Sync 2 upgrade to Sync 3

Geeseman · 07-05-2017, 07:10 PM

Hi All,
Has anyone looked into replacing their sync 2 system with a sync 3 to get access to its much faster OS and carplay features?
Ive seen them selling in the U.S
https://www.infotainment.com/product...sync-3-upgrade

Wondering if anyone local does supply and install.
thanks

**kypez** · 07-05-2017, 08:37 PM

Saw these and was hopeful but havent seen anyone able to get this working locally...

I'm hopeful on the Everest but not on the Falcon as its more of an orphan in the Ford world...

malazn mafia · 07-05-2017, 09:41 PM

Was told that the Falcon most closely resembles the Ford Fusion Sync 2 model electrically. Seen some photos online and the modules appear very close in appearance. A very expensive gamble though at 3500 usd for a conversion kit and no guarantee it will work

**Professor Farnsworth** · 07-05-2017, 09:50 PM

People are working on it.

simon varley · 09-05-2017, 08:21 AM

sync3 is faster, but that's just about all it's got going for it. The screen configuration is awful, the voice activation is woeful, and the usb connectivity is dire. If you aren't happy with sync2 then I'd suggest go 100% aftermarket

the_scotsman · 10-05-2017, 01:57 PM

I'd just kill for Android Auto in the G6ET.

The FGX should never have come with Sync 2. it was already outdated when it was released.

Geeseman · 10-05-2017, 05:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by simon varley

sync3 is faster, but that's just about all it's got going for it. The screen configuration is awful, the voice activation is woeful, and the usb connectivity is dire. If you aren't happy with sync2 then I'd suggest go 100% aftermarket

Any suggestions on aftermarket?

YTRY4 · 18-05-2017, 02:27 AM

Comparing a few different sync3 models with the fgx rear, I'd say it would potentially work with some small changes. I hope someone does this soonish.

In SA there are already people who have done FGX dash' into FG mk1 and mk2. I'll be buying an FG mk1 or mk2 soon and hope to do a dash conversion but again a sync3 upgrade too would be ideal as carplay is great.

malazn mafia · 21-05-2017, 07:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by YTRY4

Comparing a few different sync3 models with the fgx rear, I'd say it would potentially work with some small changes. I hope someone does this soonish.

In SA there are already people who have done FGX dash' into FG mk1 and mk2. I'll be buying an FG mk1 or mk2 soon and hope to do a dash conversion but again a sync3 upgrade too would be ideal as carplay is great.

Care to share who has done the FG-X into Mk1 and Mk2 in SA? i've done the conversion but stripped the car front to back and ran FG-X looms. I am thinking ford ranger sync3 would be the go for a conversion, as the gps etc would be working. A U.S. sync3 would probably have region locked gps and things may be imperial units etc

YTRY4 · 01-07-2017, 02:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by malazn mafia

Care to share who has done the FG-X into Mk1 and Mk2 in SA? i've done the conversion but stripped the car front to back and ran FG-X looms. I am thinking ford ranger sync3 would be the go for a conversion, as the gps etc would be working. A U.S. sync3 would probably have region locked gps and things may be imperial units etc

Hi, Not entirely sure if the business' want me to mention it as it is not offered as a service to the public atleast not yet, it has been done to a few cars by a performance shop and by a repair shop here in Adelaide all for their own cars though. Exactly as you said it required the entire FGX dash and all body/boot/engine looms plus ECU etc to be used...Basically the car was stripped and looms rerun plus hole cut in the roof for the roof antenna.

I recently helped a friend with this conversion and although 80% of the work has been done there's a few errors on the dash which will be getting fixed within the next week or so.

grantcc · 06-02-2018, 08:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Geeseman

Any suggestions on aftermarket?

In August 2016 I took delivery of my FGX Falcon Cab Chassis. Beaut car and I've had two of them before that. Additional bonus was it came with Sat Nav - Ford Sync 2. At that time I'd only had a Tom Tom stuck on the windscreen so the in car thing was great. However it also came with free updates for the next seven years, but the rub was that was only with a service. Having had a garage for 40 years it isn't in my DNA to get someone else to service my cars, so the free bit wasn't exactly that. Anyway my wife bought a new Hyundai Kona recently and it comes with an Android system so you don't, and can't, actually get it with Sat Nav. At first this seemed a bit of a downer but all you need to do is plug in your phone and you can have Google maps and Waze. Obviously for free. Probably a bit limited to Android Auto but it gave me the idea to look around and I came up with these: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3iBSKk72Z4 and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAS1GMdlbcI (plenty of these around just follow the YouTube paths)

In the end I bought one from http://www.cardvdnavi.com/Ford-SYNC2...roid-Interface This was delivered very quickly and the company was very responsive to my emails, unfortunately I couldn't get the thing to work properly. First they sent me a real 'Plug and Play' unit but a part on the back physically prevented the unit being fitted so they sent me a 'PCB Daughterboard' which overcame that problem. A bit of a job to fit but all the stuff was there, and the good bit was that I could simply switch from the OEM screen to the Android screen. Problem was there was no response to the touch screen on the Android side. So you couldn't actually change anything on the screen. Eventually I was able to change things using a mouse plugged into the USB, but even so could not make the screen responsive to touch. In the middle of all this I saw that the screen on the Android side was very lo-res which wasn't at all what I wanted.

