NissanConnect EV / Telematics Hardware Update, for the post-2G world

[ceshell]

Take a look at my previous posts. In particular, my summary of the week long process on page 18 of this topic may help. But in short, I believe it was the registration with AT&T that caused a delay for me. All is working well now.

Thank you! I had read your post; in fact that's why I thought the service rep was full of beans when he said they'd probably get the unit in within a day.

But since you said you lived in the countryside I totally didn't digest the part about the AT&T activation delay, since I'm in metropolitan Los Angeles. It still didn't work this morning, but I don't think it's been 24 hours. I'll give it some time before calling Nissan customer service. Appreciate the feedback.

 

[thew]

Yea i think they have had them in stock for a while.. I live in a very remote part of Oregon So I am trying to do the Upgrade myself.
http://www.courtesyparts.com/oe-nissan/283b03na1a

I have Found the Dealer above selling all 3 of the TCU Units $210.00

Lets Hope i can install the TCU and be done with this myself. I cannot Tow my LEAF 30 Miles tot he Nearest dealer to fix this. And Nissan Should be Updating All of us for Free . But At least the 2011 LEAFS from Japan!. This makes me want to go get a BOLT!. Nissan has been so rude to us Early Adopters it makes me sad.

Anyone else Install the TCU themselves?

 

[JPWhite]

Yea i think they have had them in stock for a while.. I live in a very remote part of Oregon So I am trying to do the Upgrade myself.
http://www.courtesyparts.com/oe-nissan/283b03na1a

I have Found the Dealer above selling all 3 of the TCU Units $210.00

Lets Hope i can install the TCU and be done with this myself. I cannot Tow my LEAF 30 Miles tot he Nearest dealer to fix this. And Nissan Should be Updating All of us for Free . But At least the 2011 LEAFS from Japan!. This makes me want to go get a BOLT!. Nissan has been so rude to us Early Adopters it makes me sad.

Anyone else Install the TCU themselves?

I think the install is simple enough, but its the activation that might trip you up. Not sure Nissan can or will share the details on that process.

 

[lpickup]

I think the install is simple enough, but its the activation that might trip you up. Not sure Nissan can or will share the details on that process.

I don't know if I'd risk it in case the above is true, but I suspect the activation process is basically calling up the Nissan LEAF help line and giving them the information on the Unit ID number.

I called them up after they switched from CARWINGS to NissanConnectEV (or whatever it's known as) and they walked me through a process by which they basically tried to re-set (or activate?) my TCU (this was well before the current 2G/3G issue). I suspect all that happens is they take the numbers down and forward that along to AT&T for provisioning. You could try calling the LEAF number anyway and ask. I've found the people on that line to be fairly knowledgeable.

 

[Stanton]

Not to state the obvious, but there are (2) major things in the TCU upgrade:
1) Ordering/installing the correct modem
2) Activating the car/wireless account

While the first can probably be done by any "mechanic", the second requires authorization from Nissan (for the car) and AT&T (for the wireless service)...in a secure manner. For that reason, it may have to be done by the dealer...and I'm not sure I would want a third party getting access to my account(s).

 

[lpickup]

Not to state the obvious, but there are (2) major things in the TCU upgrade:
1) Ordering/installing the correct modem
2) Activating the car/wireless account

While the first can probably be done by any "mechanic", the second requires authorization from Nissan (for the car) and AT&T (for the wireless service)...in a secure manner. For that reason, it may have to be done by the dealer...and I'm not sure I would want a third party getting access to my account(s).

I'm not sure where the "third party" comes in. What I think is happening is that the dealer calls up Nissan HQ with the relevant ID #'s and then Nissan forwards that information to AT&T for provisioning.

One of the items they need (and that shows up on the Unit ID screen, for probably this reason) is the VIN for the car, so Nissan likely maintains a table of VIN vs. TCU ID's (i.e. SIM card #'s) to ensure that someone doesn't end up provisioning 1000 SIM cards on Nissan's dime.

 

[Phatcat73]

Ok. I just came from my dealership. It took over an hour for them to figure out what was needed. I will say the service advisor I worked with was very helpful and did share some Nissan documentation on the process with me. Here is the pertinent process (from the Nissan document) you can go through to check on your modem to see if it is 2G or 3G.

-----

NOTE: Vehicles without Navigation are ineligible as they are not equipped with TCUs.

Verify applicability using one of the following methods:
1. Check vehicle service history for previous repair (PC449 or PC450).
2. Check the TCU ID number on the vehicle information screen. If the TCU ID begins
with something other than 2012, it is a 3G TCU and does not require an update.
To identify if the vehicle has a 2G or a 3G TCU, complete the following steps on the
head unit:
3. Press the hard button labeled Menu.
4. Press the "CARWINGS" soft button on the center display screen.
5. Press the "CARWINGS Settings" soft button on the center display screen.
6. Select the down arrow on the center display screen.
7. Press "Unit ID information" soft button on the center display screen.
8. If TCUID starts with "2012-1" it is a 3G device.
9. If TCUID starts with "2012-0" it is a 2G device.

