Grey

Things your salesperson might not tell you: The 20" wheels are high risk (this means that the order may be delayed as the demand is greater than the supply - and Ford will only schedule what they can build.) Edge and MKX Vista Roof on Edge (BAMR) is high risk. Edge Limited is high risk. When shopping, see if they can locate a vehicle a vehicle close to what you want if they don't have it on their lot. See what they have scheduled for production already for stock -that might be close to your specs. See what is submitted but not serialized yet, that may be converted to your option content or colors. Some orders with high risk commodities will be built but many will wait untill the supply of components can catch up to demand. If you can find one already built or scheduled, you may save many weeks of waiting. One of the benefits of participating in this forum is that you know better the questions to ask.

Call or take it to your dealership and explein what is happening. They should ask where the vehicle is parked during the day and night. The plenum takes in outside air from the cowl area. They will be looking for road dust, construction dust, pollen, salt, etc. that can get into the pelnum and then be stirred up when you turn on the fan. It could come from several sources, but not the compressor. One answer leads to another question. That is why it is very difficult to diagnose vehicle conditions over a forum.

Why did you buy the parts if you didn't like the price? Ford can't give you the same option price for any part that they have to package, deliver to distribution centers, handle inventory, ship to dealers, provide the parts department of the dealership a margin of profit. Nothing personal, it's just the way business operates. I would have asked for the package from another in stock, or ordered vehicle at the option price. If that was not possible, ask your salesperson to use their parts discount to get the pieces for you and you pay them for it. While the part you want may be exactly the same os the part used in production, the expense and people involvement in providing service on that part is enormously different. I guess it might cost $50,000 to buy the parts to make a vehicle that sells for $20,000. Your dealer would love that because they can make as much as 40% - 50% margin on parts and often 1-3% profit on vehicles.

Each FDAF can alter the national incentives for their marketplace. You could buy from a dealership in another state that had $2,000 incentives advertised but you will only qualify for the incentives (perhaps $1,750) that is offered in your Zip Code. You (or your dealer) can only get whatever incentives are offered where you will be registering the vehicle. Remember, the incentives can change daily, so don't go by somebody elses experience or what they were told. The incentives are only good for the day you sign the contract and take delivery. It is correct that dealer margins have been reduced dramatacally. All of the Motor Companies are trying to get MSRPs closer to real world selling prices. It would be interesting to see what people thought was a fair dealership gross profit on a $30,000 vehicle. 1%, 3%, 5%, 10%?????????????????????????????????????????? Would you invest millions in a facility, hire a multitude of people that expect a competitive wage, etc, for the same rate of return?

The Edge. Lincoln MKX and the Ford Focus will be the first vehicles to get the new SYNC option. It will be standard on selected vehicles and a $395 option on lower series vehicles. Hopefully we will get to see new Edge order guides soon. Here is what they say for the new Focus: SYNC™ is a fully integrated, in car voice activated communications and entertainment system for customers to use their Bluetooth cell phone and digital media players • SYNC™ provides the customer with a command and control interface for the vehicle infotainment system, Bluetooth enabled phones, and portable media devices through USB, analog input or Bluetooth • Provides connections for a wide range of devices including MP3 players, memory sticks, IPODS, PDA and others. • Command and control of devices through radio and steering wheel controls • Voice controls for enhanced phone and music device control • Includes electrochromic mirror, redundant audio controls and leather wrapped steering wheel • Standard on the SES series, optional on SE

I did not try to copy the TSB as it simply showed the location of the fill plug on the AWD models. It said some early units may have been inadvertantly overfilled (at the factory, dealership, lube shop, etc.) The condition is self correcting (excess fluid will leak out of the overflow.) It is not a warrantable condition. Oasis is generally Vin specific and would not necessarly show up if you hae a later unit or do not have AWD - so a service advisor might not see anything to tell you about. SO - if someone tells you your AWD unit is leaking, ask then to spray it with cleaner and wipe it off. Good to GO!

