This forum is giving me cold feet…

cravacor

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I’ve been looking forward to getting my GTPE for a long time now (I placed my reservation back in November 2019 during the announcement press event), and I have a build week of 7/11. This will be my first non-ICE car, and to be honest the posts which are floating to the top of this forum cause a bit of concern in my mind. Im not really worried about range anxiety or other things like that, but really about the software that is so core to the workings of this, or any other BEV.

I’ve been a professional software engineer in both an individual contributor and leadership role for over 20 years, so I understand how hard large, integrated software development challenges can be. I get it. That said, I’m highly concerned about seeing how recent software updates are leaving people with cars which are worse off than before the update, or the update outright bricks their car. These sorts of issues just shouldn’t be happening. When perusing other forums for recent EVs (eg. taycan forums), I see complaints which are more one-offs as opposed to singular issues which hit a wide swath of owners, like we see on the MME. Again, the fact that we are seeing such a few number of issues causing so much disruption is a concern about how software is developed/deployed with this vehicle.

I had hoped that the delay to get a GT would also get some of these teething issues out of the way, but it seems like we’re in the thick of that right now. I am still really excited to get this car and want it to be great, but man… Ford needs to improve their testing and deployment.

Anybody have any words of encouragement?
There are a small fraction of Taycans in existence compared to Mach-Es, of course there will be less interweb chatter re. Issues. Also, I imagine if a person can afford a $200k car it is one of a fleet of vehicles they own and at that level of the game people probably don't spend a lot of time in forums about their vehicles. Another phenomena I've observed with some makes (Lexus, Tesla) is owners are less likely to be vocal about quality issues or explain them off as somehow intentional because to accept that the vehicle has problems would be admitting the owner made a bad purchase decision.
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ToddH

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I received my Premium RWD March 3. I can't say there have been no issues with the car but every single issue has been minor. PAAK is one of those minor issues. But I expected it to be an issue because of this forum. The only time I take the Fob is when the dealer says he needs it to check the vehicle. PAAK has on rare occasions not worked at all. So I used the code on the pillar to get in. Then it refused to connect once I was in the vehicle. So I used my password to start the car. AFTER I started driving, it became obvious that PAAK was once again working. PAAK is a minor annoyance. It doesn't stop me from driving my car. It's about as annoying as having to carry a Fob. I prefer not having the Fob so I leave it at home and don't take it with me.

There is one thing that does not work at all for me but I consider it something that I probably would never use if it did work - Android Auto. It just won't connect. If it did, I'd just be happy that it connected and probably never use it.

I've taken one long trip of 1500 miles or so round trip. The car performed flawlessly. It was comfortable and the only delays were when charging stations were out of service or the fastest DCFC available was a 50 KW. The delays were in the range of 5 minutes up to about 45 minutes. They were not problems with the car but instead problems with the charging infrastructure.

I've also driven a Tesla Model 3. It's a nice car but my preference is still for the Mach E. There were some things that bothered me about the Tech in the Tesla. I'm 71 and didn't like the small font size or having to reach over to the touch screen for everything. I love the Sirius radio in the Mach E that you can't get with the Tesla. Since my prior car was a 2013 Ford Fusion Energi, a lot of the controls in the Mach E are familiar.

My final thoughts on the purchase have to do with the dealer. The forum has highlighted some of the problems people have had with Ford dealers. Part of my reason for purchasing the Mach E was that I had found a good Ford dealer. I trust my dealer as much as any automobile dealer I've ever had. There are other Ford dealers that are closer but they have proven to be untrustworthy. I'd suggest that with the way Ford is backing the Mach E and if you can find a dealer that is worth your trust, you should be confident in your purchase.
 

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I’d like to comment on this forum subject. It’s okay to be hesitant on any EV model/brand. I know a Tesla owner and it’s not all perfect. I feel as anything, this is how it is. I’ve had my mache EV since March and I will be the one who will joyously say, “no issues/problems with the car. It’s a pleasure to drive. I’m also a new EV car owner. My only complaint is charging. Electrify America that I received 250 free charging time for is 36 miles from me. Which means I’ll never use my time. The demographics was not taken into consideration for all who bought this car. It needed a charging program that was fair for all, not to benefit some. So, I’ll go on the record as saying, don’t hesitate to buy this electric Mach E. I’ve never met so many nice or talked to so many people in a parking lot in my life! The car is awesome. All Ford needs to do is to keep duplicating the cars that are not problematic. There is always going to be some issues with any car that has software. As long as they fix it, no problem.
You need to take your Mach E on a road trip! I'm assuming you can normally charge at home, but when you're on the road you need to stop at a DC fast charger like Electrify America. So that's when you can use your free charging, and it's the best time :)
 

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Any particular way you fixed this, or could you guide me in the right direction? Since I enabled Fordplay (with zero luck as an it engineer) and tried learning aspects of the car, Apple Carplay no longer connects unless I use a USB.

Fails connection every time, despite Bluetooth working. Have tried disconnecting bluetooth to connect carplay, but... no dice.

Besides the PaaK completely bricked and buffeting that made me think I was going to lose the roof, I love the car.

Trying to find out now if inserting 3/16 or 1/4 foam will help me avoid losing my roof, or more is just for noise.
I think you need someone who has a better grasp on Apple Car Play but I'll try: For me the phone is connected to Bluetooth first (both phone and Bluetooth media player) and then you request to use Car Play (there is a button for that). CarPlay connects with Bluetooth first and then goes to Wi-Fi which is a better way to exchange data if I'm understanding this. Like I said, I'm sure somebody has a better grasp on this.
 

SuzzyQ

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You need to take your Mach E on a road trip! I'm assuming you can normally charge at home, but when you're on the road you need to stop at a DC fast charger like Electrify America. So that's when you can use your free charging, and it's the best time :)
Ok, how many times do I need to go on a road trip to benefit? Is it good for the battery to use the dc fast chargers consistently? I did use a dc fast charger, but I had to pay because of where I was going. It was still cheaper than gas. But I should give a heads up, when you use the ones you pay for make sure you unplug it when Ford pass sends you notification charging is done so you don’t get a surprise idle fee!
 


bludzeph

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My AWD extended range with 3,200 miles is the top new car experience in my 60 years of car ownership. Love to drive it. I had two minor warranty issues which were resolved effortlessly.

Only warning I would convey to a potential MME owner is that the Ford Pass app relies heavily on connection to the AT&T network. I live in an area with minimal AT&T coverage so the app is only occasionally in sync with the car. Frustrating? -Yes, but not a deal breaker.
 

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Ok, how many times do I need to go on a road trip to benefit? Is it good for the battery to use the dc fast chargers consistently? I did use a dc fast charger, but I had to pay because of where I was going. It was still cheaper than gas. But I should give a heads up, when you use the ones you pay for make sure you unplug it when Ford pass sends you notification charging is done so you don’t get a surprise idle fee!
Sound likes you are speaking from experience ;)
 

timbop

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Ok, how many times do I need to go on a road trip to benefit? Is it good for the battery to use the dc fast chargers consistently? I did use a dc fast charger, but I had to pay because of where I was going. It was still cheaper than gas. But I should give a heads up, when you use the ones you pay for make sure you unplug it when Ford pass sends you notification charging is done so you don’t get a surprise idle fee!
You have 3 years to use it, so you have plenty of time to enjoy the car on a road trip. However, the free charging is only on electrify america chargers, but there are many of those.
 

idkhow

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Did you have the back windows or a combination of windows open at a certain distance? I have found all suv's i have rented and the MME can have a resonant sub effect if the windows are opened a certain way. Take both backs down 4" and see if you can recreate it unless you know this effect and that is not the case here.
No windows were open. AC on, maybe 80 degrees out, was parked outside overnight.

This wasn't a sub effect, this was a slamming and banging coming from the actual roof. Asked my girlfriend if she heard it, and her face said enough - before replying 'yup'

I thought I had someone bashing on the roof with a mallot until it deeloped a pattern.

I heard about fitment issues, but never saw the cracks... that was from the same area I heard the noise (front middle)

Just honestly worried now this is gonna be a thing and crack at the worst time.

Mine seems to have an additional plastic lip around the roof, but the sound literally sounded like the thing was going to rip off. I checked and no cracks.
 

idkhow

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For me the phone is connected to Bluetooth first (both phone and Bluetooth media player) and then you request to use Car Play (there is a button for that). CarPlay connects with Bluetooth first and then goes to Wi-Fi which is a better way to exchange data if I'm understanding this. Like I said, I'm sure somebody has a better grasp on this.
Thanks, I'm an engineer and haven't found the golden path to get this to work. I think connecting it via Bluetooth to the vehicle in general caused the issue.

Car will be connected to Bluetooth fine, but when I pull up CarPlay and try to connect, it fails after 30-60 seconds, and you can see Bluetooth on the main screen flash rapidly about being Connected at the time.

If I connect it via USB and pull up Apple CarPlay it works.

I'll just need to find what caused the wireless carplay to derp out, but haven't had enough time to figure out why. It'll get more intuitive over time with OTA updates I'm sure, I just did something it doesn't like and Wireless carplay's gone for me.
 

SashaLondon

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I would not recommend the sales teams on this car (not sure if it's a Ford issue or a new Mach-E issue). Not a good experience IMHO.
 

Illinibird

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Thanks, I'm an engineer and haven't found the golden path to get this to work. I think connecting it via Bluetooth to the vehicle in general caused the issue.

Car will be connected to Bluetooth fine, but when I pull up CarPlay and try to connect, it fails after 30-60 seconds, and you can see Bluetooth on the main screen flash rapidly about being Connected at the time.

If I connect it via USB and pull up Apple CarPlay it works.

I'll just need to find what caused the wireless carplay to derp out, but haven't had enough time to figure out why. It'll get more intuitive over time with OTA updates I'm sure, I just did something it doesn't like and Wireless carplay's gone for me.
Sounds like you already know more than me on the issue. I don't know why it fails to connect to Apple Car Play wirelessly and as you say, "derps out." When I press the Car Play button on screen it takes me to another screen asking if I'm sure I want to disconnect the Bluetooth phone and media player. I answer yes and voila; Apple Car Pay wireless interface.
 

Basic Cable

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The software team’s sprints are more like brisk walks with someone having to backtrack because they dropped something, but I love my car way more than I should. You’ll love yours, too.
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