ctrcbob

A friend of mine with an 05 Jaguar XJR had a large dent in one of his beautiful alloy wheels. He had "Alloy Wheel Repair Specialists" fix it and it came out beautiful. We stood and watched. They came to us with a special trailer loaded with the special tools needed. Did the job while we waited. Their web site is www.awrswheelrepair.com Check their website to see if there is a location near you. We had it done in Orlando, but there are other sites. My buddy is VERY HAPPY.

I've talked with a few guys up in Snow Country, with AWD Fusions. They all say that the AWD is GREAT in ice and snow (and slush). As for me, I try not to go to my Penfield address in the winter, however I have driven my AWD in bad rainstorms while here in my Mount Dora address, and it handles like a dream in those bad conditions.

I purchased under the X-Plan. Don't know if the rules are the same for the A, D or Z plans, but with the X-Plan, the dealer had to show me the X-Plan price on his Ford paperwork. Dealer did try to get me for some extra fees, but Ford rules are that you pay nothing extra. (I pointed this out to dealer but I can't fault him for trying). Dealer also tried to tell me that the registration fee and Title fee to the state was something like $180 and that dealer would refund to me whatever was left from the true cost from that $180. After two weeks, I called the DMV to find out exactly how much it cost for registration and Title, then I "gently" emailed dealer saying that "I know you forgot to mail me my refund check from the registration and Title fee". Dealer phoned me the very next day and said "the refund check was just mailed this morning" and I did receive it the next day. BTW, I also got a Rebate on the car. (X-Plan plus rebate). I figure Ford had rebates because the 06 Zephyr sold so poorly that they carried it over for the 07 MKZ when they first came out. I've been told that I could probably do better in price if I negotiate directly with dealer, and that may be so, but I purchased at the very start of the model year when dealers don't normally "discount". It was great not having to negotiate, because you are never going to beat the dealer, and I did not want the hassle of the salesperson going back and forth between me and the Sales Manager. I may be purchasing another (additional) Ford product later this year, an 08, and not sure if I will use the X-Plan or try to negotiate with a second dealer. We shall see what we shall see!

Honda's can also have their problems. The very worse modern day car I ever had was a Honda Accord EX. Too many problems to even list here, but the worse thing was the attitude of the dealers who made me feel that I was the only one with these problems, and that nothing ever goes wrong with a Honda. Most problems did get fixed on first try. One took me to tell them where the problem was and what needed to be done for the fix, and that one took three visits. The worse one, dealer always told me that "We cant duplicate the problem" and they would never fix it until one day while talking to the District Service Rep about another problem, I mentioned this worse problem. The Rep said, "oh, we have a fix for that now". Dealers knew about the problems but never wanted to fix it until the Rep had another dealer order the parts, and got it fixed. Traded it when I started to have even more problems and have never owned a Honda car since.

"Could not duplicate customer concern". Should be banned from the language. I once had a Honda Accord EX, (the best one they made) that was manufactured on a Monday or Friday in Marysville Ohio. Had so many problems with that car, but the one big problem I had, whenever I would take it in, I got the same story. "COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM". Dealer will not take customers word for it. One day while talking with District Service Rep about another problem, I mentioned this one big problem. He said to me, "oh, we have a fix for that now"! District Rep got me an appointment at another dealer, ordered part, and got it fixed. That Accord EX had so many problems, after a couple more, I just went to my friendly Toyota dealer and traded for a Camry which I kept for 100,000 miles and it never had any problems whatsoever. Have not purchased a Honda car to this day.

Per the deals getting better when you let the service expire! Before it expired, (at six months plus a week) I got letters saying that if I extended now, I would get an additional six months service for $51.80. If I let the service expire, then change my mind, the price would go up to $77.70. (Maybe it was $72.00 - can't remember) OK, I let it expire. I then get a letter (after it expired) saying that "Renew now - get 3 months for the price of 1" "3 months for a total of $12.95* - thats two months FREE". OK, thinking that may not be a bad deal, but then I notice the "*" so I then read the mouse print. It says "You must take a quarterly or longer subscription plan". WTF? so I call them to find out what that means. It means that you pay $12.95 the first month, nothing the second and third months, $12.95 the fourth, fifth and sixth months, which you must take. (Thats a total of $51.80 for six months). In addition, unless you call in to cancel, they automaticly subscribe you after that six months, for the higher fee. I don't like playing word games, and I was not listening to the Serious that much as I don't live in the car, so I passed it up again.

