Boycotting 6.8

[kw2020]

I enjoy using BlueCruise in my Mach-e, but I enjoy driving my Chevy Bolt more, because it feels like it was designed for EV drivers... especially the instrument cluster.

The instrument cluster of the Mach-e has always bothered me... particularly the lack of any m/kwh info, but also the fact that I cannot adjust the steering wheel lower without blocking important information (I really do like to know what cruising speed the car has arbitrarily decided to set, based on questionable map data).

With that, I post some "mach-ups" of what I think would be a better instrument cluster. Maybe @Ford Motor Company will take notice.

Seriously - Doesn’t take a genius to figure out you could give us a much more useful display. This mock up is 10x better than anything we’ve had to date. Ford: take this design - it’s free - and run with it.

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[DanoiZ]

What a week it has been. It started out with the excitement of my car's OTA train starting up leading to BC 1.3. But ended with me lamenting the future loss of the driver experience that has defined my interaction with my car for nearly three years. Yes, I am talking about losing the center speedometer and efficiency animations to be replaced by the, frankly ugly, driving assistance bubble that I absolutely detest and avoid. The MachE has always looked best in the evening and driving home in the dark tonight, I have seriously come to the conclusion that I think I will disable OTA's after 6.7. Yes, the existing experience is worth more to me than BC 1.3, and I have already ordered the 3 year extension (now with regret).

And so I got to thinking about how my silent protest might play out. I can refuse all future CSP's. I can refuse to allow a technician to do anything that requires a data connection. Tires, wipers, air filter, windshield; check, change those at will. I can refuse to have mandatory recalls with software updates completed.

<PAUSE/>

Oh wait, there is a legitimate safety recall on the HVBJB that includes a software update. Just how likely is it that update will be compatible with any random version of software on the car? Just how likely is that to be the case for the next 5, 7, 10 years for any recall? If I have the recall performed, just how likely is my car going to come back with the very update I do not want, to get the one I need? If Ford is required to fix these cars, how does that play out for them (rhetorical, I know the answer based upon a Prius recall I refused to have done)? But that does not mean it is right. Wouldn't it be great if NHTSA made them fix my car and return it to me in the same configuration that I took it in with? One can dream...

So to @Ford Motor Company, I just want to say thank you for taking what has been a great experience for nearly 3 years and turning it into something quite the opposite. Thanks for doing something that was completely unnecessary or only necessary because it was likely cheaper and simpler for someone to implement.

And to the rest of the forum, I also want to say thank you. Thank you for letting me know about this before I had no choice. And thank you for giving me an option, at least for a little while.

Wish I knew before this f’n god awful update was applied to my 22 GT. So pissed! ?

 

[mattyhillnepp]

Well, Ford has heard our complaints.

*quoted from another thread:



Also, here's a recording of a representative from Ford regarding the issue:

I work in software.

That is something we say EVERY time a segment of customers doesn’t like an update.

glad to know it actually gives people hope. Meanwhile, while roadmapping we simply note that people would like the change reverted and move on with the meeting.

 

[Kamuelaflyer]

Meanwhile, while roadmapping we simply note that people would like the change reverted and move on with the meeting

I believe the odds of it being changed are quite low really. Or perhaps it’ll be in the same type of timeline as the remote frunk release in job 1 cars. 3 years and counting and still not pushed to most. Roberts’s even many, job 1 cars.

If you haven’t gotten 6.8 and this change bothers you, turn automatic updates off. Just be aware that skipping 6.8 also means no BC update.

 

[Reign of Ravens]

Too bad we're unlikely to get Apple "CarPlay 2.0" (phone also casts to the dash and displays data from the car on there) ported backward to our current cars. If we could get that, I'd say Ford could do what ever they wanted - CarPlay owns my main display. I liked the old dash (in Unbridled and Whisper - didn't really like the Engage screen) but trust Apple to get something even more appealing.

