How's V11 on the "Legacy" Model S?

[Aggmeister2010]

Hey everyone,

I have a 2016 Model S with AP1 and MCU1. I recently had my instrument cluster screen replaced under warranty, and now my other screen is bubbling too, so I'm considering an upgrade to MCU2. I don't have any real issues with MCU1, it's still much better than my wife's Volvo, but just trying to make an informed and reasonable decision,

My car is still under warranty, but I am trying to 'future proof' the car a bit, and perhaps MCU2 would help make it more usable longer.

My options are to just get MCU1 replaced under warranty, $0. Or upgrade to MCU2, $1500.

I have no interest in games, little interest in theater, mainly just want to be able to use voice controls and have a faster overall experience.

My mainconcern is UI V11. I keep hearing terrible reviews of the interface, and I know if I get MCU2 it'll come with V11 on it. I'm very happy with V10 on my MCU1.

I'm curious if anyone can provide feedback on the ease of use of V11 on the old vertical screen.....am I overthinking this? Is it really that insufferable?

 

[maximizese]

I recently had my MCU1 replaced with MCU2 on our 11/13 built S85. My decision was based on losing 3G and the car's frequency of starting up with a blank screen (requiring 5-10 minutes to do a reset). I had no idea I was going to get V11 and while the resolution and processing speed is much improved, I do have some complaints but I'll balance those with the pros:

Pros:
Faster processing speed for navigation, voice commands, voice to text, usable web browser, games, theater, etc
New navigation includes multi-leg stops and calculates both ETA and battery level for each stop
Media doesn't skip or disconnect like on my MCU1

Cons:
Defroster and heated seats now have to either be routed to HVAC screen or done through voice command...no more default on the home screen for fast access
No more radio, but it hasn't been an issue with TuneIn

 

[EVRider-FL]

One of the main things people complain about in V11 is that some controls that were on the top of the touchscreen were moved to the Controls screen, so they're harder to get to. Fortunately, that change wasn't made on Legacy S/X cars, and even on the newer cars, some of the "hidden" controls have been moved back to the main touchscreen.

I don't really have an issue with V11 (on both our legacy S and 3), but you should review the changes that people are complaining about and decide if any of them are things you would really dislike. Either way, you'll probably have to upgrade to V11 at some point. MCU2 is a worthwhile upgrade if you plan to keep the car for a while.

 

[Smc171]

I can't address the main question you have, but I can give you my thoughts/perspective on the upgrade. I have a legacy S, upgraded to MCU2, currently also still running V10. Following the considerable negative feedback on V11 (as it stands), I've decided not to upgrade (until forced or the issues with V11 have been addressed).

MCU2 in and of itself, is 100% worth the upgrade, especially if you are having screen failure issues. With that said, I might suggest to you to hold off making the upgrade in order to retain V10. It is generally accepted (hoped) that Tesla has listened to the complaints and have fixes in the works, so I suggest waiting. The hardware upgrade, in my opinion, does not necessarily outweigh the software 'downgrade'.

The MCU2 upgrade does make using the system a much more pleasant experience. I don't use the games either, but theater during supercharging is enjoyable. Keep in mind that retaining AM/FM radio will likely be an additional $500.

 

[dustinfl]

I've gotten used to it.

If you're wanting to use voice commands, I think you'll be fine.

 

[ucmndd]

V11 is hot trash, but MCU1 is cold trash.

I think it's a bit of personal preference on that one.

 

[SilverString]

I like it better. It does not seem to have affected the legacy car owners in the way it did others. There is so much of it that is preferential, it's pretty hard to make a definitive judgement.

 

[ucmndd]

Tesla has already silently walked back some of the dumbass changes, putting buttons back on the screen to access the charger map, etc.

I imagine it will continue to improve, mostly by them putting things back more or less the way they were, but doing it slowly so they don't have to admit they were wrong.

 

[Aggmeister2010]

I can't address the main question you have, but I can give you my thoughts/perspective on the upgrade. I have a legacy S, upgraded to MCU2, currently also still running V10. Following the considerable negative feedback on V11 (as it stands), I've decided not to upgrade (until forced or the issues with V11 have been addressed).

MCU2 in and of itself, is 100% worth the upgrade, especially if you are having screen failure issues. With that said, I might suggest to you to hold off making the upgrade in order to retain V10. It is generally accepted (hoped) that Tesla has listened to the complaints and have fixes in the works, so I suggest waiting. The hardware upgrade, in my opinion, does not necessarily outweigh the software 'downgrade'.

