Waldo

Forgive me for asking a silly question, but why would you want to use gas to run the air conditioning when you could just open your jacket? I don't think I've ever wanted it lower than 70 degrees in the winter, even when wearing a heavy jacket.

The USB is only connected to the SYNC module. It's not connected to the NAV system, so you're never going to be able to hook up. The NAV system gets its software updates through CDs.

What you're talking about is actually "Hill Descent mode". It's more than just OD cancel, it actually looks for the brake pedal switch and can actually figure out that if you are on the brakes, but not slowing down, you must be going down a hill, so it will downshift and use engine braking. This is a feature mainly designed for towing. In fact on some new Ford's, like the Flex, instead of a yellow O/D light on the cluster, it has a little picture of a truck going down a hill. bbf, I don't believe your MKZ has "Hill Descent", it just has O/D cancel, which is different. By the way, Ford already uses the term "Adaptive Cruise Control" in the MKS owner's manual, so you're not going to get any credit for the term!

The MKX is a unibody with independant suspension. Lifting it any more than an inch is going to throw the suspension geometry into a complete tailspin that would not be correctable. The ball joints and halfshafts will not last long at those extreme angles. Never mind tire clearance issues. You'd end up making a sow's ear out of a silk purse...

Seems like a bit of an alarmist statement. Many issues like this are caused by tolerance stack ups. For example if you combine a short axle with a long PTU you would have the issue. If you have a long axle and a short PTU, you will never ever leak. These kinds of issues tend to have high infant mortality, meaning they show up right away or not at all. Assuming that they will all leak eventually is pure speculation and unfounded.

I agree on the efficiency; if the piping is providing enough cooling to the intake that an intercooler isn't needed, then it's also providing enough cooling to the exhaust such that the amount of energy available is significantly reduced. The only way around that I can see would be to use a really big turbine, but that's just going to further increase the response time. I know on my FD RX7, the exhaust temperatures at the turbo are close to 1300 degrees, but down at the muffler they're about 450. That means you're losing 2/3rds of the heat energy available before it even get's to the turbo. When looking at these kinds of systems, I always ask, if it were really such a good idea, wouldn't some OEM somewhere have tried it?

When you say auto button I assume you mean the button on the side of the seat. So I think the answer is Yes and No. When you manually move the seat back, it will not go back to your set position when you put the key in. However it should always go back to your set position when you push the No. 1 button, as long as the transmission is in Park. Maybe you've been pushing the memory button after you've already put it in Drive? The only other thing I can think of is are you sure you programmed No 1 correctly? Does it go to your position when you unlock the door with the key fob?

Don't be confused by the easy entry and the memory function. They are different things and operate independently. When the seat moves back by itself, pushing the memory button will not bring it back. It will come back by itself when you close the door and turn the key.

I'm not quite sure what you're trying to say? The Pioneer is the 2008 system. The SYNC in your 2009 is likely set up to work with the 2009 Xanavi system, so it probably won't work with the Pioneer, whether the dealer installs it or someone else and it definitely will not work with the Travel Link. There are two 2009 Xanavi systems, one with an 8in screen used in the Flex, MKS and a few others, and the smaller 6.5in that is used in the Edge. Are you saying the 6.5in Xanavi will not fit in your 2009 Edge? I find that hard to believe since it was made specifically to go in vehicles that weren't changing the interior in 2009.

Sorry, that was my only guess. I imagine you'll have to take it to the dealer and have them connect with their tools.

I think if you push the 3 and 6 buttons simultaneously you will enter into the configuration mode and you might be able to set the region. There is no easy way to get the DVD to play when not in park. This would actually be illegal in the US, which is why Ford sets it this way.

Running the hot exhaust right next to the fuel tank should be fine, right...

Sounds normal to me. Hold down the up/down button and see if it works, that's how it works in AM/FM mode.

The Pioneer is the 2008 system, so that's probably why it doesn't work in your 2009.

I would definitely keep driving and NOT bring the car in for service if it were me. I had my Focus sit for 6 months once and it took a good two weeks of driving before the brakes became vibration free, but they did on there own (still have original pads and rotors on that car, 6 years, 48000 miles). I recently drove a couple vehicles that had sat outside through the holidays and both had significant brake vibration at first that has significantly improved, but not completely gone away yet. If you bring it in you run the risk of the dealer turning the rotors, which as bbf states does reduced their life and increases the chance of this happening again. What's the build date on the MKX? You can find it on the certification sticker on the driver's door jam.

Why not just leave the switch in the ON position? The Edge has a battery saver that will turn them off after a few minutes, then they turn back on when you start the car. This way you don't have to worry about the interior lights dimming all the time.

Lex, you've got some great enthusiasm, but I think you're grossly underestimating the task here. These modules are all hooked up on the CAN network. They talk to each other through codes and expect certain codes in response. The wiring is the easy part, it's getting the configurations set up that is difficult. You need to tell the car that it has a new NAV system and need to be sure the cluster, the PCM, the ABS module and others are sending the right signals for the NAV to interpret. I might be possible, but there will be a lot of tails.

Have you had the alignment checked? Sounds like you might have some rear toe issues. Shocks and sway bars have much less effect in highway driving than alignment.

It doesn't mean the fuel pump is bad, it's just an inherant characteristic of the relationship between the pump and the tank. Some are worse than others, but it's nothing to worry about.

Have you changed to a different parking spot at work, one that's on an incline? If you park on an incline the fuel level reading will be high for a short time and the miles to empty will be inflated, then it will "catch up", which seems like what you're describing.

Actually you are totally right, all the nav stuff is saved on the hard drive. To update you put in a new DVD and it copies all the info onto the drive, then you take out the DVD. But you are wrong in that it is not a Sony system. Sony just makes the audio components, the head unit and all the software is done by Xanavi (a division of Hitachi). It's essentially the same system that's in all the new Nissans, and has been rated very highly there. To answer the original post, the old Nav system is like a Commodore 64 compared to the new one. The new one has much better graphics and interface, you can upload photos, save music on the hard drive and it has a much more extensive list of POI and many more voice commands. So even if you don't want to pay for travel link, there is still a lot of improvements. But one glaring fault is that it's still not fully integrated with SYNC, you still have to give it the extra step of voice command.