slemke
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Posts posted by slemke
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On 6/15/2022 at 10:38 AM, silvrsvt said:
IMO looks more like a station wagon then a cross over...the belt line isn't thick enough
I get why its being done, but they styling is kind of a miss-the greenhouse is way too busy with all those additional pieces for the windows, so they can go down all the way.
I didn’t think much of it until you pointed it out. Still looks pretty sharp.
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2 hours ago, T-dubz said:
I can’t tell any difference between this and a regular Maverick.
It’s got a thing on the door. The front air dam is much higher. Exhaust pipe hangs down on the back so rear bumper was likely raised also. Tires don’t look all that aggressive. Probably been looking at too many Raptors and Broncos.
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8 hours ago, akirby said:
I agree that this should have been caught in testing. I will assume they tested this and the reasonable explanation (not excuse) is that something changed either in the software or materials that was not retested properly.With all the flogging Ford showed in the videos, something should have shown up before this. Or it did and it was ignored as something that won’t happen in normal use. Or there is a manufacturing change or defect and the software update is just a patch to keep the cars on the road until fixed properly.
The DC fast charging causing a problem is more puzzling as this certainly would have been found. If not, let’s hope the lightning didn’t have similar shortcomings in testing. Things get missed in testing, but they are usually corner cases that are difficult to create.
The more I think about it the more likely a manufacturing change or problem occurred.
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10 hours ago, blwnsmoke said:
Does that mean slower acceleration and charging?
Not necessarily. Sounded like repeated wot acceleration runs. So, short bursts might be OK.
As for charging, again, it might be ok for short bursts and then restricted.
Ford needs to play their cards carefully on this or risk a big lawsuit if performance is impacted in a meaningful way.
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11 hours ago, blksn8k2 said:
Ford increased the width between the rear wheel wheels on the next gen. All they have said is that you can now fit an "international size" pallet between the wells, not sure if that also means the space is at least 4' wide? Probably not since an international pallet is listed as 40"W x 48"L.
I don't know if they widened the rear section of the frame under the bed but I don't think so. They have said that they moved the rear shocks outboard of the frame rails a la F-150 which was the main reason why they could move the wheel wells farther apart. They also increased the track width by about 2" which would have added space between the wheels and the frame, again making more room for the shocks. That also leads me to believe they did not change the width at the back half of the frame because doing so would mean less room for the outboard shocks.
I have an Aluma 8'x12' utility trailer so the truck's bed width is not as big of an issue for me.
I thought the current width was 45” wide. So maybe, 48”. I couldn’t tell looking at pallet pictures as it appears they can be loaded with a fork lift from either side.
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Ford spent and is continuing to spend big money on BEVs so they are lobbying for government regulations and subsidies to mitigate the risk.
Furthermore, the cost of those BEVs is going up. According to an article I read, the cfo is stating 25k for a Mach e and Ford is losing money on them now. https://techcrunch.com/2022/06/15/amid-recalls-ford-says-costs-to-build-mustang-mach-e-are-skyrocketing/?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAGdJHvS6nKUuYf_uDXVgn5LdxBwrk8v0rBATw1ew7kE-Sr5Q4K8xDnX05IU5M5aCD6nY61IGMFxoi70FTAGlD2e96kS0CE51pvT0V3pZAI5qJqWH8UfPzo6N9BklMgh1nCVEY5Zb5Smz2r-rZgkCbn9UtSehIKhZZE2lDyJTUqFx
Hard not to include politics of BEVs, and fossil fuels when discussing CA and BEVs. It is all related. High gas prices were part of the plan to get more people to switch to BEV. Now you have skyrocketing fuel prices and BEVs due to battery component costs and chip shortages. Either way, the consumer is paying more.
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I read the initial fix will be an over the air software update. My speculation is they will limit current flow to keep the temperatures down unless they can increase cooling around the contactors.
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I don’t like it. With all the completion in the segment, this is a boring also ran. It’s like Ford intentionally made it unattractive to avoid selling them in large numbers and diluting the corporate profit margin.
light bar could just be for the hybrid models. Make it change color based on whether the ice was running or not.
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Just companies looking for a handout. Disgusting. Notice that the largest BEV producer in the world is absent from the letter. If Tesla can make it without this incentive, so can everyone else.
Ford supposedly has more orders for F150 Lightnings than they can fulfill and are worried about additional dealer markups and not allowing dealers to sell the mannequins, yet they feel the need to pursue government subsidies to fuel demand. I’m in agreement with ice cap adds and akirby on this. Just a way for manufacturers to make more money at tax payer expense.
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13 hours ago, HotRunrGuy said:
The breakdown is in the Edmunds link posted above, but there must be some additional required maintenance in years 4 & 5 to jump-up vs the first 3 years.
HRG
That’s not a breakdown of what the costs actually are for. Just how much Edmunds allocated for each year. As you said there must be something in year 4 and 5. The question is what. I saw that table and discarded it because it didn’t answer my question. The maintenance checklist from Ford doesn’t provide a cost, but it does list the required items at each interval. There isn’t much that needs to be done, at least compared to the recent past. The lightning would be able to skip the oil changes, air filter and spark plugs.
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On 6/10/2022 at 11:40 PM, jpd80 said:
Yeah but rebuilt won’t have any of the bad batch of valves anymore….
I put rebuilt in quotes as they would be designated as rebuilt, but not actually have the valves replaced. Think unscrupulous seller.
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11 hours ago, rperez817 said:
Using a new 2022 Ford F-150 2.7L Lariat SCrew as an example with Edmunds' True Cost to Own calculator, about $5,400 for maintenance and about $930 for repairs over the first 5 years of ownership. 2022 Ford F-150: True Cost to Own | Edmunds
They provide no breakdown of where these numbers come from. They list $132 for repairs in year three. It has a 3 year warranty.
The Mach e was $3600 in maintenance . Tire rotations and cabin air filters aren’t that expensive. The numbers just seem inflated.
I googled the f150 maintenance schedule. Oil and filter changes and inspections every 10k, cabin air filter every 20k, spark plugs 100k. Works package is $50 or so as stated. Cabin air filter and tires are going to be similar between ice and Bev.
$50 every 9mo to a year is incremental. Less than a tank of gas. I’m sure the mach e still requires periodic inspections and tire rotations. There just isn’t much maintenance required anymore. Vehicles are much more durable and last longer than ever.
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1 hour ago, jpd80 said:
Our Australian fuel excise is 38 cents/liter, that’s about US $1.00/ gal, mercifully more than half of that has been suspended for a few months. We also have a 10% goods and service tax on top of that which is collected by the Feds on behalf of our state governments.
Seriously, you guys have no idea what real taxes look like….
Australian income tax rates for 2020–21 and 2021–22 (residents)
Income thresholds Rate Tax payable on this income $0 – $18,200 0% Nil $18,201 – $45,000 19% 19c for each $1 over $18,200 $45,001 – $120,000 32.5% $5,092 plus 32.5c for each $1 over $45,000 $120,001 – $180,000 37% $29,467 plus 37c for each $1 over $120,000 $180,001 and over 45% $51,667 plus 45c for each $1 over $180,000 Are there state and local income taxes on top of that? What common or standard deduction is available? The first 18,200 tax free or something more?
US likes to nickel and dime you. Federal income, payroll/social security, Medicare, state income, city income. Then property and sales taxes. Finally fees so that legislators can claim they didn’t raise taxes.
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6 hours ago, jpd80 said:
Probably fortunate that Ford’s production has been so hamstrung that it couldn’t build as many Broncos as it planned. Disappointing yes but far from a calamity except for the owners affected of course…….
Yes, I can see this getting messy and expensive. Beware of “rebuilt” 2.7L ecoboost that still have the sub standard valves becoming available on the secondary market.
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16 hours ago, jpd80 said:
Thinking about that longer Ranger frame, I wonder if a Super Cab with a seven foot or eight foot bed is possible
Maybe preferable to a offering a regular cab vehicle……
Certainly possible, but what is the width between the wheel wells? The ability to cary 4x8’ sheet goods is a desirable feature. Having to rely on making a shelf isn’t desirable. And at that length, might as well get a full sized. The Tacoma is as long as my ‘99 super cab with 6.5’ bed.
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1 hour ago, rperez817 said:
That's correct Joe771476, in 2019 more than half of gross profits at U.S. new car dealerships came from fixed ops, and more than three quarters from fixed ops + finance & insurance. The figure for fixed ops may be slightly lower as of 2022, but still close to 50%.
This may partly explain why many franchised new car dealers have been less than enthusiastic about promoting BEV. The dramatically lower maintenance, repair, and replacement part requirements for BEV versus ICE mean lower utilization of dealerships' most profitable components.
Where exactly does the dramatically lower maintenance come from? Wipers, tires, suspension, electrical, chassis, etc are all there on an electric vehicle. Oil changes aren’t what they used to be. 10k interval on new Fords. Spark plugs are nearly lifetime. The cabin air filter is more expensive to replace than the engine air filter. When I was growing up, maintenance was much more and more often. Oil change 3-4 times a year, spark plugs, points and condenser every year or so. Belts and hoses…usually kept a spare around. Not unusual to replace alternators, starters, and water pumps back then. Point is ice vehicles have gotten progressively better over the years and Bev will be an incremental improvement. Maintenance just isn’t as big of a deal as it used to be. I’ve got to take the car in once a year for a state inspection, so everything is done then.
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On 6/8/2022 at 4:48 PM, jcartwright99 said:
I want to say 3 series and C class were the luxury cars that were most impacted.
Around here, the model 3 Tesla has replaced the BMW 3 series. Lots of Teslas, not many 3 series sedans. C class never seemed to be very popular.
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On 6/8/2022 at 10:38 AM, HotRunrGuy said:
Yeap, I see (6) 6.5' XLT's, then it jumps to 5.5's, starting at the closest distance again.
