I retrofit MCU2, IC2, Tuner2, and FSD Computer into my HW2.0 Car

Here's my story of my DIY HW2.0 retrofit for MCU2, IC2, TUNER2, and FSD Computer:

I want to begin this post by offering the most honest caveat I can: I do not encourage you to repeat anything I have done. In fact, now that Tesla is offering the MCU2 and FSD Computer retrofits officially, I highly recommend you go do that. MCU2 + FSD is wonderful. I am presenting this post to hopefully provide some guidance and entertainment to members of this great community – a place that I’ve found endlessly fun for the past several years during my Tesla ownership. I make no claims that the guidance offered below is correct or suited to your circumstances.

Towards the end of January, late one night while tinkering with my Tesla, I had a realization – I finally knew enough about the Model S/X hardware & software architecture to attempt one of the most involved retrofits I’ve ever done on a vehicle – an MCU2/IC2/Tuner2/APE3 retrofit into my HW2.0 MCU1 Model S. After a LOT of research, and with tons of help from others in this community (thank you to those that helped; you know who you are), I wanted to share my success story of retrofitting MCU2/IC2/Tuner2/APE3 to work in my car. All told – I have a fully working MCU2/IC2/Tuner2/APE3 with all the Theater, Arcade, Caraoke, FM Radio, Web Browser, Dashcam, Sentry, FSD visualizations and other goodies you would expect.

“But Tesla now offers an official MCU2/APE3 retrofit!” you say…” Why would you want to do a retrofit yourself?” Good question…there’s a couple reasons I chose to do this myself:

• I completed the retrofit a couple months before Tesla finally came out with a public announcement that MCU2 retrofits were officially official. I’d been waiting for Tesla to follow-through on Elon’s never-ending tweets promising a retrofit was coming and finally just decided I’d do it myself.
• Tesla charges $2,500 for the MCU2/IC2 retrofit and does not include the XM/FM Tuner2. I thought I’d try getting Tuner2 to work – which I did.
• I found a person with a wrecked 2018 Model S who was willing to sell me the MCU2, IC2, Tuner2, and wiring harness out of the car – everything I needed from a hardware perspective for a reasonable price. All in, I saved roughly $1,000 doing this myself compared to asking Tesla to do it. Honestly though, I probably put 100+ hours into this project and went from knowing nothing to knowing a lot. I didn’t really save time/money; quite the contrary. I did this because it was a ton of fun.
• I got the APE3 (FSD Computer) unit on loan from a friend. I did purchase FSD from Tesla and will have Tesla install my forthcoming APE3 unit whenever they actually do it.

Come along as I take you through my journey of retrofitting the MCU2/IC2/Tuner2/APE3 hardware into my HW2.0 car.

 

[domodan]

I want to do this.

 

[KyleDay]

Trust me - just have Tesla do it and pay them for the infotainment upgrade. Going the DIY route you’ll have many obstacles that unless you’re well equipped and knowledgeable AND have an exploit to leverage to gain access to the gateway- it won’t work.

 

[domodan]

Trust me - just have Tesla do it and pay them for the infotainment upgrade. Going the DIY route you’ll have many obstacles that unless you’re well equipped and knowledgeable AND have an exploit to leverage to gain access to the gateway- it won’t work.

I’ve got an AP1 car so not worried about the FSD computer. I just want MCU2 and don’t want to lose the radio.

 

[KyleDay]

I’ve got an AP1 car so not worried about the FSD computer. I just want MCU2 and don’t want to lose the radio.

Tesla now offers radio as an additional paid option. Do it. The radio retrofit isn’t easy either.

 

[domodan]

Tesla now offers radio as an additional paid option. Do it. The radio retrofit isn’t easy either.

I just don’t want to drop $3,000.

 

[BWbear]

Premium audio requires the external amplifier still. My car was base audio, so I got a base audio mcu2. See my post on mcu2 part numbers. It may have been possible to retrofit the external amplifier and additional speakers to upgrade my car to “premium audio” - but I already installed my own sound system ages ago.

So Kyle, thanks in advance for this hardwork and post. I'm doing a premium audio update on my own DIY as well, with external amp and speakers which were somehow easy to access.
Here comes my Q: According to you conclusion, the external amp need signal input from MCU X173 (the green 10-pin connector), even I managed to retrofit harness connection between MCU and external Amp, will the Amp work? I mean, will the MCU output audio signal via the previously unused X173 on base audio system (however still 2-pins on X173 were used but not for audio signal output) without such modification on vehicle config?

