Thank you very much for the input. I'm seriously considering it now. Will get back to you all when I get that discount info in writing in case others are interested.
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MCU1 S Owners: Logic FOR/AGAINST Tesla's $2,500 "Infotainment Upgrade"? (Not required for FSD)
- Thread starter houstonian
- Start date
Thank you very much for the input. I'm seriously considering it now. Will get back to you all when I get that discount info in writing in case others are interested.
ahkahn
Active Member
My 2016 Model S currently has FSD, AP2 and MCU1, I am scheduled to get my AP2 -> HW3 and MCU1 ->2 upgrade done this week.
Main motivation for this upgrade is that
Main motivation for this upgrade is that
- I plan to get an aftermarket hifi system installed this summer [only have basic in my Model S] & have read that Tesla service people can stuff up wiring etc, especially with Reus Audio, so best to get MCU2 installed prior , and
- I’ve been very unimpressed with how sluggish and low performance MCU 1 is for Navigation [I am curious what part of this is MCU1 tech, what part of this is lousy LTE reception/performance in Bay Area I believe with ATT???]
So yes, I don't really care about the extra games etc, and I will miss AM/FM natively for sure, that's another story.
- Am I correct that there is no new AP hardware [cameras etc] installed when going from AP2 to HW3? if not, what parts are actually incrementally upgraded for FSD purposes beyond the MCU unit ? ie is it simply visualizations in the dashboard etc that are improved, rather than the performance/parts of the FSD cameras etc themselves? Is there any leverage I have or can insist on certain parts etc because am contractually entitled to a 'full' FSD experience?
- In the estimate in the mobile app, they appear to be charging me 2 hours labor in addition to the $2500, I thought it was included ? [but not sales tax, I understand that]
- Can I use the same high capacity USB thumb drive I currently use for music, for the Dashcam recording, and partition it for those purposes ? I have at least 100gb spare on it so I'd anticipate that's plenty of space, it's USB 3.1 spec so no issues with write speed.
- Wishful thinking - Is there anything I can do to get an improved LTE signal as part of this? Again, my MCU1 experience is very unimpressive. I’ve had exponentially better navigation on a ~ 2013 iPhone than this 2016 MCU, and my 2018 iPhone Google Maps navigation [TMobile, fwiw] again makes the MCU1 seem 3rd world-esque in its performance.
- overarching: Based on previous experiences, I have very little confidence [though am an optimist at heart] in the service center knowing entirely what they’re doing, is there a ‘checklist’ I could try before signing off on the work to make sure they did everything right?
goRt
Active Member
The upgrade to FSD gets you the processor board upgrade and software features, no camera upgrades are required.
The MCU upgrade is totally separate and not required to facilitate the FSD upgrade, it just does the display functions, you lose a bunch of radio reception.
Well I have an update on my opinion if anyone cares. Initially I was against the mcu1 update.
I just got the new AP3 hardware installed and my MCU1 is just crawling. Everything is taking forever to do and voice recognition is just not working like it once did. The car can barely handle this dash cam feature. Camera also takes forever to popup when going in reverse.
Im pretty sure my EEMC chip is dying and I think its time to pony up and pay the $2500 for the upgrade. Its sad my car is only 42 months old with 56k miles and this is already happening! Im sure the government investigation will be in our favor but who knows how long that will take. Hoping for some sort of compensation if they do side with us
I just got the new AP3 hardware installed and my MCU1 is just crawling. Everything is taking forever to do and voice recognition is just not working like it once did. The car can barely handle this dash cam feature. Camera also takes forever to popup when going in reverse.
Im pretty sure my EEMC chip is dying and I think its time to pony up and pay the $2500 for the upgrade. Its sad my car is only 42 months old with 56k miles and this is already happening! Im sure the government investigation will be in our favor but who knows how long that will take. Hoping for some sort of compensation if they do side with us
zanary
Active Member
Get the Infotainment Upgrade. If you are OK with spending the $2500, it's possibly the best upgrade you can get even with an AP2 to HW3 car.
#1 - No new cameras or radar is needed when they do your AP2 to HW3 upgrade. You get everything that AP2.5 5o HW3 get except for the new visualizations. You now also get Sentry Mode and Dash Cam. If you get the Infotainment Upgrade, you also get the built-in Sentry Mode and DashCam viewer now.
