Project: More light in Frunk and Trunk

efxjim · Jan 2, 2013

I found the light level in the Frunk and Trunk to be very poor. Here is what I did to brighten things up.
I purchased 2 of the following light kits from Fry's. There are available elsewhere.

OLSHAWHT2 Home Accent Expansion Kit

I also purchased 2) 5ft. extensions and 1) 10ft extension.

OLSHAEXT5FT Home Accent Extension
OLSHAEXT10FT Home Accent Extension

Pop out the 2 lights in the Trunk and the one in the Frunk (extra hard to remove). Unplug the light from it's wires. I used a small snap knife pop the lens off the LED base while holding the back with a set of Visegrip pliers.

Cut one of the 1ft extension cords in half and strip back the wires. Marry the green and white (negative) and the red and black (positive). Then solder the wires to the pins providing power to the LED. I nipped the black housing a little to allow the wires to pass easier. Align the base and cover (they only go one way) and snap shut.

Stick the light strip under the privacy shelf mount and feed the wire down through the vent opening and out of the light hole (coat hanger helps here).

The Frunk wiring can follow the wiper hose at the hinge and tuck under the weather stripping. I stuck the light strip in the curve of the hood pointed back down the hood.

Trunk with:

Trunk without:

Frunk with:

Frunk without:

Now there is plenty of light. :smile:

vfx · Jan 2, 2013

Now Jim can see the junk in his frunk!

efxjim · Jan 2, 2013

Gotta stop by and see it!

goaliemanshark · Jan 2, 2013

OMG this is great. I should do this...

We need a mod section!

artsci · Jan 3, 2013

An alternative would be a standard 12v LED light strip with a sticky back and leads already attached to the ends. No need for plugs or extensions of any kind. Just attach the plus and minus leads to the stock light power source, as indicated in this post.

Ceilidh · Jan 3, 2013

I bought some led light strips that run on standard batteries so no wiring required. Less convenient and perhaps less clean, but also no risk with the warranty. Gonna mount them in pretty much the same location. The one I got were made for biminis on boats. I can post pics once I get the car.

Yours do look good. Nice job.

Cheers.

tdelta1000 · Jan 4, 2013

efxjim said:
I found the light level in the Frunk and Trunk to be very poor. Here is what I did to brighten things up.
I purchased 2 of the following light kits from Fry's. There are available elsewhere.

OLSHAWHT2 Home Accent Expansion Kit

I also purchased 2) 5ft. extensions and 1) 10ft extension.

OLSHAEXT5FT Home Accent Extension
OLSHAEXT10FT Home Accent Extension

Pop out the 2 lights in the Trunk and the one in the Frunk (extra hard to remove). Unplug the light from it's wires. I used a small snap knife pop the lens off the LED base while holding the back with a set of Visegrip pliers.

View attachment 13932

Cut one of the 1ft extension cords in half and strip back the wires. Marry the green and white (negative) and the red and black (positive). Then solder the wires to the pins providing power to the LED. I nipped the black housing a little to allow the wires to pass easier. Align the base and cover (they only go one way) and snap shut.

View attachment 13931

Stick the light strip under the privacy shelf mount and feed the wire down through the vent opening and out of the light hole (coat hanger helps here).

View attachment 13930

The Frunk wiring can follow the wiper hose at the hinge and tuck under the weather stripping. I stuck the light strip in the curve of the hood pointed back down the hood. Sorry no pics.

Now there is plenty of light. :smile:

Great write up and post. Your solution is based on a suggestion that I made on Cinergi's post about the lighting in the rear of his S. Do both sets of lights (Modded and TM factory) work in concert? Also, please post some night time pics... thanks. Happy motoring.

efxjim · Jan 5, 2013

Yes the power is taken off the factory lights and they come on at the same time. I'll update with some night shots in a few days.

DrComputer · Jan 5, 2013

Guess I'll have to stop by your shop for my light upgrade.

William3 · Jan 5, 2013

Me too!

efxjim · Jan 5, 2013

Certainly!

mrjohnlnguyen · Jan 19, 2013

Me also!

W.Petefish · Jan 28, 2013

I'm working with Tesla Service on getting the trunk and frunk light levels up. (something got sent to engineering lately for official approval.)

tdelta1000 · Jan 30, 2013

W.Petefish said:
I'm working with Tesla Service on getting the trunk and frunk light levels up. (something got sent to engineering lately for official approval.)

Hey Petefish,

How soon do you expect to hear something back from TM? Are they considering making your idea a permanent factory item? Thanks for sharing.

W.Petefish · Jan 30, 2013

I don't know when. The Dallas Service manager forwarded my idea to engineering. Considering, yes. Am I waiting for official approval, kind of.

If they don't want to make it a factory item, I'll release the part numbers and make an instructable for anyone who wants to make the same mods.

rekoh · Jan 30, 2013

would something as simple as this work?

1 Pair Universal 12V 15LED Car DRL Strip Daytime Running Lights Fog Lamp White | eBay

Lloyd · Feb 1, 2013

I improved the trunk lighting today it was fairly easy. I ordered some adhesive backed strip lighting from Eco Light. I used 4.6w per foot and is 12 volt. which is more than enough. Lower would likely work as well.

I pulled the carpet back in the corner and tied into the existing LED wiring. I soldered and taped my connections. I cut a small hole in the carpet to pass the wires through. I put some epoxy over the connector to make sure the strip would not be pulled out.

Here they are turned on. They are very bright!

I took a photo from the front area of the trunk so you can see it compared to the existing LED. This is daytime. The adhesive backing is removed and the strip is stuck in place.

This material comes in a roll, and is enough to do 10 cars, but you will need additional terminals.

Here is a photo of the instruction sheet for termination, and the website for ordering. They seem like nice folks.

I may see if I can find a place to do the same mod for the Frunk as well.

mlascano · Feb 1, 2013

Lloyd said:
I improved the trunk lighting today it was fairly easy. I ordered some adhesive backed strip lighting from Eco Light. I used 4.6w per foot and is 12 volt. which is more than enough. Lower would likely work as well.

I pulled the carpet back in the corner and tied into the existing LED wiring. I soldered and taped my connections. I cut a small hole in the carpet to pass the wires through. I put some epoxy over the connector to make sure the strip would not be pulled out.

I may see if I can find a place to do the same mod for the Frunk as well.

Very nice! Did you do this on both sides (L and R)?

Lloyd · Feb 1, 2013

mlascano said:
Very nice! Did you do this on both sides (L and R)?

One side only as I think this will be more than enough. I have not seen it at night yet, but I anticipate about 10x the existing light, and it gives me light where I wanted it the most, in the well where the charge adapters are kept.

mlascano · Feb 1, 2013

Lloyd said:
One side only as I think this will be more than enough. I have not seen it at night yet, but I anticipate about 10x the existing light, and it gives me light where I wanted it the most, in the well where the charge adapters are kept.

Cool! Give us an update on how it looks in the dark. It looks simple enough that I may be able to do this.

Project: More light in Frunk and Trunk

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