Tesla Infotainment Upgrade
Discussion
Hi all, I've just been sat here thinking my Tesla MS screen was laggy and if there was anything I could do, or and upgrades available. Turns out there is..........but..........it's £2,300!
Just wondering if anyone has done this MCU upgrade already, and if they think it's worth it? It does give extra features too, but it's the laggyness I predominantly want to resolve.
Given that the car has done 75k and I've spent literally nothing on servicing (other than tyres, wiper blades and an MOT) my man maths is saying it's worth it to maintain the cars' longevity (to me).
Just wondering if anyone has done this MCU upgrade already, and if they think it's worth it? It does give extra features too, but it's the laggyness I predominantly want to resolve.
Given that the car has done 75k and I've spent literally nothing on servicing (other than tyres, wiper blades and an MOT) my man maths is saying it's worth it to maintain the cars' longevity (to me).
Edited by audi321 on Wednesday 30th December 23:38
I had it done a few months ago. If its worth it depends on how long you plan to keep the car for, and how much £2300 makes a difference to your bank account.
Our car is going to be kept till 2025 minimum and I was getting the AP3 hardware upgrade at the same time. Given the additional driver visualisations needs the infotainment upgrade it wasn't a hard decision to go for the upgrade.
The improvements in screen lag performance is noticeable especially for Spotify, though I've read just getting Tesla to replace the dying memory chip in the MCU1 will improve performance anyways - note you will loss the radio unless you pay another £750 for an additional module.
The new side view screen of wing camers is useful and things like sentry mode now works as expected. V11 software is also coming which am sure will add more features. The additional driver visualisations is good to see even on a car made in 2017.
The biggest gain surprisingly has been Netflix, its amazingly how quickly kids get use to tech!! To think when we were growing up a cassette player was a big thing to have in a car
Overall there is no need to do the upgrade as the warranty on the MCU1 units is now 8 years. But when I just dropped £1k on a phone upgrade for my wife (and now considering doing the same for my self), £2300 to pay the information upgrade on the car to keep it uptodate doesn't seem that much, given the alternative is to sell up and buy a new one with a net cost of about £40-50k.
The killer retrofit am really waiting for though is a new 120kWh+ battery pack, I'll happily pay £20-30k for that, but despite what Musk had said about that in the past, as a business it makes little sense for Tesla to keep supporting older cars if they can instead push people to buy a brand new one.
Our car is going to be kept till 2025 minimum and I was getting the AP3 hardware upgrade at the same time. Given the additional driver visualisations needs the infotainment upgrade it wasn't a hard decision to go for the upgrade.
The improvements in screen lag performance is noticeable especially for Spotify, though I've read just getting Tesla to replace the dying memory chip in the MCU1 will improve performance anyways - note you will loss the radio unless you pay another £750 for an additional module.
The new side view screen of wing camers is useful and things like sentry mode now works as expected. V11 software is also coming which am sure will add more features. The additional driver visualisations is good to see even on a car made in 2017.
The biggest gain surprisingly has been Netflix, its amazingly how quickly kids get use to tech!! To think when we were growing up a cassette player was a big thing to have in a car
Overall there is no need to do the upgrade as the warranty on the MCU1 units is now 8 years. But when I just dropped £1k on a phone upgrade for my wife (and now considering doing the same for my self), £2300 to pay the information upgrade on the car to keep it uptodate doesn't seem that much, given the alternative is to sell up and buy a new one with a net cost of about £40-50k.
The killer retrofit am really waiting for though is a new 120kWh+ battery pack, I'll happily pay £20-30k for that, but despite what Musk had said about that in the past, as a business it makes little sense for Tesla to keep supporting older cars if they can instead push people to buy a brand new one.
Edited by gangzoom on Thursday 31st December 07:37
You might get a free upgrade. There is a design flaw with the MCU v1 that causes it to die eventually. In the US it is being investigated as a safety issue, with free replacements when it does fail.
Based on the age of your car if it is a V1 it is probably going to kick the bucket soon anyway. Maybe talk to Tesla about it, raise it as a safety concern. If it fails while you are driving you can lose important safety features.
Based on the age of your car if it is a V1 it is probably going to kick the bucket soon anyway. Maybe talk to Tesla about it, raise it as a safety concern. If it fails while you are driving you can lose important safety features.
gangzoom said:
The killer retrofit am really waiting for though is a new 120kWh+ battery pack, I'll happily pay £20-30k for that, but despite what Musk had said about that in the past, as a business it makes little sense for Tesla to keep supporting older cars if they can instead push people to buy a brand new one.
I am new to Tesla - picked up my new Model 3 yesterday. I assume your factory fitted battery pack is still good with only 37,000 miles on the dials? You just fancy more range?aestetix1 said:
You might get a free upgrade. There is a design flaw with the MCU v1 that causes it to die eventually. In the US it is being investigated as a safety issue, with free replacements when it does fail.
Based on the age of your car if it is a V1 it is probably going to kick the bucket soon anyway. Maybe talk to Tesla about it, raise it as a safety concern. If it fails while you are driving you can lose important safety features.
