FORD'S SYNC 4 BRINGS BIGGER SCREENS AND OVER-THE-AIR UPDATES

[BmacIL]

Ford and other auto makers have done thousands of market research studies to determine the path forward. What makes your opinion better then that?

If you only knew how they did market research...

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[Grimmer]

Probably the same "nimrod" who realized that there are way too many people who aren't smart enough to turn the HVAC from 'recirculate' to 'fresh air' when the side glass fogs up, and figured that automating the HVAC and setting its defaults for the protection of the stupid was the way to go.

Ha ha ha... Funny you mention this. I once knew a couple that between them couldn't figure this out and always complained that their vehicle's defroster was so terrible...

 

[Bikeman315]

If you only knew how they did market research...

Having worked for a major electronics company I unfortunately do understand. I also believe in what ex Continental Airlines CEO Gordon Bethune once said;
“Do not ask people what they want, ask people what they are willing to pay for”.

 

[Sivi70980]

A point @zackmd1 made about the HVAC though is in the answer to this question. When is the last time you touched those settings? I bought the car and set the temp and haven't touched it since. It cools in the summer and warms in the winter. I park in a garage nightly so never any window fogging issues. Now I know there are those (my wife) that feel cold and turn the heat to the "sun" setting till they're hot and then turn the A/C to the "ice planet" setting and go back and forth constantly. If like me, you set it and forget it, then what does it matter how buried or not the controls are? If we're all driving like my drivers instructor wanted me to with both hands on the wheel at all times and adjusting things to where you want them before you even start your trek, doesn't it make most of this moot? I feel like radio volume is well handled with steering wheel buttons and the only real adjustment to make while driving would be to change the station. Even then it's not like it HAS to happen.

 

[Grimmer]

I have to change the HVAC settings 4 to 6 times every time I drive the car.

Perhaps mine is defective, but one example is early morning cold starts in winter. While the engine is cold it stays off. As the engine warms up it starts to mildly blow. Once the engine nears full temp it blows more aggressively and over shoots the target temp by about 15+ degrees. I have it set to 68 all the time. It gets so hot that I'm compelled to turn it down to make it stop. If I can tough it out after about 15 minutes it will pull its head out and back off, but by then it is about 90 degrees inside the car. Once it backs off and stabilizes I have to turn it back up for normal temperature control at 68 degrees.

It is either defective or really slow on the uptake between how hot the air it blows is or hot hot the return air is. Maybe it still thinks it is 20 degrees inside the car when it is blasting 110 degree air, or maybe it thinks it is blowing 30 degree air... Anyone else have this problem?

Also, if I had it set to blow vent and floor when ignition was turned off, the next time I turn it on it is in recirculate max speed mode. Again requiring operator intervention.

Also, when pressing either the max defrost or max a/c buttons, if any other button or adjustment is made before unselecting the max defrost or a/c mode, it fails to properly return to the previous settings and requires intervention again.

The other day it snowed then froze while I was at work. I ran the normal defrost for 30 minutes then switched to max defrost for the next 10 or so. When I parked in my garage there was still ice on the outside of the windshield even though the heat inside was just about chasing me out of the car by the end.

Mine could be defective, but to me it appears to be inadequate forethough in the programing that doesn't account for many potential scenarios that could occur through normal use.

Set and forget may have been the design target, but they fell miserably short of achieving it. (unless my unit is completely defective... In which case they still failed to design and manufacture a robust system).

 

[Grimmer]

The dealership did diagnose and replace my head unit on my first maintenance visit... Presumably there were no lasting problems after that or they should have detected them, right?

Anyway, the system generally works with a few quirks, just not on AUTO. And nearly every time I've taken my car to the dealership they have done more damage than they've fixed. I'm leary to take them a "maybe" problem for fear of what damage I'll have to exchange for their attempts to find and fix the HVAC.

 

[Sivi70980]

I have to change the HVAC settings 4 to 6 times every time I drive the car.

Perhaps mine is defective, but one example is early morning cold starts in winter. While the engine is cold it stays off. As the engine warms up it starts to mildly blow. Once the engine nears full temp it blows more aggressively and over shoots the target temp by about 15+ degrees. I have it set to 68 all the time. It gets so hot that I'm compelled to turn it down to make it stop. If I can tough it out after about 15 minutes it will pull its head out and back off, but by then it is about 90 degrees inside the car. Once it backs off and stabilizes I have to turn it back up for normal temperature control at 68 degrees.

It is either defective or really slow on the uptake between how hot the air it blows is or hot hot the return air is. Maybe it still thinks it is 20 degrees inside the car when it is blasting 110 degree air, or maybe it thinks it is blowing 30 degree air... Anyone else have this problem?

Also, if I had it set to blow vent and floor when ignition was turned off, the next time I turn it on it is in recirculate max speed mode. Again requiring operator intervention.

