Spare nose cone arrived today

[artsci]

The spare nose cone I had on order arrived today. It came in three pieces: the plastic part, and separately, the Tesla logo and bright trim. They snap into place on the plastic. This will make it much easier to have the carbon fiber vinyl stretched over the entire surface before the logo and bright trim details are attached. It will also be easy to cut out the mounting holes for the Blinder 905 laser jammer sensors I'm installing. Tesla gave me the choice of having it painted or unpainted. As I was covering it with the carbon fiber vinyl I chose the latter.

Here are a few photos.

 

[qwk]

How much was an extra nose cone?

 

[artsci]

How much was an extra nose cone?

$350. Not bad in my opinion.

 

[montgom626]

$350. Not bad in my opinion.

That is cheap!

 

[artsci]

That is cheap!

For sure, especially for those who want to experiment with changes to the appearance of the nose cone. You always have the stock nose cone as a back-up if something goes wrong.

 

[PureAmps]

$350. Not bad in my opinion.

That is cheap. I just paid $450 (plus $385 labor) to have the chrome trim on the air diffuser under my rear bumper replaced (my wife likes to driver over curbs :scared, I thought it was a little pricey for a trim piece. I mention that because I know they also sell that part without the chrome for less money (I think ~$300) and it may be interesting to have carbon fiber on both the nose cone and air diffuser. Only downside is you have to pull the entire rear bumper assembly off to replace it.

You seem to be amassing quite the collection of parts. When do you get your car? Curious to see the finished version.

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On second thought maybe put carbon fiber over the black/gray plastic portion of the lower rear bumper and leave the chrome air diffuser. It would better match the nosecone.

 

[pete8314]

$350. Not bad in my opinion.

That's cool. Looking forward to seeing what you'll do with the shifters, I'm happy with the position of mine, but the nosecone, positionally speaking, is the ideal spot for them.

 

[stevezzzz]

Artsci, what are you planning to wrap it with, and what color will your S be? The black nosecone is the one thing I don't like about my S's appearance...hmmm...

 

[aviators99]

Wow! I may buy one before they raise the price. The bug situation on the nose cone here in SE Florida is pretty bad. It will be nice to have a spare for when the permanently embedded bugs become too numerous.

 

[Electric1]

$350. Not bad in my opinion.

Hmmm...I was quoted $545. Me thinks my SC manager is misinformed. Thanks!

 

[Francis Lau]

Hmmm...I was quoted $545. Me thinks my SC manager is misinformed. Thanks!

Maybe $350 for unpainted and $545 for painted?

 

[artsci]

That is cheap. I just paid $450 (plus $385 labor) to have the chrome trim on the air diffuser under my rear bumper replaced (my wife likes to driver over curbs :scared, I thought it was a little pricey for a trim piece. I mention that because I know they also sell that part without the chrome for less money (I think ~$300) and it may be interesting to have carbon fiber on both the nose cone and air diffuser. Only downside is you have to pull the entire rear bumper assembly off to replace it.

You seem to be amassing quite the collection of parts. When do you get your car? Curious to see the finished version.

- - - Updated - - -

On second thought maybe put carbon fiber over the black/gray plastic portion of the lower rear bumper and leave the chrome air diffuser. It would better match the nosecone.

If all goes well, I should get my car by the end of April. So I'm trying to get everything ready ahead of time. I'll be sure post photos when all is done.

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Artsci, what are you planning to wrap it with, and what color will your S be? The black nosecone is the one thing I don't like about my S's appearance...hmmm...

I'm going to wrap it with 3M carbon fiber vinyl -- the type for outdoor use. My S will be multi-coat red.

 

[markb1]

I know that $350 is not a bad price in this industry, but it looks like it's just a piece of molded plastic. What does it cost Tesla to make something like that?

 

[Stoneymonster]

I know that $350 is not a bad price in this industry, but it looks like it's just a piece of molded plastic. What does it cost Tesla to make something like that?

To make just one, now? Probably a small fraction of that. To make the first one? Probably $200,000

 

[artsci]

Here are some photos of the nose cone prepared for the vinyl wrap. The key step was cutting the slots for the Blinder 905 Laser jammer sensors. All of my research on the optimal location indicated that placement as close to the headlights as practicable was ideal. So I ruled out a location elsewhere (the lower grille, for example). According the Blinder engineers I spoke to, such locations are not recommended.

I wanted to cut the slots and test the fit of the sensors before the wrapping was done. Final alignment of the sensors, which is critical to the most effective operation, will be done when the nose cone is installed on the car, using lasers projected onto a wall 30 yards away. That way the alignment can be very precise.

Using Cat 5e connectors, I've set up the sensors so they can be easily plugged and unplugged when the nose cone is attached and/or removed. In fact, I've set up the whole Blinder and Passport system that way. This will make installation much easier my Model S car arrives.

The nose cone is now at the shop for application of the vinyl wrap. It will be finished Monday. I'll post some pictures of it Monday night.

 

[montgom626]

Gorgeous work! I love it!

 

[Laumb]

Please Color code the Chrome to match your multicolor red. Betting it will look aaaaaawesome!

 

[contaygious]

Wow great work! So is it not possible to take off my cone to wrap it and just stick it back on? Do I really need to order a new one?

 

[artsci]

Wow great work! So is it not possible to take off my cone to wrap it and just stick it back on? Do I really need to order a new one?

Can imagine why you can't remove your current nose cone to have it wrapped. It comes off very easily.

 

[artsci]

Picked up the wrapped nose cone last night and added the Blinder sensors. Here's what it all looks like now, without the Model S, of course. The before and after.