The upshot is, that after numerous emails trying to get this sorted my Chinese friends have given up on me and said I can have my money back (not counting my USD45.00 shipping - another story but I'm working on that)

Anyway, that's the story, but before I send it back, maybe someone out there has had experience with these, specifically I guess with FGX Falcons as maybe they're different from other Fords in the world?

Thanks
Grant

Vesper Martini · 06-02-2018, 01:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by the_scotsman

I'd just kill for Android Auto in the G6ET.

The FGX should never have come with Sync 2. it was already outdated when it was released.

wouldn't using Android Auto be totally reliant on your Mobile device and plan?

whereas SYNC2 systems are free to run and have better GPS coverage

the_scotsman · 06-02-2018, 01:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bevsta007

wouldn't using Android Auto be totally reliant on your Mobile device and plan?

whereas SYNC2 systems are free to run and have better GPS coverage

Not totally reliant at all, no.

Better GPS coverage? No. All smartphones have GPS too. But Sync has massively outdated maps, like some roads are years out of date. Google maps is updated constantly.

And almost everyone has some sort of plan on their phone with data. Anyway, with Sync 3 you aren't forced to use Android Auto or Apple Carplay.

Ford just cheaped out putting Sync2 into the FGX. It should never have been done.

NX74205 · 06-02-2018, 05:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by the_scotsman

Ford just cheaped out putting Sync2 into the FGX. It should never have been done.

SYNC 3 made its debut in the third quarter of 2015 for the 2016 model year in the US, and only came here in mid 2016 starting with the 2016.75 LZ Focus update.

It couldn't possibly have made it into the FGX, unless you think Ford should have spent money on updating the FGX infotainment three months before its run was due to end.

the_scotsman · 06-02-2018, 05:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NX74205

SYNC 3 made its debut in the third quarter of 2015 for the 2016 model year in the US, and only came here in mid 2016 starting with the 2016.75 LZ Focus update.

It couldn't possibly have made it into the FGX, unless you think Ford should have spent money on updating the FGX infotainment three months before its run was due to end.

It could have been made an optional upgrade. Ford announced Sync 3 in late 2014, so it was known about LONG before that.

NX74205 · 06-02-2018, 06:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by the_scotsman

It could have been made an optional upgrade. Ford announced Sync 3 in late 2014, so it was known about LONG before that.

Just because it's announced doesn't mean it's ready for market. Even the US didn't get it until late 2015, and they get everything first.

Ford didn't make it ready for market in Australia until mid 2016.

As for optional upgrade, it'll still cost money to engineer it. Sync 2 to Sync 3 isn't just a plug and play software update, I'm told it'll also require a hardware upgrade, so to make it work in an FGX will require engineering expenses, which would be pointless on a discontinuing model.

vztrt · 06-02-2018, 07:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NX74205

SYNC 3 made its debut in the third quarter of 2015 for the 2016 model year in the US, and only came here in mid 2016 starting with the 2016.75 LZ Focus update.

It couldn't possibly have made it into the FGX, unless you think Ford should have spent money on updating the FGX infotainment three months before its run was due to end.

At least someone gets why sync 2 was used.

Mercury Bullet · 07-02-2018, 03:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vztrt

At least someone gets why sync 2 was used.

There's a few of us...

There's a video showing sync2 being setup in a dummy dash at broadmeadows and they were making it "australian." That was some time in 2012 iirc.

They spent an enormous amount of time on it, I'm not sure people appreciate how big that job was. And I've only seen the video....

Sync3 wasn't an itch in daddy's pants back then.

Had an escape as a loaner a few weeks ago. Not sure what all the fuss is about with sync3 to be honest. 3 is higher than 2 I guess.

stig_3754 · 07-02-2018, 05:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mercury Bullet

There's a few of us...

There's a video showing sync2 being setup in a dummy dash at broadmeadows and they were making it "australian." That was some time in 2012 iirc.

They spent an enormous amount of time on it, I'm not sure people appreciate how big that job was. And I've only seen the video....

Sync3 wasn't an itch in daddy's pants back then.

