bobbyd

I am being hounded by the local garage who did my brake job on my 2001 Taurus to have them perform a fuel-injection cleaning. Is it necessary for my car , with almost 60,000 miles, to have them perform this fuel injection cleaning? They have called me and sent me letters saying its necessary. I need opinions...thanks! Note: I have no idea what it costs, since he won't give me an exact price until I bring it in?

Just read Ford is recalling 7600 New Escapes for coolant leak that could cause overheating/fire. Watch Channel 7 News tonight...they love to slam Ford on the 6PM news. The lead anchor owns a Volt!

Very good...researchmaniacs is the right site to get your car's status. If you ordered a Limited or a SHO, make sure you check the trunk for your standard cargo net. Mine was missing and I had to call Ford Customer service to convince the dealer to give me the $50 net and not pay for it..as they originally told me to do.

Reuters news.com (Cruze August car rental fleet sales)

30% of the Cruze sales (7500 units) were rental car fleet sales...that's why they were high numbers in August!

If you are fed up with CR slamming Ford and MFT and other subjective criticisms, please call them at 855-824-3506. Warning...they won't take your calls this week because of "meetings!" Ha! Ha! Suggestion: The operator said to call next week...because of the long holiday. I recommend to you that when you call : 1.) be polite but ask for the auto reviewers responsible for the MFT reviews 2.) use their comments like "when compared to others" ...ask who are the specific "others" when they criticize the MFT voice commands..or the far reach on the touch commands. 3.) ask for the CREDIBILITY of the tester..are they ASC certified techs or what is their background I think if we start calling and inquire about how they justify their results, this may...even remote as it might seem...make them think more about being less bias and more honest in their evaluations! It can't hurt anymore than it already has.

Its obvious CR is deliberately after Ford. I OWN a new 2013 Ford Taurus Limited and its great. MFT Voice commands for radio or temperature are quick and accurate. The false claim of "reach" is an ABSOLUTE LIE!" The 38 degree console, just like the Lacross, is so relaxing...there is "NO DROP OF THE RIGHT SHOULDER TO ACCESS anything like USB port, compartments etc.. INCLUDING BASIC SHIFTING!" Compare that to the flat consoles with the Chrysler and other foreign competitors.. I really notice that comfort convenience in long trips. The frustration with CR is that you can't challenge their lies and just like JD Power...they can say "anything" they want and not have to show accountability to independent audit or justification for their "TOTALLY SUBJECTIVE BIAS!" Don't go their website and don't buy their crap magazines!

What about the Stewart tantrum at Bristol...if his helmet would have smashed Matt's windshield, would NASCAR penalize Stewart? He could have caused serious damage to him. As far as I know, NASCAR just let it go even though I think Stewart should have been reprimanded...at the least! Plus, his vocal threat to get Matt in a future race when he can...NASCAR says nothing!

Bravo to Car & Driver for their fair review. I will bet anyone that once those incompetent idiots at CONSUMERS REPORTS do their review we will all see the cheap Dart winning over the Focus without a doubt!

I recently bought a 2013 Ford Taurus Limited and the MFT is standard. I love this car despite the critical review from CR. I was with my anti-Ford friend the other day and he was impressed by the new glass instrument panel, HOWEVER, whenever we used the Sirius radio search for a station MFT would wait almost 10 seconds to locate...everytime. I've been testing it ever since and it is still very slow. I wonder if Microsoft and Mulally had some agreement that demands input on basically most of our new vehicles. As mentioned before, CR never badmouths the competition on this technology. Oh , in addition, CR said the screen is too far away to use on the Ford Taurus. They also said the beltline is too high for visibility, but I saw the same complaint on the beltline visibility problem with the Chrysler 300...but it was either Autoblog or cars.com. Consumers would never mention that since its a negative and thus would not justify slamming the Taurus. Its all subjective and Consumers hates Ford for some reason other than MFT.

