Tesla increases price of MCU upgrade for some Model S/X owners

In a bit of a strange move, Tesla has updated their pricing for the Infotainment upgrade for Model S/X owners, making it more expensive for some owners. But there’s also a catch.

The upgrade allows owners with vehicles built before March 2018 to switch from the Media Control Unit (MCU) 1 to MCU 2. The new computer gives them access to new features like Sentry Mode, Dashcam, and Netflix.

Originally priced at $3,510 CAD ($2,500 USD), Tesla lowered it to $2,000 CAD ($1,500 USD) in January. Now Tesla has changed the pricing again.

According to the Infotainment Upgrade page, owners of vehicles with AP2.0 or AP2.5 (in other words without HW3.0) will now have to pay $2,600 CAD ($2,000 USD). The reason for the price increase is the upgrade now also includes the new HW3.0 computer.

If your Model S/X already has HW3.0, the price remains the same at $2,000 CAD ($1,500 USD).

“Owners of compatible vehicles can schedule an appointment through the Tesla app for purchase and installation. This upgrade is available for $2,600 plus applicable tax, including installation, for vehicles equipped with Autopilot Computer 2.0 or 2.5 and for $2,000 plus applicable tax, including installation, for all other vehicles.”

This change makes it a little more complicated for owners with Full Self-Driving (FSD) who haven’t yet upgraded to HW3.0. You are still eligible to receive HW3.0 for free, but if you want both the HW3.0 upgrade and MCU upgrade performed during the same service visit, you will have to pay the higher price.

This effectively means Tesla is now indirectly charging customers for the HW3.0 upgrade when until now it has been free.

Not only does it make it more expensive, it is also less efficient as many owners will opt for two service visits to save the extra money. Hopefully Tesla changes this policy and allows owners to upgrade to HW3.0 and MCU2 in the same service visit without having to pay extra.

Are you still on AP2.0 or AP2.5? Will you be doing the upgrade? Let us know in the comments below.

h/t: @tesla_adri

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