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Opinions Wanted: Upgrade to MCU2
- Thread starter leapingwhale
- Start date
There is an SD card in MCU1 that holds the navigation data. Apparently it is rewritten nearly continuously and the flash used by Tesla wasn't designed for that duty cycle. As a result, the card is prone to failure. Unfortunately, it is not easily accessible. At least the right side dash trim needs to be removed and even then it's apparently pretty dicey to access. Also, it's unclear (to me) if a virgin card will work correctly or it needs to be formatted with a certain file system and/or preloaded with data. Tesla will apparently replace that card for about $250 USD which honestly sounds like a bargain. I was tempted to do that because when that card isn't working, the navigation system refuses to navigate. However, I also have other issues that I think MCU2 may help so I'm currently in queue for an MCU upgrade. As far as I'm aware, this SD card problem is limited to MCU1.
Maybe some of these screen shots will help answer your question.
There is a button of three dots that opens a window with 12 apps of things to access. The last two you used then appear to the right of the three dot button for easy access to those apps.
The screen shot of the theater app May answer your Netflix question.
One thing that changed is the seat heater selection. Gone from easy access. I don’t really use being in Florida but noticed it was gone. Maybe there is an easier way but I only found it by select the temperature which brought up the page where you can normally select AC off or fan speed. Now the seat heat selection is located there. So extra step to select seat heat now.
Can you explain about this “I decided to tackle it myself” section? Did you asked Tesla to give you preloaded SD card and then you managed to change it out with the screen inplace? Or you needed still to take the MCU out and changed then?
I originally bought the Pre loaded SD card from Tesla. Had the car mostly apart already. When I found out about the MCU2. I decided to hold off bothering with the SD card change and returned it. I thought it was only going to be 10-12 days for the MCU parts order. After I kept getting delay updates and the car was still apart after 5 weeks I decided I to play with putting a blank SD card in as I intended to make a road trip and range to supercharger would have been handy.
So bottom line a Virgin SD card out of the package did not work for me even after having Tesla send the trigger to download the nav database, which it did complete after about 4 hours but then the progress bar just disappeared and no indication of what number database was installed.
Just didn’t seem to make any difference once it was done. Honestly my luck there was probably something else causing the nav database needs updated issue.
If anyone else tries, get the preloaded card from Tesla or a copy of one.
The post about cutting the right side to get at the SD card looked like more trouble than it was worth. It was really pretty easy to remove the panels on the left side of the MCU. A set of $15 air shim bags from Amazon and popped the dash pad up effortlessly. 4 MCU bolts and it just tilts out a few inches. Enough to access the card slot. Still delicate but I can’t imagine the struggle to access it by cutting away the plastic bulkhead. Glad I didn’t attempt that.
No I did not add the tuner. $1500 plus tax. Invoice shows zero for labor.
I don’t think I ever turned the FM radio on in the car in over 8 years. Never bothered with XM either. The streaming was good enough for me. Besides from what I read it is $500 at time of MCU upgrade or if later still $500. I don’t need it and no sense spending the extra $500.
Hopefully that date holds. Did they confirm they have the parts? If not, expect another reschedule. I think mine changes three times. The day the parts came in they let me know and I brought it to them the same day. Had to leave it as they say it takes a lot of time sometimes to get all the firmware updates working.
No loaners available but gave me Uber credit to get home and back the next day. That was nice since it was best to leave it with them. Dropped it off about 1:30 and was told it was ready at noon the next day. No appointment had been made for that day. Just the parts were in, bring it in.
I had it done recently on my 2014 S, and it’s great. I had to choose between jut doing LTE or full MCU upgrade.
Something I didn’t expect was that both screens are higher resolution than the original ones, much sharper (like going retina for mac user).
Something expected was the backup camera going much darker than before, but I’m getting used to it. LTE and Wi-Fi 5Ghz is nice.
The MCU didn’t reboot yet in 2 weeks (I used to have to reboot once a week).
I got a loaner, and was done within a business day (from 9am to 5PM, pickup at 6PM).
Also, all your settings are restored.
Something I didn’t expect was that both screens are higher resolution than the original ones, much sharper (like going retina for mac user).
Something expected was the backup camera going much darker than before, but I’m getting used to it. LTE and Wi-Fi 5Ghz is nice.
The MCU didn’t reboot yet in 2 weeks (I used to have to reboot once a week).
I got a loaner, and was done within a business day (from 9am to 5PM, pickup at 6PM).
Also, all your settings are restored.
Yes that was nice they transferred settings and streaming channels.
All but Homelink. Be prepared for an entrance gate or garage not to open. Will need reprogrammed with appropriate transmitters.
Lucky you.
Not so lucky here. Heck. No luck.
Went to pull out of garage yesterday both screens blank. Didn’t power on. After awhile could get into gear and back out. Drove back and forth in the driveway a little. Tried scroll reset. Nothing seemed to happen. Another another minute or two it finally began to boot up. I didn’t notice the air conditioning fan cut off which normally happened on an MCU1 reboot. (Maybe it was just cool out)
Talked to tech. They looked into it and said because there was a large update it must have had a glitch and noted it.
Update was automatic. I didn’t get the usual notice beforehand. I may still have it set at Advance from when I was trying to get the nav database updated since settings were transferred. Have to look.
When the screens came on I noticed the compass was now in the upper left corner.
I am really tired of them monkeying around moving things. It’s like where’s Waldo today. When asked why things keep moving. His response response was trying to make the cars the same fleet wide.
My car is not a 3 or a Y leave it as an S. If I get another car then I’ll get used to it. Seriously my PRND indicator has moved no less than 4 times since owning it.
I think I’ll have to make the nickname Waldo 🙄
And you actually can rearrange all those apps to have up to 4 permanently in the bottom balk. Which leaves one on the right that will be the last used from the ones not in the balk. Long press on one of the app to enable "edit" mode.
The interface for the climate can also be opened by swiping up your finger from anywhere in the bottom balk. Really anywhere: you can even put your finger on an icon, as long as you swipe up
I was for a long time bummed by the darker image, but for my car (*) this was very recently (2022.4.3.5) restored to what - in my eyes- it was with MCU1.
(*) I believe there are many different hardware components in our cars, for the same feature, making that updates solving things for one do not help others yet, but it's a matter of time until they get to your hardware.
vcor
Tech Specialist
I thought the upgrade was worth it in my car. Note that if you include the new digital FM radio, it includes HD. Only AM radio is lost.
Hard to say where the noise is coming from. If HVAC is off, and the noise is still there, it could be the fans in MCU1 are failing. One more reason to upgrade.
On resale value, the MCU2 upgrade will do nothing for Kelly Blue Book value or a dealer trade-in, but it does add value to a private party sale. I sold My S with the MCU2 upgrade a few months ago and it sold for more and faster than I expected to someone who knew the value of MCU2.
Thank you for the helpful information. I'm glad the FM retains full capability. And, yes, that popcorn noise is there with HVAC off. Actually, it's worse with the HVAC off. I was driving the car home moments ago and I realized how much I'm going to miss it when I sell it next year.
There are just two things I can't forgive: the idiotic door handles—literally every other car is better—and the lack of third party options for traction batteries. My dream is an electric Toyota Avalon with govt-mandated open BMS to enable third party traction batteries. I don't expect it in my lifetime. But imagine, just imagine: the original traction battery fails, so you order a 30 kWh pack from Amazon for $5k. Now the kids can drive it to high school. That seems better to me than a $20k bill for a ten year old car or dynamiting the car on YouTube. I digress.
dbldwn02
Member
Just curious. I've never heard it called a traction battery. Where does that term originate from?
