crabman

No, they have to toe the line or face flooring issues and other penalties that far offset what little money could be made by selling illicit nav upgrades out the back door. There is a not much else that explains why the complete install of a full upgrade is exactly the same size for a car with or without nav or any other options other than the fact that the software is all the same and some modes and operations are enabled in one case but not another based on installed equipment. To be clear I don't know this to be fact but it is how things are normally done.

Its more likely the software is already installed and the dealer would simply unlock it and mate it to a maps sd card in the same fashion they do for a defective sd card. I'm basing this on the fact that the last full update seemed to be the same size for everybody regardless of options. Still it matters not as you already pointed out. Without a green light it doesnt happen.

On the mkx the system can as needed reduce output dynamically during peak transients (read any peak including a bass line) to reduce distortion at higher listening volumes. This is built in to the software and not something that can be gotten around without a little aftermarket hardware or a software update. Not sure if it applies in your rod but based on your description it sounds possible. Especially since I see the same in the mkx. Being a home theater enthusiast and listing to a fully calibrated system I can say that the bass does not play musically in my car, it is one notely and will not step up. At a guess I would think most people prefer more elevated bass levels than I do meaning they would probably perceive it as weaker than I would. I normally listen at about 15 to 25 below reference depending on the material, source, and of course mood.

I gotta say that I dislike wheels in the 22" range usually referring to them as wagon wheels. Then again I have to admit that these ARE good looking wheels on the car. I wouldnt buy em because I"m the type that chafes knowing how much they hurt performance but I do have to grudgingly admit they look good in this application with this particular wheel. Since I decided to move from the sport to the mkx it turned out it didnt matter as it wasnt a choice anyways. I believe I would have craigslisted them for decent ching and bought aftermarket as none of the other wheels caught my fancy.

The hardware is fully in place and only the correct software revision along with the maps themselves which reside on SD are needed to add it at a later date. Their are a few reasons not to do it however. As already stated if it was allowed up front many would skip it until more funding was available and then out of those a good number would never actually pony up meaning lost revenue. Not just from the sale of the option but also some finance dollars lost as the option will increase the overall loan cost. Then there is a larger window to allow piracy into the party. Also the dealers will want a cut of the pie meaning that some of the profit is diluted by the split as time in the shop must be accounted for as well as the upgrade itself. Most of these things can be taken care of as pointed out just by pricing the add in price on par or exceeding the cost of the factory installed option. This really only leaves reason one, less overall sell through as people skip it up front and then never do add it in.

A few thoughts about auto climate control in general. Some systems will do all the things I mention, others not. We all know they continuously take an internal cabin temp and check it against the set temp and adjust accordingly, this is obvious but there is much more going on. The cabin temp is adjusted based on many factors. There is (or can be) a light sensor which takes into consideration direct sunlight and the system will run cooler than the set temp to account for radiant heat. When the windshield wipers are on and the outside temp falls within a temp range the system will assume the likelihood of window fogging and increase flow/temp to the vents associated with defog. When the temp at startup implies frosting on the windows the system will increase flow to the defrost vents. When the outside temp is at a certain range and the cabin temp is hotter (summer, parked, just got in and its scorching hot inside) the system will assume it needs to punch out some cold air as soon as possible and invoke air conditioning, recirculate, increase fan speeds etc. The opposite is true when the cabin temp and outside temp are similar (inside temp cold, outside temp equal) and assume you want some heat and you want it now and will adjust accordingly. All this juggling while still attempting to maintain the overall cabin temp at the set point and get it there as soon as possible. There are many more but I cant recall them all now. I once went to a meeting at the corvette club where we had an engineer from Chevrolet as a guest speaker. He was actually working specifically on exhaust for the corvette but he discussed in detail many aspects of cars and their design and when people brought up some complaints about the auto climate control he responded with those things I mentioned and many more. An auto climate control system is far more complex to program than I at least had ever realized. I can only speak of my own limited experience here but it includes a number of cars from different outfits. I have owned cars from BMW, Mercedes, Lexus, Chevrolet, Dodge and now the MKX with auto climate and none of them was perfect. They all had their quirks. Surprisingly it was not the higher end manufacturers that had the least fiddling required system, that I encountered in my corvette. Overall they were close though and I think this says something about just how hard it is to make a system that can account for all the possible real world conditions. To say nothing of people who (for instance) are boiling because they just got done with a long walk in the heat when they got in, or were freezing after being out in the cold, just hopped in the car with a coat soaking with rain that will insta fog the windows. The list is endless. IMO expecting these systems to be flawless with current technology will lead to disappointment because it cant be done. You will have to adjust your set point at times to account for conditions. If you just got in with that previously mentioned sopping jacket you are likely going to have to take matters into your own hands and actually switch to defog and give it enough fan to get the job done. Last the variables in a car are hugely beyond a house where you have many times the interior air volume, no need to defog, more insulation, more materials accounting for heat soak, etc. IMO people get hung up on the number. i.e. I set it on 72 so it should work just like in my house where 72 is perfect. In your car you need to turn the knob, push the button, whatever it takes, til the set temp is comfortable no matter what the number you see says.