How credible is Consumer Reports? They have no watchdog verifying their reports...they get to say whatever they feel.For example, like their negative review of the popular Edge, they did the same thing with the new Taurus. It appears they comment on a more SUBJECTIVE view than the real facts. Are they real unbiased engineers doing the technical tests? When they said yesterday that the Chrysler 300 was the best large car and not to buy the new Taurus because it was hard to see in the back, had MFT (they hate MFT) that it was confusing and small passenger space in the cabin. I went to the specs and compared the 2 vehicles...the Taurus has more front Headroom ...more front Legroom...more front Hiproom...and sits almost 2 inches higher. I own a new Taurus and immediately noticed that its height advantage for the highway view is exceptional. Consumer Report didn't mention it. The trunk space is 4 cubic ft larger on the Taurus...the Taurus has electronic steering compared to the old style hydraulic on the 300. They didn't care and actually didn't like the Taurus steering. The Taurus and Lacrosse are 'cockpit style' seating (38 degree slant) for the driver compared to the 300's basic flat console...which really offers no support on long drives. I am thinking that somebody at Ford pissed off the big guys at Consumers and since then...all negative against almost any Ford car they review lately. I then look at Car and Driver and they said the new Taurus had "sophisticated Styling"..."cloud nine ride"...and more than ample performance. The 300 has been the same old body design for almost 8 yrs....the dash board is old school round dials compared to the new Taurus glass panel layout. I'm really rattled. The Ford is quieter, rides smoother, 28-29 MPG, much larger trunk capacity and a little less expensive. Consumers really only had the rear seat room that gives the 300 a slight advantage...and their thinner door panels helped...at a cost of louder road noise. Its frustrating to me....and sadly, that will hurt Ford sales.

I think that new Escape is beautiful. Once you get the VIN, you can track its delivery date by going to 'researchmaniacs.com'. Enjoy!

Once the dealer gives you the VIN...go to the internet and input "researchmaniacs.com" and they will give a phone number to call and the "live"operator will track your vehicle and also a delivery to dealer date. I've had my Taurus since May 1st and simply love it. I recommend a coat of the new Turtle Wax Ice Polish applied with microfibre cloths to protect that beautiful finish! Enjoy!

Don't worry, you'll get the rebate. I ordered my 2013 Taurus Limited when the rebates were only $1000 and was told that as long as you ordered the car while the rebate was offered, the dealer would honor the rebate. In my case, only 2 weeks after I took delivery, they increased the rebate to $1750...which I was not entitled to. Take note, make sure the cargo net is in your trunk. The Se/SEL do not offer the net as standard. I had to battle the dealer to get my cargo net since it was missing on delivery. Also, walk around the car and look for any small dents or creases in the metal. I took delivery without looking close at a crease that was in my door. FYI...I am hopeful your car will be fine.If you need to track your VIN, respond to this and I will send the site to your e-mail. I don't want it sent to the whole forum because they would be overwhelmed. I have a Black Limited and it is sweet...! Ford rules!

You mentioned 'cigarette lighter plug!' Since I don't have the smokers package..do you mean the USB port, since I have no cigarette lighter outlet. The manual doesn't mention it in the directory.

You are right, instead of the traditional post with a bolt/nut that holds the cable, its different on the 2013 car...instead its a metal template the surrounds the post and then has a bolt/nut holding the template. The dealer said connecting the cable to the template that surrounds the post is okay. Also, the new 2013 has a plastic cover on the positive cable (red cover for positive) that covers the entire half of the battery. Its a pain to remove so I bent it back to allow me to lower the hood to about 5 inches from closing. I think thats sufficient for air circulation since the charger instructions stress the need for ventilation. I cover the car with a car cover, so leaving the 4-5 inches open seems sufficient.

I only drive my 2013 Taurus once a month, so I use a float charger to keep the battery up. My question is connecting the cables to the terminals. The new Taurus has very little room to connect the cable to the posts and I wanted to know if I can connect the cables to the metal plates that surround the posts instead. It would prevent the posts from getting scraped up by the sharp cables over time. Thanks!

