Experience with dealer/ OTA issues

[05RubiconLJ]

Great respect for your viewpoint, and I can see why it appears the way you sum it up from where you stand.

But I see it a little different. Based on one fundamental fact that's hard to ignore:

If you give an ordinary fella who owns a new F150 the SAME exact tool(s) that the dealerships are FAILING with, he will succeed in fixing the truck in his own driveway.

Ford has gotten way over somebody's head. I'll give you that!

I don't disagree with you one bit. If I could plug my computer into my truck, like I do with Forscan, and access a secure Ford site for updates....I would be all over that.

My closest dealer is old as dirt (looks like a dealer from the 70's). They are building a new facility and have given me the impression (and another owner I know), that they are not updating any of their service equipment until that building is completed. According to the Service Manager "We don't have the processing power or data storage capabilities in our current systems to update these trucks". True/false, who knows, but I am curious as to how many dealers were not prepared for the Gen 14?

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[rugedraw]

I don't disagree with you one bit. If I could plug my computer into my truck, like I do with Forscan, and access a secure Ford site for updates....I would be all over that.

My closest dealer is old as dirt (looks like a dealer from the 70's). They are building a new facility and have given me the impression (and another owner I know), that they are not updating any of their service equipment until that building is completed. According to the Service Manager "We don't have the processing power or data storage capabilities in our current systems to update these trucks". True/false, who knows, but I am curious as to how many dealers were not prepared for the Gen 14?

I work in sales; I am not a tech. However, in the 12 years I've been in the business, I've learned a lot about operations on the service side. The tools to update the trucks are there from Ford......the bulletin detailing the process is there from Ford. My opinion?

Techs are not salaried employees. They get paid a certain amount of hours to complete a job. If the job pays 4 hours and they do it in 2, they get paid 4 hours. The more work orders you get and close out, the more they get paid. Techs will get the work order to update a truck, leave the truck connected to FDRS updating, and grab another work order to complete while the truck updates. An update finishes in let's say 30 minutes, they go check the truck 2 hours later when they finish whatever other job they were doing, and if updated, they go to the next one. If it failed, they'll try it again. If it keeps failing, they say screw it and make up an excuse to close out the work order and focus on something else. Some stores may only have one or two computers with FDRS for the entire service department, so tying up one of those machines for hours or even days backs up the entire department. At that point, you have your service advisor making up whatever story he/she wants to tell you to get you out of their hair.

I dropped off my truck yesterday at a different dealer to have my BC updates performed. The first dealer I took it to 2 months ago blatantly lied to me and told me the updates were done and to pick up my truck. Little did they know, I have access to PTS. I check my vehicle history and tell them the updates have not been done. I have one of the guys from another forum pull all the updates my truck needs from FDRS. I send my service advisor pictures of my vehicle history showing no updates have been done and show him the list of updates on FDRS. He then tell me he contacted his "rep" and he was told the updates are not going to be released until the following month. I told him absolutely not, that the updates are already in FDRS and I send the him the 21G01 FSA as well as the instructions on how to do it. He again tells me the files are not in FDRS until next month. I tell him I am going to pick up my truck and take it a dealer who knows what they are doing and is not willing to leave 8.5 hours of billable warranty claims on the table.

When I drop my truck off at the other dealer yesterday, the service advisor tell me I'll have the truck back the same day. I told him hell no I won't and that's ok. I tell him the updates take a long time and I told him to tell the tech to leave the truck on a battery charger the entire time he is performing updates. Yesterday, the worked on for about a half hour from what I could tell. All they did was a PCM update and some module programming. Today, they haven't even touched my truck so far. At least these guys have tried to do something unlike the other store.

As long as the dealer has FDRS with an active license, they do have the "processing power/data storage" to update the trucks. You don't need a super computer......it's a software update; not a space shuttle launch. What you need is a dealer with at least one good tech that knows what he/she is doing.

 

[sp468]

Battery is bad. Charger at a certain point wont help.

Thats what I was afraid of. Now how am I going to get the dealer to do a full battery check and then replace the battery. They still think its an APIM issue and no ETA on the replacement APIM.

