Courtesy Lights: OUT!

[maxacceleration]

Hello all,
To this very day, toady 7-9-2020, after owning my van for ten years now, I still have the darned courtesy lights!
Including today my Ford dealer will not touch this... Grrr.

Is Forscan the only way to do this? Or can Fords own OBD2 reader do it?

I am battling with them right now, showing a Forscan screen shot of various parameters dark dark car & welcome illumination enable/disable options.

It may come down to if my dealer has or uses Forscan.
My rig stays at the stealership another day to see if they can accomplish this.

I am not sure I would operate the Forscan app properly... Seems like a lot of things could go wrong if things are enabled or disabled incorrectly.

And yes my still mint E-350 is ten years old! WOW!

[jim2901]

maxacceleration:
Unless you can get the dealer to do this the only way I know of making the required changes is to use Forscan. (My dealer wouldn't do it either.) It didn't take too many camping trips for us to decide that having the lights come on every time we opened a door was a feature that we did NOT want! Using Forscan you need to Disable Welcome illumination and Enable Dark car in the GEM/SJB module. Using Forscan is pretty easy. You need the Windows version of the software (you cannot make changes using the Android or iOS versions), a license (free Extended License - 2 months trial) and an OBD adapter. There are good instructions on using Forscan at https://docs.google.com/document/d/1...gF1wxIqxY/edit
Definitely backup the module data; then if something goes wrong you can restore the original data. I had no problems changing these parameters and also resetting the TPMS threshold values.
Jim

[maxacceleration]

Thanks Jim,
I am working my dealer... there is a young gal service writer that wants to give good customer service...
They were going to run it by their favorite OBD tech, we'll see how it goes tomorrow.

My curiosity is... Can it even be done by a dealer tech? Will their tool even do it? Guess I'll find out tomorrow.

I am not an IT guru of any sort - just basic skills. I really don't want to get into backing up, or getting into a wrong menu, or otherwise effing up, you know.
I have two other independents in my town who excel pretty well. They would be my next resorts.

Oh, will the free Forscan Lite do the job, or do I need to go the paid Forscan??

Thanks again.

[jim2901]

maxacceleration:
In order to make changes in your van's software you need to use the Windows version of Forscan (with a free 2 month license). Neither the iOS nor the Android version of Forscan (paid or free) are capable of making changes.
Jim

[Kibo]

Also, I've found that you can "renew" the 2mo free license. I needed the extended license to update the TPMS values and my original free license had expired many months ago. To my surprise, I was able to download another free license.

[Jack K]

[QUOTE=maxacceleration;276646]
My curiosity is... Can it even be done by a dealer tech? Will their tool even do it? Guess I'll find out tomorrow.

It sure can be done. My experience, after I learned what specifically to ask for, was to talk with the dealer service rep at the drive-through and explain what I wanted. I had dealt with him before and he recognized me. After he hooked up a laptop to the OBD port, it took all of a couple of minutes to actually do it; took more time to obtain the laptop than the procedure. I watched him, it was a matter of going through some menus.

The general reluctance of dealerships to make this change, which I also encountered, I think stems from liability concerns regarding the altering of the original programming of the vehicle. It comes down to personal relationships. Don't know if there is an official policy at Ford dealerships to stonewall requests for this sort of benign software change. If there is, having someone reasonable and sympathetic who is willing to bend the rules certainly helps. Find out what they like, and reward them.

Good luck, whether you get there through the dealer, an independent shop or Forscan. It's great not to have those lights automatically come on!

[maxacceleration]

My dealer denied the me the changes today. Citing liabilities. I have had a couple of run arounds with 'Town Ford' now Pat Armstrong Ford' in East Wenatchee Wa. Going independent from here on out.
I revisit the Courtesy Lights issue every several years, and have been denied every time so far in my 10 year ownership of my van.
I will persist on this go around. My household is all Mac no PC so not sure I can go the Forscan route.
If the dealer can actually do it, so should a capable indepedent. I will pursue - stay tuned!

[JWA]

Originally Posted by maxacceleration

If the dealer can actually do it, so should a capable indepedent. I will pursue - stay tuned!

More importantly an independent WILL do this if the paying customer wants it. The dealerships MIGHT have a liability issue but most likely they're just unaware it can be done or how to do it.

We all want to think dealerships are factory engineering extensions but find a Ford "mechanic" here today and then again tomorrow---they might be working at a Chevy dealer or independent outfit.

[jim2901]

I'm all Mac as well. Unfortunately Forscan is only available for Windows. (The Android and iOS versions don't have the capability to make modifications to vehicle parameters.) My solution was to buy a cheap Windows tablet (a Nuvision 8" TM800W610L; $40 when I bought it), install Forscan and make the required changes. This cost me less than what the dealer would probably charge, if I could find one that would do it.
Jim

[kmn56]

New owner of a 2012 and these exterior Welcome Lights and interior dash lights when using the unlock function on my alarm keychain pad or when the doors are open is making me crazy. This does not work for camping.

Is there any update to fixing this at home with little cost, or is the easiest solution to see if my local Ford Service Rep will update for me? I’m in San Diego if anyone local has the tools to make these changes!


Looks like I need to enable “dark mode” to keep interior dash lights and dome lights from turning on when unlocking or doors open…along with disable the “Welcome Illumination” to the exterior running lights and license plate light from turning on when unlocking or doors open.