Enhance Auto Adds Stalks Back to Your Tesla With New Product

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If you own or are considering a new Model 3 or a 2021+ Model S/X and prefer stalks over buttons, we’ve got something exciting to share with you.

Enhance Auto (Enhauto), of S3XY Buttons and S3XY Knob fame, gave us a preview of their upcoming product, the S3XY Stalks. While Tesla’s new stalk-less design is great for most — they’re not for everyone. That’s exactly where Enhance Auto’s new product comes in. They give owners the ability to add stalks back to their vehicles.

S3XY Stalks

The Enhauto Stalks (use code “NATA” for an additional 10% off) bring back the turn signal stalks for the new Model 3 and the redesigned Model S/X. They’re wireless and communicate via Bluetooth LE to the Enhauto Commander. Since they’re wireless, they're super easy to install—which we’ll get into later. Because they communicate with the Enhauto Commander, they’re also very customizable.

The stalks are configurable in the S3XY app, and you get multiple configuration sets—one set while the vehicle is driving and another while in park. With a tap of the lever, you can assign just about any command to the stalks, from turn signals to turning on your seat heater or enabling Autopilot.

You’ll be able to set nine actions per stalk, with actions assignable to things like a single tap, double tap, or even long press. While they don’t replicate the old stalks completely, since they don’t allow forward/back functionality, there is a ton of customizability, and it can do literally almost anything you can imagine—you could precondition your car with a double tap of the button on the end of the stalk, for example.

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You can customize it as much or as little as you want. For example, you can customize it so that the left stalk turns on the turn signals when you push it up/down, and the button activates the wipers. Similarly, you can have the right stalk activate Autopilot and shift gears. However, there’s so much more you can do. You can have a double press of a button activate your heated seats or adjust your climate temperature. The options you choose and how much you customize them are completely up to you.

Installation

The Bluetooth S3XY Stalk

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The installation procedure is super simple, especially if you’ve already got S3XY Buttons or a S3XY Knob. Simply power them on, peel off the 3M tape protector, and place them on the steering control column where you’d normally have your stalks.

This means that you don’t have to disassemble the steering wheel and remove the airbag inside. Removing the airbag is dangerous and, depending on your regional regulations, can potentially void your warranty.

If you don’t have the buttons or the knob, don’t panic - installing the Commander only takes a few minutes, and then you can set it up in the S3XY app.

Enhauto's website has instructions broken down by Tesla model and more detailed instructions based on model year to ensure you get the right fit.

Check out Enhauto’s launch video here:

How It Works

The stalks are battery-powered and wireless, removing any need for wires to the vehicle or to the main unit. They connect via Bluetooth to the Commander, the brains of the whole system, which communicates directly with the vehicle through the car’s OBD2 port. The Commander is the same unit that powers other Enhauto accessories such as the S3XY Buttons and Knob.

So the wireless stalks communicate with the Commander over Bluetooth and the Commander is directly connected to your vehicle to send commands like turning on your turn signals.

Who Is It For?

This product is perfect for people who love the idea of getting into a new Tesla or even getting their first one but are put off without having stalks to control turn signals or shifting. Plenty of people have built driving habits over decades, and suddenly having to re-learn how to operate an entirely different vehicle can be difficult.

The S3XY Stalks help bridge this gap and let anyone drive a new Model 3, Model S, or Model X without a major learning curve.

How Do I Buy It?

Pre-orders begin on Enhauto’s website today, and there’s an early bird special of 20% off - which will continue until December 20th. Use our code “NATA”, which helps support our site and receive an additional 10% discount.

If you order during the early bird special, deliveries will begin in late February - if you order after the 20th, you’ll see an April delivery window.

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Tesla Issues Physical & OTA Recall for Hardware 4 Computer

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Tesla has issued a recall for some vehicles due to issues linked to a revision of the Hardware 4 (HW4) computer that was introduced this past November. This recall affects all vehicles with the revised hardware except for the Cybertruck, as it uses a slightly modified version of the HW4 system.

Many vehicle owners have reported a complete failure of their Autopilot computer, which not only leaves the vehicle without FSD and Autopilot but also disables many of the active safety features that make a Tesla what it is.

