Heated Steering Wheel Use?

[Andyw2100]

Sorry to be off topic but it seems everyone uses pre conditioning. I have it on my i3 but rarely use it. Can that be set automatically. My MS is suppose to be built on Monday according to my DS. I was having 2nd thoughts last week about the purchase but getting a bit excited now

Yes, smart preconditioning learns your schedule and preheats accordingly. I do usually go by a regular schedule but I have found it is not really a big deal to me to smart precondition since my schedule can vary by up to 30 minutes.

You should know, @Lee_B, that the majority of users here seem to think Tesla's "Smart Preconditioning" is a huge fail. Even people who keep very regular schedules have posted that Smart Preconditioning does not work well for them. The issues include not preconditioning the car when it should be preconditioned, and also heating or cooling the car seemingly at random.

It is a lot simpler to just use the app, or a third-party app, to turn on heating and cooling when you want it on. If you ask the car to "guess" it is going to guess wrong a lot of the time.

 

[AudubonB]

I am finding that just as with the heated seats, the heated steering wheel assists greatly in overall comfort even when the cabin's air is at a lower temperature than one would have in an ICE.

Doug_G: My Model X is a 2017-build. The steering wheel heat definitely turns off after an appropriate period. When was yours built?

 

[AudubonB]

I am finding that just as with the heated seats, the heated steering wheel assists greatly in overall comfort even when the cabin's air is at a lower temperature than one would have in an ICE.

Doug_G: My Model X is a 2017-build. The steering wheel heat definitely turns off after an appropriate period. When was yours built?

 

[ModelX]

Love the heated steering wheel and use it most winter days.

 

[oktane]

Would love a retrofit option for the heated steering wheel. I'm sure the hardware is easy (a few wires, connectors, and relays) - getting Tesla to enable the software is the hard part.

 

[Doug_G]

I am finding that just as with the heated seats, the heated steering wheel assists greatly in overall comfort even when the cabin's air is at a lower temperature than one would have in an ICE.

Doug_G: My Model X is a 2017-build. The steering wheel heat definitely turns off after an appropriate period. When was yours built?

Was a Model S loaner. IIRC the vin was in the 75000 range.

 

[Max*]

I can't remember if the heated steering wheel turns itself off after a certain amount of time, I want to say it does not.

But when you leave the car, and get back in, the heated steering wheel is not persistent like the seats (i.e. the car remembers that the seats were on heat setting 1/2/3 and turns them back on, the car does not remember if the steering wheel is heated or not, and turns it off).

I would love a 1/2/3 for the heated steering wheel too, as it does get a little too hot after it's been on for a while.

Nonetheless, I love the heated steering wheel. I use it regularly. I don't always have the chance to precondition the car (parking garage at work is several stories underground).

I have a rental now with no heated steering wheel, got in the car in the morning, and my hands were cold. #notevenfirstworldproblems

 

[ccharleb]

If you select the "Controls" button from the 17' screen, and then select "Cold Weather", that screen will always be the one coming up the next time you push "Controls".
For me, when entering in the car and I want heated steering wheel, I touch "Controls", then "wheel", then "Control". Done!
Not sure I would prefer a button on the front page of the 17" screen.

 

[ccharleb]

I can't remember if the heated steering wheel turns itself off after a certain amount of time, I want to say it does not.

It's staying on, not time base like the rear defrost/side mirrors.

 

[Trunk Gap]

I use it any time I remember to use it Would love a shortcut button for things like that, would help vs click click click...

 

[GTIceman]

I don't preheat but I live in Tampa. I do however use the heated steering wheel and seats. I used the wheel this morning.

 

[Drone Flyer]

I had a loaner for a while with a heated wheel. Some observations:

1. Turning it on is awkward via touchscreen menus. Should be easy to access like seat heaters (which you don't need to access as often because they stay on).

2. It gets way too hot after 10 minutes, and. Is hard to turn off while driving. Should regulate or turn off automatically.

3. The car knows it's cold... should really just turn itself on for 5 minutes when you start the car (with disable option).

It does turn itself off after a while.

 

[Andyw2100]

Would love a retrofit option for the heated steering wheel. I'm sure the hardware is easy (a few wires, connectors, and relays) - getting Tesla to enable the software is the hard part.

Actually I fear the hardware would not be easy at all.

I was told, when it was unclear whether or not my car would have the heated steering wheel because it was just being added to cars in some regions initially, that the heated steering wheel required an entirely different wiring harness. If my car had been built with the harness that was not designed to accommodate the heated steering wheel, there would have been no reasonable way to retrofit it.

Of course it is possible that now the wiring harness that can accommodate the heated steering wheel is being used in all cars, but I would not count on that.

 

[garwood]

I have asked Tesla to give us an update so the heated seats and steering wheel would work the same way. I am tired of turning on my steering wheel every time I get into my car, yet the seats stay on until you shut them off. I use the steering wheel more than the seats. I would also like some intensity settings so if I don't want it so hot I can turn it down...just like the seats. I asked them last year to give this as one of the updates and again this Winter. One can hope..

 

[David29]

I find that the cabin preheating does not warm the wheel as quickly as it does the air, so I often use the wheel heater. I have arthritis in my hands, which makes the heat extra enjoyable. If it is really cold, though, and especially if my trip is short, I sometimes just leave my gloves on and ignore the wheel heater. (I have some touch screen gloves, which is a great advantage!)
But I agree it would be nice to have an easier way to turn it on. Trouble is, once you start down that road you can end up with all the dedicated switches that most other cars have.

 

[Gwgan]

But I agree it would be nice to have an easier way to turn it on. Trouble is, once you start down that road you can end up with all the dedicated switches that most other cars have.

Doesn't have to be a hardware button. Could be an expansion of the scroll wheel function or the climate controls on the big screen.

 

[Lee_B]

You should know, @Lee_B, that the majority of users here seem to think Tesla's "Smart Preconditioning" is a huge fail. Even people who keep very regular schedules have posted that Smart Preconditioning does not work well for them. The issues include not preconditioning the car when it should be preconditioned, and also heating or cooling the car seemingly at random.

It is a lot simpler to just use the app, or a third-party app, to turn on heating and cooling when you want it on. If you ask the car to "guess" it is going to guess wrong a lot of the time.

Thanks for the clarity.

 

[Doug_G]

It does turn itself off after a while.

If so, I couldn't bear to hold the wheel with gloved hands long before that.

 

[TessLi]

I love the sub-zero package. We weren't going to get it, as we didn't deem it essential, but it was included in the inventory car that we picked up in December. Its usefulness is obviously tied to how much utility one gets out of its features. Living in Minnesota, one would think it's a necessity, but it's been so mild here these past few years & a few Tesla owners we know didn't opt for it. Having said that, on very cold days it is truly nice to have; our teenagers love that the back seats can be heated (though yes it'd be nice if there was rear control), and when they sit in the front passenger seat they might even hold the steering wheel too for that extra warmth . The heated steering wheel & seating certainly come in handy when you need to conserve charge; cabin heating can be a huge battery drain! Ours being a 60D, it got me through a trip from Nevada via Utah, Colorado & Wyoming thru unexpected snow and extreme elevations without running out of charge in between superchargers, thank god, so it was helpful to have it.

Tess