[Taurus X gone after 1 year?]

If they move the explorer to a unibody platform then there's no need for the Taurus X anymore IMO.

[Brakes Already]

6,500 miles of primarily Interstate driving (70 miles one way to office) and had to take my new MKX to the dealer because of the racket the brakes were making. All 4 rotors needed turning. My previous 4 cars (vette, LS, 2 Infinitis) never needed brake attention. What's up with that?

 

Rotors get turned because they're not true, not because they make noise. That's just the dealer's way of getting rid of you and making some easy warranty money. Next time try making a few hard stops and see if that gets rid of the squealing (if that's the noise they were making).

[Edge gaining on its rivals]

The 17's are Continentals, the 18's are Hankooks.

 

I know a suspension engineer and just on the Lincoln LS alone they went through 20-25 different tire designs (tread/compound/size) with Firestone before they accepted one. My point is tires are very carefully engineered and have to accomodate several opposing requirements - ride, noise, handling, fuel mileage, cost, etc. It's not like they just go to Michelin and say "we'll take 600,000 Pilot Sport A/S please".

[rear storage area]

One of yours is probably filled with a subwoofer while his isn't.

[Top 10 Sales Highlights]

The CUV market may not be well defined but only someone clueless would put the Lambdas and the Edge in the same segment. The Edge is doing excellent and comparing it to Lambdas sales just make Ford seem desperate for good news when in reality they don't because the Edge is a success. They want to compare something to the lambdas compare the Freestyle.

 

We're currently cross shopping the Edge, MKX and Saturn Outlook. They're all V6 powered crossovers. The 3rd row in the lambdas is a joke.

[Ford's March sales expected to drop 17%]

Any update? Is the sales number out yet?

 

I have a feeling theat Edmunds's gonna eat their words again. Sales will be down, of course, but will not be as bad as 17% off.

 

Should we bring Igor's prediction thread up too?

 

Autoline Detroit had a rant about Edmunds and their sales projections. They said that Edmunds was NEVER right about their predictions and that they were the only media outlet doing them. McElroy said the only reason he could come up with for Edmunds to continue with sales projections was that it got their name printed in other publications every month. Edmunds has ZERO credibility with me ever since their chief auto editor told me he didn't think changing the stroke on an engine would change the displacement, which is like saying that you don't understand why a tall glass holds more water than a short glass. Idiots.

[Oil Plug Gasket Washer]

I read the owner's manual (2007 Milan to be specific) and both of the O-rings that are mentioned are part of the oil filter itself, not the oil pan drain plug. There is an O-ring on both the oil filter cap and the oil filter drain plug.

 

Just wanted to clarify that this doesn't seem to apply to the oil pan drain plug.

[keypad question]

I'm thinking wiring or connectors. Does the 9/0 button have it's own wire? (anyone know which one?) I don't think it woud be a fuse since the keypad will light the courtesy lights when every other button is pushed, but the 9/0 button on the '02 will not do anything even when using the keypad off the '03.

-Rich

 

Sorry - didn't realize it was just that button. That rules out the fuse. I'd check the connector and the wiring near the connector and where it goes through the door into the A pillar.

[keypad question]

'02 Explorer, the keypad on the door no longer opens or locks the vehicle. The 0-9 button does not light the keypad or vehicle lights. I swaped in a working keypad ('03 Explorer) and still nothing from 0-9. Both keypads are functional on the '03 explorer, but neither keypad will light 0-9 on the '02. Where should I start?

Thanks

-Rich

 

I'd start with the wiring and fuses.

[Where's the Mulally news?]

Still don't like the stigma of a smaller displacement engine working harder in a Truck when a larger displacement engine could be loping and producing similar results...in a car a TT ia a different beast...the less inertia of lower curb weights go's hand in hand with turbo's etc....

 

I believe there has been at least one F150 (maybe more) running around Dearborn with a TT 3.5L engine for quite some time.

[Ford Fusion Challenge Commercials]

I don't think that has quite the appeal you might think...

 

... maybe if she's looking inside and seeing her purse on the front seat with the phone right on top?

 

That would be even better, but it would still take at least 5-10 minutes to do the OnStar thing versus 10 seconds with the keypad.

[2008 Edge]

What kind of tires did everyones Edge come with? I have Hankook Dynapro AS RH03 see here http://www.hankooktireusa.com/product/tire_detail.asp?pid=34

Are these the same as the continentals?

 

Also I've had my edge now for almost a month put on close to 3,000 miles in lots of different conditions up here in the northeast and I have not once felt the breaks or tires were unsafe or didn't have enough stopping power. And I came from a 2004 Civic that stopped in about 5 feet and I don't feel like I have had to change the way I break at all I don't know maybe its just me but I have not been let down with the everyday breaking of the edge.

 

Why would you want to break a brand new vehicle??

[Was the DEW98 a failure?]

Theres nothing written in stone that the S197 CAN'T be made into a Sedan...just a lack of willpower ATM

 

But it wasn't designed that way from the beginning which makes it expensive if not difficult to do now.

[Was the DEW98 a failure?]

IMHO, the core problem was that the chassis couldn't take a bigger V-8 than the 3.9 Romeo engine, which could not be significantly enlarged. The chassis became a dead end.

