Side Mirror Removal How-to DIY Video Instructions (English Version Added)

[cvalue13]

You can drive with your side mirrors displayed on the center screen, back up camera too for a good rear view. It's just a button you can press from the menu and it can show all three on your screen at all times.

do you have to press ‘that button’ every time you get in? Or does it save the setting between drives?

Also, how much screen real estate does ‘that button’ take up?

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[CyberMoose]

do you have to press ‘that button’ every time you get in? Or does it save the setting between drives?

Also, how much screen real estate does ‘that button’ take up?

putting those 3 cameras on screen replaces your maps window. So it takes up a lot but it is also giving a really good size view of all three cameras.

Which isn't something I regularly use and the only time I really care about them if to switch lanes or turn. Then I use the rear view mirror to see behind me.

Though in the Cybertruck, the rear camera doesn't take up too much space to keep that on the display at all times and I would prefer that over a physical mirror.

Not everyone will share these opinions and I always wanted the Cybertruck to have mirror options for those who aren't ready to fully switch to cameras. But I know I will stick with cameras.

 

[cvalue13]

Which isn't something I regularly use and the only time I really care about them if to switch lanes or turn. Then I use the rear view mirror to see behind me.

Though in the Cybertruck, the rear camera doesn't take up too much space to keep that on the display at all times and I would prefer that over a physical mirror.

sorry, making a distinction here:

let’s just assume that everyone will all the time have the (center) rearview mirror on the main screen. There’s just zero vis our back with tonneau closed, and NEAR zero with tonneau open.


what we’re talking about separately is the prospect of ALSO having active, every time you drive, the tow ADDITIONAL screens for each side-mirror camera.


based on your descriptions, I think I now understand the suspicion I had before:

remove your physical side mirrors, and you’re committed to having your center screen display all three cameras at once


And what remains to be understood is:

(A) how much screen real estate does that take up? Snd

(B) will this view be the default view every time you get in the truck, or will ‘that button’ need to be selected every time you get in the truck




And meanwhile, FYI, to one of your prior points: the historical inclination to ‘look over your shoulder’ before switching lanes will in the CT fade

between there is very little rearward visibility ‘over the shoulder’ in a CT, owing to the layout of the rear passenger windows (high and narrowing to the rear) and the sail pillars (highest exactly where the blind spot is), even if the tonneau is open.


I’m sure Tesla has addressed this (at least materially) in the cameras and software, but here talking about the camera/software effects and UI once the side mirrors are removed.

because maybe it’s just me, but I’ve never found my side mirrors unhelpful or useless ?

 

[Dcwittenborn]

gregger, this is a little silly

This neither shows how much of the door assembly must be removed to get at those bolts/connector, or what accessory parts must be ordered in order to plug the resulting rain-facing gap in the SS panel that results from this removal


everything is removable

nothing about this drawing shows that 3 bolts takes it off and “That’s it ”

You need to watch again dude.

 

[cvalue13]

You need to watch again dude.

gregger's original post was merely/only of the schematic from the EPC

DAYS LATER, the Administrator (not greggertruck) added to the OP post the recent video of the relevant trim that must be removed



So in effect, my original response to the SCHEMATIC was "this alone does not tell us how easy it will be to remove the side mirror, without knowing more about what trim must be removed/accessed to get to those 'simple' three screws'

Then days later, my point was ~proven

 

[chinokie]

Texas is eliminating safety inspections after next year.

And they added a $200 tax for EVs.

 

[HaulingAss]

So I guess Tesla leased it with FSD and then scrubbed the FSD since they figured it wouldn't add enough value to make it worth leaving on the vehicle.

It costs nothing for Tesla to leave FSD on a vehicle when they re-sell it. But they would rather sell it for a few thousand less without FSD, because when FSD is really self-driving, it will be worth a lot more than that to whoever owns the car. It can be upgraded Over-The-Air for it's ultimate value which Elon estimates will be a lot more than a few thousand dollars.

This is an example of Tesla putting their money where their mouth is. If they thought FSD beta would never reach FSD, they would just put it on every car they sold. The fact that they remove it proves they believe people will want to pay big bucks for it later.

And, that's the main reason people pre-order the beta version today, because it's going to cost a lot more than $12K if and when it reaches its anticipated potential of full self-driving. Those who believe it will never reach full FSD, at least not within the lifespan of the vehicle, don't buy it. It's a gamble either way. Nobody pays $12K for what it can already do, they pay $12K to get in on the low price before it can actually drive itself. And no one knows exactly when that will be, not even Elon Musk.

Here's the thing - Over the last few years Tesla has been working on automating the training of FSD and speeding up the reiterative process they use to train. That process is ready to hypercharge the rate of improvement, which is exactly what is needed to overcome the state FSD has recently entered, what has long been referred to as the "march of 9's", that long process of training all the edge cases so FSD can actually be reliably deployed without constant oversight.