I was thinking the same thing when I had my dealer change oil and filter on my MKZ (Same engine as MKX/Edge). Tech had no problems removing the filter. I.E., it was not put on by an 800 pound gorilla. HOWEVER, tech found that the oil drain plug was only on FINGER TIGHT, and he could remove it without a wrench. Dealer allows owners to stand and watch, so I stood and talked with tech while he was doing the job. Dealership did not object to having me in shop. Tech went out of his way to make me happy. Not my selling dealer, but of the L-M dealers within 35 miles, I use this one 25 miles away, because all the others will not allow me to watch. Took it to this L-M dealer because my local Ford dealer could not give me the free oil changes Lincoln will give me in the first year. I do take my Continental to my local Ford dealer as he also allows me to watch, although from not as close up.

What is a "break" rattle? Could you mean a "Brake" rattle?

That reminds me of the time many years ago, when I lived up there in "Cold Country" full time. Temperature outside was around -12F (-25C). I was getting ready to go to work, and was shaving when I heard a horn blowing outside. My first thought was, "who the heck is the jerk blowing his horn at this time of the morning". Horn kept blowing, so I looked outside and saw that it was my 83 Buick LeSabre that was causing all the noise. Went outside, fiddled with the horn ring on the steering wheel, but nothing would make it stop. Did only thing I could do. Lifted the hood and disconnected the horn wires. (lucky I could get to them). Went to work no problem. When I got home that night, I reconnected the horn wires, and everything worked as it should. I figure that the cold had contracted the horn contacts in the car, which caused the horns to blow. Never happened again.

Because the Fusion was introduced MORE than a year ago, and the Edge was just introduced a couple months ago. Your bound to see more Fusions then Edges. That being said, I have seen a lot of Edges and MKXs considering how they were only just introduced. Takes so long to get because they can't make them fast enough assuming you want to order, however if you want to buy from dealer stock, dealers around here have them.

Geraldine is the girl in my Navi unit. Only one thing missing from my Navi unit that I want. I want the altitude readout! My Roadmate 760 has it, but not my stock unit. Oh well -----

Have not heard it in any other Edge? How many Edge's have you driven?

ogie, Yes they are manditory in Canada, but you don't see it in the EU. Just a Canadian thing. As for adding it to the Edge, don't know how, but when I had a Sebring Convertible, I got crazy and decided that I wanted DRL. I special ordered the modual (sp) from the dealer, (cost about $65) and it was a simple plug in at the fuse panel. Again, this was with a Sebring. Don't know how to do it on an Edge. Don't matter, I no longer want it.

Question. Is MERCON Automatic Transmission Fluid the same stuff as MOTORCRAFT Premium Automatic Transmission Fluid, Part Number XT-8-QAW, that meets Ford Spec WSS-M2C924-A?

When you special order a vehicle, the manufacturer always has an "out" as somewhere, it will say something like "the manufacturer has the right to make production changes at any time". May not be those exact words, but that is what can happens when you special order. This is why I no longer special order. I've been burned twice with special orders. Once when the car was not equiped the way the ads said, and the second time when the car had a two "imperfections" when delivered and the dealer saying, "oh, we can fix that". (they could not). If the dealer don't have it, I don't buy it.

Sounds like "Mouse Milk" (Snake Oil) to me. If you want to hear Ranting and Raving about a product, listen up. I tried the new "ICE", the Polish not the Detailer, by TurtleWax. This stuff is GREAT. Took me all of 25 minutes to polish my MKZ, only because I had not used it before. (Took me 20 minutes to polish my Continental). Can be applied in Sun or Shade, hot or cold. I Followed instructions. Spread it on whole car. Let it dry (see below), then wipe off with a MicroSwirl cloth. Leaves NO RESIDUE. Because I'm lazy <grin>, I did not want to wait for the polish to dry, so I started to wipe it off, first with an old t-shirt in my right hand and the microswirl cloth in my left hand. Worked great. Start to finish in less than 25 minutes. In addition, a little goes a loooooooong way. At first I thought the price was high at about $15 or $16, (got mine on sale for $12) but I've used it twice now, (once on each car) and the bottle looks like it has hardly been used. I can probably do 40 cars with a bottle. As for beading up, I was downtown last week and there was an 06 Zephyr parked next to me. Started to rain. While raining, both cars were beaded up. Once the rain ended, the 06 Zephyr dried up fairly quick, however my car still had lots of water drops on it. I wiped it away before I drove off. Works as advertised and I'm happy with this ICE Polish. Again, this is the polish, not the ICE Detailer, which I have not used yet. (I understand they also have an ICE Car Wash).

