ctrcbob

Love that Paint Job :unsure:

There must be a reason that Ford states in the owners manual that you are not to tow with this car. I don't know the exact reason, however I think it must have something to do with either: The AW-F21 Transmission can't take the extra load, or: The chassis of the car can't take the weight or load. Good reasons not to tow.

Word to the wise. The following is for all States Except Florida! In all other States, you can negotiate the price of the ESP just as you can negotiate the price of the car. The dealer can sell the ESP for whatever he feels he can get. In Florida, the State consideres ESP's as an Insurance Policy, as as such, it must be sold at the price stated by the manufacturer. (MSRP). This stems from years ago, insurance salesmen were selling policies for much more than what the insurance company called for. Florida passed a law stating that insurance must be sold for the amount the company says, not what the salesman says. Well, they never thought about when the salesman (or dealer) wants to sell for less (at a discount). For this reason, dealers can't discount in Florida, or to anyone with a Florida address. (see below what happened to me). OK you say. "Just buy it at a non-Florida dealer". Sounds good, but won't work. If you try to buy at a non-Florida dealer, when the paperwork gets to Ford, and they see that you have a Florida address, they will contact the selling dealer and either ask him a lot of questions about you, or tell that dealer he is not allowed to sell you the ESP. Here is what happened to me. I purchased my vehicle in Florida. I have a Florida address and the vehicle is registered in Florida. I was visiting my New York Dealer while at my New York address, and mentioned to them that I wanted to buy the ESP at a discount (because I could not get it discounted in Florida). Dealer said sure, as he is an independant businessman, and can set his own prices. A few days later, I was back at the dealer for another reason, talking with his office staff, when I heard the office girl, on the phone say, "yes, matter of fact, he is standing right here". What happened was the ESP people saw that I had purchased the vehicle in Florida. They asked the girl if I was "a walk in or if I contacted them by mail or email". She told them that I was a "walkin" and that the NY address I gave them was correct. Only then would they allow the dealer to sell me the ESP. The ESP paperwork was then mailed to my NY address. So, if you live in Florida, you can still get the ESP at a discount from a non-Florida dealer if you have an address in that non-Florida State.

Document, Document, DOCUMENT! If you do any of your own maintenance, document it in a logbook that you should start. Keep all recepts of the oil you purchased, and the oil filter. (I went so far as to cut out the logo from the oil bottles and kept them with the recepts, plus the box the oil filter came in. Make sure you change the oil and filter within the milage and time limit they set for you. Keep an eye on the time limit. If it says to change the oil every 7000 miles, or every 6 months, whichever comes first, and you only put 1000 miles on it within that 6 months, change it anyway. Car companies are just looking for any excuse to deny warranty work. In my owners manual, if you look close, somewhere it states that they allow you to go 1000 miles over the milage limit, but nowhere does it state that you can go over the time limit. What "inspections" are you talking about. If there are any, and you do the inspection, Document it in your log. (Those "inspections" are a big money maker for dealers). If you did go (once) 10K without an oil change, and I hope you use a quality Group-IV or Group-V Full Synthetic, it would not matter to Ford as they still would say you did not change within their milage or time limit, even though Group IV or Group V Synthetics could go twice the 10K milage. Note: Just because an oil is labled as Full Synthetic, don't mean it is so. Most oils sold in the US (not sure about Canada) that say they are Full Synthetic are in truth, Group-III oils, which are regular oil that has been "Super Refined" (Hydrocracked) and although better than regular Group-II oils, are not as good as Group-IV (PAO) or Group-V (Ester, DiEster, PolyOlEster, etc). Every couple years, I vacation in Europe, and the owners manuals in the cars I lease say to make sure you change the oil every 30,000 kilometers. Well 30,000 kilometers is 18,750 miles. They only use Group-IV or Group-V oils in Europe. What oils in this country are Group-IV or Group-V? (Great Question as oil companies keep it a secret). 1. Some (not all) of the Mobil-1. Check the back of the bottle and if it meets Mercerdes or VW Specs, it is Full Synthetic. Don't know about the other Mobil-1's as they keep it a secret. 2. Most (not all) of the AmsOil (PAO). Read the bottle. Their Group-IV, as most of them are, does not say on the bottle that it is for 7500 mile oil changes. 3. One (and only one) of the Castrol Syntec. It is the 0W-30 that says "European Formula" (Group-IV PAO) and on the back of the bottle, it must say, "Made in Germany". All the 0W-30 made since 2002 says this except a very few that were made in the US after the hurricanes of 2005. Look for that "Made in Germany" in very small print on the back of the bottle. 4. RedLine (Group-V PolyOlEster). Very expensive. What I use in my Continental is either Castrol 0W-30 (one of the few places to buy is at Auto Zone) or Mobil-1 0W-40 that I sometimes buy at Wal-Mart or Advantage Auto. Both meet various VW (505.5) and Mercedes (229.5) Specs which are tougher than Ford specs and I run them to around 10,000 miles before changing. Because my MKZ is still under warranty, calling for 5W-20, depending on how I feel, I use either Penzoil Platinum 5W-20 (Group-III) Synthetic (OK for those 7500 mile oil changes) or the above mentioned Castrol 0W-30. Have not yet used the Mobil-1 0W-40 in this car. When I was getting my free Lincoln oil changes, I allowed them to use the Motorcraft Blend 5W-20, but only from bottles, not from Bulk. (What the heck, it was free, and I was changing it at 4000 miles). BTW, learned all I know about oil from www.bobistheoilguy.com then click on Forums. Good reading.

