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The Stealth Hitch is now complied in Australia thanks to TOCA!
- Thread starter one4spl
- Start date
Has anyone with a 3rd party tow hitch installed been told by Tesla that their car is no longer covered by its warranty? Or has anyone with one had something done under warranty?
I spoke to a SC agent and mentioned 3rd party tow hitches and asked if it voided warranty, the response was yes.
I spoke to a SC agent and mentioned 3rd party tow hitches and asked if it voided warranty, the response was yes.
All about the question you ask.
If in installing the tow hitch, the installer drills multiple holes through the rear frame and weakens it, or attaches it to weak points, then of course you wouldn't be covered for damage that might then be caused.
But if your front camera stops working, then Tesla can't deny warranty because you installed a tow hitch, or replaced the rear badge on the car.
Now of course it's one reason why I wouldn't tint the roof - because some early 3s at least have been known to crack near the heating element - and I wouldn't want to give Tesla the ability to argue it was caused by the tint instead.
If in installing the tow hitch, the installer drills multiple holes through the rear frame and weakens it, or attaches it to weak points, then of course you wouldn't be covered for damage that might then be caused.
But if your front camera stops working, then Tesla can't deny warranty because you installed a tow hitch, or replaced the rear badge on the car.
Now of course it's one reason why I wouldn't tint the roof - because some early 3s at least have been known to crack near the heating element - and I wouldn't want to give Tesla the ability to argue it was caused by the tint instead.
I happen to be at the SC for something else today and asked about towbars. They still said nothing yet and suggested the day I knew, would be the day they knew as well. 
My biggest concern with the warrantee and aftermarket is the wiring.
The main place I’ve spoken to that would fit a towbar to a 3 went on and on and ON about having to butcher all the wiring to get the lights on the trailer to work correctly. I bought up the plug being already there and they fobbed that off saying it wouldn’t work, but couldn’t tell me why other than the kit was from America and it isn’t comparable.
The other thing is can they disable the rear sensors?
12v is pretty straight forward, but It’s an electric beast with way more going on than a usual 12v system and I’d rather not have the wiring hacked up if I can avoid it.
My biggest concern with the warrantee and aftermarket is the wiring.
The main place I’ve spoken to that would fit a towbar to a 3 went on and on and ON about having to butcher all the wiring to get the lights on the trailer to work correctly. I bought up the plug being already there and they fobbed that off saying it wouldn’t work, but couldn’t tell me why other than the kit was from America and it isn’t comparable.
The other thing is can they disable the rear sensors?
12v is pretty straight forward, but It’s an electric beast with way more going on than a usual 12v system and I’d rather not have the wiring hacked up if I can avoid it.
Spoke with Canberra service, regarding aftermarket towbar. They mentioned that a customer had installed a towbar and the installer had somehow managed to fry the main battery, due to not disconnecting all power before the electrical connection.
Taken with a grain of salt, as he also mentioned another customer shattering their glass roof due to incorrect installation of roof crossbars.
I just wish Tesla Australian would get their act together and just sell the towbar as an accessory or factory fit. Why does it have to be so difficult? We are not the only country with government red tape. I mean just employ one person full time and get it sorted, as they are losing sales.
Taken with a grain of salt, as he also mentioned another customer shattering their glass roof due to incorrect installation of roof crossbars.
I just wish Tesla Australian would get their act together and just sell the towbar as an accessory or factory fit. Why does it have to be so difficult? We are not the only country with government red tape. I mean just employ one person full time and get it sorted, as they are losing sales.
Max_G
Everything needs to be defined :)
You can buy a factory tow bar in the UK. The screen also has a "tow" setting. Not sure what the latter tweaks.
Another wrinkle. I have ordered a Stealth Towbar. However, tipped off by the supplier, I see that Australian Model 3s no longer have the opening door in the Fascia Diffuser! I checked my 3LR and this is indeed the case. So, you either have to order the fascia Diffuser with the door (circa $250) or cut out a section so you can insert and remove the towbar or rack. I've put in a request to Tesla about price and availability. The problem with making the cutout is how to then neatly refit it when the tow bar or rack is not inserted.
corndog
Member
Actually EU tow bars are already accepted under ADR. So there is literally no red tape. There is exactly zero extra regulatory approvals to do, as the car is already certified for towing in Australia.
So do we know what the actual problem is then? Or is it punishment for scomo’s comment about losing our weekend unable to tow anything? (Which is actually true at present!)
corndog
Member
I've concluded that they just don't give a sh!t. Sales are already outstripping demand. We're a small market, so it's not worth the hassle for them. Also, no, what scomo said is not true at present, and was not true when he said it.
This suggests to me that they've given up on the towbar idea altogether for the model 3.
I agree. I think that Model 3s are not going to have support for factory tow bars. I think they expect that people who will tow stuff regularly will be in model Ys. It misses the whole idea of bike racks and seems a serious oversight.
I have approved the quote from Tesla which is $230. I might have to pick it up from a SC. Not sure yet on delivery timeframe.
