The M3 Photo Thread

[Durzel]

I don’t think it’s sitting high, I know what you mean about the knobs. If I look down the side of the bonnet the leading edge at the front meets the bumper properly.

What I mean is the gap at the front where the bonnet ends and the bumper begins. I wonder if the whole bonnet is fractionally closer to the windscreen than it should be, if that makes sense. Although yours (and probably every Model 3 has a slightly larger gap there)

It feels like it could’ve always been like that and I just didn’t notice it, and because the guy who detailed it removed the badge and I’ve been looking at it for like 3 weeks with no badge, and now suddenly it’s back (Tesla installed a new one today too), it’s all I can see now.

Half tempted to loosen the bolts and have a go myself, if I didn’t think I’d make it worse somehow.

 

[Jerev]

Um.. if you mean @Medved_77 's car, all I did was adjust his "brilliance" of the photo on my iPhone, in response to him saying that he wished his car had more of the blue tinge of a previously posted photo. I was hoping to make the point that you shouldn't necessarily read much into different photos, as they may have been "enhanced".

MSM, being metallic, will look different in various lighting conditions, though.

I was referring to this one posted by Stoner. Looks much more light bluish/violet than MSM. Wondering if it is a custom color or ceramic coating or photoshop adjustments?

 

[Durzel]

I was referring to this one posted by Stoner. Looks much more light bluish/violet than MSM. Wondering if it is a custom color or ceramic coating or photoshop adjustments?

I would say Photoshop myself, on the basis that the image has black feathered edges, so it’s definitely not untouched.

 

[94jdh]

I was referring to this one posted by Stoner. Looks much more light bluish/violet than MSM. Wondering if it is a custom color or ceramic coating or photoshop adjustments?

It's just the way the photo has been taken, here's mine:

 

[Durzel]

That dechrome is rather striking. Have you also done something with the bumper? Looks like an CF addon around the fog lights.

 

[Durzel]

I’m obsessing over this today.. I’m trying to go through photos of when it was detailed to compare... I lifted the frunk and I can see they’ve played with the adjustment of it (as requested) as they have taken some of the paint off the bolts.

I wonder if there is any forward adjustment available?

This is what my car looks like now..

View attachment 537842

View attachment 537841

View attachment 537843

Am I making a fuss over nothing?

Replying to myself.. had a crack at this, it’s not particularly hard but quite fiddly. Probably a lot easier with two people, but I ended up having to unhook the struts and prop the bonnet up because otherwise it’s always trying to force the bonnet upwards.

Lots of trial and error fitting, tightening up one side and the other being way out, etc.

Finally got it to a point I’m happy with, not 100% but much better than it was.

Before:

After:

Bonus install shots:

 

[Mr Speirs]

Agreed...much better...think you better send Tesla an Invoice for your time on that one Durzel. Well done.

 

[94jdh]

That dechrome is rather striking. Have you also done something with the bumper? Looks like an CF addon around the fog lights.

Hi, yes matte carbon eyebrow added to foglight surround and side cameras. The dechrome I completed one weekend using the Nikola Pro kit.

 

[Rustybkts]

@Durzel, mine is the same with a noticeably larger gap along the bumper than the sides and is slightly offset. Must have a go at sorting mine out as well. Very poor performance by whoever is fitting the parts.

It is the only panel fit problem that I can see and am generally very pleased with it when comparing to other cars we have.

One odd thing I have wondered about is that all Tesla's seem to be painted after the various hinged parts are fitted which makes adjusting them very messy with flaking paint. Is that normal as I don't remember past cars with paint over the bolted up brackets etc. It means that the metal is bare under the hinge to body faces surely.

 

[Durzel]

@Durzel, mine is the same with a noticeably larger gap along the bumper than the sides and is slightly offset. Must have a go at sorting mine out as well. Very poor performance by whoever is fitting the parts.

It is the only panel fit problem that I can see and am generally very pleased with it when comparing to other cars we have.

One odd thing I have wondered about is that all Tesla's seem to be painted after the various hinged parts are fitted which makes adjusting them very messy with flaking paint. Is that normal as I don't remember past cars with paint over the bolted up brackets etc. It means that the metal is bare under the hinge to body faces surely.

View attachment 538554

Yup, I noticed that too, and yes - it appears that the cars are painted with the bonnet already fitted, which means the area the hinge covers is unpainted. You can see that in the photo I posted with the blue tape on, to the left of where the hinge mounts it's unpainted. Mine has a healthy amount of paint on the hinge bolts too.

Don't know what that means longevity wise, given that water gets under that part of the bonnet quite easily.

Yours looks pretty uniform to me. Ironically you have the same "issue" that I had, namely that the bonnet is very slightly offset to the right. Mine went in to have that fixed and came out looking like the "Before" photo in my previous post.

A word of caution - when you've loosened all 4 bolts the bonnet will freely move in any direction you choose, including rotation, even to the point where there would be an overbite on the bumper. When I adjusted mine it took quite a while to get it to a point I was happy with. If at all possible, prop the bonnet up only to the point where you can get underneath to undo and tighten the bolts (not like in my photo above). With the bonnet raised up vertically it will drop down on the bolt threads as soon as it is loose enough to move.

Don't loosen the bolts with the struts attached, as they will push the bonnet around on the bolt threads as soon as the nuts are loose enough.

Also it is not particularly easy to gauge the gaps on either side. And you can't really gauge how well you've aligned it without actually closing it, which means it really does involve a lot of trial and error. The good news is once done it's done.

 

[94jdh]

Some little Matte carbon additions today:

 

[Durzel]

Interesting. Are those actual replacement stalks or do they just go over (stick?) to the existing ones?

 

[94jdh]

Interesting. Are those actual replacement stalks or do they just go over (stick?) to the existing ones?

They actually just clip over, I thought the 3m tape was missing!

 

[Durzel]

Nice Care to share where you got them from?

 

[94jdh]

Nice Care to share where you got them from?

Yes sorry! My usual haunt Luckeasy from AliExpress:
#Aliexpress ￡43.91 | LUCKEASY Interior remodel patch for Tesla model 3 and Tesla Model Y 2017-2020 real carbon fiber Column shift protective cover
US $53.9 |LUCKEASY Interior remodel patch for Tesla model 3 and Tesla Model Y 2017 2020 real carbon fiber Column shift protective cover|Gear Shift Collars| - AliExpress

I also have a set of RHD window buttons/covers on order in the same Matte Carbon, hopefully here in a few days.

 

[Durzel]

Cheers. Expensive business this Model 3 modding lark

 

[94jdh]

Cheers. Expensive business this Model 3 modding lark

I know, more impulsive buying

 

[JGCyber3]

Poor Photo - sorry. M3P with Chrome delete + 30% window tint + MPP sport coil-overs (.8" drop - you'll notice how high of a driveway curb I have)

Have some CF Mirror Caps on Order (Matte to match rear spoiler)

 

[Noddy2]

Absolutely brilliant...having had it 10 minutes, I've done 5 miles in it and blown away. It was worth the wait. Hope you guys aren't waiting too much longer...

 

[Drew57]

Matt finish carbon fibre steering wheel inserts from Tugaworks Portugal TESLA Model 3 Steering Wheel CARBON Fiber Look Inserts Trim Decal Wrap Cover TM3 | eBay

Most similar products seem to be moulded with a gloss finish but I prefer matt & the fact that these look just like they were part of the original wheel rather than standing fractionally proud with tape backing. They are a vinyl wrap, easy to apply & a perfect fit (Tesla logo was also supplied but I didn't use)