4. for the trunk light. Accessing these connectors is much easier
if the speaker mount piece at the top is removed, which is
clipped in place. Starting with the bottom edge work
the trim piece loose but hold it loosely in place once all
of the retaining clips have been released, taking care
not to stress or break these electrical connectors. Reach
up over the inside of the trim pieces to disconnect
these. The top piece can be problematic as it has a
small retaining tab on the upper side of the connector
connections.
6. Once all of the trim pieces have been removed set them
aside in a safe place and keep all of the retainers and
screws in a place where they will be easy to find for
reuse.
7. When the pieces have been removed you’ll see two
black vinyl sheets on the back of the lift gate. These are
glued on with a tar-like material and need to be
removed to provide access to the electrical connections.
Remove them and set aside
B. Mount the rear lighted T
1. Raise the lift gate to a convenient working level for
working on the T.
2. Using the painters tape outline the existing chrome T
and arch to mark their exact placement. This is a
very important step for correct placement of the
lighted T and arch.
3. Using your fingers push the chrome T and arch from
side to side to loosen them a bit from the double
sided tape with which they are attached to the lift
gate.
4. Take a 12” piece of parachute thread and use it to saw
back and forth under the chrome T until it’s loose
and you can remove it. Do the same for the chrome
arch. Set them aside in a safe place. The residue of
TESLA MODEL S REAR LIGHTED T INSTALLATION 4
6.
C. Connect the running and brake light 12v power
1. Locate the black and red leads for the T and arch
on the underside of the lift gate, Using the tube
of silicone place a dab (for water proofing) on the
back of each hole then separate the red and black
wires.. Strip about 1/2 inch of the insulation off
the ends. Twist together the 2 red wires and do
the same with black wires. Then attach a Posi-
Lock Connector on the ends of both the red and
black wires. Then take the red and black leads on
one end of the dual brightness driver and attach
them to the open ends of the Posi-Lock Connector
attached to the red and black leads from the T &
Arch. Leave the yellow, blue,
and white wires from the dual brightness driver
alone — they will be connected in the steps
below. If additional lengths of wire are needed to
make these connections, use the wire provided in
the kit and the Posi-Lock Connectors.
.
2. Look at the very top of the underside of the lift
gate. You’ll see a black cable with a reddish pink
connector. This cable contains both the LED brake
light and ground connections
3. Trace this cable down the underside of the lift
gate. You want to access it in the passenger side
opening that was revealed when you removed
the black vinyl pieces in step A5. Find the cable
in this opening then pull out so that it’s
accessible. Then remove some of the electrical
tape and open it up so you can access the
individual wires in the cable. The blue wire is for
the brake light connection and the black wire for
ground.
4. Place a Positap connector on the blue wire and
slip the yellow lead from the dual brightness
driver into other side of the connector and screw
both ends down as tight as possible.
TESLA MODEL S REAR LIGHTED T INSTALLATION 6
7. 5. Place another Posi-tap connector on the black
wire and slip the white lead from the dual
brightness drive into the other side of the
connector. Then screw down both ends as
tight as possible.
6. Just behind the license plate lights on the
interior side of liftgate you’ll find purple wires
that provide power for each license plate light.
Attach a Positap to one of the purple wires and
connect the blue wire from dual brightness
driver to the other end of the Positap.
7. You’re now ready for testing.
D. Test Operation
You will need an assistant for these steps.
1. Using the touchscreen turn all of the lights
on. The rear lighted T should light match the
intensity of the rear running lights. If it
doesn’t light check all of your connections.
2. Have an assistant sit in the car and press the
brake light. The rear lighted T should
brighten to match the intensity of the brake
lights. The video to the right shows proper
operation
TESLA MODEL S REAR LIGHTED T INSTALLATION 7