Sirius/SYNC/nav

[RachelnLa]

Has anyone kept it past the trial date?

 

Has everyone registered at SYNC? What will registering get me? Sent a vehicle report to yourself?

 

I have a trip to take for work. If it all works out, my car will be here by then. The other gal wants to take my car. Eeek. I don't mind, but they have ribbed me nonstop about my "electric car". I stopped correcting them. They seem to thing the joke of taping an extension cord to my Tahoe is just sooo funny. I want to make sure this trip goes impressively smooth. I heard talk of sending routes to the car. How?

 

I also get paid per mile of travel Wonder how much money I will make hahahaha

 

Praying for no dead battery!!!!

[zhackwyatt]

Has anyone kept it past the trial date?

 

Has everyone registered at SYNC? What will registering get me? Sent a vehicle report to yourself?

 

I have a trip to take for work. If it all works out, my car will be here by then. The other gal wants to take my car. Eeek. I don't mind, but they have ribbed me nonstop about my "electric car". I stopped correcting them. They seem to thing the joke of taping an extension cord to my Tahoe is just sooo funny. I want to make sure this trip goes impressively smooth. I heard talk of sending routes to the car. How?

 

I also get paid per mile of travel Wonder how much money I will make hahahaha

 

Praying for no dead battery!!!!

I'm not past the Trial date yet, but I have heard you can usually negotiate with Sirius to get a better price than they offer on the web.

 

Registering at Sync gets you Vehicle health reports, as well as Sync Updates.  It is also necessary for Sync Services and if you want to subscribe to that. (You get a free trial with the purchase of the car.)  With Sync Services the car makes a phone call using your phone and you can ask it info about sport teams, schedule, weather, traffic, movies, horoscopes, and navigation.

 

Navigation using Sync services can be helpful because you can actually get a hold of a live person to help you find something (I'm pretty sure about this, have not tried it myself).  Anywho, directions through Sync Services download to the car and then will be on the map, as if you have entered the destination directly into the car.  Also, you can use Sync Services to get navigation help, without paying for navigation package for MFT in the car.  You don't get a map however.  (Again, I'm pretty sure about this.  I have the Nav package so I'll have to pull out my Nav SD card and give it a try sometime.)

 

Using Mapquest on the web, or using the Sync Destinations app on your phone (Android also has Send To Car which I prefer), you can send a destination to the car.  When using these services to send a destination to the car, you have to use Sync Services to retrieve the destination.

 

Pull the voice paddle and say "Services".

[RachelnLa]

Thanks. More to get excited about!

[MikeB]

Sync services seemed a waste to me, I've mostly ignored it. I have no interest in finding things like sports scores when driving, and I've got a smartphone that can tell me a thousand times more stuff when I stop.

 

Sirius has some interesting features, I'm vaguely thinking of keeping it (assuming I can get a reduced price). Obviously the music is nice on trips, and even in town if you have crappy local radio stations. I've got a big USB stick with music in the console, but Sirius has a much bigger collection than I do so there's better variety. But Sirius is also providing traffic data to the Nav system, there's a little colored halo around the big roads, red or yellow or green, to indicate current traffic levels. There's also incident icons on the map, and the nav system has some ability to alter your current route if there's an accident along the way (haven't tried that yet). And the weather map is also nice, it uses the Nav map, zoomed way out, with an overlay of current radar. Good to see if you're about to drive into a big thunderstorm or miss it. Of course, a smartphone will give you both of these things, but not on the 8" screen, and not in places where cell coverage is weak or cell-based internet is absent (which happens pretty often between cities). For someone who does a good bit of traveling, and can afford an extra few bucks a month, the Sirius package might be worthwhile.

[RachelnLa]

My dad kept his after the trial on his edge. He was able to get a very reduced price. I don't travel that much. But I might once I get my car! Hahahaha

[darrelld]

Has anyone kept it past the trial date?

 

Has everyone registered at SYNC? What will registering get me? Sent a vehicle report to yourself?

 

I have a trip to take for work. If it all works out, my car will be here by then. The other gal wants to take my car. Eeek. I don't mind, but they have ribbed me nonstop about my "electric car". I stopped correcting them. They seem to thing the joke of taping an extension cord to my Tahoe is just sooo funny. I want to make sure this trip goes impressively smooth. I heard talk of sending routes to the car. How?

 

I also get paid per mile of travel Wonder how much money I will make hahahaha

 

Praying for no dead battery!!!!

 

One useful Sync feature in fuel prices. Pull the Sync paddle and say "Fuel Prices" and in a minute or so you download a list of the latest info in your area. You could do this on your phone but looking a small phone screen in bumper to bumper urban traffic for directions or fuel prices is not a responsible way to drive. I have been rear ended 3 times in the last 5 years and every instance was from driver distraction. In each instance the first question asked by Police was "Were you doing anything on your phone".

 

I put together a dash cam solution using an iPhone program called "Witness" and an old iPhone 4/windshield mount just as a cya. So when that next person using their cell phone hits me I can show the police a video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqYTANHxYEQ

Edited February 16, 2013 by darrelld

[RachelnLa]

Neat. Garnin will tell me fuel places but not prices. I know it's pulling current info and that's what you're paying for and it's a cool feature. Really really helpful to those wanting that 600 mile tank!

[Laurel]

Services are different for Canada.  We don't get Vehicle Health Reports via Sync.  We don't get Travel Link (we pick up a little via Bellingham), no fuel prices etc here.  So Sirius isn't a real value to us.

[Adair]

I'm still in the trial period (for Sirius) and haven't used all the services yet. Love the weather map! Love being able to say *I'm hungry* (Thanks Laurel!) and get a list of restaurants. 

 

When my daughter's subscription ran out, she just let it go, they called her 3 or 4 times, each with a lower rate. When it finally hit something ridiculously low (I wanna say $5/mo but that may be way off in either direction) she took it again. They travel enough that it's worth it.

Edited February 16, 2013 by Adair

[zhackwyatt]

Sync services seemed a waste to me, I've mostly ignored it. I have no interest in finding things like sports scores when driving, and I've got a smartphone that can tell me a thousand times more stuff when I stop.

 

Sirius has some interesting features, I'm vaguely thinking of keeping it (assuming I can get a reduced price). Obviously the music is nice on trips, and even in town if you have crappy local radio stations. I've got a big USB stick with music in the console, but Sirius has a much bigger collection than I do so there's better variety. But Sirius is also providing traffic data to the Nav system, there's a little colored halo around the big roads, red or yellow or green, to indicate current traffic levels. There's also incident icons on the map, and the nav system has some ability to alter your current route if there's an accident along the way (haven't tried that yet). And the weather map is also nice, it uses the Nav map, zoomed way out, with an overlay of current radar. Good to see if you're about to drive into a big thunderstorm or miss it. Of course, a smartphone will give you both of these things, but not on the 8" screen, and not in places where cell coverage is weak or cell-based internet is absent (which happens pretty often between cities). For someone who does a good bit of traveling, and can afford an extra few bucks a month, the Sirius package might be worthwhile.

IMO smart phones aren't as good with the hands off approach as sync is. You have to take your eyes off the road as well as your hands off the steering wheel to operate the phone.

[Tree63]

Services are different for Canada.  We don't get Vehicle Health Reports via Sync.  We don't get Travel Link (we pick up a little via Bellingham), no fuel prices etc here.  So Sirius isn't a real value to us.

 

The weather stops at the border as well - unfortnately for now.

[RachelnLa]

I think my dad ended up paying 10.00 a month.

[dgoldman]

I'm not past the Trial date yet, but I have heard you can usually negotiate with Sirius to get a better price than they offer on the web.

 

Registering at Sync gets you Vehicle health reports, as well as Sync Updates.  It is also necessary for Sync Services and if you want to subscribe to that. (You get a free trial with the purchase of the car.)  With Sync Services the car makes a phone call using your phone and you can ask it info about sport teams, schedule, weather, traffic, movies, horoscopes, and navigation.

 

Navigation using Sync services can be helpful because you can actually get a hold of a live person to help you find something (I'm pretty sure about this, have not tried it myself).  Anywho, directions through Sync Services download to the car and then will be on the map, as if you have entered the destination directly into the car.  Also, you can use Sync Services to get navigation help, without paying for navigation package for MFT in the car.  You don't get a map however.  (Again, I'm pretty sure about this.  I have the Nav package so I'll have to pull out my Nav SD card and give it a try sometime.)