 

[HaulingAss]

Imo this is one of the more accurate lists I’ve seen. It cracks me up when I see someone use the 12k for FSD in the calculations. Many of us in this forum probably reserved many years ago. Only time I’ve ever seen people want FSD to cost MORE ?

Nobody wants FSD to cost more, the price is whatever it is:

$12K if not pre-ordered with FSD
$7K if you locked the price in back in 2019 or 2020.

 

[Bkb13]

you can bet that if Tesla intends the side mirrors to be easily removable by customers (seems they do), there will be some additional part they offer to sufficiently plug this hole

I think you can catch a glimpse of that cut out here:

 

[HaulingAss]

i wonder if the no mirrors will make the truck look weird like its missing something. that and also giving up the organic way we glance at our side mirrors for traffic.

if it doesnt make a substantial difference in range, im not sure i would take them off.

There is no question that mirrors come with a substantial cost in the amount of energy it takes to move at highway speeds. It's a drain on the battery that is non-negotiable as long as the mirrors are there.

All cars are required to be equipped from the factory to meet federal standards. Those standards do not apply once you take ownership so the legality of not having mirrors, or only having one mirror, varies from state to to sate. And the wisdom of not having two mirrors, in those states that don't require them, has more to do with the driver, and whether or not they have the skills necessary to drive safely without them.

Most people will want to leave them on so they don't have to re-learn how to drive without them. However, there are plenty of people who could be safer without mirrors than most people are with them.

 

[HaulingAss]

Dude. You will obviously be driving atop a heap of electrically driven components that are not sealed and will fill up with water during the rain even the BAW won't save you. Good luck on your electric coffin or door water jug, whichever you prefer. This is why we can't have nice things.

Since when is the inside of a door a "sealed" environment? The "felt" window sliders do not keep water out, so the inside of a door is already considered a wet environment and there are multiple drain holes at the bottom of the door to let the water flow through the door and out the bottom. The door only turns into a water jug if the drainage at the bottom of the door is blocked.

Please think before you post.

 

[rizvend]

Since when is the inside of a door a "sealed" environment? The "felt" window sliders do not keep water out, so the inside of a door is already considered a wet environment and there are multiple drain holes at the bottom of the door to let the water flow through the door and out the bottom. The door only turns into a water jug if the drainage at the bottom of the door is blocked.

Please think before you post.

Who died and made you senseless condescending master? Be better.

 

[ecotrials]

And mine was “just a response on how it doesn’t necessarily appear that way to me based on what we’ve seen”

All of which was really beside the point of my post to OP

Because, again, my post to OP was about how showing that the mirror detaches from inner door with 3 screws isn’t alone enough to say anything about how easy it is to remove the mirror (and also what to do about the hole)

but your responses added more info and was helpful to that discussion - and smoked out @Kahpernicuss find


so I’m left wanting to know about how to plug the hole (been that way since age 12)

With any luck, Tesla has thought this through to a complete solution. My thought is to have countersunk the three holes from the outside so that custom flat head screws made from stainless with NO "screw method (ie philips, slotted, torx, whatever)" just a flat brushed surface to match the door. Hopefully the tip of this custom screw would have a square end so that all tightening is done on the in side of the door, paying attention to the exterior brush direction to minimize the obviousness of the screw. The chamfered hole should take care of any water ingress. Fingers crossed it is just that simple, although the "stainless plug screws" are likely to cost quite a bit. But if removing the mirrors offers somewhere up to 5% (I am not aware if Tesla has indicated the average mileage benefit, but I might have read that somewhere on this forum), then sign me up. This would allow the AWD mileage to potentially go from 340 to 357 miles (EPA calculation, YMMV).
Common comments indicate towing will halve mileage, which uses a VERY broad brush to estimate towing mileage. This is something I am very interested in hearing from actual owner experience. My trailer is both ultra low weight and a pop-up, ranging in length from 26' when opened down to 19' when closed for towing, with an empty weight of 2400 pounds. When in the towing configuration, the frontal area is 91" wide and 60" tall. The CT is just under 80" wide without mirrors, and likely between 65 to 70" tall when towing. Using 79x65 =5135 sq in for the CT and 91x50= 4550 for the trailer. About a foot wider but also over a foot shorter.
I plan to carry my electric trials bike in the closed vault. So if I can achieve a 55-60% efficiency while towing this would translate to JUST under 200 miles to almost 215 miles, again these would be EPA mileage based, not actual. That means I would be able to drive to all current venues utilized by our trials club, with some requiring recharge on the way home. Woohoo!
My $.02 anyway, Paul

 

[CMaraia]

Thieves could easily jack the mirrors if the mounting screws were accessed from outside of the door.

The plastic wheel flares pop off easily but I don’t see a resale demand for those.

Ummmm, I don’t think the removal is meant to re-sell them. Possibly for the wrap, or for replacement, or for an aftermarket fender.

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