MCU Failure AP1 car

[brewster]

Just a heads up for those interested. I've had my second MCU failure since I bought the Model S back in 2015. The first time the replacement was under warranty, this time not.

As I am about 260km from the Melbourne Service Centre, the car will need to be flat bedded back to Richmond. The thing is, a couple of 'quirky' things to be aware of. As the MCU is unavailable, there are no turn signals available, no A/C, the speed readout (driver screen) has dropped back to m.p.h. and it will be about 2 months out before they can source a replacement centre screen.

I'm needing to charge, fortunately the car is still drivable, the driver screen is still available, but with some data missing. Importantly please note that I can only charge at ~ 240v x 2amp,

Hmmm, wonder how the 1 screen Model 3 would go in this situation?

 

[possum22]

Just a heads up for those interested. I've had my second MCU failure since I bought the Model S back in 2015. The first time the replacement was under warranty, this time not.

As I am about 260km from the Melbourne Service Centre, the car will need to be flat bedded back to Richmond. The thing is, a couple of 'quirky' things to be aware of. As the MCU is unavailable, there are no turn signals available, no A/C, the speed readout (driver screen) has dropped back to m.p.h. and it will be about 2 months out before they can source a replacement centre screen.

I'm needing to charge, fortunately the car is still drivable, the driver screen is still available, but with some data missing. Importantly please note that I can only charge at ~ 240v x 2amp,

Hmmm, wonder how the 1 screen Model 3 would go in this situation?

MCU2 cars & Model 3's have larger memory chips, I imagined streaming on these cars could be an issue in the future.
My car wouldn't charge, had to be transported to Brisbane, I had the fireman's loop disconnected, & 12 volt battery connected to 12V solar controller /panels/ charger until I was ready to send the car to Brisbane.

Consolidated eMMC Thread (MCU repair) (Black Center Screen)

 

[pts260]

Sorry to hear that.
I'm wondering if there were any early warning signs, did it just not "turn on" I one day.

I also have MCU1, and am contemplating the upgrade mcu2 if asks when it becomes available. This MCU failure frightens me, I've heard that there is some "class action" to do with Australian consumer protections.

Further To that I don't believe the MCU2 same hardware in model 3 experiences the same issues

 

[paulp]

Just a heads up for those interested. I've had my second MCU failure since I bought the Model S back in 2015. The first time the replacement was under warranty, this time not.

As I am about 260km from the Melbourne Service Centre, the car will need to be flat bedded back to Richmond. The thing is, a couple of 'quirky' things to be aware of. As the MCU is unavailable, there are no turn signals available, no A/C, the speed readout (driver screen) has dropped back to m.p.h. and it will be about 2 months out before they can source a replacement centre screen.

I'm needing to charge, fortunately the car is still drivable, the driver screen is still available, but with some data missing. Importantly please note that I can only charge at ~ 240v x 2amp,

Hmmm, wonder how the 1 screen Model 3 would go in this situation?

View attachment 536296

Given this is your second MCU so not the same age as the car, I would have thought your consumer rights comes into force. Its not reasonable for a consumer to expect to replace an MCU in a circa $150k car twice every 5 years. Thats tesla’s failure, not yours.

 

[rowdy]

2 months to wait for a replacement. What a joke.

You have my sympathy. How long ago was your first MCU failure?

 

[brewster]

Sorry to hear that.
I'm wondering if there were any early warning signs, did it just not "turn on" I one day.

I also have MCU1, and am contemplating the upgrade mcu2 if asks when it becomes available. This MCU failure frightens me, I've heard that there is some "class action" to do with Australian consumer protections.

Further To that I don't believe the MCU2 same hardware in model 3 experiences the same issues

Yes, it did not turn on one day. It did start with a warning like: Please wait for the system to start, or something like that.

 

[brewster]

Given this is your second MCU so not the same age as the car, I would have thought your consumer rights comes into force. Its not reasonable for a consumer to expect to replace an MCU in a circa $150k car twice every 5 years. Thats tesla’s failure, not yours.

Yes it is surprising to have failed for me again. Car was ~$193k new. The first failure was about 3 years ago.
I've yet to hear a quote for repair, but expect it closer to appointment time or when the MCU arrives.
I've recently had 2 door handles replaced as well.

 

[brewster]

2 months to wait for a replacement. What a joke.

You have my sympathy. How long ago was your first MCU failure?

Thank you. About 3.5 years ago.

 

[stphw]

I've yet to hear a quote for repair, but expect it closer to appointment time or when the MCU arrives.

Mine was $3700 about 12 months ago - they were instock in Syd at the time. 6 weeks out of warranty - still had to pay.

You could find someone to do this for you:

 

[meloccom]

When they replaced my MCU1 in late 2018 there were problems with the ‘new’ MCU as well.
After two return trips to the service centre they resolved the problem by replacing the Gyro board.
So it seems that to some degree the MCU is repairable. It wouldn’t hurt to ask given the delay on a new unit.

 

[brewster]

Mine was $3700 about 12 months ago - they were instock in Syd at the time. 6 weeks out of warranty - still had to pay.

You could find someone to do this for you:

When they replaced my MCU1 in late 2018 there were problems with the ‘new’ MCU as well.
After two return trips to the service centre they resolved the problem by replacing the Gyro board.
So it seems that to some degree the MCU is repairable. It wouldn’t hurt to ask given the delay on a new unit.

Thanks for the suggestions and help guys.
The flat bed quote is over $1000 for Warrnambool to Richmond.

 

[Blue heaven]

This is not acceptable @brewster, especially a failure of a replacement unit in a relatively short time.
There are dozens of pages on various forums concerning the now common MCU1 failure, on most occasions a $50 part that many believe is not fit for purpose.
I'm far less tech savvy than many on here but to summarize all that I can understand;
A eMMC that logs data has a lifespan nowhere near suitable for a car that should last for at least 25 years/500,000kms, besides from the easily repaired door handles the model S is a solidly built car.
This is apparently an inevitable failure, although it happens to some cars at less than 100,000kms, there is still the odd cars with 270,000kms plus are still surviving.
Although it's an inexpensive part it still requires time to remove plus go through a step by step procedure to replace correctly as some information is common with each individual vehicle.
Tesla's solution is to replace the complete MCU1 with a refurbished MCU1 in the process charging the owner around $3500.
Lower cost and better quality aftermarket replacements are available in some other countries, this is generally dictated by that countries automotive laws, I do believe one or two Australian owners who work in that field have performed their own replacement, for the remainder of Australians they hand over the $3500 and take it as part of car ownership.
It's just a shame your MCU1 couldn't have survived through to the second half of 2020 when a MCU2 upgrade may be available.

 

[ICUDoc]

Maybe the MCU2 upgrade will be cheaper and faster!
Sorry to hear of your troubles, Brewster. I agree it's worth trying a consumer-rights approach, given that it has failed twice...
All the best. This sucks.

 

[MP3Mike]

As the MCU is unavailable, there are no turn signals available, no A/C, the speed readout (driver screen) has dropped back to m.p.h. and it will be about 2 months out before they can source a replacement centre screen.

By then you should be able to get a MCU2 instead of a refurbished MCU1, which shouldn't suffer from this issue again. (And probably not cost that much more.)

 

[Shock-On-T]

@brewster
I'm still annoyed at paying 50% the cost of my MCU1 replacement, just out of warranty on kms, not years.
I should have stuck to my guns and lodged a complaint with the Department of Fair Trading.
I have since had my drivers seat base break (after being replaced 18 months ago) which they also wanted me to pay for. I phoned Dep of FT and discussed, they said it sounded like I had a case. I emailed/phoned/emailed/phoned/phoned/phoned Tesla Service to that effect and they have decided to replace free-of-charge.
I would be pushing very hard indeed to have the MCU replaced FOC.

