Front-rear camera touchscreen parking protection switch kit reservations

[Andyw2100]

That's a shame. That's one of the reasons my switch is sitting on a shelf, still. I haven't had time to install it, and I don't know anyone trustworthy enough to do it.

I thought Rick's instructions were pretty straightforward. Where did your installer tap the harness and how did it lead to water intrusion? Might be helpful information for anyone yet to install one of these.

I don't know the details of where he tapped the harness.

I believe the water intrusion is related to how he routed the cables through the side of the door, which I thought he actually did as per the instructions, but perhaps he did it poorly.

Any installer should know enough not to tap into the wiring harness, right? Isn't that something that should just never be done, under any circumstances?

In other words, is there any possible way I don't win in small claims court?

 

[HankLloydRight]

That's a shame. That's one of the reasons my switch is sitting on a shelf, still. I haven't had time to install it, and I don't know anyone trustworthy enough to do it.

I thought Rick's instructions were pretty straightforward. Where did your installer tap the harness and how did it lead to water intrusion? Might be helpful information for anyone yet to install one of these.

Yes, I'd also really like to know where he tapped the main harness (photos?) I used the OBDII port for power to the switch (as in the directions) as well as my dashcam. I could probably uninstall the entire thing from behind the dash in 30 minutes if I needed to (which I just might do if/when I get the LTE upgrade installed).

I had taken the kit to a local professional auto stereo shop for a quote, and when they looked at the directions, they decided that instead of doing it that way (routing the cables through the door frame and A pillar), they insisted on going through the firewall. They would not budge on this, so I collected up everything and installed it myself.

I like this kit so much I'm thinking of buying one of these other kits for sale just in case I buy another Model S (way way) down the road.

 

[Gizmotoy]

Any installer should know enough not to tap into the wiring harness, right? Isn't that something that should just never be done, under any circumstances?
In other words, is there any possible way I don't win in small claims court?

I mean, the instructions specifically suggest you tap a wiring harness. I don't know if this is the "Main wiring harness" in Tesla-speak, but yes, tapping the harness isn't a completely boneheaded thing to do. (See "Choosing your 12V Power Source": Tesla Model S Front Camera Touchscreen Switch Kit - TESLARATI.com )

HOWEVER, the tap is in the kickplate. So you'd need a double failure to get what they're describing. Routing the camera wire through the body must have somehow allowed water into the cabin, and that water must have leaked down to where the tap was performed. Hard to speculate without details, but it seems pretty unlikely.

Unless the water is just coming in and they happened to see the tap and decided that was a good enough reason to throw their hand up, which is certainly possible.

I like this kit so much I'm thinking of buying one of these other kits for sale just in case I buy another Model S (way way) down the road.

If you decide you want one let me know and I'll give you a good price. Mine's posted over on the for sale forum, along with the prototype camera back parts I developed.

 

[4SUPER9]

I have cables running through the door frame as well. I use those for my radar detector. I haven't seen any water intrusion, nor have I heard anyone else.
As far as liability is concerned, I think you would have to prove that he did something wrong that led to this. Maybe he did by tapping in the wrong location, causing the leak to track into the main harness? Ugh. So sorry.

 

[Andyw2100]

I had taken the kit to a local professional auto stereo shop for a quote, and when they looked at the directions, they decided that instead of doing it that way (routing the cables through the door frame and A pillar), they insisted on going through the firewall. They would not budge on this, so I collected up everything and installed it myself.

I haven't spoken to the service manager again yet, but during the one conversation I had with him earlier, he agreed with your local professional. He sounded appalled that my guy had routed the cable around the outside of the car, and said he should have just gone through a grommet in the firewall.

I had given my guy your proposed improvement to the install guide, which included the bit about going up the A pillar, but I don't think that's what he did. I don't think he properly did what was in the install guide either, as no one else has written about leaking cars.

 

[Andyw2100]

I mean, the instructions specifically suggest you tap a wiring harness. I don't know if this is the "Main wiring harness" in Tesla-speak, but yes, tapping the harness isn't a completely boneheaded thing to do. (See "Choosing your 12V Power Source": Tesla Model S Front Camera Touchscreen Switch Kit - TESLARATI.com )

Am I correct that the first of the two options below, from the Teslarati article referenced, would be tapping into the wiring harness, but the second would not be?

