The S3XY Strip for the Tesla Model 3/Y is a multifunctional light strip that flashes various alert and animation effects, based on certain features. However, some of you might experience difficulties with hiding the wiring or haven’t explored its full capabilities yet.

This article will serve as a go-to guide that will help you with the placement of your strip, tucking of the cables, so that you keep your interior neat. And we will also go through the available features and customization options.

If you want to see how it should look, check out the YouTube video:

Placement

For the previous generations Model 3 and Y, we had to cut the light strip a little bit shorter because of the bumps at each end of the air vent. Once you have your strip, simply complete the following steps:

1. Clean the area around the air vent.

2. Turn off the HVAC, so the airflow doesn’t tamper with the glue.

3. Remove one-third of the tape cover, starting from the left.

4. Place the strip against the corresponding bump, about 1 mm inward. 

5. Follow a straight line, pressing and guiding the strip with your thumb.

6. Remove another third of the strip and continue the process behind the Tesla Screen.

7. Remove the final part of the tape cover and finish all the way to the right bump.

For the Model 3 Highland and the Model Y Juniper, the process is similar, but the strip covers the entire air vent. All you have to do is measure 2.2 cm or 1 inch from the edge and then repeat the installation process described above.

 

The Controller

The S3XY Strip comes with a device, called the Controller, that communicates with the car, and it is installed at the front right A-pillar. To see how to properly install it, check the link: https://youtu.be/3N9DNxK6LDI?t=68

Wiring

Once you have your Controller and light strip installed, it’s time to put everything back together.

For the legacy models, simply follow these steps:

1. Lift the dash slightly and push the cable with your fingers into the gap. You can then use the pry tool to reach further back.

2. On the right top side of the dash, locate the plastic part with a triangular shape.

3. Push the triangular piece back to create a gap and hold. Use the pry tool for assistance

4. With your free hand, slide the cable through the gap.

5. Reassemble everything.

For the refreshed Model 3 and Y:

1. With the pry tool, remove the pins that are holding the dashboard down. Start with the ones on the side and gradually move to the back, toward the center.

2. Lift the right half of the dash and look for a gap that looks like a slit.

3. Grab a long zip tie and slide it through the gap until it comes from the trapeze-shaped hole, located on the side of the dash.

4. Tape the connector of the Controller to the zip tie and pull them both back through the slit gap. 

5. Connect the Controller with the light strip.

6. Push the cable back through the slit gap.

7. Route the cable behind the dash.

8. Push the dashboard down and make sure all the clips click into place. 

9. Power on the Controller and reassemble everything.

Whether you have the previous generation Model 3/Y or you own the Model 3 Highland, or the Model Y Juniper, the final result should look like it came straight from the factory.

Pairing

To pair your S3XY Strip, open the S3XY App and navigate to the Strip tab. Then, press the Connect A Strip button at the bottom of the pop-up. Once the process is done, you can start customizing.

 

General Settings

At the top of the Strip’s home page, you will see six slots available, which, upon tapping, will allow you to set a color to the light strip from the color wheel. If you go to the Animation section, you can set the strip to cycle through various colors in different patterns.

Additionally, you can adjust the brightness with the slider.

If you own a Model 3 Highland or Model Y Juniper, the toggle at the bottom of the page will set the light strip’s color to match that of your ambient lights.

Light Effects

Just underneath the slots, you will find a tab that leads you to a section where you can customize smart alerts and various animation effects, such as:

- Blind Spot Assist, which flashes the strip in a selected color when a vehicle enters your blind spot.

- Assigning colors for the Turn Signals and the Hazard Lights.

- Controlling the Autopilot and the flash when the warning that prompts you to keep your hands on the wheel gets triggered.

- Picking custom colors for different Acceleration Modes - like blue for Chill and red for Sport.

- A flash when you exceed the speed limit. You can even set how many kilometers per hour over the limit will trigger the alert, or define a minimum speed threshold before it kicks in.

- Charging animation when you plug in your Tesla at a station.

- Sentry animation when someone tampers with the car from the outside.

- A fun sequence that greets you when you enter your vehicle.

For each alert, you can choose a color and an animation style - blink, pulse, fade out, loading animation, running, or solid color. You can also create a brightness offset to make the animations stand out. For example, when you are driving, you can set your Blind Spot Assist to flash 10% brighter than your default color, so that is easier to notice.

Conclusion

In the spirit of our company, we strive to improve our products with new updates, and the S3XY Strip is no exception. If you want to learn more about it, make sure to head over to https://www.enhauto.com/pages/strip.