Moot point anyway, it won't fit in my garage, or yours,,,,,
HRG
Y’all should’ve built bigger garages. I added a couple extra feet to mine just in case. The garage at my previous house was only 230” deep. I had to pull up to the front wall and had a couple inches to spare between the bumper and the garage door. I didn’t want that to happen at my next house. There always seemed to be a few around when I searched, but finding a 4x2 was even harder to do. Doesn’t matter much in this environment as ordering is the way to go.
Now a super duty crew cab with an 8’ bed is a long beast. Guy at work has one. He needs two parking spaces. According to google it is 22.75’ long. Tight fit in a 24’ deep garage.
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17 hours ago, akirby said:
Yes the crew cab is 5.5 on F150 and 5 on Ranger. I have a supercab F150 w/ 6.5’ bed.F150 is available with a 6.5’ bed on the crew cab.
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10 hours ago, fuzzymoomoo said:
Yes and no. Ford has done a much better job of convincing truck buyers they can do just as much, if not more with a TTV6 over a V8 than GM has. That's why you hear Ford now starting to talk about hybrid Mustangs and why they were pumping up the 2.3 in the Mustang. Mustang Mach E was an attempt at that as well though the message got lost with it being a hatchback/crossover. GM has done none of that with Truck or Corvette buyers.Rumors are GM will add an I6 to the Silverado and Sierra….now that everyone except Nissan is going the turbo 6 route. Ford needs to update the ecoboost 6s. The 2.7 was last updated for the 2018 model year. The 3.5 was updated for 2021, but the competition has caught up. If Ford doesn’t keep investing in ice, they will have old stale products that will only move with high incentives. It will be the early mid 2000s all over again where Ford misread what consumers desired and lost significant market share and profits.
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8 hours ago, Twin Turbo said:
Need has nothing to do with it. A Mustang is a purchase made with the heart, not the head. Nobody needs anything more than 4 cylinders in a car but plenty of people want 8 cylinders.
Spot on. I think Ford will continue selling the Mustang with a V8 until it is outlawed. Same with F-series. It also won’t surprise me if a v8 is the last ice made.
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1 hour ago, Trader 10 said:
The problem with a road mileage usage tax is that it is overly burdensome for those that live in rural areas and must drive long distances for any type of services. Those that don’t drive should also pay for road and infrastructure improvements since food, clothing, medicine…. Everything we buy is transported on the highway system.
Maybe not. If it is a flat rate per mile they might come out ahead as many have pickups and large suvs that pay more in gas tax due to getting worse than average fuel economy. If the rates are tiered based on GVWR, they’ll be paying more.
They pay indirectly through the things they purchase. Now, bicycles and e-bikes using the roads are a different matter. Along with funding for public transportation. If it effective at reducing traffic congestion, great. But putting more empty busses on the road isn’t the way to go.
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9 hours ago, bzcat said:
Ford is not going to replace 3.5 EB in F150 with a V8. The CAFE and CO2 math will never work. 6.8 is highly unlike to ever see action in light duty vehicles (under 8,500 lbs GVWR) because Ford could get better CAFE numbers with a turbo V6. So no F-150 or Mustang, unless some sort of super limited edition build.
The original thinking was 6.8 is the new base engine for things like Superduty and E-series but as we quickly observed, it doesn't make any sense because Ford can just put a less powerful version of 7.3 in since we don't have displacement based annual tax.
So the only logical answer is that 6.8 has some specific application requirements that different from 7.3 enough to warrant a new (or partially new) top end. This is where I first guessed that it is a hybrid only engine for medium duty. Ford hasn't given any details on the engine so it's hard to really figure out where they are going with it.
At this point any new engine should support electrification as standard like the Mercedes I6. Even if it is 48V.
I’m guessing it will be a Coyote like dohc 32v beast with 48volt or full hybrid. Hybrid and cylinder deactivation should keep fuel economy reasonable while providing close to the power output of a supercharged 5.2l predator.
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2 hours ago, JHForman812 said:
I could be wrong and maybe i read false information, but nuclear power is about as clean as it gets! its also MUCH safer than it used to be. theres enough outlying land to put a nuclear plant on in the US and we can send power a very long long way. We missed the boat we shoulda been building these along with wind and solar.
Or adding additional reactors on current sites. The Shearon Harris nuclear plant south of Raleigh has room for 3 more reactors. Duke energy had applied for a permit to build 2 more, but canceled the request in 2013. If demand warrants, they could still be built. People don’t seem to have a problem developing around a plant once it exists based on the growth in that area.
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2024 Chevrolet Equinox EV Previewed; Starting Price About $30k
in Competing Products
Posted
I couldn’t believe it either. But, the Bolt had been selling with substantial discounts attracting similar customers as the original leaf…the cheapest thing that will get them to work and back.
Earlier this week the CFO of Ford was on CNBC proclaiming how much material costs have gone up on the Mach E. Let’s see how long the pricing sticks around and if there are many available.