If MCU1 fails under warranty, can MCU2 be negotiated cheaper?

[ElectricIAC]

Speaking of thick, Let’s face facts:

-Loaners aren’t free.
-Warranty isn’t free.
-Roadside assistance isn’t free.
-Supercharging network isn’t free.
-Regular software updates aren’t free.

It’s all factored into the price of the car!

 

[MP3Mike]

Speaking of thick, Let’s face facts:

-Loaners aren’t free.
-Warranty isn’t free.
-Roadside assistance isn’t free.
-Supercharging network isn’t free.
-Regular software updates aren’t free.

It’s all factored into the price of the car!

Only there is nothing in the warranty document that says you are entitled to a loaner, or even Uber credits, while your vehicle is in for service: https://www.tesla.com/sites/default/files/downloads/tesla-new-vehicle-limited-warranty-en-us.pdf

 

[ElectricIAC]

Perhaps not. And ideally you should never need the warranty either but here we are.

 

[ucmndd]

Only there is nothing in the warranty document that says you are entitled to a loaner, or even Uber credits, while your vehicle is in for service: https://www.tesla.com/sites/default/files/downloads/tesla-new-vehicle-limited-warranty-en-us.pdf

Lol, @ElectricIAC disagrees with this fact.

Because smart.

 

[Uxorious]

You do understand that this means your 4 year OR 50,000 mile warranty expired 10,000 miles ago, right?

Yes, that's what I wrote.

On the other hand, having an undersized flash chip in the design, causing failures after a handful years is clearly a manufacturing defect.
Have you *ever* heard of essentially the radio failing like this in other vehicles?
We're not talking about drivetrain or other "wear and tear" parts - those make sense with a range based warranty.

If I was one random guy with a failure of some electronics then OK ... but that isn't what this is.

 

[Zuikkis]

Yes, that's what I wrote.
Have you *ever* heard of essentially the radio failing like this in other vehicles?

Well, lmgtfy.. Google search strings and first hit:

"Mercedes screen blank"
Screen Blank

"BMW screen blank"
Black screen

"Toyota screen blank"
Screen going blank

"Ferrari screen blank"
infotainment screen

Sorry, looks like we are not alone.

 

[Uxorious]

Some of those sound like software bugs where a reset fixes it.
And sure, everything will fail occasionally.
I think we're looking at a significantly higher failure rate than normal here.

 

[Chaserr]

Why would you be SOL if they EOL the MCU1?

EOL means no more downgrades sent out. Sounds like a big positive to me - I wish they had EOL at 2018.50 when charging was fast, range was full, and the UI was designed for the Model S/X instead of a single miniaturized screen.

 

[beatle]

I think mine just kicked the bucket. Was tinkering with the stereo in the garage. It refused to play from any source so I rebooted it and the screen stayed black. Same symptoms as everyone else. I already had a service appointment for next Friday, so maybe they can bump that up. Not sure if MCU2 is worth even the $1750 to me, but I'll inquire anyway.

Following up. I picked up my car a couple weeks ago. Tesla replaced the MCU, but there was no discussion prior - they just did it. Not that I'm complaining, but at least for warranty issues, I think they just want to get people back on the road.

As for fueling the loaner argument, they initially offered me Uber credits. I said something like, "Those aren't really of much use to me these days. Do you have any loaners?" So they gave me one. It was a filthy P85D with a dent in the hood, but I was happy to have it. I had a ride lined up just in case they said no. I did not receive a loaner last December when my car was in for a bunch of other stuff, though I didn't ask for one either.

 

[FlatSix911]

Good luck exercising that “privilege”

I’m sure if you just insist on being privileged a little more, Tesla will quickly capitulate to your “higher standards”.

lol

Privilege Nonsense. In the early years of Tesla before Model 3, Elon promised a loaner vehicle for all Model S and X owners.

Only recently has Tesla not honored that promise and their customer service has declined severely. YMMV.

 

[HankLloydRight]

In the early years of Tesla before Model 3, Elon promised a loaner vehicle for all Model S and X owners.

He also said the loaners would be the top-of-the-line optioned models, and if you like the loaner better, you could keep it (and trade-in your car).

Yeah, that never happened.

 

[FlatSix911]

Got my car back yesterday after being outta commission for nearly a month.

