Major Upgrade (Rewrite) Details

[akirby]

Saying the features won't work without paying a subscription is ridiculous - the author obviously doesn't understand how MFT works and the difference with Sync services.

 

As for future repairs - I'm sure there will be new APIMs with newer hardware that would be backwards compatible. Anybody know the interface between the APIM and the rest of the system?

[tpm419419]

No, Kenwood has an in-dash nav unit of their own that will connect to Sync. It's for Sync vehicles, not MFT ones.

 

Possibly not Kenwood but CNET reported last week that there is in fact a replacement for the MyFord Touch system. I'll try to find it

 

Found it

 

http://ceoutlook.com/tag/ford-sync/

Edited November 30, 2011 by tpm419419

[mrdave]

Found another article, some parts corroborate some raise more questions. Below is a link to the full article and my comments are in red.

 

http://www.thevehicleparts.com/change-the-oil-upgrade-the-firmware-the-digital-dilemma-when-cars-and-computers-collide/

That article is pretty far off the mark on a lot of points so I'd take what it states as fact with a grain of salt.

[wlepse]

Possibly not Kenwood but CNET reported last week that there is in fact a replacement for the MyFord Touch system. I'll try to find it

 

Found it

 

http://ceoutlook.com/tag/ford-sync/

Don't think that is for MFT...just sync radios. I didn't see where it said MFT and they specifically mention that it will be familiar interface for millions. I don't think there are that many MFT's in the field yet.

[tpm419419]

Don't think that is for MFT...just sync radios. I didn't see where it said MFT and they specifically mention that it will be familiar interface for millions. I don't think there are that many MFT's in the field yet.

 

According to the CNET podcast it was in fact for MFT

[Dingo]

They lied. Just talked to a Kenwood rep. It's nothing but a box that you can buy to retain sync features with a new Kenwood head unit.

[LetsTryaFord]

Well after three visits (and fixes) to my dealer they finally replaced the APIM

The screen is definitely more responsive to touch but the troubles with delay and freezing are still there. The navigation has stopped and read "fault" at least 3 times this week and can only be reset with restarting the vehicle...!!!

To be honest, all I want is this 50K POS out of my driveway, I've had enough and really can't afford wasting my time going back and fore the dealer.

Ford did a terrible job on this system and deserves all the criticism it’s getting

Lease end can't come soon enough fo me

[1duFos]

Well after three visits (and fixes) to my dealer they finally replaced the APIM

The screen is definitely more responsive to touch but the troubles with delay and freezing are still there. The navigation has stopped and read "fault" at least 3 times this week and can only be reset with restarting the vehicle...!!!

To be honest, all I want is this 50K POS out of my driveway, I've had enough and really can't afford wasting my time going back and fore the dealer.

Ford did a terrible job on this system and deserves all the criticism it’s getting

Lease end can't come soon enough fo me

 

 

So far our warranty will cover any repairs etc, can't imagine the cost when the warranty runs out and we are left holding the bag for repairs and updates if Ford can't get this mess sorted out/

[wlepse]

So far our warranty will cover any repairs etc, can't imagine the cost when the warranty runs out and we are left holding the bag for repairs and updates if Ford can't get this mess sorted out/

I would hope that any future updates to the software would be provided free via a download but you never know.

 

On a side note; does anyone think they will provide a new manual? Was just looking through what is in the owners manual and MFT manual and it seems like they would need to update this, just not sure if they intend on doing this or have done this with other revisions they have made.

[akirby]

I would hope that any future updates to the software would be provided free via a download but you never know.

 

On a side note; does anyone think they will provide a new manual? Was just looking through what is in the owners manual and MFT manual and it seems like they would need to update this, just not sure if they intend on doing this or have done this with other revisions they have made.

 

All (or at least the latest and previous one or two) manual versions are available online from www.motorcraftservice.com ->owner guides. I've never heard of Ford sending out updated manuals.

[wilsons66604]

All (or at least the latest and previous one or two) manual versions are available online from www.motorcraftservice.com ->owner guides. I've never heard of Ford sending out updated manuals.

I just downloaded version 3 of the Edge manual today. I didn't bother downloading the Touch manual...I'll wait on that one.

[wlepse]

Honestly I doubt I would use it but thought since they are planning on sending out the flash drives they may also include at least a quick guide.

