Questions about a used Model 3 (AP2.5 vs , upgrades, autopilot), I've never owned a Tesla!

[zorrobyte]

My Tesla will arrive in about a week from Carmax, I am very excited! I have previously been running and hacking on Openpilot on my Rav 4. I had a Chevy Bolt for awhile and enjoyed owning an EV!

I am a little confused about the autopilot hardware options and what to expect. The car is a 2018 Model 3 LR. I know all Model 3s have MCU2, which is nice! But I'm not sure if I have AP2 or AP2.5, or even if the previous owner upgraded!

If I want to use Navigate on Autopilot, does it work on AP2/2.5 hardware, or would I need a AP3 upgrade? FSD also sounds fun, looks like I'll need to have a perfect safety score to access that. If the car has AP2/2.5, can I just pay for FSD and get navigate on autopilot, or is AP3 absolutely required? If there is Nav on Autopilot, if I qualify for the FSD beta, would I be notified (and I guess, upgrade to AP3 then?)

Lastly, what about the rear seat heaters? Is that really behind an upgrade fee?

 

[RayK]

I have a 2018 LR RWD (built June 2018). Initially I did not want the Enhanced Autopilot (EAP) or Full Self Driving (FSD) options but changed my mind about a year after getting the car when I finally got both. EAP did not require any hardware upgrade but that option is not available any more. NoA worked with HW2.5.

For FSD, I paid for the upgrade and then received the HW3.0 upgrade as part of that purchase. If your 3 still has HW2.5 and you decide to purchase FSD, then you will get the hardware upgrade. However, if you subscribe, you will have to pay for the hardware separately. Somewhere in the Software menu system is a way to check which hardware is currently installed.

Hardware for the rear seat heaters were installed from the factory and were activated post-purchase by an over-the-air update. I believe they were included with the Premium Interior option.

Suggest you read the following:

ref: Autopilot and Full Self-Driving Capability
ref: Full Self-Driving Computer Installations
ref: Full Self-Driving Capability Subscriptions

 

[zorrobyte]

Gotcha!

So what you are saying is that since the car is used and won't have EAP, I'll need HW3 to use Nav on Autopilot, period. Okay, that makes sense! It was confusing that Nav on Autopilot used to be on HW2/2.5 cars and now it seems to be only available if "grandfathered" in. I was hoping to pay for a subscription and get Nav on Auto without needing a HW3 upgrade just yet.

 

[M3BlueGeorgia]

You'll have AP2.5, not AP2.
Model 3 shipped after Tesla switched over to AP2.5

One advantage of the FSD license is Tesla will upgrade your car to AP3.

Just watch out for EAP, as occasionally Tesla makes it available.

PS: You'll love it.

 

[EVRider-FL]

Are you sure the car doesn’t have any variation of AP?

 

[zorrobyte]

You'll have AP2.5, not AP2.
Model 3 shipped after Tesla switched over to AP2.5

One advantage of the FSD license is Tesla will upgrade your car to AP3.

Just watch out for EAP, as occasionally Tesla makes it available.

PS: You'll love it.

This is exactly what I was looking for! It's so hard to find what versions of hardware cars shipped with and I'm relieved to know I'll at least have HW2.5! I'll keep an eye out for EAP, but I'll likely just get HW3 and do the $199 subscription to try it out.