Quote todays Free Press article: " For the problem to happen, the pedals must be pushed to or near the floor, and the cruise-control cables must have been bent or moved from their original position!" OK...does this mean that somebody working on the car (after it was built correctly) that created the problem?

Well, at least they still made money. Didn't Fiat/Chrysler announce either a closing or temporary shutdown of one of their European plants because of the poor economy over there?

Nick, my brother, who has been a body guy all his life, was simply amazed...and he REALLY looked it over. I can see why all the local Ford Dealers use Dent Krafters! My neighbor has a classic Mustang and his buddies in the Mustang Club also use Dent-Krafters (Mike-Father & Son Team). I recommend them. Have a great day!

I am now ready to report the results of the "buckle" that was repaired by my dealer. First, I think its important to note that I asked the so-called best dent repair guy in Metro Detroit (Jason/Auto Tech) to fix the problem. He refrained since he felt it would NEVER be fixed 100% and that it was a tricky repair that could actually cause more damage and thus result in a repaint job. He declined and said that, at best, the repair would be no better than 80%. Note, Jason works primarily on Mercedes type cars and Ferrari. Rod Gill (Body Mgr)at Village Ford told me that he could get the door fixed 100%, which is contrary to Jason. Well, I took the car in yesterday and Rod called Mike at 'Dent Krafters' of Taylor to do his magic. OK....is there a better word than 'Awesome'? The buckle is gone and the car is brand new again. Wow. I wanted to tell Jason...but instead, I'm sharing my satisfaction with the Blue Oval viewers. Rod tells me that Mike and Dent Krafters are the best. Bravo! I'm happy, happy, happy!

Today's Free Press indicates that the problem is caused by the supplier who "scored" the fuel lines on their conveyor prior to shipping the fuel lines to the Assembly Plant. As usual, Ford will NOT mention the name of the supplier at fault....thus, the perception is Ford CAUSED THE PROBLEM!

Saw the new Escape today on the road. Sweet. Its a homerun... if there are no problems. My question is the recent ads on TV for the Escape...it looks too narrow and out of proportion to me. However...when you actually see the vehicle in person...its outstanding. Is it me or does anyone else notice that?

I saw that local channel 7/WXYT ABC had this Escape problem as their LEAD story at 6PM lastnight. They went over and over the cell phone call from the girl screaming....it was way overdone for drama. Don't get me wrong, its a tragedy for the girl and her family...and as previous mention, she should have turned it off or shifted to nuetral. The really sad thing is Ford didn't follow up on the corrected recall installation. OK...we will wait for Ford's response regarding the 1 death attributed to this . Now my question is about the recent 15 deaths caused by the Jeeps fuel tank fires on over 5 million vehicles in the past few weeks. Did anyone catch Channel 7 doing a 6PM news Alert on these Jeeps catching fire and killing 15 people? Is it me or what is with Channel 7 going after Ford for an extended period of time..interviewing family...mechanics...Ditlow from the NHTSA...etc...? If I'm wrong can someone let me know.?

Here we go again. China does not have any plants in the USA like Japan and Korea do...yet! The GM vehicles are mostly built with a Chinese partnership at the 11 plants in China. GM exports account for about 1%. China is arriving late to the game, as far as vehicles...but they will soon be building here. It should be noted that China has imposed tariffs on imports of vehicles and parts into their country. Ford does not export any vehicles to China. As far as jeans and shoes being loved by the Asians...that's not close to comparing to vehicles which cost a little bit more...or maybe you'll disagree with that, too! Oh by the way, I spent almost 2 years in Asia...they have select groups that buy insignificant amounts of US stuff...mostly black market for profit. As far as their view of us....they mostly couldn't care less...and speaking of care...you better be careful where you go, since they are not multi cultural and average Americans stand out like a sore thumb! Do you know what a 'Slicky boy is!" You better, if you plan to visit any Asian country! As far as Harley motorcycles in Japan...last year Harley sold less than 19,000 worldwide outside of the US. Japan sales alone from their Big 4 was well over 600,000! 3% would be a fair number!