ruteger

Well, my radio quit working for a while tonight. It appeared to turn on but locked onto frquency '106.5' and couldn't be tuned to anything else no matter what I tried. It would turn on and off, but that's it Turned the car off, let it sit for a few minutes, then it came back on.

Crap, built on 08/10/12 (a Friday). I guess that explains that.

You got that right: 06/25/12 = Monday 06/29/12 = Friday I guess the old adage, "Never buy a vehicle built on a Monday or Friday" still applies (well, for domestic vehicles, anyway).

As it turns out, it 'was' on manual. No adjustment available, whatsoever. However, when I put it on 'auto', in addition to (apparently) adjusting automatically, the dimming can also be adjusted manually. So, what's the point of the 'manual' setting? It does nothing but lock the lighting to it's highest setting.

Besides the afrorementioned A/C which rarely keeps the same previous setting upon start-up (either turning off or reverting back to 'recirculate'), the instrument panel rheostat doesn't seem to work. I wouldn't mind so much but the brightly lit instrument panel gauges are rather dangerous because, at night, it looks like the headlights are on (don't have the auto-lights). Also, the power windows seem inordinately slow to raise/lower. I guess maybe this is the price to pay for going with a bottom-feeder 'S'.

Is there any storage underneath the rear cargo area? If so, any chance of photos? It's a major bummer that they couldn't get the rear cargo area flush with the bumper.

Thanks. I had read 18-19 ft-lbs for the plug in earlier Escapes. I really didn't want to debate the benefits of using a proper torque spec on the oil drain plug and filter. Other manufacturers do, indeed, list torque specs for both, and I would hope that, somewhere, in a Ford Escape service manual (hopefully for a 2013), the torque specs are listed and was hoping someone had this info at hand.

You wouldn't happen to know the factory torque specs for both the oil drain plug and filter, would you? I'm kind of anal about using the right torque for that kind of stuff.

Good enough. It's more of just a minor annoyance at this point. So long as it's not a problem that degrades and gets worse and/or affects other systems, and you'd be willing to post any future developments, I'll just keep checking the thread and deal with it at that time. Thanks, again.

Thanks. Got the TSB # for the manual climate control system? My experience has been that service department personnel (of any manufacturer) are woefully ignorant of most TSBs and it's best to be able to provide a printed as proof that there is, indeed, a TSB that addresses the issue.

I just bought a Frosted Glass 2013 Escape 'S' (the strippo 'rental special' with the 2.5L engine) with Sync the only available option. With only 800 miles on the odometer, I've noticed that the A/C seems unable to consistantly remember the last setting when restarted. 1/3 of the time, it remembers the last setting, i.e., only A/C 'on'. Another 1/3 of the time, it reactivates 'recirculate' (no, it's not on the 'Max A/C' setting, either) which takes two (2) presses of the recirculate button to turn back off. The final 1/3 of the time, it completely turns the A/C off so the fan is blowing nothing but warm air. It's seems to have been doing this from the first day I drove it off the lot. Is anyone else having this issue? I can't say it's something I'll take back to the dealer for, but it's irritating. Another problem that recently cropped up (but only once) was that the rear wiper decided to start wiping intermittently when the front wiper was on the same, intermittent setting. On top of that, it wouldn't shut off! While it only happened once (it was the first time I'd driven the vehicle in the rain), combined with the A/C issue, is this indicative of more electrical problems to come? I mean, the thing only has 800 miles on it. I'm not particularly impressed with the gas mileage, either (under 24 on the highway).

Man, that sucks. 3.31 should be available at least on the Premium as a stand-alone option. Don't much feel like coughing up $2k for the Performance Package (esp the 'summer only' tires) just to get the 3.31. I'd have been interested in a strippo base 2013 (which isn't that stripped, with the now standard HID headlights and smoke LED tailights) 3.7L / six-speed combo with the 3.31 as the only option for a nice, budget hotrod.

Wasn't the 3.31 axle ratio previously (like 2012) available as a stand-alone option in the base Mustang?

Are the 3.31 gears available as a stand-alone option on the base 2013 Mustang 3.7L?

The 4.6L and 5.4L V8 engines are scheduled to be discontinued entirely in 2011, to be replaced by a 5.0L V8 and the 3.5L 'Ecoboost' V6. While anything's possible, I can't imagine either one of those engines being used as the base F-150 engine. That pretty much leaves the 3.7L Duratec V6 as the engine that matches up closest with the outgoing base 4.6L 2V V8 in hp and torque. With the 3.7L V6 vs. the 4.6L 2V V8, torque is decreased, but hp and (presumably) fuel mileage would be increased. Logically speaking, it would then be the 3.7L V6 in the base F-150 XL regular cab, 6.5' box for 2011. I don't know when GM is going to get around to updating the Silverado but, when they do, I would imagine that the ancient, base 4.3L V6 will be replaced with the Camaro's 3.6L V6 as the base engine. I'm guessing that Ford is anticipating this change and preparing the F-150 engine line-up accordingly.

