Grey

I believe we should have a Forum subset for the new Hybrid Fusion and Milan models. However since they will be very limited in production and discussions about them will have little interest to non-hybrid owners, others may disagree. There are any number of "Hybrid" forums already online, and they are ok, but you have to wade through Toyota, Honda, etc. to get to the Ford hybrids. Ford begins production of these hybrids at the end of December (2010 models). What do you think?

Please update us on what the conclusions were since all we can do is guess.

Don't overlook the obvious - it was a spell cast by one of the neighbors, or bad karma. A Ford field service engineer would gladly come out to inspect the vehicle, along with the insurance adjustor. It was likely fuel or oil spill related. Questions to ask include - Has someone serviced the fuel system - injector cleaner, etc.? Did the last oil changer spill a oil in the intake valley? or leave off the 710 cap? Are there modifications to the air/fuel system? etc. etc. Another of the instances where you cannot diagnose a concern without seeing the vehicle, or someone pulling the codes. Dyoct is exactly right. Please update us on what the conclusions were since all we can do is guess.

I looked at a 2006 Fusion owners guide and it says push once to open the trunk. I don't know what model Woody's Fusion is, but if it is a 2006, that might be the issue.

Thanks fomocona - we appreciate you checking in and straightening us out when we guess wrong. I talked with one of my fleet buddies and he says the order guides will be out in October and order input begins late October. Scheduling starts in late Nov. and production begins in late Dec. (?Plant changeover during the Christmas break?) I suspect that the hybrid production might be delayed a bit as there are so many parts that must arrive that are unique to the hybridsd. Fingers crossed. Once production starts and we begin to have hybrid owners, I hope we can create a forum subset for the Fusion and Milan hybrids. There are hybrid forums out there but you have to wade through Toyota, Honda, etc. to get to the good stuff - FORD. Here are some questions to ask if you are thinking about ordering a hybrid: Do you have current allocation for a Hybrid? What month should I expect production based on your allocation? Am I ordering any commodities that are in short supply -"at risk"? Are their other Hybrid orders in the system ahead of mine? What priority are you putting on my order? (Dealers assign priority). What priority are you putting on other orders? (If they are all the same, earliest submitted gets first pull. If others have a higher priority, you wait.) FYI, assuming the dealership has allocation, the dealers control the production scheduling more than Ford does by their assigning the priority.

I hear that your dealership can reprogram your remote so that two pushes on the remote button within 3 seconds is required to open the trunk. That should help prevent unintended unlatching of the trunk when your remote gets a nudge. They can also set your panic button to operate only after being held down for 1 and 1/2 seconds. May not be the cause of the break-in, but won't hurt to fix it anyway.

Dyoct - do you have access to the dealership/Ford website? I would be interested in any insight on the order guide and job1 timing you can provide. I believe a Hybrid Milan is in my future. I sure miss having access, but once you'r "retarred": you'r forgotten.

"Grey, what dealership did you retire from?" I was Ford Corporate - last 10 years in the Atlanta Region. (Parts and Service Operations Manager). Zone Managers, warranty specialists, field service engineers and parts specialists reported to me - 5 states - 550 dealerships. But that was a former life - now I have a great job: Grandpa! :happy feet: :happy feet:

Daughter works for Heidelberg (US operations) and son for Sability - on contract with Verison right now. Are you X-Plan through AT&T? You are pretty knowledgeable about these vehicles.

Oops, sorry akirby. I am on the fordedgeforum and a dealership employee there goes by akirby. He has access to stuff we can't get to online and has been very helpful. My mistake. I have an Edge and MKX currently but want a hybrid, so I joined this forum. I am retired from Ford (parts and service field operations) but don't have access to the dealer info websites any longer (sadly). I'm in Atlanta also. My son and daughter are in the IT fields (in Atlanta.) Again, sorry for the mix-up.

akirby - Please keep your eyes open for the 2010 order guide - especially the Milan (if you sell both Ford and Mercury vehicles). If production starts in December, the order guides should be out pretty soon. Let us know if the Hybrid is late availability. I was thinking about the Mariner Hybrid, but the Milan might be a few thousand cheaper and get slightly better city fuel economy. Glad to find you on this forum. With gas prices as they are, I don't visit my old dealership buddies like I used to since I retired. Grey

Just to make sure someone doesn't think they can neglect their vehicle and come up with receipts suggesting maintenance to qualify for warranty service ---- If you have a lubrication related problem (sludge, run low on oil, overheated, valve train/lower engine wear, etc.) it won't matter how many receipts you have - these are not warrantable conditions. I always have my dealership do my oil changes. If they screw up - underfill, loose/leaking filter, forget to change something, etc. either Ford or the dealership will likely fix the situation. If the corner luber forgets something, (like wiping off the filter instead of replacing it) they are just as likely to forget who you are, if there is a problem. Motorcraft oils have tracer elements in them (as do most oils), that can identify specific oil products in the case of a lubrication related issue. I would use 5w20 in almost any older Ford vehicle - it's just superior in so many ways. Remember, flow = lubrication, not oil pressure. If it flows well, cools the engine well, and doesn't cause too much wear at start-up, it's good enough for me.

Any Ford or L/M dealership can sell you the ESP warranties, in person or online. You will find several search choices. Remember, the dealers cost for the plan you want, goes up by $100 if your vehicle is beyond 12/12,000. Figure out what coverage you want and ask several of them to give you a quote. Your dealership's service department can also sell you an ESP policy - sometimes with very little mark-up (they love ESP).