Tesla infotainment system upgradeable from MCU1 to MCU2

[Nosken]

Old tuner is analog, new tuner is digital with different wiring, so it needs complete replacement and it’s a pita to replace.

On a different thread, I think I read that it also needs to have a line of software code changed, because with the MCU replacement it’s specifically excludes even the newer, digital tuner. For me, I’m going to use the Roav Viva that gives me an Amazon echo device in the car.

 

[swegman]

No kidding. Just replace mine in Dec at $2200
I am on my 3rd MCU at under 40K miles.
There is an underlying design flaw here that Tesla needs to own up to.

Did you pay for the second MCU? If you paid for the second MCU you shouldn’t have to pay for the third MCU. Replacement units under warranty only have the remaining new car warranty. But if you pay for the MCU you get a 4 year warranty.

 

[whitex]

I always request Uber credit. I don't need a loaner car at all. Uber is just fine with me. They offer me $100/day, so in this case they gave me 4 days worth $400, but I used under $40 for a Uber to and from the service center.

Many people don't agree with the whole Uber credits, but I prefer it.

I was just curious whether for $2,500 they included a loaner. As for Uber credits, it's not that many people don't agree, it's that Uber won't do what some people need to replace the car for $100 a day, for up to whatever number of days Tesla says they need the car. For example, $100 of Uber doesn't even cover my round trip between home and service center. Uber's with children car seats are rare, they won't bring large stuff that easily fits in Model S, or simply run you around all day, dropping kids off, picking them up, etc. If Uber covered all I ever need for up to $100 a day, why would I spend a $100K+ on a car? $100K buys a lot of Uber rides.

 

[redchief]

False rumor. The reason AM, FM, and XM are lost is because MCU1 cars used an analog tuner module, which is located elsewhere. MCU2 vehicles require a digital FM/XM tuner. The MCU upgrade does not replace the tuner.

I put XM on my 2017 100D because the streaming was flaky and intermittent (slacker).
As far as radio band sources

• AM=no loss,
• FM=nice to have, but streaming replaceable
• XM=most used, 90% of drive time.

Is there another "magic box" that can be retrofitted to get XM? (did this on a Lexus years ago)
Or is it true the XM Antenna structure has been re purposed for 5 Ghz wifi?

 

[zanary]

I put XM on my 2017 100D because the streaming was flaky and intermittent (slacker).
As far as radio band sources

• AM=no loss,
• FM=nice to have, but streaming replaceable
• XM=most used, 90% of drive time.

Is there another "magic box" that can be retrofitted to get XM? (did this on a Lexus years ago)
Or is it true the XM Antenna structure has been re purposed for 5 Ghz wifi?

See this article

MCU2 Upgrade and AM/FM/XM Radio Issues | TeslaTap

 

[MP3Mike]

Is there another "magic box" that can be retrofitted to get XM? (did this on a Lexus years ago)
Or is it true the XM Antenna structure has been re purposed for 5 Ghz wifi?

No the antenna has not been re-purposed. But you would have to get a new Tesla digital tuner installed, new wiring harness, and the configuration in your car updated. (None of which Tesla currently offers.)

 

[redchief]

I put XM on my 2017 100D because the streaming was flaky and intermittent (slacker).
As far as radio band sources

• AM=no loss,
• FM=nice to have, but streaming replaceable
• XM=most used, 90% of drive time.

Is there another "magic box" that can be retrofitted to get XM? (did this on a Lexus years ago)
Or is it true the XM Antenna structure has been re purposed for 5 Ghz wifi?

Would the XM work around be to convert XM subscription to internet/streaming delivery,
then set a favorite on the browser for xm ? maybe use favorites to "memory tune " into favorite xM channels.
My browser takes 11-19 minutes just to wake up (born date is Qct 19,2017) I think I'm MCU1,

 

[nimrooz]

No the antenna has not been re-purposed. But you would have to get a new Tesla digital tuner installed

I'm curious about the retrofit in Europe, our 2017 mcu1 ap2.0 have the digital DAB radio, so in theory, we won't loose the radio, I guess?

 

[quickstrike12]

hm, this about matches my first attempt timing. Doh, you'd think they'd be doing it faster being trained professionals and all that.