 

Actually, the 4.6 did fit in the engine bay - but it couldn't be inserted from the bottom because of one of the suspension pieces so it wouldn't work on the production line.

 

There was a smaller version planned to go against the 3 series and other vehicles for Lincoln but when the Firestone fiasco hit they slashed Lincoln's budget from $2B to 600K overnight. No choice but to cancel the new vehicles. And yes, it was too expensive for a stand alone vehicle. When Lincoln killed the Continental the LS had to fill that void.

 

Where Ford screwed up is not building the mustang platform to handle a sedan.

 

If AM had gotten to Ford about 5 years ago things would be very different.

[Edge MPG]

I'm sorry, but many on this site feel that Ford, in their existing predicament, should be able to pull a rabbit out of their hat. In other words, they feel they should be able to figure out how to defy the laws of physics. They should have a 4500lb, 300hp brick, that gets 30-35mpg, gets 5-star everything crash ratings, have interiors that make a Audi blush, and cost $20K.

 

You know................. like everyone else does.

 

Disclaimer. Yes, this is sarcasm. It is based on the unrealistic expectations of some on here.

 

You forgot that it has to sell 500,000 copies.

[Ford Fusion Challenge Commercials]

The one I want to see is an Expedition and Suburban owner who lock their keys in the vehicle.

 

Suburban owner fumbles to find a cell phone, call OnStar and wait for the satellite to unlock the vehicle.

 

Meanwhile, Expy owner punches in the 5 digit code on the keypad and drives away while the Suburban owner is still dialing OnStar.

[Lincoln LS questions]

I was looking at buying a used Lincoln LS between 2000-2003 and wanted to ask if there are any issues that came up with these cars. What is the MPG in the V8 and V6? Were there any trans or motor issues? any info will be helpful. Thanks

 

I doubt you'll find any new ones left but it wouldn't hurt to check. The 2003 model has over 500 improvements over the 2000-2002 models including more power, so that would be first choice, followed by the 2002. I'd stay away from the 2000 models - lots of little problems (I had one). The 01s are not bad but there were improvements to the 02 models including more power from a revised airbox.

 

Expect 17 around town and 26 highway from the V8 models, maybe 2-3 mpg more for the V6. If you want a V6 sport model you'll have to get an 02 - they didn't make one in 03 thanks to the Lincoln dealers. Lincoln planned both regular and sport models for both the V6 and V8 but the dealers complained and we ended up with only base V6s and Sport V8s.

 

There were a few issues with the tranny solenoid packs but those should have been fixed under warranty already. Only other major issue is leaky valve cover gaskets that flood the spark plug wells with oil and wipe out the COPs. The COPS may also fail over time but they're not hard to replace.

 

I'd have to recommed a 2003 V8 model. You'll love it.

[2009 Fusion]

Why can't it be a turbo 3.0L putting out 300 hp?

[Special Edition Mustangs]

I thought those were dealer packages, not factory packages.

[X Plan Pricing Help]

Hey all, new here and considering a new 2007 Expedition Eddie Bauer. I qualify for the XPLAN pricing but am getting conflicting info regarding customer cash and wanted help. My impression is that I qualify for XPLAN plus any customer cash incentives that are running (currently $2000) and if you use the xplan website to price your vehicle it shows MSRP, INVOICE, XPLAN then - $2000 incentive. Is that correct do I qualify for this on the XPLAN price or does one supercede the other ?

 

Thanks

 

WC

 

You are correct as far as any advertised rebates. If you qualify for the Ford Partner X plan pricing go to the fordpartner.com website, click on the Expedition and then Ford Direct to search dealer inventory. When you find a vehicle it will show you the MSRP and X plan price plus all applicable incentives.

[Kiss the American Auto Industry Good-Bye]

I know the LX cars are based on several modified design componants, not a complete platform from a previous E-class ... And this was done while Chrysler was aquired by Daimler as one merged company.

 

Ford of NA wiil not even pull from its own resources to provide a RWD performance sedan.

 

I stand corrected. I'd always heard it was the entire platform.

[Kiss the American Auto Industry Good-Bye]

Ford should just buy the Charger and 300 since they are incapable of producing a RWD sedan on thier own...

 

You are aware that the 300 is built on the previous generation E class platform, right?

[Why No Loyalty X-Plan?]

Greetings,

 

The X-plan is really supposed to only be for Ford Business Partners. Companies that supply something to Ford. Maybe they slide in big companies also. I worked for a large company and got X-plan. I am not sure to what extent they were a Ford Supplier? But they all use chips in their electronics now days so I immagine they were.

 

X-plan is not really supposed to be for the every day Joe. Regardless, you can get invoice on a much of the line up at most any dealer.

 

Peace and Blessings

 

X plan is also designed for friends and non immediate families of employees. That's why the employees get 4 PINs to give out every year.

[2007 Focus Tires]

One day the service guy says, they're fine, got plenty of life left. Next oil change, they are warped and the whole ball of wax has to be replaced.

 

Sounds like they didn't properly torque the lugnuts when they rotated the tires. What exactly does the "whole ball of wax" entail?

[Ford Edge & Consumer Reports]

I would consider poor braking and extreme glare off the dashboard particular quality problems.

 

That wasn't the cause of the delay.