SYNC $ drop or damage control?

[Sgt1411]

I noticed this news story that mentioned Ford is discounting SYNC in all CUV's

It mentions the 2012 Explorer.

So where do we pick up our rebate cheques?

http://www.autoweek.com/article/20110801/CARNEWS/110809996

 

[jrmexplorer]

I noticed this news story that mentioned Ford is discounting SYNC in all CUV's

It mentions the 2012 Explorer.

So where do we pick up our rebate cheques?

http://www.autoweek.com/article/20110801/CARNEWS/110809996

"
Our customers love it and recommend it, and our dealers want it in more products...."

HAHAHA :

 

[w1kedz]

Actually... Sync gets a lot of praise, and is pretty solid. Customers do rave about it. Our issue is with MFT + Sync, which is a whole different beast. I'm still a firm believer that the majority of MFT issues are related to the choice of technology used for the UI and animations, as well as some very bad error handling on the development teams part.

 

[calb]

w1kedz - I think Chrysler and KIA have the equivalent of MFT - except it works. I'll agree that this is likely error handling and Flash compounded by Ford's not knowing how to deal with customers when there are software issues (ie. don't hide it, explain it).

Doesn't sound like the price drop means anything unless you are buying a base model - it sure hasn't shown up in the upper end models!

 

[psycareyo]

Damage Control for sure.

 

[dco43054]

"Our customers love it and recommend it, and our dealers want it in more products...."

This is Sync:

The base features of Sync include hands-free, voice-activated phone dialing and voice control of USB music devices; 911 Assist, the automated emergency calling service, and an on-demand vehicle health report. Customers who choose the base package will also be offered a Sync Services subscription that offers turn-by-turn directions, traffic reports and business information with live operator assistance

The MFT problems are with voice control, nav, address book, etc.

 

[MikeFreas]

This is Sync:


The MFT problems are with voice control, nav, address book, etc.

Again,

I'm not sure why Ford went with Microsoft VS Apple for the MFT development. I'm sure it's contractual.

 

[TimGinCentralNJ]

Again,

I'm not sure why Ford went with Microsoft VS Apple for the MFT development. I'm sure it's contractual.

I'm sure "price" comes into play there somewhere, too.

We just had our first experience with MFT locking up last night after 4 weeks of ownership. Everything continues to work fine except the radio controls are grayed out and nonfunctional. Suddenly I find myself thinking back to my first smartphone which had Windows Mobile 5 on it. Horrible.

Hope the dealer has a fix tonite when we drop it off.

Tim

 

[dco43054]

Hope the dealer has a fix tonite when we drop it off.

They will. They will pull the battery cable and let it reset itself.....

 

[TimGinCentralNJ]

They will. They will pull the battery cable and let it reset itself.....

Actually, on my way over to the dealer I was futzing around trying to re-pair Bluetooth and the radio controls un-froze again. So, basically I fixed it myself by accident. I still had the dealer verify I was running the latest software (I need to find out how to do this myself) and judging by my gauge appearance preferences and a few other things, I'm guessing they did pull the battery. The tech who brought my car out to me wasn't the one who worked on it (so he said), and knew nothing about MFT.....hmmm.

Crtl + Alt + Delete, then reboot....fixes everything....just like Windows 95

Thanks,
Tim

 

[w1kedz]

Again,

I'm not sure why Ford went with Microsoft VS Apple for the MFT development. I'm sure it's contractual.

Microsoft isn't the issue here... Microsoft Automotive (formerly autopc) has been around for a decade. It's a stable, solid product. Sync itself has been running on it for a few years now, and is great. Apple has no experience in automotive embedded applications, and has no offerings in this market as of yet. The issue is with Ford's engineers (or whoever they contracted for integration) that wrote the drivers and UI for MyFord Touch.

 

[w1kedz]

Just to clarify again...

SYNC is not the problem, SYNC is great!
SYNC w/ MyFord Touch is what everyone is having trouble with, it's different beast.

 

[FordIVTteam]

I still had the dealer verify I was running the latest software (I need to find out how to do this myself) and judging by my gauge appearance preferences and a few other things, I'm guessing they did pull the battery.

Hi Tim!

I'm glad your system is up and running!

You can find out what software you have on your vehicle by logging in to your SYNCMyRide.com account and going to "Updates and Customize." It will tell you which version you have on the right hand side of the screen.

Rebecca