Dealer wanted to charge me $1400 for updates!

[generaltso]

Is it safe to assume that MMEs that haven’t been built yet will have the latest updates applied? Or will I need to haggle with my dealer in a few months to get the latest updates?

They will have the latest updates that were available at the time. But it’s likely that more updates will be released while the car is in transit. Once Ford gets on a good cadence for OTA updates, this will become moot.

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[AKgrampy]

I think the real issue is the ridiculous price the dealer charged. Unless an hour of a tech’s time was required for each update the price was unreasonable. But with some of the stories others have shared it may take that much time and more!

 

[Drock2k1]

While it is true that they don't have to update these, what is the purpose of having a software driven vehicle that you can't update. Either these should be available for OTA or covered at the dealership. I know that their time costs money but if you don't want to deal with that or let me do these with OTAs, don't build EVs.

 

[Murse-In-Airy]

I think the real issue is the ridiculous price the dealer charged. Unless an hour of a tech’s time was required for each update the price was unreasonable. But with some of the stories others have shared it may take that much time and more!

Agreed. The price seems egregious. Seems like the dealer doesn’t want to get into the update business so he quoted a stupid high price. Some of the modules take 3 minutes to update. Some may take 4 hours or more. If it’s a 4 hour update then $200 is a good price. But overall, saying $200/module seems crazy.
That’s why I shared my story. Be armed with info and negotiate ahead of time.

 

[Sam2084]

Do you ever update your phone? Do you know what the updates are and if you really need them? Come one. silly..

Do you look through Apple developer forums and find out what changes are being made to early access people and demand that they update your phone to their level for free or do you wait until Apple pushes a free update OTA that they have take more time to vet? I wonder.

 

[SnBGC]

Sheehy Ford, Gaitherburg, MD to be exact. They say because the updates aren't recalls. Does Tesla charge for updates like this? I wish I had know this before I bought the car. I'll likely not get another Ford. Not a good experience at all.

The way it works is that Ford or Tesla sometime have over the air updates pushed to the vehicles and those are free of charge.

Sometimes owner will have an issue with their car that requires service or repair. The owner would contact their local service center, which for owners of Ford products would be a dealership nearby....perhaps even the same dealer where the vehicle was purchased but it could be any Ford dealer the owner chooses. If the fault is covered under warranty then Ford will pay for it. If not, then the owner will have to pay for the repairs.

So yeah.....if you ask your dealer to work on your vehicle when no repairs are needed then it is reasonable to expect them to want you to pay for it. Just because some updates are available doesn't mean your car needs them installed. Those are usually for customer cars that are experiencing issues.

I don't know any service facility that is going to want to install software for no reason and do it for free.

What symptoms are you having?

 

[tomterky]

Why does Ford advertise this product as having OTA's if they don't use them? I know mine, built Jan 9, 2021 hasn't been getting all of the OTA's...even now my walk up unlock feature doesn't work. I know there's something out there for that thank you to this forum.

I'm getting all of this updated when I go in next week for my windshield/panel glass recall.

@Ford Motor Company is really starting to frustrate and confuse their customers when they say one thing and then do another when in a world of technology, like many have said with cell phones as an example, expect these things to be "fixed" with an OTA and "NO MORE FOMO: NEW FORD OVER-THE-AIR UPDATES HELP MUSTANG MACH-E GET EVEN BETTER WITH TIME -- WITHOUT LEAVING HOME"

Article from Ford Media:
https://media.ford.com/content/ford...ford-over-the-air-updates-mustang-mach-e.html

 

[jlauro]

It's also good to keep in mind that many updates although compatible might not do anything for you. IE: They updated some module or sensor that isn't even on your vehicle, but perhaps current builds need it because of part change from chip shortage. If you update that module, you also need this other module to keep the versions in sync, etc... So you go and have a bunch of low level components updated for something that your vehicle doesn't even have. I recommend not getting any updates before they are free OTA unless you know what they do...

I have received OTA updates, so not sure why some are acting like there hasn't been any.

 

[SnBGC]

Why does Ford advertise this product as having OTA's if they don't use them? I know mine, built Jan 9, 2021 hasn't been getting all of the OTA's...even now my walk up unlock feature doesn't work. I know there's something out there for that thank you to this forum.

I'm getting all of this updated when I go in next week for my windshield/panel glass recall.

@Ford Motor Company is really starting to frustrate and confuse their customers when they say one thing and then do another when in a world of technology, like many have said with cell phones as an example, expect these things to be "fixed" with an OTA and "NO MORE FOMO: NEW FORD OVER-THE-AIR UPDATES HELP MUSTANG MACH-E GET EVEN BETTER WITH TIME -- WITHOUT LEAVING HOME"

Article from Ford Media:
https://media.ford.com/content/ford...ford-over-the-air-updates-mustang-mach-e.html

I think what Ford is advertising is they have the ability to update the vehicle function over the air AND perhaps correct global software issues that are discovered after the vehicle ships. There have been some updates pushed to many vehicles. I think I have received 3 or 4 so far in over 14 months.

