MK8: Eco Mode behaviour oddities with USB ports

[Gigabit]

Got an issue I think with my MK8 and the Eco mode.

If I have the Eco mode on, it will take a couple of minutes for the USB ports to receive power if the car hasn't been on for a while (say left over night). When the ports get power, they then work fine whether the car is on or off, until it is left until the next day, when the behaviour repeats.

Doesn't happen without the Eco mode on/Eco button pressed. Does anyone else experience this - it seems like it is a feature but I can't seem to see the point in it if it is. And at least one person on this forum doesn't experience it.

Thanks!

[Gigabit]

Right, been doing some more testing and would appreciate anyone doing the same...

Unlock car, sit down and don't turn the ignition on. Stereo won't be on. Plug in phone, is there power? Turn on stereo, ports will be powered up.

This is the behaviour in my car, can anyone confirm if you see the same?

[dpw28]

Off the top of my head but 99.9% sure that my usb doesnt power up until the car is powered on.

I think im right in saying that the usb and stereo are completley seperate so doesnt matter if stereo is on or not 

[Gigabit]

Just now, dpw28 said:

Off the top of my head but 99.9% sure that my usb doesnt power up until the car is powered on.

I think im right in saying that the usb and stereo are completley seperate so doesnt matter if stereo is on or not 

Thanks mate, mine is the same. Some others here (perhaps I misunderstood), suggested their USB ports were always on.

[Mavroz]

Perhaps there is confusion. 

The Usb ports are not active with the engine off but as per the first post here, on her car they are active as soon as the car is started, there is no delay of couple of a minutes and the ports are online whether in eco mode or not.

Hope this makes things a bit clearer.

 

[Gigabit]

It's an odd one this.

The "issue" - if I can even call it that, I believe it is a feature of the Eco mode - went away for a week and then returned yesterday. It seems to be linked to how long you spend listening to music with the engine off. So I believe it is a power saving feature, which I guess makes sense.

[Gigabit]

This is such an odd issue, I'm still having it months on. I'm no longer convinced it is related to Eco Mode.

Plug in your phone and wait two minutes or so and it starts charging. Doesn't matter if the engine is turned on or not. Except when it doesn't do this and starts charging as soon as you plug the phone in.

The only thought I had is whether it's something to do with the amperage draw from the USB ports being too low.

Has anyone else experienced this issue? It's not big enough for me to do anything about it to be honest but the fact it is almost exactly two minutes makes me think it is by design.

To repeat it, you need to have left your car off for some time, i.e. over night. Plug your phone in as soon as you get in, does it start charging straight away?

[Tobi]

A quick test from me:

Haven't used car for 30 hours, unlocked the door, plugged in the phone and it started charging straight away. Didn't put the keys in the ignition at any point. Eco Mode always off for me.

[Gigabit]

8 minutes ago, Tobi said:

A quick test from me:

Haven't used car for 30 hours, unlocked the door, plugged in the phone and it started charging straight away. Didn't put the keys in the ignition at any point. Eco Mode always off for me.

Thanks mate - would you be able to tell me what version of the firmware your Ford Sync system is on?

[Tobi]

9 minutes ago, Gigabit said:

Thanks mate - would you be able to tell me what version of the firmware your Ford Sync system is on?

Anytime 🙂 It says "SYNC 3, softwareversion 2.3, Build 17109_PRODUCT".

[Gigabit]

21 hours ago, Tobi said:

Anytime 🙂 It says "SYNC 3, softwareversion 2.3, Build 17109_PRODUCT".

Thanks a lot mate, that's really helpful.

If anyone else would be willing to run a test with my previous instructions I would be most grateful.

[Gigabit]

Glad to say the latest SYNC update solved this problem.

[Eric Bloodaxe]

On 11/13/2018 at 9:01 PM, Gigabit said:

Glad to say the latest SYNC update solved this problem.

Good to see you got a fix. My car is on Sync 3 Version 3, Build No 17276 and has had no issues with USB ports (so far!). Out of interest, what Build No has yours now been updated to?