Ford's pretty good about timing the 'special edition' Mustangs for maximum sales effect. With the new engines being the big news for 2011, I wouldn't look for any 'major' special editions (at least not until mid-year). The new engines and MCA V6 are probably going to be it at official 2011 introduction time. But mid-year might be when an early 2012 'special' is announced. Probably won't see another Bullitt until the end of the model cycle but I sure wouldn't be surprised if another Mach 1 (maybe with a shaker hood) made its appearance around then. If nothing else, the 2012 should at least have some decent new colors. Speaking of the new engines, a strippo 2011 3.7L V6 with the 3.31 axle package looks like it could be quite the budget hotrod, not too far removed from the old Fox-chassis 'trunk' 5.0L (which sold well) or its follow up, the 1995 GTS (which didn't). Hope it's a hit.

Impressive. Only 36,166 less than the number sold in 2000. And gas wasn't even $4/gal back then...

Better annoying than obtuse.

This highlights the main issue I have with the new Focus (and Ford, in general). In 2004, towards the end of the model year, it was possible to buy any Focus with the 2.3L PZEV engine for an additional $100. That's right, a measily extra $100 got you a 2.3L in any Focus, including the strippo ZX3. Additionally, every ZX3 came standard with a tachometer and a center armrest. The $2500 rebate was going on, too, so for very little coin, one could get a well-equipped, inexpensive, zippy (yet economical) small car. It was a true bargain and if I could have found one in the right color (sonic blue), I would have bought it. Then the 2005 'freshened' model showed up. The tach and center armrest became extra-cost options, the 2.3L engine became available only in the top-of-the-line ST, the hotrod SVT was discontinued, the price went up, and the Focus became as lame an any other nondescript small car.

Well, since the Monroney window sticker on the new Matrix says, "COROLLA MATRIX", I would imagine it won't stay changed for very long.

I'm sure that SYNC helped with a few Focus sales. It was a clever gamble by Ford which paid off, unlike similiar gimmicky options like 'Ambient Lighting' (lit cupholders that the color can be changed? - yeah, that's a useful option) and MyColor. But it's highly unlikely that SYNC has had much impact on the decision for many of the new '08 Focus purchases. It's also worth noting that very soon, SYNC will not be the exclusive domain of Ford. However, SYNC becoming widely available on other manufacturer's vehicle will have relatively little (if any) impact on Focus sales as other, substantially more critical factors which have little to do with the design of the car, those simply being high gas prices and big discounts. I'm quite comfortable with my facts, thank you. It's worth noting that there is no 2-door version of the Corolla to include with Toyota sales, either, whereas Focus sales figues do not exclude the 2-door model. Regardless, the Matrix is considered to be the sporty hatchback/wagon counterpart of the Corolla (source: Wikipedia). Even the most rudimentary research would reveal that both the Toyota Matrix (and its twin, the Pontiac Vibe) utilize the Corolla chassis and drivetrain. It's not unlike the Chevrolet (Geo) Prizm (Nova) which were, for all intents and purposes, pure Toyota Corolla. Both were actually built side-by-side at the same NUMMI plant in Fremont, CA, the same as the current Toyota Corolla and Pontiac Vibe. As to the 'fact' that "Corollas are [a] common sight on rental car lots", my experience has been exactly the opposite. Whenever I've had to rent a car, although the Corolla might be listed, there are never any available. I end up with whatever's left that no one else wanted and, not surprisingly, it's invariably some domestic product (with the occasional Hyundai/Kia thrown in). Although I will admit that the last car I rented was a relatively new Ford Fusion and it was good enough. Of course, the Ford Fusion is based on the Mazda6, too...

A Ford Media site? I think I'll get data from a more unbiased source, thanks. I'd be interested in knowing exactly where (and for how long) the Prius is being used within the continental US as a taxi, as well (preferably from an unimpeachable source). Even if true, I would be highly dubious that the numbers are anywhere close to the fleet sales percentage of total Focus sales. BTW, your statement "There were almost no fleet sales (let alone to rental companies) last month" would seem to be negated by this little blurb at the end of your source: "Note: The sales data included in this release and the accompanying tables are based largely on data reported by dealers representing their sales to retail and fleet customers." I've read nothing to dispel the notion that the reasons the 2008 Ford Focus is selling well have little to do with the awkward redesign. I suspect that the old model would have sold just as well as the new one, given the same circumstances, i.e., skyrocketing gas prices and big discounts.

And your source is?

As reported by Automotive News, sales increases from Same Period Last Year (SPLY) for April: Toyota Prius......66.6% Toyota Yaris......58.1% Honda Fit...........54.1% Ford Focus.........43.5% Hyundai Accent..41.0% It's worth noting that the only freshly 'redesigned' vehicle on the list, the vehicle with the biggest discounts, and the only one that a large portion of its sales is to rental car companies is the Focus.

And yet, over at focusfanatics.com (a place where they supposedly like the Focus), due to the endless and overwhelmingly negative comments on the 2008 Focus, the moderators have had to adopt a get-tough policy where any negative posts about it result in the poster being banned and/or the thread locked. In fact, a thread on the very topic of the sales 'success' of the 2008 Focus had to be locked. Now, there aren't any posts about the 2008 Focus at all. Maybe BON moderators should adopt a similiar policy. No, wait, that would mean no posts about the 2008 Focus over here, too. Hey, it's a car, it's cheap, and it gets decent gas mileage. I guess that's enough when gas is >$3.50/gal. Kind of reminds me of the previous time gas was prohibitively expensive and they used to literally give cheap cars away if you bought an expensive, gas-guzzling land barge at full price from a dealer. I have no doubt that there will be "Buy a Funk Master Flex Expedition, get a free Focus" deals soon enough.