Well it’s Friday the 13th and I have felt the full impact with Ford.

[FarNorth]

At 3PM this afternoon we walked out to our GT, jumped in, pressed the brake and pushed the button…… nothing. Dead.
I then called the Dealer at 3:10PM and of course no one answers the Service phone; I need to leave a message, which I did and never received a callback. This is one of those Dealers where you can walk into and there’s no one in Service or Parts ever. You have to walk into the garage and yell for someone.
So, left on my own, I tried to charge the battery to find my charger reported “overload” so I had to disconnect the ground side to allow the battery to be charged.
It’s been hours now on charge and can’t make it past 75%.

It’s so nice to call a Ford dealer for assistance to be ignored as it’s Friday and no one wants to get involved as it’s almost the weekend. So, now we wait until next week.

This isn’t a big deal actually as we have my wife’s Toyota to use but it does shed light on the difference in Dealers. A similar situation happened a couple of years back with her Toyota while in town and her previous car wouldn’t start, a faulty battery, but Toyota came to the car with a new battery and off we went.
Ford can’t even answer a phone.

Aw the joys of car ownership.

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[Aegean]

What about the Ford roadside assistance for 5 years that we got with our Mustangs? Wouldn’t they dispatch someone to test the battery, jumpstart, bring a new battery etc?

 

[FarNorth]

Probably, I thought the dealer was closer, and the Dealer has a tow truck and is part of the Roadside program. The last time I called Roadside they wouldn't come until the next day. So either way I'm stuck until Monday. No biggie.. it's just funny it's Friday the 13th and I'm not a superstitious type.

 

[smurfslayer]

Probably, I thought the dealer was closer, and the Dealer has a tow truck and is part of the Roadside program. The last time I called Roadside they wouldn't come until the next day. So either way I'm stuck until Monday. No biggie.. it's just funny it's Friday the 13th and I'm not a superstitious type.

Well... At least you’re not a Templar.

 

[REV745DH24]

How long have you had the car?

 

[Farmer Fran]

How long have you had the car?

The whole time

 

[spedy7]

Interesting...just had a GT in that was the same. Quicklane replaced the battery about a month ago and got towed in dead, battery was toast. New battery in, BCM apparently had a draw of ~110mA - and of course the BCM is on backorder. For reference, when the vehicle is asleep it should only reach ~50mA at most.

This makes me wonder now if it's more of a software issue, or faulty module batch.

 

[Radiant]

Dealership experiences vary vastly. The AGM batteries that come with Mustangs are okay, but I'm strongly of the opinion that lead is dead. Now that I know the electronics are okay, I'm ready to swap to LFP as soon as I fabricate the mounts for my AntiGravity Battery.

Interestingly, Ford should have their own LFP batteries in the near-future in Michigan, I'd like to see them produce an LFP pack for their high-performance cars. The weight savings and reliability advantages alone would be worth it.

This makes me wonder now if it's more of a software issue, or faulty module batch.

Modern electronics demand having a battery system that can isolate itself before dropping below a usable level. I consider it a system design issue in all modern cars (not just Ford).

 

[FarNorth]

How long have you had the car?

A few months. I just passed 10,000kms.
I suspect the car being dead is my own fault. I have a dash cam connected to the OBD port and it stays on too long after the car is off. I’m going to have to come up with a better solution.
I left a 6amp charger on it all night and this morning it’s fully charged even though my big charger couldn’t get it higher than 75%. I used a little one I have that starts at 6 and drops to 2 as it gets near full. Much gentler and has worked fine. Car started and ran fine after being disconnected over night and all I lost was my colour selections for the screens.

It just annoyed me that the dealer can’t be reached and wouldn’t return a message but then, now I don’t need them, and if I do I may go elsewhere.

 

[FarNorth]

Dealership experiences vary vastly. The AGM batteries that come with Mustangs are okay, but I'm strongly of the opinion that lead is dead. Now that I know the electronics are okay, I'm ready to swap to LFP as soon as I fabricate the mounts for my AntiGravity Battery.

Interestingly, Ford should have their own LFP batteries in the near-future in Michigan, I'd like to see them produce an LFP pack for their high-performance cars. The weight savings and reliability advantages alone would be worth it.




Modern electronics demand having a battery system that can isolate itself before dropping below a usable level. I consider it a system design issue in all modern cars (not just Ford).

But the AntiGravity Battery is outrageously expensive. Are they really that reliable? Have they been around long enough to actually know?

 

[FarNorth]

I did a search for Antigravity Batteries and found, melted, exploded etc from various folks who have them. Lithium-ion cause fires and more. hmmmm I’ll pass thanks.

 

[Radiant]

But the AntiGravity Battery is outrageously expensive. Are they really that reliable? Have they been around long enough to actually know?

Yes, and also yes. Unfortunately for Ford, the people who like V8 engines are the same audience that worry about anecdotal stories so it's a hard sell. Using a lead-acid battery for your starter motor is as outdated as using alkaline batteries to power a smartphone.

You need a battery with a BMS that can isolate itself from the car to prevent any parasitic load, or app that doesn't shut itself off, from being able to drain the battery. LFP packs with a BMS solve the issue handily, while also shedding 30+ lbs. from the front of the car.

There's already enough room in the battery box for a drop-in replacement pack with a heating-and-cooling system, it would be nice if they were included in the cost of the vehicle.

 

[REV745DH24]

A few months. I just passed 10,000kms.
I suspect the car being dead is my own fault. I have a dash cam connected to the OBD port and it stays on too long after the car is off. I’m going to have to come up with a better solution.
I left a 6amp charger on it all night and this morning it’s fully charged even though my big charger couldn’t get it higher than 75%. I used a little one I have that starts at 6 and drops to 2 as it gets near full. Much gentler and has worked fine. Car started and ran fine after being disconnected over night and all I lost was my colour selections for the screens.

It just annoyed me that the dealer can’t be reached and wouldn’t return a message but then, now I don’t need them, and if I do I may go elsewhere.

Ha, yes, bled all your battery charges! The reason I asked how long have you had your car was because I was having trouble with the battery due to that it wasn’t fully charged at the dealership! And my battery died on me twice so I had to charge the battery for three days! Now I wasn’t having any more problems! That’s why I asked How long have you had it?

 

[FarNorth]

Ha, yes, bled all your battery charges! The reason I asked how long have you had your car was because I was having trouble with the battery due to that it wasn’t fully charged at the dealership! And my battery died on me twice so I had to charge the battery for three days! Now I wasn’t having any more problems! That’s why I asked How long have you had it?

I learned something else during this also…. after leaving the battery disconnected overnight it actually runs better. It lost its memory and reset itself I imagine. The red stop/start button has NEVER lit up at anytime day or night but now does. I changed my screen back to blue and it’s more vivid. The engine is smoother. I wish I could say it shifts better but no.

I may just disconnect it again overnight from time to time.

 

[R4bs]

Probably, I thought the dealer was closer, and the Dealer has a tow truck and is part of the Roadside program. The last time I called Roadside they wouldn't come until the next day. So either way I'm stuck until Monday. No biggie.. it's just funny it's Friday the 13th and I'm not a superstitious type.

Next day is crazy. OMG. What if you are far from your home? That’s insane. I will have to try them out.

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