Telematics upgrade for US import to Canada

[tysoncooper]

tysoncooper, I'm curious - after he added the account for you and you logged in, when you went to the Carwings tab on the site (https://owners.nissanusa.com/nowners/user/home), were you prompted to accept the EV agreements and, if so, were you able to accept them?

I haven't done that yet. I'm waiting for the hardware upgrade.... haven't even added my vehicle to the portal yet....

 

[triflic]

I am currently touch with a keen, highly proactive, Nissan Engineer, who is willing to escalate this issue in the company. He also gave me an avenue (which I will share at a later date, after confirming some details) to possibly replace a portion of the TCU at much less cost than the full TCU. More on this later.

However.

Currently, this Engineer is going to start talking to his bosses to solve this problem, or at the very least, allow Canadian dealerships to install the 3G TCU at the US$199 price for USA 'refugee' vehicles in Canada.

BTW, the explanation I was given for why you cannot accept the agreement in the US (or Canadian) portal when you reset the vehicle is that NISSAN fully shut down the 2G database of TCU-Unit ID#'s, so that if you go into car wings and look at your TCU-unit ID, the new system will not in any way acknowledge/handshake - the whole array of those numbers is now 'officially' verboten.

The best news is that after dozens of phone calls, emails and various other forms of communication (shy of carrier pigeon), I am actually in contact with an engineer in the escalation department that is genuinely committed to fixing the problem going forward, and not just trying to get rid of me (and my 'refugee' vehicle.)

 

[alozzy]

Fantastic, well done! Your perseverance is much appreciated! This sounds promising.

 

[mite66]

I have a US SV 2013, I contacted my local Nissan dealer in order to have an upgrade to a Canadian version of the TCU. They said yes but the price was $ 971CDN plus installation fees. He gave me the part number (283B0-4NA0A), From there, I was able to find a new one on Ebay for $ 100.

My dealer did install and program it without problem (the part must absolutely be new for it to work). I then contacted Nissan Canada to add my vehicle to the Canadian database. When came the time to accept the terms and conditions, bang, error messages.

I climbed the problem and eventually got a call where I was told that it could not work because my car was "registered" in US. I called Nissan Canada again to tell them it was just a paperwork problem and there has to be a solution. I am waiting for news now :-(

 

[triflic]

I have a US SV 2013, I contacted my local Nissan dealer in order to have an upgrade to a Canadian version of the TCU. They said yes but the price was $ 971CDN plus installation fees. He gave me the part number (283B0-4NA0A), From there, I was able to find a new one on Ebay for $ 100.

My dealer did install and program it without problem (the part must absolutely be new for it to work).

So I am guessing that this part was the modem portion of the TCU, and that it is a 3G unit? If it was a 2G unit, then the Nissan Connect Portal will not recognize/acknowledge the TCU-ID#, and you will get those errors (unable to accept agreement in Carwings when adding the vehicle to MyGarage, due to improper information.)

Please let me know if part# 283B0-4NA0A is from a 2016 model or later, that is guaranteed to have the 3G comm.

 

[mite66]

So I am guessing that this part was the modem portion of the TCU, and that it is a 3G unit? If it was a 2G unit, then the Nissan Connect Portal will not recognize/acknowledge the TCU-ID#, and you will get those errors (unable to accept agreement in Carwings when adding the vehicle to MyGarage, due to improper information.)

Please let me know if part# 283B0-4NA0A is from a 2016 model or later, that is guaranteed to have the 3G comm.

The part# 283B0-4NA0A is the whole TCU unit complete with a SIM card. I was not able to get the information of the 2G vs 3G. The dealer's technician apparently did not have it himself. So I am just hoping that it is a 3G model.

 

[triflic]

I will be very curious to hear how this turns out for you. Please keep us in the loop, here and document the process you went through (where possible) so some of use might follow in your footsteps!

 

[alozzy]

Is this the correct TCU part?

https://www.nissanpartsdeal.com/parts/nissan-telematics-communication-unit~283b0-3nf2a.html?Make=Nissan&Model=Leaf&Year=2016&Submodel=&Filter=(3=SV;5=24KWH)

I'm assuming that we need the same TCU that would be a replacement part for a 2016 Leaf. If anyone knows for sure, please post back

 

[stonymtnleaf]

So I am guessing that this part was the modem portion of the TCU, and that it is a 3G unit? If it was a 2G unit, then the Nissan Connect Portal will not recognize/acknowledge the TCU-ID#, and you will get those errors (unable to accept agreement in Carwings when adding the vehicle to MyGarage, due to improper information.)

Please let me know if part# 283B0-4NA0A is from a 2016 model or later, that is guaranteed to have the 3G comm.

The part# 283B0-4NA0A is the whole TCU unit complete with a SIM card. I was not able to get the information of the 2G vs 3G. The dealer's technician apparently did not have it himself. So I am just hoping that it is a 3G model.

Apparently the required 3G part depends on the date of manufacture of the vehicle. That's according to the PC499 document that describes the upgrade process. Couldn't get my snip of the pdf to insert so here goes

12/1/2012 - 9/30/2015 P/N 283B0-3NF2A
9/20/2011 - 11/30/2012 P/N 283B0-3NA2A
11/1/2010 - 9/19/2011 P/N 283B0-3NA1A

I bought a 3NF2A only for abt $205 US plus $11 US shipping plus $39 CDN at the border. Pretty easy DIY install, hopefully just awaiting background work at NissanConnect to get it working ...

FWIW, here is a link to the whole PC499 document, p/ns are at top of page 3.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/108978910/2G Telematics Hardware Replacement.pdf

Cheers, Jim

 

[alozzy]

Thanks Jim!