Got to disagree with you there, the cheapest aftermarket stuff isnt so spiffy sounding. Spend a little money and then you could start saying something along those lines but your statement is a wee bit much. I agree with the statement that the stock system has a somewhat weak bass, one notey and lacks authority when its time to step it up on demanding material.

The caddy is a nice vehicle and was on my short list but in the end it wasnt the right choice for me. I think its good enough though that it might very well be a better choice for some. Research and some tests drives should put things into perspective. If you have been looking at the srx a spin in a mkx might also be a good idea. The rx350 might also be worth a peek.

AWD increases the intial cost of the vehicle. It increases the cost of insurance. It increases the cost of repairs initially and over the lifetime of the vehicle. It reduces fuel economy both because of the awd system itself but also the increased weight which is completely unused until you reach a low traction situation or stab the throttle hard enough to induce the system to send power to the rear wheels to reduce torque steer. You might be thinking I'm slamming awd, not so, I own it myself. The thing is if you dont use it its a mistake buying it. The slightly increased resale value will not offset your buy in. In my case I do have some need of it so I'm willing to pay. If I lived somewhere else, not a chance.

Just an FYI but pandora, weather channel, a number of other apps are now the subject of a class action lawsuit. They have been gathering personally identifiable data on individual users and selling it. Ever wonder why pandora needs to access your contacts? It doesnt need to do so to function for those who are not familiar with this application, its all about data mining.

The part I disagree with is that a fully optioned edge when compared to a similarly equipped mkx can actually be more expensive over the lifetime of the vehicle when including the free maintenance, lower insurance, and increased resale value of the mkx offsetting the initial increased cost. This only works if you look at a close to maxed out or maxed out edge but then again if you dont then the cars are not comparable anyways. I had actually settled on the edge until I crunched numbers and then when it turned out that buying a little better interior appointments actually came out cheaper over the total ownership cost of the vehicle for me it became a no brainer. I have yet to see one review point out this truth.

Yep, keep the wheels down and the point is moot. To be honest the current roof strength is far beyond what any of us who remember watching Neil take one giant leap for mankind on tv had before basically up til just recently. This isnt to thumb my nose at safety but honestly I'm not losing sleep. These are pretty safe vehicles based on current crash stats and frankly having grown up in an age when riding in the back of the truck was considered completely safe I cant help but find this a yawn.

Try here to start --> http://www.flmowner.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Owner/Page/OwnerGuidePage&year=2011&make=Lincoln&model=MKX Click on intelligent oil life monitor under the technology section and watch a Ford spokesman state that modern engine technology means significantly reduced oil consumption which combined with modern oil additives allows for the extended service intervals. This is now common even in modern diesel engines in commercial applications where going to the service interval without adding is expected. When you think about it in this modern day and age it is nearly imppossible to sell a vehicle that actually requires a person to check the oil between service intervals. Most people will not even know how to open the hood as they never have and the manufacturers know this quite well. This is why service intervals always account for oil consumption as well as oil condition. One of the few exceptions to this is the RX-8 where oil consumption is normal, expected, and checking between intervals required with its rotory engine. I'm not telling you something you don't know when I say this is not normal and there is something up. I would escalate this starting at the dealership (service manager, general manager, owner) and moving on up the line from there. I have owned quite a few cars and nowadays dealers are sensitive to issues being escalated up to a higher level and by that I mean that you can get results by telling "mom" the issues you face and how they are not being addressed at the dealership level.

Its been years since any modern gas engine in an automotive application uses enough oil to require multiple adds in between service intervals on a regular basis, unfortunately dealers are famous for saying such things are normal. This is not normal and you should easily be able to go from oil change to oil change without adding including the break in period and throughout the life of the engine. Fords own literature printed and online says these engines are able to run extended service intervals because modern gas engines have extremely low oil consumption. I would be making some noise.

Yep, had auto in BMW, Chevy, Lexus, Dodge, Mercedes, and now in the MKX. They all acted the same and can be successfully interacted with by leaving them alone except for increasing or decreasing the set point as needed to maintain a comfortable cabin temperature. There are the times when you get in the car soaked from the rain or other conditions that may require manual intervention to keep the windows from getting fogged up for example but for the most part things should pretty much take care of themselves. I can say that all the systems I have experienced run cold. By that I mean they all required a higher set point than I would use in the house. My wifes Lexus needs a set point of about 75 to 80 for instance to reach the home type 72 feeling. Dont worry about what the number says, adjust for comfort.

Dealerships get added flooring bonuses based on financing even through outside banks. Something to remember is that only the owner of the dealership and his accountant know the true profit on the cars.