FDRS vs Dealer update

Skip Towne

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I admire those of you who have gone the route of a FDRS license and updating on your own.

I am also amazed at the number of posts in this forum about dealer-based updates going off the rails, failing, requiring long drawn out factory specialist engagements - things just not going smoothly.

Are you FDRS privateers having the same kind of problems? If not - why not? If you do hit a snag, what is the solution? Is there is a version control or go-back feature, or does support come with the FDRS license? (seems unlikely, but....)

I need a pile of updates, and wonder where my greater risk of failure is -DIY or DDI (Dealer Do It)
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RickMachE

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No difference.

My Instrument Panel died during the update. Wouldn't have mattered who did it. Manufacturer and Ford Engineers recovered it.

Couldn't pay me to do my own updates.
 

ARK

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I think there is a risk if you screw something up, Ford won’t fix it for you under warranty. Also, I think some people have reported some random bugs after they did the update, even if the update seems to have been installed fine.

If you’re not comfortable dealing with random quirks that might crop up or unlikely but potentially big issues that might occur if something goes wrong, I’d stay away.
 

Tbird

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No difference.

My Instrument Panel died during the update. Wouldn't have mattered who did it. Manufacturer and Ford Engineers recovered it.

Couldn't pay me to do my own updates.
I agree with RickMachE. I took my MME into the dealer last week and they had the Blue Cruise Update completed on the second day. The process of updating has some pitfalls and if you fall into them Ford may not help you out. If the dealer falls into them Ford is there to help them out and to complete the update. If the updates you need are things which may come OTA then you could also wait for the tooth fairy. I was not willing to wait. My MME is up to date and performing great now.
 

BMT1071

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I admire those of you who have gone the route of a FDRS license and updating on your own.

I am also amazed at the number of posts in this forum about dealer-based updates going off the rails, failing, requiring long drawn out factory specialist engagements - things just not going smoothly.

Are you FDRS privateers having the same kind of problems? If not - why not? If you do hit a snag, what is the solution? Is there is a version control or go-back feature, or does support come with the FDRS license? (seems unlikely, but....)

I need a pile of updates, and wonder where my greater risk of failure is -DIY or DDI (Dealer Do It)
The successful DIY folks seem to follow the instructions to the letter, and babysit the car and laptop throughout the process. The unsuccessful dealer update attempts are likely due to techs not reading/following the instructions and bouncing on and off of the MME to work on other vehicles.
 


mpshizzle

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I admire those of you who have gone the route of a FDRS license and updating on your own.

I am also amazed at the number of posts in this forum about dealer-based updates going off the rails, failing, requiring long drawn out factory specialist engagements - things just not going smoothly.

Are you FDRS privateers having the same kind of problems? If not - why not? If you do hit a snag, what is the solution? Is there is a version control or go-back feature, or does support come with the FDRS license? (seems unlikely, but....)

I need a pile of updates, and wonder where my greater risk of failure is -DIY or DDI (Dealer Do It)
Really there's no difference. You'd be doing exactly the same thing as the dealer, with the exact same software. There were a lot of issues with the current batch of updates (blue cruise) but these were caused by Ford corporate. So it would've happened regardless of who did the update. That being said as of now most of the issues on the current batch have been fixed.

FDRS does not allow for rollbacks, but almost every kind of issue can be resolved one way or another. (there are a LOT of safety checks both in FDRS and the car)

I think there is a risk if you screw something up, Ford won’t fix it for you under warranty. Also, I think some people have reported some random bugs after they did the update, even if the update seems to have been installed fine.

If you’re not comfortable dealing with random quirks that might crop up or unlikely but potentially big issues that might occur if something goes wrong, I’d stay away.
This is not a a guarantee for the future, but there is no precedent for this. Nobody that I've ever heard of has ever been denied service because they used FDRS. FDRS is official software distributed by Ford themselves, after all.


Bottom line, FDRS is not for the faint of heart. It takes time and patience. But if you're a tinkerer it's great. As long as you follow the instructions and take your time it almost always works just fine. If you are not a tinkerer and you're just looking for a one time easy update, I'd wait for OTA or the dealer
 
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ripperAZ

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I imagine I could spend a couple grand and probably a solid week or so figuring out the system and become really good at it

But isn’t that why I buy a car from a manufacturer with the dealer network and service policies and a warranty.

I have nothing but mad respect for folks who go into this on their own and learn about the car and take it on as an additional hobby and learning experience. It’s certainly a major investment

But it’s not for me I spent 30 or 40 years messing with all types of computer systems high-end and low and It drove me crazy and made me millions even though I’m good at it I’m not gonna let it get between me and my car
Jes sayin.
 

generaltso

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Not having to rely on the dealer is worth it to me, but I wouldn’t recommend others do it if they don’t have the same risk tolerance. I think I was the first one to install BlueCruise myself, and that was before 21G01 was released with instructions. It’s really not as hard as some dealers make it out to be.
 

Mike G

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The right equipment, the patience, the ability to follow instructions and not take shortcuts. I got fed up with my service writer and tech telling me the files weren't available to update to BlueCruise (in fact the tech said he had never heard the term BlueCruise and this was last Feb. He didn't know what that was). Also, there was the corporate culture thing to overcome, where if the customer doesn't complain about a specific thing then the shop doesn't do that specific update, meaning all those updates that were in the list were never going to get applied because a) I didn't know they were there and b) I didn't know I needed to specifically complain about something like my door locks acting funny so the tech would do the updates on all the door modules. This is because in their system the tech can't get paid to work on something he hasn't been tasked to do because the customer isn't complaining about it.

A lot of this was just basically a lack of communication. I mean sending out CSP memos and including service managers....but not including the techs on the same memo so they would know something's coming they'll need to know about? Really? That's how the techs didn't know about CSP 21P22, and 21G01. And because of the service tech 'culture' of not fixing anything you weren't specifically asked to fix is how we got modules that wouldn't update because some other dependency wasn't updated first...etc. And then they sometimes just simply cannot follow instructions to save their lives, and then say things like "I don't care what the internet says"....as if we're the morons.

For all those reasons....I bought the gear and the license and did both of my vehicles and intend on keeping up with them myself. I can do an update in one tenth of the time it would take to make the arrangements to drop off my car or truck and wait for them to call me back to pick it up. I've done updates on almost all the modules on both vehicles at this point and sometimes multiple times for the same modules. I'm not afraid of bricking anything at all and feel very confident that I could un-f**k anything I broke at this point.

One year license, Mongoose-Plus Ford 2, ProLogix PL6100 60 amp powersupply. That's the way I went. And it's all been worth every penny of not having to go to the dealership.

Mike
 

Ravensfan1996

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The other issue is that currently the FDRS system and sofware updates are causing errors and issues. My dealer called my yesterday to say not come in Thursday for my “fix” of losing adaptive cruise control when i got the 21p22 update. They said that ford is having major cloud/sofware issues and they would call me later when its fixed. A ford tech confirmed the issue as well. So if you trying to do your own and dont know about ford issues, you might be walking into trouble even if you followed everything.
 

IamIA

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I had my CSP 21P22 applied today to my Mach-E GTPE and was pleasantly surprised that it took only 2½ hours and there were no technical glitches during the update like some folks on forums have been reporting.

My Dealership was Frontier Ford in Santa Clara, CA and they also sold me the car in October 2021.
No charge for the service...

I was also worried if my self-programmed double honking disablement would be overwritten. It was not.
 
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generaltso

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The other issue is that currently the FDRS system and sofware updates are causing errors and issues. My dealer called my yesterday to say not come in Thursday for my “fix” of losing adaptive cruise control when i got the 21p22 update. They said that ford is having major cloud/sofware issues and they would call me later when its fixed. A ford tech confirmed the issue as well. So if you trying to do your own and dont know about ford issues, you might be walking into trouble even if you followed everything.
Except that those of us with FDRS can confirm that a lot of dealers often blame "Ford server issues" when none actually exist.
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