 

[tysoncooper]

Ok, so quick update. I had my TCU replacement done in Bellingham on Friday. I was not present for this, the person handling my import took it to the dealership on my behalf. It took just over an hour, and then he drove the vehicle up to the border to meet me and we completed the import process. Once I got the vehicle home (Tsawwassen) I got onto my Owners Portal account and attempted to add my vehicle. I got a message stating the VIN was already associated with another account... expected since it's a used vehicle. Opened a chat window and the CSA sorted me out... just had to upload the bill of sale proving I am the new owner.

So, once VIN was added, I tried to accept the T&C's for Connect... got an error. However, I had been told to expect the TCU to take up to 48 hours to "call home" and get itself online. I left it alone overnight, and in the morning logged into my Owners Portal again and voila... there was a message at the top of the screen saying "Your vehicle is equipped with NissanConnect EV." (That message MAY have been there before, but I didn't notice it) So i again tried to accept the T&C's and IT WORKED! I was given a Username and Password and went and entered these into the vehicle and it accepted them without issue.

I downloaded the app to my phone and tried to immediately connect... it did, but I had no data yet. I tried again a few hours later and could see the correct status etc. Haven't played with it too much yet, but the bottom line is:

IT'S WORKING!!!

One more thing.... when I registered for the Nissan Owners Portal I provided an American mailing address.... I live very near the border, and I use a parcel receiving service in Point Roberts, WA.... so I used my address there. Not sure if that matters or not, but that's what I did.

I can't see why it would now stop working since I've got the correct hardware. It's obviously roaming (Rogers or otherwise).... and I guess unless they actually block the roaming feature then no reason to believe this isn't the way to go.

Unfortunately it means (for the moment) getting the TCU upgrade done at an American dealership... which isn't a convenient option unless you live near the border... but for us here in the lower mainland BC shouldn't be too much of a hardship.

Oh... and BTW.... the part number CONFIRMED FROM MY RECEIPT for my 2013 is 283B03NF2A

 

[medtech1]

tysoncooper, thats good news. My last configuration was using the US NissanConnect.. so I guess my next steps could be to do the TCU upgrade as well.

Thank you for sharing your experience.


I've tried setting an appointment with Bellingham Nissan to get this work done, and they haven't contacted me back to confirm they have the part and to come in. Its been very frustrating, as I've contacted them three times, and also been in contact with Marcy (she's been great) who is their internet sales manager who has also tried to get their service dept to respond back. (Sorta of weird).

 

[chivalryx]

That's awesome! Thanks for being the first to give it a try! I may trek down there next time I have some vacation time.

The Bellingham Nissan folks were friendly when I spoke with them. Seems the new ownership is doing well.

Chiv.

 

[tysoncooper]

Btw... question for those of you who've used this before... is it normal for the app to fail to connect at least 1/2 the time? Seems really hit & miss!

 

[alozzy]

Excellent news! Hopefully the roaming on Rogers network keeps working long term.

I know I should start another thread, but since we're all Canadians with US cars, I hope you don't mind the hijack...

Has anyone managed to get their warranty transferred to Nissan Canada? I bought the car figuring any US warranty wouldn't be honored once the car was in Canada, but it sure would be nice peace of mind to have the battery warranty honored.

 

[medtech1]

Alozzy: before I purchased my car from someone local in the vancouver area, I called NISSAN, and they said all the Canadian warranty is as valid as the US warranty. Once I purchased, I transferred the car into my name with Nissan.

My service dealer here in Surrey(Jonker), sees my car on his system, and is honouring any recalls (I think there is one outstanding now), etc as well.

 

[tysoncooper]

Alozzy: before I purchased my car from someone local in the vancouver area, I called NISSAN, and they said all the Canadian warranty is as valid as the US warranty. Once I purchased, I transferred the car into my name with Nissan.

My service dealer here in Surrey(Jonker), sees my car on his system, and is honouring any recalls (I think there is one outstanding now), etc as well.

I too was told that the warranty follows the VIN, regardless of where it is in N. America. I just had to create a new Owners account, and register the VIN with that for the telematics, but the warranty was ok as is.

So... my iOS app refused to connect to the TCU today at all... finally got annoyed and tried a fix that I've seen in other threads... pulled the negative cable off the battery, left it a few minutes and then reconnected. Everything started working again after that. If that is in fact a regular necessity, I won't be using the app much I also had to reset all my unit preferences .... ie. celsius, kph, 24h clock etc.

 

[chivalryx]

Btw... question for those of you who've used this before... is it normal for the app to fail to connect at least 1/2 the time? Seems really hit & miss!

Sadly it is flaky. The web app is a bit more stable than the mobile app.

Chiv.

 

[chivalryx]

Excellent news! Hopefully the roaming on Rogers network keeps working long term.

I know I should start another thread, but since we're all Canadians with US cars, I hope you don't mind the hijack...

Has anyone managed to get their warranty transferred to Nissan Canada? I bought the car figuring any US warranty wouldn't be honored once the car was in Canada, but it sure would be nice peace of mind to have the battery warranty honored.

Yup, same here. I use Morrey Nissan in Burnaby and they did the last recall (passenger airbag) at no cost. They have to look into a different system for the US leafs, but warranty is still fully covered. They even saw my leaf battery report was still under the warranty, so it cost nothing for my last battery report. Just make sure to mention your LEAF is from the US, or else they won't be able to find your VIN.

I think most Japanese branded cars have North American warranties, so it's covered in Canada and the US.

Chiv.

 

[alozzy]

Thanks guys!

So, you didn't need to transfer the warranty or register your ownership in any way?