akirby

Or a ragtop........

That was based on Richard's thought that maybe it was done on purpose rather than just an error. In this case I'd say it was more cost cutting and speed that drove simulations rather than physical testing.

I've used autolamps on all vehicles for the last 10-15 years with no issues. It would be nice to be able to adjust the sensitivity.

I'll take a magnetic Ecoboost premium ragtop manual, thank you very much!

I thought it was obvious that you had to have the headlamps set to Auto for it to work. I would like to see autolamps standard. Every time I drive at dusk I see at least 1 if not 3 or 4 cars without any lights on and you just can't see them. That's much more of a safety improvement than DRLs in my opinion. Why do I care? Because the ignorance of the other driver in that case could cause ME to have an accident or be injured or killed.

Before public assistance people went and found jobs wherever they existed. If there were no jobs in one town go to the next. Learn a trade. It's amazing what people can do when they are not given a choice. But when you give them a choice of working or sitting at home collecting unemployment for years (or collecting disability for minor problems) a good many will opt for that. Too many people expect to be handed a menial job requiring no skill or effort on their part wherever they currently live and for that job to pay them enough to live comfortably on their own. And if that doesn't happen it's somebody else's fault. Lazy Americans.

It is possible this was an honest mistake, but the process should have had provisions to catch that. But Richard is right - people respond based on how you compensate them. Compensating executives on short term stock price goals will lead you to disaster. I've seen it first hand. There was a story of a welding company that paid their welders something like 15 cents per new weld and 25 cents to reweld something that was bad. The defect rate was enormous - almost 25%. Let's see - if I screw up you'll pay me 40 cents but if I do it right you only pay me 15? DUH. They changed it to 20 cents per weld and rewelds were free. Amazingly the defect rate dropped to almost 0. This is not rocket surgery.

Whenever it says you need it. It has an algorithm based on how you drive. Should be between 7k - 10k or so.

We're not turning this into a Bush vs. Obama thread. The topic is Benghazi. Stick to it.

Mark - there is a difference between being wrong about something and concocting a story you knew was a lie from the beginning.

If you can get them off with just wax and detail spray then yeah that's a lot better.

That's not possible. You can't get into college. It costs too much. You're supposed to sit at home and wait for somebody to throw a job on your front lawn or just draw a government check.

Gee - this sounds familiar. Unacceptable. You should never use a simulation without periodically checking its accuracy. And you should not have a process that allows such a discrepancy to go unnoticed.

Every Ford I've owned since 2005 has turned on the headlamps when the wipers are activated. 2006 Fusion, 2013 Fusion, 2008 Edge, 2012 Focus, 2014 Escape. But the law has nothing to do with revenue and everything to do with safety and common sense. My 2013 Fusion and 2014 Escape also have auto-dimming headlamps. And since most Fords use the position of the stalk to activate the high beams, they can't just default to low beams when started.

Every day new people enter the work force - they're called teenagers. These people fill the entry level jobs as the others move up to better jobs. If you're 50 years old with a degree that nobody wants then you need to either move or find a new career. It may not seem fair but that's life and you have to prepare for it. North Dakota unemployment is <1%. They're paying $17 at wal-mart. If I was unemployed I'd be moving to North Dakota. But people aren't willing to do any of that. They're not willing to move or retrain themselves. That's what people did before welfare, food stamps, disability and unending unemployment benefits. Amazing that nobody seemed to starve to death back then.

Austin - when the LS first came out they had to make a running change on the V8 sport models to not allow subwoofers on the audiophile stereo or rear headrests. Yes, rear headrests - so every pound counts. So yes I understand how weight works and I'm also guessing that was a big part of it. I bet the take rate on retractable roofs was higher than expected.

The EPA never told Ford they could not use the Fusion numbers for the C-Max - it was well within the rules. I'm sure they told Ford that all hell would break loose with the public if they didn't change it, but it is still legal to this day. Wrong, but totally legal.

Pam cooking spray does the same thing.

I wouldn't call the post office a failure. Isn't it self-sufficient budget wise (or close)? You'd have a hard time finding a private company to do anything close to what the USPS does at any cost. No argument on the VA. They delayed treatment on my dad thinking he was going to die any day, then it took them 16 months to approve his disability claim. Too bad he died after 14 months from a sudden heart attack and they wouldn't let the estate keep the $35,000 in accrued benefits.

It depends on what they actually did wrong but it's certainly leaning that way.

Agreed that it's not the VA and that it's private insurance companies, but it's not the same policies and coverages and cost.

Did they really have a choice?

I think it's more of a problem that you start adding features and spending money on things just to compete with a specific competitor instead of looking at whether that is something that a Cadillac buyer would want or be willing to pay for. You could build an ATS that runs circles around a 3 series for less money and people will still buy the BMW because it's not about 0-60 or skidpads.

Damn. Just damn. I don't see how this is defensible. And what happened to the EPA audits that were done last year? I thought the EPA confirmed the actual tests were ok and it was just the decision to use the Fusion data for the C-Max that was the problem. I could see 1-2 mpg from some obscure test parameter, but 7 mpg for the MKZ hybrid? I wonder if this was how the test was run or which options/models had to be used (optional wheels/tires e.g.)? Damn. This is not good Ford. Kudos for self-reporting before being forced to do it but damn.

I consider it to be equitable when everyone has the same opportunity to succeed. I don't judge it based on outcomes. What is different now than in the past? Back then there was no electronics industry to speak of and very little automated manufacturing. Lots of manual labor and lots of unskilled jobs. Since those jobs were in demand they paid well, but things also cost a heck of a lot less in those days. No cable. No cell phones. One basic TV if you were lucky. Cars were simpler. More smaller companies operating locally or regionally. Every job has an inherent value regardless of artificial mechanisms. Wal-Mart in North Dakota is paying $17/hr because they can't find enough workers. Almost every successful person today worked a minimum wage job at one time or another. The difference is we didn't stop there and expect to be able to buy a house or a new car from that minimum wage job (or in my case below min wage).