Muzicman61 Posted August 8, 2009 Report Share Posted August 8, 2009 (edited) I took my 08 Focus in for the Microphone Upgrade Modification on Friday. It was there at 7am but sadly my dealer is now telling me my car won't be ready until Monday. Thankfully they gave me a free loaner Focus to use. I can't beleive this modification would take that long. Anyway, attached is a picture of a Focus that has had the mod. Not my car, just an image sent to me by my dealer's service manager. Edited August 8, 2009 by Muzicman61 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mutnat Posted August 10, 2009 Report Share Posted August 10, 2009 I took my 08 Focus in for the Microphone Upgrade Modification on Friday. It was there at 7am but sadly my dealer is now telling me my car won't be ready until Monday. Thankfully they gave me a free loaner Focus to use. I can't beleive this modification would take that long. Anyway, attached is a picture of a Focus that has had the mod. Not my car, just an image sent to me by my dealer's service manager. Out of curiosity, what exactly is this procedure? This is the first I've heard of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryQW Posted August 10, 2009 Report Share Posted August 10, 2009 (edited) Out of curiosity, what exactly is this procedure? This is the first I've heard of it. Go over to owner to Owner forum section of syncmyride.com and look at the "Road Noise" thread currently active in the Mobile Phones category. This link might work: http://boards.synccommunity.com/n/pfx/forum.aspx?tsn=15&nav=messages&webtag=fordsyncmb&tid=1311 The SYNC engineers are finally talking on the threads, and engineer Mike said there's a TSB to improve the microphone quality by moving it from the mirror to the roof by the lights. For this SYNC Microphone upgrade kit ask your dealer for part number 8T4Z19A391A More information from the syncmyride thread: The Ford SYNC Team has acknowledged this customer concern. Some future Ford products will implement a new microphone design and location. For current customers, we recommend that you insure you have updated to the latest available software, as we have made improvements to the Noise Suppression Algorithms in the software. Also, we recently released a Microphone Service Kit to address the Call Sound Quality concerns at highway speeds, which will relocate the microphone. Please visit your local Dealer for details. Edited August 10, 2009 by LarryQW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muzicman61 Posted August 10, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 10, 2009 (edited) Out of curiosity, what exactly is this procedure? This is the first I've heard of it. PROCEDURE: Call dealer and have them order part. Schedule an appointment once part is in. Take car to dealership. Wait... wait... wait some more. They've had my car since Friday, and today I get a call over lunch asking if they had my approval to mount the microphone in the position shown... DUH? Isn't that why I brought the car in, in the first place. The SM had shown me the picture and asked if it was ok before he even ordered the part. The SYNC engineers are finally talking on the threads, and engineer Mike said there's a TSB to improve the microphone quality by moving it from the mirror to the roof by the lights. For this SYNC Microphone upgrade kit ask your dealer for part number 8T4Z19A391A Technically, they are installing a completely new microphone. The existing microphone in the mirror is left intact. Edited August 10, 2009 by Muzicman61 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mutnat Posted August 10, 2009 Report Share Posted August 10, 2009 Thanks for the info, guys. May look into doing that at some point... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muzicman61 Posted August 11, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 11, 2009 Thanks for the info, guys. May look into doing that at some point... Got my car back last night. The new microphone seems to work fine. I didn't have anyone I could call that I speak with on a regular basis to really test it, but I did crank up the A/C to full and talked to Sync. No problems. Never once did I get the message "I didn't understand you". Tonight I'll test more making phone calls and see how it goes. Might even grab a picture of the modification in my vehicle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muzicman61 Posted August 11, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 11, 2009 Well, the verdict is in. The two people I talk to the most over Sync said the new microphone made a huge improvement. I'm attaching a photo of the upgrade from my actual vehicle. I would highly recommend this upgrade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