Officially you won't Based on the age of your car if it is a V1 it is probably going to kick the bucket soon anyway. Maybe talk to Tesla about it, raise it as a safety concern. If it fails while you are driving you can lose important safety features.
Tesla said:
Is this the same service procedure as Tesla’s Infotainment Upgrade?
No. Installation of a 64GB eMMC retains the vehicle’s NVIDIA® Tegra® infotainment processor; this is the only service procedure covered as part of this Warranty Adjustment Program and is separate from the Infotainment Upgrade. The Infotainment Upgrade converts the infotainment processor to Intel Atom® and involves the replacement of other components.
The warranty adjustment to cover this lasts 8 years or 100,000 miles. No. Installation of a 64GB eMMC retains the vehicle’s NVIDIA® Tegra® infotainment processor; this is the only service procedure covered as part of this Warranty Adjustment Program and is separate from the Infotainment Upgrade. The Infotainment Upgrade converts the infotainment processor to Intel Atom® and involves the replacement of other components.
https://www.tesla.com/support/warranty-adjustment-...
As above, Tesla will only cover the 8GB to 64GB upgrade (and only if you are having issues with your MCU).
I recently replaced the MCU on my 70k mile 2015 Model S because the original MCU got slower and eventually became unusable. About a day later Tesla UK announced they will cover this, so apparently I am due a £400 credit soon.
Anyway, I went for a middle priced option - a refurbed and warrantied 64GB memory MCU version 1 with a 4G/LTE SIM (my old one was 3G). Total cost was around £1,200 and it is back to being responsive. 4G/LTE doesn't kick in much at all, so not sure if that was worth it. But the warrantied screen was also a benefit as mine was starting to show the dreaded yellow borders - another intrinsic fault.
It may be worthwhile going for the bigger upgrade to MCU 2 if you have a newer Tesla with later AP hardware, etc. and you plan on keeping the car for a long time. However total cost is high, expecially if you want to retain the radio.
I recently replaced the MCU on my 70k mile 2015 Model S because the original MCU got slower and eventually became unusable. About a day later Tesla UK announced they will cover this, so apparently I am due a £400 credit soon.
Anyway, I went for a middle priced option - a refurbed and warrantied 64GB memory MCU version 1 with a 4G/LTE SIM (my old one was 3G). Total cost was around £1,200 and it is back to being responsive. 4G/LTE doesn't kick in much at all, so not sure if that was worth it. But the warrantied screen was also a benefit as mine was starting to show the dreaded yellow borders - another intrinsic fault.
It may be worthwhile going for the bigger upgrade to MCU 2 if you have a newer Tesla with later AP hardware, etc. and you plan on keeping the car for a long time. However total cost is high, expecially if you want to retain the radio.
Edited by c2mike on Thursday 31st December 15:24
The radio is a bit of an odd one. I understand I’ll still have internet radio it’s just the FM, AM and DAB that I lose?
I’m pretty sure all I listen to is internet radio anyways so that’s not an issue. £470 if I did want the radio module.
I’m pretty sure all I listen to is internet radio anyways so that’s not an issue. £470 if I did want the radio module.
Edited by audi321 on Thursday 31st December 10:35
audi321 said:
The radio is a bit of an odd one. I understand I’ll still have internet radio it’s just the FM, AM and DAB that I lose?
I’m pretty sure all I listen to is internet radio anyways so that’s not an issue. £470 if I did want the radio module.
Yes, it is related to the new MCU radio antenna design / connection being completely different. Does not impact SIM/internet.I’m pretty sure all I listen to is internet radio anyways so that’s not an issue. £470 if I did want the radio module.
Edited by audi321 on Thursday 31st December 10:35
A good summary of the differences here and how it relates to the various AP versions too.
https://teslaownersgroup.co.uk/kb/whats-an-mcu-whi...
https://teslaownersgroup.co.uk/kb/whats-an-mcu-whi...
aestetix1 said:
You might get a free upgrade. There is a design flaw with the MCU v1 that causes it to die eventually. In the US it is being investigated as a safety issue, with free replacements when it does fail.
Tesla will swap out the daughter board on the MCU1, but Tesla have been known to change price of retrofits before, CCS retrofit price went down but HEPA filter retrofit price went up (and now has disappeared as an option). NDA said:
I am new to Tesla - picked up my new Model 3 yesterday. I assume your factory fitted battery pack is still good with only 37,000 miles on the dials? You just fancy more range?
Pack is fine, currently sitting at 5% degradation give or take, I expect degradation to stay at this level for a while now. Range is actually fine for me, its a 75 pack and I don't charge it to beyond 60% daily but its the increased performance I wouldn't mind paying for. The motors on the 75D cars are the same as the 100D cars, but 60-100mph performance is noticeably stronger due to battery size. I have no issues keeping this car till it dies, the performance of the 100kWh pack is might, a true 120kWh pack really would be job done for me, and who doesn't want a quicker car . £20-30K for a new pack is still far cheaper than swapping out into a new X - and by all accounts Tesla are still building these things with non existent PDI, its took me over 2 years to get all the delivery issues on my current X to be sorted, I have little interest in going through that same process again, as much as I enjoy been loaned various S/Xs over the years.
audi321 said:
The radio is a bit of an odd one. I understand I’ll still have internet radio it’s just the FM, AM and DAB that I lose?
