FDRS Login Failed

[rugedraw]

So you're an international celebrity now, eh, @rugedraw?

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[farmtruckman]

Ford is getting more sophisticated in detecting and blocking unauthorized FDRS use. Not sure that that’s what’s going on here, but it’s easy to check. Create a new username and password, register it with motorcraftservice.com and see if you can get into FDRS more than once. If the first login is successful but the second is not, then the current method for circumventing FDRS restrictions has failed.

Their system is broken. UAE is one of the countries where FDRS is supported since it shows up on the list of countries when you sign up for a new account on motorcraftservice or when you buy a FDRS license. The thing is you never get the OTP to the email for sign up. Change the country to USA and the OTP is delivered. But the account is suspended immediately as they see me coming in from UAE with a US account. It worked till last week (with VPN making it look like I came in from USA) and it seems like they made changes to identify such logins. Called the helpline to explain the OTP issue only for the step child treatment we non-USA customers get often.

To make things even more complicated, it is a task in itself to get a working VPN here in UAE as ISP’s block the usage or throttle VPN traffic.

I eventually managed to get my FDRS logged in again by using an uninstaller program that uninstalled all leftovers files/folders of FDRS and reinstalling the latest version but their systems picked up on the VPN usage and suspended my account again.

 

[farmtruckman]

So you're an international celebrity now, eh, @rugedraw?

All jokes aside, he is one of the coolest dudes ever. Went above and beyond to help me with updates for my truck. @rugedraw for Prez as I say.

 

[JEB]

Their system is broken. UAE is one of the countries where FDRS is supported since it shows up on the list of countries when you sign up for a new account on motorcraftservice or when you buy a FDRS license. The thing is you never get the OTP to the email for sign up. Change the country to USA and the OTP is delivered. But the account is suspended immediately as they see me coming in from UAE with a US account. It worked till last week (with VPN making it look like I came in from USA) and it seems like they made changes to identify such logins. Called the helpline to explain the OTP issue only for the step child treatment we non-USA customers get often.

To make things even more complicated, it is a task in itself to get a working VPN here in UAE as ISP’s block the usage or throttle VPN traffic.

Thanks for the clarification. I understand that FDRS is supported in the UAE, but the last time I read the user agreement, its use outside the US and Canada is limited to dealers and authorized repair businesses. Use by individuals is not authorized. That may be why things are getting increasingly more difficult.

 

[farmtruckman]

Thanks for the clarification. I understand that FDRS is supported in the UAE, but the last time I read the user agreement, its use outside the US and Canada is limited to dealers and authorized repair businesses. Use by individuals is not authorized. That may be why things are getting increasingly more difficult.

Fair point. I hope one day they see how incredibly difficult they have made things for us people outside NA region.

The concerning piece is that dealers here have no clue how to use FDRS (keep in mind UAE trucks don’t get OTA updates - TCU disabled for connectivity). Had multiple APIM/TCU updates that failed only for Javier and Jesse to help me and in the last instance, the dealer screwed up my GWM configuration to almost bricking it. Ended up with a month’s license to fix their mess and it was a painful experience. Support from Ford was laughable.

3rd party service folks see lack of knowledge in the market as an opportunity and charge you an arm and a leg to get updates done.

You are between a rock and a hard place here in the UAE if you are one of those folks who prefers their trucks updated.

 

[roadPilot]

... its use outside the US and Canada is limited to dealers and authorized repair businesses.

Define "authorized repair businesses". Do they have to be "authorized" by FORD? I highly doubt that Ford "authorizes" all "repair businesses" outside of the US and Canada.

 

[JEB]

Fair point. I hope one day they see how incredibly difficult they have made things for us people outside NA region.

The concerning piece is that dealers here have no clue how to use FDRS (keep in mind UAE trucks don’t get OTA updates - TCU disabled for connectivity). Had multiple APIM/TCU updates that failed only for Javier and Jesse to help me and in the last instance, the dealer screwed up my GWM configuration to almost bricking it. Ended up with a month’s license to fix their mess and it was a painful experience. Support from Ford was laughable.

3rd party service folks see lack of knowledge in the market as an opportunity and charge you an arm and a leg to get updates done.

You are between a rock and a hard place here in the UAE if you are one of those folks who prefers their trucks updated.

I share your concerns and am a big fan of self-help for a lot of the same reasons you have articulated. They apply here in the US as well. But even though many of Ford’s restrictions are silly and counterproductive, they are what they are and Ford seems to be ramping up efforts to enforce them.

 

[JEB]

Define "authorized repair businesses". Do they have to be "authorized" by FORD? I highly doubt that Ford "authorizes" all "repair businesses" outside of the US and Canada.

I wrote about this earlier when I first saw the potential pitfall. https://www.f150gen14.com/forum/threads/fdrs-log-in-huge-problem-need-help-please.28901/post-525046. I’ll see if I can find the original source document.

 

[roadPilot]

I wrote about this earlier when I first saw the potential pitfall. https://www.f150gen14.com/forum/threads/fdrs-log-in-huge-problem-need-help-please.28901/post-525046. I’ll see if I can find the original source document.

Under the terms and conditions of the Motorcraft Service use agreement (one of the many software use agreements nobody ever reads and just skips over when buying and installing software), users outside of the US and Canada are restricted to “independent repairers.” “An Independent Repairer means a company, person or other entity that is not a Ford Motor Company authorized repairer but is otherwise in the business of and appropriately qualified to provide motor vehicle repair or servicing services to customers for reward.” Use by an individual in a country like Saudi Arabia would be considered a violation of the user agreement.

That's still too vague. WHAT defines "in the business of"? WHO "qualifies" someone to be "in the business of" repairing motor vehicles?

 

[JEB]

Under the terms and conditions of the Motorcraft Service use agreement (one of the many software use agreements nobody ever reads and just skips over when buying and installing software), users outside of the US and Canada are restricted to “independent repairers.” “An Independent Repairer means a company, person or other entity that is not a Ford Motor Company authorized repairer but is otherwise in the business of and appropriately qualified to provide motor vehicle repair or servicing services to customers for reward.” Use by an individual in a country like Saudi Arabia would be considered a violation of the user agreement.

That's still too vague. WHAT defines "in the business of"? WHO "qualifies" someone to be "in the business of" repairing motor vehicles?

What are you yelling at me for? Take it up with Ford. I didn’t write it. I do think, however, that it’s tolerably clear that Ford intends to prohibit non-business use outside the US.

 

[roadPilot]

What are you yelling at me for? Take it up with Ford. I didn’t write it. I do think, however, that it’s tolerably clear that Ford intends to prohibit non-business use outside the US.

Not yelling at you.

Thicker skin, brother.

 

[JEB]

Not yelling at you.

Thicker skin, brother.

Don’t go there, brother.

 

[roadPilot]

Don’t go there, brother.

Oooh, now we got a keyboard commando ... shaking in my boots.

Try this then: Grow up.

 

[JEB]

Oooh, now we got a keyboard commando ... shaking in my boots.

Try this then: Grow up.

Don’’t take cheap shots just because you lost an argument. I would hope something would be beneath you.

 

[roadPilot]

Don’’t take cheap shots just because you lost an argument. I would hope something would be beneath you.

Nobody lost any argument. WTF? I said what Ford wrote was ambiguous. You cried about somebody yelling. I have NO idea what you're talking about.

EDIT: Good riddance to the crybaby. Bless your heart!

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