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Pedestrian Warning System (PWS) Retrofit
- Thread starter pow216
- Start date
I saw what was involved, the risk of failure (drilling in the wrong place, not solving the bleed issue properly, introducing moisture to a previouly sealed enclosure, etc) and just figured for my OCD it would be easier to buy them.
The newer revision repeaters also have a little lip around the edge to try and deflect rain droplets. I figured there might be other minor improvements that weren't obvious, so that swung it for me.
I also sold my old repeaters on eBay for a reasonable amount (£120 if memory serves) so the financial hit wasn't too bad.
On the early cars the cameras were never envisaged to be used for blind spot monitoring - and when they were made they left three tiny holes on the circuit board without a component soldered in. When Tesla created the blind spot feature the light emitted by the indicator shines through the circuit board and is picked up by the camera - so at night you get a big orange glow as the indicator lights up over the camera feed - making the picture pretty useless.
The modification is drilling the outer case of the camera body in the right position to reveal these holes and blocking them with something like blutack, pitch or even some tape - then finding a method to seal up the outer casing to prevent the ingress of water. for me that will just be some black plastic and an old solder gun to melt the plastic together and form a watertight seal - doesnt have to be pretty as the body of the camera is never seen unless taken out.
There is a video on youtube of the mod being done and shows exactly where to drill and do the job.
I am going to do the mod this summer simply because I've done every mod I want to the car except this.
The modification is drilling the outer case of the camera body in the right position to reveal these holes and blocking them with something like blutack, pitch or even some tape - then finding a method to seal up the outer casing to prevent the ingress of water. for me that will just be some black plastic and an old solder gun to melt the plastic together and form a watertight seal - doesnt have to be pretty as the body of the camera is never seen unless taken out.
There is a video on youtube of the mod being done and shows exactly where to drill and do the job.
I am going to do the mod this summer simply because I've done every mod I want to the car except this.
I took my car (Aug 2019 build) in for an unrelated reason today, and while I was there I mentioned that it has the PWS speaker installed but it's not working properly and seems to be disabled. I didn't say where the speaker came from or who installed it - just that it is installed and isn't working.
When I picked up the car he said they reprogrammed the PWS and it's now working correctly. It was done for free. There was no mention of it being a paid service.
When I picked up the car he said they reprogrammed the PWS and it's now working correctly. It was done for free. There was no mention of it being a paid service.
I have a December 2020 M3LR AWD. I ordered the pws upgrade before Christmas. It arrived yesterday, and I am booked in for the fitting tomorrow. The service centre also added on a tailgate o-ring and a heatpump sensor change for free.
Next up are the indicator light bleed, and the dual reverse light upgrade.
Next up are the indicator light bleed, and the dual reverse light upgrade.
It is a very odd experience going to a Tesla service centre. Milton Keynes has no reception, just a bell to press, which summons 1 or more techs armed with laptops. I didn't meet my Tech, but the App kept me up to date with progress. In at 9am out by 11.30am, lots of free coffee, tea, water and biscuits. There is no viewing area. I picked up a 19" wheel hub cap removal tool while I was there, all through the App. I quite enjoyed the experience. Now I have toybox and can set lock sounds, and do remote farting. How cool is that.
Are the new replacement cameras chrome like the originals. Or black like the cameras on newer models? Any good tips on arguments for getting them replaced on warranty?
My car warranty ends in June this year. I might try to get them replaced if I’m lucky. Otherwise I’ll just keep them as they are.
The Chrome is just a cover - its stuck on, if your careful you should be able to peel it off and put on to a new camera.
If the light bleed from the indicators are what your trying to get rid of then there is a modification you can do - as far as i was aware Tesla will not replace a camera because of amber light bleed as its not a fault. The bleed is caused by Tesla increasing the functionality of the cameras to provide a blind spot view on the screen with an update.
If your thinking of replacing the cameras then what do you have to loose in attempting the modification - you will find the mod on Youtube. The reason for the bleed is - inside the camera housing there is a PCB - three little holes are left open as if for another component that was never fitted - at night when the indicators flash light gets through these little holes which are close to the camera sensor and it picks up the light.
The mod involves drilling a hole in the outer casing of the camera and plugging the holes with pitch or blue tac or indeed anything that will prevent light getting through - then sealing the hole you drilled to get access and make the case water tight again.
Thanks for the info guys.
Yes, I agree it’s not a warranty fault as it’s new OTA upgrades taking advantage of already existing HW.
I was just thinking it could be a free upgrade before warranty ends
It hasn’t bothered me until I read about it here
Don’t think I will bother with the fix. I’ll just keep them the way they are for now.
This week I discovered that I have the PWS wiring on my April 2019 car. So now it got me wondering if I want speaker or not. I actually like my silent car. And don’t know if I ever will use any PWS functions at all. I think in a weeks time I’ve forgotten all about it, and skip it I guess
MrBadger
Badger out
The light bleed is nowhere near as obvious as it first was. It was originally a very obvious amber cast, but since camera colours have been made more human friendly, the amber cast has gone and it’s a much less obvious white/light shadow.
Prior to buying an EV it always annoyed me they didn't make some noise at low speeds where walking pedestrian's may roam unawares.
My 2021 3 plays a space craft type noise in reverse but not going fwd. Tesla manual says:
"The Pedestrian Warning System causes Model 3 to emit sound when driving below approximately 40 km/h or while driving in reverse."
Should it play then going forward?...I would like it to.
My 2021 3 plays a space craft type noise in reverse but not going fwd. Tesla manual says:
"The Pedestrian Warning System causes Model 3 to emit sound when driving below approximately 40 km/h or while driving in reverse."
Should it play then going forward?...I would like it to.
I quite like the light bleed. It can prove you were indicating before a crash etc.
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