NOTE: As indicated above, TCU IDs that begin with something other than 2012 are 3G
TCUs and do not require an update.

-----

Personal note. The note at the bottom was confusing to the service advisor and I. Mine started with "2012-9". So the service advisor called the 800 number in the Campaign Bulletin and quickly found out that mine is a 2G device. So the service advisor ordered the part (#283B0-3NF2A) required for my vehicle. There are two other part numbers in the Campaign Bulletin for vehicles based upon their production date. The part above is for vehicles produced 12/1/2012 thru 9/30/2015.

For other manufacture dates use the following:
09/20/2011 thru 11/30/2012 use part #283B0-3NA2A
11/01/2010 thru 09/19/2011 use part #283B0-3NA1A

If you want a copy of the Campaign Bulletin you can find it here:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/108978910/2G%20Telematics%20Hardware%20Replacement.pdf

Thanks for including the link at the bottom as my dealer was very confused. I printed it out and they all huddled over to read it as my was the first car. They were frustrated as it wasn't a TSB and didn't have all the info from Nissan packaged up neatly for the techs.

 

[nitzmahone]

Just got my 2013 back today after the TCU upgrade. My dealer (Carr Nissan in Beaverton, OR) said mine was the first they'd done. The app and website had stopped connecting to the car after they'd done the swap (timing out at first, then saying I needed to register). The dealer said they'd registered the new TCU to the VIN, but that there might be something else I needed to do to get it working again. I got it going by navigating to Menu->Carwings->Carwings Settings->Sign In, and hitting "Send ID and Password". After that, everything lit up and started working again- all my historical data was saved.

Hope this saves someone else the trouble!

-Matt

 

[garsh]

I have Found the Dealer above selling all 3 of the TCU Units $210.00

Wait...
so, Nissan asks us to pay a $199 "copay". But a Nissan dealer is able to make a profit on these things by selling them for $210?
In other words, the copay is to help the dealer make some money off of Leaf owners (who don't need oil changes).
Yeah, I don't think I'll be replacing this car with another Nissan if I can help it.

 

[cwerdna]

I have Found the Dealer above selling all 3 of the TCU Units $210.00

Wait...
so, Nissan asks us to pay a $199 "copay". But a Nissan dealer is able to make a profit on these things by selling them for $210?
In other words, the copay is to help the dealer make some money off of Leaf owners (who don't need oil changes).
Yeah, I don't think I'll be replacing this car with another Nissan if I can help it.

You're forgetting about the labor cost to install swap the TCU and go thru the activation process. Dealer tech labor isn't free.

I wouldn't be surprised if $199 is just enough to or doesn't cover 2 hours of labor billed to Nissan.

 

[JPWhite]

I have Found the Dealer above selling all 3 of the TCU Units $210.00

Wait...
so, Nissan asks us to pay a $199 "copay". But a Nissan dealer is able to make a profit on these things by selling them for $210?
In other words, the copay is to help the dealer make some money off of Leaf owners (who don't need oil changes).
Yeah, I don't think I'll be replacing this car with another Nissan if I can help it.

Think about it for a second.

You can pay $210 and install it yourself.

or

Pay $199 at its installed for you.

Which is the better deal?

 

[mjblazin]

Moderator should post an FAQ on subject vs. trying to dig through the messages:
-DO NOT expect your dealer to know anything about this action. That includes the service desk clerk, service manager and the Leaf tech.
- You will have to order and pre-pay for the unit and have it arrive before service gets scheduled for real. Using regular appointment process is a complete waste of time.
- Reference number for dealer is Service Com PC449. It is the number in bottom right of 1st page of letter.
- I would be very leery of self install. You have no info on what AT&T does with the signal and how Nissan admits the message into its system or how Nissan then communicates back to the vehicle.

I wasted part of a morning getting to a scheduled appointment at a dealership, after I spent 2 days trying to educate the staff, and still missed the part about the pre-order. Nissan should have specified that point in the letter.
Don't let this happen to you.

 

[medikit]

Just got my 2013 back today after the TCU upgrade. My dealer (Carr Nissan in Beaverton, OR) said mine was the first they'd done. The app and website had stopped connecting to the car after they'd done the swap (timing out at first, then saying I needed to register). The dealer said they'd registered the new TCU to the VIN, but that there might be something else I needed to do to get it working again. I got it going by navigating to Menu->Carwings->Carwings Settings->Sign In, and hitting "Send ID and Password". After that, everything lit up and started working again- all my historical data was saved.

Hope this saves someone else the trouble!

-Matt

I just had mine upgraded today and I'm getting a"connection to center failed (B02)" message. Anyone else having issues? I'm wondering if they forgot to register the new TCU. Trying to get in touch with them.

Edit: I had the unit installed on Dec/17 and was able to connect on Dec/19, just needed to wait.

 

[IBeLeaf2]

Moderator should post an FAQ on subject vs. trying to dig through the messages:
-DO NOT expect your dealer to know anything about this action. That includes the service desk clerk, service manager and the Leaf tech.
- You will have to order and pre-pay for the unit and have it arrive before service gets scheduled for real. Using regular appointment process is a complete waste of time.
- Reference number for dealer is Service Com PC449. It is the number in bottom right of 1st page of letter.
- I would be very leery of self install. You have no info on what AT&T does with the signal and how Nissan admits the message into its system or how Nissan then communicates back to the vehicle.

I wasted part of a morning getting to a scheduled appointment at a dealership, after I spent 2 days trying to educate the staff, and still missed the part about the pre-order. Nissan should have specified that point in the letter.
Don't let this happen to you.

Sorry you had a hard time of it at your dealer.
I was the first to have it done at Lee Nissan in Maine and had no problems in regard to ordering parts or the tech understanding the process. Once they had received info from Nissan, I just asked them to order it, when it came in 4 days later I set up appointment for next day for install. No pre-visit, no prepayment. But I did have to wait 36 hours for AT&T to get the new TCU into its system after the install. But it was all finished before I got the letter from Nissan!

I also agree with your and others self-install advice. Seems like it would be challenging to connect with AT&T and more costly to boot.

 

[IBeLeaf2]

Just got my 2013 back today after the TCU upgrade. My dealer (Carr Nissan in Beaverton, OR) said mine was the first they'd done. The app and website had stopped connecting to the car after they'd done the swap (timing out at first, then saying I needed to register). The dealer said they'd registered the new TCU to the VIN, but that there might be something else I needed to do to get it working again. I got it going by navigating to Menu->Carwings->Carwings Settings->Sign In, and hitting "Send ID and Password". After that, everything lit up and started working again- all my historical data was saved.

Hope this saves someone else the trouble!

-Matt

I just had mine upgraded today and I'm getting a"connection to center failed (B02)" message. Anyone else having issues? I'm wondering if they forgot to register the new TCU. Trying to get in touch with them.

After 36 hours the app told me I had to re-register the car so I went thru the Carwings menu, app and webpage making sure they all were signed in. Then it worked fine.

 

[JPWhite]

I checked with my dealer. The part has been on back order with Nissan for more than a week now still with no release date. I pointed out to them that there are three different parts available and you have to order the correct part based on manufacture date. They assured me they had ordered the right one. We'll see.

 

[Stanton]

I checked with my dealer. The part has been on back order with Nissan for more than a week now still with no release date. I pointed out to them that there are three different parts available and you have to order the correct part based on manufacture date. They assured me they had ordered the right one. We'll see.

It has been mentioned before, but these modems are now back-ordered for many weeks (4-8 to be exact). I suspect they had a few "on the shelf", but the demand has obviously exceeded their supply; it probably wasn't helped by the fact there isn't just one part number/type, but 2 or 3. I know I was one of the first few at my dealership and the back-order notice came very quickly...which means they didn't properly judge demand. Sounds like the design engineers met their deadline for the "fix", but the operational guys didn't do a good job of building/shipping product.

 

[JPWhite]

I checked with my dealer. The part has been on back order with Nissan for more than a week now still with no release date. I pointed out to them that there are three different parts available and you have to order the correct part based on manufacture date. They assured me they had ordered the right one. We'll see.

It has been mentioned before, but these modems are now back-ordered for many weeks (4-8 to be exact). I suspect they had a few "on the shelf", but the demand has obviously exceeded their supply; it probably wasn't helped by the fact there isn't just one part number/type, but 2 or 3. I know I was one of the first few at my dealership and the back-order notice came very quickly...which means they didn't properly judge demand. Sounds like the design engineers met their deadline for the "fix", but the operational guys didn't do a good job of building/shipping product.

Well that sucks.

It could be February or later before connectivity is restored.

 

[ceshell]

I got my upgrade yesterday morning. By late last night (10:30pm) it still would not connect. First thing this morning I went out and tried again and it worked. If it takes more than one business day, I would probably call at that point. I suspect they can probably help you on this at Nissan HQ rather than the dealer who can really only call and repeat the information they gave the first time.

It's been over 48 hours now and still won't connect. I called Nissan Leaf customer service; they said I needed to call the dealer. :evil:

 

[garsh]

Think about it for a second.
You can pay $210 and install it yourself.

or

Pay $199 at its installed for you.
Which is the better deal?

Irrelevant to my point. Nissan calls this a "co-pay", giving the impression that this is some very expensive part, and we are being asked for just a small co-pay, like the $10-$20 you pay for your $500 doctor visit. And it turns out to be the total cost of the hardware.

It would have been more honest for Nissan to tell us that we're paying for the hardware, and they would cover installation labor costs.