TourGuide

I have been a proponent of Ziebart - as were my mom and dad - having experienced vehicles with and without - the difference is crystal to me - any vehicle that I intend to keep gets the protection. Living in the rust belt dictates the need.

When it comes to things such as this - I operate by the simple thought that fluid is cheaper than parts and labor - no matter what. By that logic I try to get the best OE - or BETTER than fluid I can get as long as it meets and or exceeds spec. I would hesitate to put anything that did not meet or exceed the OEM requirements.

The 2019 OEM LED housing has that beat - $2000. This sort of design decision falls in line with others they made - like $50 per quart RDU fluid that has no aftermarket equivalent - or non-serviceable ball joints that require the replacement of the entire control arm. These are head scratchers - but they do not leave customers with that value feeling when they encounter them out of warranty.

That tool looks really heavy duty. I wonder if you could put an impact on that instead of the ratchet (which is probably the correct way).

I think the pertinent question is really - how long are you going to be in this vehicle - and let that be your guide as to how you decide to proceed. Lately - my approach has been to live by the motto it is easier to fix a vehicle than it is to buy a new one. To me - what is worth fixing follows this general order - #1 Safety items (brakes -major mechanical items, hvac, etc.) - #2 - Structural items (such as repairable rot, or other vehicle soundness related things - such as suspension and handling items) - #3 Standard wear items such as tires, wipers - and I would include brakes in this which you could also argue belongs under #1). - #4 Convenience items - like heated seats - entertainment system - bluetooth stuff. - #5 Cosmetic things - like paint and so forth. By my mode of operating - your issue there would fall under #2 on my list and as such to me would be a high priority item - again - provided you plan to keep the vehicle. If you don't want to have that repaired - I would take it to a rust proofing outfit and have them goober it up - then watch it for signs of further deterioration. That would be my jobber solution.

The service kit that I saw looked to be all aluminum - which should mimic the original part - and ought to provide long service life. I am 100% with you on a drain plug (even with the cooler) and a MUCH larger fluid capacity. This design choice was a major screw up on the part of Ford. For what it is worth - this design as been in service for some years in really hot climates (middle east) and seems to have held up in those environments - just an interesting aside.

The extract and replace is obviously less than perfect - but as you say - better than nothing. Here is a diagram from my 2019 showing the cooler - which seems to be attached to lines that run through the radiator. The service procedure calls for using the 'service kit' that includes the bolts - the cooler and o-rings for about $300. Since we know now - that we can get the plug kit - which includes the bolts for much less - I think that is a better option - but you may not be able to replace the o-ring if you go this way unless you are prepared to remove the cross member right behind the cooler. I have been told that to remove the cooler - that needs to be done. It is kind of a dealers choice situation. I opted for the extract and refill.

In my experience each and every one of these gps systems - no matter who they are managed by - have functional issues at one point or another while they operate. Most of the time they work fine - but sometimes - they can get very mixed up and show evidence of malfunction. There are so many alternatives that are NOT paid at this point - Google Maps - Waze are two alternatives that I have a hard time justifying paying any amount cash for these types of services. I know GM and now Ford are trying to turn us into further revenue streams with this - but the horse is already out of the barn and I don't plan to ever pay for this service again. I am also under no illusions that there is a hidden cost to my 'free' take on this because I am surrendering my data in order to access this capability - but I am aware that I am doing that and have decided that to me - this does not matter.

When I was working with an independent shop on this - their tech had worked on these at the dealership and had said that removing the cooler would involve taking the cross member out - but that may have involved other obstructions like the lines that are supposed to be attached to your Edge, but are not. From what I saw on the cooler I looked at - it appears to run most of the length of that shape on the case. It is infuriating that these things don't have drain plugs - what a screw up. The other problem with these PTUs is straight up the volume of fluid - there just isn't enough of it.

At 66.5k I decided to have the trans serviced - so that got done. Renewing the properties of the fluid helped it shift better/smoother. This unit has had the latest TSB performed and that made a huge difference. This improvement was more subtle - and really for my peace of mind.

Thank you for posting these part numbers. That is very helpful. That fluid does not look horrible - shows wear - but seems in reasonable shape. Did you happen to send a sample for analysis?

I think the only quantity of fluid that meets spec you will find is for 1 quart - so no matter what - you have enough to fill to the bottom of the fill plug. I have always purchased this fluid in quart jugs. It is really disappointing that those stretch bolts are not sold with the plug. $300 for the kit is too steep I think and REALLY unnecessary - sort of like the RDU fluid @ $50 per quart - what an insult - or a $2000 dollar headlight replacement. I scratch my head at these choices by Ford.

Dealer field trip is probably the right thing to do and also to verify that the screen capture from above showing a one piece fastener is indeed wrong. I only just looked at the kit briefly before deciding to do the evacuate and fill method - but I do believe that I saw the fasteners as a single piece - I didn't manipulate them to verify - but... Anyhow - good luck and let us know what you find out. I am glad to see that at long last the parts *may* be available at long last to perform a proper spill and fill.

