entropy

Like many others, last week i received a letter saying my 6 yr free roadside assistance program has been extended to "as long as i own the car", and that towing has been extended to cover 100 miles to a linc dealership... (don't remember what it was previously) So my Question is: Who has actually called 800 521 4140 or 800 241 3673, and what was your experience???? thanks for your input, Karl

OK, i am a dumbass. I KNOW it must be directions somewhere in the manual... How to turn on the lights which show cruise control, etc. They were illuminated, weren't they? Any help would be much appreciated. karl

i had the module sw reflash (program B1307) done this morning. On the 25mi +/- trip home, my mileage was definitely a bit higher than normal for that stretch of road. 90%+/- is beltway, high volume & generally speeds are variable 60 up as high as pushing 80. No detailed testing, just watching mpg as shown on left display set on trip 1. Normally i'd see mpg 37-39 or so Today i saw 39-41-ish Not a dramatic difference, but in the right direction. Also, i put the center display to show the lil car figure and where the electricity is going. Previously at over 64-ish mph the engine was on all the time I tested at 75-80mph, let off the gas and the gas engine immediately stopped and i could nurse it along at about 70 on battery power. Then I tried 80 and the car couldn't maintain it on battery alone. I am convinced that the procedure is worth doing.

I am VERY MUCH KIDDING!!!!! (sorry for the confusion, my sense of humor isn't shared universally and gets me in trouble from time-to-time ) You are often the "voice of reason", somehow able to clarify issues with very few words, yup. Kudos to you. Folks who think the MKZ ought to achieve 45/45/45 no matter how it is driven just aren't thinking. (they remind me of the folks who insist Obama was born in Uganda or some such place; they just aren't thinking) karl

jschmitt3, STOP IT!! JUST STOP IT RIGHT NOW!!! Here you go AGAIN, ruining yet another "discussion" of the MKZ's obviously fraudulent EPA mileage claims. You say: "driving habits is a definite factor in achieving/not achieving EPA numbers in the real world ...." Total BS! You are so full of BS! Pretty soon you'll be claiming that the EPA mileage metric is intended to allow comparison of the mileage potential of different vehicles. I am on to you! karl

105 replies... (100 of which sound just like my 3 Yorkies when the Fedex man rings the doorbell.) I LIKE the idea of black/black version of BlackLabel, and would prob buy it, yup.

akirby, Thanks so much for clarifying the EPA test process & associated considerations. I have been unclear about this stuff for a long time. I owe you a beer or two, yup! karl

I'm confused. I thought that the mileage figures shown on the sticker were generated by the EPA, and that Lincoln was required to post them on the sticker whether they liked them or not. In any event, i find my MKZH's mileage averages about 35-38mpg. But I have seen as high as: - 47.2 mpg (50-55mph, 307 miles nonstop on highway) - 50 mpg-ish (around town, trying hard to get good mileage) I have also seen mpg as low as 30-32. It seems to me that the "advertised" 45/45/45 is true if regarded as the high end mpg. Thus i don't understand the mpg kerfuffle????

in my experience, there is "full" and there is FULL. When i did my trip (post just above yours), i filled the tank until FULL, and it generally took a couple gallons after the 1st click off of the pump. It seems that all cars/trucks i've owned have a non linear gas gauge. I find the MKZ's gas gauge about of a par with other vehicles. I doubt yr loaner was leaking gas Karl

Interestingly, on a long trip over the last 2 weeks, i found i got slightly worse mileage on a l-o-n-g (4-5miles) down hill at 70-75mph than i got cruising along at 60-65 on the flat. Perhaps the 85mph spec on the new software would help that?

recent trip Houston to Auburn, Mass ----- gal miles mpg tank 6.4 287 44.8 tank 11.2 413 36.9 tank 7.8 348 44.6 tank 12.4 480 38.7 tank 6.5 307 47.2 trip 44.3gal 1835miles 41.4 mpg over 1835mi, measured by gasoline consumed & miles driven

I just put 7,000 mi on my beloved MKZ hybrid; Houston - Nova Scotia and a buncha points in between. Awesome highway cruiser, i purely love it. Somewhere along the way it developed a buzzing related to road surface. It's in the roof, in front of the sun roof. I "cured" it by wedging a multi-folded travel attraction brochure in front of the sun roof and the frame holding the fabric of the headliner. Since it'll need an oil change real soon, i'll have the crack Lincoln Service Techs fix it, so i'm not really concerned, but i'm wondering if anyone else has encountered this? karl