Granted, whether it's Apple or Ford, I'd love to be able to customize the screen... probably won't happen with our cars, but maybe on cars in the future.

 

[DanoiZ]

I believe the odds of it being changed are quite low really. Or perhaps it’ll be in the same type of timeline as the remote frunk release in job 1 cars. 3 years and counting and still not pushed to most. Roberts’s even many, job 1 cars.

If you haven’t gotten 6.8 and this change bothers you, turn automatic updates off. Just be aware that skipping 6.8 also means no BC update.

I wish I had been paying attention. I hardly ever use BC so could less about it.

 

[azerik]

I work in software.

glad to know it actually gives people hope. Meanwhile, while roadmapping we simply note that people would like the change reverted and move on with the meeting.

"Why is the car in the middle always now?"
"I don't know let me call design"
"Design responded 3 weeks ago, they didn't ask for it, let me check with the devs"
"I'm still working on finding the manager of the dev group that handles UI now"
"That manager left, Billy was filling in while they try to find another manager"
"Billy quit showing up to work"
"We hired a new manager, they're getting up to speed"
"Oh yeah the car in the middle thing, let me ask him"
"No I havn't heard back from the new manager, let me check again"
"He's still waiting on a laptop and his permissions to get ok'd"
"Oh yeah maybe he could just ask around"
"He's got no idea who runs the UI team"
"Oddly I guess he never knew he runs the UI team"
"He's reaching out to the team"
"UI didn't do it"
"Yeah lets see if someone can look at SVN"
"Oh here it is, Ravi committed 'I have no idea why 400 pixel clear gif is here'"
"Lets get Ravi to put back the clear thing"
"Ravi quit right after that commit"
"Ok so where's the gif?"
"Oh that was on Ravi's laptop we just imaged to give the new manager"
"Ok I'll get a story on the back log to make another 200 pixel clear jpg"
"They should be able to get to this in Q4"
"Yep they got the clear bmp thing all figured out, pushing QA next week"
"Oh they did it wrong, going to make another, this time a gif"
"Yep, next week testing for sure"
"Oh QA is out for some kind of holiday. I don't know what it is, just something about 2 weeks."
"Yep QA will look at it this week"
"They said the car is now on the left. Close enough yeah?"
"Why is the car on the left? Isn't that what you wanted? What you mean it was always on the right? The new cars always had it in the middle. Should it' be in the middle?"
"Yeah I'll call design again"
"Design said that's a function of the driver assistance. Who runs that team? Billy now, I see."

 

[mattyhillnepp]

"Why is the car in the middle always now?"
"I don't know let me call design"
"Design responded 3 weeks ago, they didn't ask for it, let me check with the devs"
"I'm still working on finding the manager of the dev group that handles UI now"
"That manager left, Billy was filling in while they try to find another manager"
"Billy quit showing up to work"
"We hired a new manager, they're getting up to speed"
"Oh yeah the car in the middle thing, let me ask him"
"No I havn't heard back from the new manager, let me check again"
"He's still waiting on a laptop and his permissions to get ok'd"
"Oh yeah maybe he could just ask around"
"He's got no idea who runs the UI team"
"Oddly I guess he never knew he runs the UI team"
"He's reaching out to the team"
"UI didn't do it"
"Yeah lets see if someone can look at SVN"
"Oh here it is, Ravi committed 'I have no idea why 400 pixel clear gif is here'"
"Lets get Ravi to put back the clear thing"
"Ravi quit right after that commit"
"Ok so where's the gif?"
"Oh that was on Ravi's laptop we just imaged to give the new manager"
"Ok I'll get a story on the back log to make another 200 pixel clear jpg"
"They should be able to get to this in Q4"
"Yep they got the clear bmp thing all figured out, pushing QA next week"
"Oh they did it wrong, going to make another, this time a gif"
"Yep, next week testing for sure"
"Oh QA is out for some kind of holiday. I don't know what it is, just something about 2 weeks."
"Yep QA will look at it this week"
"They said the car is now on the left. Close enough yeah?"
"Why is the car on the left? Isn't that what you wanted? What you mean it was always on the right? The new cars always had it in the middle. Should it' be in the middle?"
"Yeah I'll call design again"
"Design said that's a function of the driver assistance. Who runs that team? Billy now, I see."

