scalewoodman

Is it intermittent? If continuous does it increase/decrease with the engine RPM? or Increase/decrease with the speed of the wheels traveling down the road? Does the volume increase/decrease with acceleration? Always check obvious things first: I betcha tail pipe noise-- somehow the tail pipe is making contact with the frame-- in unibody cars the vibration, which would likely be intermittent due to the shifting of the engine on its soft mounts (designed to isolate vibration from the rest of the car) is hard to pinpoint as the structure transmits a specific sound throughout. If you backed into a curb or bumped underneath it could have caused it to be out of place. The fuel pump cycles on/off one speed... should be easy to isolate/low probability however. A lot of the other things are more serious: rear end (AWD?), driveshaft... If you find the sound is increasing in severity don't let it go... take the car in today rather than risk more expensive damage.

I have read that the Ford system can transfer a large amount of the torque to the grip wheels and that it is one of the better ones out there so far. ? How does this compare to the Jeep drives? ? Is there any real comparison as to how well it works in snow vs. other true 4X4 systems? Edge/MKX is on my short list to replace our aging 2001 Grand Cherokee with SelecTrac... however one concern I have is that it will not be as capable of getting up our steep driveway in the winter months. While the Edge has more electronics and sophistication, I'm not clear as to the real life implications when the going gets tough. Any ideas?

Coming from a family with many connections to the car business, I can tell you that routine machine washing is very harmful to the finish on the car... rubbing off paint, clear coat, wheel finishes, headlight lenses, etc.-- it is IMO akin to sandblasting your beautiful car! We use the car wash ONLY during the miserable dead of winter when it is the only convenient way to get salt and grime off the car. My 2001 Jeep with the clear coat finish has many microscratches in the finish that came from occasionally 'treats' to the car wash. The waxes I have do not cover these. They are permanent. If you plan on keeping the car for any length of time (or at least through the lease or loan period) best to hand wash carefully. For me, it's a physical workout that I enjoy-- and beats joining a gym or spa! NOTE: TOUCHLESS car washes with undercarriage clean are BEST, but they leave a film on the car that will impede it's beautiful finish-- especially with the bright clear coat colors. I will never own a black or white car again for this reason.

Edge is still on the 'short list' of replacements for our aging but reliable 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee... as time goes on, I'm realizing that these will be big shoes to fill! The Jeep has several 'hook points' on the storage area-- 2 d-rings on each side, 4 anchor points in the floor, and lots of other good places to hook. When we travel with our dogs, they are very much appreciated to lash cargo safely to the side (leaving the center area open for dogs) in case of an avoidance maneuver, etc. I use 2 nylon webbed anchor straps and the occasional bungee cord to keep things in place. This, while it may seem like a little thing, is a huge convenience! SO, if the 'cargo management' system is as described, the obvious question is this: ARE there hook points in the Edge or MKX? Little things make a huge difference. At this point, I'm going to have a hard time letting go of the Jeep!

Good pictures... Dog question: We looked at the Edge and MKX... among the requirements is sufficient room for our Rottweiler in the back area (we have a 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee and that works great). Don't need the 3rd seat-- but we often have passengers in the back seat so the dog is relegated to the waaay back. Edge fits every critera EXCEPT looks to be too cramped for our Rott to ride with the rear seat in up position. Can you provide any ideas about 'dog friendliness'? -- ruled out new Grand Cherokee-- cargo area is now higher and smaller -- ruled out Commander-- 3rd row seating is a joke and platform is way to high for a dog -- ruled out Nitro-- wife hates it -- ruled out Magnum-- wife hates it and it is too low for our steep driveway in the winter Thoughts?