--
--Using a PosiTap tap power from the yellow wire with purple stripe in one of the three wire bundles behind the driver’s side kick panel. This method is highly recommended, as the fuse tap solution below requires running a long lead from the #3 fuse box through the fender channel with the camera cable into the driver’s door jamb area.

--Using an Add-a-Fuse and a 5 amp mini fuse, tap fuse #75 in fuse box #3.
--

 

[Andyw2100]

Is this what I would need to get power from the fuse box, as per the second option in the post above?

Amazon.com : HitCar Car Vehicle Circuit Blade Style ATM APS ATT Low Profile Mini Fuse Holder Fuse Tap With 5AMP Fuse (Mini Size) : Electronics

The Teslarati post mentions "mini fuse", and the chart in the product description shows three size options--mini, small, and medium. I just want to make sure that "mini" is really correct.

I don't know yet what the outcome is going to be, but I figure if I order one of these there is a chance that I may be able to hook it up myself when I get the car back, if the wires are left in the right places for me, etc. In the very least, if I hand this thing to an installer and say "use it" that should prevent him from tapping into the wiring harness again, and me repeating the process I'm going through now.

Thanks.

 

[Gizmotoy]

I don't know what "Small" is on that Amazon page. Wikipedia has a pretty good diagram of the different options ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuse_(automotive) ). You do need the "mini" variety.

Note that this installation type will leave your harness intact, but you'll have to modify (or remove) your fuse box cover. You can't snake the wire out of the box without drilling a hole or otherwise devising a method to get the wire out of the fusebox. You're trading one modification for another, though certainly the cover is cheaper to replace than the $2k you've apparently been stuck with.

 

[Andyw2100]

I don't know what "Small" is on that Amazon page. Wikipedia has a pretty good diagram of the different options ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuse_(automotive) ). You do need the "mini" variety.

Note that this installation type will leave your harness intact, but you'll have to modify (or remove) your fuse box cover. You can't snake the wire out of the box without drilling a hole or otherwise devising a method to get the wire out of the fusebox. You're trading one modification for another, though certainly the cover is cheaper to replace than the $2k you've apparently been stuck with.

Thanks!

I just found out the same guy also had tapped the same spot, apparently for no good reason, for my radar detector installation, which he had done back when I had my Opticoat Pro done when I first took delivery of the car.

So I think the tap a fuse option above may be out, as now I'm going to be looking for power in two places, and will definitely need some sort of professional involved. I just don't know (obviously) of any decent ones anywhere near me.

I'm wondering about the possibility of getting power for both the front camera switch and the radar detector from the OBD connector, and having some sort of on/off switch wired in, so that I could kill power to both of them when leaving the car. I really don't like the idea of having to turn something on and off, but I'm not sure what my other options are.

I guess another option might be two "tap a fuse" type connections--one for the front camera switch and one for the radar detector.

I had read about needing to make a hole in the fuse box cover for the wire. That seemed like a pretty small issue. Is there a concern with moisture getting in there as well? If so, after the hole is made, and the wires run, would there be any reason the hole couldn't be sealed up with some sort of silicone sealant?

Clearly I know very little about this. I trusted the last guy, and that was a mistake. I want to be well-informed enough not to allow anyone to mess things up for me again.

Thanks!

 

[HankLloydRight]

I would definitely recommend using the OBDII port for power. I use it for my front camera switch, and it's powered 24x7 without any problems (my dashcam is also on this same power source).

My hard-wired radar detector is on a switched circuit (I think the USB power in the pax footwell), so that does go on and off with the car.

 

[Andyw2100]

I would definitely recommend using the OBDII port for power. I use it for my front camera switch, and it's powered 24x7 without any problems (my dashcam is also on this same power source).

My hard-wired radar detector is on a switched circuit (I think the USB power in the pax footwell), so that does go on and off with the car.

Thanks.

When you say your radar detector is on that switched circuit, do you mean it's tapped into the wiring harness on the passenger side? Because I don't want to have any more "tapping into anything" and risk a repeat of this.

Is there any reason the add a fuse above couldn't be used to power the radar detector? Or is there an even better switched source, that could be accessed without risk of doing anything that would upset Tesla?

I guess if there isn't a good, safe switched option, I could always have whomever is going to do this use the OBD port for both, and just turn the radar detector on and off manually.

