Go time - not working?

[Abelgoddard]

So, with the cold having set in, I set go times with a cabin temp of 85. Admittedly, I've actually not really got into the car at my set go time on any day until this morning, but a few times were shortly after (maybe 5 minutes or so). Go time was 6:45, I got in at 6:45. When I came into the garage I could hear things running, and as per usual I opened the door to put stuff in. Well, the car was not warmed nearly enough. It was still very chilly. So, I don't know what was making the noise since the car was not really heating up. Has anybody else experienced issues with getting proper heating with go times? I was hoping this morning would prove me wrong, because the other times that I got in shortly after the set go time I felt like the heat either hadn't been on or not enough, because it was still so cold.

The one thing I know is that I have 100% certainty that go times are set properly and synced. I have witnessed the car turning on/making noises at the proper times, but when I get in there's no anticipated heat.

 

[jmueller065]

There is a huge difference between the three settings, at least for me:
At 65F the car barely wakes up prior to the go time--typically only 5 min or less before the scheduled time.
At 72F the car wakes up about 10 or 15 minutes before the time and gently runs the HVAC fan.
At 85F the car wakes up almost an hour before hand, runs the HVAC fan full blast and the car is toasty when I get in at the go time.

(all 3 above would be for a general 30F-40F exterior temperature range. When its colder then that it works even harder.)

So I'd say that your experience has not been what I have had.

 

[Hokus]

My wife has our Focus set at 85° every morning and 99% of the time the car is nice and warm when she gets in it. This morning she came back in the house and asked me which OTHER car she could take because she was worried that by the time she used the heat to warm/thaw the car she couldn't make it to work and back. I went out and checked the go times and they were all the same, 6:15 am and 85°. The only thing I noticed was that the car wasn't locked. I had driven it last and I apparently didn't lock it when I got out. Does anyone know if the car has to be locked for the go times to work? This really doesn't make any sense since you certainly can't drive the car without the key so I don't know why it would care if it was locked or unlocked, but that's the only difference from the other mornings. The go times have worked great for us.

Thanks.

 

[jmueller065]

Does anyone know if the car has to be locked for the go times to work?

Nope car doesn't need to be locked--I leave my FFE in my garage unlocked all the time.

The problem is My Ford Touch. Occasionally it loses its mind and skips a go time (e.g. a software bug). I see this about 2-3 times each winter. For whatever reason it just decides it isn't going to warm up the car. Note that I also see it sometimes skip a value charge (less frequently like 1 or 2 times a year)--this case is much more serious.

So now I'm in the habit of:

• When I wake up in the morning I check the MFM app to make sure the car is charged
  In my morning routine I load my "stuff" into the car about 15 minutes prior to departure--if the go time hasn't started I remote start the car at this time

 

[121gigawatts]

I just purchased my FFE 2 days ago and really like it so far, though I'm still learning how to navigate through the tech.

I set up Go times on my car's menu initially. I didn't realize the time set was when you actually needed to go, I thought it was a starting time for auto-start (like on my Chevy Volt). Realizing I needed to change my time by 10 min, I deleted all the Go Times using the desktop site. I fixed the schedule, and nothing worked the following morning. The car's menu had the "edit" greyed out, so I couldn't access it anymore. The car's menu also said that a Go Time had not been set up or initiated. I'll get a screen grab if I needed. Anyone have ideas?

EDIT: I just set it up through the app a second time and it seems to be working now (no exterior lights, but the heater and seats are definitely on). Does it turn off if you cancel "auto-start" on the app/key fob?

Thanks everyone!

 

[triangles]

App can be quite buggy. Best to use settings in car. FYI the GO times and Value charging both rely on the TCU (telematics control unit). Sometimes the TCU crashes or just stops working. Usually pulling the F1 fuse (rear hatch area) for the TCU and then re-inserting it will reboot the TCU and get things working. I'm on my 3rd TCU and it has failed, Trying to get ford to do something about it since it failed just over a year after it was installed. For now I just leave the fuse out or it will drain my 12V battery as it does not shut off.

 

[121gigawatts]

App can be quite buggy. Best to use settings in car. FYI the GO times and Value charging both rely on the TCU (telematics control unit). Sometimes the TCU crashes or just stops working. Usually pulling the F1 fuse (rear hatch area) for the TCU and then re-inserting it will reboot the TCU and get things working. I'm on my 3rd TCU and it has failed, Trying to get ford to do something about it since it failed just over a year after it was installed. For now I just leave the fuse out or it will drain my 12V battery as it does not shut off.

