urnews

I'm more confused than ever. Does the crankcase oil plug need to have a washer replaced with each oil change or not? Does this apply to the V6 as well as the I4?

Looks as good as new. Nice repair work.

Does this situation only apply to the I4 or is it recommended for the V6 too?

Yes, Kemosabe, according to what I have read, the Fusions do come with a stainless steel exhaust system, which I consider to be a huge plus. Our 2000 Focus station wagon came with one and it is still in great shape seven years and 92,000 miles later. Our 1997 Thunderbird sill has its original exhaust system and it is fine, too, after 10 years and 86,000 miles.

What about the Hyundai?

Turbo, Welcome back. Yeh, just about everything gets better in-city mileage than our 2007 Fusion, although it did recently improve to 14.8 mpg.

Good luck. Hope all goes well.

Happy to report no squeaks or rattles of any sort since purchasing our 2007 Fusion Dec. 4, 2006, 2,300 miles ago.

We have an AWD SEL 2007 Fusion with heated leather seats. There is a high and low setting but they DO NOT go off automatically. Manual control, the button, only. They do go off when the ignition is turned off and DO NOT come on automatically again when the car is restarted. It is a totally manual operation on an '07 Fusion.

PRO, how many miles do you have on your Fusion? We're about 2,300 and the last fill-up yielded 14.82 mpg (calculated method) for 183.8 miles of all-city driving. My wife and I are gentle, conservative drivers. The terrain is as flat as a pool table. The climate is mild (no long idling). The tire pressure is correct. The air-conditioner has not been running, obviously. But, I am like you. If I had known this V6, 6-speed automatic transmission, AWD was going to get such horrific gas mileage, we would have bought a 4 cylinder automatic or stick shift. Our dealer says the engine and transmission will not be broken in until the car gets 5,000 or so miles on it. Prior to the last tankful, we were only getting 13 mpg for in-city driving. 14.8 isn't much better but it's an improvement at least. I sure hope it becomes a trend and that the mileage will improve.

That's a very good idea actually.

"Fairlane?" In the U.S.?

Yes, PJMF, keep us posted on how this works out.

The Car & Driver commercials are OK, not half bad. The others, fizz, etc., don't do much for me. FoMoCo ads are generally weak. A new approach is needed, maybe a new ad agency. Yes, I realize that 30 seconds -- sometimes 15 -- is darn little time to convey a "message." It's a tough job.

Sounds as if you are in the market for a fun-to-drive Ford Focus, circa 2000-07. Boz

I certainly hope the trend -- if one tankful can be called a trend -- continues as the car gets broken in. We now have about 2,200 miles on it.

Guess what Bob? Our mileage is improving somewhat. Just passed 2,160 miles and the mileage has climbed from 13 mpg to 14.8 mpg for all in-city driving, calculated the old-fashion way, number of gallons used divided into the number of miles driven. The on-board computer said 14.6. Maybe, just maybe we'll get to the wonderful 17.9 mark you are getting, which would be delightful.

The link to the TSB doesn't work. Get "Access Forbidden" message.

Gasoline Direct Injection sounds like the wave of the future. Some Mazdas already offer this option, according to Wikipedia.

An interesting article. Our Fusion, for example, is now named "The Guzzler" because of its horrific in-city gasoline mileage -- 13 mpg and holding for the first 1,900 miles, since Dec. 4, 2006.

Diesels work that way. An injector (one per cylinder) squirts fuel into the cylinder during compression and it ignites spontaneously due to the higher compression ration, sometimes as high as 17-to-1. There are no spark plugs or carburetors on a diesel. An injector gasoline engine, from the sounds of it, might work the same way, except there would be a spark plug. I guess I had better do so Internet research, huh? The answer to my own question about direct injection can be found at Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gasoline_direct_injection

Explain "direct injection" please. Is it similar to how a diesel works?

Good one Allen. But seriously, does anyone know if the shark fin antenna from an MKZ can be used as a direct fit replacement for the funky antenna used on a Job #2, 2007 SEL Fusion? The stock antenna on the Fusion is an ugly distraction. The '07s built after Sept. 6, 2006, do not have an antenna built into the rear window.

Yes, the terrible-looking antenna is standard on all Fusions built after Sept. 6, 2006 (Job #2), regardless of what radio is installed. I, for one, would like to find a shark fin replacement for it. Anybody know if the MKZ one would fit perfectly or not?

Nothing wrong with the question. Everyone just wants you to be safe. That involves using a safety harness (they really are not "seat belts" per se any more).