 

[HankLloydRight]

While the switched tap into the USB lines is technically a "harness" it's just a bundle of 4 wires going to the UBS ports, so it's pretty isolated from other larger "real" harnesses like in the driver's side kick-plate. If something goes wrong, I think the most you could mess up are the USB ports.

As for the "add a fuse" solutions, I just didn't find it necessary to use the fuse box in the frunk and tap a fuse and then run a wire into the cabin. This way, there's no running wires through the firewall or the weatherstripping for power.

But if you're looking for a switched power source that doesn't require tapping, I guess the fuse box is the only option I know of. But that doesn't mean Tesla wouldn't think that tapping the fuse box doesn't void the warranty.

 

[Andyw2100]

While the switched tap into the USB lines is technically a "harness" it's just a bundle of 4 wires going to the UBS ports, so it's pretty isolated from other larger "real" harnesses like in the driver's side kick-plate. If something goes wrong, I think the most you could mess up are the USB ports.

As for the "add a fuse" solutions, I just didn't find it necessary to use the fuse box in the frunk and tap a fuse and then run a wire into the cabin. This way, there's no running wires through the firewall or the weatherstripping for power.

But if you're looking for a switched power source that doesn't require tapping, I guess the fuse box is the only option I know of. But that doesn't mean Tesla wouldn't think that tapping the fuse box doesn't void the warranty.

Thanks!

Whatever I do next is going to be with Tesla's blessing! I'm not going to take a chance of winding up in this situation again.

Since the service manager is suggesting that the cable for the front camera switch go through a grommet in the firewall anyway, it might make the most sense to just get power from a fuse box there, but again, only if Tesla is cool with it. I guess worst case scenario, I power both items from the OBDII port, and just manually turn the radar detector on and off, since I know Tesla can't have a problem with anything wired to the OBDII port. Actually now that I've written that, do we know that?

Thanks again!

 

[Gizmotoy]

But if you're looking for a switched power source that doesn't require tapping, I guess the fuse box is the only option I know of. But that doesn't mean Tesla wouldn't think that tapping the fuse box doesn't void the warranty.

Electrically, I strongly suspect Tesla would indicate that adding a fuse to the fuse box is the "correct" solution. It's certainly the safest, as stripping or tapping wires always carries risk of damage. However, as noted, that necessitates running a wire back into the cabin, which I'm sure they'll be less pleased about. No matter what you do, they're not going to be 100% happy with it. The USB ports sound like a decent option as well: if they're for sure on a sub-harness, the damage is contained to a small area. If it's just four wires that ultimately trace directly back into the main harness without a connector in between, though, you haven't really gained anything except maybe less likelihood of getting wet.

 

[HankLloydRight]

I found the USB harness to be easily accessible in the cabin, switched, and easy to tap and provide power to many different devices, and like you said, essentially zero chance of getting wet.

 

[lousecco]

Please add me to the list if it's not too late please.

 

[kevincgreene]

If there are any of the original kits out there that were never installed and you would like to sell, please send me a PM.

Thanks.

 

[carlmerritt1]

Do these still happen to be available to order? I just purchased a certified pre-owned vehicle and really would like this feature when parking to avoid hitting my front bumper. I appreciate any information or advice you or others on this forum could share and thanks in advance for your help!

 

[Andyw2100]

Do these still happen to be available to order? I just purchased a certified pre-owned vehicle and really would like this feature when parking to avoid hitting my front bumper. I appreciate any information or advice you or others on this forum could share and thanks in advance for your help!

Welcome to the forums.

A week or two ago artsci posted in another thread that he had found one, and wanted to sell it. Other people have made similar posts in this thread in the past several months about having one they never installed. You may want to check with some of them, or with artsci.

Edit: Here's the link to the post from artsci that I was referring to--

Front/Rear Camera Touchscreen Switch Kit, Camera and Cables - SOLD

 

[artsci]

Welcome to the forums.

A week or two ago artsci posted in another thread that he had found one, and wanted to sell it. Other people have made similar posts in this thread in the past several months about having one they never installed. You may want to check with some of them, or with artsci.

Edit: Here's the link to the post from artsci that I was referring to--

Front/Rear Camera Touchscreen Switch Kit, Camera and Cables - SOLD

A week ago I sold the spare I accidentally found. But there may be owners who never installed theirs. I know of one but he needs to offer it himself, which probably won't happen as he's still intending to do the install.