Radcad

Many, many thanks to Tiffany and others regarding the TSB for the 07 Expy. I finally couldn't ignore the trans issue (I try to look on the positive side of things), but it seemed to be getting worse. I took it in to my dealer last week (Vista Ford, Oxnard, CA) along with a printout of the TSB Tiff supplied. No questions asked, they re-programmed the trans and it's awesome! Ok, now I feel like a complete idiot for waiting, but I'm glad I finally had it done. I have had NO issues and it shifts great now. A quick trip and back to Tahoe for July 4th, and 1,200 miles later it's still great. Smooth as silk, no hesitation, and more importantly, no waffling back and forth between 2nd, 1st, 2nd, etc. If anyone else has this issue on an early build '07, don't wait - have the TSB work done! Thanks again everyone! :happy feet:

Mike, that was so harsh! :slug: Sorry about that Tiff. I must admit I feel somewhat responsible, since I have mentioned the gas gauge a few times in the posts. Thanks for letting us all know, and I will be more careful too! Ray

Mike - Ok, so now you know. I am an admitted manual reader. I belong to MRA (Manual Reader's Anonymous). I have tried to cut back, but it's no use. They're coming out with a patch soon. Tiffany, don't you know that the glove box in the new Expy is hermetically sealed? There's no WAY that it has dust in it. You could store surgical utensils in there. I use it as an incubator. I believe if Mike sits in his Expy, with his seat adjusted comfortably, hands and 10 and 2 on the steering wheel, stereo volume on way high, and clicks his heels 3 times....the manual will magically appear in the center console.

Mike - I'm pretty sure that if the skid control program engages, a light on the dashboard (upper part, where the button is) will come on. So when I was cornering hard to enough to try to get that light on, it most definitely wasn't engaging. But, as I said, that's just a testament as to how well this thing handles! Ok, I did have to chuckle at your story about the daytime running lights. The only reason I didn't fall prey to what you did is that I have actually read the entire owner's manual. Otherwise I may have thought the same thing. But boy do I have a absolutely true story to tell you: My father told me "You'll laugh about this someday - maybe not tomorrow, not in a week, or a month, but someday." He was right. But at the moment he said that, I was in no mood to laugh. I was 20 years old and had just bought my first new car. It was an 1986 Dodge Shelby Charger. Ok, so it's not a classic. But to me it was my own Indy race car. I bought the most expensive radar detector at the time (a Passport - $299). I wore leather driving gloves when I drove it. I had the windows double-tinted, almost completely black. Being a black car with gray stripes, it looked like Darth Vader's personal transport. I bought orange construction cones and practiced cornering maneuvers at the school parking lot. I was a little excited about this car. So, I've had the Shelby about 1 year and one of the headlights goes out. On a freezing cold Sunday in December (I lived in Wisconsin at the time) I came out of my small, 4-unit apartment building to change the headlight. Mind you, back when I still lived with my folks, whenever I borrowed any of their cars (all beaters), it typically required some sort of minor repair before I could drive it. I'd changed water pumps, fixed leaking gas tanks, starters, alternators, wiper motors....but I was still in no way a mechanic. When I performed these repairs I never had the right tools available, so it was difficult. This made me very grouchy. But now at last, I had my new car. Changing a headlight? So simple! I start by taking the headlamp chrome surround off. No problem. Then I undo a set of screws that I think should allow the headlight to come out. No go. Fitzing here, fuddling there....nothing. The grouchiness ensues. As I got more frustrated, I became more and more forceful with the headlight - trying to pry it out of there. This caused me to sratch the paint on the surrounding bumper and headlight recess. Soon, screwdrivers are flying, rocks are being kicked, and my overall temperment is right at boiling. Having had enough, I finally grabbed the headlight with both hands and ripped it out of the housing. Now I saw what was holding it there....a spring....a stupid-assed spring!! But now I'm an inferno, so as soon as I see the spring and tell it how stupid it is, I turn around and hurl the headlight at the nearby rocks....shattering it to pieces. I put the new headlight in, attaching the wire harness. But now that I've stretched out and ruined the spring, the headlight would no longer be adjustable. Instead, it just flopped around in the housing, aimed towards the sky. Again, this did not make me happy. However, I went to the car door, opened it, and flipped the lights on. I walked to the front of the car to check the lights..... I had changed the wrong headlight. I can't imagine what my face must have looked like as the realization at what I'd done occurred to me. Then, I realized that in my fit of rage I had actually smashed a perfectly good headlight, and now still had only 1 working headlight. As the screwdrivers, rocks, and anything else I could find were coming down from their descent (and as the neighbors were watching the crazy man through their picture windows), my dad pulled up in his car - there to watch the Bears game on TV. He asked what was wrong, and of course what I said was barely intelligible, because every other word was of the 4-letter variety. His face turned red, then redder as he tried to contain his laughter. It was at that time he said the words at the beginning of this story. And he was right! So don't feel bad Mike. (By the way, I've mellowed a lot since then.) Ray

Mike - I second what Tiff says - that's the way my daytime driving lights operate as well (no fogs). Finally you got yours!! I am glad you like the ride. I am sure it's probably even smoother with the smaller tires, so yes, I think it's simply the new platform is just that good! Try not to run up too many miles your first weekend (did about 750 on mine it's first weekend). Tiff - I saw a charcoal '07 EL a few weeks ago going through Ojai. Thought it might be you by chance, but later realized it had 18" wheels. I believe you have the 20"s - so it couldn't have been you. I didn't mention it then because I was still very new to the posts and didn't want you do think you had a stalker...haha! Ray

Mike I was wondering if you'd picked yours up yet. I can tell you're excited about waiting for delivery of your Expy...I can't imagine having ordered one and then having to wait as long as you have to get it! I currently have 2,200 miles on mine. I am as excited to drive it today as I was the first day I picked it up! First, here are the pro's: Virtually everything. I've had no issues with it whatsoever. The ride is smooth, it's quiet - but the sound of the engine is Nascar revisited when you gun the motor. Great soundtrack! I drove with 7 people in it last Tuesday, and a Porsche Cayenne Turbo S owner rode in the rear seat. He commented at least 3 times about how nice the Expy was inside/out and how nice it rode. The nav system is great, and I used it extensively. I still have to figure out how to program and use the voice commands, but I am looking forward to that. It's fun to look at vehicles I once thought to be big and bad (i.e., Hummer, Escalade, Yukon, even Ford's own Navigator) and note how diminutive they seem now (insert jokes about vehicle size = manhood dimensions here). The heated seats are great on cold mornings. The vehicle feels incredibly solid over bumpy roads, and I have no reason to believe that squeaks and rattles will infest the vehicle when it's got 50,000 miles on it. I formerly owned a 420SEL Benz, and I think the Expy is more luxurious and drives nicer. It handles great too (for a big vehicle). I do have the upgraded 20" wheels, so that may make a difference over the 18"s. This is probably a tie as my favorite vehicle I've ever owned, (with my '03 T-Bird). Con's: Understand, this is REALLY nitpicking, and I don't even like to mention this because it's not a big deal. But I want to mention everything I can think of. The "miles to empty" gauge in the message center is a bit conservative for my tastes. The warning comes on with 50 miles to go, and if you fill up then there's still room for about 8 gallons of gas. I would like finer adjustment on the radio volume: It seems the volume I want it at is always in-between the smallest increment of adjustment available. As far as comments about the trans and the shifting between 1st and 2nd from a stop: I've noticed that it's become more intuitive as I've driven it. I don't usually mash the pedal at takeoff anyway, but now it really takes a supremely light touch to have it start out in 2nd gear (which I'd prefer it not do). Read my other posts about the trans. After having driven it now for these 2,200 miles, I have no complaints about it at all. I believe it's shifting the way it was meant to shift. And of course, it's a very smooth transmission. And a final note that really says something about Ford products: Prior to buying my '02 Explorer Sport Trac (traded in for the Expy), I would never have thought I would buy American again. But my resulting experience with my former local Ford dealer/service (thank you Jarrett Ford - Dade City, FL), the reliability of my Sport Trac and T-bird (34,000 miles - no mechanical issues at all), and the fine interior design and fit/finish led to a huge altitude adjustment. (A little joke for the aviators out there...duh.) I am a proud Ford owner, and laugh when I think about how much people pay for premium foreign brand names (and the resulting high service/maintenance costs). Not that those premium brand names aren't fine vehicles, but they're not worth $30,000 to $40,000 more. No way. Not after having sampled, owned, and driven my Expy for the last 2,200 miles. Let us know as soon as you get yours, and don't forget pics! I'm sure you won't be disappointed. And just to get you wound up even further, here's a couple of other pics of my Expy. Ray

I looked at my nav system today to try to answer your question exactly. If you leave this screen on, whenever you turn the vehicle off and then back on it will return to this screen without asking for you to "agree". Mind you, the screen can be dimmed so it's not too bright at night. From my fiddling with it today, this is the screen you want to keep it on if you don't want to use the nav system and subsequently have to "agree" every time you start the vehicle. From this screen, if you press the "nav" button on the dash (not in the screen shown above), it will then ask you to "agree" before starting the nav system. At night, if I have Sirius or an am/fm station on and am not using the nav, I like to shut off the display or simply put the status bar on the display (which will show the clock, current station, and current media - note in above pic the black bar which contains the info "SR3 - 129 El Sotano - headphone icon - time) However, even from the status bar or the display/off settings, it will ask to you to "agree" at next vehicle start up. Is that confusing enough? In short, if you leave it on the media screen show above - you will not have to hit agree every time you re-start the vehicle. :blah:

Spydie- I too like the nav system, a lot. I use it extensively about 3 days a week. Yes, there's a legal disclaimer screen (it seems as though all nav systems require this). It's not that much of a pain, however, because it will pick up where you are in your journey - even if you shut off the vehicle and stop along the way. I know some nav systems will require you to re-enter your destination information if you shut off the vehicle. And Tiff, just so you know, somehow, some way I got my nav to stop asking me to "make a legal U-turn". That was really annoying. Now, if I miss the turn it just quickly re-routes me around the block or another way. If I figure out how I did it, I'll let you know. I suppose all nav systems do the re-routing thing, but it's a very nice feature. By the way, what happened with your brake situation?

Dan - You might already know this, so I apologize in advance for my redundancy. While cleaning the brake dust from my wheels today (the 20" chromed), I noticed that the wheels appear to be chromed plastic, over the aluminum (or steel?) wheel. Not a big deal to me considering the chromed plastic grille on both my Expy and my T-Bird (the grille still looks immaculate). But thought you should know this, considering you added them after your initial purchase. - Ray

Glad you didn't accept that the squeaking was "normal". I've always had good experiences at the Ford service departments, however, I made sure to introduce myself to the service MANAGER (insist on that, which it seems you did in this case) on my first visit. Could it have been that your brakes were "glazed"? You might want to ask rjr, he seems to know a lot. I know there's actually a procedure where you perform several consecutive hard stops from speed, in order to heat the pads or rotors up and clean them off...something like that.

:P No! I was alone (how pathetic). My wife hates it when I zip around corners. I tell her it's for her own good, that I'm helping to expand her comfort zone. That goes over really well.

Just crawled under my Expy and looked. It's a 20" steel wheel, with the same Pirelli tire. Your parts guy needs a whack in the head with a shovel. FYI, I took my Expy for a morning drive up into the twisties near Ojai. I'm not a race car driver by any stretch of the imagination, but I tried my damndest to get the stability control system to engage (I couldn't). But there was not one squeal out of those tires. They grip very well, and are quiet. I hope you like them. We'll have to wait and see how they wear.

The Pirellis are good tires. Although when test driving the Expy, I wasn't able to compare the ride between the smaller wheels and the 20's (my local dealer had 20's on all their models), the Pirellis handle well and ride very smooth, with very little road noise. Cornering is also very good in my opinion. As Akirby said, check on TireRack.com for the user reviews. There are only a few reviews there, but they're good reviews. -Ray

Did you calculate your mileage using miles driven/gallons at fill up? Or did you use the estimated mileage on the dashboard message center? My message center estimate was lower (15.7) than what I actually got (16.45), so yours may actually be a bit better. You're right though, when you mash the pedal the sound is awesome! Makes me want to get aftermarket mufflers so I can hear it even better. -Ray

Nope - no issues with the brakes squeaking here. Currently at 1,000 miles on the odometer. But you know, considering your admitted lead foot, Tiff, you gotta bring the big brute to a stop sometime! Now punish those brakes! -Ray

Rj I laughed out loud at your comment: "I see no need to excite the dealer"...it doesn't take much to do that, does it? I asked about you having test drove the '07 because I think you will see a substantial improvement in the ride. Even with the 20" wheels it's impressive. By the way, do the 20" wheels mess with the final overall ratio? I noticed you mentioned 16" or 17" wheels when doing your calculations. BTW, any problems with your '97 with 183,000 miles?

RJR- I had O/D locked out, in 4th, when I referenced that the rpms would rise on a hill. The trans wasn't downshifting, I was just suggesting to ELlover that her reading of 2850 isn't really that much of an anomaly compared to my reading of 2650 - depending on how much pressure she had on the gas pedal. When driving into down last night I had the trans in "D" with the O/D on. I set the cruise control at 45, and the trans stayed in 6th gear even up small rises in the road - this at 1250 rpms. So, no I don't think the trans shifts too quickly from 6th down to 5th or 4th. I have drivien my sister's car (a Jaguar X-type) with a transmission that's WAY too quick to downshift, and it's incredibly annoying. But the Expy is not like that at all. Have you had a chance to test drive the '07 Expy?

To anyone interested- After 12 days (love the big gas tank!) I finally re-fueled my Expy. My official mpg figures were 16.45 miles per gallon. This was mostly driving around town (Tiff, I live in Ojai so I too have some hills), with about 1/4 of the miles on the highway. Again, the low fuel warning on the dashboard message center was VERY conservative. It showed 44 miles until empty, and the gas tank still had 8.5 gallons of gas in it when I filled up. At my 16.45 mpg average, I'd be able to drive another 139 miles before running dry.

Tiffany When I checked the rpms in 4th gear I was on flat, level ground and had the cruise control set both at 45, then at 60. Even the slightest hill would make the rpms rise, I noticed. rjr- doesn't it make sense that the '07 with O/D off, in 4th gear would have higher rpms than your '97? Is that trans a 4 speed? I would think that all the gear ratios on your '97 would be higher because of less gears? Just curious - I don't know that much about axle ratios. And wow 17:1 1st gear! Is that right? That IS nuts. Who would need that much torque down so low?

Hey RJR - While driving today in my '07 I took the readings you asked for: O/D off - 4th gear at 45 mph = 2,000 rpms O/D off - 4th gear at 60 mph = 2,650 rpms Hope that helps.

MTPwife - In turn, your comment made me smile (aren't we all just too freakin' happy)?!! :lol: It's good to know that the words of encouragement are reaching your family. I hope they are proud of their work on the Expedition, because they deserve to be!

Is that the Carbon Clear Coat you've got? That was our second choice for color! With the darkly tinted side windows it looks so baaad (but good)!. But after having traded in our black Sport Trac for the Expy, I just couldn't pull the trigger on another dark-colored vehicle. I used a California Car Brush to keep the dust off of it between washings, and it looked very sharp. But I noticed the brush causing small surface scratches, even after I washed it out. So, a lighter color was in order this time. My wife and I refer to our Expy as "The Limo", due to the oxford white and tinted windows. Perhaps you should call yours The CIA Staff Car! Very cool and stealthy! I hear ya on the lead foot, but I can't claim an alliance in that regard. My wife and I usually baby our vehicles, and only when I really need it do I dig down deep for the extra power. I always average close to the highway mpg figures, and above them when I actually do drive on the highway. I think driving habits have a LOT to do with that. We average 25 miles per gallon on our T-Bird around town, and 28 on the highway (280 horsepower). But when I merge onto the on ramp onto 101, watch out! I can't resist digging in and hearing the roar of the engine, while merging in with traffic that's already doing 75. I SWEAR that's the only time I do that. :shrug: One more quick note: Yesterday, while backing out of my parking spot at Ride Aid, a woman and her 12 year daughter came flying into the parking spot next to me - in their '97 Expedition. They jumped out and started yelling at us to roll down the windows - they were very excited to see our new Expy! We pulled back into the parking space and let them check it out. I think I made a sale for Ford yesterday. The woman was literally squealing as I showed her the nav, dvd, the power liftgate and fold rear seats....WOW were they excited! It's not necessary, but I guess it's a natural human need to feel validated about our choices from time to time, but many people have responded to this vehicle in a positive way. Always makes ya feel good! Oh well, off to make a run to Home Depot! Have fun!

It appears that Vista Ford/Oxnard does a LOT of business up here. I'm hoping their service department is a good one. I've had very positive experiences with both of the Ford dealerships/service shops I've used in the past. So far, so good, as I just brought my T-Bird in for service last week. Yes, I've had several inquiries (most of them while filling up at the gas station) about my Expy, how I like it, how does it ride, etc. I've been saying the same thing all along, this thing rides quiet and smooth-like a luxury car, but when you give it a little gas it's got a nice, aggressive exhaust note too. The best of both worlds! I'm like a kid in a candy store...my wife got up at 2:00 in the morning two nights after we got our Expy, and found me in the garage - in the Expy - with our 4-year old shepherd/lab on my lap, all the lights out, sitting in the 3rd row seat, legs up on the folded 2nd row, watching Family Guy on the DVD player! She thought I was nuts. I've also been nabbed at midnight, fuzting with the nav system, trying to learn it. When we were trying to narrow down our choice for a new vehicle, we knew we wanted something luxurious, nothing too "trucky". After several years of running a profitable business, we wanted to reward ourselves with something extra nice. Tested Armada, Acura MDX, Tahoe, among others. I hate to sound as if I work for Ford (I don't), but damn, this is one of the nicest vehicles I've EVER driven. I can't believe it weighs 5800 pounds (ish). It certainly doesn't handle that way. Between my '03 Thunderbird and the '07 Expy, I honestly think Ford products have made a huge leap in quality, as well as looks. I only hope the general public gets a chance to test drive these new vehicles, instead of mindless listening about how much better foreign cars are (this, coming from a former Mercedes owner). There is NO reason that this vehicle shouldn't be the truck of the year in the auto magazines. There is NO reason why Ford should ever be selling this vehicle with incentives, because at it's core, this truck is perfect! Sorry about the rant. As far as mpg, according to the trip computer I'm averaging 16.2. However, I think the "miles to empty" gauge is a bit too conservative, because when I had an indicated "6 miles to empty", the tank only took 28.5 gallons (5 gallons still left in tank). On the tank of gas I'm on right now, I will actually calculate the mileage average between fill ups to see how accurate the trip computer is. I'll let you know when I fill it up again (could be a while - 500 miles per tank). Or not. Maybe I'll drive to Vegas to get my Expy washed. Have fun! (what about pics of your Expy ELlover?)

No problem, I have a few more pics I took of mine. Yes, I have the gray/camel interior. Also have power rear liftgate, nav, dvd. So far, everything works exceptionally well. This is my first nav system, so there's a bit of a learning curve. It works quite well, however! If there's any special pictures of it you'd like me to take (interior shots, etc) let me know, I'll be happy to post them here. It is a beautiful vehicle! You won't be dissappointed!

Proman- I've had 3 vehicles (including my '03 Thunderbird and '02 Sport Trac) that will start out in 2nd gear from a dead stop under light throttle. I believe that this is actually a fuel-saving measure. Heavier throttle application at takeoff will induce the tranny to start from 1st gear. If you start off under light throttle (thus, in 2nd gear), then mash the pedal - yes - the trans will step down to 1st gear, and it's a very awkward sensation. I felt this the first time I test drove the '07 Expedition. I don't think there is anything wrong with this transmission, it's simply a matter of driving habits. Maybe Ford will see that this is causing more of a "perceived" issue than it actually is, and issue a TSB for a trans re-flash. In either case, before you take delivery of your Expy, drive one NOW and see for yourself. You will notice it, and if you hate it - don't buy it. However, I can tell you I've had no problems whatsoever with my Expy. No wheel vibrations, nothing. It rides smooth as silk (even with the optional 20" wheels). I only "need" to drive about 10 miles per day for work, but in 11 days I have put 750 miles on it. It rides like a luxury car. My wife and I just LOOK for excuses to go places. Hope this helps.