Tesla Offers $2,500 Infotainment Upgrade

Tesla will now offer a computer hardware update for older versions of the Model S and Model X that will improve the infotainment system.

Owners of Model S and Model X vehicles built March 2018 or earlier will be eligible to purchase an “Infotainment Upgrade,” Tesla said in a blog post. The $2,500 upgrade will give owners access to features like video streaming, Tesla Arcade features, in addition to a more responsive and faster touchscreen.

Tesla says eligible owners will be invited by email to schedule an appointment to purchase and install the upgrade.

It’s great news for owners for older Tesla vehicles that will bring their infotainment systems up to date with a brand new car. It also bodes well for the Model S and Model X resale value.

Image: Tesla

 

[Not1Drop]

Sorry to vent however gradually becoming more and more frustrated with reading all the joys of a $2500 upgrade when there are issues with these generation of vehicles with MCU1 that Tesla should be fixing first.
While having the ability to watch Netflix when supercharging, or not needing to argue that customers shouldn't have to pay for excessive logging that benefits the company's research each time the MCU1 emmc burns out, what I'd really prefer for an enhancement would be restoring the true battery capacity for the vehicle and the charging speed.
Our signature for years and our few posts used to be marked as how much we loved the car. In many ways we actually still do. We used to brag to anyone that would listen how the car kept improving and was no longer the car we had originally purchased.
Offering to give someone with an older model, Netflix as an option for $2500 USD, doesn't seem to matter when the car is no longer (negatively now) what was purchased after it's first four years. Fix the battery and charge limits back to how the vehicle was sold and maybe we'd consider a new screen so we could watch Netflix while we get an 80% charge in 40 minutes to the proper range.

 

[xrayangiodoc]

My Model S will be 6 years old next month. I have the original screen without any yellow borders or other defects. I can't see paying $2500 for a new MMU that will also take away my radio! There are areas in the USA without cellular coverage or internet access. A radio may be very 20th century but it is far from obsolete. I will gamble that the MMU will hold out until I replace my Model S with a new one in 2021. If the MMU fails, it will be replaced under my extended service plan.

 

[SMSMD]

Sorry to vent however gradually becoming more and more frustrated with reading all the joys of a $2500 upgrade when there are issues with these generation of vehicles with MCU1 that Tesla should be fixing first.
While having the ability to watch Netflix when supercharging, or not needing to argue that customers shouldn't have to pay for excessive logging that benefits the company's research each time the MCU1 emmc burns out, what I'd really prefer for an enhancement would be restoring the true battery capacity for the vehicle and the charging speed.
Our signature for years and our few posts used to be marked as how much we loved the car. In many ways we actually still do. We used to brag to anyone that would listen how the car kept improving and was no longer the car we had originally purchased.
Offering to give someone with an older model, Netflix as an option for $2500 USD, doesn't seem to matter when the car is no longer (negatively now) what was purchased after it's first four years. Fix the battery and charge limits back to how the vehicle was sold and maybe we'd consider a new screen so we could watch Netflix while we get an 80% charge in 40 minutes to the proper range.

Absolutely agree with you. My 90D does need more charging stops as it charges less and i feel it's also losing more than before.
90D actual usable is only 81.8. Should be called 80D.

 

[mrwuffles]

My Model S will be 6 years old next month. I have the original screen without any yellow borders or other defects. I can't see paying $2500 for a new MMU that will also take away my radio! There are areas in the USA without cellular coverage or internet access. A radio may be very 20th century but it is far from obsolete. I will gamble that the MMU will hold out until I replace my Model S with a new one in 2021. If the MMU fails, it will be replaced under my extended service plan.

Always interesting to see how different others are than me. The other day, my iPhone screen stopped responding. It was my first day in 1.5 yr with our Tesla of using the radio, only because our 1 year of premium connectivity has expired and we don't need it since we can steam from our phones. I only used it on my way back from the Apple Store. Side note: love Apple, it was out of AppleCare and they fixed it for free.

The data connection isn't an issue for us since we download playlists so they work without a signal. Most useful when flying.

 

[stur]

So happy right now, whilst rather expensive I'm certainly open to it as the UI has become sluggish and undermines how absolutely amazing the car is in every other way. I really wanted to keep my Model S but was looking to sell it before the warranty expired purely because of the pending MCU1 issues which would seriously damage the resell value if they become prevalent.
The price tag is rather hefty for essentially a laptop but I love the car so much I'll pay for the upgrade... not for the new apps but for the responsiveness to be returned.

 

[pinball_player]

I find it interesting to read comments from those who stream from their phones. Here in Massachusetts, it is now illegal to even touch your phone when driving (of course that does not stop the hundreds of people I see looking at their phones while driving to work, but whatever). So how do you select music, and other content from your phone if you cannot legally touch the phone?

Removal of FM with this upgrade seems to me to be a cost savings move. MCU2 supports FM/XM and Tesla could easily include that tuner with this upgrade (and even add the XM antenna for an extra cost). Look, there are those who listen to FM a lot, and those who never even knew that their car had an FM receiver. But to remove functionality that could still be there seems to be a bad move IMHO.

 

[arghx7]

Why don't you battery concerned individuals look on the bright side? Your private party resale just went up because of the MCU2 upgrade being available. You don't even have to install MCU2, just the fact that it is available as an official upgrade from Tesla will make more people willing to buy an older car.

Think of all the people who want an older S/X as a local commuter to be charged only at home, not caring about road trips but want all the new gee whiz features of MCU2. They're now going to be considering an older used vehicle.

 

[Master Chief]

The streaming in my 2020 Model X is chunky and clunky sitting in town at the Supercharger. Not real impressed with the speed of the download and presentation. Not at all.

 

[arghx7]

The streaming in my 2020 Model X is chunky and clunky sitting in town at the Supercharger. Not real impressed with the speed of the download and presentation. Not at all.

It depends on the strength of the cell signal.

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

I find it interesting to read comments from those who stream from their phones. Here in Massachusetts, it is now illegal to even touch your phone when driving (of course that does not stop the hundreds of people I see looking at their phones while driving to work, but whatever). So how do you select music, and other content from your phone if you cannot legally touch the phone?

Not quite. You can touch the phone to enable hands-free operation as long as it's mounted securely.

 

[BigNick]

How long before this becomes a mandatory upgrade? Pay $2500 or your MCU1 won't be allowed on the network? They're already making software upgrades mandatory or you won't be on the network: Why Is Tesla Forcing Software Updates If No Safety Issue Is Involved? - Tesla Motors Club

 

[boonedocks]

I think the upgrade price is reasonable as well as a worthwhile functional upgrade especially if you have pre-purchased FSD. For those of you who used to / currently own a BWM (as an example) when I tried to upgrade my nav maps way back in 2009 BMW wanted well over $1,000 just for some map data. In the scheme of things just being offered a legitimate upgrade path, and reasonable, is something only Tesla does. I'm all for it for our 2017 X75D

 

[gigawatt1010]

This is an interesting one, especially for us AP1 owners.

I have one of the cheapest configuration for a brand new Tesla in 2016, flat white paint, coil suspension 60D with Auto Pilot and premium interior (alcantara on dash) the only options selected. Car has over 80k miles on it and drives as well as it did in 2016. Never had an issue with it, took it on road trips from NY to Key West a few times and it drove like a champ.

Since then, we also added a 2019 Model X 100D (my wife's car), which has all the latest bells and whistles with infotainment, not to mention the AP2 with navi on AP. (although, I still feel more confident and secure with my AP1 Model S)

I've been itching to trade in my 2016 MS for a new 2020 Raven MS out of envy, mainly with the infotainment and the range. I still get a full 205 projected miles with every charge, and never have range anxiety for my daily use, but to have almost 400 miles of range and all the new features is very tempting. Especially since this is almost paid off.

BUT! -- This $2,500 option will be cheaper than buying an all new 2020 MS so I might just spring for it and enjoy a payment free 2016 for much longer.

