Update Ford SYNC 3 Navigation Maps to Europe F8 (2018)

SYNC3 Update Subscription

Benefit from the all new SYNC3 update service suitable for Ford and Lincoln vehicles that are equipped with SYNC 3 APIM. Even works on most converted and imported cars!

Updating to F8 maps (Europe 2018) on Ford vehicles equipped with SYNC 3 became a lot easier than the former procedure to upgrade to F7, so this tutorial will get a lot shorter than the popular “old” one from last year. This will however only work with pre-MY18.5 vehicles. If you have a MY19 car with SYNC3 this update is not compatible with the new partitioning of the newest APIM hardware.

This tutorial (describing the official way to upgrade) will not work with vehicles that have a converted SYNC 3 module installed (like a US Mustang with a swapped APIM module for having European maps, for example), but there is a solution for that, too.

If for whatever reason you don’t want to share your vehicle’s data with Ford servers but still like to have F8 maps update, you might want to check the workaround solution, too.

Latest SYNC 3 required (pre 3.2)

First ensure you have the latest Version of SYNC 3 installed. For this to make sure, just check your country’s official Ford Sync 3 update website and enter your VIN for the system to check.

Germany: https://www.ford.de/service/betriebsanleitungen-hilfe/ford-sync-bluetooth/update#/

UK: https://www.ford.co.uk/owner/resources-and-support/sync-bluetooth/update#/

France: https://www.ford.fr/services/informations/ford-sync/update#/

Spain: https://www.ford.es/clientes/informacion-util/conecta-tu-ford-sync/actualizacion-ford#/

Portugal: https://www.ford.pt/pos-venda/informacao-util/sync/update#/

Denmark: https://www.ford.dk/ejere/ressourcer-og-support/sync/update#/

Finland: https://www.ford.fi/oma-ford/hyodyllista-tietoa/sync-ja-bluetooth/update#/

Czech: https://www.ford.cz/servis/uzitecne/update#/

If the system says you have the latest version, go on with the next step.

If a download is offered to upgrade to latest SYNC 3, first do that installation according to the provided instructions. After successful installation it is essential you report it back to Ford servers by uploading the XML file which was created in the SyncMyRide folder.

Log file not created? No worries, there is a tool available to create it. Click here.

Official F8 Maps Download

Some of the Ford websites offer downloading new map data, too, if they are available for your car and you have the right/latest version of Sync 3 installed.

In this tutorial we use the UK website to get those downloads as a lot of people understand/speak English.

They even provide a guide on how to perform the F8 maps update via USB:
https://www.ford.co.uk/content/dam/guxeu/uk/owners/resources-support/sync-support/update/SYNC_3_USB_MAPS-Update-Guide.pdf

So, if not already there, go to https://www.ford.co.uk/owner/resources-and-support/sync-bluetooth/update#/, enter your VIN and let the system check.

If you have the latest SYNC 3 and there is new map data available you will be offered a download (which might be quite big, like 25 GB).

If the website says “Try again later” then it is recommended to do exactly that (like one or two days later) as new maps might be on the way and available, soon.

Extract the files in the root directory of an ExFat formatted USB thumb drive with at least 32 GB capacity, notice you are in an excited mood, and walk to your car.

F8 Maps for converted APIMs/cars or people having privacy concerns

If you have a car with a swapped APIM module to use EU maps the website above won’t offer you the correct SYNC 3 update nor the map data you need. In this case (or you just don’t want to share vehicle details with Ford servers), simply use these downloads:

[sociallocker id=917]

SYNC 3 V3.0 for MY2017 cars: Download

SYNC 3 V3.0 for MY2018 cars: Download

F8 (2018) Maps, Voice, Gracenote: Download

[/sociallocker]

As we are not doing any “hacking” or alike: SYNC 3 App and F8 map data will not install on APIM (SYNC 3) modules that are not appropriate for this versions (like non-EU-modules or modules without navigation).

The Installation procedure

Depending on your SYNC 3 version and the model year of your car, installation might be split up into to parts with one ignition cycle necessary in between.

If voice guidance, nav commands and Gracenote data are updated, too, installation process might take 80 minutes or more.

Get in your car, start the engine, put your USB thumb drive with the maps upgrade in the front plugs, start driving around for a while, and follow the instructions which will show up on the screen every now and then:

Final Steps

After Installation/Upgrade procedure is finished it is always a good idea to perform a full shut down/off procedure or even perform a master reset on the apim. It might take a while for the maps to reinitialize and show up on the screen upon next start.