A fun project is adding more LED lighting in the trunk. The project took less than 90 minutes, and cost less than $45 in parts. For detailed step by step instructions and photos:
http://teslatap.com/modifications/lights-how-to-improve-trunk-lighting/
This shows the before and after views.
Nice writeup, thanks.
Jeez, @nickniketown, give it a rest. If you don't want the car because it doesn't have door pockets and the lighting isn't as bright as you want, then don't buy it. I am sure the people waiting for their car will be happy to get theirs one car earlier.
+1 jat
Actually, I think the Tesla has better lighting than most cars, including my Lexus. Still that's not saying a lot, since most cars lighting is quite poor.
The Tesla has 3 trunk lights at different directions and if the carpet was white (not a good idea), it would be fairly reasonable. It's really hard to get enough light in any car when the entire trunk area is black.
That said, I've always wanted a nice bright trunk and this project did the trick. I'm sure it's overkill for most, but it's just making a cool car even better.
@Frank2 - yeah, my previous cars tended to have just one bulb in a corner of the trunk, which did very little to light up the whole thing. For me, the Model S trunk has plenty of light, thought the frunk is a bit dark.
"My eyes are dim, I cannot see;
I have not brought my specs with me!"
Us oldies appreciate the extra lumens.
+1 @Frank2. Will try this next weekend.
BTW - I'm not that great at soldering, so shelled out an extra $8 for four LED-to-female DC connectors that just clip to the LED light strip:
http://www.amazon.com/ZITRADES-Single-Color-strips-Connector/dp/B00AO1C2...
I also have some of the LED strip connectors, and it's likely they'll work fine (I've used them on other projects at home). I was a bit concerned with the wide temperature ranges the car encounters and vibration that the connector might not make a good connection in the long term. Perhaps the best is to use them, and if it fails sometime later then solder the wires. They are really easy to use!
@Frank2 - you might want to add my Dash Cam install to the modifications list on TeslaTap: http://www.teslamotors.com/forum/forums/dashboard-camera-install
Good points. Not sure how many meters of LEDs I'd melt trying to solder the wires. For me that will be a last resort. :-)
Thanks for suggestion of the the dash-cam. I've added the video camera/recorder category to our modifications list, and it's related page has a link back to your installation thread.
I like the idea of the connector. What do you plug into the female end? Will the 6' male 2.1mm CCTV cable plug into it?
I used an inexpensive LED light (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003OX82KA/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?i...)
and used velcro to fasten it to the underside of the parcel shelf ledges. It stays put, easy to reach "on" button and creates enough task light for most things. It's also a portable flashlight. (let's see if I can upload a photo....)
/Users/seanthorntonmd/Desktop/TrunkLight.img
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<img src="URL" width="600">
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