They replaced the Tegra daughterboard as I was still just inside the warranty, it was all covered at no charge.

Really the service has gone way downhill since I first got the car back in 2017. But I'm just glad to have the car back!

So mine died a month ago. I had 2 weeks left in the 4 year warranty, but I was at 60k miles, so they said it was not covered.
Advisor quoted me the roughly $1500 for a remanufactured MCU1, or $2500 for MCU2 (which loses the radio). I told him (nicely) that this was unacceptable since it's a manufacturing defect, and that they are even being investigated for it. After this, he said they could also try replacing the MCU1 Tegra daughterboard. This would be around $350 ($120 for the daughterboard, the rest labor) - but he wasn't sure how long it would be to get. Since I don't need the car these days I told him I could wait.1.5-2 weeks later the daughterboard came in ... but the repair didn't work. Another advisor called me back and said it didn't work, so back to the original $1500-$2500 options. I called the first advisor back, and he told me he had already ordered a remanufactured MCU1 (at their expense), and that they would swap the "frame" of that into my vehicle. Took 1.5-2 weeks for the new part to arrive. So in the end (after almost a month), I have the car back with a 64 GB remanufactured MCU1 at a total cost of $350. Find a service advisor who is willing to go to bat for you!

How is the screen performance with the 64GB MCU1... any improvement over the original MCU1?

 

[ucmndd]

Privilege Nonsense. In the early years of Tesla before Model 3, Elon promised a loaner vehicle for all Model S and X owners.

Only recently has Tesla not honored that promise and their customer service has declined severely. YMMV.

We could write a very thick book titled "Elon Promised".

Tesla has never honored that promise, and thinking you're somehow entitled to it because "Elon promised" isn't gonna change that.

 

[Nuclear Fusion]

Only there is nothing in the warranty document that says you are entitled to a loaner, or even Uber credits, while your vehicle is in for service: https://www.tesla.com/sites/default/files/downloads/tesla-new-vehicle-limited-warranty-en-us.pdf

Statutory law & common law overrides a warranty document

 

[Nuclear Fusion]

We could write a very thick book titled "Elon Promised".

Tesla has never honored that promise, and thinking you're somehow entitled to it because "Elon promised" isn't gonna change that.

Depends how a judge treats public comments by a CEO, often using Twitter to communicate company ‘policy positions’, as whether they induce a contract between the buyer & seller.

 

[ucmndd]

Depends how a judge treats public comments by a CEO, often using Twitter to communicate company ‘policy positions’, as whether they induce a contract between the buyer & seller.

Yes, so it's all just tilting at windmills until someone wants to go through the expense of getting a judgment.

 

[Nuclear Fusion]

Yes, so it's all just tilting at windmills until someone wants to go through the expense of getting a judgment.

There’s a thread from several months back in the Model S forum of an owner taking legal action against Tesla over several ongoing issues & it was adjudicated that Tesla had to buy back the car, reimburse government charges, pay legal fees & other summary costs such that it was a lot more than the original cost of the car
There is a basic principle in law, pretty much the world over, that when you incur loss you must be returned to the situation you were prior to incurring loss.

 

[Uxorious]

How is the screen performance with the 64GB MCU1... any improvement over the original MCU1?

I guess that's a yes, but not one you will feel in day-to-day operations.
It's maybe a tiny bit faster for things I use on a regular basis, but not much.
But things like the Release Notes screen used to take MINUTES to come up, and not it's there in a second or 2.

 

[cellphonechris]

For what it's worth, location matters. The lone SC in my state has provided me a loaner on 4-5 occasions since owning my car. The one time they didn't have one available, they offered a high-end ICE from Enterprise (Maserati Ghibli Q4), but a loaner was returned before I could do the paperwork.

Even before I technically owned the Model S, I was provided an Enterprise rental due to a delayed delivery (BMW 750 xi) - just to keep my trade-in schedule intact. No complaints from me at all.

 

[Benjamin Brooks]

Still no confirmation from anywhere here about lower cost MCU2 replacements when your MCU1 fails while under warranty?
My MCU1 failed this week, and was told I can get a replacement MCU1 for ~$350 (or $200 with my extended warranty deductible).

I'll try and see if I can get a quote for less than $2500 for replacing a dead MCU1 under warranty with an MCU2.
(I'm dealing with the Tesla service center in Santa Clara, CA)