Model S gets lighted vanity mirrors

[JPP]

This sounds great! Too bad there isn't a video of this install though

....I'm just a 1 man shop here...be glad I got some photos. I probably needed 3 hands to do some of the steps (...like trying to hold the new visor with 1 hand, the soldering iron with the 2nd, and the 2 ends of the wires together with my 3rd hand to solder the wiring in the headliner after fishing them). Next time I'll invite you to fly out and help...

 

[migselv]

Thanks to the guide from @JPP I now did the retrofit on my classic, pre-AP Model S from 2013.

For the part number for the light Alcantara (now called Cream), check this post.

The retrofit was relatively easy, BUT it was not a direct plug&play swap! These were the challenges I encountered:

1. The car side and sun visor connectors did not match. The car side features a Molex connector (I believe) which is much larger than the one attached to the sun visor.
2. The cable coming from the car is too short.
   
3. The sun visor mount did not fit 100%. There are some edges that needed slight trimming to make it go all the way in.

Since I did not have a set of 2-pin Molex connectors laying around, but instead had several pairs of JST SM 2-pin 2mm connectors I simply cut off the car and sun visor plugs and soldered the JST connectors in their place.
With some extra cabling (13cm extra) this also addressed the issue with the short cable.

As @JPP already explained this retrofit can be done by only removing two screws per side: The one securing the sun visor to the roof and the screw for the A pillar panel (the one with the Airbag). Slim hands and fingers are highly recommended as there is not much room to work with.

Here are some additional Tips&Tricks:

• On the classic, pre-AP models the cable is taped to the headliner just next to the sun visor mount. It can be found on the side of the mount towards the middle of the car. On my passenger side the cable was kept in place with some compound glue which was difficult to remove (when you have your hand and fingers in an awkward position).
• You need to route the cable through a little hole in the roof which is roughly in the same place the cable was taped to. You can easily find it if you enter the larger mount hole with a finger and search for a circular hole towards the center of the car. Your power cable needs to enter this cavity in order to meet and connect the sun visor end which ultimately also ends in the same cavity.
• Remember that this power cable from the car has a live +12V wire. So, if you chose to exchange the existing connector I highly recommend to shut down the car (use the shut down option on the MCU) which kills the power to said wire after a few seconds. This will dramatically reduce any risk of creating a short while exchanging the connector.

Lastly, here are some pictures from the retrofit:


Have fun!

/Marcel

 

[sorka]

I seem to have completely missed your post back in July showing part numbers for the new visors. I've bugged several service advisors in Fremont multiple times asking for the part numbers. On several occasions, they gave me part numbers claiming they were for the visors only for me to see they were the original part numbers.

Even the body shop, Brooks, that is a block away from the Factory and does all their factory touchup and repairs claimed they could't find the part number.

How did you get it? How much were they? How long did it take to get them once you ordered them.

Any way to find the part number for black alcantra?

So I finally decided to tackle the retrofit of the current production sun visors with the lighted vanity mirrors into my wife’s 2015 S70D. This has really made her day—it has been one of her pet peeves since delivery.

Here is how I approached the install:

I had previously been in contact with Herbie from the Netherlands (see upthread), who had been doing custom retrofits (using your old original visor). He had sussed out that many S had the proper connector as part of the wiring harness under the headliner. He found a wiring diagram showing the proper 2-pin connectors, with yellow/green striped +12V and black ground wires. I knew that I needed to figure out the 12V power situation. I had been up under the headliner in both my 2013 S85 and her S, searching for the connectors and 12V for the visor mirrors. I knew that some early 2012-2014 builds did have the +12V/gnd and the proper connector glued to the headliner near the visor mounts (George Blankenship, the early Sales VP under Elon in 2012 through 2014, had actually gone on record promising lighted visor mirrors and a retrofit). I was actually able to locate my visor power connectors (but don’t plan to do the retrofit as I am selling my 2013 S when my ‘full spec’ Performance Model 3 arrives next month--plus the current lighted visors don’t come in the old light colored fabric to match my old 2013 headliner). This is my 2013 connector with the proper color-coded wiring (for reference):

View attachment 318767

I was unfortunately not able to find the proper connectors and 12V power under my wife’s headliner. No worries-I knew that I had 12V under the microphone grille in the headliner used for EU cars with the interior intrusion sensor on the security system (where I previously connected the Blackvue dash cam). You get at this by pulling down the back lip of the grille (opposite from the windshield) and the cover swings down to reveal the microphones and the unused connector (if you are fortunate to have it).