specelec Posted August 12, 2009 Report Share Posted August 12, 2009 Looks great, was it covered under warranty, or did they reach into your pocket for the upgrade? Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muzicman61 Posted August 12, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 12, 2009 It is a warranty upgrade. Didn't pay a dime. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mutnat Posted August 12, 2009 Report Share Posted August 12, 2009 It's weird, to my way of thinking, that location is even more out of the normal path of your speaking voice than the top of the mirror. At least the mirror is in front of you, while that spot on the headliner is almost directly above. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muzicman61 Posted August 13, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 13, 2009 It's weird, to my way of thinking, that location is even more out of the normal path of your speaking voice than the top of the mirror. At least the mirror is in front of you, while that spot on the headliner is almost directly above. True... maybe it is more of a directional microphone as it is pointed towards the drivers head. Also, on the headliner it won't pick up as much windshield noise or AC/Heating. All I know is it seems to work much better and the feedback so far is very positive. I've not heard my wife say once... "What did you say?". :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaimav Posted August 16, 2009 Report Share Posted August 16, 2009 True... maybe it is more of a directional microphone as it is pointed towards the drivers head. Also, on the headliner it won't pick up as much windshield noise or AC/Heating. All I know is it seems to work much better and the feedback so far is very positive. I've not heard my wife say once... "What did you say?". :D Any idea how well the person in the passenger seat can be heard? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milan Premier Posted August 17, 2009 Report Share Posted August 17, 2009 Man that is one ugly upgrade :lol: At least they could have color coded it to match the headliner, or even better, incorporate it into the light right next to it. Thanks for the info and the part number. I'll see if instead of installing it if they will just give me the part so I can do it myself. Glad they got the sound issue fixed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blockisle9 Posted August 17, 2009 Report Share Posted August 17, 2009 Man that is one ugly upgrade :lol: At least they could have color coded it to match the headliner, or even better, incorporate it into the light right next to it. I agree! I will skip the fix for now at least till they can match the color to the head liner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muzicman61 Posted August 17, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 17, 2009 Any idea how well the person in the passenger seat can be heard? That's hard to say. At least for phone calls we haven't really tried that. My wife has commanded Samantha a few times from the passenger side with no problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaimav Posted August 19, 2009 Report Share Posted August 19, 2009 That's hard to say. At least for phone calls we haven't really tried that. My wife has commanded Samantha a few times from the passenger side with no problems. Thanks for the reply. I'm thinking about getting the upgrade the voice commands don't work well for me, especially while on the top tier (nav head unit) of the menu. My concern is that by moving the mic from the center to the drivers side my wife cannot be heard. P.S. This is a big deal to me beacuse my wife is deaf but can lip read very well. When she has to make a phone call, I mouth out what the other caller is saying and she reads my lips. If the other person on the line doesn't know her, they have no clue she is deaf The point is that I really don't want to lose the abilty to have her heard by moving the mic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madlock Posted August 19, 2009 Report Share Posted August 19, 2009 I suppose I must be fortunate in that driving a Flex as it included many of the sound-deadening and road noise reduction features they've since built upon in 2010; and the performance of SYNC and my call clarity has been largely acceptable. Although to be fair, I suppose it's impossible to know how well it performs by comparison versus the revised implementation. The notion of a black wart growing from my conversation mirror isn't appealing in a vehicle whose interior is so otherwise so elegantly understated and blissfully inoffensive and I maintain so well to keep it looking that way. In fact, it's the kind of thing that'd make me have to justify it to a potential buyer of my vehicle rather than something they'd look-upon as an improvement, performance benefits aside. For the time being, I'm leaving mine as is, I believe. Reportedly, SYNC 3.0 includes improved noise reduction algorithms that are supposed to help even further; but as 3.0 is intended only for 2010 MY vehicles, it leaves us early adopters out in the cold for the moment. A SYNC tech claimed a future "2.1" release would likely be forthcoming for 2009 and earlier MY owners; but that hardly bodes well for anyone who owns a pre-2010 vehicles in terms of benefiting from ongoing updates and improvements as they would have if every version update was a superset that would simply update applicable compatible features. All this came atop having to spend $45 already to update from 1.2 to 2.0. I've laid my hands upon the 3.0 software, but have yet to muster the courage to see how it would work on my 2009 Flex with Navigation. I'm hoping a fellow, more intrepid, 2009 Flex owner may have already tried and will report their results first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milan Premier Posted August 19, 2009 Report Share Posted August 19, 2009 The notion of a black wart growing from my conversation mirror isn't appealing in a vehicle whose interior is so otherwise so elegantly understated Well said! I couldn't agree more. I can only assume that they were rushed to get this 'fix' out ASAP, or that the fix came from a third party. Ford really needs to find a more acceptable looking solution. I can't image that all new cars being sold will have this eye sore mounted in front of the driver as it currently is Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaimav Posted August 20, 2009 Report Share Posted August 20, 2009 Reportedly, SYNC 3.0 includes improved noise reduction algorithms that are supposed to help even further; but as 3.0 is intended only for 2010 MY vehicles, it leaves us early adopters out in the cold for the moment. A SYNC tech claimed a future "2.1" release would likely be forthcoming for 2009 and earlier MY owners; but that hardly bodes well for anyone who owns a pre-2010 vehicles in terms of benefiting from ongoing updates and improvements as they would have if every version update was a superset that would simply update applicable compatible features. All this came atop having to spend $45 already to update from 1.2 to 2.0. 