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Tesla MCU1 to MCU2 retrofit and FSD upgrade insights shared by Model S owner
Tesla recently started offering the option of upgrading the company’s older MCU1 units to an MCU2, which provides access to new features such as Sentry Mode and Tesla Theater. The process involved in this upgrade was recently shared by an owner of a 2017 Tesla Model S, who recently opted to purchase the MCU2 retrofit together with a Hardware 3 update.
Akikiki of the Tesla Motors Club forum gave details of the experience and the changes in his vehicle’s performance and features thanks to the hardware upgrades. The addition of MCU2 and Hardware 3 gave the Model S new features from the Full Self-Driving (FSD) suite’s Navigate on Autopilot feature, as well as the vehicle’s capability to visualize traffic lights, stop signs, and on-road markings.
The 2017 Model S “now has visualization that includes traffic lights, showing red, changing to green at the intersection,” Akikiki wrote. “As I drove under the light, they got larger showing green, until they disappeared as I went under them.”
The installation of the HW3 unit required for a recalibration of the Model S’ Autopilot system. The vehicle alerted Akikiki with a message on the vehicle’s Instrument Cluster (IC), stating, “CALIBRATION IN PROCESS.” The recalibration of Autopilot took ten miles total and allowed the driver to operate with Navigate on Autopilot, allowing the new visualizations to appear. The vehicle’s lane centering and steadiness while operating on Autopilot were reportedly improved with Hardware 3 installed.
Additionally, the Model S gained the ability to operate both Dashcam and Sentry Mode, both of which have been subjected to recent updates as recorded clips from both features can soon be viewed within the vehicle. Watching recorded clips in the car was previously not possible, but CEO Elon Musk and his team of engineers added the function with a recent update.
Additional features included a new WiFi card in the MCU2 that supports both 2.4 and 5GHz internet speeds, along with the vehicle’s internet browser, Tesla Theater, and Tesla Arcade.
The invoice states that the upgraded features of the Model S required Akikiki to pay a total of $2,500, all of which can be attributed to the MCU2 upgrade. The HW3 upgrade was free of charge because Akikiki purchased the FSD suite, qualifying him for a free HW3 retrofit, as per Elon Musk’s tweet back in October 2018.
Initially, Akikiki considered merely replacing the MCU1 chip, but he found that the upgrade would be just $1,000 less than the full MCU2 upgrade. “Although under warranty, the MCUs eMMC would still have the same size chip and would likely have another short life,” he said. “Out of warranty MCU1 repair would cost by today’s cost at least $1700+ including Tax. MCU2 cost is only $1,000 more than the MCU1 replacement and, in my opinion, is worth double that difference for longer life, better performance of AP and NAV plus the addition of Tesla Dashcam and Sentry.”
Older Tesla vehicles are being upgraded, so owners can experience the newest pieces of the company’s technology without having to buy a whole new car. For the Model S owner, his 2017 sedan now runs on the same hardware that Tesla’s latest vehicles operate on, giving it full range to drive and maneuver with the help of the company’s FSD suite. Not only does this increase the value of an older car immediately for owners, but it also contributes to safer driving conditions for Tesla owners and other vehicles on the road.
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Tesla has started to deploy the 2026 Summer Update to owners across its fleet, and among the biggest changes are improvements to Navigation, a new startup animation for the Model 3 and Model Y, Caraoke scoring, and new capabilities for Grok.
As the update has started making its way to some cars, we can now see a few of the features operating in real-time. We will show you what some of the new features look like in this article, along with some additional details on what changed.
Not all of the new features in the 2026 Summer Update have quite made an appearance, but some of them have, so we’ll show those here:
New Animation Screen for 3/Y
Tesla is rolling out a new startup animation for Tesla Model 3 and Model Y owners. This is present in Launch Edition and Performance Model 3 and Model Y, but other trim levels do not have anything like this.
The new animation screen on Model 3/Y with the 2026 Summer Update
Apparently color will also be customizable: pic.twitter.com/wSdwggtG3S
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) July 27, 2026
Owners can adjust the color associated with the startup animation to suit their preferences. It is a surprise that more automakers do not focus on this animation for their vehicles; it can be a great first impression piece and make the car immediately feel more luxurious.
Tesla has included this on more premium trims, but it is nice to see it on the Model 3 and Model Y.