To begin, I first deinstalled the old sun visors. You pop off the sort of C shaped trim cover over the visor mounting bracket with a spudger or small flat screwdriver, then use a Torx driver to unscrew the single screw. The visor mounting bracket sort of rotates down towards the rear of the car and then the tab slides out of the metal bracket welded to the underside of the roof. I took the old visors, and carefully matched up the mounting brackets to the new lighted ones. As I had hoped, Tesla did not re-engineer the bracket very much (just a center hole for the red/black wires and a clip to hold the connector).

Here are some photos of the new visors in the packaging:

View attachment 318769

Here is the new bracket:

View attachment 318770
View attachment 318771
View attachment 318772

You can see the small white male 2-pin connector clipped to the top of the new bracket. Also note the new bracket cover which dangles below the bracket.

Here is the invoice with part numbers (you need to pay attention to color):

View attachment 318774

I then needed to loosen up the headliner a bit. I pulled out the plastic caps on the upper A pillar trim (labeled Airbag) using a small flat bladed screwdriver, and unscrewed the small hex head bolt (don’t lose the flat washer underneath). Here is the cap flipped up and the bolt loosened:

View attachment 318776

Then I pulled the upper end of the A pillar trim away (I did not pull out the bottom at the dash). Be careful as the side curtain airbag is up there. With this loosened, I could pull the headliner down a bit in the front. You would probably do this if you were doing a dash cam install (as I had done before). Note that I did not need to unscrew the small bracket closer to the rear view mirror where the center side of the visor clips into.

I fished new red and black wires from the center 12V supply to the openings for the LH and RH visor mounts (I used a cut off length of thin wire coathanger). I cut off the small white 2-pin connector on the new visors (I was not going to be able to use it, and did not feel like sourcing the proper female connectors and pins for a ‘quick connect’ install). I stripped the very short red and black wires at the new visor bracket, and soldered on the new wires I fished, and then protected them with heat shrink tubing. I installed the new visors by sliding the tongue of the bracket back towards the rear of the car (being careful to not crimp the wires, as they are fished over the headliner but under the metal mount for the visor), and did a quick 12V test to be sure that the mirror lights did in fact work. I then screwed the brackets down with the Torx screws and snapped in the new bracket covers (already attached). I pushed the headliner back up, and pulled the door gasket back over to hold it. I then reinstalled the A pillar trim (pushed it in and snapped the clip into place, then secured it with the bolt and washer).

I then went back to the microphone area in the center of the headliner, and used PosiTaps to grab +12V (grey wire on my connector) and ground (black wire on my connector) from the unused 3 wire connector at the microphone (being careful to not disrupt my Blackvue wiring). Tested again, all good. Here is the new driver’s/LH side with the lighted vanity mirror:

View attachment 318777

Yes, the new visors/lighted mirrors are connected to always on 12V, but I know that even if my wife accidentally leaves one of the visor mirror covers open, the main traction pack will keep the 12V battery topped off via the DC-to-DC converter, so no worries.

I would rate this as moderately difficult—you need to have time and patience, either to try to find the proper existing 12V connector (with the green/yellow hot wire and black ground), which might be glued to the headliner in one of several places (or glued to a wire bundle), or to fish new 12V power. Be sure to meter out your 12V before committing to using it, as some connectors and wiring look right but are not 12V (probably Canbus) and you will get odd voltages (I found several unused connectors up in the headliner, but none with the proper color code or voltage).

Oh and BTW, the new visors do have a sliding mechanism to move them back about 3-4 inches…better than nothing.

Good luck.

 

[migselv]

I summarized the part numbers for both the black and cream alcantara sun visors here.

