Surfer Asking: Driving Without A Passenger Seat? Will the TM3 Throw a Fit?

[pnwadventures]

Hey I know you’re looking for serious answers here, and I’m sorry I have none.

But Aloha from a surfer of mountains, and where is the ID.Buzz when we need it?

 

[Deaf Paul]

Hey I know you’re looking for serious answers here, and I’m sorry I have none.

But Aloha from a surfer of mountains, and where is the ID.Buzz when we need it?

My wife loved the VW bug - she want through 3 of them before she moved on to Audis. We were a good match for the ID.Buzz despite it being cringely trendy for may tastes. However, after hearing about how bad the wait list is here in Hawaii for next year’s release I noped my way out of that one.

I do love vans though.

I’ve owned three Sienna vans and a Previa drift van. My current boat hauler is a mid-90’s modified Dodge Ram van that’s built up Dajiban style and spits fire out of the side exhaust on command.

As hilarious as that van is, I’d love an EV van. Make it a Plaid please.

-Paul

 

[chado]

Woah crazy.
I live in oahu, have an i3, just bought a model 3 rwd, just recently sold my 1950 chevy styleline deluxe to a buddy who now has two i3s.
AND I was looking at the exact same LR as you to replace the i3.

I just have a hard time spending the same amount for a 2020 LR as I can for another brand new model 3 rwd.

 

[Deaf Paul]

Woah crazy.
I live in oahu, have an i3, just bought a model 3 rwd, just recently sold my 1950 chevy styleline deluxe to a buddy who now has two i3s.
AND I was looking at the exact same LR as you to replace the i3.

I just have a hard time spending the same amount for a 2020 LR as I can for another brand new model 3 rwd.

Small island!

WAS looking? Did you find something else? Maybe the immaculate white 2018 LR D for 36K in Hawaii Kai that sold last week Wednesday? I was about to pull the trigger on that one when it sold.

I made an offer on the Mililani one, but the seller isn't being clear on if he's accepting my offer or not despite my offering twice.

-Paul

 

[gearchruncher]

What you want to do is go talk to the guys that race teslas and remove the stock seats to replace them with race seats. They're the ones that know.

For instance:

FS: Unplugged Performance Model 3 Carbon Fiber Ascension-R Racing Seats

Sold my 3 and am selling my seats! Install in less than 30 min and maintain use of autopilot, cruise, stock seat belts (if you want) etc. Seats: Ascension-R Bucket Seat Kit – Driver and Passenger Package D: UP Alcantara Finished Sparco Carbon QRT-C Seat, UP Seat Base, Harness and Emulator...

teslamotorsclub.com

Looks like you will have errors, they don't block the car from driving, and maybe Unplugged Performance can help you with an emulator.

 

[chado]

Small island!

WAS looking? Did you find something else? Maybe the immaculate white 2018 LR D for 36K in Hawaii Kai that sold last week Wednesday? I was about to pull the trigger on that one when it sold.

I made an offer on the Mililani one, but the seller isn't being clear on if he's accepting my offer or not despite my offering twice.

-Paul

Haha, I meant I WAS as in wife "convinced" me not to, really it's because she doesn't want to give up the i3.
Although after driving the RWD and experiencing autopilot it really makes me want that 3.9 to 60 and FSD.

Mililani's asking price is a pretty good deal especially with the FSD but all of the LRs are almost as much as a new RWD after fed and TTL.

I think all of the used model 3s are still a bit overpriced since the price cuts and fed credit then you have the differences with 2020 LR vs 2023 RWD
double glazed front windows, matrix LEDs, updated interior, heat pump (not that it matters in Hawaii), AMD processor, better cameras and the longer expected life of LFP.

 

[Watts_Up]

Instead of folding backward the back of the passenger seat (like in the above picture),

you should move the passenger seat as close as you can toward the dash board.

Note: You should first rotate the passenger sunvisor toward the windshield,
otherwise it could be hit by the passenger head rest and the miror could be broken.

You should also lower as much the bottom of the passenger to get enough clerance
between the top of the passenger head rest and the ceiling.

After doing so, you will have at least 7 ft or 84 inches between the back of the passenger seat and the end of of trunk.

- @Deaf Paul if you give me the length and width of your surboard, I could make a cardboard template to check if it would fit.

