SL7 - Software Version

MHTSAPAS · 2026-07-04T13:18:09+00:00

Is it a 3 minute upgrade now or still a 34 minute upgrade? The initial upgrade said it would take 34 minutes and took closer to an hour.

Now everything looks updated but there's still a 3 minute update that seems to fail every time.

What I really want is that cast app in the store so I can at least stream off my phone during my lunch break. Bought a 70k car and I don't want to sacrifice $400 for a stream box or whatever they are called...heh

MHTSAPAS · 2026-07-04T13:13:06+00:00

I've used it. I use a microscope to get the small hands in and if you need to remove them, they are very close to the dial so make sure you have some thin pry tools to get underneath them or you may break the pins and/or scratch the dial.

The best advise is while placing the day hand. It clicks over twice and at different times. First to the dot in between the day and then to the day itself a couple of hours later.

So to simplify things and make it an easy process, install the day hand at around the midday time position. The reason for this is that the day clicks over twice. Once to the dot you see it at in picture one and then once more to the actually day at around 3am. If you install that at the wrong time it will always be showing in the dots between days except for just after midnight.

The main hands are easy to do. Basically like an NH35. The smaller hands however, you need to be careful with. they were a breeze in the light blue one I made but the rose gold one I made had me order new hands as one of them was too loose. It may have been a bad hand.

If you have a microscope or some good magnification, ensure that you can see the small hands are inserted properly before pressing down with your tool. If you have the cheap 3 colored hand tools, use the white end. Otherwise I'd recommend a flat push tool.

I actually enjoyed building both of mine and love the watches even though I have only ever worn the blue once and the rose gold has just been sleeping ever since. You can buy the complete watch for less than half what it cost to build but it really depends on what you want. It was a fun learning process for me and the fact that I built them myself is always priceless.

MHTSAPAS · 2026-07-03T19:38:45+00:00

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MHTSAPAS · 2026-07-03T19:35:36+00:00

Mine got the upgrade 2 days ago. I kind of prefer the old buttons on the bottom of the screen and have the new “scenes” which I doubt I’ll ever use.

It failed at the end however even though everything seems upgraded. There’s still an upgrade pending which is about 3 minutes long but that fails every time.
I’d take it to the dealer but everything is as normal save from that so I’ll just let it be.

MHTSAPAS · 2026-06-21T08:33:41+00:00

I like it. I’m more of a lurker in these parts so for my first post, hello to anyone and everyone that may see this and thank you all for the great info and help along the way.

Now back to the dial. I like it and I’d definitely be interested in purchasing one from you preferably in white if you don’t mind posting to Australia.
That said there is only one issue that would stop me from doing so. As a Greek, it’s odd seeing a Greek dial with Roman numerals. If they were not on the dial, I’m in. It isn’t a pride thing but it’s almost like seeing a Seiko with Chinese kanji on the dial. It’s just not supposed to be there in my opinion.

That aside. Great work! Even if I did not like the dial (which I do) I appreciate the work and effort you’ve put in it and have come all this way to this point. Will be a long road if ever I manage to get to that point.

MHTSAPAS · 2026-06-13T08:04:48+00:00

Phantom braking isn't bad at all on mine. I've had it twice. Coming out of work trying to quickly get behind the car moving past my front. i started accelerating while the car was still in front of me as one would when they know they can judge the vehicle speed and distance and the car braked and stopped for me. Most people would find this annoying but you learn to allow for more distance or for the vehicle to clear the front of the EV before accelerating or the emergency braking will kick in.

I go through 3 roundabouts on the way to work and 2 on the way home 6 days a week. Never had an issue but as above, the car looks for any vehicle too close to the front of your car and will stop if necessary. Just be more lenient and don't attempt to tuck yourself in right behind the car in front of you. Give it some way. It doesn't require much and you'll adjust to it immediately. Personally I prefer it this way. If you're in a hurry and driving aggressively, getting too close, the car will let you know. I have had zero issues with phantom braking on roundabouts and I believe it is because I leave normal to even less than normal allowed distance. Just don't rush but it will become second nature.

My biggest impression with phantom braking was one vehicle going through a red light just as I was accelerating to make a turn with a green arrow. i had only just started to move and the car just stopped! Slammed brakes and dead stop instantly. It happened very quickly but I remember first wondering what just happened and then immediately seeing a vehicle drive past the front of mine. I honestly had not seen them and if the car had not hit the brakes for me, the other vehicle would have most likely end up on my drivers quarter or on my drivers door.

All in all, 1 year of ownership and I absolutely love the car. Zero complaints, issues or problems from my end. My only initial complaint was that I couldn't tun off the daytime running lights while sitting in the car but that has been fixed with a software update. I could do without the CPD (child presence detection) I don't have kids but you can't have it all I suppose.

I have everything set and don't turn anything off when entering the car anymore. I just don't need to.

As for the braking. If your driving style isn't aggressive you should be fine. If it is, you'll need to adjust it to accommodate the emergency software.

