Monochrome11

Do you need money that bad or are you concerned about the coins rattling around? :D

The dealer knocked of about $500 on the value of my 99 Cougar because of an accident reported on Carfax when I traded it in. I told them the paint was just scratched by a big truck's lug nuts and the mirror was damaged. They said Carfax does not indicate the degree of the accident and they had to reduce the trade-in value because of the report. I am not sure if that was based on a percentage of the value of the car or just a flat number. I am sure going to take that into consideration if I ever have a car that is involved in an accident. The insurance company just pays for the damage but you end up taking a hit on the value of the car because of the accident. I think the insurance company should also pay for the loss in value, especially if the accident was not your fault.

Mine shifts very smooth. Sometimes it is hard to tell it shifted without watching the tach. When it is cold (engine not warmed up) under light acceleration, I sometime notice a slight almost imperceptable slip feel when shifting in one or two of the lower gears. This goes away after a mile or so of driving.

When I first drove mine it seemed overly sensitive when I stepped on the pedal. It would tend to launch quicker than I was expecting. Once I got use to it, I was able to take off normally with out the initial sudden burst. I think it has more to do with the torque converter. My Fusion seems to have little forward force at idle when in gear. If on a slight incline, it will tend to roll backward. Most automatic that I driven don't do that. I think what happens with the Fusion it does not move much, if at all, when you have it in gear and you let your foot off the brake. When you step on the accelerator the torque converter "engages" and it feels like it is launching forward. I have learned to ease into the pedal more so than with other cars and it takes off normally.

I did some research to see what tires I would consider when it is time to replace the originals. The size I looked at is 235/40-18. The tires on my list are in order of preference are; Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus, General G-Max AS-03, BF Goodrich g Force Super Sport A/S and Goodyear Eagle GT. I think all are W-Speed rated.

That is not normal from what I know about A/C. Cycling like that is an indication that it is low on freon. When any of my cars start cycling on and off like that, I take it in to have freon added. It usually takes about a pound of freon and the A/C functions normally again without constant cycling.

The 3.0L definitely has noticeably better performance. My wife and I test drove both the 2.5L and the 3.0L before buying. Even my wife noticed the difference. She does not care about performance but she wanted the 3.0L engine because it didn't feel strained under moderate acceleration. Yes, there is a sacrifice in fuel mileage but the 3.0L still gets reasonable mileage in my opinion.

I have never considered any antenna stylish. They are something that is added as a necessary functional item. Many ideas have been tried to eliminate them but none of those ideas where very good. I don't think the 10-12 Fusion antennas are any worse than other antennas out there. Even the so called stylish "dorsal fin" looks out of place to me.

I did not know that. I think that is a great feature. I normally do this manually but the next time I will see if it does it for me automatically.

I have always gotten considerable improvement in brake performance by upgrading to premium pads. The braking power on my 2002 Ranger was marginal at best for towing and barely satisfactory otherwise. I originally upgraded to Raybestos Super Stop pads and shoes to achieve excellent brake performance while towing and all around driving. I am currently using Akebono (ceramic) pads because Raybestos stopped make the Super Stop pads. The Akebono pads perform as well as the Raybestos pads and produce considerably less brake dust (almost none). So far the rotors are wearing well also. I have not been a fan of Hawk pads. I admit I have never used them on the street but I did try them on my race car when I was searching for some better quality brake pads. I used a couple of their racing compounds with poor results. Other racers indicated they had decent results but with some limitations on use. I guess I am harder on brakes than some racers. I had good results with Performance Friction pads but still wanted something better. I finally found out Raybestos makes various racing compounds and are available through some race suppliers. I selected their most aggressive compound and these are the best pads I have ever used. They saved me from having to upgrade to larger rotors and calipers. In my class, SCCA allows only one specific upgrade and it requires a lot of work and expense to make the conversion. I am a firm believer in upgrading brake pads to increase brake performance and 25 years of racing experience supports this belief.

I find the easiest way to check shock function is to bounce the car as hard as you can by hand two or three times in a rhythmic motion, then let go and see how quickly it comes to rest. It should come to rest in one half to one bounce. Do it on the front then on the rear.

Figure out what it is worth to you, make and offer and be prepared to walk out the door if their counter offer is too high for you.

Would 7,000 miles be considered a decent number of miles?

My 2011 has the sport suspension and I don't think the ride is harsh at all. It handles very well and I would not want it to be any softer. Then again all my vehicles have relatively firm suspension. I have never been into cars with a cushy ride. The only thing I have noticed is road noise on certain types of road surfaces. I think that is more related to the tires but the firmer suspension may be a contributing factor.