ATCS - there is higher demand for Nav units than have been allocated to the assembly plant. They will only schedule what they can build. If you are concerned about when you get your unit, ask your dealership what priority they put on your vehicle order. A 10 (highest dealer priority) will get scheduled before a 40 with the same specifications. Keep in touch with your salesperson and have them try to locate a unit with your requirements every week or 10 days. Might save some time if you are in a hurry. I wish salespeople would check the dealer bulletins they receive every Friday night so they could advise customers when assembly plants will be closed for vacation, changeover, etc. and what commodities are in short supply. It also tells them what weeks production is currently being scheduled at each plant. Job 2 usually indicates a mid-year change in option packages accompanied with changes in the vehicle components affected. I have not seen anything yet, but it may have to do with SYNC and wiring harness changes to support it?????

The A/Z/D plan prices are lower than X-Plan because Ford reimburses the dealership more on "insider" pricing than on "Friends and Family" pricing. Everyone pays the FDAF (Ford Division Advertising Fund" assessment, delivery charges, and factory gas charge. To know todays pricing on a vehicle, the dealership goes into VINCENT (VehicleINCENTives) and indicates the type of sale (X-Plan). the system tells the dealership all of the incentives that the vehicle is eligible for in your zip code area. This can vary by zip code and change daily so don't go by somebody elses experience. Often there are incentives that are not announced to the public (Dealer cash type incentives). "Plan" buyers usually receive these special discounts in addition to the special "invoice" pricing, that retail customers would not get directly (may help boost the value of their trade-in). The local dealers belong to their FDAF organization and collectively use the moneys generated through these funds to conduct local group advertising and often to put additional discounts on selected vehicles. Free bedliners in trucks, sponsor local events, parts and service ads on TV or radio, extra $500 on supercabs with 4.6L engines are examples of things that might be done locally. Salespeople don't usually make as much money off a "plan" sale (often called a "mini".) and they may not understand the whole process very well. Be patient and don't fall for the line "we will sell the car to you at X-Plan price and you won't even need a PIN number." They are keeping some of the incentives to make up for not getting a refund from Ford on the X-Plan sale.

There is a TSB covering this issue with the AWD case. The design of the case was changed to help avoid overfilling (dropped the height of the filll plug.) I doubt very seriously that there will be any kind of Ford recall, notification program, etc. concerning this issue. The unit is filled for life. Once it has "overflowed", the fluid is at the correct level. Rinse and wipe off any oil that came out and the vehicle is good to go. I think the service writer failed to read the TSB or they would have come to the same conclusion. I also doubt the overflow valve was defective, sounds like it did what it was supposed to do. The Tech may have replaced it just to get paid for his/her time cleaning up the "overflow" oil. If Ford requires return of the "Defective" part, and they find it not to be "defective", the dealership will not be paid on that warranty ticket. If the part is not on the return list, then Ford pays for another unjustified repair. This is another thread that starts out with all the drama generated by a corner lube guy, etc. and progresses to a service advisor suggesting there will be a massive recall. I point this out, not to suggest anyone on this forum is wrong, because they can only go by what they have been told, but to advise all of us that things are not always what they seem to be. I don't want anyone to fear that there is a problem with their vehicle that will affect it's near term and/or long term performance as it relates to minor overfilling of the case.

Job 2 is Sept. 7. Next week Ford will begin receiving orders for Job 2 production. Nav radio is High risk and can cause an order to sit until restrictions are lifted. Make sure your dealership has allocation for September and hope they don't put a higher priority on a later order just because they are somebody's buddy. Good luck

My MKX had some rust from sitting on the dealer's lot, but at 600 miles, the slight rubbing sound on braking is gone. Operating as expected . Ford did not have a recall on FiveHundred brakes - just extended the warranty from 1 year 18,000 miles to 3 years/36,000 miles. Owner notification program. Some early Five Hundreds brake pads were susceptible to swelling when wet, causing them to ware out sooner than expected. Rotor warpage generally occurs when you get the rotors very hot and hold the pads in one position on the rotor while the rest of the rotor cools. When you make a hard stop, creep forward to disipate the hear over the total rotor surface. Stop 8 to 10 feet from the white line and roll it out or put the vehicle in park with your foot off the brake. This doesn't sound like rotor warpage, so let the service department diagnose and fix the problem. Could be tires, rims, mounting, alignment, balance, etc.