[spongers]

For those not understanding why Ford is doing what they are doing, or saying they are not doing enough, read this article. I feel what most people who are having issues with the system fail to realize is that Ford is a car company. Traditionally car companies are very slow to change, and almost never provides updates to existing customers. Ford really is rewriting the book on what a car company should be, and are starting to understand what it takes to also be a software company. Food for thought for those complaining about issues and Ford's slow response.

 

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/7733934/DOC120711.pdf

[wlepse]

Can't speak for everyone but my biggest gripe is the way they have handled the issue. Ford corporate as well as my local dealer are all passing off the issues with the system on the end users if they admit to them at all. Even with this rewrite their press release comes off as a product improvement to make the screens easier to navigate rather than a fixing the bugs and improving the GUI. Most people only know about this rewrite because of what they have read here. I have never received anything from Ford indicating that there were upgrades available or on the way. Honestly I just hate when people or companies try to avoid responsibility. Every f's up..just own up to it, tell people how you are going to fix it and do it.

[akirby]

Can't speak for everyone but my biggest gripe is the way they have handled the issue. Ford corporate as well as my local dealer are all passing off the issues with the system on the end users if they admit to them at all. Even with this rewrite their press release comes off as a product improvement to make the screens easier to navigate rather than a fixing the bugs and improving the GUI. Most people only know about this rewrite because of what they have read here. I have never received anything from Ford indicating that there were upgrades available or on the way. Honestly I just hate when people or companies try to avoid responsibility. Every f's up..just own up to it, tell people how you are going to fix it and do it.

 

I guess this is where we differ. I don't care at all what they say publicly as long as they fix the problems.

[spongers]

Can't speak for everyone but my biggest gripe is the way they have handled the issue. Ford corporate as well as my local dealer are all passing off the issues with the system on the end users if they admit to them at all. Even with this rewrite their press release comes off as a product improvement to make the screens easier to navigate rather than a fixing the bugs and improving the GUI. Most people only know about this rewrite because of what they have read here. I have never received anything from Ford indicating that there were upgrades available or on the way. Honestly I just hate when people or companies try to avoid responsibility. Every f's up..just own up to it, tell people how you are going to fix it and do it.

 

Do you realize just how big Ford is as a company? Do you understand the relationship Ford has with its dealers? In most cases the dealer isn't even owned by Ford, so there is no direct path of responsibility to Ford, so if a dealer says they don't know what is going on, that isn't Ford's fault, its the dealers fault. Ford, as far as Wikipedia is concerned, has 218,000 employees itself, and this doesn't count the employees of almost 4000 dealers in its network. Do you fathom how big of a company this is? I agree, they may not have handled it eloquently, but get a grip. At least they are doing right by their existing customers, OR MORE IMPORTANTLY are at least trying to. When was the last time you heard of a car company going back to its EXISTING customers and righting a wrong in which they weren't being forced to do so by the government (recalls)??? Seriously, it never happens, ever. I am sorry you are having problems, as am I, but I am realistic about it. Submit your gripe to Ford (who by the way, no offense to the moderators of this forum, do not read this forum so your gripes are falling on deaf ears here), and move on. If you don't like the way they are handling it, sell your car. Or, realize that while it isn't perfect, and they haven't exactly handled it perfectly, so what, what company does? Does Microsoft (Windows Vista, XP, 95, Windows Phone, etc...)?? Does Apple (iPhone 4 death grip issue)? NO

 

Sorry to rant, but sheesh people. We get it, there are problems, we all have probably experienced at least one issue with MFT at one point in time since it was released. But guess what? That is the nature of software, especially on the scale Ford is trying to accomplish here, and who oh by the way is also leading the charge into an area that has NEVER been tried in an automobile either.

 

Off my soap box.

