Tesla infotainment system upgradeable from MCU1 to MCU2

[f-stop]

Extra vampire drain? I am not aware of this and I can report having less than 1 kWh drained over two days in the garage. On occasion it has been negligible - 2015 P85/90D, AP1, MCU2.

Likewise, I've not seen any increase in vampire drain after upgrading to MCU2. Earlier this week I didn't drive q for 3 days and whlie parked in the garage during that period the rated range only decreased by less than 3km/day. 2015 70D AP1/MCU2

I don't regularly use Slacker any more but can report that Spotify works reliably after the upgrade [knocks on wood], unlike before with MCU1. Prior to upgrading, various MCU1 problems would annoy me every. single. drive. YMMV, but after upgrading to MCU2 my car feels like new again, I should have done it sooner.

 

[TestyMcTest]

Likewise, I've not seen any increase in vampire drain after upgrading to MCU2. Earlier this week I didn't drive q for 3 days and whlie parked in the garage during that period the rated range only decreased by less than 3km/day. 2015 70D AP1/MCU2

I don't regularly use Slacker any more but can report that Spotify works reliably after the upgrade [knocks on wood], unlike before with MCU1. Prior to upgrading, various MCU1 problems would annoy me every. single. drive. YMMV, but after upgrading to MCU2 my car feels like new again, I should have done it sooner.

The battery drain on MCU2 is likely due to having sentry mode enabled. Not all owners have experienced the same (while parked in the garage) because sentry has an option to disable while at home and/or work.

 

[tpedwards]

The battery drain on MCU2 is likely due to having sentry mode enabled. Not all owners have experienced the same (while parked in the garage) because sentry has an option to disable while at home and/or work.

… or it doesn’t exist on our cars ;-)

 

[raphy3]

Try it on your 2013 P85s guys. The issue is documented by wk057 and it's due to lack of standby power supply, which both of your 2015's have @tpedwards @f-stop

 

[MonsterCarter]

did you get it back on day 3? it took them 2 days on mine. is your back up cam dark at night?

you mentioned you have a proven way to get tesla to perform the recall? I cant DM you, whats the approach?

 

[Amacharola]

It may be coincidental but I noticed my vampire drained improved dramatically after I was alerted that my 12v battery needed replacement and was replaced. I have a feeling that an aging 12v cannot hold charge as well and may need to be charged by the HV battery more frequently than a fresh battery.

 

[hybridbear]

It may be coincidental but I noticed my vampire drained improved dramatically after I was alerted that my 12v battery needed replacement and was replaced. I have a feeling that an aging 12v cannot hold charge as well and may need to be charged by the HV battery more frequently when idle.

Interesting... our vampire drain has increased recently & our 12V has now crossed 5 years old. Still no warnings from Tesla that it’s low, but I wonder if it’ll fail soon.

 

[Bill Price]

It may be coincidental but I noticed my vampire drained improved dramatically after I was alerted that my 12v battery needed replacement and was replaced. I have a feeling that an aging 12v cannot hold charge as well and may need to be charged by the HV battery more frequently than a fresh battery.

And mine as well........I've been averaging 260-280 wh/m and then got the alert. Average jumped up to 370-380 and after replacement has fallen to around 290-300. But the average ambient temp has fallen as well, so that falls in line. Almost 100 more wh/m with the main battery pack trying to keep the failed 12v battery charged.

 

[Sean.]

Interesting... our vampire drain has increased recently & our 12V has now crossed 5 years old. Still no warnings from Tesla that it’s low, but I wonder if it’ll fail soon.

Could always test the 12v battery with a conductance tester. A useful way to gauge battery lifetime and capacity remaining.

 

[sorka]

My battery pulled 412 CCAs in March a few days after I got the MCU2 upgrade. Yesterday it pulled 188 CCAs at the same temperature. Both tests were performed with the battery disconnected and fully topped off by an Imax B6. So it appears the upgrade killed a 12v battery with nearly new capacity in just 9 months.

 

[Bill Price]

My battery pulled 412 CCAs in March a few days after I got the MCU2 upgrade. Yesterday it pulled 188 CCAs at the same temperature. Both tests were performed with the battery disconnected and fully topped off by an Imax B6. So it appears the upgrade killed a 12v battery with nearly new capacity in just 9 months.

More likely, it was just it's time?

 

[sorka]

More likely, it was just it's time?

I didn't think lead acid capacity falls off a cliff like that. Thought it was more gradual.

 

[mspohr]

I didn't think lead acid capacity falls off a cliff like that. Thought it was more gradual.

They go fast at the end. Or if overdischarged

 

[raphy3]

a dying lead acid will cause more vamp drain as the HV battery kicks in to charge it more often. You'll notice some days a large increase in vamp drain as the HV battery is charging it up on that day, and then the next day vamp drain will drop substantially. This is a separate issue and is not the cause of increased vamp drain on MCU2. A dying 12V battery would be compounded on top of the increased vamp drain from MCU2.

The increased vampire drain that comes from MCU2 that I have been talking about happens in cars without a standby power supply for the MCU and other devices in the car. In that case, the HV battery is the standin for the standby power supply and the end result is that with MCU2 the contactors are always closed on those cars. "Those cars" are the pre AP1 "legacy" cars like mine.

 

[sorka]

a dying lead acid will cause more vamp drain as the HV battery kicks in to charge it more often. You'll notice some days a large increase in vamp drain as the HV battery is charging it up on that day, and then the next day vamp drain will drop substantially.

It kicks in every 6 hours even on a brand new battery. As the battery capacity decreases, it kicks in more frequently but for shorter periods of time because the battery can't take as much. It increases vampire drain some but not significantly. If vampire drain is radically higher on some days than others, it has NOTHING to do with the current capacity of your accessory battery.

 

[raphy3]

It kicks in every 6 hours even on a brand new battery. As the battery capacity decreases, it kicks in more frequently but for shorter periods of time because the battery can't take as much. It increases vampire drain some but not significantly. If vampire drain is radically higher on some days than others, it has NOTHING to do with the current capacity of your accessory battery.

regardless of whether a dying 12V battery is charged in a day or every six hours, the point remains it's not the cause of increased drain with MCU2. Also, the 12V charging cycle I described is what the Tesla SC folks told me, so, who knows.

 

[Amacharola]

Operating just based on Stats for my car, it went from .38miles/hr loss to .21 when my 12v was replaced, 12 months before and now 11 months after. When I replaced my MCU, the phantom drain did not budge.

 

[tivoboy]

Operating just based on Stats for my car, it went from .38miles/hr loss to .21 when my 12v was replaced, 12 months before and now 11 months after. When I replaced my MCU, the phantom drain did not budge.

While not much, that WOULD seem significant.

 

[gearchruncher]

While not much, that WOULD seem significant.

It's actually a 45% reduction in vampire energy use.

 

[raphy3]

Operating just based on Stats for my car, it went from .38miles/hr loss to .21 when my 12v was replaced, 12 months before and now 11 months after. When I replaced my MCU, the phantom drain did not budge.

That's pretty good. What year is your car?