ctrcbob

E10 fuel affects different cars in different ways. Gas milage goes down in my MKZ by 10 to 20%. using E10. On the times I can get 100% gasoline, my milage goes up. Gas milage stays the same in my Genesis. No difference. Have not really checked the Continental as it is not driven very much. Yes, there are still places where I can get 100% gasoline. There is one local place that has it, but it is not a gas station, but a place that sells various fuels. Only problem with them is that their gas costs more than 15% higher than pump fuel. I buy it for lawn mower, generator, etc. Otherwise, I just buy E10. When I'm up in Penfield, I know of a station that has real gas, that costs only a few cents more than E10. I often use that station.

Today, I spotted a BEAUTIFUL Pearl White FFH with this same spoiler. That car looked FANTASTIC. Took my wife to look at FFH's today, just to see if she likes the looks of the car and size. (she likes it). My local dealer only has base FFH's, but the "One Price Dealer" about 14 miles from me has three with the Navi unit, and one of them is Pearl White.

Don't you just love it when your dealer says: "I'm sorry Mr. Xxxxxx, but we have not been able to duplicate the problem". Also, "This is the first time we have heard of this problem". Or, "You are the only one to ever have this problem". Trust me, they have heard of the problem.

Don't know anything about defective valve bodies, however here is the problem I had, and what they did to fix it. My MKZ would often not upshift, the 4th to 5th shift. Normally would, but sometimes would not. The engine (and transmission) could be warm, but it would not upshift, just stay in 4th. If I would come to a stop, then start again, it would then upshift. 1. Took it to my L/M dealer and they said they would update the TCM. They kept the car running in neutral, with a laptop on the seat, plugged into the under dash plug, and the tech said that it was updating. Did this for an hour. When I got the car back, I did not notice much improvement, however because it did not always have the problem, I just decided to live with it. 2. A few months later, while at my local Ford Dealer, who had a GREAT Service Manager at that time, I asked if they could again, update the TCM, telling him what the L/M dealer did. He said sure, so he went and got the laptop, the correct instructions, plugged it in, with the engine off and followed the instructions in the laptop. Switched key on, tap tap tap tap. Key off, tap tap tap. Key on, tap tap tap. Key off, tap tap tap. Key on, tap tap tap. Start car, tap tap tap Key off. "OK, car is all fixed". AND IT WAS! Car now shifted the way it was designed. Never had anymore problems with the transmission shifting. Note that the Service Manager did the job, not one of the techs. That Service Manager has now moved to another dealership, 100 miles away and I still keep in touch with him for advice. One of these days, I will drive up there to visit, plus if the day ever comes, I will take the car to him, no matter where he is located, as I trust him.

The company I retired from is no longer on Fords list. Even though it is on a very old list posted in Fords site, when I got to the down and dirty, I found that they are no longer a favored company. Even if they were, the process is not longer as easy as it was when I purchased my MKZ. At that time, all I did was to phone Friends and Family X-Plan at 1-800-348-7709 (or was it 1-800-392-3673) and I gave them the company I retired from, my in company ID number, and perhaps, some other information, and they gave me a PIN. Does not work like this anymore. Now, you have to get a company "Partner Code" direct from your company, then you have to enter the information in a Ford website. It took me a long time to find out that my former company is no longer a Ford Partner. Good Luck

If brake problems are not a safety issue, I don't know what is!

Spoke with the long time Service Writer at my local dealer, and mentioned this problem to him. His answer was "This is the first I've heard of this". How many times has anyone taken their car in with a problem, and had the Service Department tell them the same thing? Another thing they love to say is "Sorry Mr. Xxxxxx, but we have not been able to duplicate the problem". How many times have Toyota Dealers (gas pedals and Prius brakes) and Ford Dealers (FFH brakes) heard that? Just because they "have not been able to duplicate the problem" does not make it any safer.