You are having an issue, so in that case you need to seek out a repair facility. Ford allows their dealers to diagnose and repair these issues on individual vehicles as they appear. Usually there might be a TSB and associated software that might correct the issue.

I think we are talking about two different things here. OTAs are for enhancements and global bug fixes. Issues with individual cars is something different. Maybe sometime in the future it would be nice to be able to look through SYNC and see all the TSBs out there and then select the one that applies to the issue you are experiencing and request the software update. That would be pretty cool but I get the FOMO crowd would push every button they see even if their cars are working fine.

So, for those people that have a working car and also have FOMO then they can take matters into their own hands and get an FDRS license and install the updates manually as they become available. If you really think about it......Ford has given us 3 different options. Wait for OTAs, go to the dealer or do it yourself. That is a LOT better than what Tesla does for example.....

 

[generaltso]

Why does Ford advertise this product as having OTA's if they don't use them? I know mine, built Jan 9, 2021 hasn't been getting all of the OTA's...even now my walk up unlock feature doesn't work.

They do use OTAs. Ford has pushed out lots of OTAs to lots of cars. They're just not up to full swing with them yet. Walk-up unlock isn't a thing. If you press the button on the door, it should unlock and open in one step. I that isn't working, you can wait for the OTA that fixes it or have it updated at your dealer for free.

 

[jrstinkfish]

I dunno that I have FOMO if I want things like my profile loading every time I turn the car on, or the backup camera not sticking after I'm already going forward, or the "System Off to save battery" message appearing and sticking for no apparent reason, or the hatch to not just open on its own in my driveway. These aren't things that keep my car from functioning, but they are problems that make the experience rather frustrating. If there were updates for that and I wanted them installed and they have yet to arrive via OTA, I shouldn't have to pay a dealership or wait for Ford to get their OTA process working properly a year and a half after the car launched.

 

[generaltso]

I dunno that I have FOMO if I want things like my profile loading every time I turn the car on, or the backup camera not sticking after I'm already going forward, or the "System Off to save battery" message appearing and sticking for no apparent reason, or the hatch to not just open on its own in my driveway. These aren't things that keep my car from functioning, but they are problems that make the experience rather frustrating. If there were updates for that and I wanted them installed and they have yet to arrive via OTA, I shouldn't have to pay a dealership or wait for Ford to get their OTA process working properly a year and a half after the car launched.

Those are specific problems. If there were updates that fixed those specific problems, Ford would pay the dealer to apply them.

 

[SnBGC]

Those are specific problems. If there were updates that fixed those specific problems, Ford would pay the dealer to apply them.

I agree. Those should be and are covered under your warranty (provided it hasn't expired yet...)

 

[db4z]

Ford is not happy with OTA rollouts and they will start becoming more regular this year. However, the most important thing about OTA is not to break something with a roll out which is why Ford takes their time to test every combination of different configurations to be sure nothing goes wrong.

Part of the challenge is new cars are constantly being built with modules with different software versions so when a OTA rolls out, it needs to systematically update all modules to a combination of levels that have tested to work properly together. If there different hardware revisions in the field, they might need different software variations. Sometimes this needs to be done in stages and the first update adds no real improvements other than preparing it to work next round of modules to be updated in a second ota. The reason Ford will allow dealers to apply individual updates to be applied on an as-needed basis for warranty work is they also know how to roll back that update if it ends up no longer playing nicely with other modules. Having a dealer (or doing it yourself) manually update all modules to latest version has no guarantee they will work together properly. Most likely it will be fine, but there is a reason why Ford doesn't just push out OTAs every week. One negative press generating mistake in a OTA could kill their reputation if they just immediately pushed every little change.

A lot of bug fixes are to address mundane extreme low occurrence conditions like how a module reacts with a dead 12v battery or when it gets bad information from a specific failed sensor (i.e. assume some conservative value or attemp to approximate a value based on other sensors and data). If your sensor isn't bad, you would never see a benefit but it will eventually be pushed out as part of an OTA so that .01% of people that eventually have that sensor failure have a less intrusive experience when it happens (i.e. service vehicle soon instead stop safely now).

 

[Texas-E]

There really seems to be a disconnect between an update being available and an actual problem with YOUR MACH-E that a software update is intended to fix. It seems like the people upset never respond to the question, "what specifically is wrong/not working."

Think about it this way... manufacturers update parts all the time for their vehicles. It might be because of an issue select vehicles are having. The old part is retired. So say there is a new plastic seat trim piece because some are breaking easily. Do you think you can demand that the service department replace your plastic seat trim piece for free even though yours is not damaged or causing any issue? That sounds completely crazy, and ranting about a dealer not wanting to apply updates for free that are not associated with an actual problem you have is equally crazy.

I get it... knowing there are updates available makes us want them. I'm the same way. I purchased a VCM, a power supply, and an FDRS license to ease my OCD. You can do the same thing or pay the service department a reasonable fee to do it. I do think that the service price is high, though.

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