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Does Tesla remove FSD from cars sold from third party dealer?

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I spoke with someone from a dealership and he told me that no tesla comes with full self driving. He said it's a yearly thing and that the buyer gets a refund for the years not used. Not sure what he was talking about. I then said isn't it 10k for the full self driving I've never heard of a yearly payment. I have been looking for a model X with full self driving and it's beginning to feel impossible. I found one with enhanced autopilot but I want to wait to find out if they can remove this feature before I check it out. We were set on the model Y but it is kind of small. The main thing we want is the full self driving option. We only started looking at used model x because the Y will take 3 months to arrive (September).
 
They are talking about having a pay as you go subscription for FSD once it is fully released. Right now the best you can get is Enhanced Auto Pilot. It does make long trips less stressful, but you still need to pay attention and take over at times. It is my understanding from all of the posts that if you buy a car that "goes through Tesla" then the FSD would be removed. Meaning if someone with FSD sells a car back to Tesla through a trade-in or something. Private sales are supposed to keep the feature. Personally I have purchased FSD on my 2018 MX, but I am not holding my breath that I'll ever see it. From the pricing I've heard, you'll be able to purchase FSD by the week, month, etc. with the subscription through the app, so that may actually be a better deal than paying $10k for it outright, unless you drive a lot of miles.
 
Okay because my wife and I are looking into getting one with enhanced autopilot from a dealership. Going by what you said it should probably still be active since it wasn't sold to Tesla directly. So you would suggest getting one with enhanced autopilot and then getting the subscription when it comes out? So stay away from regular autopilot or since there will be a subscription it doesn't matter?
 
They are talking about having a pay as you go subscription for FSD once it is fully released. Right now the best you can get is Enhanced Auto Pilot. It does make long trips less stressful, but you still need to pay attention and take over at times. It is my understanding from all of the posts that if you buy a car that "goes through Tesla" then the FSD would be removed. Meaning if someone with FSD sells a car back to Tesla through a trade-in or something. Private sales are supposed to keep the feature. Personally I have purchased FSD on my 2018 MX, but I am not holding my breath that I'll ever see it. From the pricing I've heard, you'll be able to purchase FSD by the week, month, etc. with the subscription through the app, so that may actually be a better deal than paying $10k for it outright, unless you drive a lot of miles.
Okay because my wife and I are looking into getting one with enhanced autopilot from a dealership. Going by what you said it should probably still be active since it wasn't sold to Tesla directly. So you would suggest getting one with enhanced autopilot and then getting the subscription when it comes out? So stay away from regular autopilot or since there will be a subscription it doesn't matter?
 
...Okay because my wife and I are looking into getting one with enhanced autopilot from a dealership...
When you buy a used car directly from Tesla, those software-enabled features such as Enhanced AutoPilot... are clearly spelled out for you. You are safe. What you see is what you get.

If you buy from non-Tesla source and you don't have the proof of purchase for those software-enabled features you might be at risk that Tesla might take them away over the air in the future and you'll have to pay Tesla to get them back over the air.
...Going by what you said it should probably still be active since it wasn't sold to Tesla directly...
It's a risk by buying from non-Tesla sources.
...So you would suggest getting one with enhanced autopilot and then getting the subscription when it comes out?...
Elon Musk said a subscription will be more expensive than just paying fully for your FSD.

Unless of course you only plan to keep your car in a short term like only one month then one month of FSD subscription would make sense.

...So stay away from regular autopilot or since there will be a subscription it doesn't matter?...
We don't know how the subscription would work just yet. Is it a month-by-month plan and not a long multi-year lease? What's its exact price? If your car has old MCU1 and old Hardware2 which work perfectly fine with Enhance AutoPilot, who pays to upgrade both of those to MCU2 and HW3 when you want to try out the FSD subscription just for 1 single month?
 
When you buy a used car directly from Tesla, those software-enabled features such as Enhanced AutoPilot... are clearly spelled out for you. You are safe. What you see is what you get.

If you buy from non-Tesla source and you don't have the proof of purchase for those software-enabled features you might be at risk that Tesla might take them away over the air in the future and you'll have to pay Tesla to get them back over the air.

It's a risk by buying from non-Tesla sources.

Elon Musk said a subscription will be more expensive than just paying fully for your FSD.

Unless of course you only plan to keep your car in a short term like only one month then one month of FSD subscription would make sense.