You probably didn’t take a 20 minute break every hour like the average shop worker

 

[MP3Mike]

I'm curious about the retrofit in Europe, our 2017 mcu1 ap2.0 have the digital DAB radio, so in theory, we won't loose the radio, I guess?

The digital/analog issue is between the tuner and the MCU not how the station is transmitted. For example the FM HD which is digital here still doesn't work because the tuner converts it to analog before it goes to the MCU. I would think that all MCU1s have an analog input for the tuner, not a digital/Ethernet one.

So while we won't know for sure until they offer up the details for Europe, I would guess that you would suffer the same fate of losing broadcast radio support.

 

[Reddy Kilowatt]

Got my car back this morning.

No work done wrong parts shipped, we’ll call you when they ship the correct parts if Tesla doesn’t shut down.

 

[RDibbxsh]

This may sound apocalyptic, but both the cell phone network and the Internet are fragile items. Should something happen, even as simple as an earthquake, you'll have NO communication.

Honestly, I can't believe someone hasn't thought of this in advance.

Additionally, most sports (whenever they resume) which are on the local radio, are not on most Internet feeds due to restrictions by the mega rich owners.

DONE!

My Infotainment upgrade has been completed. Dropped off my Model S on Friday, and picked up a few hours ago. Here's my details writeup.

-----

Summary: This is possibly the best $2500 you will even spend on your Model S/X.


My Vehicle: 2017 Model S P100D, built and delivered in September 2017. It is equipped with MCU1, AP 2.5 and I have the Full Self Driving pre-purchased. It’s fully wrapped with a graphic wrap and had no issues with Tesla performing the upgrade. I was already running 2020.12 prior to the upgrade. Still running 2020.12 after the upgrade. I only noticed that they pushed out 2020.12 just once after it was all completed. I assume that the option codes were updated, so when 2020.12 was re-installed it added all of the new “stuff” that is supported on MCU2.

Here are the details that might interest some of you.

• You do get a new MCU screen. Mine still had the plastic protective wrap on it which I remove when I got into the vehicle.
• You do get a new IC screen.
• All settings are retained except for. (1) WIFI settings/connections, (2) Bluetooth settings/pairings, (3) Web browser favorites.
• Trip values, and custom labels are retained.
• Seat positions, mirror positions, and driver profile settings for each driver remain.
• Navigation history and favorites are retained.
• Favorite audio stations are retained (Slacker, and Tune-In)
• Historical audio stations are also retained.
• The warning “beeps” that Joe Mode reduces are much louder than with MCU1. This may freak you out at first, but it's loud. It will sure get your attention.
• Two type of vehicle calibrations are needed. (1) One for Autopilot basic features, (2) One for lane changes with/without notification. If you go into the Autopilot Settings you’ll that the second one only starts to calibrate once the first one has been completed.
• Wifi appears much quicker
• LTE appears much quicker. It still connects to 3G when out of 4G and LTE range. The bar visuals have no change, but connection is much quicker.
• The games had to be downloaded for the 1st time. You need Wifi for this.
• There was a required Navigation update that had to be done over WIFI.
• Overall, the MCU is 100x quicker. HUGE improvement in responsiveness. HUGE improvement in refresh of data on the screen.
• Visuals on IC2 are 100x smoother and more detailed than before. Animation is 100x better as well, and so smooth.
• All visuals (garbage cans, cones, lights, road markings, bike land markings, etc…) all appear on IC2
• I did have to re-enable Ambient Lights. Maybe they turned it off during the install.
• The scroll wheels are hugely responsive. Each scroll now is recorded whereas before I would have to scroll a few times for it to reduce the volume or the temperature (both scroll wheels behave the same, so it was not a defective scroll wheels). Now, they operate so smoothly and with immediate response.
• I have the Premium Audio (which was standard on my MS). Before the upgrade I had a EQ that went to 12. Now it only goes to 8. It also has Immersive Sound with three options, however I tested it out with a variety of music (classical, dance, gansta rap, disco, pop, and Spanish), and they all sound the same. I think before I had Off and Dolby Surround. Now I don’t see Dolby listed anywhere.
• The release notes, manual all appears immediately. No issues with a blank screen anymore.
• YouTube works perfectly (like your iPhone in portrait mode where the vide is on the top, followed by meta-data below it). Sound quality is impressive for YouTube.
• I got my USB Drive working again. Just plugged it in. Before I dropped it off, I got the “USB Full” false positive error that everyone is reporting (even on 2020.12), but when I just plugged it in after the upgrade, it works perfectly. Not too sure why as I had 2020.12 before and after the upgrade. Very happy that it’s recording both Sentry and Dashcam again. It’s the S500 - TeslaCam SSD Extreme from PureTesla if anyone is curious.
• There is no FM/AM/XM radio. We knew that, but I just wanted to confirm this finding in the event you were hopeful.
• I did not get to keep the old MCU1/IC1. There was a $1000 core charge if I wanted to keep it.
• I did not notice any sort of USB charging speed increase (in case you were thinking that the amperage might be increased).
• Before you drop off your vehicle, turn off any Vehicle PIN you might have setup. You will need to re-enable it once you get your Tesla back.
• When you re-pair your Tesla with your iPhone, the name will now change to Tesla Model S followed by the name of your vehicle. Before the default was just Tesla Model S.
• When I re-connected my Tesla to my home WIFI, it shows up with a new MAC address, and the manufacture of the chipset appears to be LG Innotek now (previously it was Parrot SA). I’ve only noticed a 2.4ghz connection, but I’m sure it will switch to 5.0ghz when it needs to download something heavy (software, game updates, another navigation update).

Note: I mention x100 throughout the above bullets not as a exact measurement, but as a emotion statement to indicate that it's so damn quick. It's night and day!

 

[tarunck]

I have the same build. Do you have to pay anything out of pocket for them to replace with an MCU2?

Yes. 2500$ + tax. Dropped the car this morning. Most probably will be ready this afternoon

 

[tarunck]

Dropped my 2017 MS75D car this morning at the new service center in Clarkston,MI. They said that mine is the first car to go for the upgrade in Michigan and the service personnel were excited too. I confirmed with them that its a new IC, MCU2 and HW3 and all of them come together in a box when the upgrade is put in from parts department.
Yes, they did give me a MX90D as loaner.

 

[cnu201]

When you re-pair your Tesla with your iPhone, the name will now change to Tesla Model S followed by the name of your vehicle. Before the default was just Tesla Model S.

I still have MCU1 and noticed somewhat recently that the bluetooth name now includes my car's name, and I haven't re-paired it. So, that's either from a firmware update that everyone got, or because I'm using Android. No big deal. Thanks for the great summary.

 

[Cheburashka]

This may sound apocalyptic, but both the cell phone network and the Internet are fragile items. Should something happen, even as simple as an earthquake, you'll have NO communication.

Honestly, I can't believe someone hasn't thought of this in advance.

Additionally, most sports (whenever they resume) which are on the local radio, are not on most Internet feeds due to restrictions by the mega rich owners.

The right thing to do is to carry a $25 ham radio in your car so you have an actual two-way means of communication in case of such an emergency.

 

[Barry]

The right thing to do is to carry a $25 ham radio in your car so you have an actual two-way means of communication in case of such an emergency.

First, you won't find one for $25, unless you look at the Chinese POS VHF radios that barely work in the city due to intermod and adjacent channel interference.
Second, a license is required.

 

[BigD0g]

On a different thread, I think I read that it also needs to have a line of software code changed, because with the MCU replacement it’s specifically excludes even the newer, digital tuner. For me, I’m going to use the Roav Viva that gives me an Amazon echo device in the car.

Yes, you need to update your gateway.cfg file for the change, which is not available to the "general" public.

 

[S100D]

Yes, you need to update your gateway.cfg file for the change, which is not available to the "general" public.

If the FM analog radio is replaced with a digital FM radio and the gateway config file is updated, when Tesla pushes a firmware update, is it over written and the FM stops working?

 

[MXFan]

This may sound apocalyptic, but both the cell phone network and the Internet are fragile items.

Actually, the cell phone network is not as fragile as you might think. Most towers have backup power in case of power outage and/or losing a tower or two to earthquakes or other calamities. This just results in some degraded performance but the cell network is still operational. There really is no single point of failure. For example, when 8 million people lost power during Hurricane Sandy, some radio stations stopped broadcasting. But people still had access to their cell network and could make calls, send texts and tweet.

On the other hand, many radio stations have at least one single point of failure. Fortunately, there are enough radio stations in populated areas that you don’t worry about losing access to every radio station. The same is true with cell towers, but you have the extra advantage of two-way communication.