ucmndd
Well-Known Member
Gonna be a while before you find 2021 refresh headlights on eBay for $200. But in any case that’s not what the person I was responding to asked.
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New headlights retrofit
- Thread starter bomax
- Start date
akballow
Member
I did answer the same person through you on how much used headlights which are in most cases no different then new.
I know new headlights will pop up, but i dont want to spend time looking if the wiring harness is different.
About $1200 was on the invoice. One of my headlights died and have a schedule to have it replaced on Jan 4th.
vogz
Member
Since it's pretty clear now that 2021s are shipping with the old and new headlights, there is almost no chance the wiring harness is different. Different headlight wiring harnesses for cars on the same assembly line would be logistical nightmare.
Even if that is true it doesn't mean they will work properly if you swap them. Just like swapping the rear tail lights don't work properly even if the harness is there. (And the PWS doesn't work fully if added to the car.) These kind of changes almost always require Tesla to change a configuration option on the car.
With Tesla, I wouldn’t make that assumption. At one point; they were going to Home Depot to buy pieces of wood to jerry rog mounting components under the frunk in a tent. So I am sure they are capable of taking on multiple harnesses.
vogz
Member
That's because Tesla added the function of blinking orange on the turn signal activation. The new headlights don't add any new function. They are just brighter with a much better defined beam pattern.
We could argue back and fourth all day, but neither of us knows for sure. I'm just saying that if some new cars are shipping with the old lights and some with the new ones, chances are really good that the harness is identical.
I thought the point of the new universal headlights was that they could adjust their pattern based on the local requirements of the country the car was delivered to. That seems like a new function to me.
vogz
Member
I don't see how that situation is remotely relevant to this discussion. They ran out a simple plastic bushing during the beginning of a global pandemic and sourced replacements that had a "wood grain". What's funny about that situation is had the pieces not had a wood grain finish, but instead were a different color plastic, no one would have made a peep.
If your argument is that Tesla does weird *sugar* sometimes, ok. Though the weird *sugar* they do doesn't make it more complicated to produce the vehicles (which having 2 different headlight harnesses in the same model year vehicle would do). Especially when there would be no need for a new harness since the new lights don't add any new features.
vogz
Member
That's pure conjecture.
Different countries don't require different beam patterns. They have brightness and cutoff requirements. The new headlights better focus the LED light and the cutoff is much more defined.
akballow
Member
Idk the headlight is rated for cornering lights so that is a new function. You have to send a signal that the left headlight turns to the left or activates another light bulb that extends past the normal range if you turn Left for example.
vogz
Member
I guess you have issues making associations then because it's absolutely relevant. Sorry you missed it. Good luck.
I was under the impression the new lights have a different user interface on the screen i.e. a different software config. So might not work as a straight swap, at least not without involving Tesla support. Not that I would even remotely consider such a retrofit unless the originals got smashed up!
akballow
Member
I feel like the software push is the easier part, I worry more that there is no additional wiring needed for the new headlights.
P-Lo801
Member
I saw these new headlights in person as I was picking up our new MY last night, where there was a model 3 parked perpendicularly to our MY with their headlights on beaming it across the side of our MY, and I am officially envious of it.
I came from HID retrofits where the beam pattern and the cutoffs stood out for its brightness and distance. I don't have any FOMO, because the headlights are pretty darn good as they are before the update, but if or when retrofits are available, I will jump on it.
I came from HID retrofits where the beam pattern and the cutoffs stood out for its brightness and distance. I don't have any FOMO, because the headlights are pretty darn good as they are before the update, but if or when retrofits are available, I will jump on it.
akballow
Member
I seen them in person too, but I was not given permission to take out the frunk to take a peak at the wiring! DOH, hope some new model 3 owner can post some shots of it.
vogz
Member
Soon enough we will have global to older headlight retrofit threads too... these are almost certainly not going to show up on Americas region cars... only APAC and EMEA. The look dates the Model 3/Y... too bad automotive lighting regulations cant keep up with tech in a few regions of the world and allow truly modern headlight and tailights to be offered globally.