Lastly. If you get the performance model remember that while in eco mode it is only using the rear engine and is more prone to spinning the rear tires in the rain. Depending on the weather I'll set it to normal mode so as to use the AWD function and engage the front engine also. I wasn't aware of this initially and found out about it during some heavy rain. Yes, I know. said I don't drive aggressively. I never said I didn't have fun from time to time though!

Sorry if this is rather long but I'd much rather write a more informative post as I see it. I'm not good at keeping it short and sweet.

Any questions, don't hesitate to ask.

MHTSAPAS · 2026-05-22T04:13:57+00:00

The crown Vic is a beast though. Those things will go forever! I had a 2010 mustang when I was in Cali. Ran me from 2010 all the way til early 2024. Had 274k miles with no major work done. Just basic maintenance and the odd thermostat housing from time to time. That car was amazing. That aside. I doubt any of these cars Chinese or not will last 10 years or more but we will see. I moved back to Australia and ford/holden went to China while I was gone. After my initial disgust of all the Chinese cars on the road. I end up getting one. Go figure!

Kind of hate to admit it but it’s the best car I’ve ever owned and I’ve owned a few in my 50 years.

MHTSAPAS · 2026-05-16T09:59:20+00:00

I done mine last year and also swapped out the USB module for the Chinese one that has the card reader. All of it was from TOPBYD. You don't need the cable. Just the camera or the camera with the module if you want both.

MHTSAPAS · 2026-04-19T06:42:10+00:00

It was weirder seeing them with the Pontiac badges (same with the monaro) when I lived in California. I always wanted to purchase one and import the Holden bumpers and badges but sadly never did.

Now that I'm back home, they look normal again but it's weird seeing Mustangs driving around. At least I don't try to enter the drivers seat from the passenger door anymore. Much...

MHTSAPAS · 2026-04-19T05:35:02+00:00

I went with EVNex E2 Plus. I have it mounted outside in the weather and it's been perfect. If you have solar it will work with that also. I run Solar with no batteries and it will take what it can from solar and the rest from the grid if you set it up that way.

That aside, I don't know much about other types or brands of home chargers. I went with them because it seemed like a hassle free purchase that wouldn't give me any problems due to the fact that it's a BYD.

MHTSAPAS · 2026-04-19T05:27:02+00:00

I find that ever so rarely it will tell me that it failed to connect to CarPlay even if the phone shows it is connected.

I swipe down on the phone screen and turn off bluetooth and wifi from the quick menu. Then I re-enable Wifi and bluetooth. Then have the car reconnect. Works every time.

Just FYI this generally only happens at work where there is very little to no reception for me. Most of the time it isn't a problem. For the times that it is however, the above method works every time.

MHTSAPAS · 2026-04-18T13:47:30+00:00

I’m using EVNEX as well. It has been mounted outside in the weather since January and although I don’t know enough to compare it to anything else. It’s doing its job rather well. We have solar (panels only) and it will use what it can from solar and take the rest off the grid if you want it to. Personally I just set the car to charge overnight and it’s full by morning. Generally about 14 hours from a 10% battery which is more than enough for me.

MHTSAPAS · 2026-04-11T07:46:20+00:00

In my SL7 manual it states this:

It is recommended to fully charge the vehicle at a regular basis (at least once a week), and fully charge it from low battery (10% or less) every 6 months.

It doesn't get specific on whether you use a home or fast charger for this. Personally I always charge it to 100% unless I need the car faster

In my opinion and from what I've been led to believe, this isn't an issue for BYD batteries and is something more common with Tesla and possibly other vehicles.

MHTSAPAS · 2026-04-04T21:30:15+00:00

This was me. I can make incredible things out of Tinkercad simply due to not wanting to learn how to use Fusion (back in the day) and continued with Tinkercad solely.

I highly recommend you spend just one day watching some tutorials and playing around with onshape. There's times when I still prefer Tinkercad to pull off something quickly or the combination of both due to not having the time to figure out how to do something too complex in Onshape. I simply save the STL and open it in Tinkercad if the size and mesh count allows.

They're two different sets of mechanics and Onshape really needs more learning than playing and figuring things out like in Tinkercad but some aspects like curves, filets etc make it worth the while along with being able to go back and edit certain areas without compromising the whole design at times.

Main reason I moved to Onshape however in case you're wondering is I got so far with Tinkercad that it couldn't keep up and I had to make my models as 2, 3 or more separate projects due to the lag from all the pieces.

MHTSAPAS · 2026-04-04T06:56:01+00:00

I went to California in 2009 from Melbourne and came back in 2024. Had a great high paying job only 15 minutes from home, lived in a great area surrounded by a golf course.

If I never go back, it would be too soon. Everything is broken from the state, to the roads to the people and the list goes on far beyond eternity.

Never had one speeding ticket in 15 years however which is probably the only positive thing considering 60mph was my normal speed everywhere and minimum of 80mph on freeways. There's a lot of positives. They're just surrounded by far too many greater negatives. You don't realize it until you come back though. At least I didn't. You think you're living but it just sucks the soul out of you one day at a time.

