Dealer Software Update

grahamsimmonds

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I received my letter last week. I have not booked my car in yet because I am waiting to see how people get on having had the update. My car works fine at the moment and I am very much of the camp “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it”.

it would be helpful to have some more useful feedback instead of pages of geeks arguing about OTA processes!
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Docjonday

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Having received a letter last week and experienced some ‘connectivity’ issues since taking delivery of my MY2021 4S in Jan, mine has been at the dealership since Monday having been promptly booked in as a priority.

In fairness to the dealership (Porsche Preston), and to give credit where it’s due rather than just calling out negative experiences, I’ve felt very appreciated as a customer and thoroughly looked after by them. I’ve been given a brand new Panamera 4S straight after PDI as a loaner and told to ‘enjoy it’ by the Business Manager. Not only that, but I’ve had gifts and my vehicle handbook personally delivered to my home by staff in recent weeks. As they say, customer service isn’t about a fault-free motoring experience, it’s about how you address the issues when they arise.

As great as the loaned Panamera is, it’s re-enforced my decision to buy a Taycan. The Panamera is no slouch, but the Taycan feels like a missile in comparison and very much more ‘next gen’. My advice to anyone reading this would be, if you love to experience the technology envelope and current know-how pushed to it’s limits and to enjoy the benefits of that, while accepting the pit-falls that come with being a ‘technology first-adopter’, sign on the line for a Taycan. It‘s likely going to come with more gremlins than a 911 and it’s well-honed tech and require some patience. However, you really do appreciate the technology leap-forward that the Taycan represents once you step into a Porsche ICE car, even one as good as the Panamera. Even if more gremlins await in time, I can’t wait to get my Taycan back.

Anyway, big call out to Porsche Preston for outstanding customer service! ?
So, I promised an update on the recall / update for my MY21 4S.

In short, car went in Monday. Still haven’t got it back. ?

Can’t fault the dealer for keeping me updated - big shout to them. Apparently, after installing the update, various different icons that should be accessible on the PCM are now ‘greyed out’ and functionalities turned off. I’ve been told that there have been multiple conversations with Reading to address the issue, who’ve now referred the case to AG. As to when they forecast to be able to give me the car back, they can’t say because they’ve no idea when the issues will be resolved. In fairness to the dealer, at least they aren’t suggesting the car be returned with some faults and then brought back. To add, I’ve got a brand new Porsche as a loaner.

You have to say though, given the experience, it looks like Porsche need to up their game as far as software development is concerned. Definitely needs to catch up with their prowess for mechanical engineering.

My advice to anyone pre-update would be, make sure you secure a loan vehicle. You could be without your own vehicle for some time.

Will keep you all posted!
 

feye

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It seems the version number is 3397? I have never checked this page before so I have no clue what it was before the update.
IMG_9794.JPG
I asked my dealer for the update, he requested my VIN, and a day later he came back said, no update for me.

Yesterday the passenger seat ventilation does not work anymore. Reason to go get it fixed and ask for the update with the help of your pic. Thank you!
 


Bobby

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To give maybe some insights into this aspect of OTA:

I happen to be the chairman of an ISO Standardization working group that belongs to the same so-called "subcommittee" as the working groups dealing with most of the standards mentioned above. Also, ISO 26262 (functional safety) is handled by a neighbouring working group.

It is essential that cybersecurity and OTA are standardized to allow safe and reliable behaviour of these functions in end-customer vehicles. Tesla is in a unique position here as they do their hard- and software to a much higher share on their own compared to other OEMs. Similar to the integrated approach Apple is taking with iOS and iPhone vs. Android and e.g. Samsung where hard- and software do not have the same level of integration.

ISO 21434 is now in its final stage before publication, so-called "Final Draft International Standard", meaning only editorial changes are allowed before its publication in the next few months. But publication does not necessarily mean immediate adoption by suppliers and OEMs!