Don't forget that for that "$800. repair", it cost him $1500. plus the deductable ($100.??), so it cost him $1500 plus $100 plus the interest on the $1500 in the car payment loan, for that "$800 repair" . Like Judge Judy often says, "It don't say Stupid on my forhead"

I had shifting problems with my MKZ (Aisin Transmission, like yours). First I took it to a L/M dealer, to re-program the transmission control unit (TCU). What he did was to plug in a laptop conputer, left it on the car seat, while the car sat and idled. After an hour, they said that the TCU was now updated. I still had problems with the shifting. Mostly on the upshifts. After a couple more months of this, I then went to my local Ford dealer, and spoke with their Service Manager, who I've known, and know that he is a Ford Master Tech. Asked him if it would cost me to have him check it out. (Car was still in Warranty). He (not a tech, but the Service Manager himself) checked Fords program (or whatever) to fix the problem, took his laptop, sat in the car, plugged it in, then followed the instructions in the laptop. It went somethins like this. 1. Tap tap tap in laptop. 2. Turn ignition key on. 3. Tap tap tap in laptop. 4. Turn ignition key off 5. Tap tap tap in laptop. 6. Turn ignition key on. 7. Tap tap tap in laptop. 8. Start car. 9. Tap tap tap in laptop. 10. Turn car off. 11. Unplug the laptop. Took all of five minutes. (not the hour the L/M dealer took). He did a great job. The transmission never gave me problems after that. Best of all, other than he corrected the transmission shifting problem was that he did not charge me or even warranty it through Ford. This Service Manager (Master Ford Tech) is no longer at my local Ford dealer, but now at at Ford/Mercury dealer in a small town 100 miles away. I stil phone him for advice.

Chappy, Don't feel bad about thinking your FFH has a hard stiff ride. (my MKZ is the same) I'm on the Genesisowners.com site and many of us, including me, feel that the Genesis has a very stiff ride. Others seem to say that this is the suspension of a "Sport Sedan". So you see, your complaint about stiff ride is not just you. Why Ford has the FFH set with a stiff ride, I don't know, because a Hybrid is NOT a Sport Sedan. People buy it for fuel economy. I could understand it more on the Fusion Sport, but not the FFH. If it makes you feel any better, my best friend has a Gen-II Prius, and that car also has a very stiff harsh ride. My wife loves her Continental, and only drives one of the other car when he has to.

Leaking Power Transfer Unit on my MKZ AWD. (Same as a Fusion)

So what you are saying is you purchased an extended warranty on a new car, that already has a great factory new car warranty! Also, another thing you are saying is that you have no faith in the quality of your new 2010 Fusion! You are also saying that you will keep the car long after the factory warranty ends! I don't know if I'd want to buy from a salesman who has no faith in his product. (Did the F&I guy talk you into it or did he just discount it to you because you are an employee?) (or are you really the F&I guy and not a salesman?) BTW, I listen to Clark Howard www.clarkhoward.com on both his radio show and on his HLN TV Show, and both he and Consumers Reports say DON'T DO IT. I never have, and never will. I've purchased a lot of new cars, and a few "off lease" cars, and the few times I've had to fix something still cost me a lot less than what it would have cost me to buy an Extended Service Plan. Lastly, if the F&I guy talks anyone into buying an ESP, make sure it is from FORD (or whatever brand you are buying). Never NEVER buy an ESP from a company that is not the manufacturers own ESP. (Sometimes hard to tell as the F&I guy is trained to talk fast and to hide that fact). Also my humble opinion!

If you MUST get an extended warranty (also called an Extended Service Plan), make sure it is one from Ford. (the papers must say Ford on them, not the XYZ Warranty Company or in the above example, the Advantage Powertrain Plus). Aftermarket ESP's are not worth the paper they are printed on. Check out www.ripoffreport.com As for the 2008 V6 Fusion with 47000 miles, you said your Powertrain Plus warranty was for 5 years or 60000 miles and that would end at 107000 miles or 5 years. This may or may not be true. Read the paperwork with a fine tooth comb (or glasses) because I have only seen where the 5 years or 60000 miles is from the first day of operation (first owner) and not added to the date and miles when you purchased the car. That means you will pay $1100 for a warranty that only covers you for an additional 3000 miles. Don't forget the dealer F&I guy will tell you anything to sell you a large profit item like an ESP. They put you under a lot of pressure to buy these ESP's and don't want to take no for an answer. Good luck with getting your money back when you try to cancel. Lastly, I've had dealers try to sell me Non-Ford ESP's when buying NEW Fords or Lincolns. Customers don't really find out that the ESP is not from Ford but from an aftermarket warranty company. When I purchased my Genesis, they tried right up to the last minute to sell me an ESP (from some company I never heard of) even when I told them that with the 10/100,000 power train warranty, and the other great bumper to bumper warranty that comes with the car, why would I want to buy an aftermarket ESP. I pointed to my forehead and said that it does not say stupid up there. When I bought my Lincolns, it was the same with their F&I guys. When I had problems with the MKZ, the regular factory warranty took care of it.

In reading this thread, I swear I was reading the exact same things in the GenesisOwners.com website. (I have one). My wife does not like the harsh ride in either the Genesis or the MKZ. (She loves her Continental).

Don't get angered by what I'm posting below, as I hope to purchase a FFH in the near future. Thought about a Gen III Prius, but my wife hates the looks of the Prius, and as the saying goes, "Happy wife, happy life". Last January, my best friend in Roswell NM won a Gen II Prius at the Billy the Kid Casino, in Ruidoso NM. He had to pick it up at the Toyota Dealer in Alamagordo NM. In the year he has owned the car, he has put on over 20,000 miles. He drives to Ruidoso two or three times a week, 140+ miles round trip. Also took one trip to Dallas and one trip to Phoenix. Other than that, he just drives it around Roswell. When I was there, I got tired of hearing how good his milage was, and asked him just how good is it tank to tank. He said that he sometimes calculates it, but mostly just reads the (instant) mpg. I then told him that the instand mpg does not mean a thing and that somewhere in his display, he has a "total" mpg display. He said he never saw it. So........ I started to push on the touch screen, and found a screen that shows his mpg for the last 10 miles, 20 miles, 30, 40 and 50 miles, PLUS the total avg mpg. I asked him when was the last time he reset it. He answered that he never reset it. Did not even know he had such a screen. OK, now I'm thinking that either the total avg mpg resets itself whenever he fills up with gas, or it only resets when he touches the correct place on the touch screen. After I returned to Florida, I talked with a guy who has the exact same car as my buddy, and he told me that the total mpg only resets when he touches the reset on the touch screen. OK, ready for this???? My buddys total mpg from the time he picked it up, until 20,000+ miles later read 49.5 mpg. I was impressed. 49.5 mpg for over 20K miles. I still want a FFH, however I'm impressed with the Gen II Prius, and would love to try a Gen III Prius.

OK guys. Thank you. I checked the list that bbf2530 posted, and the company is listed there. You may be correct as the HR Department may not know their a.. from a hole in the ground. Problem is that I don't live there anymore. I just finished sending an email to a friend that still lives there, and who also retired from there, to visit one of the dealers there to find out how the dealers in that town get their information. Thanks again. I have saved the list for ammunition.

Most gas today is E10 and the alcohol keeps the injectors and fuel lines clean. No need to buy injector cleaners. This is about the only good thing about E10.

Am thinking of buying an FFH, so I figured I'd get me an X-Plan PIN, like I did three years ago when I purchased my MKZ. At that time, I just phoned Fords X-Plan people at 1-800-348-7709, asked if the large company I retired from was a "partner" to Ford and if so, could I get a PIN for the X-Plan. The guy looked up the company, said yes, it was on his list, asked me for some information, like my identification number within that company, then he proceded to give me a PIN. Went to a dealer, and bought the car that I wanted. Well I tried that today. The girl I spoke with was not helpfull, saying that "things have changed since I last got a PIN", and she could not help me with an X-Plan PIN. Said she could with an A-Plan or Z-Plan, but not with the X-Plan (or D-Plan). Told me I had to telephone my company "Human Resource" and get a "Partner Code" from them, and then I had to go to a Ford website to get the X-Plan PIN only from the website. Because I no linger live in the area where I retired, I have to do all my contacting on the phone, and when I phoned the company, the guy had no idea what I was talking about. After a while, he figured out what I was asking, said he did not have the information, but gave me the direct phone number for Human Resources, however they were all done for the day, so I have to call back tomorrow. First off, I don't know if my company is still on Fords list, or not, but if it is, the Ford girl could not (or would not) give me that information. Ford is making it hard for me to buy a FFH, or any other Ford product. Three years ago, it was a pleasure to buy the MKZ. So easy. I have a couple other Non Ford products I have been looking at, and if I don't get an X-Plan PIN, I will be giving even more consideration for those other Non-Ford products.

