Center console disassembly guide?

[thisisnotdave]

With the addition of wireless Carplay I'm starting to get pretty batty about the broken ass wireless charger our cars were blessed with Genesis. I have an idea to remove the one installed and replace it with a MagSafe charger puck or maybe design/3d print a solution that allows the charger to line with the phone charge coil properly.

Does anyone have access to a guide to disassemble the center console?

 

[ideutsch]

I don’t, but I was thinking the same thing. I’m rather certain that the USB C charging only ports provide 30W of power, which is exactly what is needed for the latest MagSafe 25W charging with iPhone 16.

 

[TiburonH]

With the addition of wireless Carplay I'm starting to get pretty batty about the broken ass wireless charger our cars were blessed with Genesis. I have an idea to remove the one installed and replace it with a MagSafe charger puck or maybe design/3d print a solution that allows the charger to line with the phone charge coil properly.

Does anyone have access to a guide to disassemble the center console?

Just curious, what's your problem with the existing wireless charger? Mine works fine with my iPhone 14pro. Not the fastest in the world, but never fails to connect. On the (very) rare occasion when I need a faster charge, I just connect the phone with a cable directly to the USB port. What am I missing here?

 

[noremacnova]

Just curious, what's your problem with the existing wireless charger?

Not the OP here, but Qi (version 1) chargers suffer from two limitations. The first is charge rate limited to 5W (iPhone). And that might not be so bad, except for the second limitation which is heat generation - which can cause the phone to shut off charging. Both Qi-2 and MagSafe (gen 1 and 2) have implemented significant improvements to heat generation as well as higher charge rates.

 

[TiburonH]

Not the OP here, but Qi (version 1) chargers suffer from two limitations. The first is charge rate limited to 5W (iPhone). And that might not be so bad, except for the second limitation which is heat generation - which can cause the phone to shut off charging. Both Qi-2 and MagSafe (gen 1 and 2) have implemented significant improvements to heat generation as well as higher charge rates.

Fair points, but seems to me both of these are issues one would only encounter if one were relying on the car's wireless charger to charge the phone from nearly dead or something. I'm usually just using it to add an extra 10 to 20% or so and thus have never really had a time or heat issue while out for a drive.

 

[thisisnotdave]

Fair points, but seems to me both of these are issues one would only encounter if one were relying on the car's wireless charger to charge the phone from nearly dead or something. I'm usually just using it to add an extra 10 to 20% or so and thus have never really had a time or heat issue while out for a drive.

The charger is utterly useless for phones with big camera bumps. It doesn't charge the phone at all, it just heats it up to the point where the phone throws up a warning and slows to a crawl. I have a iPhone 16 Pro, recently upgraded from 14 Pro Max. Neither charged, even without a case.

 

[hurricane7719]

Depends how eager you are to access the info, you can always sign up for the Genesis Tech website which has all the procedures wiring diagrams etc.

Looks like it costs $100 for 1 week access.

Genesis Service Website

www.genesistechinfo.com

 

[TiburonH]

I came across this video about the problem of heat and wireless charging in cars. It's four years old, but still valid. Apparently the problem of wireless charging in cars causing phones to get hot is only going to get worse with the addition of wireless car play! At least though our wireless charge pad is out in the open, not enclosed like it is in some cars, including the Mini in this video.

 

[noremacnova]

One option might be to integrate the new (Gen 2) MagSafe charger from Apple. It's noticeable thinner than the original.

 

[noremacnova]

I came across this video about the problem of heat and wireless charging in cars.

That's a great video. The guy explains the problem with CarPlay, wireless charging, and phone heating quite clearly and accurately.

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[TiburonH]

Along with the side benefit of explaining the origins of the term "bluetooth" and its logo.

 

[ljnelson109]

I missed this the first time through so I am restarting an old thread. I agree with a lot of his explanations in that video. I will add that, we have both Android and Apple in our house. In my experience, everything he said about increased consumption during wireless screencasting is actually worse with my Android (Pixel 8 pro). My wife's Apple devices seem to be more efficient with Carplay.

Now to our chargers. It seems like they were trying to provide some ventilation in the charge mat. Why isn't there a fan? Also, an opening at the bottom would have allowed the convection of heat to draw in some fresh air from the bottom. I feel like there is definitely an opportunity to improve his "3rd problem" but agree with him, retrofitting a AC duct flow is a non starter.

Sadly, the magsafe swap that is proposed won't natively work for my device. Although with Qi 2 adopting magsafe compatibility, I am hopeful that future Pixel devices will have Qi 2 and could leverage this swap. For those considering the retrofit of a Magsafe charger, please share your story and hopefully it is a success story.

 

[noremacnova]

… Also, an opening at the bottom would have allowed the convection of heat to draw in some fresh air from the bottom.

It may not have much effect, but you can indeed make an opening at the bottom! There is plastic part at the bottom that intentionally pops out into the storage area behind the charger slot. This part also has a flap that can be adjusted for the purpose (I believe) of accommodating a shorter phone in the charger. But leave the part out, and you’ve created a little more air flow. YMMV.

 

[ljnelson109]

It may not have much effect, but you can indeed make an opening at the bottom! There is plastic part at the bottom that intentionally pops out into the storage area behind the charger slot. This part also has a flap that can be adjusted for the purpose (I believe) of accommodating a shorter phone in the charger. But leave the part out, and you’ve created a little more air flow. YMMV.

I was wondering what that pop-out is for. I thought about popping that out but sadly there isn't any airflow into the console. I still may pop it out and see how it goes. Of course, I wonder if small items in the console will end up in the charging compartment. I need to give it a closer look.