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MCU2 worth it?
- Thread starter Nailguytv
- Start date
I forgot to add --
MCU1:
MCU1:
some (large?) fraction of older screens will eventually start to leak some strange clear conductive goo and develop bubbles in the main screen. The goo can harm the electronics under the screen in the center console and the bubbles are unsightly.
MCU2:some (large?) fraction of screens will develop a "yellow border" that will permanently turn some part of your screen yellow. Tesla or adventurous owners have a tanning lamp rig that will use UV light to reduce/eliminate the yellowing, though that appears to be a temporary fix.
Both issues are likely related to high cabin temperatures.
I've been in 3 MCU1 cars that had the yellow border issue so I don't think the yellow border is specific to MCU2...
based off my sampling, it was around the timeframe of AP2.0 and the 75kWh intro onwards that the screens started exhibiting that behavior.
So if you had the yellow border does that mean you have a MCU2 car? Looking for an easy way to tell. 90D MS Sept 2017 build
The easiest way to tell with modern firmware is to go to your software updates tab and look at the hardware configuration. It says whether it's Nvidia Tegra (old) or Intel Atom (new)
The other telltale sign is if you do a scroll wheel reboot, if both the IC and MCU go dark, then you have MCU2. Otherwise if the IC stays alive while the MCU reboots, you have MCU1.
But if your car is from 2017 it definitely does not have MCU2.
Right -- I should have been more precise -- if you have MCU1 you may or may not get the yellow bands (and would know by now if you're going to get them) -- if you have MCU2 you are much more likely to get yellow bands. And if you upgrade from MCU1 to MCU2 you are now prone to getting yellow bands.
The UV treatment fixes them, but I haven't heard one way or another if it is permanent or not.
The UV treatment fixes them, but I haven't heard one way or another if it is permanent or not.
Disagree, there were two different screens used with MCU1. The first screen was the one with the bubbling issue. The second generation screen was the one with the yellow border issue. At some point later on, Tesla went to a third screen which supposedly will NOT get the yellow border. That third screen has been installed in new MCU2 cars (but possibly not all of them) and retrofitted to some MCU1 cars as a replacement (some done under warranty, some paid for by owners). You have to look at the part numbers to tell. Any MCU1 car that upgrades to a new MCU2 will get the new screen which (to date) does not have reports of the yellow border issue. Your statement that MCU2 = Yellow Border problem is simply not true.
FWIW, my .02.
I have a 2015 90D with MCU1. My main screen had a bubble when I bought the car. Guess what? In my naive excitement of getting the car, I didn't even notice!. Fast forward ~3 months, and I go, hmm...that doesn't look right. Long story short...they replaced my screen with a new one (and the windshield and a few other odds and ends..)
Here I am looking at the MCU2 "upgrade", and my thoughts are...nope. $2.5K is about $2K more than I'd pay for the "upgrade".
That's my story.
I have a 2015 90D with MCU1. My main screen had a bubble when I bought the car. Guess what? In my naive excitement of getting the car, I didn't even notice!. Fast forward ~3 months, and I go, hmm...that doesn't look right. Long story short...they replaced my screen with a new one (and the windshield and a few other odds and ends..)
Here I am looking at the MCU2 "upgrade", and my thoughts are...nope. $2.5K is about $2K more than I'd pay for the "upgrade".
That's my story.
Has it been categorically demonstrated that tesla has solved the yellow border problem?
Is there a known good / bad part number list?
I'd be happy to know that they've fixed the problem. Until demonstrated otherwise, I'll assume that they've "fixed" the problem, not actually fixed it.
$2500 is steep but they replace the MCU and IC and while the FSD features are not really that much more usefully with stop and light confirmation the speed of MCU 2 is worth it alone.
Please people finding that prior message on google -- it is no longer exactly accurate.
These days, Tesla seems to be selling a repair that's predominantly the same as the second option -- a replacement daughter board with just an updated large, over-provisioned memory chip. It is in the $500 range.
All tesla electronics in this category now have a 2 not 4 year warranty.
Upgraded my 2013 last week. I do a lot of road trips requiring supercharging. The ability to watch videos and browse the web combined with the faster performance, improved audio, less crashing, and confidence it won’t fail randomly one day is worth it to me.
I like getting in my car and not having my MCU struggling to run the software that’s on it. Excited for V11 and beyond, especially 3D maps, etc that an MCU1 could never do.
I like getting in my car and not having my MCU struggling to run the software that’s on it. Excited for V11 and beyond, especially 3D maps, etc that an MCU1 could never do.
Plasmid_Boy
Member
Worth it or not might be personal. As to the value of the hardware, I think that $2500 is a good deal.
As to the value added on top of MCU1 is probably dependent on model year and personal preferences.
I had the upgrade on my Pre-AP 2014 P85+. It really didn't add much. The increase in speed is nice, but I was okay with the speed of MCU1. Web browser working is nice too, but I have never used it beyond testing, so not much value added. Losing FM turned out to be not much of a problem because TuneIn filled in fine. Sound quality and backup camera of the MCU2 still annoy me. I have no regrets but don't think that the increase in speed is worth $2500. I am debating whether or not to do the upgrade on our 70D with AP1, leaning towards just replacing the eMMC or daughter board at some point.
As to the value added on top of MCU1 is probably dependent on model year and personal preferences.
I had the upgrade on my Pre-AP 2014 P85+. It really didn't add much. The increase in speed is nice, but I was okay with the speed of MCU1. Web browser working is nice too, but I have never used it beyond testing, so not much value added. Losing FM turned out to be not much of a problem because TuneIn filled in fine. Sound quality and backup camera of the MCU2 still annoy me. I have no regrets but don't think that the increase in speed is worth $2500. I am debating whether or not to do the upgrade on our 70D with AP1, leaning towards just replacing the eMMC or daughter board at some point.
EvolutionTeʂla
Member
Like seemingly most people who have had it done, I love it and think it's totally worth it. The factors that weighed on my decision were:
1) The laggy MCU1 interface and unreliable voice control have been a real annoyance of mine over the last year or so
2) I'm often waiting for long periods in my car and could really take advantage of the new entertainment features like video streaming, games and Caraoke
3) My car is 3 years old and may experience the eMMC failure soon
4) I lucked out and bought the FSD software update when it was only $2600 CAD (now costs $10,600 CAD), so I feel like I'm still ahead after dropping $3500 on the MCU upgrade
If you're interested in a side-by-side comparison and overview of the improvements and added features going from MCU1 to MCU2 (on an AP2.5 car), check out my video here:
1) The laggy MCU1 interface and unreliable voice control have been a real annoyance of mine over the last year or so
2) I'm often waiting for long periods in my car and could really take advantage of the new entertainment features like video streaming, games and Caraoke
3) My car is 3 years old and may experience the eMMC failure soon
4) I lucked out and bought the FSD software update when it was only $2600 CAD (now costs $10,600 CAD), so I feel like I'm still ahead after dropping $3500 on the MCU upgrade
If you're interested in a side-by-side comparison and overview of the improvements and added features going from MCU1 to MCU2 (on an AP2.5 car), check out my video here:
