Will upgrade to MCU2 get rid of infotainment system flakiness?

[Bob Reinke]

I recently bought a used 2017 Model S 100D from Tesla. My pre-purchase research turned up the eMMC recall but not MCU1 vs. MCU2. I assumed that a vehicle I bought from Tesla would have the recall work already completed, but I’m seeing symptoms that some have reported associated with a failing eMMC. Namely, intermittent connectivity failures, screen lockups and spontaneous reboots. I have confirmed that my car has MCU1. I’ve had one service appointment based on Bluetooth flakiness that had minimal effect. I’m trying to figure out if I should schedule more service or just bite the bullet and pay for the upgrade. Advice appreciated.

 

[beatle]

There are a lot of MCU2 threads, but the consensus is that the upgrade is worth it. Even if you never use the features that are MCU2 exclusive, the general usability of the interface is so much better. I had the eMMC replaced in my 2015, and 6 months later I paid for MCU2 because the experience was still garbage on MCU1. For a system you interact with basically every time you get in the car, it is worth it.

 

[JAlbury825]

I recently bought a used 2017 Model S 100D from Tesla. My pre-purchase research turned up the eMMC recall but not MCU1 vs. MCU2. I assumed that a vehicle I bought from Tesla would have the recall work already completed, but I’m seeing symptoms that some have reported associated with a failing eMMC. Namely, intermittent connectivity failures, screen lockups and spontaneous reboots. I have confirmed that my car has MCU1. I’ve had one service appointment based on Bluetooth flakiness that had minimal effect. I’m trying to figure out if I should schedule more service or just bite the bullet and pay for the upgrade. Advice appreciated.

Yep. It gets rid of all that. I have a 2014 Model S 60 and I had my MCU upgraded to MCU2 back in April and it's SO much better. With labor, it came to $1,880.00 USD. They also replace the binnacle behind the steering wheel (mine leaked goo all over my floor). It only took them about 4 hours to do the installation, firmware update and transfer of favorites. Before my upgrade, I was having all the quirky issues you are experiencing. The steering wheel binnacle freezing up, the main touch screen repeatedly being 'unresponsive', and not having Internet connectivity were the worst for me.

An added bonus of the upgrade, the Navigation now gives you the ability to add way stops and you can edit the order of the way stops you add. You also get lots of new video games. My son (12 years old) and I like playing "SkyForce Reloaded". We bought an XBox game controller a year ago, not realizing it was incompatible with MCU1. So, we held on to it, and lo and behold, it works with MCU2.

All I need now is an option to sort my favorite destinations in alphabetical order (in addition to the already present chronological order).

So yes, 'bite the bullet'. I "kicked the can down" the road for over a year since February 2022. 3G being discontinued was what triggered by desire to upgrade and then saving up the money and finding the time to drive the car to the Tesla Service Center, was the primary delay.

On YouTube, there are also lots of testimonials from other Model S owners who upgraded.

Enjoy!

- James

 

[DerbyDave]

The replacement of both screens, and the replacement of a 7 year old processor with a new one should justify an upgrade. Do you keep a 7 year old computer for your use? No, you likely pay $1800 for a new one so you don't have to put up with the slowness and failings of the old computer.

 

[Bob Reinke]

Thanks for the advice. I’m going to schedule the upgrade and will post how it goes.

 

[vcor]

I think the MCU2 retrofit is a bargain. Most automakers charge $4K or so for a smaller replacement display module that has far fewer features than MCU2. And it is unheard of any other automaker offering an upgrade to current technology - you have to buy a new car to get current tech!

That said, be aware you will lose AM/FM/XM. For another $500, Tesla can swap out the old analog radio with a digital FM/XM radio (XM if you had XM before). There is no way to get AM again, but TuneIn has many AM stations, so it may not matter to you. I skipped the FM radio, as I use USB music and Streaming only. You can also get the FM/XM retrofit later if you don't want to spend the money today.

 

[Bob Reinke]

Update:I had the upgrade done 10 days ago. Cost is now up to $2,250 + tax. But it was definitely worth it — problems are gone and performance is much better.

Thanks again for the good advice!

 

[JAlbury825]

Update:I had the upgrade done 10 days ago. Cost is now up to $2,250 + tax. But it was definitely worth it — problems are gone and performance is much better.

Thanks again for the good advice!

Whoa! $2,250?! Golly! I wonder if it has to do with the autopilot version.

What year is your Model S?

 

[DerbyDave]

May have gotten the FM snd SiriusXM module as well, which would add $400 -500.

 

[Bob Reinke]

It’s a 2017 100D. It was $2,250 without FM/XM. I did include FM because I listen to a local station a lot and the cellular is spotty around my area. With the FM and taxes it was almost $3K. I do have full self-driving but no idea if that affected the price.

 

[brkaus]

Current pricing is here -

Infotainment Upgrade | Tesla Support

Upgrade your Infotainment system to access new features, and for a more advanced and smoother user experience.

www.tesla.com