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Tesla Model 3 SR+ - Does It Have a Heated Steering Wheel?? Let's Find Out For Sure!
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2021 heated steering wheel Discussion thread
- Thread starter 808BOB
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Tesla Model 3 SR+ - Does It Have a Heated Steering Wheel?? Let's Find Out For Sure!
Brilliant, love the "scientific approach" to figuring it out. As an SR+ owner I'm a saddened, but bravo to you for answering 29 pages of speculation!
I have a month-old '21 Long Range and noticed that the heated steering wheel is extremely inconsistent. It seems to get warm (not really hot) only at the 9 and 3 spots, and the warmth of the wheel fluctuates during a short commute. Sometimes you can't even tell it's on but more often than not, the wheel won't feel as warm as it did ten minutes ago for example. Dealership didn't think anything was wrong, but I beg to differ.
Anyone have similar similar?
Anyone have similar similar?
As great as this video is - and it's great to see someone actually taking the wheel apart and swapping controllers, etc, I think the conclusion he reached is wrong.
There is only one steering wheel part code now, installed on all cars - 1490214-00-B. The wheel includes the controller, pre-installed.
In the video he shows both controllers from his LR and SR+ wheel, and they have identical part codes. The code beneath the part code is different, but I think this is a serial number.
Where I think his conclusion is wrong is that he swapped his LR controller into his SR+ wheel, and heating worked. The reason I think it worked is because the car is paired to that specific controller via that serial. The rest of the wheel is "dumb" as far as heating goes. I think the car sees his SR+ wheel as being his LR one, because it's the controller it is talking to.
Why Tesla would do this I'm not sure, but it's not bad practice from a security point of view, I guess, particularly if you're looking to stop people from being able to unlock (paid) options themselves with mere part swaps.
So, I still think it is still just a software change to enable SR+ heated steering wheels. What I think, though, is that the process is more than just enabling the option in the gateway configuration, it involves pairing the car to the steering wheel controller that is present (I presume it reports it to the car).
What would have been interesting to see is if he transplanted another LR steering wheel into his LR. I would be willing to bet that it also wouldn't work without transplanting the steering wheel controller module.
Similarly I have heard at least two people say that they've heard of an internal memo that contradicts the info back in April that there was due to be an unlock available for Shanghai and Fremont SR+ cars built after a certain date.
But then there's also this, from last week, so who knows.
Starzwell
OD: October 28; M3LR MSM/Black/Aero/No FSD
***Edit***
Sorry I realized this question was much better suited to the M3 2021 changes thread.
Sorry I realized this question was much better suited to the M3 2021 changes thread.
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rpiotro
Active Member
It is no longer an SR+ Just called the RWD. New motor, new batteries, Heated rear seats and steering wheel and 30 lbs. lighter. And a much bigger ticket. At least you are getting some nice upgrades for the price.
An interesting development appeared on Reddit today:
Short version: A guy has developed what appears to be a system that reads the CANBUS and manually activates the heating element in the steering wheel when a corresponding heated seats option is turned on (i.e. three levels of wheel heating).
This is interesting not least of which because it seems to confirm that there is the means for pre-2021 cars to power the heating element If directed to do so, with no ill effects.
Short version: A guy has developed what appears to be a system that reads the CANBUS and manually activates the heating element in the steering wheel when a corresponding heated seats option is turned on (i.e. three levels of wheel heating).
This is interesting not least of which because it seems to confirm that there is the means for pre-2021 cars to power the heating element If directed to do so, with no ill effects.
I spent over 3 hours at my local service centre today to try and get my MIC heated steering wheel (in 2020 M3P) turned on, after I managed to confirm with a tech that there is a “script” they can run to enable the wheel on cars that should have it….
To the technician’s credit (several people were involved) they tried everything. The end result.. it’s not just the wheel involved in heating. This is a crushing blow to me as I was convinced it was all in there.
Some things I learnt:
Tesla have a process, and a script, that can enable heated steering wheels. I suspect this would work on 2021 SR+ cars which are likely to have the hardware required. Q4 2021 cars will probably have it switched on remotely.
The technicians were able to run the script on my car, and switch the coded option to “enabled”, but “something else” in the car is stopping it from actually taking. At no point were they able to get the car to show a heated steering wheel control button in the car, even after reflashing firmware.
They are currently looking into it, as there is no official retrofit, to try and determine what else would need to be changed hardware wise for it to work. It could be a body controller, it could be a wiring harness, or both, or more. I am very thankful that they are going to investigate further rather than just fobbing me off.
Either way I’m getting closer to an ultimate resolution, one way or the other.
To the technician’s credit (several people were involved) they tried everything. The end result.. it’s not just the wheel involved in heating. This is a crushing blow to me as I was convinced it was all in there.
Some things I learnt:
Tesla have a process, and a script, that can enable heated steering wheels. I suspect this would work on 2021 SR+ cars which are likely to have the hardware required. Q4 2021 cars will probably have it switched on remotely.
The technicians were able to run the script on my car, and switch the coded option to “enabled”, but “something else” in the car is stopping it from actually taking. At no point were they able to get the car to show a heated steering wheel control button in the car, even after reflashing firmware.
They are currently looking into it, as there is no official retrofit, to try and determine what else would need to be changed hardware wise for it to work. It could be a body controller, it could be a wiring harness, or both, or more. I am very thankful that they are going to investigate further rather than just fobbing me off.
Either way I’m getting closer to an ultimate resolution, one way or the other.
Wow - amazing progress. Not sure how to feel about it yet, however...still holding out hope for a retrofit for my 2020, even if it means I need to purchase an additional component such as a harness or module. MUCH more effective than purchasing a 2021 model year. I already have the heated wheel from a 2021, so at least I'm part of the way there. Great to know there is a script that can be run to switch the option to 'enabled' - that is the most positive news I've heard to date!
Yup, I was lucky to get hold of three technical techs who knew what I was trying to do and were prepared to go above and beyond to try and get it to work. I think they were actually curious and motivated because it’s not something they see often (they said to me it’s the first time they’d tried to do it).
One of the guys said that the car accepted the config change, as in they told the car that the heated steering wheel was there, but that something else was in the communications path that was stopping it from fully activating (i.e. as something you can turn off and on from the car display and app).
In the end they told me they had to undo their config work/script because they were worried about any residual issues from me driving around with the car in an incompatible config state. I think they were probably being over cautious but to be honest I was not about to complain.
The guy said that he thought it would be more likely to be a body control module that would need to be changed than a harness, as the latter is easier to manufacture as one spec that can enable whatever you want at a later date.
I’m pretty happy even though ultimately I didn’t get the outcome I was hoping for today. The tech that spoke to me last said he was going to write up what was done and make some enquiries to see what can be done from here.
One of the guys said that the car accepted the config change, as in they told the car that the heated steering wheel was there, but that something else was in the communications path that was stopping it from fully activating (i.e. as something you can turn off and on from the car display and app).
In the end they told me they had to undo their config work/script because they were worried about any residual issues from me driving around with the car in an incompatible config state. I think they were probably being over cautious but to be honest I was not about to complain.
The guy said that he thought it would be more likely to be a body control module that would need to be changed than a harness, as the latter is easier to manufacture as one spec that can enable whatever you want at a later date.
I’m pretty happy even though ultimately I didn’t get the outcome I was hoping for today. The tech that spoke to me last said he was going to write up what was done and make some enquiries to see what can be done from here.
It's actually VCLeft that handles it, I think, given the wheel is traditionally on the left hand side of the car. The EPC shows the body controllers as from looking from the front of the car, so the one shown visually on the right is the left controller, and vice versa.
I have bad news, however..
I have had a look into the body controller modules yesterday, and also spoke to Tesla again to find out which one my car has.
There are 4 revisions of this module on the EPC that I can see, for the Model 3 at least, and it appears likely any car built before late 2020 has the same module that mine does. Mine has 1078673-32-L (not verified by sight, but that's the part that comes up for my VIN). There is a 1078673-90-K which I'm guessing is for even earlier cars.
There is also a 1567455-00-C and 1567455-02-D. Even though the former says "M3 2020" I suspect this is for late 2020 cars onwards, with "GEN 3" being on very recent cars. I imagine from the part code that the two latest revisions are very similar if not the same electrically.
Not too bad so far, maybe just a replacement body controller needed. Unfortunately - 1078673-32-L and 1567455-00-C have completely different electrical connectors. Here is a photo of the former, and here is the latter. As you can see there are some similar connections, but several are completely different.
At the very minimum then I think this would require a replacement harness, possibly several given that the left body controller controls everything on one side of the car, and you'd possibly need to replace whatever parts are at the other end, as the new harnesses might have different connectors at the other end too. At that point you're basically potentially stripping one half of the car down. Also - this all assumes that the car would be fine with having a different revision of body controller & attached parts operating one half of the car.
So, yeah.. if the heated steering wheel "needs" a revised VCLeft body controller to work, then it also needs at least one revised harness, probably several, as well.
It's not looking good...
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Wow - great detective work! Seriously, how does Tesla really plan to service these cars and maintain parts inventory in the future? This is worse than my experiences with mid-year changes with VW. If there is damage or failure in an early car, and the earlier modules are NLA, do they start replacing everything? Do they deem the car a total loss? Amazing number of changes in such a short period of time.
Anyway, I've been following this thread in the M3 forums, but I'm looking to do the swap on my 2020 MY. The left-side controller module part number for my 2020 MY is 1497847-02-D (ASY, MY, LV PREM CONTROLLER, LH), and there are no other part numbers listed in EPC for the left side controller module. Maybe those of us with 2020 MYs attempting the retrofit are in luck because there is only one controller choice? And if the SC runs the heated wheel enabling script, it will simply work?
I'm thinking of having the SC install the exterior speaker and enable Boombox...maybe they can try running the heated steering wheel enablement script you mention. Is there anything else you can share about the script that I call out with the SC?
Anyway, I've been following this thread in the M3 forums, but I'm looking to do the swap on my 2020 MY. The left-side controller module part number for my 2020 MY is 1497847-02-D (ASY, MY, LV PREM CONTROLLER, LH), and there are no other part numbers listed in EPC for the left side controller module. Maybe those of us with 2020 MYs attempting the retrofit are in luck because there is only one controller choice? And if the SC runs the heated wheel enabling script, it will simply work?
I'm thinking of having the SC install the exterior speaker and enable Boombox...maybe they can try running the heated steering wheel enablement script you mention. Is there anything else you can share about the script that I call out with the SC?
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