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Dr Taras' Model S gets customized!

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DrTaras

R254->R725->S->X->M3->M3P-->R2020?
Dec 2, 2007
1,319
108
Woodland Hills, CA
I'm a fan boy of Al & Ed's of West Hollywood http://www.AE54.com
I first met Elie the day I decided to bring my Tesla Roadster to him and his crew in 2009!

He's meticulous at taking care of his customers and of course his cars!
With my 1st Roadster at the Model S unveiling, Elie showed Elon (& JB) how Al & Ed's was able to put full speakers in the doors!
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http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/show...-Roadsters/page4?p=38378&viewfull=1#post38378


2nd Roadster:
After a tree jumped in the way of my 1st Roadster, I got a check from AAA insurance for MORE than I bought the car & I turned around and bought... another Roadster.
http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/showthread.php/3409-Tree-Hugs-Roadster-Owner/page2?p=39138&viewfull=1#post39138
I scarcely got back in the seat before I handed it over to Elie ([email protected]) & gave him the keys to my 2nd Roadster which was the feature car at the 2010 CES Alpine booth:

Elon got to sit in my new car and saw that AE54.com had moved the A/C vents off the front of the dash and seamlessly placed them on the top of the dash and thus made room for a double-DIN. He looked at Franz and asked, 'why didn't we think of that'. Within weeks Franz came to Al & Ed's corporate HQ and the 2.5 interior was born!
Al & Ed's West Hollywood has CUSTOMIZED more Teslas than all others combined & with an unofficial coordination & hand shake from Tesla!

Grow the Tesla after-market & exposure & sell more Teslas to those not familiar with it, I suppose!
I tried doing that with an appearance on a nationally released realityTV show, My Ride Rules
http://www.tinyurl.com/MyTeslaRules


Model S: :love:
My wife got a Tesla Model S Performance in that beautiful green, but after she drove it for a month, she could not get used to the fact, coming from an Infiniti QX56, that the car was so low (high for me, but life is how you handle Plan B)! That and we still have nearly 2 years left on the lease so she decided to give the Model S to me & she would continue to drive the Q until the lease was up and then move to the Tesla Model X. We still have the Roadster & I am renting it out waiting for the summer (presumed higher value) to sell it: http://www.getaround.com/TESLAinLA

When my wife handed me the keys to the Model S, I turned to Elie and handed him the keys.
He really does offer turn key service, but that being said, I'm hardly a low-maintenance kind of guy.
Also, my tastes may be a bit more 'urban' (my son's words) than yours.

There are so many different threads under "Model S: Interior & Exterior" where one discusses tint, another mats, another wraps, another interior, another exterior, etc., but Elie does it all!
I figured as he builds out my car, I'd continuously update pictures here and also allow others to take than info back to their drawing boards and help them.
You can follow him automatically by hitting the LIKE button on his Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Al.Eds.WH
Here are some recent (gutted) pictures on his Instagram Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?...7724234.120330.165794790119125&type=3&theater

While Elie does have a vehicle transport service and has done cars from across the country to sunny Southern California, he is also passionate about going GREEN!
He even has an electric car himself and his Al & Ed's West Hollywood store Al s Autosound West Hollywood even has a J1772 dedicated plug so your Tesla will never run out of juice!

When your car is in his shop, you'll probably also see there Ferraris and Rolls-Royces being customized!
That being said, when I visited his shop this past Wednesday, there were 3 Tesla Model S cars in his bays!
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Like I said... Al & Ed's West Hollywood has CUSTOMIZED more Teslas than all others combined!!! :scared:
Stay tuned...
 
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Can't wait to see more... and completely agree, Al & Ed's have a top-notch reputation for their Tesla work.

BTW, can't believe it's possible to actually rent a Tesla, even for just one day, great concept. I'm in for my next LA trip. Were you doing this with both your Roadster and MS too beforehand? Could the brilliant "getaround" folks be prominently showcasing your Model S (pre A&E transformation) on the "tour" page of their website?
http://www.getaround.com/tour

They should...
 