If you do not have to buy the $300 (retail) service kit - count yourself lucky. It does look like on your 20 they deleted the cooler. I scratch my head at OEM decisions like this. It seems every manufacturer has their own version of decontenting at play. In this case they didn't even give you BACK your drain plug! You will probably never find out why that was done. On a side note - It looks like the bolt and nut are separate on that picture - but I believe they are a single piece that then threads into the block. I'm not sure if this makes them a special part.

I have a 2019 with the cooler. I had the service performed with a suck out and refill strategy which is obviously not ideal - but the only way for me to source those stretch bolts you mention is to buy a kit for replacement of the entire cooler assembly JUST to get those TWO STINKING bolts! $300 for the kit! I was unhappy with this kind of proposition and so ended up settling for the evacuate and refill strategy. Mon Dieu! It is design decisions like this that are killing this brand. Is that a picture of your PTU case? It looks like there is a spot there where the cooler sits on my 2019 PTU - but it is missing in your 20. Curious. The ford parts catalog shows the cooler on the edge with the 2.7 and awd: I do not know what to make of your transfer case.

Salt is kryptonite for most of our rides - mine is no exception. My dad drummed into me the importance of getting a quality rust proofing done if you have a vehicle you intend to keep. Where I live - it makes all the difference and just doesn't make sense - cost wise to skip. I've been using the same shop to do this work for several cars I have owned now and they do good work. My wife passed on it with her 2010 Escape that our son now drives and that car is full of rot - all for skipping a couple hundred bucks worth of protection. Those rails seem like a great solution. I hope they make the solution you need.

I know exactly what you mean about access on this - I completed this service myself and ordered this tool to finish the job. Sadly it came after I had finished the job so I didn't actually get to use it this go round - but next time I will. I am pretty sure it will get the job done in similar fashion to the breaker bar above.

The area of software support is an emerging area of concern with auto OEMs and Ford is not an exception. Whether it is plain slow development or dis-investment in the IT infrastructure surrounding the tech - the result is the same - long wait times and problems that sometimes end up in a que of other problems needing solutions. It is hard to say where the pipeline problem exists that holds these things up. Ford has changed sync development platforms a couple of times I think - and this splits development tracks I think into different paths. Some of which are closed loops presently (think original sync - no rhyme intended). With Ford - at least we still have access to Car Play and Android Auto. I refuse to get into a model of in car entertainment that contains a dash system with an ongoing service charge (I'm looking at YOU GM!). This is the direction GM and other OEMS are looking to go and it is just another way for us to become revenue streams. I for one am not excited about this idea.

I picked up my 19 today after having the front struts, mounts, and rubber isolators replaced as well as the right side control arm in order to service the ball joint on that side. Front end clunk noises are now gone and I'm happy with the results.

I had the work completed on the struts and strut mounts as well as also having the right side control arm replaced in order to service a bad ball joint on that side. Noises are gone and things are back to like new.

I have chased this noise on two Ford vehicles - an MKC (Escape) and this Edge I am driving now. Today I am having the parts cannon unloaded on my Edge and having the struts, mounts, strut bearings, and all related noise isolators replaced. I will let you know if this fixes the problem. I suspect that the culprit is really the mount bearings, but I am trying to get to a solution - so we shall see.

If I were you - I would seek out another dealership service department. Where I am - there are dealers I will not use unless I absolutely HAVE to do so - and even then it is no more than an oil change. My purchasing dealer owes me the first 3 - so I am using them for that. For the front suspension clunk I have been chasing I have ZERO faith that this same dealership would - a.) Be able to correctly diagnose this issue. - AND OR - b.) Advocate for me as a warranty item (they - as other dealers do I am sure - point to Ford as the denier of claims and say - hey nothing we can do here - shrug. So in attempting to solve this - I'm going to a dealer 20 miles away to replace the struts, mounts, and etc because of the trust factor. This second dealer has performed work with good results for me in the past - full boat retail - but fine by me for quality execution and customer service. I am salty about my local dealer's operation because I had an established relationship with one of the service advisors then he left for an independent shop - now it feels like a sales pitch cluster every time I walk in there. On the upside I did purchase from them so there is that.

Unfortunately no pictures - sorry. Yes - the plastic panels on the rear hatch are the ones I gave the treatment. I mostly followed the procedure found in this video. I did not add the sound mat material but that would have been even better - also I did use some 1 mm single sided foam tape between plastic to plastic and plastic to metal edges. It was more time, but was worth it I think. I used this tape. Surprises here were how loose the OE pins had become in their slots. The window weld really made a difference and was worth the effort.

Wow - that is a lot of shavings on that magnet. What model year do you drive?

I stand corrected again. I guess I should know that since I had formerly driven a 16.