[akirby]

Do you realize just how big Ford is as a company? Do you understand the relationship Ford has with its dealers? In most cases the dealer isn't even owned by Ford, so there is no direct path of responsibility to Ford, so if a dealer says they don't know what is going on, that isn't Ford's fault, its the dealers fault. Ford, as far as Wikipedia is concerned, has 218,000 employees itself, and this doesn't count the employees of almost 4000 dealers in its network. Do you fathom how big of a company this is? I agree, they may not have handled it eloquently, but get a grip. At least they are doing right by their existing customers, OR MORE IMPORTANTLY are at least trying to. When was the last time you heard of a car company going back to its EXISTING customers and righting a wrong in which they weren't being forced to do so by the government (recalls)??? Seriously, it never happens, ever. I am sorry you are having problems, as am I, but I am realistic about it. Submit your gripe to Ford (who by the way, no offense to the moderators of this forum, do not read this forum so your gripes are falling on deaf ears here), and move on. If you don't like the way they are handling it, sell your car. Or, realize that while it isn't perfect, and they haven't exactly handled it perfectly, so what, what company does? Does Microsoft (Windows Vista, XP, 95, Windows Phone, etc...)?? Does Apple (iPhone 4 death grip issue)? NO

 

Sorry to rant, but sheesh people. We get it, there are problems, we all have probably experienced at least one issue with MFT at one point in time since it was released. But guess what? That is the nature of software, especially on the scale Ford is trying to accomplish here, and who oh by the way is also leading the charge into an area that has NEVER been tried in an automobile either.

 

Off my soap box.

 

I've been trying to explain exactly this for the last 14 months to no avail. I gave up.

[dr.edge]

Do you realize just how big Ford is as a company? Do you understand the relationship Ford has with its dealers? In most cases the dealer isn't even owned by Ford, so there is no direct path of responsibility to Ford, so if a dealer says they don't know what is going on, that isn't Ford's fault, its the dealers fault. Ford, as far as Wikipedia is concerned, has 218,000 employees itself, and this doesn't count the employees of almost 4000 dealers in its network. Do you fathom how big of a company this is? I agree, they may not have handled it eloquently, but get a grip. At least they are doing right by their existing customers, OR MORE IMPORTANTLY are at least trying to. When was the last time you heard of a car company going back to its EXISTING customers and righting a wrong in which they weren't being forced to do so by the government (recalls)??? Seriously, it never happens, ever. I am sorry you are having problems, as am I, but I am realistic about it. Submit your gripe to Ford (who by the way, no offense to the moderators of this forum, do not read this forum so your gripes are falling on deaf ears here), and move on. If you don't like the way they are handling it, sell your car. Or, realize that while it isn't perfect, and they haven't exactly handled it perfectly, so what, what company does? Does Microsoft (Windows Vista, XP, 95, Windows Phone, etc...)?? Does Apple (iPhone 4 death grip issue)? NO

 

Sorry to rant, but sheesh people. We get it, there are problems, we all have probably experienced at least one issue with MFT at one point in time since it was released. But guess what? That is the nature of software, especially on the scale Ford is trying to accomplish here, and who oh by the way is also leading the charge into an area that has NEVER been tried in an automobile either.

 

Off my soap box.

 

Let's be clear about something. The reason that Ford is doing this for their existing customers as well as everyone else, is because it would be more costly to do otherwise. It's a business decision pure and simple and to believe otherwise is pretty naive.

[wlepse]

Do you realize just how big Ford is as a company? Do you understand the relationship Ford has with its dealers? In most cases the dealer isn't even owned by Ford, so there is no direct path of responsibility to Ford, so if a dealer says they don't know what is going on, that isn't Ford's fault, its the dealers fault. Ford, as far as Wikipedia is concerned, has 218,000 employees itself, and this doesn't count the employees of almost 4000 dealers in its network. Do you fathom how big of a company this is? I agree, they may not have handled it eloquently, but get a grip. At least they are doing right by their existing customers, OR MORE IMPORTANTLY are at least trying to. When was the last time you heard of a car company going back to its EXISTING customers and righting a wrong in which they weren't being forced to do so by the government (recalls)??? Seriously, it never happens, ever. I am sorry you are having problems, as am I, but I am realistic about it. Submit your gripe to Ford (who by the way, no offense to the moderators of this forum, do not read this forum so your gripes are falling on deaf ears here), and move on. If you don't like the way they are handling it, sell your car. Or, realize that while it isn't perfect, and they haven't exactly handled it perfectly, so what, what company does? Does Microsoft (Windows Vista, XP, 95, Windows Phone, etc...)?? Does Apple (iPhone 4 death grip issue)? NO

 

Sorry to rant, but sheesh people. We get it, there are problems, we all have probably experienced at least one issue with MFT at one point in time since it was released. But guess what? That is the nature of software, especially on the scale Ford is trying to accomplish here, and who oh by the way is also leading the charge into an area that has NEVER been tried in an automobile either.

 

Off my soap box.

Wow seems like you are more uptight than I am. Yes I do understand how big Ford is and that the dealers are not owned by Ford. I also understand they are trying to fix the problem and have never said they weren't. I am just saying it doesn't sit well with me when someone tries to blame their own error on someone else. Like I said everyone makes mistakes it is how we handle the mistakes that differentiates us. I just think they could be doing a better job communicating with the owners.

 

To Akirby's comment...I agree the end result needs to be that the system works. But I still think there is a middle ground here they could have taken. I think indicating much of the issues were user error is disingenuous.

[spongers]

Let's be clear about something. The reason that Ford is doing this for their existing customers as well as everyone else, is because it would be more costly to do otherwise. It's a business decision pure and simple and to believe otherwise is pretty naive.

 

Of course it is a business decision, everything in a for-profit company is a business (money) decision. No one ever said it wasn't. But when you think about it, they didn't HAVE to give it to prior customers. They could have cut their losses and put it in new cars only, which is what every car maker in the history of cars has done. Ford didn't, regardless of whether the dollars made sense to them or not.

[spongers]

Wow seems like you are more uptight than I am. Yes I do understand how big Ford is and that the dealers are not owned by Ford. I also understand they are trying to fix the problem and have never said they weren't. I am just saying it doesn't sit well with me when someone tries to blame their own error on someone else. Like I said everyone makes mistakes it is how we handle the mistakes that differentiates us. I just think they could be doing a better job communicating with the owners.

 

To Akirby's comment...I agree the end result needs to be that the system works. But I still think there is a middle ground here they could have taken. I think indicating much of the issues were user error is disingenuous.

 

Can you point to a single written document directly from Ford (not a dealer, and NOT by word of mouth) that shows Ford says these issues were user error? I have not seen that anywhere so I would be highly interested to see it in writing directly from Ford.

[wlepse]

Can you point to a single written document directly from Ford (not a dealer, and NOT by word of mouth) that shows Ford says these issues were user error? I have not seen that anywhere so I would be highly interested to see it in writing directly from Ford.

Well I guess that is part of my point...there is very little actually in print from Ford. But they have touted that they paid to have dealers set up classes on how to use the system implying the problems were happening from improper use.

[Waldo]

I am just saying it doesn't sit well with me when someone tries to blame their own error on someone else.

 

I don't understand why you feel Ford is trying to blame someone else. I've personally sat in front of Ford's Vice President of Product Development and heard him admit it was his mistake.

[wlepse]

I don't understand why you feel Ford is trying to blame someone else. I've personally sat in front of Ford's Vice President of Product Development and heard him admit it was his mistake.

But what other owners have that opportunity?

 

In the official press release on the update: http://media.ford.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=35502 They have the following quote "While owners reported that they love the system, there were distinct areas where they wanted improvements. Earlier this year, Ford started delivering on their requests, beginning with more instructions and information on how to best utilize the capabilities of the system. Ford launched two programs modeled after what consumers experience when purchasing a new electronic device. First, the company added a new MyFord Touch owner support website featuring how-to videos at www.syncmyride.com. Second, free “SYNC My Ride” personalized training sessions for new owners are now offered through Ford dealers – scheduled at customers’ convenience. "

 

To me that reads that the owners are idiots and don't know how to use the system. While I am sure there are plenty of those out there, that isn't the reason they rewrote this software.

 

As a side note, I had no idea until now that Ford was offering personalized training sessions. Just another thing I have to find out on my own. I understand they can't send out letters each time they find/do something but being that I have contacted SMR several times you would think they would at least mention this as an option.

[spongers]

Well I guess that is part of my point...there is very little actually in print from Ford. But they have touted that they paid to have dealers set up classes on how to use the system implying the problems were happening from improper use.

 

That's your inference, not Ford's misdoing, do not blame them for something they haven't actually said or done. Implying is very different that admitting. This is my point. People are complaining like Ford owes it to them just because THEY happened to CHOOSE to buy a Ford product. If you think that is the way the world works I feel sorry for you.