Can One *Prevent* Auto-Connect to Tesla Service Center WiFi?

[astrobill]

All,

I can't seem to get the WiFi settings to "Forget" the Tesla Service Center WiFi.

The reason I want to do that is to prevent them from "force pushing" (with apologies to Star Wars) the latest update to the vehicle, which makes intolerable changes to the speedometer, gear, and other driving information displays (as discussed in a growing number of threads on here and at the Tesla-maintained Forums on their site).

As soon as the vehicle connects to the Tesla Service Center WiFi, it starts downloading the update. While it doesn't (yet) force-install the update, I'd just as soon not even get *that* close to the update. I don't want that firmware/software even downloaded to my car.

Has anyone found a way to disable that particular connection or is it just forced upon us?

R,
Bill

 

[DaveORD]

A little off topic, but even if you can achieve this, Tesla can still push the update down via the cellular connection if they decide. Only way to prevent that is to make sure no cellular connectivity where you live/drive or put you entire MY in a faraday cage. You can delay the update by no WiFi, but eventually they can force it on you as long as the cellular portion connects.

 

[astrobill]

...Tesla can still push the update down via the cellular connection if they decide.

Is that actually verified? I've seen conflicting reports and assertions about whether Tesla can push a software update through cellular connections only. It appears early on, prior to a certain build in 2019 or something, they could use LTE if needed, but the vehicles all now say "WiFi is required" and many are interpreting this as also meaning Tesla can't do it either.

Do you have a source? Not saying you're wrong for sure, just that I'm seeing conflicting reports.

 

[DaveORD]

https://twitter.com/teslascope/status/1308906958116749325

We've just been made aware that Tesla is force-pushing the software update 2020.36.12 to Model Y vehicles over cellular (if not connected to Wifi). Due to the nature of cellular software updates, it is expected to be an important hotfix for these vehicles.

Tesla would prefer not to do this over cellular, the data costs I assume, which is why normally done via customer's WiFi, but they do have this fallback option if needed. Since the car is a rolling computer, any update important enough could be forced over cellular.

 

[astrobill]

Ugh. That does seem legit. *sigh*. I hope they don't force push the Holiday Update anytime soon. I can't live with the changes they made to the driving information display. They're awful.

 

[SSedan]

Why would you think the note about WiFi only ties Tesla's hands?
You think maybe they made that choice to include that note to encourage people to use WiFi rather than cellular not that it is some hard limit on their end?

 

[MP3Mike]

As soon as the vehicle connects to the Tesla Service Center WiFi, it starts downloading the update. While it doesn't (yet) force-install the update, I'd just as soon not even get *that* close to the update. I don't want that firmware/software even downloaded to my car.

You do realize that you are risking your warranty right? The warranty has a clause in it that states you are required to install all updates offered to you to maintain your warranty. (I don't know if it is enforceable or not, but it is there.)

 

[astrobill]

You do realize that you are risking your warranty right? The warranty has a clause in it that states you are required to install all updates offered to you to maintain your warranty. (I don't know if it is enforceable or not, but it is there.)

Actually, no, I wasn't aware that not installing updates after notification that one is available can void the warrantee. I didn't read the detailed warrantee document (who does, really?). I just made note of the general terms, like most car buyers do (e.g., five years for whatever, 50,000 miles for whatever, etc.).

Seems like an unenforceable clause, as you suggest is a possibility. If, for example, drivers feel the update makes the vehicle display unclear or unsafe in some way, etc. I smell all kinds of class action lawsuit possibilities here.

In reality, I suspect Tesla would only enforce this if a repair would have been *prevented* by something in an update, say a heater duty cycle fix that prevents wear out, or something.

In other cases, say for the hundreds of owners who are now reporting cabin heat failures in Model Y's and newer Model 3's with the heat pump, I'd expect a massive class action lawsuit if Tesla tried to claim those users who didn't install the Holiday Fart Noise Improvement update would be responsible for their heater failure repair costs. ;^)

 

[drtimhill]

Ugh. That does seem legit. *sigh*. I hope they don't force push the Holiday Update anytime soon. I can't live with the changes they made to the driving information display. They're awful.

Have you tried the new UI? I'm not a great fan of the changes, but they are not "awful", just different. My eyesight isnt the greatest, but I can still read everything fine (though I agree the shifter grays could be bumped up somewhat), and on my Model 3 I find it slightly better to have the speed shown closer to the edge of my peripheral vision, even though the font is smaller.

 

[astrobill]

Have you tried the new UI? I'm not a great fan of the changes, but they are not "awful", just different. My eyesight isnt the greatest, but I can still read everything fine (though I agree the shifter grays could be bumped up somewhat), and on my Model 3 I find it slightly better to have the speed shown closer to the edge of my peripheral vision, even though the font is smaller.

I saw screenshots and videos of the new driver information UI and posted about it separately. The changes are all horrible, which is why I said that. See the threads that I started along with many others on these forums about how awful and, yes, dangerous the changes are. The biggest one I'll mention here is moving the SPEEDOMETER off its own line in a nice big font and putting it a row with three other numerical indicators of the same size, and left-justifying it on top of everything else, was absolutely moronic. I'd love to know what 21 year old programmer thought this was a good idea and if Tesla road tested this with *ANY* owners or drivers at all before pushing it out. I'm delaying accepting any more software updates as long as I feasibly can.

