What is your threshold?

RonTCat

Well-Known Member
First Name
Ron
Joined
Jul 21, 2020
Threads
27
Messages
1,110
Reaction score
2,927
Location
USA
Vehicles
Mach-E wannabuy
Country flag
So most people have a cell phone or computer or both, and they crash sometimes due to software issues, need security updates, drop signals, battery life is half of new, etc.

At some point you say "I need a new phone", or "I'm buying a different brand of phone".

The same thing is going to happen with your new BEV. What is your expectation... for example, are you unhappy if the sync screen locks up and you have to key off/key on the vehicle to fix it once a month? Do you expect that to never happen, or to maybe happen once a year?

How often do you expect software bug fixes or software enhancements to happen? Once a month? Twice a year?

At what point do you say "I need a new car"?
Sponsored

 

JamieGeek

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 29, 2019
Threads
82
Messages
3,556
Reaction score
6,746
Location
Southeastern Michigan
Website
spareelectrons.wordpress.com
Vehicles
Mach-E, old: Bolt, C-Max Energi, Focus Electric
Country flag
LOL I lived through My Ford Touch version 0.0...I have a pretty high tolerance.

Having said that all indications are that the Mach-E should be pretty decent to start out with (sure there'll be a few bugs here and there but on the whole should be good).

As long as there aren't any "Stop Safely Now" problem's I'll be good ;)
 

ChasingCoral

Well-Known Member
First Name
Mark
Joined
Feb 3, 2020
Threads
375
Messages
12,394
Reaction score
24,496
Location
Maryland
Vehicles
GB E4X FE, Leaf, Tacoma, F-150 Lightning ordered
Occupation
Retired oceanographer
Country flag
Interesting thought. I have to say that in three years I've never had a software problem with running our Leaf. Of course, it is much simpler than what the Mach E will provide.

I've lately run into an issue that the phone app is having trouble communicating with the Leaf. This morning I had to ask twice to check the SOC (always takes about a minute). A week ago it took three tries. That's never been an essential task and has always been slow.

I'm with @JamieGeek; no stop nows, no blanking out while driving, and no performance killing. Other than that I may have a high tolerance. We'll see.
 

Illinibird

Well-Known Member
First Name
Mike
Joined
Oct 13, 2020
Threads
40
Messages
1,563
Reaction score
1,445
Location
Frankfort Illinois
Vehicles
2015 Acura MDX Adv; 2016 Titanium Fusion Hybrid
Occupation
retired Endodontist (root canal specialist) and Clinical Assistant Professor
Country flag
So most people have a cell phone or computer or both, and they crash sometimes due to software issues, need security updates, drop signals, battery life is half of new, etc.

At some point you say "I need a new phone", or "I'm buying a different brand of phone".

The same thing is going to happen with your new BEV. What is your expectation... for example, are you unhappy if the sync screen locks up and you have to key off/key on the vehicle to fix it once a month? Do you expect that to never happen, or to maybe happen once a year?

How often do you expect software bug fixes or software enhancements to happen? Once a month? Twice a year?

At what point do you say "I need a new car"?
3 computers ago I switched from a PC system (Windows based) to the Apple OS (on Big Sur now) and never looked back! Even before I switched I had PC’s and all the trouble with the various forms of Windows and DOS. Before that was a Commodore 64. My Apples have had very few problems (Catalina had a few quirks I wasn’t happy with) and my iPhones and iPads have been great! Yes, they’re overpriced but they WORK. I’m hoping for a similar situation with Sync 4A although I did have some problems with my Sync (3.0 I believe) in my 2016 Fusion. With OTA updates and INV 2.0 (sp?) I am hoping for a pretty solid OS. I don’t think Sync would drive me to a new car unless it did what you said and shut down completely while in traffic or something like that. During specialty training in 1975 I bought a Plymouth Volare for my wife and 1 year old daughter; what a disaster! It was constantly dying out in traffic (intersections - you name it) and I got rid of a one year old brand new car and got a new four door Ford LTD which worked well. I don’t think our new Mustang EV vehicles will cause the kind of trouble that would make you get rid of them. I am, however, purchasing the premium Extended Warranty as this is Ford’s first all electric Mustang on a new platform with new technology and new battery design.
 

SJ_Okay

Well-Known Member
First Name
Scott
Joined
Feb 25, 2020
Threads
20
Messages
824
Reaction score
943
Location
UK
Vehicles
AWD ER Mach-E
Occupation
Film and Music Producer
Country flag
On the software side of things, if I can see improvements to bugs and glitches etc in a relatively short space of time, then I’m unlikely to reach my threshold.

I’d also hope that the hardware in the car is future-proofed as much as possible... in so far as the dealerships are able to upgrade components, chips, batteries etc, when improvements come along. I don’t feel like I should have to sell and buy a new car if all that is really different is a cpu and some software code. It may mean in 8 years time if you wanted a new battery that you are likely to have to replace other hardware too... But I would be looking for a manufacturer who made this option as easy and affordable as possible, for those people who do not do vehicle ownership in the same way they do phone contracts.
 


sockmeister

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 24, 2020
Threads
6
Messages
1,879
Reaction score
2,991
Location
Pennsylvania
Vehicles
2021 Mustang Mach-E4x
Occupation
SW Engineer
Country flag
That's a good consideration. Reminds me of Bugatti, who decided against having a touchscreen-type interface of any kind solely because they saw it becoming outdated in 5 years, which would kill the value of the car.
They'd rather have analog buttons and controls because they're timeless.