We don't know how the subscription would work just yet. Is it a month-by-month plan and not a long multi-year lease? What's its exact price? If your car has old MCU1 and old Hardware2 which work perfectly fine with Enhance AutoPilot, who pays to upgrade both of those to MCU2 and HW3 when you want to try out the FSD subscription just for 1 single month?
Thanks for the info. I'm starting to lean more towards Model Y just because it's easier to purchase lol. But the falcon doors...
 
Some have said that if FSD was purchased with the vehicle at build time, though I certainly can't confirm that. If that's true, folks have said those cars cannot have the FSD removed. Beyond that, anything I say is speculation and lies. :)
 
Thanks for the info. I'm starting to lean more towards Model Y just because it's easier to purchase lol. But the falcon doors...
We bought a used 2020 X made Sept in May 2021 from a private party in CA. Had shipped to WI. Had FSD and that went with it. FSD, not worth 10k or even close yet. Really added about 0 dollars to the used car transaction, so worth that :). The Falcon Doors, however, are kick a$* cool!

Also roads here suck and the air susspention in the X is way smoother than the sporty suspension in the Y. Air can be set to smooth or sporty in the X.
 
We bought a used 2020 X made Sept in May 2021 from a private party in CA. Had shipped to WI. Had FSD and that went with it. FSD, not worth 10k or even close yet. Really added about 0 dollars to the used car transaction, so worth that :). The Falcon Doors, however, are kick a$* cool!

Also roads here suck and the air susspention in the X is way smoother than the sporty suspension in the Y. Air can be set to smooth or sporty in the X.
Thank you I am looking into private sellers.
 
…If your car has old MCU1 and old Hardware2 which work perfectly fine with Enhance AutoPilot, who pays to upgrade both of those to MCU2 and HW3 when you want to try out the FSD subscription just for 1 single month?
Just to clarify, Tesla currently claims that MCU1 will work with FSD and that the visualizations are not required. But yes, although Tesla will upgrade your HW2 to HW3 if your car has FSD purchased, Tesla might have a minimum commitment before they swap out HW2x for HW3, 4 or whatever revision they are on for a subscription when that comes out. Or they might not offer subscriptions on older cars.

OP Jason smith, I assume you know you can currently buy FSD as an add on to a used car, and that the reason you want to buy it preinstalled is that it is typically less expensive.

If the dealership will put in writing that the car includes FSD, I think you are pretty safe that you can get the dealership to either take the car back or get them to pay the FSD cost. Once the car does a software update, if Tesla had the car in their possession previously and flagged FSD for removal, FSD should come off with the update. It is not like you live in limbo. never knowing whether Tesla will remove FSD. You know pretty quickly.
 
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...Just to clarify, Tesla currently claims that MCU1 will work with FSD and that the visualizations are not required...
Some owners agree but there have been many complaints that the MCU1 worked fine with HW2 until they upgraded to HW3:

 
Just to clarify, Tesla currently claims that MCU1 will work with FSD and that the visualizations are not required. But yes, although Tesla will upgrade your HW2 to HW3 if your car has FSD purchased, Tesla might have a minimum commitment before they swap out HW2x for HW3, 4 or whatever revision they are on for a subscription when that comes out. Or they might not offer subscriptions on older cars.

OP Jason smith, I assume you know you can currently buy FSD as an add on to a used car, and that the reason you want to buy it preinstalled is that it is typically less expensive.

If the dealership will put in writing that the car includes FSD, I think you are pretty safe that you can get the dealership to either take the car back or get them to pay the FSD cost. Once the car does a software update, if Tesla had the car in their possession previously and flagged FSD for removal, FSD should come off with the update. It is not like you live in limbo. never knowing whether Tesla will remove FSD. You know pretty quickly.
Yes you are correct. I want the FSD to avoid paying the 10k after buying the Tesla.
 
Just to clarify, Tesla currently claims that MCU1 will work with FSD and that the visualizations are not required. But yes, although Tesla will upgrade your HW2 to HW3 if your car has FSD purchased, Tesla might have a minimum commitment before they swap out HW2x for HW3, 4 or whatever revision they are on for a subscription when that comes out. Or they might not offer subscriptions on older cars.

OP Jason smith, I assume you know you can currently buy FSD as an add on to a used car, and that the reason you want to buy it preinstalled is that it is typically less expensive.

If the dealership will put in writing that the car includes FSD, I think you are pretty safe that you can get the dealership to either take the car back or get them to pay the FSD cost. Once the car does a software update, if Tesla had the car in their possession previously and flagged FSD for removal, FSD should come off with the update. It is not like you live in limbo. never knowing whether Tesla will remove FSD. You know pretty quickly.
I see one with Enhanced autopilot third party seller. Are you guys saying this will not stay on as well?
 