 

[SSedan]

If you can't read the UI maybe get your eyes checked, possible you need a prescription update.

I have had bifocals since grade school which was decades ago, so I appreciate a good pair of glasses

 

[jelloslug]

You may be able to not do the update for a certain period of time but at some point, you will have to do it to keep all the functions of the car working. This question inevitably comes up with every major update. And no, not doing the update will not "void your warranty". The most that Tesla would say is that you will have to update the car to get whatever problem you have repaired.

 

[astrobill]

If you can't read the UI maybe get your eyes checked, possible you need a prescription update.

I have had bifocals since grade school which was decades ago, so I appreciate a good pair of glasses

@SSedan:

Folks are getting pretty tired of the handful of offensive and ridiculous "get your eyes checked" responses to the new user interface concerns.

While the new, even smaller, font size for the "gears" (DPRN, etc.) is a concern for some on both the S/X instrument cluster and the larger touchscreens, that's not the primary complaint people are posting about.

For example, putting the most important piece of driver information -- THE SPEEDOMETER - on a row right next to a number of similarly-sized indicators of less important information is BAD and getting torched by posters. As anyone who designs information displays (or who knows the basic science) will tell you, the new layout forces the eye and mind to delay for a fraction of a second to pick out the information from a row of similarly sized indicators. And yeah, actually making it smaller *is* bad, too.

The point is that Tesla has buried the speedometer in a row of other "visual noise" , forcing the eye to work for an extra fraction of a second to pick it out each time. They also left-justified it in the row instead of having it larger and centered as before.

I'd guess that 95% of the time, people are looking over to see how fast they are going. That's why Tesla originally had the speedometer the way they had it: large, prominent, centered, and by itself on a row at the top of that left-hand info window.

That's also why physical speedometers on traditional cars are always large, centered, and prominently separated from many other smaller dials and displays. It's also why critical information like airspeed in an aircraft cockpit isn't buried along a row of dials that display which bathroom lights are on or some other less-important data.

And by the way, on the topic of font size, jut because people *can* read the fonts doesn't mean it's a good idea to shrink them and make the eye and mind have to concentrate ever so slightly more just to read them properly. That alone actually WOULD be a valid complaint to make.

Stop posting offensive responses to real-world safety concerns that people have with the update, dude

 

[bobby g]

Actually, no, I wasn't aware that not installing updates after notification that one is available can void the warrantee. I didn't read the detailed warrantee document (who does, really?). I just made note of the general terms, like most car buyers do (e.g., five years for whatever, 50,000 miles for whatever, etc.).

Seems like an unenforceable clause, as you suggest is a possibility. If, for example, drivers feel the update makes the vehicle display unclear or unsafe in some way, etc. I smell all kinds of class action lawsuit possibilities here.

In reality, I suspect Tesla would only enforce this if a repair would have been *prevented* by something in an update, say a heater duty cycle fix that prevents wear out, or something.

In other cases, say for the hundreds of owners who are now reporting cabin heat failures in Model Y's and newer Model 3's with the heat pump, I'd expect a massive class action lawsuit if Tesla tried to claim those users who didn't install the Holiday Fart Noise Improvement update would be responsible for their heater failure repair costs. ;^)

Unenforceable clause? Think of it more as a failure to do the basic maintenance that is required, or respond to a recall notice which in in the car of a Tesla would be tough to say you didn't get.

Still unenforceable?

 

[bobby g]

You do realize that you are risking your warranty right? The warranty has a clause in it that states you are required to install all updates offered to you to maintain your warranty. (I don't know if it is enforceable or not, but it is there.)

With that clause in mind, I'd be really shy of sharing a method to do so on the off chance it bricked your car

 

[laservet]

Meh, it's an interim update with the major rewrite on the horizon, not worth getting upset about it. Click the "report a bug" and let Tesla know how you feel, that's a constructive use of time. The speed limit is the only thing that could be larger, I know whether I'm going forward or backward.

 

[Darmie]

I see your point and very valid. I think once you receive this update, you'll not think much of the changes as you look back at it. I agree though. On our Model X it's still hard to see the fonts...

 

[DaveORD]

All this makes me wonder if those with FSD enabled cars will have a different UI than those who do not? All these cars have connectivity, via WiFi or cellular, so why couldn't Tesla push down a survey as part of an update, let you pop up several dummy UI screens (static or perhaps animated GIF or movie, just for you to look at) and then you can fill out a brief survey to provide feedback. Could be as simple as which one do you like the best, or multiple questions to find out what you like or do not like. You'd think with that vast resource available at their fingertips, they could execute something like that and get a lot of useful information to help guide the next UI release? There will not be one UI that everybody will like, but perhaps we could guide them to make something that is the best compromise possible. In my job we call that VOC - voice of the customer. Just a thought...

 

[TomB985]

Wow, that's wild. I had no idea this was in the warranty guide, but I just looked it up:

 

[Dandesy]

You don’t have to love every change Tesla makes, but I’m a firm believer that it’s all for a reason, that there’s a grand plan behind the updates, which are no doubt mostly related to the up and coming FSD changes.

if you’re not on board with that concept, and are willing to do everything you can to prevent the update (even though you haven’t experienced it for yourself), then Tesla might not be the best car make for your needs.

if you get a different car make, perhaps you’ll save a few bucks. And then get a new prescription...