The MCU2 upgrade does make using the system a much more pleasant experience. I don't use the games either, but theater during supercharging is enjoyable. Keep in mind that retaining AM/FM radio will likely be an additional $500.

thanks for the perspective. I don't use FM/AM, so no big loss there. My opportunity to make a change is coming up in a few weeks, so I'm basically in a "commit to MCU1" or "commit to MCU2" phase right now.....they're either going to fix or upgrade.

 

[Merrill]

I did the upgrade to MCU2 on my 2016 Model X and love it, my screen was going dark occasionally well worth the money.

 

[pabla]

I went from MCU1 on my 2014 p85 to MCU2 on now sold 21 LR+, V11 aside its well worth the upgrade. MCU2 isnt the smoothest thing out there now since its gotten a few years old but its way way snappier than mCU1 and you're also a bit more futureproofed with software updates and features. My biggest complaint with V11 is the removal of the X button on screens, so everytime I want to close something I have to swipe down

 

[Aggmeister2010]

Do the MCU2 screens experience yellowing and bubbles like MCU1?

 

[pabla]

Do the MCU2 screens experience yellowing and bubbles like MCU1?

I don’t think I’ve heard/seen any reports of yellowing

 

[Mediocrates]

Do the MCU2 screens experience yellowing and bubbles like MCU1?

I don’t think I’ve heard/seen any reports of yellowing

Count me as your first then (and I doubt I'm alone). 2019 Model S MCU2, which yellowed in the first 6 months. I run it in dark mode, so it's generally not visible. I haven't tried to get it fixed.

 

[PCMc]

I decided in December to take the plunge and upgrade my mid-2016 AP1 MS90D from MCU1 to MCU2. While I was not having any issues of bubbles/gel leaking from my screens, I was seeing increasing issues of MCU locking up, slow boot-up, long resets, etc. I knew I was going to be doing a couple round-trips from midwest to NYC/NE area over holidays and was as much not wanting to get stuck in an unreliable navigation situation for that trip what was my final reason to take the MCU upgrade plunge. Faster navigation response, more consistent voice command detection, and not having issues with MCU hanging were greatly appreciated in what was 4,000 miles of driving over course of about 6 days of driving.

v11 initially was a bit frustrating, still some things which puzzle me with their design choices, but I agree they appear to be slowly addressing some of the most offending items. Honestly I still miss the screen for setting charging level from back in something like v8 days where you actually had 10% up/down arrows and were not trying to drag a slider. At least they fixed the fact that there was no screen that allowed you to change the charge level which was the case for the initial v11 UI release for those with legacy MCU1 that had been upgraded to MCU2. Still not sure why the graphic is half the size it used to be; seems like soooo much wasted/unused space in several cases.

Regarding screen yellowing, that seemed to be most persistent in the 2017 through 2019 vintage vehicles. My perception is the extent of complaints I see on newer 2020-2021 vehicles is reduced. Not sure if the incident rate is actually down or if the presence of the UV light treatment fix is quieting done the volume on complaints. Not sure I recall hearing anyone complain about bubbles/gel leaking from screens newer than 2016, but I'm sure there are some as adhesive failure I'm sure if alway a possibility or any display.

If I was looking at needing to pay to replace either screen for any reason, then doing MCU2 upgrade would be a no brainer for me. Now if OP can get their leaking screen replaced under warranty, then I understand being on the fence. I understand that can be a tough call.
I agree that the new v11 UI is a mixed bag.

 

[Aggmeister2010]

Thanks everyone. I decided to go ahead with the upgrade. I want to keep this car for at least the next 5 years, and I can see MCU1 becoming very difficult to use with continued updates that further burden the nvidia chip.

 

[EVRider-FL]

Do the MCU2 screens experience yellowing and bubbles like MCU1?

My Model S MCU2 screen sometimes shows a yellow border, but it happens infrequently so I haven’t tried to get it fixed.

 

[brico84]

I wonder why nobody has come up with a "DIY" MCU2 upgrade. I would think someone would have figured it out by now to save a lot of money.

 

[Aggmeister2010]

I wonder why nobody has come up with a "DIY" MCU2 upgrade. I would think someone would have figured it out by now to save a lot of money.

Someone did, it was a GIANT process. The harness is not the same, the software requires rooting the car, etc. it is one of those things where the savings aren’t worth the risk.

 

[brico84]

Someone did, it was a GIANT process. The harness is not the same, the software requires rooting the car, etc. it is one of those things where the savings aren’t worth the risk.

Interesting. More thinking ahead to MCU3 DIY....