Grey

FFH called Sparky

You would need to trade-in or sell the vehicle to a buyer ---Not let the buyer purchase directly from the leasing company. If you rade-in the vehicle it can be worked out where you get the full value from the leased Tribeca. Otherwise, buy it and resell it - or just ocntinue to drive it until you see another deal you want and trade or sell it then. You should own the tag (at least in GA.) If your dealership allows you $20,000 on your trade in, less the lease buy-out, on your new vehicle, you should trust that they are doing it correctly.

If you keep your summer tires in the garage, the light will turn off when in their proximity. My experience with new wheels/tires on my F150 without TPMS sensors. I don't like the idea of moving the valve stem sensors to other wheels. Advisor may be right.

No

I have thought the same thing. I worried about seating the rings and at 1000 miles I ran it up in low gear and let it coast back down trying to create a little backpressure. You don't want to drive it like you stole it, but some 3/4 throttle runs and high speed coast down events might be called for. It is rare for some of us to ever get the ICE above 1,800 RPM. Another reason not to change to a full synthetic before break-in is completed. There is such a thing as "too slick" with a new engine honed like ours.

Since you had a misfire situation, the smoke may have been unburned fuel and moisture in the exhaust system. The unburned fuel could flash in the catalyst and burn off any deposits that build up over time. That could produce the smoke and trigger the exhaust gas oxygen sensor to throw a code. I expect the new coil will correct the problem.

There may be extra incentives on the Milan since it is being phased out of the lineup. Worth considering.

Sure sounds like blow-by then. Perhaps the rings did not seat well and the cylinder walls are glazed. Or, it was overfilled and they didn't want to admit it.

They will try to duplicate the condition. Could be moisture in the exhause system, deposits on the converter or oil blow-by. You didn't say how many miles are on the vehicle and how it was maintained (Factory fill oil still in the vehicle, changed to full synthetic, weight of oil used last oil change, etc.) so we would be guessing along with your service advisor (who was pretty silly to say it's not good!) Sometimes it's hard to fully describe concerns - Was it black, blue or white smoke? How hot was the engine when it happened? Did the engine light leave codes? What was the driving mode before the condition? I suspect it will turn out to be a one time minor situation or an insignificant event like moisture in the exhaust.

Back to leasing. One big advantage is that after 24,36 or 39 months, you no longer want the vehicle, you can turn it in and get something you do want. And, if you love it, you can pay the residual price and keep it. There are situations where it can be cheaper to lease than buy (on a monthly basis). IE. when residuals are high, lease interest rates are low, or there are special incentives for leases. It often doesn't work for people that don'e realize that the agreed to price is negotiable, that anticipating the number of miles they will drive affects the cost or that start out with negative equity in their trade.

Welcome. I know you are enjoying your new vehicle. Please share with us, your experiences and opinions of the vehicle. We look forward to your contributions/

FFH sounds like the perfect vehicle for you. Speed control set for 40 should give you 55 MPG or better for that portion of your trip. The MMilanH has some incentives on it - you should check them out also. Good Luck.

Define your driving cycles. If you have miles of travel over 50 MPH and few stops on your commute, look closely at non-hybrid versions. If you are constantly in stop and go traffic and under 45 MPH, or short trips, the hybrid might make sense. 90% of our driving is under 5 miles and under 45 MPH so we are getting double the miles per gallon than the Edge it replaced.

Great to know. I have been in your dealership many times (years ago). Can you still get a good burger down the street? By monitoring the forums, you will find out much about your product lines and you can correct misinformation that occurs occasionally. Do you let your customers know that your service department can program daytime running lights on most new vehicles in a few minutes?

Do your managers share enough information with you so you can provide realistic build and delivery estimates to your customers? Do you know what the monthly allocations are and how orders have been prioritized? Do you have access to FDealer, VinCent and C&I data? I think I would have a hard time selling vehicles if I had to ask a manager everytime I needed to know these answers. The management strategy in many of the Atlanta dealerships provides sales personnel much more access to the information than they had in the past. And while there are risks with putting too much info out on the table, it helps the sales personnel better advise their customers and builds long term relationships.

Now that the resale values of Ford products is higher, the residual values of leases should be higher. That means even better lease rates in the future. If you trade every two or three years, it might be far cheaper to lease than own. We leased our 2007 Lincoln MKX and the value after two years was $3,000 higher than the buy-out price so we kept it. Had we not loved the vehicle we could have walked away.

WooHoo ---FIXED Thanks

One major thing at play here. The MKX introduces with a $1,000 incentive that is not available on the Hybrid. But, great merchandising on the part of Ford. Look at all the visibility the MKX Hybrid got.

Many of the 2011 vehicles will have a 10,000 mile maintenance interval. i wonder if the dealerships will begin recommending 5,000 mile (severe duty) changes for them?????? My FFH has a 10,000 mile maintenance interval now so I do it every 6 months (about 5,000 miles.)

Greg - most people have heard rediculous prices for the batery packs - like $8-10,000. Truth is, in 8-10 years when your battery warranty expires, there will be exchange stations that can rebuild your battery pack or swap it out for a remanufactured unit for under $2,500. Some folks will buy sleeves of cells and do it at home - it ain't rocket surgery. Many of the New York taxi cabs (Escape Hybrids) have over 250,000 miles on the original battery pack. But there is nothing sensational about that so it doesn't get reported. Addiotional benefits - higher resale value if you decide to sell/trade up, longer warranty, reduced maintenance cost (longer intervals) and bragging rights.

What performance are you looking for? Straight line acceleration 0-60? Handling? 1/4 mile E.T.? Marginal gains from opening up the air intake and the exhaust. Major performance gain by turbocharging.

The Fusion and Milan Hybrids were scheduled to begin full production the end of July and the MKZ is scheduled for the end of August. I have not heard of a delay. It may be that the mix is so small for the hybrids that they are just not evident yet on amy scale. They could also be on quality hold. Dealers would not always be told of short term delays.

The battery saver feature will turn off lamps after a short period of time (10-30 minutes depending on the lamp.)

Most major cities have a Ford radio repair/exchange station. i have found them to be very informative on the factory stuff. Ask your service advisor who their Ford radio repair station is and give them a visit.

One per year.