We screwed up and never ordered the heating steering wheel option when we did OSD (never dawned on us until I got an Audi that has one… what a difference). Anyways, I did a good bit of research on how to retrofit our XC90 without paying ~$1,000 for the official Volvo accessory (Part Number: Kit057), and here’s what I found out
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For reference, the Volvo Accessory Kit includes:
- 32204779 – Steering Wheel (charcoal)
- 32266026 – Steering wheel module
- 31428189 – Software
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My DIY Kit:
- Steering Wheel – I was able to find a used heated steering wheel on eBay from a totaled 2018 XC90 (rear impact / no airbag deployed) with ~10K miles for $150. Part Number: 31407817. Most salvage companies list the part description incorrectly, but it’s really easy to tell if a steering wheel has the heater element by looking at the wire harnesses. Steering wheels without the heater element only have one wiring harness that plugs into the module at the 1 o’clock position (for the steering wheel controls). The heated steering wheels have a second wiring harness at the 6 o’clock position. These steering wheels are also universal with other SPA vehicles (e.g. S90, V90, XC60, etc.), so search those models as well. You can type the part number into Volvo’s parts website to see if it will fit your vehicle. I’ve included some reference codes below to help you decipher the descriptions
- Module – I thought I could get away with using the module that was already in my car (Part Number: 31443883) as it has a connector for the heater element, but that is NOT the case. If the car came from the factory with a heated steering wheel, it would be programmed to use this module. However, the required retrofit software can only “communicate” to the module listed in the kit (Part Number: 32266026). This set me back $135
- Software – Dealer had to program the software (Part Number: 31428189). Software $35 / Labor (1 hr) $ 115
- Labor – I installed the module and steering wheel myself using these instructions. Really straight forward. I was concerned that you wouldn’t be able to turn the steering wheel without the car on, but I had no problem
Total Price: $435
I ended up spending a little more than originally planned, but it’s worth it.
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Volvo Steering Wheel Description Codes:
- RT02 – Heated Steering Wheel
- FL01 – Charcoal base color interior
- RU02 – Steering wheel, 3 spoke, leather with unideco inlays