Grok Improvements
Grok can now adjust more things in the car outside of the Navigation system. Now, drivers can adjust anything from climate to driving settings by simply speaking to the AI assistant in the car:
@Tesla‘s AI assistant (Grok) with its new vehicle commands in action.
Set the climate, your destination and vehicle settings all in one go! pic.twitter.com/0bBTqaAk6G
— Not a Tesla App (@NotATeslaApp) July 28, 2026
You don’t even have to push a button, either. Instead, you can just say “Hey, Grok,” if you have it enabled. That feature rolled out with the 2026 Spring Update just a few months back.
This is a great feature, especially pertinent for the Robotaxi platform, as there will be no buttons inside the Cybercab when it eventually starts giving rides to the public. It also broadens Grok’s capabilities, which were relatively limited in terms of vehicle setting adjustments beforehand.
Tesla briefly offered one Robotaxi part in its Parts Catalog for your personal car, only to remove it just a short time after it was first noticed.
Tesla’s Robotaxi camera washer apparatus was briefly available for purchase on the company’s Online Parts Catalog. The camera washer was first noticed on Model Y Robotaxi vehicles about six months ago in Austin.
🚨 Tesla looks to have installed Camera Washers on the side repeater cameras on Robotaxis in Austin
pic.twitter.com/xemRtDtlRR— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) January 23, 2026
First noticed by Not a Tesla App, the Camera Washer entries appeared for the new “Juniper” Model Y under a category called “Halo,” which has also now disappeared. Interestingly, Halo probably is related to Tesla’s internal “Project Halo,” which was a project that aimed to retrofit customer-owned Model Ys into functional Robotaxis.
This hardware addition would likely be required for the vehicle to operate as a Robotaxi, as the Camera Washer seems to be a non-negotiable part of the vision-based system Tesla utilizes for self-driving efforts.
However, this part has since been removed and is no longer visible on the EPC.
Now the true question lingers: Why would Tesla add this Camera Washer to the Model Y parts catalog? Is it planning to make it available for owners to utilize on their own cars for personal use, or will it become a prerequisite for Robotaxi operation in customer-owned cars?
While discussing the upgrade options for Hardware 3 vehicles during the Q1 Earnings Call, Tesla CEO Elon Musk had said that the company could establish small, satellite shops that would upgrade cameras and self-driving computers. Perhaps this same strategy could be utilized for vehicles that want to be included in Robotaxi but do not have the correct hardware.
AI4 is currently represented as capable of unsupervised self-driving, and the same was said about HW3 at one point, only for Tesla to admit last quarter that it would, unfortunately, not be possible. Perhaps AI4 vehicles might need this camera washer as a prerequisite, just as HW3 cars will need that camera and computer upgrade.
This could be the first hint of that’s where we are headed.
Tesla has started rolling out a broader change to the ride experience for its Robotaxi fleet by silencing turn signals, but the change is certainly polarizing.
Tesla has generally made it clear that its purpose-built ride-hailing platform, Robotaxi, will cater to the rider in nearly every way possible. This includes having climate preferences, music, and other personal settings loaded up in the car as the rider enters.
But Tesla is taking it a step further by muting turn signal chimes altogether, a change that appears to be a way to make the ride more peaceful:
Tesla has finally turned off the blinker/turn signal noises in their Model Y Robotaxis.
This is a small update, but will definitely be noticeable for riders. It didn’t really make much sense to leave the turn signal sound on when it’s Unsupervised. pic.twitter.com/ITwx60PAMO
— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) July 27, 2026
However, there are a handful of people who are not thrilled about this change. Turn signals are a conditioned part of the human mind for those who ride in a car regularly.
Taking a turn without one feels strange and odd, and not hearing it click while activated could set off some alarms for riders, who might use the noise as confirmation that other drivers know of their intention to turn.
I kind of like it being on, threw me off when riding with Zoox who has had it disabled
— Dan Burkland (@DBurkland) July 27, 2026
Turn signal noises are still audible in customer cars, so if you use FSD in your personal vehicle, you will still hear the turn signal.
The move is certainly one that is unique, but not one that separates it from other ride-sharing services. In a normal car, the clicking sound confirms to the driver that the blinker is active. In a fully driverless Robotaxi, that feedback serves no purpose for passengers, other than peace of mind.
Tesla unlocks in-car web conferencing to extend Google Meet, Teams and beyond
Tesla Summer Update begins rolling out: a look at the new features
