Just wanted to share my experience with this add-on display in terms of build quality, functionality, ease-of-install, and value.
As most of you know, one of the advantages of owning a 3 is the exceptional volume of aftermarket goodies that are available. Just in the category of after-market auxiliary displays alone, there are many choices ranging from size, cost, function, etc. Before you continue reading, I know there are some folks out there that don’t like the idea of an auxiliary display and I respect that. For those of you in that camp, you may want to stop reading and go on to reading about things that matter for you.
Back on topic. There are so many options in this space including very small tuck-inside air vent displays, units that project onto a reflective panel (aka HUDs), rectangular screens, etc, etc. I looked at all of these and decided to go with the T Sportline unit since in my opinion looks like the most integrated styled option. It is very obvious that the physical design is copying the displays that come as part of the S and X.
My research lead me to a few identical looking displays besides the T Sportline version it appears The EV Shop also sells the identical display however their retail price is $1000 vs T Sportline’s $800. The EV Shop has many 10% discount codes online but even after that, they are $100 more so it was a no-brainer to go with T Sportline. I should also note that there are similar (likely identical) units on AliExpress as well but they are barely less expensive and the small extra amount to have the backing of a US based company is worth it, especially on something like this. In fact I quote T Sportline’s YouTube channel where they said, “We are committed to offering updates to ensure our cluster display is always fully functional regardless of Tesla updates”. That reassurance by a well-known local company inspires confidence.
After ordering, shipping was fast via two day Fedex from California to Canada. Impressive turn-around. There is no additional blank box to hide the item so may not be porch-pirate friendly nor good for hiding from spouses what you just blew the budget on. That being said, the package arrived unscathed and everything was well packed. Although I have a lot of mods on my car this is the first time I ordered from T Sportline and am impressed with their service. Why didn’t I buy stuff from them before? lol
When you see the videos online several supplier’s appear to have identical units. However, even though they may physically look identical, the T Sportline kit has their branding on the packaging as well as some of the actual kit parts such as the small control box. This would indicate they have these units are made specifically for them and to me this is another level of confidence for buying their kit vs say from AliExpress or lesser known domestic suppliers.
I had watched a couple of install videos and knew what to expect. Based on my 2018 I followed the YT video where KimJava (who also has a 2018) and the CEO of T Sportline installed it in her car. Not going to bore you with install details as the videos online have pretty good instruction except for two things:
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What I really like about this display is the integrated factory looking styling. I also like having some key information directly in front of you without twisting my head or flipping through screens such as persistent tire pressure and simultaneous SOC% and range. I also like having the odometer constantly displayed like most cars do.
Nothing is perfect so here is my list of cons. The screen temperature is significantly cooler looking than the OEM screen. They need to adjust the temperature to have a better match with the OEM screen. The fonts should be adjusted to use the identical font of the car itself. This would also help with a more integrated look. If you own a light metallic silver car (guessing because it’s a discontinued color) the programmers of the software never considered this so the car on the display shows blue. I believe the proper color shows up if you have any other color. Ideally, the screen should read whatever custom color you choose through the Tesla interface and simply match that.
In the end, this is a significant amount of money to spend and not worth it for some but other’s may appreciate the seamless integrated styling along with the ergonomics of having some key information directly in front of you. Whether this is worth your hard-earned money is up to you and I guarantee, like anything else, there will be different opinions on this and my view is there is no right or wrong here – stick to what makes you happy. I really like this display and have no regrets buying it. I hope T Sportline looks at updating some of these items to improve seamlessness – it’s reassuring that there is a USB plug that makes updates possible and also reassuring that T Sportline is a well-known domestic company.
As most of you know, one of the advantages of owning a 3 is the exceptional volume of aftermarket goodies that are available. Just in the category of after-market auxiliary displays alone, there are many choices ranging from size, cost, function, etc. Before you continue reading, I know there are some folks out there that don’t like the idea of an auxiliary display and I respect that. For those of you in that camp, you may want to stop reading and go on to reading about things that matter for you.
Back on topic. There are so many options in this space including very small tuck-inside air vent displays, units that project onto a reflective panel (aka HUDs), rectangular screens, etc, etc. I looked at all of these and decided to go with the T Sportline unit since in my opinion looks like the most integrated styled option. It is very obvious that the physical design is copying the displays that come as part of the S and X.
My research lead me to a few identical looking displays besides the T Sportline version it appears The EV Shop also sells the identical display however their retail price is $1000 vs T Sportline’s $800. The EV Shop has many 10% discount codes online but even after that, they are $100 more so it was a no-brainer to go with T Sportline. I should also note that there are similar (likely identical) units on AliExpress as well but they are barely less expensive and the small extra amount to have the backing of a US based company is worth it, especially on something like this. In fact I quote T Sportline’s YouTube channel where they said, “We are committed to offering updates to ensure our cluster display is always fully functional regardless of Tesla updates”. That reassurance by a well-known local company inspires confidence.
After ordering, shipping was fast via two day Fedex from California to Canada. Impressive turn-around. There is no additional blank box to hide the item so may not be porch-pirate friendly nor good for hiding from spouses what you just blew the budget on. That being said, the package arrived unscathed and everything was well packed. Although I have a lot of mods on my car this is the first time I ordered from T Sportline and am impressed with their service. Why didn’t I buy stuff from them before? lol
When you see the videos online several supplier’s appear to have identical units. However, even though they may physically look identical, the T Sportline kit has their branding on the packaging as well as some of the actual kit parts such as the small control box. This would indicate they have these units are made specifically for them and to me this is another level of confidence for buying their kit vs say from AliExpress or lesser known domestic suppliers.
I had watched a couple of install videos and knew what to expect. Based on my 2018 I followed the YT video where KimJava (who also has a 2018) and the CEO of T Sportline installed it in her car. Not going to bore you with install details as the videos online have pretty good instruction except for two things:
- The video shows installation of the main wiring harness where you unplug a connector from the car and add an inline connector that taps the signal for the display. There was no other connection needed or so it appeared. When I opened my package up, my harness also had extra cabling that I did not see in the video which was a power tapping cable drawing power from the CLA 12v in the console. After wiring exactly as the video, the display did not power up and I scratched my head for a bit and then proceeded to dismantle the center console to install the 12v bypass adapter and voila, the screen turned on. Seems the kit for KimJava’s car may have not required the extra cable.
- The replacement dash panel for my car required removal of the Velcro connectors and installation of included tab connectors. Make sure you install these tab connectors in the proper orientation by following the orientation of the original unit (see pic below). Left side and right side have opposite orientation.
.What I really like about this display is the integrated factory looking styling. I also like having some key information directly in front of you without twisting my head or flipping through screens such as persistent tire pressure and simultaneous SOC% and range. I also like having the odometer constantly displayed like most cars do.
Nothing is perfect so here is my list of cons. The screen temperature is significantly cooler looking than the OEM screen. They need to adjust the temperature to have a better match with the OEM screen. The fonts should be adjusted to use the identical font of the car itself. This would also help with a more integrated look. If you own a light metallic silver car (guessing because it’s a discontinued color) the programmers of the software never considered this so the car on the display shows blue. I believe the proper color shows up if you have any other color. Ideally, the screen should read whatever custom color you choose through the Tesla interface and simply match that.
In the end, this is a significant amount of money to spend and not worth it for some but other’s may appreciate the seamless integrated styling along with the ergonomics of having some key information directly in front of you. Whether this is worth your hard-earned money is up to you and I guarantee, like anything else, there will be different opinions on this and my view is there is no right or wrong here – stick to what makes you happy. I really like this display and have no regrets buying it. I hope T Sportline looks at updating some of these items to improve seamlessness – it’s reassuring that there is a USB plug that makes updates possible and also reassuring that T Sportline is a well-known domestic company.
