FSD Transfer Confusion.

[Crissa]

LOL

This is Tesla, insurance will likely be purchased through the app on the phone. There might be an FAQ. Good luck chasing a person down to ask questions to.

The app lets you ask questions. Also... They're a bit more concerned with answering while they're waiting for your money.

-Crissa

 

[Bill906]

I know some people use a lease to “buy” a car which is out of their price-range, but it’s a bad financial choice.

I had done that in the past, wanted a car I couldn't afford to buy. 2005 was the last time I leased a vehicle. I do remember the only advantage I could find for leasing vs. buying is, at least back then, you only paid tax on the part of the car you leased.

 

[Ogre]

I had done that in the past, wanted a car I couldn't afford to buy. 2005 was the last time I leased a vehicle. I do remember the only advantage I could find for leasing vs. buying is, at least back then, you only paid tax on the part of the car you leased.

If you have a business, you can expense the lease payment instead of using depreciation.

It’s a pretty big advantage, but not one individuals can usually enjoy.

 

[LoneWolfO6]

I am very skeptical of this claim.

There was an instance a few years ago where someone bought a used Tesla that included FSD, which was deleted by Tesla post-sale. However, this was determined to be a mistake, and Telsa later restored FSD.

All messaging from Tesla says that the FSD license conveys with the vehicle.

Please let me know who I have to talk to to get FSD back on my 2018 M3. I purchased it last year with full self driving and the minute it was taken off the truck and parked in my drive, the vehicle updated and as result the FSD was removed in less than 25 minutes of ownership. I called several numbers, and talked to sales rep and Tesla Customer Service and both said yes it was sold with FSD and I would have to take it to a service center to have it reinstalled. Well the service center said unless I can show them a bill of sale that showed the FSD they would not install and I would have to purchase again. "Full Self Driving Capable" does not mean it stays with the vehicle in my experience??!!!

 

[LoneWolfO6]

FSD stays with the car in a private sale, just like any other option. I'm surprised that Zack and Jessie would get that wrong. I haven't seen any of their videos in a few years, but they always struck me as pretty knowledgeable about Tesla stuff.

Here are 3 scenarios I know of where FSD didn't/doesn't transfer to a new owner:

1. A few were mistakes on private sales when the new owner went to register account access with Tesla. Some of those were actually a mistake where Tesla delivered a brand new car to an owner with FSD turned on by mistake (and for free). When the car was sold, Tesla found out that FSD was not paid for and removed it when the new owner requested account access.

2. If Tesla buys your car with FSD, they can remove FSD to sell it without it. They can make more money from the new owner to unlock FSD again, or make the car more affordable without FSD. If Tesla offers a fair price for the car and the first owner is satisfied with the money, who cares what Tesla does with it? It becomes their property again to do what they please with. Same with the new owner -- if they think the price is worth it who cares about the history or presence of FSD?

3. If Tesla takes your older Tesla car on trade-in and sells it at auction to a major reseller, they can stipulate that FSD doesn't transfer over. Once again, it's Tesla's car before the end of the auction and they can do what they want with it. There have been reports of Teslas bought from Vroom or Carvana or CarMax or other similar resellers that showed FSD as active on the test drive or on the touchscreen, only to be removed when the new owner registered for account access with Tesla. In this scenario, I believe Tesla can do better. If they sell the car at auction and one of the conditions is that FSD doesn't transfer, then Tesla should immediately push an update to the car and disable the FSD. This way potential or new owners don't get misled. Or alternatively, make the reseller agree to keep paperwork in the car that informs the potential or future owner that the car does not come with FSD.

This is why it's a good idea to keep the Monroney sheet or receipt that shows your car has FSD. If you sell the car, let the new owner have it as proof. It also helps in case it gets taken away by mistake.

#3 Guess there is my answer, it is sad that Tesla can sell a vehicle, and not remove the FSD at that time?! It is misleading to sell a vehicle with FSD price knowing that it could be removed after purchase.

 

[happy intruder]

According to the generally held consensus on these forms, full self driving is supposed to transfer from you to the new owner of your old Tesla. That is, unless you sell it back to Tesla. At that point they remove full self driving and sell it again to the new owner if they choose that option. I just watched the most recent NOW YOU KNOW. They state, multiple times, that FSD is removed from your car by Tesla when you sell the vehicle and it is registered to the new owner at which point Tesla sells FSD at the new, higher current price.



What is the reality? FSD is currently a McGuffin, a Holy Grail. I reserved FSD at $7000 in case this becomes a reality before my Cybertruck is delivered knowing it would be several years before I get CT. If I ever choose to sell CT or gift it to a relative I want the asset I paid for to transfer completely. If it is deleted by Big Tesla because they get greedy and want to resell software with every private transfer of ownership then they will lose my purchase of FSD from the start.

I think of you purchase or buy FSD for your car, it should remain with you as part of the car....it is yours....I am not sure Tesla can arbitrarily take it off your car if you gift it or sell it to anyone except Tesla.......I dont believe we are just using the fed software.....we own it.....a good trial attorney might be smarter than me......bit I f I get that crap on the CT, I willl tell then to place it where the sun dont shine

 

[John K]

If Tesla buys a vehicle back with FSD, the pay for FSD in the purchase. If they remove (turn off) and sell the vehicle without FSD, they sell a vehicle at a value without FSD.

why would we think this practice unethical?
I am not stating Tesla is doing this action. If purchased with FSD, then Tesla should be held to the contract agreement.

 

[Jhodgesatmb]

If Tesla buys a vehicle back with FSD, the pay for FSD in the purchase. If they remove (turn off) and sell the vehicle without FSD, they sell a vehicle at a value without FSD.

why would we think this practice unethical?
I am not stating Tesla is doing this action. If purchased with FSD, then Tesla should be held to the contract agreement.

If Tesla buys the vehicle from someone, regardless of whether it had FSD enabled or not they can do what they want to with it. I think that most people are concerned about 2 scenarios: (1) what Tesla offers as tradein on a vehicle someone bought that had FSD on it, and (2) what if anything Tesla does to a car that has FSD on it and is sold by and bought by private individuals.

If I bought FSD for my car and I sell it, then I want to recoup that cost (or the current value) when I sell it. It might be easier to trade in to Tesla but if they don't give a fair price then I would be inclined to sell it privately and it is then a big issue for me what happens to that FSD for the buyer.

It would be much easier for the owner to have the FSD transfer with them instead of the vehicle. The only problem is that there is extra hardware in the car for FSD, so even if your license transferred you would have to pay for the extra hardware in the next car. I would be willing to do that as long as I get the price of that hardware in the sales price of the car I am selling.

I am sure that there are many scenarios that could be implemented that are better for the owner than the current one.

 

[Ogre]

It would be much easier for the owner to have the FSD transfer with them instead of the vehicle. The only problem is that there is extra hardware in the car for FSD, so even if your license transferred you would have to pay for the extra hardware in the next car. I would be willing to do that as long as I get the price of that hardware in the sales price of the car I am selling.

All of the newer Teslas have the same hardware and are capable of FSD. There are some older Teslas which need to be upgraded to run the current version of FSD, but since it goes with the car this isn’t an issue.

 

[thedownwardmachine]

I found this thread while trying to figure out why my Model S has FSD paid for on the window sticker, but doesn't have it or any associated features (autopark, summon, etc).

I bought the car from a third party reseller, who bought it at auction. The vehicle's previous owner is listed in Carfax as a corporate owner for 2 yr 2 mo.

The original window sticker came with the vehicle, indicating both the VIN and that "Full Self-Driving Capability" was included as a $6000 option.

I have successfully had Tesla recognize me as the owner and I am able to access the vehicle in the Tesla app, which indicates that FSD is available for purchase at $12000, or for subscription at $199/mo.

I have taken the vehicle to a Tesla service center for other issues, and they aren't sure why the vehicle lacks FSD, but they "believe it has to do with Autopilot being linked to the previous customer's account". I have no idea who the previous owner is and I doubt they want to hear from me.

I've called Tesla software assistance to find out why the vehicle used to have FSD but doesn't now, and they say I need to ask whoever I bought the vehicle from why it doesn't have FSD. I pointed out that since only Tesla can remove FSD, only Tesla can tell me why FSD is missing, but they stonewalled. I kept up the line of inquiry but they kept stonewalling and literally said "we can keep going in circles" at one point.

So, this is definitely a case of Tesla removing FSD from a car. The third-party reseller never represented the vehicle as having FSD, so I'm not upset, but it does make me wonder -- how can Tesla remove a feature from a vehicle when it has already been paid for?

The only reasonable thing I can think of is if the vehicle was leased by Tesla, who then removed FSD before putting it to auction. I'd understand that because at that point it's their vehicle, but then I'd have to ask -- why would Tesla put the vehicle to auction? It has no accidents, it's three years old, and it has lower mileage than other CPO cars on their site.

So it is a mystery. I probably won't get FSD, and though I feel like because the car *had* it, it should *have* it, ultimately it's not that big a deal. I still get to drive a really cool car and live a comfortable life in a peaceful country, so there is still plenty to be happy about.

 

[Jhodgesatmb]

Sorry to hear about your pain. My understanding is that the only way anyone can get FSD on a used Tesla is to buy it 'directly' from the individual that paid for it originally. If it goes through any dealership then it is gone. Don't ask me how or why because I don't know. I wish they wouldn't do these bait-and-switch things but dealers pretend to be ignorant when they aren't. You might, if you go through a lot of pain, get the $6,000 back but you would still have to pony up the $12,000 for FSD if you think it is worth it. Otherwise you can try to push this paperwork onto Tesla and see if they will budge, but I suspect that only a class action suit would get them to change their behavior.

To answer a question you had, FSD is part hardware and part software. Tesla is not going to take the hardware out of the car, but they can disable the software and that is probably what they do.

 

[android04]

I found this thread while trying to figure out why my Model S has FSD paid for on the window sticker, but doesn't have it or any associated features (autopark, summon, etc).

I bought the car from a third party reseller, who bought it at auction. The vehicle's previous owner is listed in Carfax as a corporate owner for 2 yr 2 mo.

The original window sticker came with the vehicle, indicating both the VIN and that "Full Self-Driving Capability" was included as a $6000 option.

I have successfully had Tesla recognize me as the owner and I am able to access the vehicle in the Tesla app, which indicates that FSD is available for purchase at $12000, or for subscription at $199/mo.

I have taken the vehicle to a Tesla service center for other issues, and they aren't sure why the vehicle lacks FSD, but they "believe it has to do with Autopilot being linked to the previous customer's account". I have no idea who the previous owner is and I doubt they want to hear from me.

I've called Tesla software assistance to find out why the vehicle used to have FSD but doesn't now, and they say I need to ask whoever I bought the vehicle from why it doesn't have FSD. I pointed out that since only Tesla can remove FSD, only Tesla can tell me why FSD is missing, but they stonewalled. I kept up the line of inquiry but they kept stonewalling and literally said "we can keep going in circles" at one point.

So, this is definitely a case of Tesla removing FSD from a car. The third-party reseller never represented the vehicle as having FSD, so I'm not upset, but it does make me wonder -- how can Tesla remove a feature from a vehicle when it has already been paid for?

The only reasonable thing I can think of is if the vehicle was leased by Tesla, who then removed FSD before putting it to auction. I'd understand that because at that point it's their vehicle, but then I'd have to ask -- why would Tesla put the vehicle to auction? It has no accidents, it's three years old, and it has lower mileage than other CPO cars on their site.

So it is a mystery. I probably won't get FSD, and though I feel like because the car *had* it, it should *have* it, ultimately it's not that big a deal. I still get to drive a really cool car and live a comfortable life in a peaceful country, so there is still plenty to be happy about.

Two possible reasons why it doesn't have FSD:

1. You said it was sold through auction. There are cases where Tesla will sell a car traded back to them or returned from lease to a reseller that seems at auction. The terms could be that FSD is not included in the transfer.

2. The car could have been originally ordered with FSD and is why the Monroney sticker shows it, but delivery could have been refused or fallen through for some reason. Then Tesla could have sold it to someone else that was waiting on a similar configuration, but without FSD. So the car could have never been delivered to any customer with FSD, but the sticker still shows it.

 

[Crissa]

I found this thread while trying to figure out why my Model S has FSD paid for on the window sticker, but doesn't have it or any associated features (autopark, summon, etc).

I bought the car from a third party reseller, who bought it at auction. The vehicle's previous owner is listed in Carfax as a corporate owner for 2 yr 2 mo.

The original window sticker came with the vehicle, indicating both the VIN and that "Full Self-Driving Capability" was included as a $6000 option.

...

So it is a mystery. I probably won't get FSD, and though I feel like because the car *had* it, it should *have* it, ultimately it's not that big a deal. I still get to drive a really cool car and live a comfortable life in a peaceful country, so there is still plenty to be happy about.

Service center people wouldn't know. They aren't exactly high enough on the chain.

But if you have the original window sticker, they owe you FSD. At some point the car was reset and someone forgot to put it on. You don't have any way to know FSD was ever included other than the window sticker.

The auction was fraudulent if they sold you a car without checking that all the parts were in fact there that they said were. And a $12,000 part is worth suing over.

The fastest path may be to continue elevating your case at the service center; but a photo of the window sticker and a photo of your car's FSD status in the car forwarded on Twitter to a few notable accounts (and here) might get the media attention you need to prod the machine into working.

There's no method that FSD could be 'on the previous account' and on the window sticker.

-Crissa