Tesla Charging $2200 for MCU1 replacement

[iamvince]

My 2013 Model S VIN 13xxx MCU went dead. I was hoping to purchase MCU2, but Tesla Service Center Santa Clara is saying my VIN is too old to take MCU2 replacement, so they're charging $2200 for MCU1. Anyone know about the VIN cut off for MCU2? According to the article, they said:

"All remaining Model S and Model X owners Coming Soon" (I heard April)
"Infotainment Upgrade"

Anyone know if the cut off is true, or are they just trying to sell up all their MCU1's before selling me an MCU2? Thanks.

 

[fehguy]

Hi, I just got screen bubbles in my 2013 Model S as well and am looking for the same info. Did you figure this out?

 

[iamvince]

I've been hoping to wait to see if MCU2 would be available for our year, but didn't want to have an expensive paperweight sitting in my garage for a few months, so i went ahead with it. Ended up paying $1725 for the MCU1 replacement. Disappointing but I guess there's no other option.

 

[croman]

They are making all non-Hw2.5 and newer owners wait. Ap1 and classic might be late 2020 if at all.

Really bad form not taking care of older cars (for no reason).

 

[dark cloud]

They are making all non-Hw2.5 and newer owners wait. Ap1 and classic might be late 2020 if at all.

Really bad form not taking care of older cars (for no reason).

I will further clarify that comment: Really bad form not taking care of long-term Tesla supporters with their older cars.

Someone, somewhere bought a beat up 2013 model S, possibly with a dead MCU for $25,000. That person should not go to the front of the line.

It would have been really cool if they could have developed some sort of rank of length of ownership of any Tesla as to who gets it first.

 

[fehguy]

I'm dealing with Tesla right now on this. They said "sometime next year" which is essentially forever with Tesla. I don't blame them for their priorities but am very disappointed.

I have two teslas and a solar tile roof as well. Doesn't seem to matter to them how long you've been supporting them

If there ever was a manufacturing defect, a screen leaking goo all over your dash seems like one. I'll find out more from the service department and post back.

 

[EV-Fixme]

In theory all S/X should be able to get MCU2 someday.

But as many have pointed the delay is not due to VIN, they are doing upgrades in the order of what AP is in the car.

We offer repair of MCU1, yours may be recoverable. Our repair also upgrades the chip to last much longer. This is a good option to not have to spend full price for a new mcu1 while waiting for MCU2.

However It's best to get the replacement as soon as signs of the mcu is failing.

 

[whitex]

I will further clarify that comment: Really bad form not taking care of long-term Tesla supporters with their older cars.

Someone, somewhere bought a beat up 2013 model S, possibly with a dead MCU for $25,000. That person should not go to the front of the line.

It would have been really cool if they could have developed some sort of rank of length of ownership of any Tesla as to who gets it first.

I think you're misunderstanding the purpose for MCU2. It's not to support any old owners. It's not to provide replacements for MCU1 dying due to bad (or simply lack of) design decisions. The sole purpose to offer MCU2 to AP2.5 is so that Tesla doesn't have to pay for it for people who paid for FSD or EAP. Problem is they are designing FSD (and therefore pre-March-2019 EAP which was pretty much the same features as FSD today) to require MCU2 for full functionality, and they'd rather the customer pay $2,500 for a new MCU2, and give them MCU1 to use as a refurb for failing older cars. People who were willing to shell out thousands for FSD knowing it will not show up for years (4 years later, still not a single feature has been delivered), are likely to be the kind of people who like to pay for shiny things, unlikely to consider the concept of "sunk cost", and therefore throw good money in after bad to pay for MCU2. Tesla also has until the end of time to deliver FSD to people with MCU1 (they did have a footnote clearly saying there are no date guarantees whatsoever), so for AP2.5 MCU1 people they can say "pay $2,500 now, or get if for free as part of your FSD update in "the future" (which in Tesla vernacular means never) - oh wait, they are doing it already.

 

[dark cloud]

I think you're misunderstanding the purpose for MCU2. It's not to support any old owners. It's not to provide replacements for MCU1 dying due to bad (or simply lack of) design decisions. The sole purpose to offer MCU2 to AP2.5 is so that Tesla doesn't have to pay for it for people who paid for FSD or EAP. Problem is they are designing FSD (and therefore pre-March-2019 EAP which was pretty much the same features as FSD today) to require MCU2 for full functionality, and they'd rather the customer pay $2,500 for a new MCU2, and give them MCU1 to use as a refurb for failing older cars. People who were willing to shell out thousands for FSD knowing it will not show up for years (4 years later, still not a single feature has been delivered), are likely to be the kind of people who like to pay for shiny things, unlikely to consider the concept of "sunk cost", and therefore throw good money in after bad to pay for MCU2. Tesla also has until the end of time to deliver FSD to people with MCU1 (they did have a footnote clearly saying there are no date guarantees whatsoever), so for AP2.5 MCU1 people they can say "pay $2,500 now, or get if for free as part of your FSD update in "the future" (which in Tesla vernacular means never) - oh wait, they are doing it already.

Yup, I would say you got your finger on the pulse there.

 

[croman]

I think you're misunderstanding the purpose for MCU2. It's not to support any old owners. It's not to provide replacements for MCU1 dying due to bad (or simply lack of) design decisions. The sole purpose to offer MCU2 to AP2.5 is so that Tesla doesn't have to pay for it for people who paid for FSD or EAP. Problem is they are designing FSD (and therefore pre-March-2019 EAP which was pretty much the same features as FSD today) to require MCU2 for full functionality, and they'd rather the customer pay $2,500 for a new MCU2, and give them MCU1 to use as a refurb for failing older cars. People who were willing to shell out thousands for FSD knowing it will not show up for years (4 years later, still not a single feature has been delivered), are likely to be the kind of people who like to pay for shiny things, unlikely to consider the concept of "sunk cost", and therefore throw good money in after bad to pay for MCU2. Tesla also has until the end of time to deliver FSD to people with MCU1 (they did have a footnote clearly saying there are no date guarantees whatsoever), so for AP2.5 MCU1 people they can say "pay $2,500 now, or get if for free as part of your FSD update in "the future" (which in Tesla vernacular means never) - oh wait, they are doing it already.

Except at least 5 MCU1/HW3 installs have been reported recently. They aren't just doing MCU2 cars for HW3 but I'm not sure how it works yet on MCU1 as no one has elaborated.

 

[whitex]

Yup, I would say you got your finger on the pulse there.

Once they get critical mass of AP2/MCU1 people upgraded to MCU2, they can keep the remaining owners in limbo forever and not worry about any class actions, as there won't be that many of them (anyone who already paid for the upgrade wouldn't be a part of it).

 

[whitex]

Except at least 5 MCU1/HW3 installs have been reported recently. They aren't just doing MCU2 cars for HW3 but I'm not sure how it works yet on MCU1 as no one has elaborated.

Yea, that is the purpose I stated for MCU2, to upgrade MCU1+AP2.5 to MCU2+AP3 for $2,500 provided you paid for FSD already. Even if they start MCU1+AP2.0 upgrades to MCU2+AP3, that's still the same goal - cover yourself against FSD class action by reducing the number of people left with MCU1+AP2.x who paid for FSD and will not get the full functionality.