Tesla fan, owner, and popular YouTube personality DAErik asks, "Who would have thought a center console removal and replacement would brick your car?" Not him, clearly.
Editor's Update: As promised, we have the follow-up to this story. Erik Strait had told us that he would produce another video with more details after Tesla Mobile Service came out to look at the Model Y. Thankfully, Tesla showed up and was able to fix the crossover. In fact, Strait says they went above and beyond to get his car back on the road. Check out the follow-up video and the new center console above.
Erik Strait is known for his crazy projects. If we remember correctly, it all started when he turned his garage into a Tesla showroom and built his own Tesla Supercharger mock-up. Since then, Strait has published all sorts of unique content, with plenty focused on aftermarket upgrades, which he does himself, in his Tesla showroom garage.
In the original video (below), Strait shared a story with us about his attempt at a Model Y center console upgrade. Needless to say, it didn't go as planned.
Strait's Model Y has the older center console, much like the Model 3. However, both cars were "refreshed" for 2021. Now, people buying either car will get the new console. If you'd rather have the new console, there is a way to get it and perform the upgrade, but it seems you need to be read the instructions very carefully and make sure you know exactly what you're doing.
Strait ordered the new center console, which cost him about $1,700. First, he removed the Model Y's existing center console. Then, he installed the Gen 2 center console. However, after the process was complete, the car essentially wouldn't work at all, though it wasn't completely "bricked."
The only option Strait had to get his car back in working order was to uninstall the Gen 2 console and put the old one back in. Sadly, it didn't fix the issue. In fact, now the car is 100-percent inoperable. He completed a Tesla service request, after which the company reached out to him via the mobile app.
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There's much more info in the video, but Strait has plans to produce Part 2 after Tesla service comes out. Check out the video for all the details. Then, scroll down and leave us a comment. In the meantime, you may want to wait to upgrade your Tesla's center console.
Source: DAErik (YouTube)