New happy owner with MCU and Autopilot questions

SWFLCharge · Aug 21, 2021

Hello Everyone, so happy to be joining this community and becoming a first-time Tesla owner!

Just purchased a used 2016 S 75 from a non-Tesla dealer with only 31k miles in very good shape, very happy with it. I have a few questions and would truly appreciate any input from you guys.

I have 2 questions as follows:

1. First question: I have been reading everywhere that an autopilot feature for a 2016 S would have to be either: AP, EAP, or FSD. My Software screen (photo below) indicates a "Highway Autopilot" package. When driving the car, I have engaged the autopilot with a double pull of the lever and have full lane-keep steering on both city streets (with lanes) and highway, it switches lanes once I turn on the blinker, speeds up or slows down to a stop based on surroundings and starts again if we were on a traffic light.

Question is, what package do I have as nothing on this forum or anywhere on the web seems to decipher "Highway Autopilot". Below is the photo of the software screen as well as the photo of the explanation popup I get when clicking on the "i" next to the name. The features that are included are basically FSD features, but is this an FSD or something else...?

2. This leads me to my second question. The main screen on this car has significant bubbling on it, I am guessing the accessive heat of South Florida could be a culprit here, or as I read, just a poor quality of the screens made on earlier models. It is an original MCU1 that receives many complaints about being very slow among other things.

I talked to my local Tesla service dealer about replacing the screen to kill 2 birds with one stone, get rid of the annoying bubbles on the screen, and upgrade to a MCU2 unit with better performance. Was quoted $2,000 to replace the entire system (both the main screen and the instrument cluster screen) which seems to be the going rate now.

Before scheduling my appointment with Tesla to get this MCU2 upgrade, (maybe a dumb question, just a rookie here), could upgrading from MCU1 to MCU2 resolve in me losing my "Autopilot" upgrades that came with this used car (per question #1 above)? Considering that it seems like I have a pre-historic version of the autopilot and it came from a previous owner, I am worried about losing this package or any of the features/options it has per the above screenshot, which I absolutely love.

Any thoughts or previous experience in this matter would be greatly appreciated.

p.s. based on what I read, this car is an early 2016 version that only has the front camera and lacks the additional cameras which Tesla began installing on models built on or after November 2016.

Thank you in advance and sorry for the long read.

SWFLCharge · Aug 21, 2021

Hello Everyone, so happy to be joining this community and becoming a first-time Tesla owner!

Just purchased a used 2016 S 75 from a non-Tesla dealer with only 31k miles in very good shape, very happy with it. I have a few questions and would truly appreciate any input from you guys.

I have 2 questions as follows:

1. First question: I have been reading everywhere that an autopilot feature for a 2016 S would have to be either: AP, EAP, or FSD. My Software screen (photo below) indicates a "Highway Autopilot" package. When driving the car, I have engaged the autopilot with a double pull of the lever and have full lane-keep steering on both city streets (with lanes) and highway, it switches lanes once I turn on the blinker, speeds up or slows down to a stop based on surroundings and starts again if we were on a traffic light.

Question is, what package do I have as nothing on this forum or anywhere on the web seems to decipher "Highway Autopilot". Below is the photo of the software screen as well as the photo of the explanation popup I get when clicking on the "i" next to the name. The features that are included are basically FSD features, but is this an FSD or something else...?

2. This leads me to my second question. The main screen on this car has significant bubbling on it, I am guessing the accessive heat of South Florida could be a culprit here, or as I read, just a poor quality of the screens made on earlier models. It is an original MCU1 that receives many complaints about being very slow among other things.

I talked to my local Tesla service dealer about replacing the screen to kill 2 birds with one stone, get rid of the annoying bubbles on the screen, and upgrade to a MCU2 unit with better performance. Was quoted $2,000 to replace the entire system (both the main screen and the instrument cluster screen) which seems to be the going rate now.