 

[BigNick]

I think the upgrade price is reasonable as well as a worthwhile functional upgrade especially if you have pre-purchased FSD. For those of you who used to / currently own a BWM (as an example) when I tried to upgrade my nav maps way back in 2009 BMW wanted well over $1,000 just for some map data. In the scheme of things just being offered a legitimate upgrade path, and reasonable, is something only Tesla does. I'm all for it for our 2017 X75D

Wow, and I thought GM's navigation updates were a total ripoff at $160 or so.

 

[Master Chief]

Wow, and I thought GM's navigation updates were a total ripoff at $160 or so.

Not sure about now, but you should see what Mercedes charged back around 2014. They were close to $1000 for regions of the US. I guess they charge what they think the market will bear.

 

[gigawatt1010]

Not sure about now, but you should see what Mercedes charged back around 2014. They were close to $1000 for regions of the US. I guess they charge what they think the market will bear.

Yes, Stealerships used to mark those up like crazy. I had a 2001 BMW 740i that needed an update in 2005 just to get updated street maps from NavTeq, which BMW happily stamped their logo on the DVDs and marked it up to over $1,000. Same with our old Range Rover that we traded for the Model X.

This is why the old Stealership model is slowly being killed by Tesla.

 

[arghx7]

I think the upgrade price is reasonable as well as a worthwhile functional upgrade especially if you have pre-purchased FSD. For those of you who used to / currently own a BWM (as an example) when I tried to upgrade my nav maps way back in 2009 BMW wanted well over $1,000 just for some map data. In the scheme of things just being offered a legitimate upgrade path, and reasonable, is something only Tesla does. I'm all for it for our 2017 X75D

YES! Once the next generation comes along, other OEM's only do recalls or major TSB fixes for older cars. You think Audi is going to let you drop your 2016 Q7 off at the dealership for an infotainment upgrade??? There are a few minor exceptions to this, like Mazda unlocking Carplay later on, but overall they want you to get the newest thing every 3 or 4 years.

 

[arghx7]

BUT! -- This $2,500 option will be cheaper than buying an all new 2020 MS so I might just spring for it and enjoy a payment free 2016 for much longer.

Yup. You should still have a very usable commuter (and shorter roadtrip) vehicle with the latest infotainment features for at least another 3-4 years. Think of it this way, you still have as much usable range as a brand new Audi eTron. Meanwhile, 3 years from now the eTron infotainment is going to be far more outdated than an MCU 2 Model S.

Other OEM's are only paying lip service to over the air updates at this point.

 

[Ostrichsak]

Sorry to vent however gradually becoming more and more frustrated with reading all the joys of a $2500 upgrade when there are issues with these generation of vehicles with MCU1 that Tesla should be fixing first.
While having the ability to watch Netflix when supercharging, or not needing to argue that customers shouldn't have to pay for excessive logging that benefits the company's research each time the MCU1 emmc burns out, what I'd really prefer for an enhancement would be restoring the true battery capacity for the vehicle and the charging speed.
Our signature for years and our few posts used to be marked as how much we loved the car. In many ways we actually still do. We used to brag to anyone that would listen how the car kept improving and was no longer the car we had originally purchased.
Offering to give someone with an older model, Netflix as an option for $2500 USD, doesn't seem to matter when the car is no longer (negatively now) what was purchased after it's first four years. Fix the battery and charge limits back to how the vehicle was sold and maybe we'd consider a new screen so we could watch Netflix while we get an 80% charge in 40 minutes to the proper range.

Personally, I couldn't care less about Hulu or video games. That said, MCU2 upgrade could indeed be the fix for one of the pressing issues older MCU1 cars are plagued with in terms of eMMC. Perhaps which will be the fix for cars who have that issue in which case I would gladly take a MCU2 upgrade for free. In the short term I would imagine they'll use refurbished MCU1 for warranty repairs (if not just directly fixing the customer's MCU1) buy longer term this will likely be the only MCU made available for warranty much like the newer battery packs are slowly being placed instead of 60/70/etc. battery packs.

I do agree with this sentiment though that Tesla really needs to focus some resources on fixing these issues as they're just piling up at this point. Tesla's early focus on quarterly profits is going to hurt their name long-term.