"Mosqvich" (mosqvich)
08/07/2013 at 14:03 • Filed to: Sync, Ford, Fiesta, autoblog, detroit news, Taurus
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"Mosqvich" (mosqvich)
08/07/2013 at 14:03 • Filed to: Sync, Ford, Fiesta, autoblog, detroit news, Taurus | 0
| 0 |
!!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! reported on a Detroit News report regarding an impending Ford Sync/MyTouch update. Autoblog opens their report by stating " !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! hasn't had the best luck with its !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , as the finicky infotainment system has been subject to a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! while customer issues have helped !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! ." True statement.
I have a 2012 Ford Fiesta with the more plain Jane Sync you see above, thankfully it doesn't have MyFordTouch. My Dad has a 2013 Ford Taurus with MFT and I really don't like the MFT, though I do like some of the configurable mini-displays in the instrument pod. We find the system very distracting.
The question is: Will I update my Sync? Probably not any time soon, and there's a good chance I'll never update it. Why? Because I try really hard to listen to other people and heed their advice. In my case, Sync works on occasion and has little to no consistency. Sometimes I press the Sync button and nothing happens, but the system seems to stutter, followed by the chime sound and the admonition to utter a command. I'm not alone and in the forums I find a lot of examples of not just how poorly Sync performs, but the trouble with upgrading the system.
Another common problem and annoyance is having to tell the car each and every time I get in it, after hushing any passengers, "Blue Tooth Audio" or "USB." I use BT Audio because my charger in the power outlet with a USB charger plugged in seems to charge my iPhone5 quicker. Sometimes I hook it directly to the Sync USB port and about 70% of the time have to silence the car and annunciate the command "USB!" I've read in the forums of ways to work around this, but they don't seem to work. And I'm not alone:
Note that this user posted this in May of 2013, so we're not talking about older posts here. These are recent.
So why not just go ahead and upgrade anyway? Life is about risks Dan! Well, the same forum is full of warnings to leave well enough alone and not to update. This post is from February 2013:
I purchased a used 2011 Fiesta last week (Lime Squeeze SES, Cashmere leather, sunroof, 8800 miles).
I was having trouble with the voice recognition system. I could use the buttons to place calls (iPhone 4S) and use the car's speakers and
microphone for the conversation. But, I couldn't get the SYNC lady to understand anything I said.
I decided to upgrade my SYNC to the latest version (v4.0.2.B). It took a few tries, but I finally got the update to apply.
Now, I still have trouble getting the voice recognition to work. What's worse is that now when I place a call, I can hear it through the speakers, but people on the other end can't hear me.
He took his car to the dealer and it magically worked for awhile:
The SYNC worked "fine" for a few days. I hooked up an iPod to the USB and was really amused by the way it mangled so many of my requests. But, at least it was working. Today, I again could not get it to respond to any voice prompts. When I placed a phone call with my iPhone 4S connected via Blue Tooth (I had to manually dial the number) I could hear the person on the other end, but could not be heard. It's as if the microphone simply isn't picking anything up.
So, until I see how this update rolls out and works, I'm staying put with what I have. It works, sort of. If I see better reports, I might consider the upgrade.
Photos courtesy of Ford Motor Company