Had an escape as a loaner a few weeks ago. Not sure what all the fuss is about with sync3 to be honest. 3 is higher than 2 I guess.

I too had an Escape loaner recently and I found the sound quality disappointing, but not sure if it was something to do with the settings. I didn't get time to fiddle around with it.

Besides that, I found it quite useful and Apple Carplay was great. This is coming from a Sync 1 user though, so most things are better than what I got now I guess...

the_scotsman · 07-02-2018, 05:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vztrt

At least someone gets why sync 2 was used.

Oh I get why it was used...I think we can all see why.

It's just utterly frustrating such an outdated system was used in the last of the Falcons, and 3 was never offered as an optional update down the track. I know it would meant spending more on a car coming to an end, but ****....it was the last one....make an effort.

Mercury Bullet · 07-02-2018, 05:28 PM

It had nothing to do with cost.

It wasn't available.

the_scotsman · 07-02-2018, 05:29 PM

Yes I know, but it was shortly after release.....they could have offered it as an upgrade. It's not a direct plug and play of course. But there's not a massive amount of change required.

I know plenty who would have paid a lot of money for that upgrade.

NX74205 · 07-02-2018, 05:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by the_scotsman

Yes I know, but it was shortly after release.....they could have offered it as an upgrade. It's not a direct plug and play of course. But there's not a massive amount of change required.

I know plenty who would have paid a lot of money for that upgrade.

2 years after release, at which point Falcon only had months to live.

If Ford had rushed Sync 3 into the Australian market just so they can put it in FGX, I'm sure people would be whinging about how buggy and unreliable the new infotainment system is ...

vztrt · 07-02-2018, 09:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by the_scotsman

Yes I know, but it was shortly after release.....they could have offered it as an upgrade. It's not a direct plug and play of course. But there's not a massive amount of change required.

I know plenty who would have paid a lot of money for that upgrade.

Like i said some people don't get it.

the_scotsman · 07-02-2018, 10:08 PM

Wow, when did this place turn into Reddit

I get it...you're the expert....you know it all....the rest of us are plebs.....

Smoke Pursuit · 08-02-2018, 03:56 PM

A guy has upgraded his PX2 Ranger Sync 2 to Sync 3. Was plug and play minus the GPS antenna or the digital radio antenna (can't remember which one sorry).

Sync 3 in my Ranger has been excellent, its alot quicker then Sync 2 and the Apple Car Play feature is very handy.

Bossxr8 · 09-02-2018, 02:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by the_scotsman

Wow, when did this place turn into Reddit

I get it...you're the expert....you know it all....the rest of us are plebs.....

Chill out. Sync 3 was never going to happen. The guys who engineered sync 2 for FGX were finished and moved onto different programs well before the buying public ever touched one. And at that stage Sync 3 didn't exist so you are being ridiculous thinking it ever could have been an option.

the_scotsman · 09-02-2018, 02:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

Chill out. Sync 3 was never going to happen. The guys who engineered sync 2 for FGX were finished and moved onto different programs well before the buying public ever touched one. And at that stage Sync 3 didn't exist so you are being ridiculous thinking it ever could have been an option.

As I'd already stated multiple times, my comments were out of frustration more than anything. I realise it was too late.

Sync 3 is so many times better than Sync 2, that's all. It really let's down the interior of the car.

Sync 2 isn't that BAD....it's decent...some people really bag it, but I find it ok. But having used 3....I just really wish it could have somehow made it to the FGX.

I'd still happily pay for it to get into my G6ET. The yanks have upgrades working, but not many people over here seem to be working on it, that we know of anyway.

Vesper Martini · 09-02-2018, 03:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by the_scotsman

Not totally reliant at all, no.

Better GPS coverage? No. All smartphones have GPS too. But Sync has massively outdated maps, like some roads are years out of date. Google maps is updated constantly.

And almost everyone has some sort of plan on their phone with data. Anyway, with Sync 3 you aren't forced to use Android Auto or Apple Carplay.

Ford just cheaped out putting Sync2 into the FGX. It should never have been done.

From what Iv'e seen only cheaper model cars wee offering systems that ran off the back of your smart phone, ie ads for cars using SIRI

Android auto looks ok but from what i read it was only released mid 2015 and took a while to catch on

Personally I'm still pretty happy with my SYNC 2 my maps have been updated so have no issues there.
that said I haven't sen sync3 in use.
I guess its hard to go backwards one you have experienced it

NX74205 · 09-02-2018, 07:34 PM

From a functionality point of view, there's no doubt that Sync 3 is better than Sync 2, by some margin.

But personally, I prefer the 4 quadrant GUI of Sync 2. Sync 3 just looks messy by comparison.

Oh well, you can't win them all.