Start here: This installation guide is for a 2017-2026 Tesla Model 3 using the Vertical Doors, Inc. VDCTES317 door conversion kit. It combines confirmed fitment, the official VDI installation video, a customer-created installation video, preparation and electrical-safety requirements, major installation checkpoints, warranty-critical shock instructions, final operation checks, and VDI support.
Confirm before installation
View the VDCTES317 product page
Do not use this guide for another Tesla model or an unlisted model year. Confirm the exact vehicle and the current product-page fitment before disassembly.
Use this page to confirm VDCTES317 fitment, review the kit contents listed by VDI, watch two Model 3 installation videos, understand the major work sequence, complete the warranty-critical shock steps, protect the vehicle wiring and electronic systems, and find installation support. The instructions supplied with your exact kit remain the controlling source for hardware locations, adjustments, clearances, and component installation. Current Tesla service information controls vehicle disassembly, electrical procedures, and safe power-down and power-up.
This is an advanced automotive modification on an electric vehicle. The work includes exterior and interior trim access, electrical connectors and harness movement, door support and alignment, hinge and gas-shock installation, clearance work, and repeated operational checks. Use a qualified installer who understands Tesla service procedures and automotive body alignment if you are not experienced with all of these procedures.
Do not cut, disconnect, modify, probe, or work on orange high-voltage cables or high-voltage components.
Follow Tesla's current low-voltage power-disconnection and power-up procedures for the exact vehicle. If the work could contact or disturb a high-voltage component, stop and use a properly trained high-voltage technician with the required protective equipment. This page does not authorize or explain high-voltage work.
The VDI video is the primary visual reference for VDCTES317. The Matas Concepts video adds a customer perspective. Neither video replaces the instructions supplied with the kit or Tesla's current service information.
Tesla Model 3 Vertical Doors, Inc. Door Conversion Installation VDCTES317 How to Install Lambo Doors. Runtime: approximately 9 minutes 47 seconds. Published by Vertical Doors, Inc. Original vehicle-owner credit: @coolmd3.
Putting Vertical Doors On A Tesla Model 3. Runtime: approximately 12 minutes 16 seconds. Created and published by Matas Concepts.
Before beginning, compare the genuine kit contents with the packing list and instructions supplied with your exact kit. Contact Vertical Doors, Inc. if anything is missing or does not match.
Important: Kit contents, hardware, shock specifications, and installation procedures may change as the product is updated. The packaged instructions and VDI technical support control if they differ from this webpage or an older video.
Use the tool list supplied with the current VDCTES317 instructions. The exact sockets, trim tools, fasteners, and access requirements can vary with production updates and the vehicle's model year or prior modifications.
This crawlable overview organizes the work shown in the verified Model 3 videos. It is not a substitute for the exact VDCTES317 instructions or Tesla service procedures.
Follow Tesla's current procedure for the exact model year and variant before disconnecting door, fender, camera, side-repeater, or trim-related electrical connectors. Do not perform high-voltage work based on this page.
Protect the painted edges and sensitive components. Remove only the trim, wheel-well, fender, side-repeater, camera, or related components identified by the current Tesla procedure and the instructions supplied with VDCTES317. Keep every connector and fastener organized.
Before loosening a factory hinge, photograph the panel gaps and latch-to-striker relationship. Mark the horizontal and vertical door position and record upper and lower measurements. Secure the door in that position with protected supports, painter's tape, and a qualified helper.
Release only the harness retainers or protective coverings identified in the supplied instructions. The protected harness must follow both outward and vertical door travel without tension, pinching, abrasion, or contact with a sharp or moving component. Do not cut factory wiring.
With the door fully supported and every alignment reference visible, remove the factory hinge hardware as directed. Install the correct driver- or passenger-side VDI hinge at the factory mounting location with the supplied hardware and specified tightening sequence. Confirm that the mounting surface is flat and the hinge is seated correctly.
Return the door to the recorded factory closed position. Adjust the VDI hinge so the latch meets the striker without lifting, dropping, slamming, or forcing the door. Restore the recorded panel gaps before setting the final vertical movement.
Important installation and warranty step
Do not skip these steps. Use the lubrication and threadlocker locations specified in the instructions supplied with VDCTES317.
Grease the smooth shoulder-bolt body and the specified shock-end contact surfaces. Apply red threadlocker only to the threads and locations identified by VDI. Keep lubricant and threadlocker off the shock body and shaft.
Warranty warning: Do not grip, scratch, paint, coat, or place foreign material on the shock body or shaft. Tool marks and surface contamination can damage the shock and void applicable warranty coverage.
Have a helper raise and fully support the door. Install the shock, shoulder bolt, and retaining hardware in the locations and orientation shown in the current VDI instructions. Never rely on a loose or partially installed shock to support the door.
Adjust the vertical opening only after the horizontal alignment is correct. Cycle the door slowly through outward, upward, downward, and closed movement. Verify clearance around the hinge, shock, wiring, door, fender, trim, camera, side repeater, and sensors. The harness must remain protected and free of tension throughout the complete movement.
Fine-tune the closed-door position and vertical movement using the adjustment points in the packaged instructions. Complete every specified tightening, locking, threadlocker, retaining-pin, and lubrication step. Reinstall vehicle panels and electrical components only after repeated door operation confirms correct alignment, harness movement, and clearance.
The VDCTES317 product listing states that an installation manual is supplied with the kit. No public Tesla-specific PDF is linked from the current installation page or product listing. Keep the packaged instructions with the vehicle during installation because they contain the controlling component photographs, hardware locations, and adjustment details.
If the instructions are missing, outdated, damaged, or unclear, stop before disassembly and contact Vertical Doors, Inc. with the model year, variant, VDCTES317 part number, and proof of purchase.
VDI currently lists VDCTES317 for the 2017-2026 Tesla Model 3, including the Base, Long Range, and Performance trim families identified on the product page. Confirm the current listing and the exact vehicle before installation.
No. VDCTES317 retains the two factory front doors and replaces the factory front-door hinge system with vehicle-specific VDI hinge assemblies.
VDI describes VDCTES317 as a direct bolt-on hinge kit that mounts to the factory bolt pattern. “Bolt-on” does not mean the complete installation requires no disassembly, harness movement, alignment, clearance work, or specialized experience.
Do not perform high-voltage work based on this page. Follow current Tesla service information for the exact task and vehicle. Any work that contacts or disturbs a high-voltage component must be handled by a properly trained technician with the required equipment.
The original gaps and latch-to-striker relationship provide the baseline for horizontal alignment after the factory hinges are loosened. Without those references, restoring factory-like closure can be substantially harder.
No. Videos are visual companions. The current packaged VDI instructions control the hinge, hardware, shock, and adjustment details, while Tesla service information controls vehicle disassembly and electrical procedures.
A mechanically experienced owner may choose to perform the work, but this modification requires safe EV service practices, panel and connector removal, supporting and aligning heavy doors, harness protection, shock installation, and precise clearance checks. Use a qualified installer if any part of the work is outside your experience or equipment.
Before contacting VDI, have the Tesla model year and variant, part number VDCTES317, proof of purchase, and clear photos or video of the concern ready.
