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If not, has anyone ever pursued buying a Canadian heated steering wheel and tried to upgrade theirs accordingly?
If there is a way to upgrade mine, where would I start?
This sounds like a very expensive thing to undertake.
Not just for the initial purchase of the wired steering wheel, but also for creating wiring that might not exist the way that you want it to exist in the USDM model.
Maybe somebody can investigate the wiring diagram of the USDM model 2014 car to see if the wiring is already there.
That'd cut down on a big part of the expense.
Let me tell you, though, when you research the price of just the steering wheel, you're going to get a shock.
I will say that on 5 degree mornings like today, the heated steering wheel would be delightful. My wife enjoys that in the MDX Sport Hybrid since we have the Advance trim, and having used it, I love it. However she needs it because she has what is called Raynauds Disease. It is a condition where part or all of a finger or many fingers suddenly become so cold that it is very painful. You can't warm up the digit too quickly or it hurts even more, so keeping her fingers warm is a necessity. She wears mittens instead of gloves, and on cold days the heated steering wheel effectively prevents the condition from showing up at all. It may sound funny to some, but her finger turns completely white and is icy to the touch. Moving forward, every car we buy will have this feature or it will be a no-go to be in our driveway.
Yes, you can add the heated steering wheel to your car. Just buy the steering wheel and bring it to an electrical auto repair shop. Tell them to install the steering wheel and wire it up. It's a simple process.
If they're not sure how to wire it up then just tell them to use the heated seats wiring as an example. Good luck.
On the RLX SH it goes on automatically (it also has the same button, to do it manually), depending on the temperature.......
Did the auto feature start on the 2016+ or all SH’s? I don’t recall my 2015 ever turning it on automatically at a certain temperature - although when it’s cold, I always turn mine on manually. Do you know what temp it will automatically turn the heated steering wheel on?It’s certainly a feature I have come to really enjoy and would want on all my future vehicles.
Its only when you use the remote start feature. When you first get in, the steering wheel is hot, after you start driving it reverts to manual mode......
I apologize for forgetting to add that explanation
To make you all feel better, it is -40 degrees (F and C are the same at that temperature) here this morning with the wind chill.
I enjoy the heated steering wheel but actually find it too hot after a while and so I turn it off after a couple of minutes when the cabin temperature has reached a comfortable level. I think I would prefer if it had a Hi, Med and Lo setting like the heated seats - but that is being picky.
Stay warm wherever you are and have a great New Year.
To make you all feel better, it is -40 degrees (F and C are the same at that temperature) here this morning with the wind chill.
I enjoy the heated steering wheel but actually find it too hot after a while and so I turn it off after a couple of minutes when the cabin temperature has reached a comfortable level. I think I would prefer if it had a Hi, Med and Lo setting like the heated seats - but that is being picky.
Stay warm wherever you are and have a great New Year.
-40 degrees? I would make a recommendation that you call your local government and request an emergency evacuation to someplace warmer like Minnesota. From what I am told, 0 degrees there is called spring time and short sleeve weather. I'll bet the steering wheel would heat up all that much more quickly there. Dude that is simply magnificently cold. I will not complain for one second that it is about 13 degrees at the moment where I am now at 1:24pm.
Yes a high, medium and low setting would be nice for the steering wheel heater. Yes the auto function is with the auto start function engaged. I did discover that if you don't go out to get into the car soon enough using the remote starting function, the car shuts off on its own. I don't know if that is a setting I did not properly assign, but I discovered that this morning. Be warm if you can. If a reader to this thread is in Florida right now, screw you! Its freaking cold here! Oh wait I violated my declaration that I would not complain. Oh hell........ Its cold! Happy New Year everyone!
Last edited by RLX-Sport Hybrid; 12-29-2017 at 12:31 PM.
It's -1 degrees here in Minneapolis currently - tomorrow we will be blessed with a high of -4 and a low of -14.... I guess I'll need to wear longer shorts tomorrow while I'm grilling brats on the deck
Yes the auto function is with the auto start function engaged. I did discover that if you don't go out to get into the car soon enough using the remote starting function, the car shuts off on its own. I don't know if that is a setting I did not properly assign, but I discovered that this morning.
The remote start keeps the car running for 10 min. You can extend it another 10 min, if you press the same button sequence a second time with the first 10 min.
That is the maximum, and it is disabled until you get in to the car and press the start/stop button......
I'd like to amend my earlier comment on the heated steering wheel in my RLX in which I complained of it getting "too hot" and requiring a High/Med/Low switch to improve it.
I had the need to drive around town quite a bit today on a moderately cold day (-25C/-13F) and used the heated steering wheel for most of the driving. As with my past, brief experiences with the heated steering wheel, it warmed up quickly but soon began to feel a bit "too hot". Instead of turning it off at this point, as I had in the past, I left it on to see what would happen and was pleasantly surprised when a minute or two later, the wheel felt comfortable again and not at all "too hot". I don't know if this was a case of my perception of the temperature changing, or if the wheel itself had "turned itself down" to a lower setting. At one point the heated steering wheel had been on for nearly half and hour and it just felt comfortable to the touch, warm but not hot and I completely forgot it was on.
I'm curious if others have had this same experience or if this temperature change was in my mind???
Yes I can tell you mine works the same way. Initially goes to max hot, then it keeps it warm. As you said, after the first couple of min you don't even notice it anymore.
I'm so sorry that your steering wheels are sometimes too hot.
The steering wheel in my 2014 SH-AWD has been really, really cold this winter in barely-zero Boston.
From: an early-adopter crybaby.
Yes I can tell you mine works the same way. Initially goes to max hot, then it keeps it warm. As you said, after the first couple of min you don't even notice it anymore.
Mine too. This past month I have been tricking mine by turning it off and then reactivating it so that it stays toasty warm. It really is a must have in colder weather. I no longer use winter gloves while driving and sometimes the wheel and seat heaters are all I need. I find I get too hot with both them and the HVAC running.. And yes, cue the violins!
Hello, Damiein here. I had a neck injury that has kept me sidelined and I haven't been able to buy a seated steering wheel and install it / Macguyver it to work. Might be next year if I feel good enough!
12-28-2017, 12:44 AM
