So, there I was, standing in my garage with my Tesla Wardenclyffe t-shirt on, ready to tackle the broken door handle on my beloved car. It had been five long years since the handle had first started acting up, and I had finally decided to take matters into my own hands.
I had ordered an upgrade kit from EB Tuning, which included a new paddle gear, switches, and wiring. I thought it would be a fairly easy swap, but of course, things never go as smoothly as planned. After replacing the wiring and paddle gear, the handle still wouldn’t unlatch the door properly. It would unlatch, but only after a 10-second delay, which was definitely not ideal.
After some troubleshooting with Chris from EB Tuning, we discovered that the issue was with the control module for the door handle. There was corrosion on the wires where they connected to the module, causing the delay in unlatching. I had to order a new handle, as the control module was not sold separately, and the first handle that arrived was the wrong generation.
After receiving the correct handle, I made sure to seal it properly with a homemade vapor barrier to prevent any future issues. With the new handle installed, everything finally worked perfectly. It was a long and frustrating process, but I was relieved to have fixed the problem without having to pay the exorbitant prices that Tesla would have charged.
In the end, I had spent close to $300 on parts and labor, but I considered it a small price to pay for the peace of mind knowing that my door handle was now in perfect working order. It was a valuable lesson in DIY car maintenance and a reminder that sometimes, taking matters into your own hands can lead to a better outcome than relying on others.
So, the next time you have a car issue, don’t be afraid to roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty. You might just surprise yourself with what you can accomplish. And who knows, you might even end up with a cool new t-shirt to show off your DIY skills.