This project was particularly difficult as it was a joint project by ISO and SAE to merge double work that was started in parallel at the beginning. For this project (including SOTIF, I think) a separate working group was founded a few years ago. (btw, it takes up to four, five years to create a new standard from scratch like this one!)

Also for OTA a separate working group was founded last year or the year before. Japan was the major driver behind starting this project and working group, other countries were a bit hesitant regarding the scope of the working group and standard as well as the feasibility to have this topic standardized at all.

So, this means OTA Standardization only just started, we are still years away from a published standard. That means currently each OEM and supplier is still doing it according to their own approach. Of course, some might start to align to what is discussed in the ISO working group. But as long as we are not in the FDIS stage with this standard the technical content of the final published document might still change.

My personal opinion is that we definitely need such an OTA standard. It is sometimes hard, though, to resolve conflicts of interests at ISO between different countries with their own agendas, or between OEMs and suppliers. :) The whole standardization work is aimed at finding consensus. This sometimes means also unfavourable, political compromises.

Just my two cents why this topic is not as easy as it might seem when comparing it to OTA updates on the iPhone. :)
Thanks for the insight. I am sure we are facing similar challenges that the car industry did over 100 years ago when the ICE was invented.....just diffrent in nature!
 

Smithy37

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Wow, this thread descended into a dark place quickly.

I had my MY21 Turbo S upgraded on Wednesday. It was supposed to take 4 hours but the dealer needed it over night. No problem for me as I fortunately have two cars.
They fixed a slight rattle in the door card and fitted a missing dust cap free of charge all at the same time.

As for the update, I cannot see any difference. I lost my radio presets and the information stored in the multifunction display was reset to default (right of speedo).
My seat position, wing mirror settings and the tiles on the PCM were all untouched.
None of this took longer than a couple of minutes to get back to my preferences.

To put this into context I’ve had practically zero issues with the car from day one. Most of my problems have been minor and most have revolved around wireless CarPlay. I’ve had a CarPlay black screen on numerous occasions and the CarPlay battles for supremacy with the PCM over volume muting. So nothing serious and nothing that can’t be fixed within the car by turning CarPlay off and on again or navigating menus.
My car also refuses to remember that the satellite view box is checked in the dashboard and resets back to off every time the car is turned off.

The worst problem I have had was my navigation refused to show the map. That has only happened to me once and it was rectified by turning the car off.

So for me to get the car back and not see any major differences is not surprising. It would have been nice if all of the little niggles were addressed but it certainly hasn’t diminished my driving experience. I pray I never see a CarPlay black screen but I’m certainly not holding my breath.

For those of you with MY20 cars the update will be huge and hopefully something that will bring more rich features to your car ownership.
Will it be faultless, probably not, but as long as the car isn’t breaking down then I’m sure the Porsche technicians will get on top of these other issues, when priorities allow.

In the meantime just enjoy the ride.
 

Mwa3aan

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also having been “in the room” during planning and release of updates for the past 30 years - updates are to be avoided at all costs - but they are also necessary - so there is this tension between - let’s get it right the first time to avoid an update - and “ok we have to do an update” let’s keep it as small as possible and only things that are “must have” make it into this update…

what is _NOT_ in an update is actually more important than what you choose to include in an update - updates should not be open season for everything you wanted but didn’t get to - they are curated and because of the risk/costs you only include things that are the most important for your product line - pushing out as much stuff as possible that while it might be nice it’s necessary to the current product line considering multiple impact dimensions - small and focused updates are a sign of well managed updates on top of quality software in the first place…bloated large and everything but the kitchen sink are perhaps a sign of a company making up for past sins and being so horribly embarassed by what they originally released that they simply had to make amends by providing the update to their existing victims (ahem customers) by retrofitting the ‘correct’ software that should’ve been release in the first place…

lets look at the list of changes in this update - keeping in mind this is the “sanitized simple consumer list of changes“ - the details have got to be even more nasty - this is the list of “must have changes?” - wow - OMG wow - really this many changes have to be retrofitted to the entire fleet? that’s a long/complex list…not a sign of strength for the original software release.

