Why C MAX ruined my Ford experience (not MPG related)

[Meabn007]

So, I obviously have a big problem with the max. I have contacted Ford and have a case number and all that stuff so I am not so much looking for an answer rather than sharing my experience. For starters, MPG. I would cautiously state that everyone needs to relax about the low MPG. The break in period of the car and what appears to be a glorious misunderstanding of mean, median, and mode are responsible for this. Even though I am getting about 35 MPG at the 5,000 ish mile mark, I expect warmer weather and more break in to cross the gap. Oh sure, I have more problems; rear kick to open the hatch thingy is intermittent, GPS is lost, the gain on the speaker phone mic is way too high, and sync. Sync is the one problem that is so significant that this will be my last Ford purchase. Take a look at the video..... It isn't 1993 and we should have this radio thing to the iPhone 5 thing figured out BEFORE we launch a car. After talking with Ford they actually admit that the iPhone is more powerful than their Sync system and the Sync doesn't know how to act. While I applaud Ford for trying to take care of, we'll, everything, I think they fell short. All I want is what what's advertised. Not to wildly ridiculous when all I want is to; make a call, have a text read to me, and listen to the radio. My C Max experience has failed me at all three. Now I know some of will have diarrhea of the blog and star screaming how its Apple's fault and even pepper that with some Steve Jobs versus Bill Gates conspiracy theories. I get it. But, Ford claimed that it would work, not Apple. Ford admits the iPhone is more powerful than Sync so I will let them figure that out. I love my dealership and they have tried everything they can but my mechanic isn't a software programer nor do I want him to be. Ford promises a fix is coming but..... Thoughts?

 

http://youtu.be/CdrQPKcN0Ms

Edited April 7, 2013 by Meabn007

[BWP]

I think you're spot on stating that you expect the car to do what Ford says it will do.  I like your approach in stating the facts and stopping at that.  Thanks for that, and good luck working this out.

 

I hope all works out well for you.

[Riddley]

I can't agree more. If you have advertised features, those should just work. Period. End of story. The iPhone is the second most popular phone on the market, so manufacturers just need to test the heck out of it and get it right before it goes out the door.

 

EDIT:

On thinking further about this, I want to temper my response with this caveat: although increasingly integrating software into the car experience is fraught with risk and prone to cause frustration, I think it is also one of the most promising developments in Automotive technology. I say this because software provides for a serious potential to improve the experience over time. If something doesn't work reliably, that can be fixed over time with system upgrades. What consumers need to understand is that with software integration, the car experience is necessarily going to start feeling more and more like their computing experience. System upgrades to fix and add features will become increasingly necessary and routine.

 

In the not too distant past, you bought your new car, and any improvements you want to get are all on you. Don't like the radio?  You swap it out for an after-market product. You install it yourself, or pay someone to do it. The original car did not change significantly by the dealer or the manufacturer once you drove it off the lot. Today that is all changed. For the better. But software integration is just starting to catch on, this is going to require us to have more patience and understanding.

 

Regarding the features Manufacturers advertise: Ford needs to edit their ads to show only what they can reliably deliver. Then they can reedit their ads to show new features only once those new features are delivered reliably and broadly.

 

It is a brave new automotive world. I have an old truck in the driveway. I should put a bumper sticker on it that reads: "My other car is a PC... and a phone... and a NAV system. About the only thing it doesn't do is make coffee. I'm sure that's next".  

Edited April 7, 2013 by Riddley

[zhackwyatt]

Hopefully the new version of MFT will solve your problems with it.

[darrelld]

I believe the root of most Sync problems is its Windows Mobile operating system. Cadillac used a Windows Mobile based system in my previous 2004 CTS and it had lockups similar to the C-Max.

 

Cadillac has now wisely divorced themselves from the flawed Microsoft based system and moved to Linux.

 

http://www.linuxfordevices.com/c/a/News/Cadillac-CUE/

Edited April 8, 2013 by darrelld

[Meabn007]

I believe the root of most Sync problems is its Windows Mobile operating system. Cadillac used a Windows Mobile based system in my previous 2004 CTS and it had lockups similar to the C-Max.

Cadillac has now wisely divorced themselves from the flawed Microsoft based system and moved to Linux.

http://www.linuxfordevices.com/c/a/News/Cadillac-CUE/

Nail on the head......

[Meabn007]

I can't agree more. If you have advertised features, those should just work. Period. End of story. The iPhone is the second most popular phone on the market, so manufacturers just need to test the heck out of it and get it right before it goes out the door.

