Pre Ap MCU 2 Upgrade 2013 Model S 85

[Akikiki]

It turned out to be not as big of an issue as I had feared going in for the upgrade because TuneIn filled in fine. But still inferior to FM radio in that it is interrupted about 3 times on the drive from my house to work each day (due to wifi to LTE switching and spotty cell signals).

I know. I agree. But this dip or loss of TuneIn or Slacker has been going on since the beginning. Its not limited to MCU1 or MCU2. I can say that now that I have had both. I bought my first S in 2013, and my third in 2017. All three cars have lost streaming signal when switching from home WiFi to LTE. And still occurs since March with MCU2. Nothing new. However, on all three with MCU1, I had to switch stations, channels or source, to get any sound to come back after WiFi was out of range and LTE was supposed to be up. Now - with different WiFi card in MCU2, I lose signal, but it comes back on its own after a delay of 15+-30 seconds. Don't like it, but an improvement.

 

[Akikiki]

Thank you for the detailed comparison with your use case... very helpful.

I am currently debating the MCU1 swap vs MCU2 upgrade for an early 2015 70D.
I rarely use AP1 and my primary issue is using TeslaWaze on the browser without freezing.
Will the MCU1 daughterboard swap restore the original browser functionality and navigation speed?

I would do the MCU2 upgrade again in a heartbeat. Knowing what I do now, I would have given them twice what they asked - but don't tell them.

Yes, but it will slowly bog down again. Ever had a new computer and it seems fast? Then after a while it seems to get sluggish? Wipe and reload the software, it that old computer seems fast again? Same with fresh eMMC and fresh/first firmware loads.

I didn't want to put words in @Plasmid_Boy's mouth or lead him down my road, - I was hoping he would mention more about how much faster MCU2 is over MCU1. I too don't care about the games or Netflix stuff. The response and nav are so much better.

My 3 year old S feels like its brand new. Actually its a better 2017 today than it was in 2017. for a fraction of the cost of a new one.I am happy.

 

[FlatSix911]

I would do the MCU2 upgrade again in a heartbeat. Knowing what I do now, I would have given them twice what they asked - but don't tell them. Yes, but it will slowly bog down again. Ever had a new computer and it seems fast? Then after a while it seems to get sluggish? Wipe and reload the software, it that old computer seems fast again? Same with fresh eMMC and fresh/first firmware loads.

I didn't want to put words in @Plasmid_Boy's mouth or lead him down my road, - I was hoping he would mention more about how much faster MCU2 is over MCU1. I too don't care about the games or Netflix stuff. The response and nav are so much better.

My 3 year old S feels like its brand new. Actually its a better 2017 today than it was in 2017. for a fraction of the cost of a new one.I am happy.

Thanks for the feedback... another vote for MCU2.
The other factor I should have mentioned... I have the ESA coverage, so the MCU1 refresh is a $200 deductible vs. MCU2 is $2,500 plus tax.

 

[Plasmid_Boy]

Thank you for the detailed comparison with your use case... very helpful.

I am currently debating the MCU1 swap vs MCU2 upgrade for an early 2015 70D.
I rarely use AP1 and my primary issue is using TeslaWaze on the browser without freezing.
Will the MCU1 daughterboard swap restore the original browser functionality and navigation speed?

The web browser works again, but it is very slow.
MCU2 is the way to go if you ever need the web functionality, I think.

 

[Gt1948]

I would do the MCU2 upgrade again in a heartbeat. Knowing what I do now, I would have given them twice what they asked - but don't tell them.

Yes, but it will slowly bog down again. Ever had a new computer and it seems fast? Then after a while it seems to get sluggish? Wipe and reload the software, it that old computer seems fast again? Same with fresh eMMC and fresh/first firmware loads.

I didn't want to put words in @Plasmid_Boy's mouth or lead him down my road, - I was hoping he would mention more about how much faster MCU2 is over MCU1. I too don't care about the games or Netflix stuff. The response and nav are so much better.

My 3 year old S feels like its brand new. Actually its a better 2017 today than it was in 2017. for a fraction of the cost of a new one.I am happy.

