What's the trick to get the pony puddle lights to come one?

[jparduhn70]

I just tried this and it made no difference with my MME.

Ugh, the mystery continues...?

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[JSW]

My puddle lights no longer come on, but it’s because I disabled the automatic mirror fold. I’m positive if I re-enabled the mirror fold upon exit, the lights would reappear (eg, they only appear from a folded mirror).

 

[SteveJo]

Try this TEST please and tell me if it doesn't work: (car can be in lighted garage and plugged-in)
1. Press Start button once and wait a few seconds.
2. Press button again to shut down.
3. Lock vehicle using FOB.
4. Walk 15 yards or so out-of-passive-range.
5. Return to vehicle...PONIES COME ON?

 

[generaltso]

When I turn the car off, there is a prompt if I want to disable the motion sensors.

By the way, you can change the motion sensor setting to always on or always off so it doesn’t ask you every time you turn the car off.

 

[jparduhn70]

By the way, you can change the motion sensor setting to always on or always off so it doesn’t ask you every time you turn the car off.

Thanks for the heads-up. I still haven't found my way entirely around SYNC 4A.

 

[benk016]

I wonder if they're tied to a light sensor too. In the dealer's service bay they didn't work, I actually didn't know the car had them until last night when I came out to the car in a parking lot and saw them on.

They come on in the day, You just can't see them unless its really dark. Even with how bright it looks in the dark, they don't show up in the daylight. Even in my garage at night you can't see them unless you turn all the lights in the garage off.

 

[JellyBelly]

Did a few tests - have more to do with fobs. Only one phone activated and has PAAK.

No other cars in the garage -MME in the garage off for a while - garage door open - Phone in hand - app running - walk close to the car from outside the house - car lights up and the puddle lights too when I put my hand under the puddle lights can see them.

Then walk away lights go off. I go inside the house and come back into the garage an hour later - phone in my hand - app running - no lights nothing. No detection of presence even next to the car.

Repeated this a few times today and 50% of the time presence detected and lights on i.e. puddle lamps too. Other times nothing. About 30 mins to 45 mins gap between attempts. Car does open when I click the round open button , so recognizition is there of the Phone and no delays.

I could not find any documentation yet that explains when the DRL and other lights turn ON and limitations. Yes there is some details in the manuals but they dont explain limitations other than warnings and road safety.

 

[kdryden99]

Did a few tests - have more to do with fobs. Only one phone activated and has PAAK.

No other cars in the garage -MME in the garage off for a while - garage door open - Phone in hand - app running - walk close to the car from outside the house - car lights up and the puddle lights too when I put my hand under the puddle lights can see them.

Then walk away lights go off. I go inside the house and come back into the garage an hour later - phone in my hand - app running - no lights nothing. No detection of presence even next to the car.

Repeated this a few times today and 50% of the time presence detected and lights on i.e. puddle lamps too. Other times nothing. About 30 mins to 45 mins gap between attempts. Car does open when I click the round open button , so recognizition is there of the Phone and no delays.

I could not find any documentation yet that explains when the DRL and other lights turn ON and limitations. Yes there is some details in the manuals but they dont explain limitations other than warnings and road safety.

Just a theory, is it possible that if the car loses connection to your fob/phone or after 30mins an hour not using the car, the lights come on?

 

[krafty81]

I'm surmising Ford wants to use the puddle lights when driver leaves vehicle after trip, say to go to a restaurant (remember those?) and comes back to "welcome" lighting. Lights only illuminate on return to vehicle and not when offboarding at destination. Pony will continue to be re-projected during repeated "walkings" out-of-range and returning until an unknown period of time has elapsed (30 min, 1hr, more?) After that time, puddle's will only come on if a Start/Stop has occurred. My guess is Ford was trying to avoid Welcome Lighting every time owner's walk near the car when a "trip" is not involved. [Example: You get home from a drive, park car, go inside, remember you need something in garage, go back, puddle lights come on, go back inside, remember something else you need, go right back to garage, puddle lights come on again, etc. Hour(s) go by, you go back to garage (with PAAK/FOB of course), no Welcome Lighting...even if you Unlock.]

BTW: VEHICLE POWER DOWN TIMER is on (30 minutes).

This seems like a strange thing to do IMO.

 

[JellyBelly]

Just a theory, is it possible that if the car loses connection to your fob/phone or after 30mins an hour not using the car, the lights come on?

Don’t know... but when I press the open button it works ... so not sure but we get to play and see what it does.

 

[kdryden99]

Don’t know... but when I press the open button it works ... so not sure but we get to play and see what it does.

that sounds right, by pushing the button you're re-establishing the "connection". If the car is idle after a certain of time im pretty sure your connection to the phone is asleep unless you "respond" to it with your phone app. In the same way we use interfaces for 3rd party systems to a primary systems. We send out requests until we get an ack. After a certain amount of time it must go to sleep and when it receives a response followed by an action) it turns on the puddle lights.

 

[timbop]

It could also be a case of proximity - the puddle lights only come on briefly when you come back in range of the car and then turn off. You have to go out of range of the car, the car has to lock and fold the mirrors, and then it lights up briefly the next time you come back in range. If you're in the house when you come back in range (such as approaching the garage from inside) you might miss the puddle lights.

 

[JellyBelly]

that sounds right, by pushing the button you're re-establishing the "connection". If the car is idle after a certain of time im pretty sure your connection to the phone is asleep unless you "respond" to it with your phone app. In the same way we use interfaces for 3rd party systems to a primary systems. We send out requests until we get an ack. After a certain amount of time it must go to sleep and when it receives a response followed by an action) it turns on the puddle lights.

Right...makes sense. So when the car is asleep and no connection exists, and we walk closer to the car with PAAK or fob, something has to wake up the car. I think if we press the fob buttons or some keys on the Ford Pass like unlock then that should in theory establish the connection and trigger the puddle lights. Will check this tomorrow.

Outside of this deliberate action on our part, proximity detection based puddle lights turning ON seems to not be a feature. It may appear that way sometimes but that is only because the car woke up by some means and established such a trigger and hence we feel its inconsistent. I don't seem to recollect reading anywhere that the MME is supposed to say I am ready based purely on proximity detection without action on our part. The PAAK distance guides then turn out to be distance guides to show when the activity from the phone will be recognized/reached by the vehicle.

 

[JellyBelly]

It could also be a case of proximity - the puddle lights only come on briefly when you come back in range of the car and then turn off. You have to go out of range of the car, the car has to lock and fold the mirrors, and then it lights up briefly the next time you come back in range. If you're in the house when you come back in range (such as approaching the garage from inside) you might miss the puddle lights.

that is what I tested - I was not looking for puddle lights , I was looking for DRL and rear lights which should also be ON. This was inconsistent. When I go out of range and come back after some time, it detects and turn on the front and rear lights and puddle lights sometimes but not always. But I did this with my phone not fob. Will have to check that out.

 

[timbop]

Right...makes sense. So when the car is asleep and no connection exists, and we walk closer to the car with PAAK or fob, something has to wake up the car. I think if we press the fob buttons or some keys on the Ford Pass like unlock then that should in theory establish the connection and trigger the puddle lights. Will check this tomorrow.

That is not my experience. When I walk out to my car parked in the driveway the puddle lights come on for me without me doing anything - having the fob in my pocket is good enough.

I did it just now - with the fob in my pocket when I got within 10 feet of the car the running lights came on and I saw the puddle lights. The car has been sitting in the driveway since this morning, so definitely not "awake".

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