 

Using Mapquest on the web, or using the Sync Destinations app on your phone (Android also has Send To Car which I prefer), you can send a destination to the car.  When using these services to send a destination to the car, you have to use Sync Services to retrieve the destination.

 

Pull the voice paddle and say "Services".

So do you mean you have to call Sync Services to retrieve the destination...and use one of your free calls?  Doesn't that defeat the purpose of Mapquest?  I thought I'd just get in the car and the Nav system would tell me I had a new destination or something.

[zhackwyatt]

So do you mean you have to call Sync Services to retrieve the destination...and use one of your free calls?  Doesn't that defeat the purpose of Mapquest?  I thought I'd just get in the car and the Nav system would tell me I had a new destination or something.

Yes you call Sync Services, but i does not use a free call.  The free call you are talking about (I think) is the 60 complimentary operator assist sessions. These are for when you have to talk to a person on sync services because the services computer voice prompts isn't working for you.  Using mapquest is free and it willl start the download to the car as soon as you make the call.

[dgoldman]

Yes you call Sync Services, but i does not use a free call.  The free call you are talking about (I think) is the 60 complimentary operator assist sessions. These are for when you have to talk to a person on sync services because the services computer voice prompts isn't working for you.  Using mapquest is free and it willl start the download to the car as soon as you make the call.

Great.  I'll give it a try.  I've never tried Sync Services since I thought that was just for the operator assisted services.  I think Ford could do a better job of marketing Sync.  Besides the technical problems, it's confusing how to access all the features.    Thanks for your help.

[wab]

Sync Services question.

 

Do you have to provide a credit card # when you sign up?

 

thanks

[roninsd]

No you don't need a CC.  You can also use the "Destinations" app to map your trip and send it to sync.  When you access Sync Services, "Directions", it says there is a route waiting, do you want to use it.

[wab]

Thanks for the CC info.

 

Now I have to contact my phone provider, they aren't sending my Caller ID info.

 

 

wab

[rums54]

I'll speak for my wife as the C-Max is her car. She will keep the Sirius radio subscription when the trial runs out. We both love Sirius so that will stay but neither of us knew there was a subscription for Sync. The most she does with Sync is hook up her phone and use the voice activated stuff to change a channel or look for a place on the navigation. As far as we know, we haven't registered for anything with Sync. Is there a monthly fee?

 

Earlier, someone said you can negotiate with Sirius. That is absolutely true. They have a vested interest to keep as many customers as they can.

 

I'll look around this site for info on Sync/registration/fee, etc. Any info would be appreciated.

[zhackwyatt]

I'll speak for my wife as the C-Max is her car. She will keep the Sirius radio subscription when the trial runs out. We both love Sirius so that will stay but neither of us knew there was a subscription for Sync. The most she does with Sync is hook up her phone and use the voice activated stuff to change a channel or look for a place on the navigation. As far as we know, we haven't registered for anything with Sync. Is there a monthly fee?

 

Earlier, someone said you can negotiate with Sirius. That is absolutely true. They have a vested interest to keep as many customers as they can.

 

I'll look around this site for info on Sync/registration/fee, etc. Any info would be appreciated.

The subscription is for Sync Services not Sync.

 

All the things you mentioned are built-in to the car and do not require Sync Services or a subscription

 

Sync Services is made when you pull the voice button and say "Services".  This dials a 1-800 phone number.  There you have similar voice activated prompts, but its for things like, sport scores, movie times, horiscopes, weather, etc.  (Some of that you can get in the car w/o Sync Services using Sirius.)

 

You can also find directions and get live operator help.  What I mainly use it for is to send an address from my phone to the car.

 

http://www.ford.com/technology/sync/features/sync-services/

[roninsd]

I got a 3 year subscription when I leased the car (part of the package). Don't know if I'd feel the need to pay the subscription fee after it ends.

[zhackwyatt]

I got a 3 year subscription when I leased the car (part of the package). Don't know if I'd feel the need to pay the subscription fee after it ends.

Yes I forgot to mention that.  You get a 3 year subscription when you buy the car too.  And something like 20 operator assisted calls as well.