But... with OTA updates, that should give the software in the Mach-E a longer lifespan.

Ford Mustang Mach-E What is your threshold? 1606834036777
 

SJ_Okay

Well-Known Member
First Name
Scott
Joined
Feb 25, 2020
Threads
20
Messages
824
Reaction score
943
Location
UK
Vehicles
AWD ER Mach-E
Occupation
Film and Music Producer
Country flag
That's a good consideration. Reminds me of Bugatti, who decided against having a touchscreen-type interface of any kind solely because they saw it becoming outdated in 5 years, which would kill the value of the car.
They'd rather have analog buttons and controls because they're timeless.

But... with OTA updates, that should give the software in the Mach-E a longer lifespan.

Ford Mustang Mach-E What is your threshold? 1606834036777
It is a Mustang after all right? That spirit of customisation must run through to the MME and go further than just racing stripes.
 

dbsb3233

Well-Known Member
First Name
TimCO
Joined
Dec 30, 2019
Threads
54
Messages
9,269
Reaction score
10,780
Location
Colorado, USA
Vehicles
2021 Mustang Mach-E FE, 2023 Bronco Sport OB
Occupation
Retired
Country flag
The car having some intermittent issues with the radio or phone interace is one thing. But in the MME the screen is integral to simply driving the car. So all those functions better work, or it's an immediate trip to the service department.
 

macchiaz-o

Well-Known Member
First Name
Jonathan
Joined
Nov 25, 2019
Threads
168
Messages
8,151
Reaction score
15,287
Location
🔑 ]not/A/gr8'Place.2.store-mEyePassword[ 👀
Vehicles
MY21 J1 Premium RWD SR
Country flag
From time to time, MyFordTouch locks me out of audio on/off, volume up/down, input change, and voice command functions. I have to pull the MFT fuse behind the glove box when this happens. It's a pain. I don't want to deal with that anymore.
 

Davedough

Well-Known Member
First Name
Dave
Joined
Oct 12, 2020
Threads
14
Messages
1,812
Reaction score
4,251
Location
West BYGOD Virginia
Vehicles
Mach E GTPE , Explorer ST
Occupation
Federal IT Sales Engineer
Country flag
I drive a VW. Electrical/Software glitches are just part of the experience. I'll be fine with damn near anything so long as the car doesn't leave me stranded
 

1pt21Gigawatts

Well-Known Member
First Name
David
Joined
Dec 11, 2019
Threads
9
Messages
338
Reaction score
393
Location
New York
Vehicles
2012 Toyota Camry
Occupation
Architect
Country flag
So most people have a cell phone or computer or both, and they crash sometimes due to software issues, need security updates, drop signals, battery life is half of new, etc.

At some point you say "I need a new phone", or "I'm buying a different brand of phone".

The same thing is going to happen with your new BEV. What is your expectation... for example, are you unhappy if the sync screen locks up and you have to key off/key on the vehicle to fix it once a month? Do you expect that to never happen, or to maybe happen once a year?

How often do you expect software bug fixes or software enhancements to happen? Once a month? Twice a year?

At what point do you say "I need a new car"?
At no point, in my 8yrs of ownership, have I had an iPhone “lock up and have to restart”. The last time I had that happen was with my Android phone in 2012, and I didn’t think to replace it, I thought “I’ll never buy this brand, or operating system ever again”. And I never looked back.

I trade up when I can be incentivized by the new features, not when the old one fails. Any failures permanently end the relationship with the company; keep your HW/SW under control or you’re incompetent and I don’t want to be owning your product.
 

zhackwyatt

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 18, 2019
Threads
14
Messages
1,603
Reaction score
2,616
Location
Arizona
Vehicles
'21 InfBlu Prem MMEx Past: '13 C-Max '98 Explorer
Country flag
From time to time, MyFordTouch locks me out of audio on/off, volume up/down, input change, and voice command functions. I have to pull the MFT fuse behind the glove box when this happens. It's a pain. I don't want to deal with that anymore.
Same here. That's a failure in the hardware module.
 

Mach-E VLOG

Well-Known Member
First Name
Patrick
Joined
Jul 25, 2020
Threads
117
Messages
1,567
Reaction score
6,293
Location
Oceanside, CA
Website
machevlog.com
Vehicles
Mach-E GT PE - Grabber Blue - Blucifer Twocifer
Country flag
One reason I prefer the Mach-E to Tesla is that you can also use Android Auto or Apple CarPlay. It is still dependent on a function SYNC screen, so could be an issue. But at least I will have options for nav, music, etc.

I do tend to keep my cars for 10+ years. I wonder how functional the SYNC system in the Mach-E might be after 10 years. (And I am guessing/hoping battery technology will be vastly improved by that point.)
 
 




Top