 

[BWbear]

So Kyle, thanks in advance for this hardwork and post. I'm doing a premium audio update on my own DIY as well, with external amp and speakers which were somehow easy to access.
Here comes my Q: According to you conclusion, the external amp need signal input from MCU X173 (the green 10-pin connector), even I managed to retrofit harness connection between MCU and external Amp, will the Amp work? I mean, will the MCU output audio signal via the previously unused X173 on base audio system (however still 2-pins on X173 were used but not for audio signal output) without such modification on vehicle config?View attachment 676153

BTW, mine were officially updated MCU2+AP3, but base audio system.

 

[KyleDay]

BTW, mine were officially updated MCU2+AP3, but base audio system.

To my knowledge, no. The premium audio is a gateway configuration that needs to be set before premium audio will function with external amp. Again, I’ve never done this myself, so I’m not perfectly sure, but I’m fairly certain I’m right.

 

[Krash]

To my knowledge, no. The premium audio is a gateway configuration that needs to be set before premium audio will function with external amp. Again, I’ve never done this myself, so I’m not perfectly sure, but I’m fairly certain I’m right.

Any guess as to what would happen if a satellite radio tuner were installed in a base system as part of an MCU2 DIY upgrade?

 

[KyleDay]

Any guess as to what would happen if a satellite radio tuner were installed in a base system as part of an MCU2 DIY upgrade?

Xmantenna 0 is currently in gateway. I imagine you’d need to install the antenna (under the glass which looks miserable) and XMAntenna 1 written to gateway, and, likely premium audio enabled to get XM functioning. I gave thought to doing it but never attempted due to little interest in XM

 

[Akikiki]

You guys remember that I added M3 XM module to my S about a year ago? And TeslaTap wired a harness to connect XM model for power and antenna to S? Then SC told me mothership had been following our progress and told SC not to make changes to gateway when I specifically asked. So, all dressed up and no party to attend.

 

[Krash]

I remembered that you had asked the SC to make a gateway change and that the SC declined to do so.

My question is really this:

1. if you plug in the SXM tuner into a base audio MCU2 without the tuner gateway change what happens?

2. Then what happens if you change the tuner flag but not the XM flag.

Will the XM tuner play over the base audio setup?

 

[KyleDay]

I remembered that you had asked the SC to make a gateway change and that the SC declined to do so.

My question is really this:

1. if you plug in the SXM tuner into a base audio MCU2 without the tuner gateway change what happens?

2. Then what happens if you change the tuner flag but not the XM flag.

Will the XM tuner play over the base audio setup?

You’re forgetting base audio cars don’t have the xm antenna in addition to the needed xm tuner. Antenna is key as well as tuner and gateway config.

plugging in tuner won’t do anything if not enabled in car configuration

 

[Akikiki]

I must be losing it. What's the matter with me? It was not the XM Module that we did that work for. sorry. It was the FM module from the M3. They would not make the gateway change for that. It was simply FM module. Sorry for the confusion. But I only remembered because you guys helped me.

 

[KyleDay]

I must be losing it. What's the matter with me? It was not the XM Module that we did that work for. sorry. It was the FM module from the M3. They would not make the gateway change for that. It was simply FM module. Sorry for the confusion. But I only remembered because you guys helped me.

You’re not totally confused. There are two tuner modules FM/HD and another XM/FM/HD. Both have FM but only one has XM and also connects to an expected XM antenna cable.

 

[Krash]

You’re forgetting base audio cars don’t have the xm antenna…

I’m not forgetting. I am well aware the antenna must be retrofitted. It wasn’t an option with the glass roof when my Jun 2017 was built or I would have ordered it.

 

[verygreen]

Mothership blacklisted model3 tuners from working in mcu2 cars. So even if you manage to set the gateway config, the end result is all updates will fail because the tuner will have a blacklisted part number.

 

[Akikiki]

Interesting. Thanks. Had not heard that one. Maybe I am the cause of that. I think I was the first to put a M3 FM Tuner in an S.

And maybe I am wrong on this, but I don't think M3 had XM. Did it get added sometime after '18?

 

[BWbear]

To my knowledge, no. The premium audio is a gateway configuration that needs to be set before premium audio will function with external amp. Again, I’ve never done this myself, so I’m not perfectly sure, but I’m fairly certain I’m right.

THX that’s useful intel. So will toolbox do? For the gateway change. I’m sure SC will not agree but toolbox is not SC’s exclusive.

 

[Akikiki]

...but toolbox is not SC’s exclusive. Toolbox is not SC exclusive? Can you share how someone gains access to toolbox - that is not a Tesla tech/employee?