Sell me on why I SHOULD allow updates

[Eskram]

Whatever the OTA that adressed the BMS strategy for the PB was worthwhile. I've seen improvements with others as well, but that one sticks in my brainballs.

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[bfastr]

My '22 truck was a year old when I bought it 14 months ago and I don't know if it ever had an update. I have accept updates turned on, but have never seen a notice of one. How could I tell if it did/didn't get an update? Everything works great and I'm truly impressed with how it drives and shifts, so I've not been too concerned.

well this is why I leave mine off. not saying I have had bad experiences from updates. but there have been “resets” of minor preferences in settings that would occur. like turning the rear seatbelt warnings back on. ( sooner than the built in reset ) just things that always made go WTF. now at least I know when something weird happens, why it happened

 

[Larrymoe]

Holy shit……. You make my head hurt.

Then put me on ignore. Thanks for your help.

 

[Snakebitten]

OTA hardly gets an opportunity to update any of the 42 modules on my truck.

I'm draw the Mongoose out too quick for that. ?

(Same with the Mach-E)

 

[redline]

I have got a ton , none have screwed stuff up… and I have got full screen car play, two phones on blue tooth, b&o sonic boom fix, and it has made the truck work better generally … would recommend

 

[PYLDRVR]

As a side note, I hate the way software development works most of the time. Something is released with know problems and they’re fixed later. It seems like EVERY software developer is doing this.

Software has bugs, all software. If you waited untill all the bugs were fixed, you'd never release anything. So, you look at the issues you know about and make a judgement call on whether the pros out weigh the cons. Then you go forward to the next release and balance fixing the known bugs with adding new features and during that time find more bugs which then get prioritized in relation to the old bugs. Honestly, no developer wants to release buggy software but as systems become more and more complex, this all gets harder.

 

[Ford guy]

With all the stories of people getting updates and it screwing up stuff on their truck, why should I allow these? My truck is perfectly fine as it is. What's the point of potentially screwing it up?

I have always felt exactly like this too. I bought my 21 XLT 14 months ago and it has never updated and everything is just fine…..until 3 weeks ago I jumped in and there it was. An update. It said that it improved this and that but the one thing that is better is now Bluetooth can communicate with 2 phones. So far that’s it. Not that big of a deal and it’s still far behind on the latest updates.

 

[tbinmd]

Will it do it even if you're not connected to wi-fi? I was under the impression it needed wi-fi.

Truck doesn't need to be on wifi, it actually does updates using the LTE modem. My truck can be on wifi and it still pulls the updates via the LTE modem even when it's a 6.5gb APIM update.

 

[Larrymoe]

Truck doesn't need to be on wifi, it actually does updates using the LTE modem. My truck can be on wifi and it still pulls the updates via the LTE modem even when it's a 6.5gb APIM update.

Thank you.

 

[staying_tuned]

Holy shit……. You make my head hurt.

Nah he has a solid point. Stemming from legacy Windows operating system recovery strategies the concept & implementation of “last known good” came to be. Software development is such an unpredictable landscape (now more than ever) that oftentimes it was generally thought to stay as close to last known good as possible unless a feature update was worth the risk of unforeseen bugs or exposing security vulnerabilities. Our home media server is based on a 25 y/o Unix shell for this reason and we aren’t some basement dwelling hyper dorks. I just happened to have been exposed to it during my career so that’s how we roll.

Ford pushing OTA is similar in that many, myself included, try to avoid them. I do it because being in the industry it’s evident that Ford doesn’t pull & retain upper end engineers. For sure they have some great folks but in the field, software engineering at Ford would be considered more of a wind down or stepping stone. Not a tremendous amount of passion or unbridled talent in their IT org vs. people looking to simply pull down a check and their comp packages reflect this. Some exceptions to this of course but you get my drift.

IMO it’s the equivalent of Ford rolling out a physical update by partnering with Pepboys. You simply take your truck in and they perform updates to your tranny, engine, chassis whatever. It’s free and easy so why not! No bash to the good folks at PB but you can see why many would take pause and think wait… What am I actually getting from this update and is it even worth it kind of thing.