Don't know about Ford, but for many manufacturers, the ESP is another name for the Extended Warranty. Double check so you know what you are buying. You keep mentioning you want this because it is an American car. This means you believe American cars break down more often than other cars. OK, I don't just buy American. I buy what I like. Following are the last few cars I had and problems, if any. 02 Continental (no problems) 03 Grand Marques (no problems) 98 Continental (no problems) 98 Continental (different than the one above - outer tie-rod ends replaced) 99 Buick (no problems) 97 Dodge (waterpump and transmission replaced - Hey it is a Chrysler product <grin>) 94 T-Bird (torque converter replaced) 92 Camry (no problems) 92 Camry (different than the one above - no problems) 90 Accord EX (worse modern day car I've ever owned. So man problems, it would take too darn long to list them all). I could go back further, but then I'd be showing my age.

1. First off, I don't like Extended Warrantys also called ESP's (Extended Service Plans) but I have purchased them. (See below) 2. If you do buy an Extended Warranty, only buy the one sold by the manufacturer. In this case, FORD. Never never never buy one from an aftermarket company. 3. As for the dealer in Orlando not discounting the Extended Warranty, - this is true, not because he does not want to discount it, but because he is not allowed to discount it by the State of Florida. Here is the story. The Extended Warranty is considered an Insurance Policy in Florida. As such, it comes under the Florida Department of Insurance. Years ago, insurance agents were selling people insurance at a higher cost than the insurance companys MSRP, and people were getting cheated. Florida passed a law saying something like No Insurance can be sold for other than the MSRP. Because of this, the extended warranty can't be sold for less than the MSRP in Florida. OK, you say you will fool the State, and buy it out of State! Sorry, you can't do that either, as long as you have a Florida address. If you try it, the out-of-state dealer will get a phone call from Ford asking if the person lives in that area, or if he purchased it by telephone or internet. If the guy has a Florida address, Ford will tell the dealer that he can't sell to the Florida person at a discount. Now I'll tell you what happened to me. I could be considered a "Snowbird" here in Florida, having a Florida address, plus another address. Four years ago, I purchased an Extended Warranty for a vehicle from my Northern Dealer at a good discount. I gave him my Northern address. Two days later, I was at the dealership, in their office, when I heard the girl say on the phone "as a matter of fact, he is standing right here". It was the Extended Warranty Admin people on the phone, asking if I was a walkin, or did I buy on the phone or email, because I had purchased the vehicle in Florida, not up North. The girl told them that yes, I was standing right there, in person, and have an Northern Address. Only then, did they allow the dealer to sell me the extended warranty at a discount. Hope this answers your questions why you can't buy the Extended Warranty at a discount in Florida. Did I tell you to Never Never Never buy an Extended Warranty from any aftermarket company. Buy only from the Manufacturer and you will never have problems with claims. (or when the aftermarket company goes out of business).

