NWS Alpine

Thanks for the info. Why do they get added even if you don't order then if they are optional? I made it clear that I did not want one and my order sheet didn't inlcude the code for it but Ford added it when they accepted the order (it's on my sticker). This was for the same car you have (2012 White Plat Sport loaded).

I don't believe that is the case anymore. They are auto added to all cars from the factory unless there is a delete code. The dealer had no idea about the code. They also have no front plate brackets at the dealer. At least not at my dealer from talking to them (largest dealer in the nation by far). That was one of my concerns when the car shows up without a front plate that one would not be installed when it was delivered. Every car on the lot has a front plate in a state where there is no front plate. Stupid.

A little update on the progress. Car is built and is on it's way. Last VIN tracking put it passing Kentucky yesterday. Should be here next week some time. That puts me at around 14 weeks from order date to delivery which sucks.

That sucks! I can't stand people who damage property like that. I noticed your location which is a huge area for car theft and break ins. Especially during the day. I assume they were trying to steal the car and not the contents inside because they would have broken the window. If you leave anything visible they will smash your windows in broad daylight and no one will say anything. Especially if you have a GPS unit on the dash. Hopefully you can find a shop that can replace the broken handle without costing you too much.

I have a loan setup from PenFed for 2.5% 60mo. I have a really strong credit score for my age. I had my previous loan through them. I just noticed they are offering the $1000 ford credit finance offer now on the Edge which wasn't the case when i ordered it almost 3 months ago. If the dealer can get close to the same rate I will take the Ford financing credit and re-fi with penfed after the 3 month dealer kickback period.

Wow that is very sad. My thoughts go out to the loved ones. My Dad had a friend who was killed in a similar way. Freak storm that blew a giant highway sign from an overpass that crushed his car. Very hard to comprehend losing someone like this.

I hate the look of the MKX. You couldn't pay me to drive it. The Edge Sport is where it's at. Beautiful lines.

Yeah that's what I told the dealer but they insisted. I have everything in email so I have some leverage for a free replacement part.

I asked about this before and they knew nothing. I specifically requested no front plate and the option was not added to the order. The ordering manager insisted that there was no code and that it would come with no front plate (all the cars on the lot has a front plate and this is FL where there are no front plates). Well now there is a front plate added to the window sticker and I mentioned it to my sales manager. She got back to me and said she was told even though it has a front plate on the sticker there will not be one when it gets here. I hope she is right because it should be here next week. I already told them I will not be paying for a new front grill if it is drilled for a front plate and that is on them.

If I were you I would upgrade them to the more powerfull DRL version that some owners have used to modify the exisiting light bars. They are copies of the same DRL lights in the porsche 997 models. Much brighter and serve as a functional DRL.

The shield flips down and allows light to from the lower portion of the bowl to pass through the lens. The lens flips the direction of the light to project light above the original cutoff line. The separate lights are not high beams they are "flash to pass" lights. When driving at high speeds in Europe people will flash their lights indicating they are traveling fast and will be passing to the car in front. It helps prevent the front car from turning into the lane and causing a huge accident. In early days of HID lights they were slow to ignite and warm up so they had to add halogen lights that could be flashed quickly. The early balasts could not restrike a hot bulb either and bulb life was reduced exponentially more than modern bulbs/ballasts. High beam bi-xenon lights are legal and never were illegal

What specifically is wrong? Can you post a picture of your car pointed at a large wall about 25-30 feet away. Usually if you have issues the bulb is not seated properly. Also could be that you bought the wrong bulb and the focal point does not match since the projectors are designed for a halogen HIR2 bulb.

Congrats. Get some wax or sealant on that fresh paint to protect it and gets some pics!

The PDX amp is a nice upgrade. I really like the new class D amps. I have a JL Audio HD900/5. Same concept but with a regulated power supply so it's delivering 100Wx4 and 500Wx1 at 11-14.5v. I'm running my components actively.

Very nice. Vinyl is the way to go. I have the same gloss black waiting for my car.

I ordered a white sport loaded fwd on 8/26 and have nothing. Already tried to call FORD and they couldn't do anything without the dealer who is useless. If I don't get a VIN next week I will consider canceling my order. If I do then I guess it's my fault for trying to buy a Ford. I will stick to German cars.