#2 - There should be NO labor charge. Everything is part of the $2500 + tax. Print this out and show them the information where it says $2500. Infotainment Upgrade
#3 - Yes you can use the USB Thumb Drive, but I found that a SSD hard drive is even better. I went with the one from TeslaCam SSD Extreme - Pure Tesla
#4 - You will find that once you do the Infotainment Upgrade, you will get a new LTE modem, and Wifi modem. LTE connection improve a lot and don't worry it still have 3G support for when there is no LTE coverage. With wifi, you now get 5.0 ghz support so even faster downloads over wifi.
#5 - There really isn't any check-list per say. I would recommend you get very details photos of your trim around both your Instrument Cluster, and your MCU and glovebox. They do have to split open things to get the old IC and MCU out, and remove your glovebox to replace your AP3. And by detail photos, make sure to get all of your silver trim around your dash, from the drive side and all the way to the passenger side. Also make sure to let the service center know that the new IC screen has a plastic film on the display and they should remove it before installing the new IC. There are a few posts here where they didn't remove it.
I did the Infotainment Upgrade on my 2017 Model S back in March and it was the best possible $2500 to spend. Well worth it. The wife's Model X we just got the HW3 upgrade, as our VIN is not yet up for the Infotainment Upgrade just yet.
Here is my original writeup for the Infotainment Upgrade = Tesla confirms infotainment system upgradeability from MCU1 to MCU2 for $2500
Note: On my original 2016 Model S which had the original non upgraded audio system, I did the aftermarket NVX sub and a speaker replacement in the door. The installer just tapped into the existing amp which was at the time located near my left knee, so far away from any MCU, IC or HW3. Just sharing that experience in case yours may be in the same spot.
zanary
Active Member
If you have the $2500 to spend, get the Infotainment Upgrade. It is a lot of money, but when you see the performance of your new MCU/2 and IC2 along with the new capabilities it gives you (dash cam viewer, sentry mode viewer, extra visualizations, additional backup cameras, plus all of the games and entertainment options, etc....) plus all of the unannounced stuff that will only support MCU/2, it is well worth it.
It really makes your Tesla feel like new.
goRt
Active Member
Would be very interested to know that if you just upgrade the emmc then are the speed issues resolved???
ahkahn
Active Member
I'm currently working on that right now. Standing by to report my findings...
I wish Tesla would let me put my 2000 I spent on EAP to FSD upgrade to MCU2 instead. Don't think FSD will ever be realized. And cara with MCU1 and FSD will get a half ass version that ruins the user experience. (See all the comments about how poor MCU1 behaves after the upgrade)
Gt1948
2017 S FSD AP 3.0 MCU 1
‘just read your original write up again. My question is both screens were replaced? IC & MCU
Until robots can provide healthcare or work unsupervised, FSD will not become reality, simply because it cannot make judgements on complex situations, i.e. no intuition can yet be programmed. Introduce enough variables into an intersection and consequences could be fatal, especially once drivers get comfortable with AP and ignore surrounding, not talking about the AARP converts having a hard time sitting erect or keeping lips shut together.
Very happy to wait 5s on my MCU1 with 4G LTE upgrade, and basic AP for long highway drives, both will serve me well for a long time to come.
Very happy to wait 5s on my MCU1 with 4G LTE upgrade, and basic AP for long highway drives, both will serve me well for a long time to come.
We cant wait to find out. MCU2 really offering me no extra benefits. I already have an hdmi interface for watching netflix youtube hooked up to my car. Dont care about games
Bigriver
Member
I’ve had the HW3 update and still have MCU1. The HW3 update hasn’t had any adverse impact that I can tell on my MCU1 performance. It is sluggish and has to be rebooted a lot, just like it has always been. Anxiously waiting for MCU2 parts to come in.
zanary
Active Member
Take a printout of the web page and show them the highlighted blue area.
URL = Infotainment Upgrade
If they insist, ask them how they can justify charging you installation, when Tesla clearly says "including installation"...
Please post the relevant portion of your invoice for when you had the work done. As I've said, they remain insistent & don't care about the webpage
ahkahn
Active Member
I actually ran into an issue with the new eMMC, so I had to resend it back out to Tony. He's going to fix it up and send it back to me... Hopefully should be back in the car this weekend.