Scheduled for upgrade Tuesday....looking forward to a better 2017 S

 

[Benjamin Brooks]

So my MCU1 just died. Car is still (barely) under extended warranty. Do I pay $200 for a new MCU1 that would normally be $350 out of warranty... or do I pay $2250 for the MCU2 upgrade? (my center console display was replaced a year ago so I don't need that changed out)
It's a S 85 classic (non-AP), already paid $500 years ago for LTE upgrade... so the only thing I can think of spending an extra $2k to get is more reliable/faster infotainment, slightly better instrument cluster, and letting my daughter watch YouTube & Netflix at SuperChargers

 

[Akikiki]

Ben, Good questions. Do you intend to keep this car for 3+ years? If so, I would definitely do it. It will behave better than a brand new car - same year. And over the three years, you would enjoy the improvements. Right now, you lose FM radio, but its coming back - for a fee. Probably going to be about $500 based on conversion of what we see from EU's price for FM.

What I know after doing MCU2 upgrade, - I would. I hope this was helpful.

 

[Plasmid_Boy]

So my MCU1 just died. Car is still (barely) under extended warranty. Do I pay $200 for a new MCU1 that would normally be $350 out of warranty... or do I pay $2250 for the MCU2 upgrade? (my center console display was replaced a year ago so I don't need that changed out)
It's a S 85 classic (non-AP), already paid $500 years ago for LTE upgrade... so the only thing I can think of spending an extra $2k to get is more reliable/faster infotainment, slightly better instrument cluster, and letting my daughter watch YouTube & Netflix at SuperChargers

Benjamin, I have mentioned above and in other threads that I felt that a daughterboard replacement offers a better value for the money, which I still do, but that doesn't mean that I prefer it over MCU2. It probably comes down to what it's worth to you. This past weekend I and my daughter sat in the car to wait for my wife and son to finish shopping and we watched clips of late-night shows on MCU2 together. That one time spent laughing together alone is worth the $2,500 cost of the upgrade to me. But for the functioning of the car, I have been happy with daughterboard replacement also. Cheers!

 

[maximizese]

So my MCU1 just died. Car is still (barely) under extended warranty. Do I pay $200 for a new MCU1 that would normally be $350 out of warranty... or do I pay $2250 for the MCU2 upgrade? (my center console display was replaced a year ago so I don't need that changed out)
It's a S 85 classic (non-AP), already paid $500 years ago for LTE upgrade... so the only thing I can think of spending an extra $2k to get is more reliable/faster infotainment, slightly better instrument cluster, and letting my daughter watch YouTube & Netflix at SuperChargers

Our used pre-AP 11/2013 built S85 is about 150 miles from warranty expiration and have had to do MCU resets once a month lately due to blank screens and media stuttering/freezing. We've also noticed the temperature display and cellular connection have been spotty lately as well. I've yet to see the MCU2 upgrade available in my Tesla account and have thoroughly enjoyed the LTE and video streaming features in the newer cars, but my wife and I like our radio and it'll be hard to let that go.

With chatter that radio features might exist in the future of MCU2 upgrades, I would be inclined to just upgrade the daughterboard at $300, especially since you already paid for the LTE upgrade. The MCU2 will hopefully always be available in the future and hopefully they work out the kinks such as darker rear view camera display, icon alignment, radio functions, and audio quality (for some).

 

[Benjamin Brooks]

Our used pre-AP 11/2013 built S85 is about 150 miles from warranty expiration and have had to do MCU resets once a month lately due to blank screens and media stuttering/freezing. We've also noticed the temperature display and cellular connection have been spotty lately as well. I've yet to see the MCU2 upgrade available in my Tesla account and have thoroughly enjoyed the LTE and video streaming features in the newer cars, but my wife and I like our radio and it'll be hard to let that go.

With chatter that radio features might exist in the future of MCU2 upgrades, I would be inclined to just upgrade the daughterboard at $300, especially since you already paid for the LTE upgrade. The MCU2 will hopefully always be available in the future and hopefully they work out the kinks such as darker rear view camera display, icon alignment, radio functions, and audio quality (for some).

That's a good way of looking at it... this might be the last extended warranty item covered on my car as I near 8 years of ownership. The behavior you mentioned on your car certainly sounds like the original MCU1 is getting close to failing, can at least ask Tesla to do a remote diagnostics to see if you should be proactively repairing it before it's dead dead.