 

EDIT:

On thinking further about this, I want to temper my response with this caveat: although increasingly integrating software into the car experience is fraught with risk and prone to cause frustration, I think it is also one of the most promising developments in Automotive technology. I say this because software provides for a serious potential to improve the experience over time. If something doesn't work reliably, that can be fixed over time with system upgrades. What consumers need to understand is that with software integration, the car experience is necessarily going to start feeling more and more like their computing experience. System upgrades to fix and add features will become increasingly necessary and routine.

 

In the not too distant past, you bought your new car, and any improvements you want to get are all on you. Don't like the radio?  You swap it out for an after-market product. You install it yourself, or pay someone to do it. The original car did not change significantly by the dealer or the manufacturer once you drove it off the lot. Today that is all changed. For the better. But software integration is just starting to catch on, this is going to require us to have more patience and understanding.

 

Regarding the features Manufacturers advertise: Ford needs to edit their ads to show only what they can reliably deliver. Then they can reedit their ads to show new features only once those new features are delivered reliably and broadly.

 

It is a brave new automotive world. I have an old truck in the driveway. I should put a bumper sticker on it that reads: "My other car is a PC... and a phone... and a NAV system. About the only thing it doesn't do is make coffee. I'm sure that's next".  

Very well said. I agree that "Detroit" needs to come up with new stuff. I firmly believe that there is an intrinsic responsibility to make the things work that they imagine BEFORE launch. I wonder how bad it was before they approved it?

[zhackwyatt]

Who knows?  A crappy app on a good OS is crap too.  Without ever getting access to the system, we'll never know.

[Riddley]

So - directly related to this.

 

I was driving in the C-MAX just now. As I was getting near home, the song that was playing on the radio (from a playlist on a USB thumb drive), stopped playing. The Sync Maven (you can use that) announced that I had a text message. She asked me if I wanted the message read. I said something to the effect of "read the message". I am still driving my car at this time. Hands on the wheel.

 

Note: I have not set anything up to test this and have not received any messages while driving previously.

 

So, anyway, the Sync Maven read aloud the text message that I had received. I thought "Cool ! That's progress."

 

Next the Sync maven asked me if I wanted to reply. I said "Reply". She asked me to say the reply message. I said a short reply message aloud. She asked me if I wanted the message to be repeated, or sent. I said something to the effect of "repeat message". She read back the message. It appeared she didn't completely understand my words. She asked me if I wanted to cancel and retry the message. I did a new message, and then when she asked. I said send the message. All this while driving, hands on the wheel. The message was sent.

 

So, the point of all of this is, there is hope. These system glitches that impair functionality are not permanent. System upgrades will most likely resolve these issues. My car is a newer one - which I got practically off the train in late March. It didn't sit on the dealer's lot for more than a few hours. I'm certain I have the Sync version 3.5.1.

 

I hope people can set aside some of the frustration and focus on one or more of the other very cool features of this car. It is one of the most comfortable, fun to drive cars on the road. It is powerful, quiet, and handles the road with great manners.  The system refresh will correct a lot of frustrations people are reporting.

 

DISCLAIMER: I do not work for FORD. I am not affiliated with Ford in any way. I just like this car a lot. I guess I am seeing that the many weeks delay I had to wait for my car to be built and shipped has had a serious silver lining.     

Edited April 8, 2013 by Riddley

[TxTom]

Riddley, Is your phone an iPhone?

[VirginiaRick]

Riddley, Is your phone an iPhone?

 

I was curious about that also.  I've got an iPhone 4, and it's my understanding that MFT can't do text-to-voice with the iPhone.

 

VR

Edited April 8, 2013 by VirginiaRick

[RachelnLa]

I have the 4 and I cannot get it to work.

[Wingrider01]

funny, have a iphone 5 and have absolutely no issues with that part of the system, as a matter of fact that is the one of the few things that doe work on the car, I don;t blame the crappy GPS on the Sync system, just a crappy GPS system.  As far as the Iphone not doing text message to voice on the Sync system - remember Apple as of IOS 6 is NOT using a standard SMS texting module, they have their own custom written Imessage that handles texting, prior to that implementation my old Iphone 3 worked perfectly with the texting interface on the sync system

 

As far as the OS goes, to me not a point of discussion - there are MS lovers / haters and Linux Lovers / Haters, IOS lovers / haters that argument will be around till the end of time. Seen junk Liniux builds also and the IOS build on the iphone is one of the biggest security failures I have seen in years, so bad that we banned Iphones and android phones from the corporate network until they get it fixed properly