 

[paulp]

@brewster
I'm still annoyed at paying 50% the cost of my MCU1 replacement, just out of warranty on kms, not years.
I should have stuck to my guns and lodged a complaint with the Department of Fair Trading.
I have since had my drivers seat base break (after being replaced 18 months ago) which they also wanted me to pay for. I phoned Dep of FT and discussed, they said it sounded like I had a case. I emailed/phoned/emailed/phoned/phoned/phoned Tesla Service to that effect and they have decided to replace free-of-charge.
I would be pushing very hard indeed to have the MCU replaced FOC.

Generally if you hand the supplier a copy of the relevant page outlining consumer rights, things get resolved very quickly when they realise you have the right to ask for a full refund if the failure is significant. Consumer law has no regard to manufacturer warranties.

 

[djayz]

Mine was $3700 about 12 months ago - they were instock in Syd at the time. 6 weeks out of warranty - still had to pay.

You could find someone to do this for you:

6 weeks out of warranty and they made you pay???? That is DISGRACEFUL! You should not have accepted it and pursued it under Australian Consumer law.

My old Mercedes had a fault that was going to be $1800 to repair. It happened nearly 6 months out of warranty and when they said “unfortunately its out of warranty and it’ll cost $1800” all I had to do is spend 20 seconds mentioning the words “Surely this is covered under Australian statutory warranty for a vehicle of this cost with only 3 years warranty” before they quickly agreed to cover it completely as a goodwill gesture..

For Tesla to treat customers 6 weeks out of warranty like that for a $150k+ vehicle is frankly laughable...I highly doubt any other brand would have the balls to do that to a customer 6 weeks out of warranty....most would do it as goodwill without you even asking....

And remember this is MCU failure as well you guys are talking about...that’s like the most well known fault of the Model S (along with the door handles) that is literally guaranteed to happen to every Model S if they live long enough

 

[MP3Mike]

For Tesla to treat customers 6 weeks out of warranty like that for a $150k+ vehicle is frankly laughable...I highly doubt any other brand would have the balls to do that to a customer 6 weeks out of warranty....most would do it as goodwill without you even asking....

What is the appropriate amount of time for a warranty to be expired before you treat it as expired?

 

[paulp]

What is the appropriate amount of time for a warranty to be expired before you treat it as expired?

Australia has a thing called consumer law. This makes manufacturer warranties somewhat irrelevant. The basic concept is that a consumer has a right to expect a product will last a certain time based on representations made at sale and the price/quality relationship.
Its somewhat reasonable for a consumer to expect a computer in a car worth aud $150k+ will ladt longer than 3 months. Equally if I buy a $8k piece of junk car from china, I cannot expect it to last long.
This applies to everything sold in Australia to a consumer. The consumer then chooses either a repair, replacement, or refund. There is an expectation that the choice reflects the severity.

 

[paulp]

6 weeks out of warranty and they made you pay???? That is DISGRACEFUL! You should not have accepted it and pursued it under Australian Consumer law.

My old Mercedes had a fault that was going to be $1800 to repair. It happened nearly 6 months out of warranty and when they said “unfortunately its out of warranty and it’ll cost $1800” all I had to do is spend 20 seconds mentioning the words “Surely this is covered under Australian statutory warranty for a vehicle of this cost with only 3 years warranty” before they quickly agreed to cover it completely as a goodwill gesture..

For Tesla to treat customers 6 weeks out of warranty like that for a $150k+ vehicle is frankly laughable...I highly doubt any other brand would have the balls to do that to a customer 6 weeks out of warranty....most would do it as goodwill without you even asking....

And remember this is MCU failure as well you guys are talking about...that’s like the most well known fault of the Model S (along with the door handles) that is literally guaranteed to happen to every Model S if they live long enough

The problem tesla have, is Elon Musk has made representations that a tesla is the last car you’ll need to own......it can do 1 million miles without failing. I made my expensive purchase based on those representations.