Looking at buying a 2021 Y that has the full self driving option.. do the cameras need to be updated? and can I still use summon feature?

[panahead]

I am looking at buying a used Y... I have found a good low mileage 2021 that still has the uss sensors.. would I need to have its cameras upgraded? and if I did would the self park and summons features still work on that car? because it still has the sensors? or has a software update turned the sensors off? also.. given a choice of a good low mileage Y would you chose a 2021 or a 2022 model?

Thanks for your help...

 

[RTPEV]

No, there is no need to have the cameras updated (and I don't even think this is a possibility, as there is no upgrade path from HW3 to HW4). The only reason for having upgraded cameras is that it may at some point in the future result in a "better" FSD experience, but personally I would not hold my breath on that anyway.

I also wouldn't put too much stock in "self park" and "summons" features. These are really just parlor tricks. But, they will work with your stock cameras.

My wife has a 2021 Y with FSD (also bought used) and the one thing that we do appreciate is that it has the Homelink installed. I'm not sure when they stopped making that standard, but that may be one reason to go with an older model (if that's important to you). Not that you couldn't fit it later or use an alternative MyQ system, but for us, Homelink was what worked with our existing garage door.

Other than that, I don't think it really makes a ton of difference which model year you go with.

 

[EVRider-FL]

Note that Tesla will install HomeLink for $350 plus tax, and they can do it via mobile service, so don’t let that deter you from buying a car without it. I agree with the previous comment that Summon and Auto Park aren’t that useful, so don’t let that deter you either, especially since they will be back at some point.

 

[panahead]

Thanks guys... appreciate the info.. I guess my main concern was the FSD... and the sensor/camera difference between the 2021 and the late 2022 models... and any other changes they might have? I agree re the summon and self park...

 

[father_of_6]

And just in case you haven't done the research, set your expectations for FSD very low... and be extremely aware of the road and other cars while you're using it.

The appreciation of FSD is a wide spectrum. Some folks think it's the best thing since sliced bread and are happy they paid $15k for it, some like it for a small subset of their driving, and some wouldn't use it even if it were free (I'm in that camp). It definitely has the ability to kill you and your passengers if you'll let it.

 

[panahead]

And just in case you haven't done the research, set your expectations for FSD very low... and be extremely aware of the road and other cars while you're using it.

The appreciation of FSD is a wide spectrum. Some folks think it's the best thing since sliced bread and are happy they paid $15k for it, some like it for a small subset of their driving, and some wouldn't use it even if it were free (I'm in that camp). It definitely has the ability to kill you and your passengers if you'll let it.

Thanks.... my thoughts are in line with yours... but was hoping that it might improve in the coming years? at the moment both my vehicles are still stick shifts and I don't even use cruise control.. but had a rental car in NZ that had adaptive cruise control and lane guidance.. and I enjoyed it... I take a 350 mile drive maybe once every 6 weeks... from Monterey area to LA area.. lots of highway 5... thought it might be useful... also in bad bumper to bumper LA traffic it might help? and I have seen some decent low mileage FSD cars around... but from the sound of it enhanced might be just fine?

 

[father_of_6]

I'm not the one to provide advice on which feature works for what... I'm more of a naysayer. I don't believe self driving can be achieved with cameras... and even those working on it with LiDAR are having issues.

If you get one that already has FSD, and the price is comparable to those without FSD, then bonus... but there are *many*, *many* owners who paid for it thinking "that it might improve in the coming years" and they're still waiting. Some people even say it's gotten worse, and certainly plenty of people have sold their FSD enabled cars without ever having received what they paid for.

Just remember - you can subscribe to it for $200/month. At that rate, you can subscribe for 72 months before hitting the $15k upfront price tag.

 

[RTPEV]

The appreciation of FSD is a wide spectrum. Some folks think it's the best thing since sliced bread and are happy they paid $15k for it, some like it for a small subset of their driving, and some wouldn't use it even if it were free (I'm in that camp). It definitely has the ability to kill you and your passengers if you'll let it.

I consider myself in the middle. I bought enhanced autopilot with my car in 2018 with the expectation that I would summon it in and out of my garage, and also because I wanted it to be able to automatically change lanes on the highway (although at the time it required the driver to ensure the new lane was clear). That was the sum total of my expectations at the time.

The latter worked, and pretty quickly they enabled the repeater cameras so that the car itself would monitor the new lane.

The summon (and by that I am talking about the simple straight back in/out summon) has never worked, which is hugely disappointing to me. For some reason it wants to REALLY avoid the side of the garage and starts heading for the other car in the garage, and then chickens out. I had really hoped at least this would work, but it never has.

When FSD was put on a fire sale for $2K I did buy it--with tempered expectations--but at the time I was hoping to "invest" in Tesla's FSD program, hoping that eventually it would come to fruition, maybe by the time I didn't feel comfortable driving my self (in 25-30 years). I use it all the time on highways and mostly enjoy it (although to be honest, it's kind of gotten worse, wanting to make lane changes that are unnecessary), but this is really nothing more than Enhanced Autopilot. I occasionally use FSD on surface streets to see how it's doing, and while there have been incremental improvements, I still think it almost requires more attention than if I wasn't using it at all.

My wife bought a used Model Y from a Kia dealer who had no clue about Teslas and it happened to have FSD on it. So she has it as well.

It will be nice if it eventually develops into something more capable than what it is today, but really the only functionality that we use regularly these days is the equivalent of Enhanced Autopilot (although at least with Enhanced Autopilot it's not going to be always wanting to change lanes, which is very annoying).

 

[father_of_6]

I still think it almost requires more attention than if I wasn't using it at all.

This. If the goal of a self-driving vehicle is to take the burden of driving off of you, then FSD is a super fail. Babysitting a perpetual beta that is capable of making unpredictable mistakes at any moment seems like a MUCH bigger burden than driving myself. Especially in a car that's as fun to drive as a Tesla.