I see one with Enhanced autopilot third party seller. Are you guys saying this will not stay on as well?

Sometimes Tesla can make a "mistake" in auditing and think that no one has ever paid for your Enhanced AutoPilot so it would take it away without any notice and quietly over the air. You'll discover the error when the feature no longer works in one morning in the future and you'll have Service Center to fix it. They would look up the record and say the Enhanced AutoPilot was never paid so you need to pay up to get it back. If you have the proof to show that it was paid by someone and it doesn't matter who, then you'll get it back without paying additionally.

Remember, it's the proof that the money was paid to Tesla, not your friends, not your non-Tesla dealers, not your private sellers, not auction houses.
 
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Sometimes Tesla can make a "mistake" in auditing and think that no one has ever paid for your Enhanced AutoPilot so it would take it away without any notice and quietly over the air. You'll discover the error when the feature no longer works in one morning in the future and you'll have Service Center to fix it. They would look up the record and say the Enhanced AutoPilot was never paid so you need to pay up to get it back. If you have the proof to show that it was paid by someone and it doesn't matter who, then you'll get it back without paying additionally.

Remember, it's the proof that the money was paid to Tesla, not your friends, not your non-Tesla dealers, not your private sellers.
So basically would need to find the original owner if I buy it from the dealer. Or if buying from a private seller have something showing they paid for it and make a copy of it just in case.
 
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I spoke with someone from a dealership and he told me that no tesla comes with full self driving. He said it's a yearly thing and that the buyer gets a refund for the years not used. Not sure what he was talking about. I then said isn't it 10k for the full self driving I've never heard of a yearly payment. I have been looking for a model X with full self driving and it's beginning to feel impossible. I found one with enhanced autopilot but I want to wait to find out if they can remove this feature before I check it out. We were set on the model Y but it is kind of small. The main thing we want is the full self driving option. We only started looking at used model x because the Y will take 3 months to arrive (September).

I assume by "dealership" you mean not at a Tesla store. And basically the guy was talking nonsense. When you buy a car new from Tesla, then you get the option to purchase the car with FSD (full self-driving), or you can add this on later (its just software, so you can actually do it from your phone app), though its often cheaper to get it when you buy the car.

Options such as FSD stay with the car when it is sold. That is, if you sell the car the new owner gets whatever options you purchased, and if you then buy a new Tesla, you will have to repurchase FSD for that new car (Tesla are basically treating the software option just as if it were a hardware option like a sunroof). So any dealer who has a Tesla on the lot (say, as a trade-in) might indeed have FSD on the car.

All the stuff about a one year refund was nonsense; the guy had no idea what he was talking about (a good reason not to buy fro him imho). Tesla have never done that, and while there is discussion about a subscription model for FSD (Elon has said it will come), no-one know if it will really arrive, or when, or how much it will cost.

However, there is one special case here. If the car is sold back to Tesla (as often happens) at any point, Tesla almost always de-option the car before they sell it on. This is important. What it means is that a dealer who got a car from Tesla may show you paperwork that says the original purchase (when new) included FSD, but the car may no longer have it. This has tripped up a lot of buyers, who are confused by the difference between the car options when purchased new vs the options when purchased used from a dealer. Worse, at present there is no easy way to check with Tesla exactly what options the car really does currently have. In theory, you can look on the car display (if you know what to look for), but very occasionally a car arrives that Tesla "de-optioned" but the software update to do this actual process has not been applied. This can result in a buyer taking a car home thinking they have an option, only to find it vanish after a software update a few days or weeks later.
 
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We were set on the model Y but it is kind of small.
My two cents here, having just purchased a used 2018 X in April, take with a grain of salt.

First, get the X, if you’re at all conflicted, you’ll appreciate the size down the road. 30 seconds sitting in a Y at the Tesla shop was all it took to convince me that the hassle of a used X was worth it for the extra width and capability (it also tows a useful amount).

Second, buy direct from Tesla. They can ship it to you from anywhere in the country, you get a little extra warrantee, and you know up front if FSD was included. I asked multiple people from Tesla this, and they confirmed it. My X arrived with “FSD” as it currently stands, so just enhanced AP, summon, etc, and the service center has actually called me nagging me to get the HW3 upgrade.

All in all, buying a used Tesla was only slightly more difficult than ordering and leasing a brand new one, which is to say, really really easy compared with the typical car dealer BS. Caveat to that, you’re buying sight unseen, there are “standards” but there is some small risk involved with that. Two months in and I’m totally happy with my purchase and my new old X (it’s practically a classic now, for a Tesla).

but my first service appointment is Monday, so that may change. 🤪