I got stealth hitch installed - purchased through stealth ev solutions and installed at chatswood prestige
only issue i can tell is the rear sensors obviously think object is close by so and ping in reverse ...but rest of ap , etc works fine - came with wiring unit..(didn't connect to existing unit if it came with car)
... yep got me stumped as well why Tesla won't just make them available here. .. They seem to have their hands tied down just like other car makers.. HQ wont give them much leeway being a smaller market.. e.g. can't even get fog lights enabled once installed on SR+ post factory fit because tesla mothership will disable it apparently.. (not the case in USA)
Which SC is offering info on this aus option.. hopefully it will be added in the accessories.. good to know..
Picked up my Fascia Diffuser from Tesla today. Coincidentally, the tow bar and accessories also arrived from EVStealthSolutions who provided great service in ordering and buying it. Delivery to my house was just over a week. Man, the box at about 30kg is HEAVY. Fortunately, the tow bar and square receiver will not normally be connected to the car so the added weight will be somewhat less.
Oh yes. I forgot my manners. Mine has been installed for a few weeks and the purchase went really smoothly from EVStealthsolutions. Michael was great to deal with and communicated well. Also a shoutout to the installer, Chatswood Prestige. I haven’t had a chance to test it yet.
Fitted my Stealth towbar and square receiver to my 2021 3LR today. It went well.
Towbar sourced from EV Stealth Solutions- excellent to deal with.
Will add photos when the rain stops and I've had a chance to test the electrics on my trailer.
Everything went very smoothly and it was much easier than one I previously did for my Peugeot 508. The instructions are detailed and excellent. I had watched a couple of videos which were interesting but really did not add anything to the written instructions so that is what I used. Too wet for photos and I have not tested the electrics yet but will do those things next week.
A few notes:
0. I did it myself and did not need a second person.
1. The job could be done (if the person is thin) without raising the car but I put it half way up a couple of ramps (about 180mm extra) and chocked the wheels. Easier to get the diffuser off & particularly on again.
2. I ditched the Scotch locks as they were perhaps okay for the very thin Tesla wires but I judged the Ark wires were too thick for (my) comfort. So I soldered them. Just like Luke one4spl did originally. I added amalgamating tape around the joins which were protected with insulating tape.
3. I fitted the new Fascia diffuser with the hatch. The hatch will not close with the rubber sealing bung in place but that's not a big deal.
4. I took the +12V from the Tesla connector. I drilled a small hole in the blanking plug and fed the wire through that soldered to a male spade lug. So no damage to the Tesla socket.
5. I fitted the latching block to the towbar before fitting to the car. I stood on a ring spanner with one foot and the other on my torque wrench for the 150ft/lbs. On the car would have been difficult to get that torque.
6. Did a full disable of the car electrics first.
7. I took it slowly (about 7.5hrs) so as not to damage our new car.
8. A set of good quality plastic spludgers was very beneficial.
Towbar sourced from EV Stealth Solutions- excellent to deal with.
Will add photos when the rain stops and I've had a chance to test the electrics on my trailer.
Everything went very smoothly and it was much easier than one I previously did for my Peugeot 508. The instructions are detailed and excellent. I had watched a couple of videos which were interesting but really did not add anything to the written instructions so that is what I used. Too wet for photos and I have not tested the electrics yet but will do those things next week.
A few notes:
0. I did it myself and did not need a second person.
1. The job could be done (if the person is thin) without raising the car but I put it half way up a couple of ramps (about 180mm extra) and chocked the wheels. Easier to get the diffuser off & particularly on again.
2. I ditched the Scotch locks as they were perhaps okay for the very thin Tesla wires but I judged the Ark wires were too thick for (my) comfort. So I soldered them. Just like Luke one4spl did originally. I added amalgamating tape around the joins which were protected with insulating tape.
3. I fitted the new Fascia diffuser with the hatch. The hatch will not close with the rubber sealing bung in place but that's not a big deal.
4. I took the +12V from the Tesla connector. I drilled a small hole in the blanking plug and fed the wire through that soldered to a male spade lug. So no damage to the Tesla socket.
5. I fitted the latching block to the towbar before fitting to the car. I stood on a ring spanner with one foot and the other on my torque wrench for the 150ft/lbs. On the car would have been difficult to get that torque.
6. Did a full disable of the car electrics first.
7. I took it slowly (about 7.5hrs) so as not to damage our new car.
8. A set of good quality plastic spludgers was very beneficial.
Much easier than I expected. The guys in the YouTube videos press and pull with their hands. I just used a plastic spludger and pressed relatively gently starting from the outsides and working inwards at the joins. They then popped apart one bit at a time. Zero damage or scratches. Once you get the big chunk of plastic and the fascia diffuser off, the rest of the mechanics are just nuts and bolts. I used 8,10,15mm and 15/16AF sockets and a 15/16 ring spanner and a 17mm open ended spanner. Torxx 25 male. Torque wrench that can do 45 and 150 ft/lbs. That was about it for tools. A couple of socket extensions and ratchet handles.