Chuck
Well-Known Member
- First Name
- Chuck
- Joined
- May 13, 2021
- Threads
- 96
- Messages
- 1,258
- Reaction score
- 1,775
- Location
- SoCal
- Vehicles
- Mustang Mach E 2021
- Thread starter
- #1
I always wanted an EV. I wanted the power without the noise. It was alluring. So, when Tesla announced the Model 3 for $35,000 in 2016. I immediately put down $1,000 deposit on the car. A year later it was clear that the Model 3 would cost about $51,000, not $35,000. I felt somewhat betrayed and canceled my order and got my deposit back.
I'm a big Ford fan. I owned 4 mustangs leading up to the Mach E. I've driven over a half a million miles in Mustangs. Then comes along the Mustang Mach E. It was, at the time, on a similar par with the Model 3 only it was an SUV. I followed the Mach E from afar. Then in April of 2021 I decided to drive 40 miles over to Galpin Ford, the world's largest Ford dealer, to see a Mach E in person. At the time it took months to get a Mach E when ordering one from Ford. Once I got to Galpin I fell in love. It was a beautiful Red premium RWD Mach E. The salesman gave me the keys and told me to drive it. I spent 30 minutes on the 405 and surface streets and I knew I wanted the car. We made a deal, I signed the papers and went home. My wife said, "How did you like the car?." I said, "it'll be here tomorrow."
That was beginning of this five year adventure with the MME. At the time it didn't have Hands Free Blue Cruise, but I didn't care, I was in love. It wasn't until a year later that my dealer was able to install HFBC. It took them 3 tries over a period of 3 weeks to get Hands Free Blue Cruise 1.0 installed and working. They were happy to take the time because they saw the future of cars to be EVs as Ford was preaching. I was happy to get HFBC but my happiness didn't last long. It worked, sort of. Sadly, it only worked on freeways but all of the freeways here in SoCal are mapped. Sort of. There were many curves where HFBC dropped out of hands free into hands on. It'll get better over time. I was getting updates relatively frequently, mostly for things I didn't care about.
I've been in tech my entire career so I decided to join the Early Adopter program. I got some things earlier than others. Then, in December 2023 Ford installed Blue Cruise 1.4. It was significantly better than 1.0. Many of the dropouts were gone. Not all, but it was much better. That lasted throughout the entire year of 2024 and I was feeling good about it. Then at the end of the year Ford downgraded me to BC 1.3. It wasn't as bad as 1.0 but it was a noticeable drop in Blue Cruise performance. To say I was miffed was an understatement. I always assumed that 1.4 (or later) would be coming since I was proof that it worked on my 2021. Yet, it never did.
Then the software updates stopped somewhere about a year ago. Nothing. Silence. But, alas, I finally got an upgrade a few weeks ago after the long drought. Sigh, it was an upgrade for Sirius, something I don't even use. It would appear that the life of my car has ended in the eyes of Ford. I still love the beauty of this red Mach E. The lines of the car are gorgeous, the interior is warm and comfortable with all the right buttons, but the technology, in Ford's new EV vision, appears to be at end of life.
This forum has been so helpful to me. I was able to change the 12v batter on my own with the help of the forum. I was able to cut out the + and - openings to the 12v battery with the help of this forum. I was able to put in a physical rear hatch button with the help of this forum. I found the place to buy PPF for the B and C pillars with the help of this forum. You folks are great and many go out of their way to help others. It's been a great experience.
So, I'm sad to say, that yesterday was my last day with my beautiful first EV. I exchanged it for a 2026 Tesla Model Y Juniper. I won't gone on about the Y as this is a Mach E forum, but I will say that Tesla hasn't neglected the technology over the last 5 years.
I'm a big Ford fan. I owned 4 mustangs leading up to the Mach E. I've driven over a half a million miles in Mustangs. Then comes along the Mustang Mach E. It was, at the time, on a similar par with the Model 3 only it was an SUV. I followed the Mach E from afar. Then in April of 2021 I decided to drive 40 miles over to Galpin Ford, the world's largest Ford dealer, to see a Mach E in person. At the time it took months to get a Mach E when ordering one from Ford. Once I got to Galpin I fell in love. It was a beautiful Red premium RWD Mach E. The salesman gave me the keys and told me to drive it. I spent 30 minutes on the 405 and surface streets and I knew I wanted the car. We made a deal, I signed the papers and went home. My wife said, "How did you like the car?." I said, "it'll be here tomorrow."
That was beginning of this five year adventure with the MME. At the time it didn't have Hands Free Blue Cruise, but I didn't care, I was in love. It wasn't until a year later that my dealer was able to install HFBC. It took them 3 tries over a period of 3 weeks to get Hands Free Blue Cruise 1.0 installed and working. They were happy to take the time because they saw the future of cars to be EVs as Ford was preaching. I was happy to get HFBC but my happiness didn't last long. It worked, sort of. Sadly, it only worked on freeways but all of the freeways here in SoCal are mapped. Sort of. There were many curves where HFBC dropped out of hands free into hands on. It'll get better over time. I was getting updates relatively frequently, mostly for things I didn't care about.
I've been in tech my entire career so I decided to join the Early Adopter program. I got some things earlier than others. Then, in December 2023 Ford installed Blue Cruise 1.4. It was significantly better than 1.0. Many of the dropouts were gone. Not all, but it was much better. That lasted throughout the entire year of 2024 and I was feeling good about it. Then at the end of the year Ford downgraded me to BC 1.3. It wasn't as bad as 1.0 but it was a noticeable drop in Blue Cruise performance. To say I was miffed was an understatement. I always assumed that 1.4 (or later) would be coming since I was proof that it worked on my 2021. Yet, it never did.
Then the software updates stopped somewhere about a year ago. Nothing. Silence. But, alas, I finally got an upgrade a few weeks ago after the long drought. Sigh, it was an upgrade for Sirius, something I don't even use. It would appear that the life of my car has ended in the eyes of Ford. I still love the beauty of this red Mach E. The lines of the car are gorgeous, the interior is warm and comfortable with all the right buttons, but the technology, in Ford's new EV vision, appears to be at end of life.
This forum has been so helpful to me. I was able to change the 12v batter on my own with the help of the forum. I was able to cut out the + and - openings to the 12v battery with the help of this forum. I was able to put in a physical rear hatch button with the help of this forum. I found the place to buy PPF for the B and C pillars with the help of this forum. You folks are great and many go out of their way to help others. It's been a great experience.
So, I'm sad to say, that yesterday was my last day with my beautiful first EV. I exchanged it for a 2026 Tesla Model Y Juniper. I won't gone on about the Y as this is a Mach E forum, but I will say that Tesla hasn't neglected the technology over the last 5 years.
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