 

[Deaf Paul]

My board is 7’11 x 19” so that would not work. I will need to remove the passenger seat or the top half of the passenger seat or cut off the passenger seat headrest.

-Paul

 

[MP3Mike]

or cut off the passenger seat headrest.

The headrest can just be removed, you wouldn't have to cut it off. Note that the headrest holds on the seat back, so that would come off as well.

Tesla says that you need special tools to do it:

The tool seems to be fairly inexpensive, and you would need two of them:

1132841-00-A, M3 1R HEADREST REMOVAL TOOL, JTC Tools 4 Tesla

JTC Tools 4 Tesla

www.jtctools4tesla.com

However, this person shows doing it with just a normal trim removal tool:

 

[gearchruncher]

It's really easy to just use a flat blade screwdriver to remove the headrests- a special tool isn't needed.

 

[charlieaf92]

I assume you can't just push the passenger seat as far back as it will go and then lean it forward as far as it goes + remove the headrest?

Regarding your original question - I can't say for sure with Tesla but with my previous car (996 Porsche) there were instructions to disconnect the battery before removing the seat due to an error code that would come up related to airbags. This was a 2003, so I would assume that a much more advanced Tesla would have similar issue with the seat being unplugged. That being said, I would contact your nearest service center - or visit in person - and ask to speak with a tech about it. If I remember correctly Tesla have also open sourced all of their repair manuals so you could check in there regarding the proper way to remove/replace the passenger seat and see if it mentions any issues relating to errors.

Edit: Yes the manuals are online and available for free. A quick skim of seat replacement mentions disconnecting the battery + that there is a seat mounted airbag as well as an explosive belt tensioner, that are part of the seat assembly. I didn't see anything specifically about operating the vehicle with the seat removed though. I'd read through the manual and/or speak with someone at a service center.

 

[Watts_Up]

My board is 7’11 x 19” so that would not work. I will need to remove the passenger seat or the top half of the passenger seat or cut off the passenger seat headrest.

-Paul

Yes, it's pity that the back of the passenger seat could not be folded flat,
ever forward on top of the bootom of the seat, or backward toward the back seat.

Because otherwise there would be plenty of room to carry your surfboard.
In fact I often carry inside my car some 10 ft PVC and EMT tubes
when doing some work in my home, but the tubes are only 1" diameter.

Maybe you could fit your surfboard inside the Model Y, after removing
the passenger headrest, because the Model 3 trunk height is limited by the speaker shelf.

Note: It would be interesting to remove the passenger seat upholstery cover
to access the hinge mechanism. This would allow checking if it would be possible
to manually find a way to fold further the back seat in a more horizontally position.
So you would not have to remove the whole passenger seat.

 

[Deaf Paul]

Update: I decided not to mess with my wife’s new Model 3 especially because it’s a lease. I put down a deposit on a used LR instead, and pick it up in 3 days. I plan to remove the rear passenger side backrest to maximize how far back the front passenger seat can recline and then I will be taking a close look at the front passenger headrest to check 3 options:
1. Remove and reinstall backwards
2. Remove completely
3. Remove, bend headrest rods back, reinstall (see video @MP3Mike posted up above)

If all the above options fail to solve my issue, then the backrest of the front passenger seat or the entire entire passenger seat will go.

The new-to-me M3 does have racks installed already, but the reasons I don’t plan to use it regularly have already been covered in a previous post in this thread.

I also bought used racks for my wife’s M3 and am wondering if the Tesla service center will install used Tesla items or not. Anyone know? I’ve read too many posts here about cracked glass roofs and for $65 or so, I think having them do it would be a smart move even though I normally do most things on my own.

-Paul

 

[MP3Mike]

I also bought used racks for my wife’s M3 and am wondering if the Tesla service center will install used Tesla items or not. Anyone know?

They shouldn't have any problem with that. (As long as all the parts are there.) Some people only have them on part of the year, and have Tesla reinstall them every year.

 

[Deaf Paul]

They shouldn't have any problem with that. (As long as all the parts are there.) Some people only have them on part of the year, and have Tesla reinstall them every year.

I don’t see the two protective adhesive strips which I believe has the installation indication arrows printed on them tho. Could they refuse to do the install because that’s missing? If they refuse to install the racks then my plan is to carefully measure the ones on the new to me used Tesla to figure out where to install the latching hooks on my wife’s new one and hope I don’t crack her new car’s roof.

-Paul

 

[MP3Mike]

I don’t see the two protective adhesive strips which I believe has the installation indication arrows printed on them tho. Could they refuse to do the install because that’s missing? If they refuse to install the racks then my plan is to carefully measure the ones on the new to me used Tesla to figure out where to install the latching hooks on my wife’s new one and hope I don’t crack her new car’s roof.

-Paul

There should be little arrows on the glass that point to the correct location as well.

 

[Deaf Paul]

There should be little arrows on the glass that point to the correct location as well.

Great! I thought I saw somewhere that the arrows were printed on the clear adhesive stickers themselves. Good to know. I submitted a mobile service request for next week Wednesday at my school where i teach at since they only offered a 8-12 or a 12-4 time slot on the app. Will trade cars with my wife that day and see how things go with Tesla’s mobile service.

-Paul

 

[chado]

Update: I decided not to mess with my wife’s new Model 3 especially because it’s a lease. I put down a deposit on a used LR instead, and pick it up in 3 days. I plan to remove the rear passenger side backrest to maximize how far back the front passenger seat can recline and then I will be taking a close look at the front passenger headrest to check 3 options:
1. Remove and reinstall backwards
2. Remove completely
3. Remove, bend headrest rods back, reinstall (see video @MP3Mike posted up above)

If all the above options fail to solve my issue, then the backrest of the front passenger seat or the entire entire passenger seat will go.

The new-to-me M3 does have racks installed already, but the reasons I don’t plan to use it regularly have already been covered in a previous post in this thread.

I also bought used racks for my wife’s M3 and am wondering if the Tesla service center will install used Tesla items or not. Anyone know? I’ve read too many posts here about cracked glass roofs and for $65 or so, I think having them do it would be a smart move even though I normally do most things on my own.

-Paul

Paul for reference can I ask what year and how much you got it for...really want to pick up a AWD at some point just not sure how realistic the used prices are vs new.

 

[Deaf Paul]

Paul for reference can I ask what year and how much you got it for...really want to pick up a AWD at some point just not sure how realistic the used prices are vs new.

2018 rwd LR w EAP, fresh tires, 45k mi, racks and full mats for 27k. Got the price because seller is moving, title not in hand, and wanted to use car til last day on Hi so I had considerable negotiating clout and am taking on some risk. Don’t expect to find this kind of prices locally for a while.
There was a M3P for 36k a few days ago here but no EAP or fsd.
I missed out on an immaculate ‘19 LR dual w fsd thinking about it for 2 days that sold for 36k
I tried to buy a ‘18 LR dual w fsd and accel boost for 36k 2 weeks ago that was cosmetically challenged but seller won’t move from 38.5 asking price. It’s still available and he might be willing to move on price now.

If I did not want EAP or FSD I would’ve bought a M3 new when the 7500 tax credit was in effect. 2nd choice would be a new MY currently w 7500 credit (47k). Not willing to pay 6k or 15k extra so I went to the used market for one that already had EAP or FSD.

-Paul

 

[chado]

2018 rwd LR w EAP, fresh tires, 45k mi, racks and full mats for 27k. Got the price because seller is moving, title not in hand, and wanted to use car til last day on Hi so I had considerable negotiating clout and am taking on some risk. Don’t expect to find this kind of prices locally for a while.
There was a M3P for 36k a few days ago here but no EAP or fsd.
I missed out on an immaculate ‘19 LR dual w fsd thinking about it for 2 days that sold for 36k
I tried to buy a ‘18 LR dual w fsd and accel boost for 36k 2 weeks ago that was cosmetically challenged but seller won’t move from 38.5 asking price. It’s still available and he might be willing to move on price now.

If I did not want EAP or FSD I would’ve bought a M3 new when the 7500 tax credit was in effect. 2nd choice would be a new MY currently w 7500 credit (47k). Not willing to pay 6k or 15k extra so I went to the used market for one that already had EAP or FSD.

-Paul

Good deal on the 2018 LR!
I have been looking at that 2020 M3P for the past days, owner sent me higher rez pics.
I think that LR with FSD and AB has been on the market for quite a bit.
I also thought about the Y, but don't really care for the way it looks but man it's a great deal
I have to admit after trying standard AP on my 2023 RWD I really want to experience that FSD stack life