[Meabn007]

funny, have a iphone 5 and have absolutely no issues with that part of the system, as a matter of fact that is the one of the few things that doe work on the car, I don;t blame the crappy GPS on the Sync system, just a crappy GPS system.  As far as the Iphone not doing text message to voice on the Sync system - remember Apple as of IOS 6 is NOT using a standard SMS texting module, they have their own custom written Imessage that handles texting, prior to that implementation my old Iphone 3 worked perfectly with the texting interface on the sync system

 

As far as the OS goes, to me not a point of discussion - there are MS lovers / haters and Linux Lovers / Haters, IOS lovers / haters that argument will be around till the end of time. Seen junk Liniux builds also and the IOS build on the iphone is one of the biggest security failures I have seen in years, so bad that we banned Iphones and android phones from the corporate network until they get it fixed properly

I am moderately happy you aren't having problems. I definitely am. Previous comments are legit in the sense that the "too bad" approach only applies if the goods aren't advertised to do something that they can't. Ford said it would work so it should work, for everyone.

[Riddley]

Riddley, Is your phone an iPhone?

 

Sorry. Its an HTC 8X Windows phone. http://www.htc.com/www/smartphones/htc-wp-8x/

 

I seem to have a singular talent for putting salt in people's wounds.

Edited April 8, 2013 by Riddley

[BigRed]

Sorry. Its an HTC 8X Windows phone. http://www.htc.com/www/smartphones/htc-wp-8x/

 

I seem to have a singular talent for putting salt in people's wounds.

This is the first time I have read someone using a WP8 device with the c-max's sync. Glad to hear it works. I use a Nokia920 for my work & music phone.

 

Does the music streaming work with xbox music via sync?

[lowbar]

This is the first time I have read someone using a WP8 device with the c-max's sync. Glad to hear it works. I use a Nokia920 for my work & music phone.

 

Does the music streaming work with xbox music via sync?

 

My wife and I both have Windows Phone 7.5 devices and they work great.  Don't have Xbox.

[BigRed]

My wife and I both have Windows Phone 7.5 devices and they work great.  Don't have Xbox.

xbox music is the new "zune" streaming on the WP8 devices.

[dalebunker]

funny, have a iphone 5 and have absolutely no issues with that part of the system, as a matter of fact that is the one of the few things that doe work on the car, I don;t blame the crappy GPS on the Sync system, just a crappy GPS system.  As far as the Iphone not doing text message to voice on the Sync system - remember Apple as of IOS 6 is NOT using a standard SMS texting module, they have their own custom written Imessage that handles texting, prior to that implementation my old Iphone 3 worked perfectly with the texting interface on the sync system

 

As far as the OS goes, to me not a point of discussion - there are MS lovers / haters and Linux Lovers / Haters, IOS lovers / haters that argument will be around till the end of time. Seen junk Liniux builds also and the IOS build on the iphone is one of the biggest security failures I have seen in years, so bad that we banned Iphones and android phones from the corporate network until they get it fixed properly

Hmm, when I try to configure Sync's text messsaging for my iPhone 5 it says its unsupported.  Maybe I'm missing something....?  Did you have to do anything creative to get it to work?

[Riddley]

This is the first time I have read someone using a WP8 device with the c-max's sync. Glad to hear it works. I use a Nokia920 for my work & music phone.

 

Does the music streaming work with xbox music via sync?

 

I haven't tested XBOX music much with SYNC/MFT. I'll try that later and report results in a new thread.

[C-MAXER]

Hmm, when I try to configure Sync's text messsaging for my iPhone 5 it says its unsupported.  Maybe I'm missing something....?  Did you have to do anything creative to get it to work?

 

 

On your phone, go into settings>bluetooth>sync(blue arrow) and turn on "show notifications".   Also on MyFordTouch:  settings>phone>text message notification>on

 

That did it for my 4s but I can't reply via the steering wheel right control.  I haven't tried voice control yet.  

Edited April 8, 2013 by C-MAXER

[Max Power]

This has worked great on my Droid X.  Old phone, I know, but I wait until they quit working to get a new one.

[RachelnLa]

Hmm, I don't have show notifications. That could be my problem.

[C-MAXER]

Hmm, I don't have show notifications. That could be my problem.

 

Do you have an iPhone?  Is so, what iOS version?  

[RachelnLa]

5.1? Oops. I hate updating. Something always goes wrong.