F0C0D51F-7693-421C-AA5C-1C632BE47CB8.png

5193F56C-7B87-42EF-9BAC-01B3D3A11451.png


yeah I have my opinions about this update - and why it wasn’t OTA (probably approprate) - and I’m gratified Porsche is making it available via any mechanism - but I’m not taking it as a strong sign that they have “everything under control” and ”we got this whole software” update thing under control…

it’s a big complex nasty nasty software update - and I think we can all see why it took them a year to get this stuff undercontrol - it’s probably the most challenging project the organization has ever undertaken to date - retrofitting this many changes into a single update, providing service procedure instructions, QA, and controlling the 100’s/1000’s of “sub packages” in this update - I can only imaging the internal project team and processes as Porsche came to grips with what this update would entail and require of their organization - and I’m sure multiple times some one had to defend the need for this update at all - especially as it grew in complexity (really the service techs need to do this in 4 phases? how do we avoid that int he future?) Can we just leave the MY’2020 Taycans unmodified and roll this all into the MY’2022 vehicles?
  • I’m thrilled Porsche is doing this and we’re getting the updates we all really really want.
  • I’m horrified at the peek behind the curtain this provides to the quality of Porsche’s original software, and the structure of their software systems…it’s not a pretty picture.
  • Based on what I’m seeing with this update - Porsche might never be able to release OTA update for the current Taycan architecture, other than the most trivial changes…it’s simply not architected correctly.
just think of everything they are not including if this is the set of changes they deemed MUST be released because we just can’t live with things in their current state…if this is the “short list” of must have changes - wow - simply wow - I’ve been involved in commercial software for 30 years - if this is your short list of changes (i.e. the stuff worthy of an update) that means the original software in all these places was pretty bad…

this is a great update and should make our Taycan’s better…

this is not a sign of strength in my opinion, this is not security focused, this is not quality control for the fleet - this is the only way Porsche had to address serious quality issues present in the unmodified fleet of Taycan’s already sold - and the only tool available to them is an expensive manual dealer update because there are so many systems that are buggy and required an update it can only be conducted by “qualified personal in a repair shop environment” - this is NOT the goal to aspire to - it’s an admission of defeat in the face of an overwhelming number of defects that needed to be addressed.
I was reading through this post again. I think it's a good write up.

Anyway, if WMA5 is for the 2020 Taycan, why does it include an update for the heads up display?
 


Dee

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I was reading through this post again. I think it's a good write up.

Anyway, if WMA5 is for the 2020 Taycan, why does it include an update for the heads up display?
That's sequence 2 of the WMA5 update.
Maybe the MY determines which sequences the car needs.
I.e. MY21 only uses seq. 2 and 4 while MY20 needs all four.
Just a wild guess.
 

Td78

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John89

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Gonna see if its available yet. Will report back

UPDATE: Nothing as of yet from dealership, 2020 update not available yet
 
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Docjonday

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So, I promised an update on the recall / update for my MY21 4S.

In short, car went in Monday. Still haven’t got it back. ?

Can’t fault the dealer for keeping me updated - big shout to them. Apparently, after installing the update, various different icons that should be accessible on the PCM are now ‘greyed out’ and functionalities turned off. I’ve been told that there have been multiple conversations with Reading to address the issue, who’ve now referred the case to AG. As to when they forecast to be able to give me the car back, they can’t say because they’ve no idea when the issues will be resolved. In fairness to the dealer, at least they aren’t suggesting the car be returned with some faults and then brought back. To add, I’ve got a brand new Porsche as a loaner.

You have to say though, given the experience, it looks like Porsche need to up their game as far as software development is concerned. Definitely needs to catch up with their prowess for mechanical engineering.

My advice to anyone pre-update would be, make sure you secure a loan vehicle. You could be without your own vehicle for some time.

