Photo by Bram Van Oost on Unsplash
One question that Model 3 owners get a lot from people riding with them is ?how do I open the door??
People who have never ridden in a Model 3 before typically don?t know how to open the door, often pulling on the emergency release lever. Unfortunately this can damage the window or the window trim. This is because the windows does not lower when the emergency release lever is pulled and so the window hits the window trim.
You can prevent this issue with these ?OPEN DOOR? stickers. And if a passenger does ask how to open the door, you can simply say ?press the button that says ?open door??.
?OPEN DOOR? button stickers. Image by Tarsier.
Protection
The Standard Range and Standard Range Plus trims of the Model 3 does not come with floor mats, so they definitely need floor mats. But even the floor mats in the higher trims of Model 3 could use upgrading. I think rubber floor mats are superior to all carpeted floor mats because they?re waterproof/all-weather, are easy to clean, and fully protect the interior of the car.
These rubber floor mats are by far the best ones on the market, simply because the edges on the floor mats? edges come up about an inch. They?re also extremely competitively priced.
Front floor mat. Notice how tall the edges are and the fully covered dead pedal. Picture from Homeland Hardware.
Rear floor mat. Notice how tall the edges are. Picture from Homeland Hardware.
The glossy piano black finish of the center console attracts finger prints and scratches way too easily. This carbon fiber vinyl wrap protects the center console and looks really great. The install instructions are also extremely clear. If you make a mistake, they?ll even send you a replacement piece for free.
Carbon fiber center console wrap. Picture by HumanFriendly.
Tesla only gives you two options for the dash: wood and white. This doesn?t give much for customizing your Tesla. This carbon fiber vinyl wrap covers the dash. While some Model 3 dash wraps are two pieces (usually split in the middle, behind the center display), this carbon fiber vinyl wrap is a single piece. Being a single piece, it gives it a nice continuous look. If you make a mistake, don?t worry because they send you two pieces.
Carbon fiber dash wrap. Picture by EV Wraps.
The 15″ touchscreen is the only display in the car. When the sun is behind the car, sometimes the sun glare off of the screen can be blinding. The matte finish on this screen protector helps to reduce sun glare.
And because this screen is touched so often, it should be protected from scratches and fingerprints/smudges. To prevent scratches and fingerprints, the hard glass of this screen protector is covered with an oleophobic coating.
Matte screen protector for the Model 3 display. Picture by Innosure.
Keeping the Air Clean
If you live in an environment with a lot of trees, this cabin air inlet cover is a must-have. With out it, leaves and twigs can fall into the vent. And cleaning leaves out of there involves getting into the car, removing the passenger footwell liner, removing the cabin air filters, and fishing the leaves out with tweezers. It?s a long a tedius process. Save yourself the effort with this cabin air inlet cover.
Cabin air inlet cover installed on the car. Picture by Roocs.
Speaking of cabin filters:
For Model S and Model X, Tesla gives you HEPA cabin air filters. They filter 0.3 micron particles out of the air, making them great for areas where air pollution is bad. (Or if there is a wildfire.) And they legitimately make the air in the cabin smell clean.
With that said, Tesla does not offer HEPA cabin air filters with the Model 3. Fortunately, there are aftermarket solutions. This HEPA cabin air filter has a much denser filter than the OEM Tesla filter, and it has a layer of activated carbon to absorb VOCs, odors, and other harmful particulates.
Users have reported that these filters reduced the PM2.5 levels down to 1 ?g/m. For context, 1?g/m is cleaner than most hospital operating rooms. Check out this table from the EPA about air quality:
Air Quality Index (AQI) breakpoints. Table by the Environmental Protection Agency.
This means that HEPA filters are great at filtering out wildfire smoke (fantastic for Californians), dust particles, germs, and many viruses.
HEPA cabin air filter for Model 3. Picture by XTechnor.
Summary/TL;DR
To stop passengers from always asking how to open the doors:
- ?OPEN DOOR? button stickers
Protection
To protect the interior of the car:
- All-Weather Rubber Floor Mats
- Carbon Fiber Vinyl Wrap for Center Console
- Carbon Fiber Vinyl Wrap for Dash
- Model 3 Touch Screen Protector (Tempered Glass)
Keeping the Air Clean
To keep your air clean:
- Cabin Air Inlet Cover
- HEPA Cabin Air Filter
Photo by Vlad Tchompalov on Unsplash
Further Reading?
If you enjoyed this article, consider checking out these articles going over other categories of accessories!
- Interior Accessories:
3 Ways to Make Model 3 Even Quieter
EV drivers hate noise. Wind noise is air howling at you. And tire/road noise is an equally annoying hum.
medium.com
- Exterior Accessories (coming soon!)
If you?ve never experienced a Model 3, check out the things I learned driving a Tesla Model 3 Performance:
3 Things I Learned Driving a Tesla Model 3 Performance
I had the opportunity to drive a Tesla Model 3 Performance on and off for about a month. It?s the one with the?
medium.com
Or see what my commute is like as a Silicon Valley Engineer with a Tesla Model 3:
Day in the Life of a Silicon Valley Engineer
In Silicon Valley, there are quite a few Product Design Engineers. We are mechanical engineers who design consumer?
medium.com
Footnotes
[1]: Disclosure: I may make a commission if you use this link.
[2]: Air Quality in Operating Rooms and Surgical Suites (Atlantic Environmental Incorporated)
[3]: Revised Air Quality Standards for Particle Pollution and Updates to the Air Quality Index (AQI) (Environmental Protection Agency, United States)