Just for your reference:

BLACK Alcantara
ASY SUNVISOR LH ULTRASUEDE BLACK NA (1143824-86-B)
ASY SUNVISOR RH ULTRASUEDE BLACK NA (1143825-86-B)

CREAM Alcantara
ASY SUNVISOR LH ALCANTARA CREME NA (1143824-87-B)
ASY SUNVISOR RH ALCANTARA CREME NA (1143825-87-B)


As for delivery time, it was around 4 weeks after ordering (mind that delivery was to Denmark). I was actually surprised about the speed.

The new visors are a bit pricey. At least here in Denmark with 25% VAT included a set of two is priced approximately $400.

 

[JPP]

Thanks to the guide from @JPP I now did the retrofit on my classic, pre-AP Model S from 2013.

For the part number for the light Alcantara (now called Cream), check this post.

The retrofit was relatively easy, BUT it was not a direct plug&play swap! These were the challenges I encountered:

1. The car side and sun visor connectors did not match. The car side features a Molex connector (I believe) which is much larger than the one attached to the sun visor.
2. The cable coming from the car is too short.
   
3. The sun visor mount did not fit 100%. There are some edges that needed slight trimming to make it go all the way in.

Since I did not have a set of 2-pin Molex connectors laying around, but instead had several pairs of JST SM 2-pin 2mm connectors I simply cut off the car and sun visor plugs and soldered the JST connectors in their place.
With some extra cabling (13cm extra) this also addressed the issue with the short cable.

As @JPP already explained this retrofit can be done by only removing two screws per side: The one securing the sun visor to the roof and the screw for the A pillar panel (the one with the Airbag). Slim hands and fingers are highly recommended as there is not much room to work with.

Here are some additional Tips&Tricks:

• On the classic, pre-AP models the cable is taped to the headliner just next to the sun visor mount. It can be found on the side of the mount towards the middle of the car. On my passenger side the cable was kept in place with some compound glue which was difficult to remove (when you have your hand and fingers in an awkward position).
• You need to route the cable through a little hole in the roof which is roughly in the same place the cable was taped to. You can easily find it if you enter the larger mount hole with a finger and search for a circular hole towards the center of the car. Your power cable needs to enter this cavity in order to meet and connect the sun visor end which ultimately also ends in the same cavity.
• Remember that this power cable from the car has a live +12V wire. So, if you chose to exchange the existing connector I highly recommend to shut down the car (use the shut down option on the MCU) which kills the power to said wire after a few seconds. This will dramatically reduce any risk of creating a short while exchanging the connector.

Lastly, here are some pictures from the retrofit:
View attachment 347554

Have fun!

/Marcel

Good show---and it looks like you had the original old skinny 2013 visors. So you jumped up a size and got the lights. Nice.

 

[migselv]

Exactly. Even though at was a bit pricey, I think it was definitely worth it. There are 3 improvements that I could count:

1. Larger visor
2. Lighted vanity mirror
3. Retractable arm

 

[berkeley_ecar]

My thanks to @JPP and @migselv for sharing their information and experience. I've been bugging Tesla parts every couple of weeks for months now, ever since I saw the new visors in a S85 loaner vehicle I was given while my vehicle was in service. They have refused to supply part numbers thus far, let alone go any further. I had heard about the George Blankenship promise that an update would be provided, and am disappointed but not surprised that it is not on offer. From what you have written, it seems unlikely that the visor wiring is going to be present in my March 2017 Model S. Great to have the part numbers -- any recommendations about how best to place an order? I actually want the extensibility more than the lighted mirrors, it proved to be a huge safety benefit for this tall driver, in fully blocking the sunlight entering the side window when the sun is low in the sky.

 

[iTech]

Is this more of a Plug&Play replacement for newer cars (2016 onward)?

 

[JPP]

Is this more of a Plug&Play replacement for newer cars (2016 onward)?

This is not 'plug & play'. You need to first know if you have the 12V power to the area where the visor mounts. As I noted, my old 2013 S had them, my wife's 2015 did not. If you have the power, your connector might not be compatible (see upthread). But then you can do some soldering/splicing. For my wife's car, I had to run power from the center microphone grille in the headliner--way more work. And while I did find that the mounting brackets for the new visors were a bit tighter than the old ones, I did not need to do any Dremel work.