Expensive? I have an extended warranty through Ford (95k miles or 2021). I hope its covered :?

 

[triangles]

TCU is a $700 part not including the labor of installing and programming it.

 

[carbuff]

App can be quite buggy. Best to use settings in car. FYI the GO times and Value charging both rely on the TCU (telematics control unit). Sometimes the TCU crashes or just stops working. Usually pulling the F1 fuse (rear hatch area) for the TCU and then re-inserting it will reboot the TCU and get things working. I'm on my 3rd TCU and it has failed, Trying to get ford to do something about it since it failed just over a year after it was installed. For now I just leave the fuse out or it will drain my 12V battery as it does not shut off.

Expensive? I have an extended warranty through Ford (95k miles or 2021). I hope its covered :?

If your extended warranty is bumper to bumper then it should be covered. If not then this is one of those strange items that regular warranties dont cover as its EV specific but not covered under the EV specific part of the normal FFE 8/100k warranty. You wont really know until the guy punches the part into the computer and says its covered or not.

 

[121gigawatts]

I have the "Ford Protect" used car warranty. I haven't gone through it completely, but I think its close to bumper to bumper. I have the warranty history and it looks like the Telematics Control Unit has been replaced under the warranty already.

 

[carbuff]

I have the "Ford Protect" used car warranty. I haven't gone through it completely, but I think its close to bumper to bumper. I have the warranty history and it looks like the Telematics Control Unit has been replaced under the warranty already.

Thats a good sign. But there was a time frame under which all the TCU units were replaced for free under a special warranty because ford switched networks from 2g to 3g. But that special warranty expired at least a year ago. So its hard to tell whether it was replaced under the "recall" warranty or was covered by your extended warranty. I had the ford cpo warranty and it was bumper to bumper for a year and they fixed a ton of stuff for free on my car, which was great, but they eventually couldnt fix it any more and gave up, leaving me holding the bag, a $2300 bag at that.

 

[121gigawatts]

I have the "Ford Protect" used car warranty. I haven't gone through it completely, but I think its close to bumper to bumper. I have the warranty history and it looks like the Telematics Control Unit has been replaced under the warranty already.

Thats a good sign. But there was a time frame under which all the TCU units were replaced for free under a special warranty because ford switched networks from 2g to 3g. But that special warranty expired at least a year ago. So its hard to tell whether it was replaced under the "recall" warranty or was covered by your extended warranty. I had the ford cpo warranty and it was bumper to bumper for a year and they fixed a ton of stuff for free on my car, which was great, but they eventually couldnt fix it any more and gave up, leaving me holding the bag, a $2300 bag at that.

You were correct, it stated "modem update" next to the work. Is this a pretty common issue?

 

[jmueller065]

You were correct, it stated "modem update" next to the work. Is this a pretty common issue?

Wasn't an "issue" (e.g. something wrong with the modem) it was the fact that AT&T decommissioned the 2G network and thus the cars couldn't talk to the server anymore unless they were upgraded to 3G.

 

[121gigawatts]

You were correct, it stated "modem update" next to the work. Is this a pretty common issue?

Wasn't an "issue" (e.g. something wrong with the modem) it was the fact that AT&T decommissioned the 2G network and thus the cars couldn't talk to the server anymore unless they were upgraded to 3G.

Sorry, I should have been more specific. I was stating that the warranty repair listed on my car was just an update, not a repair. Was communication (or lack thereof) an issue after it was updated? The threat of a $2.3k repair scares me, and I'm just wondering if this thing is going to crap out on me down the road.

 

[jmueller065]

Well "modem update" could very well have been the 2G to 3G update; or it could have been a software update. You don't really know.

My lease was up right around the 2G -> 3G transition. As such my 2013 FFE had a 2G modem in it and my 2016 C-Max had a 3G modem in it.

Not sure about the longevity of the telematics module--mine lasted the 3 years of my lease; triangle's has gone through a couple of them...don't know.

 

[triangles]

Not sure about the longevity of the telematics module--mine lasted the 3 years of my lease; triangle's has gone through a couple of them...don't know.

And now my Model 3 telematics has given up the ghost too! :shock: I guess I'm not meant to have a vehicle with telematics... :lol: