DCT / PowerShift Transmission Update TSB Thread

[PratoN]

Originally Posted by Creamsicle

I called my dealer and they told me they'd have to road-test it and diagnose for themselves before they'd be willing to flash the software. 1-2 hours minimum. So instead of getting it done soon I'm going to wait for the first oil change and have them do it then (and bring a good book).

That's what my dealer said, they turned me down twice before I talked to FordCustomerService (AKA Natasha) who had my complaint escalated to regional customer service, talked to engineering, and finally got the OK to go ahead with it.

They don't even have to order parts - it's all software! So I'm not sure what the big deal is unless it's just Ford Corporate won't reimburse the dealer's 1-2 hours of "warranty work." If that's the case, it's pretty stupid because they spent more time test driving my car / troubleshooting than they would have spent just doing the darn reprogramming from the start!

[reddog093]

Originally Posted by Creamsicle

I called my dealer and they told me they'd have to road-test it and diagnose for themselves before they'd be willing to flash the software. 1-2 hours minimum. So instead of getting it done soon I'm going to wait for the first oil change and have them do it then (and bring a good book).

Be prepared to call their bluff if you have to. If the car is eligible, they should perform the service. After Consumer Reports' mention of the transmission, Ford publicly acknowledged that they are fixing it with a software upgrade. You have a right to that upgrade.

A big part of the description, even in the TSB, is that it deals with many "intermittent" problems. The definition of intermittent means that the problems are irregular, so a short drive may not reveal the issues that you are having with the car.

[feta_mgp]

Originally Posted by reddog093

Be prepared to call their bluff if you have to. If the car is eligible, they should perform the service. After Consumer Reports' mention of the transmission, Ford publicly acknowledged that they are fixing it with a software upgrade. You have a right to that upgrade.

A big part of the description, even in the TSB, is that it deals with many "intermittent" problems. The definition of intermittent means that the problems are irregular, so a short drive may not reveal the issues that you are having with the car.

+1, they gave me the same speech, so I talked to a different service adviser and she put it on the work order for me.

Though, my car doesn't feel all that different, so either my car was much more behaved than the lot of you who have had the big issues, or they didn't flash my PCM/TCM.

[FordFan1265]

Took mine in to the dealer tonight to get it looked at. Thing smoothed out around 1600 miles and has been smooth as butter until suddenly around the 4000 mile mark it started acting like it did when I first got it again, like it was having to re-learn my habits. So took it in and after they drove it around a bit they came back and said they were going to do the update first thing tomorrow and drive it again to see if it smoothed out before they looked into other more serious issues. So here's to hoping it's smooth sailing ahead and the calibration update does the trick. Until I get her back I'm stuck in a Dodge Avenger rental they hooked me up with... Definitely glad I didn't buy one. It's loud, uninspired, and merely adequately trimmed.

[Kabigon]

To anyone that is getting the TSB performed at the dealer:

Depending upon how well (or how thoroughly) the service person performs the adaptive learning function (which must be done after the new calibration), the transmission may perform better after a few days of normal driving.

In other words, you may want to wait for a few days before passing final judgment on the update.

[Montana]

I can vouch for what Kabigon is saying as we had the re-program done last Friday and picked it up on Monday, After picking it up the trans was better but had a rough feel to it which I was told it would be somewhat harsh so I was ok with that. My wife just let me drive the car again today and I tried various ways and means to get it to screw up and I could not get it to act ill mannered. The only thing I noticed and I fully understand why it does this is when you take your foot off the brake and let it creep up a slight incline. There it would chatter a bit and as I said I fully expected that and have no issues with it. They key here is don't let it creep on it's own, Foot off the brake and foot on the throttle.

Now as long as the transmission continues to act in this manner all will be good.

When in D I would get right about a 2500 RPM shift with moderate throttle in the first 3 gears, In S mode without using shifter buttons and about the same throttle input and road grade I would get to about 4000 RPM in the first 3 gears. Obviously this was not a controlled test or any scientific data to back it up but just thought I would throw it out there.

Montana

[lrbr30022]

I did not even know about this update. Took my car in for another reason and on the way home noticed the shifting felt different. I read the paperwork and sure enough they made these updates. I had to search the Internet to even know what the heck these were. I really never had an issue with the transmission before, so will be curious how I like it now. It said it takes a couple days to re-program itself so not expecting it to continue as did on the way home, which was to hit much higher RPM's before shifting.

[DentonFocus]

Had my focus PCM and TCM reflashed under the TSB 11-10-2 this past tuesday (11/1/11). after some initial problem w/ a clueless service advisor, the second (very good) advisor went thru the trouble of looking up the TSB, talked w/ me about the symptoms, and scheduled an appointment. Dealer even provided a free loaner car for me.
the reflash was totally worth it - driveability is much better. before the reflash, the trans hesitated to downshift when i applied partial throttle, especially noticeable when coming out of a turn. there was a very small throttle window in which the car would accelerate away at a good speed - not grandma slow and not teenager fast. accelerating from stop was the same and at highway speeds, you literally had to floor the pedal to get a down shift/jerk/acceleration.
After the reflash, shiftpoints were generally higher - around 2750 -3500 rpm. much less hesitation accelerating from stop, coming out of corners, and highway speeds. reflash also cured the rpm surge when coming to a stop. still wish they offered the 5sp manual, but this rework makes the car much more enjoyable. i do not know what the affects on gas milage will be, but TSB was not supposed to lower milage. i would gladly trade a little mgp for driveability. btw, getting 33.0 mpg to date w/ the handling package (tracked mileage on xlsx).

[Kabigon]

Originally Posted by lrbr30022

It said it takes a couple days to re-program itself so not expecting it to continue as did on the way home, which was to hit much higher RPM's before shifting.

Actually, the only "continued learning" that will happen (assuming that the dealer did everything right) is with the acuation of the clutches.

It will shift at higher RPM's with the new programming, except with light throttle applications.

[Kabigon]

Originally Posted by DentonFocus

Had my focus PCM and TCM reflashed under the TSB 11-10-2 this past tuesday (11/1/11). after some initial problem w/ a clueless service advisor, the second (very good) advisor went thru the trouble of looking up the TSB, talked w/ me about the symptoms, and scheduled an appointment. Dealer even provided a free loaner car for me.
the reflash was totally worth it - driveability is much better. before the reflash, the trans hesitated to downshift when i applied partial throttle, especially noticeable when coming out of a turn. there was a very small throttle window in which the car would accelerate away at a good speed - not grandma slow and not teenager fast. accelerating from stop was the same and at highway speeds, you literally had to floor the pedal to get a down shift/jerk/acceleration.
After the reflash, shiftpoints were generally higher - around 2750 -3500 rpm. much less hesitation accelerating from stop, coming out of corners, and highway speeds. reflash also cured the rpm surge when coming to a stop. still wish they offered the 5sp manual, but this rework makes the car much more enjoyable. i do not know what the affects on gas milage will be, but TSB was not supposed to lower milage. i would gladly trade a little mgp for driveability. btw, getting 33.0 mpg to date w/ the handling package (tracked mileage on xlsx).

With the new programming, it is smoother and smarter.
It took a while but IMO they nailed it.