Tail Light Retrofit- AMBER turn signal

One thing I've always hated about my 3 was how they use the Brake light as the turn signal. I'm a big believer in a dedicated color(amber) for turn signal. Unfortunately a lot of manufactures are going away from that in favor for the brake/turn combo. Maybe it's cost savings.IDK, but I am out to change that.

I started looking into just purchasing the European model 3 Tail lights which have an amber turn signal factory(its required by law over seas to have a orange signal). The problem I ran into was the US spec cars are programmed to use the brake AS the turn signal. Which means than even if I got a European lamp, i would still need to find a way to change the computer system to flash a dedicated output for the turn signal.

So I purchased a set of stock tail lights and cut them apart. While inside I painted the chrome black which gave i a much cleaner look. Then I retrofitted a 3" Diode dynamics HD amber LED strip where the OEM reverse was. For the reverse, I retrofitted a 3" white LED strip right next to it(inner). The wiring was a bit tricky as I had to tap off the 3rd brake light for dedicated "BRAKE" then the front camera side markers for a dedicated "TURN" signal. Overall worked pretty well!

In the trunk, pass side there's a harness. Blue wire is 3rd brake light which is where I tapped off.

Running the turn wires through the trunk boot. fun stuff

here's a video showing the functions. They might look dim, but its out in direct sunlight. I assure you they are bright
Also you may notice they are hyperflashing because the car isn't seeing any load(i disconnected the stock brake/turn wire) I left them as is, but if it get annoying I will throw a resistor in there.

Also Decided to do blackout headlight, and AMBER DRL mod

 

[M3P_BC]

Has anyone tried these on the Hansshow Eagle Eye tail lights? Would it also block the turn signals from appearing when you press on the brake?

 

[Coolson205]

Has anyone tried these on the Hansshow Eagle Eye tail lights? Would it also block the turn signals from appearing when you press on the brake?

Has anyone tried these on the Hansshow Eagle Eye tail lights? Would it also block the turn signals from appearing when you press on the brake?

I would say 80% work. Beside the 1 second hyperflash and the fault message. Brake would not cause the turn signal to turn on. I already sent them the issue, hopefully they find the solution.

 

[M3P_BC]

Has anyone tried these on the Hansshow Eagle Eye tail lights? Would it also block the turn signals from appearing when you press on the brake?

I would say 80% work. Beside the 1 second hyperflash and the fault message. Brake would not cause the turn signal to turn on. I already sent them the issue, hopefully they find the solution.

Just bought a harness from Teslogic and they work 100% with my Hansshow Eagle Eyes. No hyper flash.

 

[thebestiam1]

Just a little update on the updated adapters for the 2021+. They are still hyperflashing unfortunately when headlights are on, when headlights are off, They don’t hyperflash. Can anyone else please confirm if they’re having the same issue? TIA!

 

[M3P_BC]

Just a little update on the updated adapters for the 2021+. They are still hyperflashing unfortunately when headlights are on, when headlights are off, They don’t hyperflash. Can anyone else please confirm if they’re having the same issue? TIA!

Just tested my 2022 3P and no hyper flash but I think I’m using a different wiring harness than the one here.

 

[RocDeef]

Just a little update on the updated adapters for the 2021+. They are still hyperflashing unfortunately when headlights are on, when headlights are off, They don’t hyperflash. Can anyone else please confirm if they’re having the same issue? TIA!

Mine do this if you press the brake and then use the turn signal. If I'm driving along with lights on it's fine, unless I hit the brakes.

 

[RocDeef]

Just tested my 2022 3P and no hyper flash but I think I’m using a different wiring harness than the one here.

What harness are you using?

 

[squareblock]

Is it possible to have a harness to just flip the function of "outer C" and the "inner bar"? so...

"outer C" lights when braking
"inner bar" lights when driving at night

 

[thebestiam1]

Mine do this if you press the brake and then use the turn signal. If I'm driving along with lights on it's fine, unless I hit the brakes.

Are you still using the "old" or updated harnesses?

 

[RocDeef]

Are you still using the "old" or updated harnesses?

Updated

 

[M3P_BC]

What harness are you using?

Teslogic from Amazon

 

[E90alex]

Is it possible to have a harness to just flip the function of "outer C" and the "inner bar"? so...

"outer C" lights when braking
"inner bar" lights when driving at night

The “C” light on the US tail lights are not bright enough for brake lamps and the inner bar is too bright for running lamps. Also the inner bar is not very visible from the direct side view, which is a DOT requirement for running lamps.

 

[jjrandorin]

(moderator note)

This is one more warning that anything that looks like vendor activity (without being a vendor) is likely to both bring bans and / or get this thread locked. This will be the last warning I make in this thread without taking some form of action.

 

[kjww]

Received my adapters from Amazon and installed model Y tail lights on my 2018 M3 and they are working flawlessly. Thanks @Nomisal !!

Me too. Just received the adapters from Amazon and installed 2022 model Y tail lights on my 2019 model 3 today and yes the adapters are working great. They also work with my aftermarket rear bumper LED lights.

 

[sorphin]

Me too. Just received the adapters from Amazon and installed 2022 model Y tail lights on my 2019 model 3 today and yes the adapters are working great. They also work with my aftermarket rear bumper LED lights.

So wait, so now you have the actual Factory tails with the Amber turn signals that they've been putting in the 2022 model 3s as well and they're working right without a code update?

 

[kjww]

So wait, so now you have the actual Factory tails with the Amber turn signals that they've been putting in the 2022 model 3s as well and they're working right without a code update?

I actually own a 2022 model Y too. I installed a pair of aftermarket tail lights on the Y so I decided to install the stock model Y outer tail lights, with amber turn signals, on my 2019 model 3 using the adapters from Amazon. Everything is just plug and play. No update of any sort was needed and there is no tail light error message or hyperflash, which some other members encountered.

 

[PollyGonal1]

I have the same spec as @M3P_BC (‘22 M3P) and acquired the harness from the same place, using it on Hansshow Eagle Eye tail lights.

However, it hyper flashes on the left signal, and the right signal activates briefly when braking.

Seems like it’s a hit or miss, FWIW.

 

[dds28]

I bought one of the earlier harness directly from Nomisal at Teslogic earlier this year. It worked flawlessly up until a few days ago. I have a 18 M3P with newer Model Y lights. So I noticed recently while driving behind my wife that the turn signals flash for a brief moment before the brake lights came on. It never did that previously. It doesn't matter if the headlights are on or not. It is still the same. Otherwise it works as intended. Just strange that this is a recent phenomenon.

 

[patriot0331]

Any chance we can purchase a 3pin to 4pin adaptor or wiring harness?

Do you have some photos of the older 3 pin connector vs the new 4 pin lights?

You don’t need a 3 pin to 4 pin adapter or wiring harness. All you need to do is swap the plugs which is quite simple.

Purchase 2 of the following from a vendor of your choice:

1. TE Connectivity 1-1456426-1

Then swap out the plugs keeping the pins in their respective pin number locations. All you need is a precision flat head screwdriver to pop off the lock and then push the pins out of the old one. Took me less than 5 minutes to swap them out. You can keep the old 3 pin connector if you plan on swapping back sometime later but not needed if you don’t. Cost me about $11 which half of it was for shipping alone.

 

[patriot0331]

It’s a shame that there aren’t other solutions to this, preferably a DYI. Right now the OP is the only one with a solution that is being sold and at $130, it’s quite expensive. If only someone could figure out the programming side instead.