Back in October 06, I phoned the Ford X-Plan people at 1-800-348-7709. (I got that number only after calling Ford at 1-800-392-3673 and 1-800-521-4140 and asking them.) I spoke with a young gentleman and I asked him if the company I worked for was a "Partner" and if I could use the X-Plan. (I know I can't use the A-Plan or the Z-Plan). He looked it up in his computer and said, "Well I'll be - Yes your company is here". He then asked me a few questions. The ones I remember were; 1. When will I be buying? 2. What car am I interested in? 3. What is the "last four" from my SSN. (Do not give your whole SSN, only the last four). He issued a PIN to me and told me that I could buy two cars with this PIN within on year if I wanted to. Also told me that I was not to negotiate with the dealer. Just go to the dealer, ask if they take part in the A or Z or X-Plan. If they do, pick the car you want, and the dealer must show you the X-Plan price in the invoice. He must sell you the car for that price and he is not allowed to have any "add-ons" like "dealer fees", etc. (but he will have to charge you state taxes and tag fees). In my case, it was great. I found a dealer who had the AWD that I wanted, told him I wanted the car with the X-Plan, he showed me the X-Plan price printed on his invoice, plus at the time, there was a $500. manufactur rebate, so that was exactly what I paid. It was great. No haggle. No hassle. No going back and forth between me and the Sales Manager. He did try to take me for more when I had to give him $188. for the Tag and Title Fee, and he said I would be refunded the difference after they went to the DMV - After I received the Registration and Title two weeks later, and had not yet received my refund, I called the DMV to find out exactly how much this all cost and I then emailed dealer and told them that "I know you forgot to send me my refund from that $188. so please send it asap". Got a phone call from them saying they sent it out that morning, and I received close to $140. two days later. You just have to keep them honest. Don't know if it is any different now, but that is how I did it back in October.

330 miles on a tank of gas (and you have a large tank) is not good gas milage. What did the dash MPG readout tell you. Also do the math to find the true milage. If you used a tank jof gas in 330 miles, you probably got somewhere about 20mpg on the open road, and that is not good. Again, do the math. BTW, most of us also get very bad gas milage, so once you do the math, don't feel bad.

I have mine set so the top of the screen is always North. Give that a try to see if your problem goes away. (I like the North screen because that is the way I always look at a paper map - My wife can't read a paper map unless she turns the map around to read it as the direction she is going, the same as you have your screen set).

Merc, I think the complaints were not about the downshifting (like flooring it at 45mph) at full throttle. I think the complaints were more about the transmission searching and shifting down and up, at small throttle changes, and when holding throttle steady when you come to a small hill or upgrade. These six speed transmissions are something that is not needed. (IMHO) The four speed transmissions work great, without all the down shifting and upshifting. In addition, the six speeds really keep the engine running faster as first gear is geared so very low, and top (6th) gear is geared the same as the previous four speed transmissions. In my own case, I can climb telephone poles in 1st gear. When I tromp on it from a standstill, the engine is screaming in 1st, at 20mph before it shifts into 2nd at a slightly faster speed. 70mph in top gear (4th in Continental and 6th in MKZ) is 2100RPM, in both cars. Engine eats the gas as long as it is in 1st, 2nd, 3rd or 4th. Milage gets better only once in 5th or 6th. Around town, it never gets into 5th or 6th, so in town milage sucks. My Continental goes into top (4th) gear much sooner at a lower speed. My Continental with the 4.6 32valve engine gets better gas milage than my MKZ with the 3.5 24valve engine. Note that my MKZ has the "Aisin-Warner" 6 Speed Transmission whereas the Edge/MKX has the "6F" 6 Speed Transmission. From all that I read about the 6F. the difference between the two aint worth a hill of beans, other than using different transmissions fluids. I guess manufactures think that "6 Speed" (or even some cars have 7 Speed and 8 Speed) sounds better than 4 Speed. (More is better, right?) I would rather have the same transmission from my Continental than either the A-W or 6F transmissions.

92Merc, Sorry but you are wrong. The Fusion/Milan/MKZ use the Aisin-Warner Transmission. Owners manuals tell you to use the "Motorcraft Premium Automatic Transmission Fluid" for this transmission and you should "never use Mercon-V" as it will cause damage. This transmission fluid meets Ford Spec WSS-M2C924-A and is part number XT-8-QAW. The Edge/MKX uses the 6F transmission which calls for Mercon-V Fluid. Check it out for yourself. The updated Taurus/Sable/Taurus-X will use the new 6F transmission in all their FWD and AWD. Presently, the 07's use the A-W in the FWD and the CVT in the AWD. Again, check it out for yourself. Note: Just because the 6F is "new" does not mean that it is "better" <grin>

I'm not defending the braking distance, however if you drove a brand new Edge off the lot for your brake test, that car did not have a chance for the brakes to "bed in" or "break in", so the distance would be longer. After a few hundred miles, the braking distance would be shorter.

I have HID's on my loaded MKZ and I'm not impressed with them. If I was ordering, (which I would never do - I never order anymore) I would be just as happy with the QI Headlights.