Let’s take a look at this recall - because the recall is partially physical and partially a software recall.

HW4 Failure

Tesla has identified the failure and flagged it to the U.S. NHTSA (but not Transport Canada or Euro NCAP at the time of publishing) as a recall.

Tesla mentions that the vehicle’s FSD computer circuit board may short circuit, resulting in the loss of the rearview camera image. The recall itself is focused on the rearview camera - as not having a functional rearview camera breaks a Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard. However, it does impact more than just the rearview camera.

As previously mentioned, users have experienced the full loss of Autopilot and FSD on these vehicles, as well as reduced traction control and removal of safety features such as automatic emergency braking, collision avoidance assist, and forward collision warnings. 

While the vehicle remains driveable, it is not necessarily a good idea to drive the vehicle with many of these features, especially with the reduced traction control noted by many people. We’ve already noted that while Tesla has been sending tow trucks to pick up some vehicles, it is also prompting owners to drive the vehicle to their service center in some cases.

Remedy

Unlike most of Tesla’s recalls, this one isn’t entirely an OTA recall, owing to the fact that people have already experienced circuit board shorts and are already waiting for replacements.

The software portion of the recall has already been mostly completed for any vehicles with Tesla software update 2024.45.25.3 or greater. However, a significant portion of the tracked fleet remains on update 2024.44.25.2 (approximately 20%), so we recommend updating your HW4 vehicle whenever you receive the notification.

On the hardware side, Tesla is immediately identifying and replacing vehicles that have experienced a circuit board failure. Tesla is also reaching out to customers who have expressed intermittent issues with either Autopilot features, active safety features, or vehicle cameras not displaying correctly in their vehicles. If you have experienced any of these issues in a late 2024 vehicle, we recommend putting in a service ticket with Tesla to ensure that your vehicle isn’t affected by this recall.

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Tesla Officially Unveils the 2025 Model Y - New Turn Signal Stalk, Front Camera, New Color, Light Bars and More

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After a long wait, Tesla has finally launched the refreshed Model Y - the world’s best-selling vehicle - in China. The vehicle is available for pre-order throughout the Asia-Pacific market, so let’s dive into everything new.

Currently, Tesla’s order page expects the first vehicles - the Launch Series - to begin deliveries to customers in May 2025, just about four months away. For now, there are just two variants - the Rear Wheel Drive, and the Long Range, All Wheel Drive model.

Launch Series Edition

Similar to the Foundation Series Cybertrucks, the Launch Series Model Y’s are a limited release and include a set of additional options.

You’ll get an exclusive Launch Series badge on the rear liftgate and doorsill plate. Plus, the Launch Series badging shows up in the puddle lights too. The charging console also has “LAUNCH” as a wordmark on the trim, and the interior comes with an exclusive black vegan suede finish.

Launch Series for the Long Range AWD also comes with Acceleration Boost, the first time Tesla has ever included the feature outside of an “in-app” purchase.

What’s New

There are a lot of new things in the 2025 Model Y, from a new and sharp-looking exterior, an improved interior, and even better specs to round off the whole package. There are even several surprises that we didn’t know about. There’s a lot to like here.

Exterior

Tesla has redesigned the front and rear of the vehicle with iconic new light bars, which they mention increase vehicle aerodynamics, efficiency, and range. Part of this includes redesigned body castings for the Model Y refresh, reducing parts from 70… to just one. That’s fewer gaps, all designed to make an even quieter ride than before. We’re excited to see how all these improvements perform - after all, increasing stiffness is the key to a better ride.

The front bumper camera is also visible - so that’ll be the first for a Tesla vehicle outside of the Cybertruck. Hopefully, they’ll include it in FSD and Actually Smart Summon as well, but right now, at least on the Cybertruck, it’s only used for Autopark or, of course, to use it manually.

The refreshed Giga Casting

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Indirect Rear Light Bar

The rear light bar is actually not aimed away from the car - but at it. According to Tesla, it's the first indirect reflective body panel taillight - and it looks cool. Tesla has also redesigned several curves on the car - it looks far more aerodynamic and cuts a sharp figure over the original Model Y. These changes will improve range and performance.