1.3 and said it contained the road noise fix. I can assume 2.0 does as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muzicman61 Posted August 21, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 21, 2009 Well said! I couldn't agree more. I can only assume that they were rushed to get this 'fix' out ASAP, or that the fix came from a third party. Ford really needs to find a more acceptable looking solution. I can't image that all new cars being sold will have this eye sore mounted in front of the driver as it currently is Yes, it would have been nice if the color had matched the interior. But I'll take the small blemish given the improved sound quality. Truthfully I barely notice the new microphone. And although 1.3 was supposed to have a road noise fix, I sure didn't notice any improvement with 1.3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madlock Posted August 22, 2009 Report Share Posted August 22, 2009 Yes, it would have been nice if the color had matched the interior. But I'll take the small blemish given the improved sound quality. Truthfully I barely notice the new microphone. And although 1.3 was supposed to have a road noise fix, I sure didn't notice any improvement with 1.3 If I DO decide to have the system "patched", I may see if I can ask them to leave the relocated microphone hanging loose behind the rear-view mirror, and I will come up with a more elegant means of attaching it to the bottom of the mirror in a manner that's not as "garage door opener-ish". It makes me mad that I went through the process of configuring Home Link to avoid having a remote clamped to my visor, yet I'd have to accept that black blemish to get my SYNC system working like it was intended. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryQW Posted September 19, 2009 Report Share Posted September 19, 2009 (edited) It is a warranty upgrade. Didn't pay a dime. Maybe I should go to your dealer. My Ford dealer in Santa Clara, CA will only sell me Ford's microphone upgrade kit for $50. They're refusing to pay for the repair. In fact, they said they're not sure they want to do the repair at all, even if I pay them. This is especially infuriating as I have multiple overlapping bumper to bumper warrantys with Ford. I also have a full service plan in effect that's supposed to pay for everything. So much for all that! Anyone know of a TSB number? My ford dealer said he'd only do this service if he had a TSB to charge. Edited September 19, 2009 by LarryQW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milan Premier Posted September 19, 2009 Report Share Posted September 19, 2009 My Ford dealer in Santa Clara, CA will only sell me Ford's microphone upgrade kit for $50. They're refusing to pay for the repair. In fact, they said they're not sure they want to do the repair at all, even if I pay them. Wow, that's one bad Ford dealer I would NOT go to them or use them for ANYTHING. Ford is very serious about having good dealers, that is why they have the "Presidents Award" for their best dealers. If I lived there and they told me what they told you, I would have reported them for such poor customer service Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milan Premier Posted September 19, 2009 Report Share Posted September 19, 2009 I just noticed that you needed the TSB number. Try this one: TSB #:09-13-5 Part #: 8T4Z-19A391-A PM me if you need an actual copy of the TSB itself Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryQW Posted September 21, 2009 Report Share Posted September 21, 2009 Wow, that's one bad Ford dealer I would NOT go to them or use them for ANYTHING. Ford is very serious about having good dealers, that is why they have the "Presidents Award" for their best dealers. If I lived there and they told me what they told you, I would have reported them for such poor customer service Thanks for the TSB number (in your next post). Up to now, I wasn't even sure there was a TSB. This same dealer also treatened to charge hundreds of dollars for the SYNC 2.0 upgrade, but in the end decided to only charge me $50, which I didn' think was too far out of line considering the hours they put in to learn the procedure and the problems I had. Other local dealers wanted even more! My service rep couldn't find the TSB number for this microphone repair. I gave him the kit number, which I had from the postings, but it wasn't enough to provide them a repair procedure and cover the warranty repair. On the other hand I had to call this service rep maybe 4 times over 3 days before I got hold of him only by complaining to the service desk. I'll probably find another dealer and report my experience to Ford. I just hope the next dealer I try doesn't get any worse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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