I would be amused if SR+ cars equipped with the heated steering wheel but not activated can swap the wheel with older cars that want the hardware to activate.
No reason they shouldn't be able to, I would've have thought. There is a minor harness change (extra blue connector) but this harness is part of the wheel assembly, as is the controller. From some investigative work a guy in China has already done, the plug and wires that go into it that connects the wheel to the rest of the car is identical. The wheel has been designed quite smartly so that all of the necessary wiring that matters is part of the wheel itself, so swapping a steering wheel should just function, in its basic sense anyway (scroll wheels, horn, etc). What will be interesting to see is whether a heated steering wheel installed on a pre-2021 car makes either the option appear in the app to buy it (when it becomes available), whether it automatically enables if it you already have the "premium interior" option code, or whether it just doesn't acknowledge it at all.
Ask 100 SA or service techs, youll set 100 different answers. Thanks for the info! Can you link me to the place in message where I can also order the heated wheel?
I just phoned one of the major service centres in the UK, in London. You would just need to phone your local service centre and ask to buy that part number (1490214-00-B). I would be wary though - it is a lot of money to spend when you might end up with a wheel that does nothing more than your current one does. Even if it has the heating hardware inside, it might require Tesla to code the option to your car if it was never meant to have it. That could be a problem, if they dig their heels in and say "there's no retrofit".
If a dude can make a 2020 Y work with it, Im sure a 2021 December built 3 LR would have even better luck. I reached out to my SA (whos off on Fridays though) to see what he thinks. Ill update when he writes back. Thanks for the info!