Before scheduling my appointment with Tesla to get this MCU2 upgrade, (maybe a dumb question, just a rookie here), could upgrading from MCU1 to MCU2 resolve in me losing my "Autopilot" upgrades that came with this used car (per question #1 above)? Considering that it seems like I have a pre-historic version of the autopilot and it came from a previous owner, I am worried about losing this package or any of the features/options it has per the above screenshot, which I absolutely love.

Any thoughts or previous experience in this matter would be greatly appreciated.

p.s. based on what I read, this car is an early 2016 version that only has the front camera and lacks the additional cameras which Tesla began installing on models built on or after November 2016.

Thank you in advance and sorry for the long read.

Tam · Aug 21, 2021

SWFLCharge said:
Question is, what package do I have

You have 2014 AP1 Autopilot.

2016 AP2 got better thus. The name "enhanced" in EAP and FSD which you don't have.

SWFLCharge said:
...I am worried about losing this package or any of the features/options it has per the above screenshot, which I absolutely love....

As long as the features were paid (not free trial demos...) then you won't lose them.

SWFLCharge · Aug 22, 2021

Tam said:
You have 2014 AP1 Autopilot.

2016 AP2 got better thus. The name "enhanced" in EAP and FSD which you don't have.

Thank you Tam.

Was the AP1 a standard feature in 2014 or was that an upgrade?

Does this mean the 2014 AP1 I have will be carried over to the MCU2 after I upgrade or will it become AP2? All features that I have are just like the EAP already, not sure if I need anything extra.

Cheers

PCMc · Aug 22, 2021

I have a mid-2016 MS90D that has AP1, same vintage of system as your car. You do not state what the build month is, so whether it would be the old or the new nose cone. Could be either of those configurations that would show as Highway Autopilot as you show in your screenshot of features.

AP1 was a purchased item. In mid-2016, on the then 'refresh' models (after May 2016) it was a $2500 added cost. I would not anticipate that you would loose it, or the premium connectivity (which was standard on all vehicles in 2016), when you upgrade to MCU2.

My only comment is the cost you are being quoted for MCU2 upgrade. If you have AP1, then this should be $1500 if you do just the MCU2 upgrade. There is the option of getting a new digital FM tuner for an addition $500. That's where if you're talking doing MCU2 with radio upgrade, then $2000 plus tax is correct. If you're doing it without the radio upgrade, then it should only be $1500 plus tax. Installation with either of those should be included. I've seen several posts where some people have service centers saying labor is extra, but per what Tesla has published on their own website, the stated cost already includes labor, only applicable sales tax would be added.

I totally agree if you have bubbling around the main screen, or the instrument panel for that matter, doing the MCU2 upgrade seems like a good choice. You'd spend a significant portion of the cost of upgrade just to have a screen replaced.

Regarding the radio upgrade. MCU1 used an analog radio tuner where MCU2 requires a digital tuner. That's where if you do just the MCU2 upgrade you'll lose AM/FM/XM (if your car has XM). The added $500 for the radio upgrade includes the new digital tuner which will restore you with FM and XM (again, if your car has the XM antenna), but you still lose AM. AM was something Tesla never supported with MCU2, so if true AM radio is an issue for you, then that's a problem with the choice to do MCU2 upgrade.

Without the radio upgrade you still will have streaming radio, and via TuneIn you can get a variety of AM/FM radio stations, but it's still dependent upon you having a cellular connection. That's an issue for some areas of the US that have cellular dead zones, like one I went through in NE Kentucky a couple months ago.

SWFLCharge · Aug 22, 2021

PCMc said:
I have a mid-2016 MS90D that has AP1, same vintage of system as your car. You do not state what the build month is, so whether it would be the old or the new nose cone. Could be either of those configurations that would show as Highway Autopilot as you show in your screenshot of features.

Thank you for the detailed answer PCM, it is truly appreciated. Mine was built in 08/16, it is a new nose cone I believe (without the large oval)

PCMc said:
AP1 was a purchased item. In mid-2016, on the then 'refresh' models (after May 2016) it was a $2500 added cost. I would not anticipate that you would loose it, or the premium connectivity (which was standard on all vehicles in 2016), when you upgrade to MCU2.

