pillboy

Wheel locks will keep the honest people honest, but the pros will get them if they really want them. It might make it easier when you file an insurance for stolen wheels if you have proof that you at least tried to prevent it from happening (take "before" pictures and keep the receipt).

Being old, I remember years ago a lot of complaints of noisy brakes especially at low speeds. At the time it was attributed to harder brake pad materials in the semi-metallic friction material that replaced the old asbestos containing product. In essence, "live with it" was the answer then. Something is up if Ford does issue a TSB on it. I have not heard anything from ours, but I am hard of hearing and we only have 600+ miles on it 2 months and 2 days after picking it up (the wife is still driving her old car). "Issy"...my fingers are crossed for your liftgate.

Thanks. The Blue Oval in back has a depression where it is attached and if you removed it (if you can...I have no idea) the space it occupies remains. I was considering getting a vinyl overlay made with the Ford script on a red background for both the front and rear ovals (my wife's favorite color is red).

You can also try prying them off, but more risk of paint damage. OEM paint is baked on and most body shop paint is not, so I would be way more careful if a body panel had been freshly repainted. Also, if you decide to try this on other cars, some emblems have pins on the back of them with corresponding holes in the body panel to facilitate lining up the badge straight or centered.

You might be surprised what a talented reconditioning guy can do depending on the severity of the paint damage. The body shop probably only knows how to respray the entire body panel.

At least they didn't say "That's normal, they all do it."

It is really easy on a new car (it was a little harder on my Subaru which sat on the dealer's lot for quite awhile before I brought it home). Make sure the area you are working on is clean so you don't scratch the paint with grime that is stuck to the finish. Use a hair blower (a heat gun is too hot - don't use one) to warm the badge area. The length of time needed will vary with the temperature of the car and the ambient air temperature - just leaving it parked in the mid-summer sun is quite often sufficient. Use dental floss (I used Glide only because that is what I use on my teeth) to saw back and forth using both hands between the badge and the body surface. What you are doing is cutting through the double-sided, sticky-back foam that is holding the badge to the paint. This will leave some foam stuck to the badge and some foam stuck to the paint. Use the hair blower again to warm the foam and adhesive stuck to the paint and rub your finger on the foam and it will roll up into a little ball and you can just pull it off the paint. If there is any residual glue remaining on the paint, just use a little 99% isopropyl rubbing alcohol (get at a pharmacy or Target, WalMart, etc) and a clean microfiber cloth to remove it. The alcohol will not hurt the paint. If you have never done this before, start with an easy badge first such as the "EcoBoost" one. The "TITANIUM" lettering are all individual letters, while "ESCAPE" is all one piece. Note that if you decide to reattach a badge, you will most likely have to buy a new badge from the dealer as it is virtually impossible to put new sticky foam onto the old badges because of the intricate shapes. It IS possible, but I know of no one with that much spare time on their hands (Pajama Guy maybe). You would use 3M automotive trim and molding tape to reattach them. New badges can be quite spendy.

Thanks for the eBay info.

Yeah, I only picked the red one because I too was thinking of putting one on after removing the others. Let us know the quality of the piece once you get it.

I have polished those off once already. Doesn't take much driving for them to appear again. I would love to coat the garage floor, but there is way too much $h!t to move, so that ain't gonna happen. The pieces of the slab have not heaved or dropped anywhere after 27 years (cracks only), so it is OK as far as I am concerned.

I presume you were on a hill allowing the car to roll backward. Too bad you didn't hit the Ford engineer that thought this was a good design.

The thing is, I would swear it was way up at the top before I moved it, and now I can't get it all the way back up (my Subaru looks almost exactly like this, except that one will go all the way up to the top of the hole in the B-pillar trim). Maybe I'm just getting old(er) and forgetful(er). Good luck on the hatch alignment.

Our dash has some very minor fit issues, but not this one.

Sticker or badge? Like this? http://www.ebay.com/itm/CHROME-RED-METAL-2-0L-ENGINE-RACE-MOTOR-SWAP-EMBLEM-BADGE-FOR-TRUNK-HOOD-DOOR-/200828413059?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&fits=Year%3A2013%7CMake%3AFord%7CModel%3AEscape&hash=item2ec24e6483&vxp=mtr I get tired of catching my clay bar on badges and scrubbing the wax out of them. Both cars are missing them now.

How high does your shoulder belt height adjuster go? Neither the driver's nor the passenger's goes to the tip-top of the travel available (see pics). The owner's guide is no help.

Yea or nay...

It is because what Ford calls accessory mode (with the Intelligent Access push button start) is really "on". This means all the circuits of the car are energized including the brake interlock system. While you are correct that you can move the gear selector while in "accessory" mode, you still have to depress the brake pedal before moving the gear selector (just as you would when the engine is running).

Have you put them on yet? I'm wondering what the brake clearance is like. And what are you using for wheel covers (if any)?

How is the oil level?

That's great that it was something relatively simple and involved minimal disassembly of the car.

I agree, if it is keeping score, why not let us in on how the game is going before the computer decides its time to throw up the 2 minute warning. I'm just a little curious how much money I am "wasting" by changing the oil every 5,000 miles.

Be persistent, but don't be a prick (not insinuating you have been). You deserve to have a new vehicle (especially one that costs as much as a Titanium does) meet rational standards for fit and finish. There is no point in having the whole dealership pissed at you though because you will need something from them in the future (unless you have another Ford dealer a reasonable distance from your home or work). Just because you bought it at one dealership doesn't mean you have to go there for your service or warranty work. Just for fun, I went out to the garage and measured the panel gaps on our liftgate. I measured at the mid-point (just above the taillights) and at the bottom (just above the bumper). The difference from one side to the other was 1 to 1.5 millimeters. Can I see it when standing behind the car looking at it...sure...from a few feet back. Standing immediately behind the car it is almost impossible to see both gaps at the same time. Sitting in traffic in another car behind the Escape, you would be hard pressed to see any difference. Am I going to have something done about it...no. I can live with it the way it is. I know it's not perfect, but I also understand it may get effed up much worse than it is now. Throw up a pic for us if you can.

See post 75 of this thread: http://www.blueovalforums.com/forums/index.php?/topic/50382-2013-escape-accessoriesmods/page__st__60

Do they have just one service advisor? Ask to speak with the service manager. I would say, "Let's go look at the other ones on the lot." This is also why you don't answer the surveys until you get things fixed that were wrong at the time of delivery. Nothing like having something to hold over their head. The dealership manager/owner might be interested in how the service department is being run. A new liftgate is NOT the answer. Someone is just too lazy to adjust it properly. Or maybe too incompetent. Maybe the service advisor is just trying to protect you from the doofus that fixes this stuff at their dealership who happens to be the manager's son-in-law because he knows it will end up FU'd even more than it is now.

Nice...leaking windshields. My no-sunroof-smugness has just evaporated.