 

[BigD0g]

I ordered two for my early 2017 S, I'll report back to this thread and try to document the process as well as those that came before us.

 

[zanary]

I ordered two for my early 2017 S, I'll report back to this thread and try to document the process as well as those that came before us.

I just found this thread, and am very excited to do the retrofit for my 2017 Model S (mid Sept 2017 build). Looking forward to your findings.

Note: I have that 12v extra cable above the microphone which is where I used to get the power for my Blackvue dashcam.

 

[BigD0g]

I just found this thread, and am very excited to do the retrofit for my 2017 Model S (mid Sept 2017 build). Looking forward to your findings.

Note: I have that 12v extra cable above the microphone which is where I used to get the power for my Blackvue dashcam.

I have the same, and use it for my Blackvue as well.

 

[zanary]

I have the same, and use it for my Blackvue as well.

Looking forward to seeing your writeup

 

[herb_k]

For people who did the upgrade, please sent me your old visors. I will upgrade them to lighted versions. And IMHO the older look better with the old style cover than the new iPad style flimsy covers.

 

[sorka]

Installation went without a hitch. Wife is happy now. Says Tesla is a real car now. She also likes the slide extension which we wouldn't have if we retrofitted the original visors.

 

[zanary]

Installation went without a hitch. Wife is happy now. Says Tesla is a real car now. She also likes the slide extension which we wouldn't have if we retrofitted the original visors.

Did you do the one with the light and if so, was the electrical connection up there, or did you just do the new visor without the light?

 

[berkeley_ecar]

Armed with the part number so helpfully shared in this thread, I was able to visit my Service Center and order the illuminated/extensible visors that I needed for my early 2017 Model S:
ASY SUNVISOR LH CREME ALCANTARA (1143824-87-B)
ASY SUNVISOR RH CREME ALCANTARA (1143825-87-B)
They arrived with surprising speed. The new visor has a small white nylon connector on the visor mount, to be connected to a source for the LED electrical power. I have identified the connector and contacted the vendor (JST), and talked to the very helpful person who specified the part for Tesla. Here are the JST part numbers:
PNIRR-02VF (=receptacle housing/ pin contacts) <== what is on the visor
PNIRP-02V-S (=socket housings, socket contact) <== the mate to the above, needed on wires connected to power.

Ideally, one could make up a cable with the above connector on its end, and wire the other end into the 12V power in the openable grill-covered housing in the headliner near the rear view mirror. DigiKey has part numbers for the
connector attached to wires of length 2, 4, 6 and 12 inches (all too short) but does not have them in stock, and requires a minimum order of 1,000 units (at $416 for the 12" version!).

There is a cable manufacturer in Taiwan, CSE, that also makes cables with these connectors, but it is highly unlikely they will want to make small batches.

I had been hoping to find an easier and more elegant method for installing the visors on an older Model S, without resorting to cutting off the provided connector and getting out the soldering iron. This strikes me as a potential group purchase project, so I will try to bring it to the attention of @artsci and @appleguru, who have done such an elegant job on the latest incarnation of the front (parking) video cam kit, and CAN bus interface to support the cam and other add-on projects. It would also be good to coordinate it with various dashcam projects, which tap into the same source for their power (perhaps they could share the same vampire/other power taps?) If anyone else has thoughts, please do share them here. I suspect that many owners would be interested in upgrading their visors if it were neater and easier to do.

 

[sorka]

Did you do the one with the light and if so, was the electrical connection up there, or did you just do the new visor without the light?

I have a March 2015 S so it still had the 12 volt vanity mirror plugs. They were not compatible and I replaced the with standard 2 wire JST plugs.

There's not a lot of wire to spare so you have to cut it pretty close to the hollow visor shaft. I soldered and then shrink tubed it to provide isolation and strain relief.

 

[sorka]

I just got a facebook message reply from digikey and they gave me the same part # you did so it good find.

Now I wish I'd waited to install rather than cutting the factory connector off the visor.

This means you only have to cut the power supply connector, it's a car with that, and wire in the male connector.

 

[sorka]

Can someone source the older power supply connector so we can make a harness that doesn't require cutting for those of us that have the original vanity power supply connectors?