BTW, can't believe it's possible to actually rent a Tesla, even for just one day, great concept. I'm in for my next LA trip. Were you doing this with both your Roadster and MS too beforehand? Could the brilliant "getaround" folks be prominently showcasing your Model S (pre A&E transformation) on the "tour" page of their website?
http://www.getaround.com/tour They should...
Someone on another thread mentioned the postulate that the Model S in SF must be getting some promotional consideration for renting it out @ $25/hr and I concur; kudos to him!
The founder of GetAround, Jessica Scorpio, I believe had a Roadster that she used during her initial launch of the company for promotion. While I'm a Johnny-Come-Lately, I have been with them for about a year.

- - - Updated - - -

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Ian, super cool!

Elie and Al & Eds West Hollywood are AMAZING.

I have S Sig VIN #70, so I was one of the first Model S's prowling the SoCal highways. Because of Ian's experience with his Roadster, I had reached out to Elie before my car was even delivered, and I agreed (well, jumped at the chance) to be the first S they got their hands on. I knew I wanted to supplement the amazing S with a few extras in the form of collision warning and radar (for the enormous amount of time I spend on the SoCal freeways --- I'm already at 16,000 miles), as well as window tinting. I talked about the install here:
Collision warning, radar detection, window film paint armor installed on my S

I have NEVER worked with a group more capable or dedicated to getting it right. They are total perfectionists:
* I wasn't happy with the Tesla paint armor on the hood. Elie got it swapped out and it looks GREAT. My Tesla service manager was totally confused because he couldn't even tell there was armor on the hood when Elie's team was done. At around 8,000 miles a huge rock gouged my hood somehow, ABOVE the line where the Tesla armor would have ended if I had still had that. You could tell looking at the armor that it was a nasty hit, but the armor did it's job and there was only a tiny nick to the paint underneath. Elie's team managed to make it completely disappear and the hood looks as good (dare I say better?) than ever. Thank goodness I had that armor!
* I can't imagine living without the Mobileye now. After 16,000 miles, there have been a couple close calls where this thing may have very well prevented me from getting in an accident on the crazy stop & go LA freeways. When I got the Mobileye, no one knew how to access the Model S speed and brake data. So Al & Eds came up an alternative of rigging their own speed sensor. This worked pretty well. But that wasn't good enough for Al & Eds. With Elie's connections he quickly managed to get the info needed to read the Tesla digital info and get the Mobileye working PERFECTLY.
* AFTER my install, I happened to mention reading that the Mobileye had an optional feature to automatically control the headlights (brights on/off) and mused that that would be cool. They immediately had me setup with that too (no charge). I also mentioned I thought the Escort display might be better in a different place, and they had it instantly moved with no sign it hadn't always been that way (no charge).
* They make custom plastic parts for mounting things that look like they are OEM parts. I did not want the Mobileye covering up any of the beautiful carbon fiber, so they rigged something to put it in the perfect spot and it looks great thanks to that.

Now I'm looking at getting parking sensors added, and Elie says he's already done it on a couple other S's.

I would absolutely not trust anyone else with my car. I haven't done the more extreme mods like Ian, but even for window tinting, armor, installs, whatever, I wouldn't trust anyone else. And if I DID want to do more cosmetic stuff, these guys are the true pros. Just being around their shop and seeing the stuff being done to the amazing classic cars and latest Ferraris and Lamborghinis is a huge treat.

Speaking of which, may I remind everyone that my car was the first to show off Elie's 22 inch wheels!: Model S With 22 Tires * World's First*

I had the joy of driving on these to the Tesla Supercharger event where JB also checked out the first modified Model S!
 
