How To: Add Heated Steering Wheel Option

[mjspiess]

After lots of research and some trial and error, I was able to retrofit a heated steering wheel into my wife's 2013 Buick Encore. This mod should work for any 2013+ Buick Encore. This thread is more of a proof of concept. If the demand is high enough, I will sell individual kits that will be 100% plug n play for $350 shipped. The kit would include a used black pre-wired Buick Encore Heated Steering Wheel with an OEM cruise/heated steering wheel switch installed on the left side of the wheel. A new clock spring is also included along with a custom power harness that taps into the cigarette lighter fuse in the driver side fuse box. You will re-use your current airbag.

This kit is great for someone that cares more about functionality and doesn't mind a used steering wheel with some signs of use, minor scratches, etc. Also to note, the new OEM cruise/heated steering wheel switch will illuminate WHITE. If the rest of your button back lighting is blue like my wife's 2013, this may bother you. Lucky for us, it does not.

This kit should be installed by a professional. However, with some basic tools and DIY skill, this kit can be installed by yourself and/or with a friend's help in less than 3 hours.

Basic Tools Needed
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Small skinny flathead screwdriver
Phillips Screwdriver
Breaker bar or impact wrench with 2.5" extension for steering wheel bolt
7mm, 10mm Deep Sockets with ratchet
T-50 Torx that fits on your breaker bar/impact wrench
Needle nose pliers or a small fuse extractor

Steps:

1. Turn steering wheel to the left
2. Disconnect negative battery terminal
3. Remove airbag from the rear with small screw driver and unplug
4. Remove steering wheel bolt
5. Unplug wire harness from clock spring
6. Remove steering wheel
7. Remove single screw from lower steering wheel cover
8. Remove lower knee panel. There are 3 screws and lay cover on the floor because OBDII port will still be attached.
9. Pull up from the upper steering wheel cover and the two covers will separate exposing two more screws holding the lower cover on. Remove these screws.
10. Remove two upper clock spring wire harnesses. The airbag side is a two stage plug and the red clip needs to be removed first.
11. Remove the four clock spring screws
12. Remove the lower clock spring wire harness with a small flat head screw driver
13. Swap the clock spring module from YOUR clock spring onto the NEW clock spring. There are 4 tabs that need to be depressed in order for the module to slip off.
14. Find the fuse box up under behind the "coin" tray and locate the 20 amp lighter fuse. Remove the 20 amp fuse and place it into the custom power harness. Plug in the custom power harness into the 20 amp lighter spot and route wire up along main wire harness going to the clock spring.
15. Secure the ground wire to the 7mm screw holding down trim near the hood release
16. Pull centered peg from new clock spring and turn to the left 180* and install the clock spring with the 4 screws
17. Plug in two upper clock spring wire harnesses
18. Plug in the lower clock spring wire harness
19. Plug in custom power harness to clock spring harness
20. Replace the lower steering wheel cover center screw and the two upper screws. Snap the covers back together.
21. Install the new heated steering wheel upside down by feeding the airbag and heated steering wheel harnesses through the steering wheel.
22. Plug in the clock spring and power harness to the heated steering wheel module. Secure the wire under the hook on the steering wheel.
23. Replace the steering wheel bolt
24. Replace the airbag plugs and airbag
25. Replace negative battery terminal
26. Enjoy your new to you heated steering wheel!

 

[TheAirman]

Excellent write-up and a great mod.

 

[KevinJ]

Kudo's for even attempting this mod and the excellent instructional write up.

But I'm pretty sure I would have just told the wife to put on some gloves....

 

[mitchflorida]

You can get some really nice leather gloves for $350.

 

[mjspiess]

Kudo's for even attempting this mod and the excellent instructional write up.

But I'm pretty sure I would have just told the wife to put on some gloves....

Thanks!

Lol, she did wear gloves, but her hands were still cold. She REALLY wanted a heated steering wheel and I was up for the challenge.

 

[mjspiess]

You can get some really nice leather gloves for $350.

True, but do they heat up? 🙂 I'm certainly not set on $350 for a kit. What would you be willing to spend for this upgrade? The price difference between the cheapest Encore 1SV trim and the Essence trim, which is the lowest trim that offers the heated steering wheel, is $6k. Granted, that $6k comes with a slew of other upgrades, it's still a lot of money. With that in mind, I figured $350 isn't all that bad?

 

[mitchflorida]

There are women's heated gloves for sale on Amazon and eBay.

 

[Epsilon]

OP, do you have any drawings or photos of the custom wiring harnesses you built? I assume you got the cruise control functioning correctly too? I started this same project last year. I got the steering wheel to heat up, but the power light never lit up, and the cruise control was not functional. I had a heck of a time trying to figure out how to reconfigure the wiring to get everything working. I ended up uninstalling it and want to give it another go now.

 

[Wag0n]

Would this be the same process for adding a heated steering wheel into a 2020 Encore?

 

[Again]

Thanks!

Lol, she did wear gloves, but her hands were still cold. She REALLY wanted a heated steering wheel and I was up for the challenge.

Happy wife, happy life!

 

[handydoctor]

Great work. Is heated steering wheel an option on 2013 Encore? I am trying to do the same for a 2013 equinox. It's not an option that year and I think it will be quite some work.

 

[Smoothsailer717]

It's 1 of the best options on cars today, Seems like a lot of work But it's really not that much.. Sounds like the hardest part Is getting the steering wheel in the right alignment on ReAssembly. Sounds like this is a 1 person job, I'm not sure why the instruction say you need 2 people

 

[Harrycreek]

Did you ever put together a kit to sell??? If so I am interested….

 

[13redgs]

Digging up a somewhat old thread but do you have any kind of schematic or wiring diagram of your harness? I'd like to do this to my regal and curious how hard it would be.

 

[buick_jay]

I would gladly pay for a kit for a 2020 Buick Enclave. Is the OP around any more? I have the same question as asked previously - would these instructions apply to a 2018+ Buick Enclave?

 

[Smoothsailer717]

Would be a lot easier and cheaper to just get some of those new electric gloves.

 

[buick_jay]

Yes, you are as clever as the other 4 people that mentioned gloves would be cheaper 🙂 If everyone wanted gloves instead of heated steering wheels, the "cold weather package" would include heated seats and gloves.

If anyone has a legitimate answer or if the OP checks back in, it should would be great to know if this is a DIY project we can tackle. I always appreciate at least one person out on the internet having done the thing I'm trying to do before I do it!

 

[Thompsolonian]

Thread is a little cold, but do you just have the wiring harness kit? I can source a steering wheel, but the harness would be nice.

Thanks in advance!