Today I replaced the nearside front headlight on my 2020 Tesla Model 3 Performance (5YJ). Here is a brief outline of the job.
Intro
After hitting a pheasant, the headlight lense cracked, causing both the headlight and indicator to fail. Apparently, the phase 1 Tesla Model 3 nearside front headlight is linked to the circuit for the windscreen wiper motors. So a cracked headlight glass also leaves the wipers inoperable, rendering the vehicle undrivable during the British winter. Tesla quote £1,500 for the repair.
Kit
I purchased a sound replacement headlight assembly from a breaker’s yard on eBay for £299 which matched the part number for my VIN on the Tesla service database. I then reviewed a popular video guide on YouTube for reference. I also used a ¼” ratchet driver with various extension bar lengths, a 10mm flex socket, a trim removal tool and two dozen replacement 8mm rivet clips identical to universal Tesla part number 100652100A. I had sandwich bags and a marker pen ready.
Work
I found it absolutely necessary to fully detach the front bumper by removing all front wheel arch bolts on both sides (pictured). The YouTube guide proved to be slightly misleading, as the 2020 Model 3 has an extra bolt at the bottom (pictured) and the underside bolts turned out to be yet more clips. Upon removing the front bumper and resting it on a blanket, I left the various miscellaneous offside cables attached and removed only the nearside headlight power cable once I had hold of the full assemble itself.
Install
Once the new headlight was installed, at first it still would not work. The final step is to enter service mode and select a full vehicle firmware reinstall. This takes around five minutes and requires a vehicle restart. And then everything works again – headlight, indicator and wiper motors. Now to re-fit all of the rivet clips. Four were required for each wheel arch and ten for the bumper making eighteen in total. I am glad that I bought new ones to replace those that I had removed.
Calibration
I then drove to the nearest multistorey carpark and parked opposite a wall. Assuming that the undamaged offside headlight was correct, I let the vehicle do its own auto-calibration from the service menu, which seemed to achieve absolutely nothing, and then adjusted the new headlight’s position to be at the same height as the offside one and broadly equidistant from it while steel set slightly leftwards.
Support
If anyone needs any help with doing this mechanical job then feel free to contact me. It would probably take around 90 minutes to complete on an identical Model 3 with the benefit of experience.
Intro
After hitting a pheasant, the headlight lense cracked, causing both the headlight and indicator to fail. Apparently, the phase 1 Tesla Model 3 nearside front headlight is linked to the circuit for the windscreen wiper motors. So a cracked headlight glass also leaves the wipers inoperable, rendering the vehicle undrivable during the British winter. Tesla quote £1,500 for the repair.
Kit
I purchased a sound replacement headlight assembly from a breaker’s yard on eBay for £299 which matched the part number for my VIN on the Tesla service database. I then reviewed a popular video guide on YouTube for reference. I also used a ¼” ratchet driver with various extension bar lengths, a 10mm flex socket, a trim removal tool and two dozen replacement 8mm rivet clips identical to universal Tesla part number 100652100A. I had sandwich bags and a marker pen ready.
Work
I found it absolutely necessary to fully detach the front bumper by removing all front wheel arch bolts on both sides (pictured). The YouTube guide proved to be slightly misleading, as the 2020 Model 3 has an extra bolt at the bottom (pictured) and the underside bolts turned out to be yet more clips. Upon removing the front bumper and resting it on a blanket, I left the various miscellaneous offside cables attached and removed only the nearside headlight power cable once I had hold of the full assemble itself.
Install
Once the new headlight was installed, at first it still would not work. The final step is to enter service mode and select a full vehicle firmware reinstall. This takes around five minutes and requires a vehicle restart. And then everything works again – headlight, indicator and wiper motors. Now to re-fit all of the rivet clips. Four were required for each wheel arch and ten for the bumper making eighteen in total. I am glad that I bought new ones to replace those that I had removed.
Calibration
I then drove to the nearest multistorey carpark and parked opposite a wall. Assuming that the undamaged offside headlight was correct, I let the vehicle do its own auto-calibration from the service menu, which seemed to achieve absolutely nothing, and then adjusted the new headlight’s position to be at the same height as the offside one and broadly equidistant from it while steel set slightly leftwards.
Support
If anyone needs any help with doing this mechanical job then feel free to contact me. It would probably take around 90 minutes to complete on an identical Model 3 with the benefit of experience.
