits or updates period, you get what you buy at that time, still a great car. You can't expect any other car company to do this year to year and not sure why MS owners expect that an older model should be able to refresh hardware so easily to that of a newer one.

 

[FlatSix911]

Upgrades and retrofits are what makes Tesla special ... get ready for R3.0!

IMHO, Tesla needs to stop offering any retrofits or updates period, you get what you buy at that time, still a great car. You can't expect any other car company to do this year to year and not sure why MS owners expect that an older model should be able to refresh hardware so easily to that of a newer one.

 

[Beryl]

Upgrades and retrofits are what makes Tesla special ... get ready for R3.0!

Agreed. The ability to upgrade software and batteries attracted me to Tesla. I hope they offer retrofits whenever possible.

(I don't understand how some folks seem to want Tesla to behave like other car companies. )