July 9/10, I drove from Houston to Auburn, Mass and I am delighted with mileage. MKZ is an AWESOME long distance car, VERY comfortable even after a 1000mi day (Tuesday) the data is based miles driven and gas delivered from the pump, at the end, I filled the tank until the neck was completely full: click-click-click-click... my speed was posted + 10% except in Virginia (zero tolerance for speeding) and during the torrential rain during the last tank. I DON'T do hyper-miling stuff, eco-cruise ON ----- gal miles mpg tank 6.4 287 44.8 tank 11.2 413 36.9 tank 7.8 348 44.6 tank 12.4 480 38.7 tank 6.5 307 47.2 trip 44.3gal 1835miles 41.4 mpg over 1835mi, measured by gasoline consumed & miles driven

Liari, THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR!!! Thanks a million. The "Lincoln Drive Control" comfort- normal-spot, apparently does several things among which involves fancy shock absorbers. Am i correct in assuming you cannot get that type suspension on the Fusion? Might you be able to point me in a direction which describes the MKZ suspension? Thanks much, Karl a bit later, found it: "> CCD contributes to Lincoln Drive Control’s transparent action by monitoring the car’s suspension settings up to 500 times per second. The real-time system adjusts the suspension up to 50 times per second to deliver more controlled handling with a smoother ride. CCD augments a highly developed chassis that includes a refined strut front suspension and an all new integral link rear suspension."

might just have been a quirk????

I got into my 2013 MKZ just now and found the side mirrors both tilted down to see the curb. I must have touched a button? My Denali had a button to do that and I assume the MKZ does also, but i can't find it. If a description of that function is in the Owner's Manual, I can't find that either. Anyone able to help? karl

A while ago I thought i saw a thread which detailed what the MKZ has which the Fusion doesn't. hmmmmmm.... can't seem to find it. This week, a friend asked me why I got the MKZ when I could have gotten the Fusion, i.e. "the same thing", for a whole bunch less. To be honest, I never even considered the Fusion. Last November, I sat in a 2013 MKZ: I liked it better than Lexus or Avalon; it fit me like a glove; i loved the center stack; so i ordered it. In spite of my poorly informed decision, i done good! After about 7000 miles, my MKZ makes me smile every time I drive it, still finding stuff that "surprises & delights" me. (someone on this forum coined that phrase and it is 110% applicable). Now I am researching new cars in anticipation of trading in my wife's loaded 2008 Accord 1st Q, 2014. She is open to anything, basically wants economy & comfort, doesn't care about knife-like handling, brutal acceleration, etc I have lots of time, capturing basic features & points of discrimination in a big excel spreadsheet. So far i have captured 27 vehicles ranging in price from Infiniti M37 to VW Jetta TDI SEL This is fun!!! Can someone please point me to the MKZ vs Fusion discussion? Thanks, Karl

AWESOME, JS, awesome!!!! Congrats!

man o' man, THAT sucks! were you moving when it happened, or stopped and they just plowed into you?

WOW!!!! What a PITA. Sounds like the elecrical issues are related somehow; can't be a bunch of separate problems (can it?).

On the MKZ the "slot" is not deep enough to leave the fob in it and still use the drink holder, so i guess it's just for emergency.

Nick, i must be blind. Please tell me where is "the receiver in the console" karl later i found a slight fob-shaped indentation under the rubber drink holder base. It seems that indentation is for temporary fob placement when you are having starting issues?????

galaxie, i now using my 2nd fob as a test and it is working fine. might fluke or cell interference before? i'll go back to fob #1 and see if it works ok. THANKS!! karl

I just went out and sat in the rear set behind the driver... "subjectiveness..." i'll say I am 6'2", 220# and it is virtually impossible for me to sit in the rear, unless the front seat is way forward, like if my 4'11" wife was driving. If I ever let her drive it, i suspect i would have plenty of leg room in the rear, but still, my head hits the ceiling. I've had 3 adults in the rear and it was very uncomfortable for them with me driving. Advertising the MKZ as a 5 passenger midsize is (for me) a monumental stretch. On the other hand, the Avalon & Lexus ES300h are truly comfortable "mid-size" cars, adequate leg & head room. I've seen Avalon advertised as a "large mid-size". As I point out above, i purely love my MKZ and bought it fully aware of the cramped rear space. Hell, 99% of the time, no one is in the rear. So i don't care at all. It's just that when i read the NYT article: "...Rear-seat headroom and legroom are excellent..." I about choked.

I purely LOVE looking at, and driving around in, my hybrid MKZ, unequivocally the most satisfying car i've ever owned or driven. But what planet (of midgets, dwarfs & elves?) is the NYTimes reviewer from? "...Rear-seat headroom and legroom are excellent..."