Where did you learn that?
It's partly speculation, but also due to some articles on here and some forum posts. I may have exaggerated a bit, especially on price. This is due to the amount of labor and parts that would be required to do a retrofit, but I assume that the price wouldn't be too far off if Tesla does offer it. If I had to guess again, I would say maybe between $800 to $1500. However, after I read the information, I went looking around online, and I noticed a few things in particular when browsing the parts catalog for the Chinese site.
For one, I noticed that there are a few Model 3s that have the camera cut-out already in the bumper, even though they don't have the front bumper camera. In the parts catalog, they even mention there being a placeholder plastic piece that covers the cut-out. I went and checked my own Model 3, and I noticed that is missing entirely on my own front bumper. Meaning I would have to get a front bumper replacement, or they would have to cut out the hole for the camera. Which I doubt Tesla would do (just cutting a hole in the bumper). If they do offer a retrofit, even if your bumper doesn't have the cut-out, then it's likely you will have to get an entirely new bumper.
Second, in one of the posts I read, including the one here on NATA, I specifically noticed that they mentioned late build 2024 Model 3s having the port already available but not occupied. So I went looking around for more information on that. What I found is that the same was true for some Model S and X variants. This allowed those Model S and X versions to be retrofitted, but I think it was mostly DIY (not sure on that one). And it wasn't an officially supported retrofit. This leads me to believe that the earlier build Model 3s may not even have the port available on the computer itself. Obviously, this is not a full on confirmation and just speculation, but it is possible that the hardware just wasn't ready at the time so they left it out.
And last is that Tesla has been somewhat hit or miss with retrofits. Sometimes they offer them, and other times they don't offer them. I guess it comes down to how complex the retrofit is, and whether they view it as necessary, or worthwhile. So again, speculation. But given that track record, I wouldn't really hold my breath for a retrofit, and I've somewhat lost hope that I will be able to get the front bumper camera installed on my own car.
The only real question now would be, from what time of deliveries is it possible to do this retrofit, if at all? And if it is possible to do it, how much will it really cost? Especially when you consider that if the board simply doesn't have the port available, then that would mean having to replace the board if at all possible. And if your bumper doesn't have the cut-out, then you would also need to get the bumper replaced, plus all the cabling and labor. It's not looking very good for us early Model 3 highland owners.
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