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HankLloydRight
No Roads
Well, not to go too far off topic, but we're a BMW family. My 2002 E39 M5 is going on 130,000 miles and remarkably few major repairs over its lifetime. My wife's 2009 335i is nearing I think 90k miles and still working great, including the hardtop convertible. My 325i before the M5 went 150k miles. So yeah, well past the factory warranties.
Sure, they've made some colossal blunders when it comes to BMW iDrive and Connected, but as a driving machine (which is what they are, not computers), I wouldn't by any other ICE (if I had to, that is).
FMinMI
Member
Aggmeister2010
Active Member
That wasn't my point.
I had a 2003 E39 M5 as well, I'm very familiar with the different infotainment interfaces. That 4:3 screen in the pre-facelift model was tragic. Of course, BMW updated their nav/infotainment interface over time.
But (and this is my whole point) you could not go to a BMW dealer and say "give me the official MKI to MKIV upgrade." There was never a bundled package that you could buy from BMW to have the system modernized.
You had to buy cables and individual components from multiple BMW models and install it yourself. Yes, it's nice that someone made a list of the cables that make it work, but BMW certainly didn't. Because they want you to buy a new car.
Anyway, I'm more than happy to double down. Tesla will NOT offer unlimited free premium connectivity to upgraded MCU folks, for my previously stated reason. If MCU Upgrade folks want premium connectivity features, they'll be paying $10/mo to access it.
EDIT: It looks like Tesla even updated their verbiage to clarify exactly this point on their website:
"Note: Some features enabled by the Infotainment Upgrade require a Premium Connectivity subscription of $9.99 per month plus applicable tax."
Infotainment Upgrade
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scottf200
Well-Known Member
You left off this text that still is there.
Quote:
"Note: Some features enabled by the Infotainment Upgrade require a Premium Connectivity subscription of $9.99 per month plus applicable tax.
You may already have Premium Connectivity.
Confirm your status in your Tesla Account."
Aggmeister2010
Active Member
Honestly, we're all just speculating. But keep in mind that most of the folks on here are pretty educated and up to date on Tesla's technology/features. We all pay attention enough to know that as long as we have MCU1 in our car, we have free unlimited premium. And we know what features that entails.
The general ownership, however, may not be so informed. Tesla has to cover all bases and cater to that. So considering that fact and that all MCU1 folks currently have premium connectivity by default, I read that line you highlighted in blue as "FYI, you may be using some features of premium connectivity even with MCU1 right now (traffic and streaming music). Check your Tesla Account to find out, because you'll need to pay to keep access to premium data features if you get the upgrade."
Obviously I've been wrong before and could be wrong here again, but I'd be shocked if Tesla didn't charge for premium data once you upgrade to the same MCU that has the same premium access that's in a brand new car.
The general ownership, however, may not be so informed. Tesla has to cover all bases and cater to that. So considering that fact and that all MCU1 folks currently have premium connectivity by default, I read that line you highlighted in blue as "FYI, you may be using some features of premium connectivity even with MCU1 right now (traffic and streaming music). Check your Tesla Account to find out, because you'll need to pay to keep access to premium data features if you get the upgrade."
Obviously I've been wrong before and could be wrong here again, but I'd be shocked if Tesla didn't charge for premium data once you upgrade to the same MCU that has the same premium access that's in a brand new car.
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HankLloydRight
No Roads
Absolutely NOT TRUE. The MKii (or MKiii) to MKiv upgrade was plug and play because I did it. No extra cable or "multiple BMW models", etc. That's just hyperbole. The Nav computer upgrade was a single component (available from BMW if you wanted to pay dealer prices) that was "unplug/remove/plug" simple to install. Additionally, upgrading from the 4:3 display to the 16:9 display was also plug-and-play.
And if you really had a 2003 E39 M5, it was already MKii or maybe MKiii, which was a plug-and-play upgrade to MKiv.
For people that wanted to upgrade from MKi to any other computer, a single adapter cable was necessary and easy to obtain from BMW.
And here's your point, it's really not hard to misinterpret:
"None that you can think of, EVER?".. Egads man you even claim to have owned the exact car where BMW did offer several nav, entertainment, and display upgrades.
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HankLloydRight
No Roads
Prepare to be shocked (again), because you're clearly wrong, again. If Tesla intended to upcharge people who already have PC on their account, they would have made that crystal clear, just as they made it clear that there's no AM/FM/XM radio on the MCU2 upgrades.
i have a 2017 S. I don’t think premium connectivity even existed back then? We ordered our 3 right at the lifetime free premium connectivity deadline in 2018. The 3 said order before ... to get lifetime connectivity.
never mind - it’s showing on the web page.
Attachments
Aggmeister2010
Active Member
Unfortunately, it seems like you're STILL missing my point. What you described above is actually confirming my message. I'm not sure how to make it simpler to understand, but I'll give it one last try...maybe the 3rd time's the charm:
Tesla is offering you the ability to drive up to a service center, hand them $2500, and leave with a PURPOSE BUILT MODERNIZATION SOLUTION that TESLA developed and installs themselves, all in a single package, no extra thought required.
BMW (and others) do not offer this. What you're describing above is just BMW using the same I-bus protocol over the e46, e39, e38 (etc) platforms, NOT a PURPOSE BUILT modernization package. Yes, you can swap out components if they're all communicating via the exact same standard as long as you have cables to throw the data to the right pins at the source and destination. But once again, convenient cross compatibility is NOT a purpose built modernization package like Tesla's offering. Which is my point.
Your article from e39source shows how basic this is when they mention that "Any mix and match will be compatible, though the graphics may be stretched or compressed to fit the different ratio displays." This isn't BMW designing a retrofit kit, this is just the screen displaying a raw video signal it receives, unmodified, stretched/compressed to fit within its physical limitations.
While this BMW example wasn't the important piece I was trying to get across and we're super into the weeds, the point is that while other manufacturers may have parts that work together over a few model years, they do not typically have packages that allow you to walk into a dealer and pay for an upgrade that makes your 7 year old car work exactly like a brand new one.
Cross Compatibility Installed Yourself =/= Factory Purpose Built Modernization Package
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Aggmeister2010
Active Member
Tesla Theater and the high bandwidth games that all require MCU2 also didn't exist in 2017.
Do you have lifetime free premium on your 3, or just the S? AFAIK, no Model 3's have free unlimited premium connectivity. Just older S's and X's.
At any rate, I went ahead and emailed a friend of mine that's a Quality Engineer for the Model 3 in Fresno, asking him to validate the lifetime premium stuff.
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HankLloydRight
No Roads
Now you're just not only moving the goalposts around, you're changing them to hockey nets.
Your ORIGINAL statement, was, and I repeat:
BMW did, in fact, offer a "factory-buit upgrade to an infotainment system". That's indisputable. Period. And BMW would upgrade your nav computers and displays if you drove in an paid them. I don't know why you think they wouldn't.
But now, you're added all these other new qualifiers on it ("PURPOSE BUILT modernization package" WTAF?) to try and backpedal your point.
Not cool.
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you just described what MCU2 is. It's not a purpose built thing for just retrofits. Its a MCU they started to plug into their cars in March 2018, that just so happens to be compatible with older cars (not 100% compatible, but to a large degree)
My Feb 2018 has free unlimited premium connectivity. All Tesla cars, whether a model S, X or 3, before a certain date were given lifetime free premium connectivity. It was not limited to cars with the MCU1.
Aggmeister2010
Active Member
no. I’m re-describing my original point in more detail. Because what I said earlier wasn’t coming across. You’re not understanding what I meant by “factory built upgrade. I haven’t changed my stance whatsoever.
But, I’m tired of typing. Agree to disagree.
I emailed a Tesla engineer for their final word, I’ll post that when i get it.
Aggmeister2010
Active Member
Interesting, I didn’t realize that. That’s a big case for maintaining the lifetime premium!
HankLloydRight
No Roads
Ok, Bill Clinton, now your changing the definition of the word "upgrade"? How are the the BMW Nav computer and display screens not "factory built upgrades"??
But fine, you've dig your hole for everyone to see, so I'm fine with that.
I wouldn't trust a Tesla engineer for the "final word" on anything not Tesla engineering related.
That said, I'm sure he'll confirm, in his capacity, what the rest of of us are trying to tell you.
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