1. I use Rain-X ONLY to clean the scum that sometimes forms at the top (up) end of the wiper stroke. I've had this scum form so bad, that at times, it looks black. I just take a little Rain-X on the tip of a cloth, and clean the scum off. 2. Once in a while, I will clean the wiper blade itself with Rain-X, making sure to dry it before resting the blade back on the glass. I never use Rain-X on the windshield. I used to use it years ago, but I found that it caused more problems with wiper chatter, once it started to wear off, so I no longer use it.

Go to www.awrswheelrepair.com and click on "locations". If you have them close to you, give them a try. I have a friend who had a wheel from his Jag XJR bent, and the mobil repair trailer came to him, took the wheel off his XJR, placed it on a vertical bar, bolted it down, removed the air from the tire (but left the tire on the wheel), measured the wheel and the dent with a micrometer, slightly heated the dented area with a propane torch, then placed a hydraulic cylinder between the vertical support and the dent, then watched the dent get removed. He remeasured with the micrometer. Wheel was like new. Refilled tire and put it back on car. Cost my buddy $125 for the job. These guys also go to dealers (here in the Orlando area) to fix wheels. Hope this helps.

Well my post of February 2nd was ok back then, however now at 30,000 miles, my POWER TRANSFER UNIT (PTU) (Transfer Case) is leaking. Started with oil showing up on the floor of my garage. Took it to my local Ford dealer, and they thought it was the seal that comes out of the transfer case, and they replaced the seal, however it is still leaking and it is not coming from the new seal. Have another appointment on Monday January 5th, with the L/M Dealer that I purchased the car from. Problem in Florida is that there are so few AWD's, that I don't think anyone knows how to fix them. In reading my Owners Manual, it says that the PTU takes 12 oz of a Special Synthetic Oil, and I hope that I have not lost it, but I will let the L/M Techs look, and they can keep the car while they give me a loaner. They have not looked at it yet, however because the oil is NOT red, I know it is not Transmission Fluid, and it is too thick to be Engine Oil, so the PTU is the only other thing in the area that it could be.

I thought that all of them were equiped with the aux jack. The jack in my car is located in the center consul. That said, it does not come with a cord. I went to Radio Shack and purchased a cord. (Owners manual told me what size cord to buy). One end into the jack and the other into the device. Works just fine.

Because I live mostly in Florida, I never really noticed this before, however I just returned from a trip to New Mexico and some mornings, the temperature was down around 20F. I noticed that the Navigation/Radio Display was very dim until the inside of the car warmed up. Once warmed up, the display is normal. This morning, the temp was about 50F here at my home in Florida. Display was slightly dim for a very short time until car warmed up. Anyone in cold areas find the same thing?

This will make you laugh. A few years ago, I had a car that I noticed a "chirp" every two minutes. Did not matter if key was on or off. I clocked it. Every 120 seconds, I would hear the chirp. (Is my car bugged, or what?). Well, I listened, and it sure sounded like it was coming from under the dash. Took the top of the dash off, and could not find it. Was driving me crazy. A couple days later, while cleaning the floor of the back seat, I saw it. There on the seat was a "Phone Pager" that dropped out of a friends pocket. Because it had a message on it that had not been read, it would chirp every two minutes until read. Good thing the top of that dash was easy to take off :rolleyes:

Sorry guys. I just don't understand this whole HID hype. My MKZ has factory HID headlights. My Conti has regular QI headlights. I do a lot of long distance night driving and I don't have any difference seeing between the two light sources. Yes, the HID may be "whiter" than the QI, however I don't see any better with them. My owners manual says that if a headlight burns out, not only must the "bulb" be replaced, but also the Ballast must be replaced. Wonder how much that will cost me? Years ago, I used to drive a lot in France. (Still do). Before Europe unified, France mandated that their car headlights had to be yellow. I drove all over Europe with yellow headlights, and never had a problem seeing at night. Matter of fact, because yellow is the opposite of blue, and because there is a lot of blue at night when the weather and lighting conditions are not perfect, and yellow filters blue, I found I could see better with the yellow (French) headlights. This is why in this country, they sell "Yellow Night Driving Glasses" and why "Fog Lights" are yellow. They all filter out the blue. (I also wear "Blue Blocker Sunglasses in the daytime for better sight). Now that Europe unified, the EU has mandated that all EU countries must have (mostly) the same laws, so France had to go with white headlights. JMHO