Ford is currently scheduling production for the week of June 18. You should be good for July delivery, assuming your dealership has allocation for June production and you did not order the BAMR - that can slow down the order submission to scheduling. :shades: I had the copper for two weeks as a service loaner - got lots of attention and hard to lose in a parking lot. Good choice. :happy feet:

The 2008 Edge order guides should be available early July and that will answer some of your questions. Production does not begin until mid September.

Scheduling for the 2008 Edge vehicles begins Aug. 16 but production (down the line Job 1) is mid Sept. Perhaps there was a misunderstanding in what date you wanted.

If you are turning in your Expy to the same dealership where you will get the Edge, then go in January or February to place your order. The dealership can prioritize your order to arrive just before you will need it to replace the '05. One problem could be commodity holds that might prevent a specific vehicle from being built according to normal schedules - for example, right now there is medium risk that Edges with full moon roof packages will be delayed. You would also want to assure yourself that the dealership has allocation for March builds. If they don't, the order may have to wait until they do have allocation. Customers don't usually understand that it is not a first-in, first-out system. Dealers can adjust build timing by placing higher priorities on vehicles they want "quicker". As I recall, dealer priorities range from 10 to 99, 10 being the highest dealer placed priority. :shades:

According to my dealer, the 2008 Edge order bank opens in early July and production begins in mid-September. Dealers should see order guides by the first week in July and vehicles in showrooms in October. You will be able to order an '07 up 'till the first week in August.

The purpose of "Breaking In" an engine is to permit the wear parts to "Seat" correctly. In the engines in our vehicles, the piston compression rings will seat fairly quickly - say within 1,000 miles or so. The oil rings may take a few more thousand miles to seat properly. Let’s round it off at 3,000 miles for full engine break in. Oil ring scrapers are barrel-faced and initially have a very small contact area on the cylinder wall. Within the break in period, we want to prevent the formation of a "Pressure Ridge" and for the rings to seat properly. It takes a fair amount of friction for the rings to seat against the cylinder wall. In a perfect world, we would like to have a small load on the engine, operate it between 2,000 and 3,500 RPM and leave a margin of safety if the cylinder hone, bottom end clearances, or overall engine control deviates slightly from optimum specifications. (Another reason not to go wide open throttle until you have completed your break in.) I our "Next to perfect" world, the best action is to leave the "Factory Fill" oil in the engine until the first scheduled oil change at 3,000 to 5,000 miles (or 6 months if you are not driving much). After that you should put Motorcraft 5W20 oil in the engine. It is a partial synthetic oil and is preferred by Ford engineering. The problem with changing out the factory fill oil too quickly, is that the synthetic oils (including Motorcraft 5W20) are very slippery. If it is introduced into the engine before the ring seating is complete, it may cause the formation of a pressure ridge and glaze the cylinder walls. This can lead to long term oil consumption problems and the only way to correct is to disassemble the engine and re-hone the cylinders, and start over. It’s not really a big problem or concern unless you start consuming more than a quart of oil each 1,000 miles. But a proper "Break In" should extend oil consumption to a quart or less each 3,000 to 5,000 miles.

Vary the speed for 1,000-1,500 miles (Don't set the speed control at 70 and drive 400+ miles when new) to generate a wide wear pattern on gears. This will help eliminate gear whine. Don't change the oil for 3,000 miles or so and don't go wide open throttle for 1,000 miles. You want rings to seat and bearing surfaces to wear in easily. Don't put a full synthetic oil in a new vehicle unless you live in a sub-zero envirinment. It is too slick and can promote glazing cylinder walls. Everyone has an opinion, these are facts.

I have had an Edge for a service loaner for a week, while they are working on my son's F150. I am very impressed with the power and room in the vehicle. My wife complained that she is looking through the bottom of the windshield while in the passenger seat. I believe a power seat option for the passenger would cure that. It takes a while to get used to the large A pillar, and allow for blind spot caution, but we have adjusted for it. Knowing where the front bumper ends is another adjustment. We stop way short in parking lots, just to make sure we are not close to another vehicle. We have no interest in the glass roof and most that I have seen in dealer inventory include the roof with all but the base model. Will drive the MKX next to see if there is a better balance of the options we want without those we don't care for. In all, we think the are great vehicles and certainly get a lot of attention. The burnt copper color is growing on me also - one way to be noticed in the crowd. :happy feet: