Can MFT issues drop Explorer value?

[spawnman]

So I was just thinking while trying to pair my new iPhone 4 with the MFT system yesterday, that with all the bad press on the MFT systems in these cars, what has that done to any resale value? I know that most cars are worthless for resale value after you drive them off the lot, but could this be causing a bigger gap? What if the MFT update in 2012 doesn't fix anything? Who should be responsible here? I in good faith plunked down my hard earned money to purchase something I believed would function as advertised. Not as advertised in a year!

The paring of the iPhone 4 last night went like this:
1. Pair phone.
2. Looked at phone book on MFT screen, says it's downloading.
3. Checked again, said download complete. No contacts listed. The phone has 25 contacts!
4. Then had issues getting the phone to stay paired. Removed from MFT system, Removed from iPhone, repaired, re-downloaded phone book, now some of the contacts show up.
5. After a couple of "turn the key off/open the door" sessions, got the phone paired and all contacts showing. It just shouldn't be this hard!!

I also own a 2011 F150 with the sync system and the Sony sound system and have never had an issue. The phone pairs and connects in seconds, iPod always plays, NEVER AN ISSUE.

I've read some peoples comments about a class action suit against Ford on this. Where do we start??

Yes, mine has been to the dealer, had multiple parts replaced. (Did finally manage to get the streaking windows fixed), but this MFT system needs serious help.

What are our options?

 

[njafish]

I've read some peoples comments about a class action suit against Ford on this. Where do we start??

great way to kill re-sale values right there

 

[VinceL]

great way to kill re-sale values right there

LOL, too true!

I think that when (I am being optimistic for a change) they fix MFT, I think that 99.9% of the public will have either forgotten the troubles, never known there were any problems, or simply not care.

The other 0.1% would never have been satisfied in the first place.

 

[Fredridge]

so far it hasn't hurt that much. Dealers in my area have not had a good stock since they came out. I looked for quite a while because I wasn't quite ready, but didn't feel like ordering one.

I ended up buying a demo and a few weeks later I had stopped in to pick something up at the dealer and was talking to the sales manager and he said used ones with 15k miles were going for more than I paid for mine, which based on what I have seen, I believe.

 

[janskim]

There will always be the .1% unhappy souls. I do give Ford credit for trying to fix the system. I recently upgraded from 2.4 to 2.11 via the online download and after some minor issues which were quickly solved via this forum and the Ford reps here I am happy with some of the changes 2.11 brought with speed and features. I think the MFT system has some issues but those are probabaly compounded by the various phones and devices we are trying to make it work with (Droids, Iphones, Blackberry). Face it we want a universal system to interface with everything seamlessly. The second issue with MFT I think is its to tech complicated for the average consumer to undertsand and work with. Face it a button is easier to turn then a electronic touch screen. Remember when computers first became the mainstay and how much of the public had to adapt overtime as well as industry with glitches. Over time I think we will see more of these types of interfaces in other vehicles. I commend Ford for trying to blaze the way foward first and try and navigate through the issues. If we can get a fairly stable system with the 2012 next version update I think the 99% will be happy and not kill resell.

 

[VinceL]

I have been a long (or at least as long as can be) opponent of Ford's removing actual buttons and knobs and replacing them with MFT and voice command. The problem is, MFT and voice commands simply cannot achieve the efficiency of a simple knob or real button (not touch sensitive surface).

Until MFT's voice commands can work like Siri is supposed to, the knobs and buttons must be there. The system as it stands is too much of a distraction from driving, the most important aspect of a motor vehicle, and may result in a possible reduction of overall safety.

If Ford had made MFT a supplement to real knobs and buttons (which had final control, with MFT only reading their status and having the ability to update their settings), a lot of the grief caused by MFT would be reduced. It would be a minor inconvenience that the MFT functions didn't work because you would still have the buttons to use, not the random, complete failure of system functions as some have had.

I like that Ford pushed the envelope, but the pushed from the wrong direction. They added touch buttons and dummy knobs to MFT, where they should have added MFT to real buttons and knobs.

Wow, sorry for the rant, but I feel slightly better.

Back to the normally scheduled program...