I’m pretty sure all I listen to is internet radio anyways so that’s not an issue. £470 if I did want the radio module.
I honestly didn't realize people still listened to radios?? 5G version of the MCU2 setup is out now I think? Not sure when it will make it to the retrofit devices though but might worth asking about?I’m pretty sure all I listen to is internet radio anyways so that’s not an issue. £470 if I did want the radio module.
Streaming with LTE seems to work fine for Netflix, I'm actually really surprised at how often I've used it, more so than I have anticipated. 5G will be better if things like Stadia makes it on to the browser though.
v11 software is around the corner, you might want to wait and see if that adds any additional stuff you are interested it, but overall considering the price of S/Xs, its hardly life changing amount of money for the retrofit.
gangzoom said:
I honestly didn't realize people still listened to radios??
That’s a very 21st century comment 
Yup, millions still listen to radio, particularly in their cars.
p.s. I'm not having a go, I don't listen to the radio in the car. I'm not a caveman.
Edited by Smiljan on Thursday 31st December 12:23
audi321 said:
Sorry just to clarify. You can still get the radio but it’s internet radio, not FM, AM or DAB. I assume the internet radio (TuneIn) can get all UK stations anyways?
Had a look, as I've said I have zero idea what people listen to these days so I searched for 'radio' and than went into Tune-in.Anyways I'm still amazed how interested in radio people are, happy new years all! Spotify party mix for me - am sure there is a Radio one version too
.
I miss the days of watching my electric aerial try and fail to power out of the wing of my car, always used to grab a tape instead only for it jam up in the head unit.
You can't tell me Spotify beats that
Have a great New Year Gangzoom, great chatting with fellow car folk who also have an interest in Tesla.
You can't tell me Spotify beats that
Have a great New Year Gangzoom, great chatting with fellow car folk who also have an interest in Tesla.
It would be easy for me to jump into this and start freaking out about the 2400 GBP upgrade cost to get functionality to the Tesla infotainment, but that isnt addressing the bigger elephant in the room - this isnt just Tesla, its an industry issue. While I agreed with the move, in general, to making stereo systems integrated for convenience and security (harder to steal, but not impossible), the fantastical prices that are charged are ridiculous these days.
I get that its not just an off-the-shelf iPad or similar and it has to endure heat cycles that consumer electronics dont, but seriously? Just to get a couple of new features? Seems excessive to me. If you are happy to pay that, I am not going to complain, but seems like a common price range these days and doesnt make a lot of sense. Surely there is a way to bring functionality to older cars to make them usable? I know these are manufacturers who want you to upgrade to the latest model, but there has to be some middle ground, right?
Porsche recently announced a set of upgrades for their older models to bring the modern tech to them - simple retro-fit and style to suit the dash makes a lot of sense (and at a Porsche suitable price). Can other manufacturers not do this? Given the tech-heavy nature of EV's going forward, surely is this a suitable revenue stream? Or am I totally off the page here?
Oh, and as a comparison, my wife's i3 came with the smaller screen - works OK, but small. A quick search of the forums gives you alternatives from the OEM, but not branded BMW upgrade for $400 delivered. Brings the upgraded functionality and a couple of new things, which is nice. Go to BMW for the same part (from the same manufacturer) with the logo and it can be anything from $1800 to $2000! Totally NOT worth the price.
I get that its not just an off-the-shelf iPad or similar and it has to endure heat cycles that consumer electronics dont, but seriously? Just to get a couple of new features? Seems excessive to me. If you are happy to pay that, I am not going to complain, but seems like a common price range these days and doesnt make a lot of sense. Surely there is a way to bring functionality to older cars to make them usable? I know these are manufacturers who want you to upgrade to the latest model, but there has to be some middle ground, right?
Porsche recently announced a set of upgrades for their older models to bring the modern tech to them - simple retro-fit and style to suit the dash makes a lot of sense (and at a Porsche suitable price). Can other manufacturers not do this? Given the tech-heavy nature of EV's going forward, surely is this a suitable revenue stream? Or am I totally off the page here?
Oh, and as a comparison, my wife's i3 came with the smaller screen - works OK, but small. A quick search of the forums gives you alternatives from the OEM, but not branded BMW upgrade for $400 delivered. Brings the upgraded functionality and a couple of new things, which is nice. Go to BMW for the same part (from the same manufacturer) with the logo and it can be anything from $1800 to $2000! Totally NOT worth the price.
I agree, but it's still early days and it's a step in the right direction.
Don't forget the S/X are 100k cars. The part costs reflect that.
I do think that as the central unit becomes more and more important in controlling the car, other manufacturers would also need to provide and upgrade track. And while 2.5k might sound reasonable on a 100k car, it won't on a 30k car.
Don't forget the S/X are 100k cars. The part costs reflect that.
I do think that as the central unit becomes more and more important in controlling the car, other manufacturers would also need to provide and upgrade track. And while 2.5k might sound reasonable on a 100k car, it won't on a 30k car.
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