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SnBGC

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Software doesn't "wear out" - ever. Assuming there are no changes to the environment, it will always run the way it was written. However, new code gets introduced into the codebase all the time, and can have unintended consequences (new bugs - "it used to work, now it doesn't"), but development teams use regression testing in an attempt to ensure everything still works as expected after new code is introduced. I say "attempt" because invariably bugs still sneak in. And the bigger the codebase the harder it is to regression test completely.

And integrations with things like Bluetooth can be a nightmare - the current version of the BT spec is 5.3, but the Mach-E's SYNC software would have been developed back when the spec was on 5.1 (no idea what version it's supports right now), so you can see it's a constantly changing environment. Has Ford kept up? Has Apple & Google? Frequent iOS and Android updates...add another layer of complexity.

But Ford needs to understand they are now a software development firm, not unlike Apple or Google or Microsoft, and it's not easy to do it right. It's also expensive to "do it right", so the financial commitment needs to be there. Good designers are expensive, good software developers are expensive, good process is expensive, good testing is expensive - all so your car unlocks when you walk up to it, and starts when you hit the button.
So that begs the question....Why does the software need to be updated so often?
It worked fine when new and worked well for 18-20 months. Doesn't work as well now. Are you saying if the updates hadn't been installed then the car would work as well as when new? If that is the case....then why does everyone want updates so badly?
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MellowJohnny

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So that begs the question....Why does the software need to be updated so often?
It worked fine when new and worked well for 18-20 months. Doesn't work as well now. Are you saying if the updates hadn't been installed then the car would work as well as when new? If that is the case....then why does everyone want updates so badly?
There is a popular methodology called Agile, which many, many, many software teams follow. It's essentially the idea that value can be delivered to end users in much shorter timeframes than in the past with older methodologies like Waterfall. We try to ship working, beneficial code incrementally - anywhere from multiple times a day, to a few times a week, weekly, for some even monthly is "fast". But the idea is new features, as well as bugs, get fixed frequently.

http://agilemanifesto.org/principles.html

People want updates for the above reasons - to fix broken things and to add new features. The updates are not supposed to break anything, but it obviously happens.

It's also possible that iOS or Android updates are breaking things too...hard to tell. But normally a software team would be well aware of the iOS / Android changes coming (they get a lot of advance notice) and regression test.

All this to say Ford, in my estimation, is early in their journey to transition to a "software" company. People mention Tesla all they time (who by the way apply agile principles to the building of their cars too) as having superior software, but they've got a 10 year head start, and that significant.

 

dtbaker61

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I kinda suspect the software failures are more a function of time vs a function of miles.
Software doesn't wear out, but communication between separate software can break down...

My bet is that MME and phone software diverges in compatibility after a couple updates on EITHER side. Ford *probably* tests phone compatibility at current OS versions for iPhone and Android, but I doubt the phone software testers check to make sure OS updates don't break MME software.

This is why I have decided to disable automatic MME Power-up and Sync updates, and generally disable auto-update on my phone when possible.... There really are no 'new' software features I am interested in. I'd rather avoid update 'side-effects'.

The one time I had PAAK start failing turned out to be a PHONE update that changed something in Bluetooth. Once I completely removed PAAK and BT pairings from both, and re-installed and re-configured PAAK is back to 100%.

front camera Alert/failure and related assist features.
I just started having similar issue happening, and I've only got 20k miles on mine. I dunno whether early MME had a bad harness, or the harness was prone to damage when windsheild recall was done. But, it is certainly something I'm going to try to get Dealer to address before I hit 36k miles
 

Jppumper

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Sorry to hear of your technical issues. I just turned the clock at 10k. Knock on wood, hoping for a long-term pain in the assless time.
 


Flat6

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This thread is making me think I should get the Extended Warranty. Guessing the cost of fixing these various gremlins can add up
 

HuntingPudel

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I decided to lift the negative cable for the LVB from the chassis. Waited a bit and then re-connected. Charge Locations and Departure Times now works again.
The automotive equivalent of a hard reboot. Glad you got your charge settings working again. 😊🐩
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