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Al & Ed's is a great provider for customized modifications for your Model S. If you are, like me, hesitant to allow just anybody access to your baby, then relax and trust Max and Elle at Al & Ed's in West Hollywood. I had the following modifications done by Al and Ed's: -

Install Mobileye system - Forward Collision warning, Daytime pedestrian collision warning, Lane departure warning, Headway monitoring and warning, High beam control
Install Escort passport 8500ci Plus system
California legal window tint of all windows except Pano roof and windshield - My objective was UV and heat reduction not necessarily the black out look. The quality of the tint material is top of the line
Install clear bra on all surfaces - This was an upgrade from the factory installed system. I did have to redo some of what had been done by Tesla as this product is a higher end product.
Install parking sensors on front and rear bumper - These were color matched to the bumper and the nose cone. They looked like a factory installed option.
Detailed car and applied Cila Jet paint protection - The car looked absolutely sparkling after the application of the Cila Jet product.

Potential future modifications

Blind spot detector - They told me that they are researching the possibility of being able to add blind spot detector to the rear bumper.
Enhanced interior lighting - They are researching options to add more interior lighting that is similar to the factory lighting but provides more light when needed for the trunk, frunk, and cockpit.

I am very happy with the work. Al and Ed's in West Hollywood is clearly the best provider for high quality modifications for your Model S. Thank you Max and Elle and your team! I am looking forward to hearing about future modification evolutions.
 
They are total perfectionists:
* I wan't happy with the Tesla paint armor on the hood. Elie got it swapped out and it looks GREAT.
* AFTER my install, I happened to mention reading that the Mobileye had an optional feature to automatically control the headlights (brights on/off) and mused that that would be cool. They immediately had me setup with that too (no charge). I also mentioned I thought the Escort display might be better in a different place, and they had it instantly moved with no sign it hadn't always been that way (no charge).
I just highlighted a few salient points because everyone can be happy if everything goes right. But the true test of a company is seeing what happens when things go wrong and life is how you handle Plan B!
Additionally, like a Tesla, Elie found some enhancements for you and wanted your CONTINUED satisfaction, even after you drove off the lot! Thanx for sharing!
photo_1.JPG
 
I just highlighted a few salient points because everyone can be happy if everything goes right. But the true test of a company is seeing what happens when things go wrong and life is how you handle Plan B!
Additionally, like a Tesla, Elie found some enhancements for you and wanted your CONTINUED satisfaction, even after you drove off the lot! Thanx for sharing!
View attachment 18472

That's Protective Film Solutions location in Santa Ana no? I was having my windows tinted at PFS the day the car was delivered to them to be wrapped.
 
Potential future modifications

Blind spot detector - They told me that they are researching the possibility of being able to add blind spot detector to the rear bumper.
Enhanced interior lighting - They are researching options to add more interior lighting that is similar to the factory lighting but provides more light when needed for the trunk, frunk, and cockpit.


I'm emailing Elie right now. I want these too!
 
Dadaleus - Let us know if you get more information on the availability of the blind spot detector option as I will also want to add them. So far I am pleased with the Al and Ed's West Hollywood modifications. The parking sensors on the bumper look like they were factory options! Do you have any sense of the increased electrical usage and therefore decrease in available mileage from a battery charge? I assume that there is a reduction in the miles per kwh when additional items are added. Although perhaps it is all off of the 12V battery and therefore does not impact the car's efficiency. Thoughts?
 
Wow that brushed aluminum wrap looks pretty cool, and neatly done. Personally though, I think it would have looked cooler if you left the doorhandles as they were.
I guess that's why there are 31 different flavors of ice cream :wink:
I wanted the door handles to disappear when they were retracted rather than have chrome sticking out from brushed aluminum.
And now for the back side of said door:
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Dadaleus - Let us know if you get more information on the availability of the blind spot detector option as I will also want to add them. So far I am pleased with the Al and Ed's West Hollywood modifications. The parking sensors on the bumper look like they were factory options! Do you have any sense of the increased electrical usage and therefore decrease in available mileage from a battery charge? I assume that there is a reduction in the miles per kwh when additional items are added. Although perhaps it is all off of the 12V battery and therefore does not impact the car's efficiency. Thoughts?

I'll let you know when/if I hear.

I can't imagine any material impact on power usage. The motor uses power at such a dramatically higher rate than any accessories you could possibly add. Remember, the motor has to propel >2 tons down a freeway high speed. Electronics and sensors can't even remotely make a dent compared with that.