Yeah they are so different that they are referred to as coatings and not sealants. It' s a whole new breed and for the better.

If I were you i would not have the dealer touch the car so you won't need more than a 1 step polish or non at all. Look into the local sections on autopia.org or autogeek forums and ask for reputable detailers. Unfortunately there are way too many hacks out there that will ruin your paint. If you talk to a well known guy in your area they will work with your budget and what that will provide for you. There are a lot of guys who post on those forums looking for a detailer after the first guy messed up their car. Ended up spending way more than if they did it right the first time. For example post here asking for help. They will steer you in the right direction http://www.autopia.org/forum/northeast-usa/ EDIT: here is one well known guy David http://www.streetdreamsdetail.com/index.html you might be able to at least call him and inquire about his services or his referral if he is outside your budget. The reputable guys tend to stick together in areas to protect people from bad detailers. They often will get cars from certain guys to fix.

IMHO I would mount the ballasts in a different spot that is covered from the top. These ballasts are not potted so they will be damaged when water gets to them. Not sure how the ford is at keeping water out but that area in most cars can get some water in heavy rains. A lot of OEM ballasts aren't fully potted. The oem matsushita ballasts are great and fully potted.

The term swirls is used because that is what they look like when we see them. They are not actually swirls but are straight lines. The way the light reflects gives the perception of a swirl. You would be taken out back and beaten on detailing forums if you told them you knowingly take your car through touch washes. Not that it matters because it's your car and like you say you are perfectly fine with your car's look. I am just anal about this stuff so it hits a nerve. Here is a GREAT article from Mike Phillips about different paint issues. It explains marring, swirls, rids, tracers etc http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/hot-topics-frequently-asked-questions/22234-tracers-rids-pigtails-cobweb-swirls-rotary-buffer-swirls-holograms-water-spots-bird-droping-etchings-micro-marring.html Also opti coat is actually a new breed of protection. It's way beyond a normal sealant and bonds permanently until it is buffed off just like clear coat. These type of products are classified as coatings now since they are much stronger than sealants (goes from waxes -> sealants -> coatings). For some paints opti-coat is harder than the oem clear coat. It's absolutely fantastic and is a growing trend in car protection. Detail smarter and not harder. There are a few guys that have been involved with the development and have cars going on 4+ years and the coating is still protecting the same as day 1. It's amazing how well it protects our paint.

if you are getting a new car you really need to have it prepped properly to protect it from the start. It might not need any correction from the factory but depends on if the dealer prepped it by washing it. If they did then there is now swirls in it no matter what unless they have it professionally done which would cost too much. You want to have a perfectly polished and wax/oil/sealant free paint with no contaminants and then have it sealed with something permanent like Optimum opti-coat. Then to maintain you never send it through and touch wash as you will introduce swirls no question. With something like opti-coat you really only need to sray the dirt loose with a foam cannon/rinse or just a rinse from a coin op or power washer on low preassure.

I'm glad you are happy but your 8000K bulbs are not brighter than an OEM bulb at 4300K. Most likely even with the 8000K bulb boosted slightly on the 55w ballasts (are actually ~42W). They are much more blue/purple so your eyes will get tired quicker.

Now that I am over 6 weeks I still have nothing. I have contacted the dealer on friday and they have nothing. I have asked for a VIN and have asked for a DORA. Am I wrong to assume I should have had a DORA a long time ago? Isn't that when the order is initially placed and accepted by Ford. If I don't have one by now then is my order even been placed? Maybe my dealer has no allocation (Very Large dealer).

What annoys me more than touch washes is when dealers have their minimum wage kid prep the new cars or wash the cars on the lot. If they don't have their own touchless or contract with a local one you might see them use brushes and rags that they toss on the ground. The cars paint is already ruined before the owner gets it. My car when it gets here will not be prepped at all as I do not want to spend hours correcting their mistakes.

If they move when you start the car then they are auto leveling. They will return to the zero position. They will not magically adjust to the correct height only the height they were set to. You might need to adjust them manually even with auto leveling still. Also adaptive lights are only side to side while driving. They do not go up or down while driving.