Changed a 2022 Headlight Today

[icrashbikes]

Driving on the highway last week a big rock bounced out from under a truck and into my passenger headlight. The car is a '22 M3P with the matrix headlights. There was a pretty good crack in it and it was definitely no longer sealed.

I put in a service request through the app and Tesla sent me a quote for $1400 to do the mobile repair. I went online to see what my options were and found a new headlight on ebay, same part number (1514953-00-C), for $200. I did some searching to make sure the swap was doable and, sure enough, people said it needed to be programmed to the car. The information was sparse, but from what I gathered it would be possible to change headlights, do an OTA update, and that would make the headlight work. So I decided to give it a shot. I canceled the service and ordered the headlight. It showed up today, in great condition. There were no marks anywhere on it but a very slight scuff on the edge of the lens. These were listed as 'new' but 'improperly packaged' or something, so I figured there would be some sort of blemish. It was 99.9% perfect so I was fine with it. Conveniently, I got a software update notification yesterday so I held off until I could get the headlight in.

I didn't even have to remove the bumper completely. As I was pulling it off, there was plenty of room to get the headlight out. It's an easy job.

I got the replacement in and tried it before installing the update. It did not work at all, any function. I ran the update next and when it finished, fully functional headlight.

I haven't checked alignment yet, it's still pretty bright out. I just wanted to post up here since I didn't find any definitive answers on the reprogramming of the headlight so hopefully this is good info for those who might need it.

 

[Soul Surfer]

Nice job! Did you try the warranty card, like "it should not have broken"? But for $200 and some of your time is a real "bar-goon".

 

[UncertainTimes]

A lot cheaper than I thought it’d be for a whole headlight assembly. Interesting there are so many on ebay with the same “minor imperfections from improper storage” description.

 

[Watts_Up]

Can you open the old headlight an put some pictures, or make a video?

See a youtube video of a Model X headlight.
Only the electronic was not working from a little bit of rust on the printed circuit board.

 

[bjhinkle]

Anyone know if the wiring harness is the same as the non-matrix? Could one upgrade from old to new matrix if the car came with the old lamps?

 

[ph0ton]

Anyone know if the wiring harness is the same as the non-matrix? Could one upgrade from old to new matrix if the car came with the old lamps?

There is a dedicated thread about this but long story short, they have the same harness but require someone with tier 3 gateway access to change a setting in the car to enable them.

 

[Timbo2]

Good to know!

BTW - "flying debris" is usually considered a comprehensive claim on insurance. So it's generally not chargeable as an accident, but it is subject your comprehensive deductible.

 

[deuskid]

Great job Crash

 

[phaheem]

Was it an OEM or aftermarket headlight? Great deal, nonetheless

 

[icrashbikes]

Nice job! Did you try the warranty card, like "it should not have broken"? But for $200 and some of your time is a real "bar-goon".

I did not attempt a warranty claim, I figured if a rock smacks me on the highway that's just my tough luck. I'm actually a little relieved I got away with such little damage, if that rock had hit the bumper/hood/windshield it would have been much worse.

A lot cheaper than I thought it’d be for a whole headlight assembly. Interesting there are so many on ebay with the same “minor imperfections from improper storage” description.

Agreed. It seemed absolutely unused and OEM so, unless it fails in short order, it was a great deal.

Can you open the old headlight an put some pictures, or make a video?

See a youtube video of a Model X headlight.
Only the electronic was not working from a little bit of rust on the printed circuit board.

I packed up the old headlight to save in the event the new one doesn't work out for some reason or another. If I end up needing to swap the lens onto my original headlight, I'll definitely make a record of it.

Good to know!

BTW - "flying debris" is usually considered a comprehensive claim on insurance. So it's generally not chargeable as an accident, but it is subject your comprehensive deductible.

Interesting, I never considered to make a claim out of it, mostly to protect my already sky high commercial premium. Next time I'll inquire.

Great job Crash

Thank you!

Was it an OEM or aftermarket headlight? Great deal, nonetheless

It certainly LOOKS OEM. I couldn't find a difference between my stock headlight and the replacement. The part numbers matched and I didn't see any evidence of tampering or repairs.

I do have a question though, for anyone who has adjusted their headlights because I had not prior to swapping the new one in. When the car does the calibration, my left (original) headlight sweeps down and to the left. The right (replacement) headlight moves slightly up and to the right. It seems wrong to me, can anyone confirm that the calibration moves each headlight differently? Even if something is wrong with the replacement, I got it adjusted perfectly and it's like new.

 

[Adam3]

nice!

 

[ElectricNerd]

Very glad you got this to work with the new software update. In the future if anyone were to need to do this, couldn't you trigger the service menu to have it sync to enable it?

 

[icrashbikes]

Very glad you got this to work with the new software update. In the future if anyone were to need to do this, couldn't you trigger the service menu to have it sync to enable it?

That's entirely possible and I did read something about that. Since I had the software update handy and it worked, I didn't have to try.

 

[Jstar97]

Driving on the highway last week a big rock bounced out from under a truck and into my passenger headlight. The car is a '22 M3P with the matrix headlights. There was a pretty good crack in it and it was definitely no longer sealed.

I put in a service request through the app and Tesla sent me a quote for $1400 to do the mobile repair. I went online to see what my options were and found a new headlight on ebay, same part number (1514953-00-C), for $200. I did some searching to make sure the swap was doable and, sure enough, people said it needed to be programmed to the car. The information was sparse, but from what I gathered it would be possible to change headlights, do an OTA update, and that would make the headlight work. So I decided to give it a shot. I canceled the service and ordered the headlight. It showed up today, in great condition. There were no marks anywhere on it but a very slight scuff on the edge of the lens. These were listed as 'new' but 'improperly packaged' or something, so I figured there would be some sort of blemish. It was 99.9% perfect so I was fine with it. Conveniently, I got a software update notification yesterday so I held off until I could get the headlight in.

I didn't even have to remove the bumper completely. As I was pulling it off, there was plenty of room to get the headlight out. It's an easy job.

I got the replacement in and tried it before installing the update. It did not work at all, any function. I ran the update next and when it finished, fully functional headlight.

I haven't checked alignment yet, it's still pretty bright out. I just wanted to post up here since I didn't find any definitive answers on the reprogramming of the headlight so hopefully this is good info for those who might need it.

Question about the OTA update: Did you have a pending update ready to be installed prior to the installation of the new headlight or did you have to force a download via the service menu? I'm told you can force a software download from the service menu and then flash the download once all new parts are installed. This way the car will reload software and configure new hardware as it's installing.

 

[Jstar97]

That's entirely possible and I did read something about that. Since I had the software update handy and it worked, I didn't have to try.

Oh, NVM you already answered this LOL

 

[snovvman]

@icrashbikes Thanks for sharing your experience. Did you detach the bottom clips (attached to the bottom of the bumper) in order to pull it forward, or were you able to do get the room you needed without detaching the bottom clips? Also, regarding the attachment area between the hood and the headlight, did you just pull it out, or did you need to push on the tabs?

 

[snovvman]

@icrashbikes Another question--are you saying that even though you replaced the damaged headlight with the exact same part number, it did not work until you reloaded (in your case, updated) the firmware? Thanks!