 

[Baz]

The GEN 14 (21-24) trucks are much different than the previous gen trucks when it comes to OTA module updates, especially if you have a higher trim with bluecruise or a powerboost. I am in the EAP and receive updates prior to public release and I have never experienced an issue with any of the updates I have received and I have gotten a lot of OTA updates.

I do not remember exact number of OTA updates but the different modules that were updated is pretty expansive: ABS, BECM, PCM, SOBDMC, GWM, APIM, TCU, BCM, IPC, IPMA, PSCM, DSP, SCCM, DDM, PDM & CMR.
Some updates install and there are no noticeable changes but if PCM, IPMA, APIM or IPC is installed there are improvements to how the drives, engages electric driving or improves driver assistance features.

In the previous gen modules were typically only updated by dealer service if you had a problem, with GEN14 they proactively pushing updates to improve many aspects of the truck communication systems and driving experience and truck. There is no doubt they have stumbled along the way with pushing some OTAs that did cause problems on some trucks but those occasions have decreased.

I cannot say a problem won't ever happen but I have been very happy with how the truck has improved since it got delivered and I drove it home from the dealer. If you drive a fully or almost fully updated truck you will notice a lot of differences. I had a 21 loaner that was stuck, updates couldn't be turned on, and hadn't had any OTA updates since it left the factory and it was very noticeable.

IF you don't feel comfortable, don't turn them on but I feel that you are missing out on an overall improved driver experience and truck. The updates are more important for higher trim trucks IMO or powerboost trucks but there are definitely improvements that can come from OTA updates to all trims of trucks.

 

[Larrymoe]

That goes fo


That also goes for inferior aftermarket crap parts people bolt on their trucks after listening to the "shit bums" on YouTube selling them garbage lowering or lifting kits that f**k up their suspension, or "Chinese Steeda" junk that doesn't work or breaks after 500 miles. Then Mother Ford throws up her hands and says NO WARRANTY THAT CAUSE YOU F*@ked IT UP ...

Oook...

 

[PaulGrun]

As a side note, I hate the way software development works most of the time. Something is released with know problems and they’re fixed later. It seems like EVERY software developer is doing this.

I completely agree! In some cases, OTA mechanisms are being abused in order to keep a development/testing cycle to an artificial schedule. “Just ship it, we’ll fix it later”. A shitty way to do s/w development.

 

[PaulGrun]

Two points;
1. Someone please correct me if I am wrong, but my understanding is that the Sync setting to disallow updates applies ONLY to updates that require taking the truck out of service, usually only for a few minutes, while the update installs. The idea is that Ford won’t leave you somewhere with an inoperable truck while it updates itself. Very much like the update notice from Windows that says, “your computer requires a restart, select an appropriate time to restart, or press here to restart now”. Depending on the severity of the bug being patched, you often cannot prevent it from updating except by disconnecting the computer from the network. I think the same thing is true of these trucks - the only way to completely prevent updates from occurring is by disconnecting the modem. If I’m right, you have probably gotten a raft of OTA updates that you may not even be aware of.

2. not every OTA update results in a change that is obvious to you. Many times, the OTA fixes a bug that you might never have seen (yet). In some cases, the OTA fixes a bug that you personally might not have hit, but that Ford knows is there waiting to bite you, or that might improve the performance of the system in some small way, for example a tweak to the way that MPG is calculated that you might not even notice (I made that up, but you see the point). In general, the OTAs that are most glaring are the few that break something else; if the OTA goes fine, many times you won’t even know about it. Just like with Windows, a patch might be fixing a known vulnerability of some sort, even if you can’t necessarily see it.

As someone pointed out above, patches are just a fact of life in modern s/w engineering - would you inhibit updates to your iPhone, tablet, or iPhone? Doubtful.

 

[Snakebitten]

Drive a 2021 or 2022 that is still running on the PCM calibration it left the assembly line with.

Then drive either with the current PCM calibration.

The drivability (engine management and transmission strategy) is imbedded in that PCM calibration. The current calibration is much refined in several ways compared, in my opinion.

You basically are driving a 2021 with the same calibration as a 2024/2025 truck with the same drivetrain. And on a Powerboost specifically, there was a lot of refinement to come as Ford dialed it in.

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