That would be great if it stays over after the MCU2 upgrade. I truly do not need any additional features the FSD currently offers as my current AP1 has about 80% of them as-is. Do you think the upgrade will actually change any options on my current AP1 or it will look just as it is now?

PCMc said:
My only comment is the cost you are being quoted for MCU2 upgrade. If you have AP1, then this should be $1500 if you do just the MCU2 upgrade. There is the option of getting a new digital FM tuner for an addition $500. That's where if you're talking doing MCU2 with radio upgrade, then $2000 plus tax is correct. If you're doing it without the radio upgrade, then it should only be $1500 plus tax. Installation with either of those should be included. I've seen several posts where some people have service centers saying labor is extra, but per what Tesla has published on their own website, the stated cost already includes labor, only applicable sales tax would be added.

Well noted on the cost difference and the loss of the radio features, I will review this with Tesla service.

PCMc · Aug 22, 2021

SWFLCharge said:
That would be great if it stays over after the MCU2 upgrade. I truly do not need any additional features the FSD currently offers as my current AP1 has about 80% of them as-is. Do you think the upgrade will actually change any options on my current AP1 or it will look just as it is now?

I would not expect the upgrade to change any options other than you will see the capability to stream some video sources on the MCU, better browser functionality, and a few additional games. You will not get dash cam or sentry as you need at least the AP2 level of cameras which were not introduced until mid-Oct 2016.

Regarding the highway autopilot functionality, it should stay unchanged.

AP1 also has a basic summon capability if you've not realized that. You can move the car straight forward or straight in reverse up to about 20 feet. It can be handy to pull your car out of a very tight parking space, or I'll use it at times to move my car out of my garage if I'm wanting to have room in the garage to work on something.

I would make sure before you leave the service center after the upgrade that the app works, not only that you can connect to your car, but that you can remotely unlock or lock it, open trunk, etc. There are a couple steps involved with getting the remote connection capabilities enabled after the upgrade. Sometimes they seem to either forget the second step or it doesn't take. People will not realize until they try to unlock the car remotely and can not get it to work, requiring a second service appointment.

Tam · Aug 22, 2021

SWFLCharge said:
...Was the AP1 a standard feature in 2014

No. Free dumb cruise or optional AP1.

SWFLCharge said:
or was that an upgrade?...

Yes

SWFLCharge said:
Does this mean the 2014 AP1 I have will be carried over to the MCU2 after I upgrade

Yes

SWFLCharge said:
or will it become AP2?

No. Theoretically, you could retrofit hardware and software to turn your ap1 into ap2 but the effort may cost more than a new Tesla.

"All features that I have are just like the EAP already, not sure if I need anything extra."

If you'll need safer driving assistance, ap2 and beyond is the way to go.

EVRider-FL · Aug 22, 2021

You can determine whether your car has HW1 vs. HW2 using the “Additional vehicle details” link on the Controls > Software screen.

Note that HW1 went into production in October 2014, but the autopilot feature didn’t become available until a year later.

PCMc · Aug 22, 2021

EVRider-FL said:
You can determine whether your car has HW1 vs. HW2 using the “Additional vehicle details” link on the Controls > Software screen.

Note that HW1 went into production in October 2014, but the autopilot feature didn’t become available until a year later.

It's clear they have HW1 from the build date of 8/16 that they listed.

Ostrichsak · Aug 22, 2021

I don't have time at the moment for a lengthy reply but from what you've shown and described you have an AP1 car which isn't capable of enhanced autopilot or full self-driving. Start your research on the differences between AP1 and AP2 to get a better understanding of what you have. Sounds like you've got AP1 with convenience features activated which is what you want on that particular car. Later cars had AP2 and are capable of the other software options you mentioned.

PCMc · Aug 22, 2021

Didn't this all get covered in this other thread which you started about 4 hours earlier where several of us have already provided you with detailed answers????