Just go to your favorate dealer, be it Ford or Mercury, and tell them your problem and that TSB 07-2-1 covers your problem and can they please fix it. Don't know if you will have to pay if your car is out of warranty, as this is not a recall, just a TSB.

I looked in the section on TSB's and is shows a TSB Number 07-2-1 that the subject is Key stuck in ignition. It this site, it does not show how to fix it, but your dealer should check it out. 07-2-1, have them look it up. UPDATE: Go into www.fordfusionclub.com then under the first subject line, you will see a very small area that says; Child Boards, TSB/SSB/Recall Info. Click on that. Next page is the TSB area, then look down and find TSB 07-2-1 and read not only the TSB, but all the people that had the problem and how they got it fixed.

I will have to keep an eye (or ear) on mine, as I have 24k on it. Don't know what a carrier bearing is, but will keep that name in the back of my mind.

Have not purchased gas again since I posted the above, but when I do, I will do the math to double check that tank full vice the reading I get in the dash unit. As I said before, when I was using 100% gasoline, the dash unit always read very close to when I did the math. Now, not only is the dash unit reading less than when I was using 100% gasoline, but when doing the math, the math is less than the dash reading. Loosing in two different ways. Will see what happens on the next fill-up with the math vs the dash reading.

Akirby, You beat me to the punch. :rolleyes:

I posted this basic message on another message board, so I will post again. I have an 02 Continental and an 07 MKZ. Fuel milage in both cars is down 10% on E10. People here in Florida are now mandated to use E10, since May 2008. Many other States also use the E10 fuel. (OK, we will only talk about my MKZ) Using the electronic fuel indicator, my MKZ gets 5% less mpg compared to before the E10. Back when we were using Gasoline, the fuel indicator was always very close to the actual mpg calculated by me using math. but now I noticed that although the indicator showed my mpg was 5% less, I seemed to be putting in much more than normal, so............. I started to do the math again. Guess what? My actual mpg by me doing the math in every day driving around the country is 5% lower than the electronic indicator. I have lost 10% mpg (5% gas to E10 + 5% indicator on E10 vs math on E10 = 10%) since the switch to E10. I don't know why the indicator reads higher than actual calculations by me when only using the E10. Don't know if the car's computer calculates by fuel flow through some kind of device, which was calibrated by the manufacturer for gasoline usage, and the car still thinks it is burning 100% gasoline. All in all, as I said before, my actual milage in around town driving is down 10% using E10. On my recent trip up North, using the electronic indicator (not me doing the math), my milage was down 10% using E10 compared to the 100% gasoline I got up North. If I had error between the indicated reading and doing the math, it would be more than 10% less. E10 in every day use is a very bad idea. Once in a while, to keep injectors clean, ok, but not every tankfull like we must here in Florida. Just for information, on my recent trip to Western New York, (all only using the dashboard mpg indicator, not doing the math) going North, getting fuel in Florida, GA, SC, VA and PA, my milage was down around 24 to 25 mpg. Was only in Western NY for one week. Filled up at a Hess Station that had full Gasoline, not E10. My around town milage was better, but because I had nothing to compare it to, I did not think much of it. The morning I left, I went back to the very same station and filled up again. Driving through the hills of the NY Southerntier and Pennsylvania, all going 72 to 78 mph, all expressway except for one 80 mile streach of US 17 between Winchester VA and Falmouth VA, I got past Richmond VA, all on that one fill-up at Hess in Rochester NY, 29 mpg. Yes, 29 mpg on Gasoline! Once I got to Richmond, all I could find was E10, so every time from there to Florida, with E10, I was back to 24-25. In years past, I used to like E10, but I was not buying it every day like I must now. Now I hate it. If you live in a State or area where you have a choice, get 100% gasoline, not E10.

Just get under there a try the socket yhou have. If it fits, fine. If not, go out and buy one. It only take a couple minutes to check the size.

If you are going to change your own plugs, have fun with the rear bank. If you pay someone to change your plugs, have fun paying him a lot of money for the labor.

MDJ, Just as MKARESH said, the Saturn does NOT have the same transmission as the MKZ. The Saturn has the same transmission as the MKX and Ford Edge. Fords version of this joint GM/Ford transmission is called the "6F" Transmission. The MKZ and Milan and Fusion (and EARLY versions of the Ford FiveHundred and Mercury Montego) use the Aisin-Warner Transmission. Fords name is the AW-F21 Transmission. Toyota has a part stake in Aisin-Warner and Toyota transmissions are mostly made by Aisin-Warner. This transmission does not give trouble! Does the "Warner" part of the name sound familier? Well a company called Aisin merged with "Borg-Warner" and is now called Aisin-Warner. The only thing the F21 and the 6F have in common is that they both are six speed automatics. Note that the AW-F21 takes a different transmission fluid than other Ford products. Ford calls their transmission fluid: Motorcraft Special Automatic Transmission Fluid. This is NOT Mercon or Mercon-V. The very same fluid can be purchased at Toyota dealer as Toyota's T-IV Fluid. It is also the Mobil ATF-3309 (NOT Mobil-1). I've never needed to add any, but I did check prices, and the Toyota T-IV is cheaper than the Motorcraft. The 3309 is only offered at auto parts stores if you buy a case, which I'm not about to do. I have a friend with an MKX with the 6F transmission and he has never said anything bad about his 6F transmission, unlike your Saturn. Lastly, I have not had even an iota of problems with my MKZ. Nothing. Nada. Niente.

Per your gas milage. My gas milage did go up slightly as I started to put on miles. I won't state the around town milage as every town is different, however on the open road, 75mph, I USED to get 26-27mpg on my trips up north. The State of Florida mandated that all gas sold as of May 31st must have 10% ethanol. Last trip in May/June, my milage was down to 23-25mpg. All stations I stopped at had that little sticker showing that they had "up to 10% ethanol". This was a drop of 5% to 10% in gas milage compared to previous trips north on the same roads and same speeds. While up in Western New York, I found a Hess station that did not have the ethanol in the gas. Filled up and by the time I was ready to return to Florida, I had run that tank down, so the morning I left, I went back to the same station and filled up again. Got 29mpg and did not stop for fuel until I got to Richmond VA. This was going through the up and down hills of Pennsylvania, Maryland and Western Virginia. All Interstate except the 80 miles of US 17 between Winchester VA and Falmouth VA. 29mpg! Stopped for fuel in Richmond VA as the price is much lower than in North Carolina, and all I could find was that darn 10% ethanol. Milage went down to the 23-24mpg range, and stayed there all the way back to Florida. (gas is cheapest in South Carolina, even less than Georgia). As for my around town milage, driving the same as I always do, my milage is down 10% or more. (Dam that ethanol). The only good thing about ethanol in the fuel is that it keeps the injectors and fuel lines clean. Years ago, I used to say that the 10% ethanol (aka gasahol) did not cause my gas milage to go down. I often got it, not because I wanted it, but once in a while, I'd stop at a station that had it, so I got it. Well, when doing that, it was only once in a while. If I filled up on gasahol, what was already in the tank was gasoline, so the percentage of ethanol in the total tank was low, and the next time I'd fill up, chances were that the station was pure gasoline. Well now, its different. 10% ethanol is all you can get, and the milage goes down. What good is using 10% ethanol if we have to use more of it vice pure gasoline? Madness!!!!

I have the Cooled (and Heated) front seats. Still have not checked how to change the filters. Also,------- although the cooled seats work, if the car has been sitting in the sun, with the sun beating down on the seats, it takes a "Looooong" time for the seats to cool down. By the time you feel anything, your butt has already cooled the seat. The seatback hardly cools down at all when you start out hot. If the inside of the car is not very hot, like when you first go out in the morning from your garage, the cool down is quick. IMHO, the cooled seats are a gimmick and not worth the added cost. (but my car came with every option for the 07 year, so I had no choice). On one of my trips up to "cold country" after a couple days, I remembered that I also had Heated Seats. They worked better and quicker, but then again, I very seldom go up there when the weather is cold.

GoBlue, Thank you for your service! From a retired Navy "Spook".

For that kind of money, go ahead and do it. It looks fantastic on the Fusion. BTW, forgot to tell you in my first post. That kit had the larger exaust pipe tips. Don't know if the tips are standard with the kit or not, but sure looked great. There is a guy who lives nearby with a White MKZ with the 3D Carbon kit. Looks good, bet the Fusion kit looks FANTASTIC.

While at my local Ford Dealer, I saw in his showroom, he had a Fusion SE with the 3D Carbon Body Kit. It looked GREAT. WOW. In the past, I have toyed with the idea of getting a 3D Carbon body kit for my MKZ, but decided that the cost was not worth it. On the MKZ, (and Zephyr) it just does not look as good as on the Fusion. Only problem was when I looked at the "bump up" sticker on the cars window, they wanted $3500.oo more with the body kit. For those that don't know any better, that may be OK, however when I was pricing them, the price for the parts was slightly over $1000 (or was it $1200) and with painting and installation, the price came out to around $2200. This was only last year at my local L/M Dealer. Note that the pieces for the Fusion are different than the MKZ/Zephyr pieces, so that may be the reason for the price difference, however on the Fusion, it looked so much better than on the MKZ.

This is an easy one to answer. Go to www.dashmatt.com and order a dashmatt from them. I have one in each car. They work great. Best to order Black as you will have much less reflection. One of my cars has a Tan dashmat and I get a little reflection from that one. Cost is very reasonable.

Turbo, I know they have been talking about the 4 cylinder Fusion and I have no idea who makes the automatic transmission for the 4 cylinder, but when it comes to the 6 cylinder Fusion, and I could be wrong about this, but I don't think that Jaguar or VW use the Asian-Warner, like the AWF-21 our cars use. Everyone else, When they talk about a "backflush", I think they are talking about the machine that hooks up to the transmission lines, and changes out the fluid, while the engine is at idle. If this is the method they use, they are not backflushing. What is happening is that the new fluid gets pumped into the transmission by the transmissions own pump, while the old dirty fluid gets pumped out. This is not a backflush. If anything, it is a "forward-flush" and I've use it a few times on previous cars without any problems whatsoever. Also, as for the color of the old "dirty" fluid, a few years ago, I had a Chrysler convertable that took ATF+4. The owners manual stated that you are not to worry about the fluid looking dirty. It is a normal thing and that d. (Did not keep that car for very long because living in Florida, you just can't have the top down in the summer as it is so darn HOT and HUMID, although in the winter it was great).

xxxxxx mile service is a big money maker for dealers. Although many people take their cars in for the xxxxxx mile service, I never do. The dealers are always trying to sell you something that you don't need, or add something that the manufacured tells you not to use. Although I do take it to dealers for the oil change, only because it costs the same as elsewhere, plus I get a factory oil filter, (although one dealer chain here in Orlando area uses cheap aftermarket oil filters), I never tell them to do a xxxxxx mile service. I see what it needs, and tell them to do an individual service. Everytime I take my Continental in for an oil change and filter, they always tell me that its overdue for a transmission "service". Rather than me telling them that the owners manual does not call for this "service", I just tell them no, as I'm going to get rid of the car next week. They always try to sell me "Injector Cleaner". Big waste of money. They always try to get me to buy an alignment, even though the car tracks true, and the tires wear good. Have you priced an alignment lately? Bet there are a lot of people out there that were charged a lot of money to have thier timing belts changed, when their car (like our V6's) have timing chains, not timing belts, and timing chains are not to be changed. They almost got my sister with her 97 Taurus 24valve V6 on that one, until I told her that her car does not have belts. She got her money back. I always change out things when I feel like it, not when it "needs to be serviced". Sometimes earlier than when they say. Nobody knows my car like I know my car. For some things, I go to my neighborhood mechanic vice my dealer, depending on the deal they are giving. Sometimes, if the job is easy, I just do it myself. I do a "pump and dump" on my transmission fluid myself, whenever I feel like it. Easy and fast, (just make sure you use correct fluid) even though the service" does not call for it. On my Continental, I change out the PCV valve whenever I feel like it. Buy one at WalMart and just pop out old one and pop in new one. Costs me about $3.00 but if I had a dealer do it, it would cost me an arm/leg for such a simple thing.

When I took my car for its first (free) oil and filter change, the tech (who welcomed me into the service area) said that the filter was not hard to remove at all, however when he went to remove the oil drain plug, it came off too easy. He just barely touched the socket to the drain plug and he could see that the drain plug was loose, right from the manufacturer.

Are you wearing Polarized Sunglasses? What about the Orange/Red "BlueBlocker" Sunglasses? Reason I ask is that with Polarized glasses, you see things differently. Example, speckled rear window glass. I normally use BlueBlocker glasses. One day, while looking at two blue different year vehicles, (without my glasses on), they looked identical in color. Their paint codes were different, but they looked identical side by side. A little later, when I had my BlueBlockers on, I saw that they were different. Glasses off, the same. Glasses on, different.

Surprised that they could find room to put a turbo in the Fusion engine compartment. I know that the 3.0 engine is bullit proof, but don't know if it can take 300hp. Time will tell. My 263hp 3.5 has more than enough power for me, plus it all stays in warranty. The new 270hp 3.7 is probably de-tuned, as it is only very slightly more power than the 3.5. When the twin-turbo 3.5 comes out, it will have 340hp, all in warranty. (I'm thinking of getting the 340hp MKS, once they introduce that engine, but like I said, I'm only thinking about it - First I have to get my wife to give up her Continental, which she does not want to do.)

How many miles on your car now? I have almost 19k on my AWD and so far, no hint of problems, but will keep my eyes (ears) open for that noise.