Also, when pressing either the max defrost or max a/c buttons, if any other button or adjustment is made before unselecting the max defrost or a/c mode, it fails to properly return to the previous settings and requires intervention again.

The other day it snowed then froze while I was at work. I ran the normal defrost for 30 minutes then switched to max defrost for the next 10 or so. When I parked in my garage there was still ice on the outside of the windshield even though the heat inside was just about chasing me out of the car by the end.

Mine could be defective, but to me it appears to be inadequate forethough in the programing that doesn't account for many potential scenarios that could occur through normal use.

Set and forget may have been the design target, but they fell massively short of achieving it. (unless my unit is completely defective... In which case they still failed to design and manufacture a robust system).

Menopause? Sorry, terrible joke lol.

It's sounds super defective to me, I'd get it checked for sure. Even in cold and/or rainy days, I haven't had to adjust a single thing HVAC related.

 

[Sivi70980]

The dealership did diagnose and replace my head unit on my first maintenance visit... Presumably there were no lasting problems after that or they should have detected them, right?

Anyway, the system generally works with a few quirks, just not on AUTO. And nearly every time I've taken my car to the dealership they have done more damage than they've fixed. I'm leary to take them a "maybe" problem for fear of what damage I'll have to exchange for their attempts to find and fix the HVAC.

Try a different shop?

 

[Grimmer]

Try a different shop?

The menopause joke was funny. Maybe we can call it MANopause...

There are 3 large Ford dealerships in town.
.
.
. Edit:

Well double damn it... I was almost finished describing the highlights of my horrible experiences with the local dealerships when my computer screen went black and my monitors went to sleep. Nothing was waking it up so I had to reboot. Apparently this site only saves drafts when you are writing a new post and not editing an existing incomplete post...

Probably for the best though, it wasn't my intention to jack the thread into a dealership rant... Suffice it to say that I've tried all three of the major dealerships and each of them have systematically crossed themselves off the list. And I'm not talking about bad customer service, irritating service writers, or high prices. I'm talking about actual damage to my car, and negligent work with the potential for catastrophic engine failure. I had been moving more towards letting the shop fix my cars unless there was an extreme cost, but the local Ford dealerships have convinced me to go back to the opposite: Never let them touch my cars unless there is an expensive warranty or recall repair required. (Yes, I have performed minor warranty covered repair myself and out of my own pocket due to the above.)

The next available large Ford dealership is about 30 miles away. My bumper to bumper has expired, so it isn't likely that I'll need a dealership shop any time soon...

 

[Grimmer]

Stupid keyboard... how did it auto-post before I finished typing??? I'll go back and edit the previous incomplete post.

 

[Bikeman315]

Stupid keyboard... how did it auto-post before I finished typing??? I'll go back and edit the previous incomplete post.

Was it a touchpad or mechanical keyboard?

 

[Grimmer]

Was it a touchpad or mechanical keyboard?

Mechanical... Corsair K70.

 

[Sivi70980]

The menopause joke was funny. Maybe we can call it MANopause...

There are 3 large Ford dealerships in town.
.
.
. Edit:

Well double damn it... I was almost finished describing the highlights of my horrible experiences with the local dealerships when my computer screen went black and my monitors went to sleep. Nothing was waking it up so I had to reboot. Apparently this site only saves drafts when you are writing a new post and not editing an existing incomplete post...

Probably for the best though, it wasn't my intention to jack the thread into a dealership rant... Suffice it to say that I've tried all three of the major dealerships and each of them have systematically crossed themselves off the list. And I'm not talking about bad customer service, irritating service writers, or high prices. I'm talking about actual damage to my car, and negligent work with the potential for catastrophic engine failure. I had been moving more towards letting the shop fix my cars unless there was an extreme cost, but the local Ford dealerships have convinced me to go back to the opposite: Never let them touch my cars unless there is an expensive warranty or recall repair required. (Yes, I have performed minor warranty covered repair myself and out of my own pocket due to the above.)

The next available large Ford dealership is about 30 miles away. My bumper to bumper has expired, so it isn't likely that I'll need a dealership shop any time soon...

Time to get some manuals and watch some videos and then buy any parts/tools you might need to do the work yourself. When service shops of any kind fail, it just sucks. Hope it's not a software issue.

 

[Grimmer]

Maybe it is just me... It has been a shitty week for sure, maybe I should just go home now and try to salvage the weekend.

That is now the fourth time my computer has done that in the past several weeks. I suppose it is time to get IT to replace it.

 

[Sivi70980]

Maybe it is just me... It has been a shitty week for sure, maybe I should just go home now and try to salvage the weekend.

That is now the fourth time my computer has done that in the past several weeks. I suppose it is time to get IT to replace it.

Breathe, start over on Monday lol

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