Will keep you all posted!
Day 8 - Still haven't received my MY21 4s back yet.

All credit to the dealer - they called again with a progress update today - and they think progress has been made over the weekend and all my icons are now back active on the PCM! ? However, that I didn't receive a subsequent call to tall me the other connectivity issues were now fixed and the vehicle ready for collection makes me fear that those issues remain. Here's hoping I'm wrong and that I receive a call telling me my vehicle is ready tomorrow!
 

kort

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just got an the invite for the update,


Model year 2021 Porsche Taycan Complimentary Software Update.

This notice applies to your vehicle:

Dear Mr. Kort

Porsche is committed to the highest standards of product quality, customer satisfaction and ownership experience. To maintain and enhance this experience, we are pleased to offer you a complimentary software update to bring the latest in technology improvements to your Porsche Communication Management (PCM) system, charging functionality and driving comfort

What should you do?
At your earliest convenience, please contact your authorized Porsche dealer to schedule an appointment for this update and to arrange for alternate transportation during the repair period, if needed.

What does the software update include?
This update provides software optimizations for:

Charging
  • Improved home charging, including charging with third-party charging equipment.
  • Improved stability of charging and further optimization of the timer charging function.
Chassis and driving comfort
  • Optimization of start up behavior.
Digital cockpit display (instrument cluster) with 16.8-inch curved display / Porsche Communication Management (central display)
  • Start up behavior and performance of the instrument cluster and the central display are improved.
  • Optimization of navigation system stability.
What will Porsche do?
Porsche is conducting a campaign to update the software for your vehicle. This update will be carried out at no expense to you and will take approximately 4 hours to complete. To arrange for alternate transportation during the repair period, please discuss the mobility options available to you with your authorized Porsche dealer while making your appointment for this update.

We are taking this action to help ensure the best experience with your vehicle and look forward to your visit to your authorized Porsche dealership.

Sincerely,
Porsche Cars North America, Inc.
 

John89

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just got an the invite for the update,


Model year 2021 Porsche Taycan Complimentary Software Update.

This notice applies to your vehicle:


Dear Mr. Kort

Porsche is committed to the highest standards of product quality, customer satisfaction and ownership experience. To maintain and enhance this experience, we are pleased to offer you a complimentary software update to bring the latest in technology improvements to your Porsche Communication Management (PCM) system, charging functionality and driving comfort

What should you do?
At your earliest convenience, please contact your authorized Porsche dealer to schedule an appointment for this update and to arrange for alternate transportation during the repair period, if needed.
Schedule Service Appointment

What does the software update include?
This update provides software optimizations for:

Charging
  • Improved home charging, including charging with third-party charging equipment.
  • Improved stability of charging and further optimization of the timer charging function.
Chassis and driving comfort
  • Optimization of start up behavior.
Digital cockpit display (instrument cluster) with 16.8-inch curved display / Porsche Communication Management (central display)
  • Start up behavior and performance of the instrument cluster and the central display are improved.
  • Optimization of navigation system stability.
What will Porsche do?
Porsche is conducting a campaign to update the software for your vehicle. This update will be carried out at no expense to you and will take approximately 4 hours to complete. To arrange for alternate transportation during the repair period, please discuss the mobility options available to you with your authorized Porsche dealer while making your appointment for this update.

We are taking this action to help ensure the best experience with your vehicle and look forward to your visit to your authorized Porsche dealership.

Sincerely,
Porsche Cars North America, Inc.
Yep, 2021 is out before the 2020.
 

sds1127

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Dropped off my 2021 Taycan Turbo today for the update— I will report back if any noticeable changes. Also, coincidentally received this email as I was leaving the dealership.

Porsche Taycan Dealer Software Update 5854270B-B65A-4236-953A-643C15525E94


Porsche Taycan Dealer Software Update D0754F60-D293-4922-9EB8-448B5775903E
 
 




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