From my calculations, the car will sit up just under 1/2" higher and your speedometer and odometer will read slightly under actual speed and distance. They may fit though, check to see how much clearance you have on top of the tire. I plan to go to 235/45-18 when I need tires. They will also be a little taller but should only sit about 3/16" higher.

I wouldn't hesitate to put 5w-30 in a 2008 3.0L. I like to increase the viscosity a little in engines that are starting to get up in mileage. I don't think you will even see a reduction in gas mileage even though your engine may not have higher miles on it. That slight increase in high temperature viscosity will do absolutely no harm to your engine. I ran 20W-50 in an 89 Ranger the entire time I owned it after the first oil change. Ford recommended 10W-30 but I towed my race car and did a lot of off-road four wheeling with it in the desert. I felt it needed the higher weight oil to stand up to the harsh conditions. I drove that truck almost 200,000 miles and it used no more oil when I sold it than it did when it was new. I never had any oil related problems with that engine. In fact, I had no problems with that engine at all. The only time I felt it could use a lower weight oil was in the winter when I went to the mountains. After sitting all night in sub freezing temperatures, it would crank slow before starting. It did always start though. The co-worker that bought that truck is still driving it with over 250,000 miles on it now and it is still running strong.

It sounds like a good deal to me if you like the wheels and the tires. I think it would be smart to get the correct adapter rings. When it is time for new tires, I plan to install 235/45-18 tires. I already have the 18" wheels. The 235/40-18 tires are actually slightly shorter than the original tires on my Fusion with 225/45-18 tires.

That is close on that explanation but not exact. Lubricant and anti-seize does not effect the torque, it effects the amount of clamp up at a specific torque. A lubricated stud will have a higher tensile stress at 100 ft-lbs due the higher clamp up. You can actually get more consistent clamp up with a lubricated stud but you have to back off on the torque specification and you have to make sure you lubricate it every time it is installed. The company I work for makes and applies dry film lubricants for Aerospace applications. We have seen companies use high strength bolts with dry lube and not allow for the lower friction by lowering the torque spec. Many bolts have been broken because of this. Fastener companies take this seriously when determining torque values. They use a torque-tension test machine to determine this specification.

I am not disagreeing with you. I said that it is not entirely correct and that was referring to the statement that synthetic oil will not extend the life of the oil. I can and does extend the life of the oil. Why do I do it? Because I am lazy and prefer to do other things rather than change oil. My 02 Ranger has almost 133K miles on it and well beyond the warranty period. Although, I did install the bypass oil filter when it was new because I new it would work due to the previous experience with my 89 Ranger. Was I taking a risk? Yes, but I guess I don't mind taking a risk. I also race a sports car in SCCA which is considered by many a risk. I am not suggesting anyone else use the extended oil change interval method.

This is not entirely correct. You can can get more miles out of the oil if it is a good synthetic oil. However, it takes more than just changing oil and filter at 20,000 miles. A bypass oil filter that filters micron sized particles is needed and the standard oil filter must be changed at the manufacturer's recommended interval. I have used this system on two Rangers with great success. My current 02 Ranger is at nearly 133K miles with a 20K mile synthetic oil change interval. My 89 Ranger had almost 200K miles on it when I sold it to a co-worker. It had a 25K synthetic oil change interval and now has about 250K miles on it and the engine still runs as good as new with no oil consumption problems. The only work that was done to that engine was replacing the valve cover gaskets, spark plug wires, spark plugs and other normal maintenance. You are correct about needing to replace the oil filter. They do get dirty and should be replaced at the normal interval. My Fusion will get the recommended oil change interval because there is no place to put the bypass oil filter. The 10K mile or 1 year oil change interval is very easy to keep up with anyway. It is really not worth the effort to install the bypass oil filter.

If you are just hitting the gas quickly then letting up you are probably just kicking the transmission down to a lower gear and that is the reason for the 1000 rpm jump. If you continue to hold the pedal down you will probably find it will accelerate quicker. That is not a problem, the transmission is just doing what it is programmed to do.

That information must be for the 4 cyl engine because on my 3.0L 6 cyl engine, the drain plug is behind the access panel and there are three screws holding the oil filter access panel.

I guess putting the valve in the filter assures it gets replaced frequently and is not subject to wear or particle contamination, at least as long as the filter is replaced as it should be.

bbf, I don't think I misunderstood what you were saying. What you are saying could be 100% correct. I have not driven a car with the 3.5L engine so I don't have any experience to compare. I just find the 3.0L extremely smooth and find it hard to believe the 3.5L is smoother. Then again maybe my definition of smooth is different than yours or other people. I did not feel you were degrading the 3.0L engine. I just thought I would add my short term, so far, experience with the 3.0L.

What kind of oil filter are you using? Some filters do not have an anti-drain back valve and will not build up pressure as quickly as a Motorcraft oil filter that has the anti-drain back valve.