 

[Jesse-Infotainment]

Thats what I was afraid of. Now how am I going to get the dealer to do a full battery check and then replace the battery. They still think its an APIM issue and no ETA on the replacement APIM.

I am very confident that APIM is fine. The updates are extremely sensitive to voltage. The early trucks had bad batteries. Not in the sense the truck wouldnt crank but it didnt meet the requirements the truck is expecting. That is why auto start stop doesnt work anymore. Youll also have some strange electrical issues at times. The other issue is dealers sometimes wont replace them because they test fine. Its a strange issue. They dont meet the demand. I replaced mine and its been super solid. Auto Start stop works perfect. No issues or crazy DTCs.

 

[BHunted1]

I am very confident that APIM is fine. The updates are extremely sensitive to voltage. The early trucks had bad batteries. Not in the sense the truck wouldnt crank but it didnt meet the requirements the truck is expecting. That is why auto start stop doesnt work anymore. Youll also have some strange electrical issues at times. The other issue is dealers sometimes wont replace them because they test fine. Its a strange issue. They dont meet the demand. I replaced mine and its been super solid. Auto Start stop works perfect. No issues or crazy DTCs.

What battery you get?

 

[speedracercjr]

The other issue is dealers sometimes wont replace them because they test fine. Its a strange issue. They dont meet the demand. I replaced mine and its been super solid. Auto Start stop works perfect. No issues or crazy DTCs.

Exact same thing for me. I replaced mine with one from O'Reilleys and haven't had a single problem since then.

 

[Jesse-Infotainment]

What battery you get?

I got another OEM Ford. Only reason why is the BCM programing being so involved in the charging of the battery. I had great luck with the new one.

 

[rugedraw]

Dealer is telling me they are stuck at a module because someone else tried to update it and messed it up. No one tried to update anything in the previous dealer. I saw everything they did in PTS. I can smell the excuses starting to brew.

@Jesse-Infotainment Can you look at my truck when you can and provide some feedback? I have very limited knowledge of what I am doing and looking at in PTS. My truck got stuck at OTA 2.7.3 back in mid June. When I check my software on the truck itself, it says I already have 2.7.3, but my OTA dashboard says the update failed. I see they updated the PCM yesterday and I do see some module programming they tried to do and when I read the notes, it looks like it did indeed fail.

1FTFW1E83MFB71065

 

[BHunted1]

I got another OEM Ford. Only reason why is the BCM programing being so involved in the charging of the battery. I had great luck with the new one.

Tried to get dealer to do it months ago after I tested it over night and it went down below 12. They checked it in 5 mins with their tester and said it passed. BS...

 

[Jesse-Infotainment]

Tried to get dealer to do it months ago after I tested it over night and it went down below 12. They checked it in 5 mins with their tester and said it passed. BS...

Yeah.> thats what they do. Total idiots.

 

[sp468]

I got another OEM Ford. Only reason why is the BCM programing being so involved in the charging of the battery. I had great luck with the new one.

Is there a battery test the dealer could do to see if the battery is bad enough to replace. Thanks

 

[Jesse-Infotainment]

Is there a battery test the dealer could do to see if the battery is bad enough to replace. Thanks

There is but it takes time.. and a really good battery tester. They use this little thing that does a 2 amp draw test and claims its fine.

 

[EcoPlat]

Looks like you had an APIM replaced. I guess when they installed it they did do a OMI but it never created a USB and a file didnt get loaded. It is looking for that file. Stupid useless file file non the less failure to find that file.

If you want I can provide files for the update its attempting. Its the APIM and TCU. I would give you the update for both. YOU HAVE OT DO BOTH.

One at a time via USB. These take 15 mins each or so.

If so ill send them in the morning.

I want to send a big thank you out to @Jesse-Infotainment for all that he does for people like me on this forum. I posted I had a problem and he sent me the fix, you can't get any better than that. Thanks Jesse.

 

[Jesse-Infotainment]

I want to send a big thank you out to @Jesse-Infotainment for all that he does for people like me on this forum. I posted I had a problem and he sent me the fix, you can't get any better than that. Thanks Jesse.

You got it sorted? Glad to hear.

 

[EcoPlat]

You got it sorted? Glad to hear.

Yes, operator error.

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