The rear light bar

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Tesla has also introduced a new color - Glacier Blue - exclusive to the 2025 Model Y Refresh for now. The standard color option is Stealth Grey, while Pearl White Multicoat, Glacier Blue, Quicksilver, and Ultra Red are all available as options.

The new Glacier Blue

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Tesla has also removed the hitch option from the Model Y Refresh. This is a big change - it was the only non-premium level Tesla vehicle to include a tow hitch. We’re hoping that Tesla does include a tow hitch in versions coming to North America and Europe - as many users do use them. If it is indeed gone, that’ll mean the only vehicles left in the lineup with tow hitches will be the Cybertruck, Model S, and Model X.

Interior

First up - ventilated seats and ambient lighting will be the first two things you see, along with new soft-touch finishes across the interior. Tesla has really hit the mark with the interior of the Model Y Refresh - it looks clean and sharp.

Updated interior with ambient lighting

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The updated interior still features a 15.4-inch touchscreen - the same size as previous models but also includes an 8” rear touchscreen for all versions of the vehicle, similar to the refreshed Model 3.

Tesla has added improved connectivity to the vehicle - improving the range for the Phone Key, clearer calls, and faster cellular and Wi-Fi connectivity. This is likely a chipset improvement for the infotainment module - and includes a newer version of Bluetooth, as well as support for 5G. We’ll dig into these details once we know more.

The updated speakers are cleverly hidden away inside the trims, and we expect a lot of improvements for Tesla’s already fantastic audio - especially in the Long Range AWD version.

One of the coolest features is power reclining seats - you’ll be able to recline or raise your rear seats at the touch of a button in the rear of the vehicle and potentially in the vehicle menu, too. That’s going to be an amazing convenience feature for families and those moving luggage around.

Turn Signal Stalk

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In a surprising move, Tesla says they have listened to customer feedback and added a precision-engineered turn signal stalk. There’s only a single stalk on the left side of the steering wheel while the gear shifter remains on the screen and Autopilot remains as a steering wheel button.

The steering wheel buttons are similar to the Cybertruck, which provide “clicky” feedback. Since the turn signals have moved over to a stalk, Tesla is introducing customizable steering wheel buttons. You’ll likely be able to set them to features like turning on the front or rear cameras, voice commands or other features.

Handling

Just like the Model 3 refresh, Tesla has worked some magic on the suspension, improving vehicle handling and comfort while also offering more responsive steering and an even quieter ride. This includes updated tires, wheels, and a new suspension.

New Wheels, New Suspension

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No word yet on Adaptive Suspension - that’ll likely be a hold-out for the Performance variant, which will show up later in 2025.

Specs

*Range for the Model Y Refresh is WLTP, while for the 2024 vehicle, it is EPA estimates. WLTP estimates are generally on the higher side owing to geography and temperature in the Asia-Pacific.

There’s a lot to take in right here, spec-wise. The Model Y Refresh AWD is faster than its predecessor and has a considerably longer range. According to Tesla’s spec sheet, it also charges slightly faster - even faster than the current LR RWD with its LFP battery. That’s a great improvement across the board.

Beautiful Curves

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The RWD is less of an immediate improvement - but this is a Standard Range RWD - not a Long Range RWD, so the comparison isn’t exactly comparable to the 2024 LR RWD. It seems likely that Tesla will replace the Long Range RWD with the 2025 Standard Range RWD once it arrives in North America and Europe. However, even the RWD has a pretty hefty improvement in the 0-60 section.

When Does It Arrive

Tesla says that it’ll be shipping the Model Y Refresh in just a few short months - customer deliveries of the Launch Series should begin deliveries in May - if you’re in the Asia-Pacific region. For customers in Europe and North America, we’ll probably have to wait a few months before the 2025 Refresh arrives here - likely in the early summer months.

Tesla won’t keep people waiting too long - after all, it's the much-awaited refresh of the world’s best-selling vehicle. We’re super excited to see more of it and hopefully get our hands on it for a test drive in the future.

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