That is far too involved.
Probably more like:

“social media is saying people don’t like the car in the middle”

“ok. Tell them we’re going to take that into consideration”

End.

 

[Nogas4me]

What a week it has been. It started out with the excitement of my car's OTA train starting up leading to BC 1.3. But ended with me lamenting the future loss of the driver experience that has defined my interaction with my car for nearly three years. Yes, I am talking about losing the center speedometer and efficiency animations to be replaced by the, frankly ugly, driving assistance bubble that I absolutely detest and avoid. The MachE has always looked best in the evening and driving home in the dark tonight, I have seriously come to the conclusion that I think I will disable OTA's after 6.7. Yes, the existing experience is worth more to me than BC 1.3, and I have already ordered the 3 year extension (now with regret).



Mailguy, I totally agree with you on the display change. It was beautiful (the flowing blue screen was gorgeous) .. now a stupid car stuck in the middle of the screen doing NOTHING!!! In addition to your boycott we all need to hammer the "Record Feedback" function on the main screen in the car. I use it every time I get in the car to complain about the change. We all need to start inundating Ford on it until they change it back or at least have an option where we can set what we like. We need to be considerate and respectful when leaving voice messages but be firm. Ford wants its customers to be happy, I presume, so they will probably address this in an upcoming OTA fix. If not my voice feedbacks will continue.

 

[azerik]

That is far too involved.
Probably more like:

“social media is saying people don’t like the car in the middle”

“ok. Tell them we’re going to take that into consideration”

End.

This forum isn’t social media. Not in the scale they pay attention to anyway. 90% of the people here already bought and possibly sold the car. A car company can really only car about future sales, be it new or repeat. The poor soul that’s been the FMC account has probably changed hands more times then they’ve asked for a VIN number. That’s why I feel complaining on this forum falls on deaf ears as it’s not the public shit show that will actually cost sales and skew views. Until that starts happening I don’t see anything we actually suffer with getting far enough up the chain that Ford takes notice. It’ll have to be an X/youtube mutiny the way I see it. I had to play that game with Panasonic a decade back.

 

[mattyhillnepp]

This forum isn’t social media. Not in the scale they pay attention to anyway. 90% of the people here already bought and possibly sold the car. A car company can really only car about future sales, be it new or repeat. The poor soul that’s been the FMC account has probably changed hands more times then they’ve asked for a VIN number. That’s why I feel complaining on this forum falls on deaf ears as it’s not the public shit show that will actually cost sales and skew views. Until that starts happening I don’t see anything we actually suffer with getting far enough up the chain that Ford takes notice. It’ll have to be an X/youtube mutiny the way I see it. I had to play that game with Panasonic a decade back.

Social media as in social media team, which likely deals with the forums. I highly doubt that anyone at ford cares about the change, I mean I’ve never not had the car on my driver screen and at no point did I even think there was a reason or option to not have the car with the safety stuff there.

There’s probably a 50/50 chance that the feedback won’t even make it to the product team, let alone the dev team.

 

[AllenXS]

I wouldn’t call some animated lines a feature.

No its called marketing

 

[AllenXS]

Or use the turn signal when changing lanes. Vibration is gone when using signal. Some however don't believe in signaling.

You can signal?
When I was at the Tesla dealer before buying the superior car, I asked them if the turn signals were an optional extra on the Tesla.

 

[AllenXS]

You know some big words ...you know....for a CAT

Didn’t think you could say that on this forum

 

[AllenXS]

This is what will happen if Ford changes the graphics while you are driving.

Is that the new 5 second limit permanent warning?

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