Sync Gen 3 Blackberry QNX w/Nav replacement for Sync Gen 2 systems

[Ungo]

Hey..I saw a few other posts where they mentioned seeing this mod but didn't find a topic dedicated to it.

 

Ford announced the new Sync Gen 3 with the Blackberry QNX and someone from Ford said if you want the new technology you have to buy a new car because it wasn't compatible with the older Ford Sync systems.

 

Well, that was a lie....these pictures were posted on the the SHO Forums. A user works for Ford or knows someone that does and modded his 2013 Ford SHO which had the Gen 2 system and replaced it with the Gen 3 system which wasn't even out yet. Here is his quote after a user asked if it was hard to replace. "It just involves taking a bunch of panel pieces apart. Ive done it on so many vehicles i just know what to look for. Its designed as a direct replacement, so no harness modifications. Only thing needed is a aftermarket antenna"

 

Someones LinkedIN Resume also has a whole part on it where it states he was responsible for reprograming Sync 2 systems to work with Sync 3 and responsible for a "Seamless transition from existing WMfA based system to QNX based system, updated by the end-user". That can be found here. http://i.imgur.com/dOrszhY.png

 

Obviously Ford was originally planning to release this for older models and for whatever reason decided against it (my guess money if they are telling people to buy new cars). You'd think they would at least give customers the option to replace it if they wanted to pay for it. Though after all the headaches we all went through with the MFT and how half the stuff promised never came to light, you'd hope they would give us some sort of discount but that is a different topic all together...

 

Anyway, I wonder if we made a big enough stink about it they would release it? Or do we have to wait for these newer cars to start getting smashed up so we can go to a junkyard to get what we should have had in ours cars anyway...

 

Here is the link where I saw it: http://www.shoforum.com/index.php?threads/new-here-2013-sho.128950/

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 13, 2015 by Ungo

[akirby]

They never said the parts weren't interchangeable or that the software wasn't compatible - just that they weren't going to offer an upgrade. Yet. I can understand that from a support standpoint. Trying to fix bugs on new hardware is hard enough - add in all of the folks trying to use it on older hardware with bad APIMS could be a nightmare. Once it's out the door and they know it's stable they might offer an upgrade.

[Waldo]

I posted pretty much exactly this same information 5 months ago:

 

http://www.fordedgeforum.com/topic/16949-new-sync-3-info/?p=121884

 

You're getting your story mixed up. Ford has said that you can't update old hardware with "Sync 3". That's because Sync 3 is a package that includes a new touch screen that allows swiping and the processor is significantly different. But they never said you couldn't buy that hardware and put it in an older vehicle. They also never said they wouldn't do a separate update with the QNX system that is compatible with the older hardware - it just wouldn't be branded "Sync 3" since it wouldn't be capable of all the Sync 3 features like swiping.

Edited April 14, 2015 by Waldo

[sabasigh]

Considering all the issues MFT had at release and the pains to get something stable… Is anyone really brave enough to jump on SYNC 3 immediately?

[omar302]

Considering all the issues MFT had at release and the pains to get something stable Is anyone really brave enough to jump on SYNC 3 immediately?

I would.

[Ungo]

I posted pretty much exactly this same information 5 months ago:

 

http://www.fordedgeforum.com/topic/16949-new-sync-3-info/?p=121884

 

You're getting your story mixed up. Ford has said that you can't update old hardware with "Sync 3". That's because Sync 3 is a package that includes a new touch screen that allows swiping and the processor is significantly different. But they never said you couldn't buy that hardware and put it in an older vehicle. They also never said they wouldn't do a separate update with the QNX system that is compatible with the older hardware - it just wouldn't be branded "Sync 3" since it wouldn't be capable of all the Sync 3 features like swiping.

 

Hmm. Yeah, your post was one of the ones I was referring to. Just didnt see a topic dedicated to upgrading the old systems. But Ford saying you have to buy a new vehicle to experience Sync 3 to me means they won't be offering it for consumers to buy for our older vehicles or won't be doing a seperate update with the QNX. I guess saying they lied was bit harsh though...I'm just jealous that the chances of us getting it our extremely low I guess.

[Waldo]

What do you mean by "offering". You will always be able to go the parts department and order any part from any car. If I wanted to update my 2014 Fusion with the new wheels that came out on the 2015, I can just go to the parts department and order them. Does that mean Ford is "offering" them to me?

 

Bottom line is the cost of a Sync 3 "upgrade kit" would have to be close to $2000 so I don't think Ford would ever get enough takers to make it worthwhile.

And again, you have to think of "Sync 3" as a marketing brand name. It's a collection of features. Not all of those features will work on the old hardware, but the brand name has nothing to do with the hardware or the operating system. What Ford has said is that they cannot make all of the "Sync 3" features available to current vehicles. That doesn't mean they can't release a "Sync 2.5" that uses the old hardware with the QNX operating system. But it's all about resources, Ford's got everyone working on the new system first, once that's done, then they can focus on an update for the old system.

Edited April 17, 2015 by Waldo

[akirby]

I think it's virtually guaranteed that we'll see a mft compatible version of the sync 3 software. It will save Ford a lot of money in support costs going forward. But I'm sure it's at least a year away.