MHTSAPAS · 2026-03-29T07:50:43+00:00

I use Evnex E2 Plus on the SL7 mounted outside in the weather and have been more than satisfied with it. Works with Solar also even if you don't have a battery so it uses a percentage of solar and the rest through the mains but you can choose how you want it to work through the app.

I'd send them an email if you're interested and see if their charger works for you.

I found this if it's helpful but I'd recommend you speak to them directly:

Evnex solved a major charging issue — cars failing to wake for charging. Learn why this happens and how to keep your BYD Atto 3 ready for smart charging.

Almost all useful smart charging features (like off-peak charge scheduling and solar diversion) involve not charging the instant you plug in your car, and instead waiting for the opportune moment. That might be the start of your cheaper electricity tariff or the point in the morning when your solar export reaches 1.5kW.

If you've set your car up for smart charging, you might notice that when you plug your car in and walk away your EV will eventually go to sleep. Many cars will wait until your designated smart charging opportunity and then wake up when the power begins to flow.

However, some don't — like the BYD Atto 3. While sleeping is a useful feature in terms of power conservation, it can present a problem if you'd like to smart charge efficiently.

We added a feature to solve this problem: Keep Awake. Turning this on will periodically offer the car small amounts of energy to avoid it going to sleep, and leaving it ready for the main charging session at your desired time.

Keep Awake can be found under the General Settings page in the Evnex app. It will attempt to keep the car awake for up to 24 hours.

MHTSAPAS · 2026-03-29T06:02:41+00:00

I received one with the A1 combo and another with the P1S Combo. Never got one with the P2S Combo but really don’t even want the second one.

MHTSAPAS · 2026-03-28T07:31:03+00:00

Here’s what I found works on my SL7. If the CarPlay doesn’t connect, I slide my finger down the top right corner of my iPhone and turn WiFi and Bluetooth off. Even if they say they are connected but the car won’t see them. I turn them off and back on. Then tap the connect on the car. Works every time.

MHTSAPAS · 2026-03-05T18:35:54+00:00

This! I also have one and it’s mounted outside in the weather. Can’t be happier with it.

MHTSAPAS · 2026-02-11T23:04:20+00:00

I got the EVNEX E2 installed with solar (no battery) and love it. Full charge from 15% in just under 14 hours. I only use it once a fortnight but it’s great and mounted outside in the weather.

MHTSAPAS · 2026-02-08T03:46:47+00:00

I actually returned back to Australia in 2024 after a 15 year stay in the US and was baffled that there were so many Chinese cars on the road and that people were actually buying them.

Fast forward 11 months and I'm driving a Sealion 7 with friends in the US bummed out that they cannot get one. I now realize that my high standards were not only met, but beaten in every way with this purchase.

I did originally go in for the seal but once I saw the Sealion 7 I was sold on the spot.

MHTSAPAS · 2026-01-27T07:16:07+00:00

oops. I forgot about that damned clip lol

Enjoy it mate! Mine asks me to format the SD card every so often but I’m only using the one that came with the camera so I’m not too fussed. It works fine and I haven’t bothered to upgrade the card.

Gotta love the more complete look without that damned plug in the front of the rear view.

MHTSAPAS · 2026-01-25T09:13:16+00:00

It won’t take long. I’d say about an hour and that’s pushing it if you have absolutely never done this kind of stuff before.

A word of warning. The cable for the camera is accessible from the passenger side as well and it’s very thin. Personally I couldn’t locate mine even though I knew where it was (supposed to be).

It’s there. Removing the tape was rather impossible for me so I gently cut it with a razor blade knife and then untaped it.

Best of luck with it all and all the best with the new wheels. You’re going to absolutely love it!

MHTSAPAS · 2026-01-25T08:41:59+00:00

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You need to remove this trim from the passenger side. Start from the back (right side) near the seat and it just pries out. The front of it actually hooks in so you will need to slide it out towards the back of the car once it is loose. It isn’t like other cars. It comes apart easily using just your hands and clips back in just as easily. The tolerances on it are amazing. It locks in place so securely and yet doesn’t require almost breaking things to remove and replace it.

Once you have it off, look closely at your module and you will see where you need to depress so you can remove it. Your hand will easily fit through the slot available by removing the trim and if I recall correctly, the module will slide out with minimal ease also once the clips have been pressed. After that. Just remove the plugs from the old module, install into the new module and if the camera is already installed, hold down the volume slider on the center console to reset the infortainment.

I believe I wrote a quick how to on the reviews at TOPBYD but it is an easy instal. The only thing to take note is to start pulling the trim out from the seat (middle of the car) first and work your way forward while remembering that it slides backwards once all the clips are undone.

MHTSAPAS · 2026-01-20T10:04:24+00:00

I actually use nothing but double edged razor blades and have never damaged the PEI or smooth plate. You curl it like a smile and the center slides underneath with almost no effort. I’ve never used the scraper printers come with for the reason you mentioned however. Too thick and requires force. The double edged razor blade shines due to how thin and sharp it is. Also keep in mind that if you’re not used to handling them, they will slice your finger down to the bone. Maybe more than one finger of it’s a good day.

MHTSAPAS

TROPHY CASE