NewNole2001

Good luck with that. I could quite easily get more than 40 mpg when I had my FFH. You have to drive the car with a light foot. Also, please note that the drivetrain isn't set up for you to accelerate up to 40 mph on battery power alone. I mean, you can, but it will take you quite a while (I've done it). What you CAN do, is accelerate normally to your cruising speed, and then, if that crusing speed is under 47.5 mph (from memory, but I believe that is the correct speed), the ICE will turn off when you let off the throttle, or put the throttle position under the green line on the dashboard. I've successfully gotten >50 mpg from my (now sold) FFH without any major hypermiling. The simple fact is you can't drive the car like a typical lead footed driver and expect 39 mpg. That being said, I did have issues with my FFH that made me end up moving on from Ford, but overall gas mileage really wasn't one of them.

That tells you the car is on and ready to be driven.

The bad design isn't in the latch. It is in the crap quality weak plastic that can't take the slightest twisting torque, and it the design of the bin itself not having a lip to stop things from sliding up and in to the area of the latch. That is a bad design. And then with crap quality plastic that is that likely to break, making it so that the entire dash has to be pulled apart to replace it. Bad design all the way around. Who knows though, maybe the design will be better on the next gen Fusion, since it has more influence from the Mondeo platform. And the door handle thing happens enough that when I called the dealer the parts guy told me they keep them in stock because they break so often. Oh, and as far as repairs on the BMW. I leased for a reason. I'll be under the factory warranty the entire time I own the car. And as far as my manhood, I got the car b/c I wanted something that is fun to drive. Having driven the FFH for 63k miles, I can tell you one thing it isn't, and that is fun to drive. But it wasn't designed for that. It's a midsized family sedan. A 3 series is a sporty car that is fun to drive, and would make a horrible family car, and it burns more than it's share of gas. Having spent a month and half with the Bimmer, I won't be going back to a family sedan Ford or otherwise anytime soon.

I admitted that I made a mistake by buying a $33,000+ car and thinking I would get the quality one expects when spending that much money on a car. I was wrong, I got a car where trim pieces break off in my hand and the door handle snaps broken after less than three years. I figured I'd at least get the quality of the 95 Accord I had before the Fusion which went 14.5 years and 313k miles with no trim breaking. Never had to replace a door handle, either.

Yep, that 2 inch by 3 inch notepad is SOOOO BIG, however will it fit inside the oh so tiny storage bin. Did you really think I was trying to stuff a 8 1/2 x 11 notebook in there or something? It was a tiny notepad that I wrote down my gas mileage on each time I got gas. One of those little spiral bound memo pads you can buy at the drug store for 45c. It wasn't a problem of anything fitting in there. There's enough room in that bin to fit four or five of those pads sitting side by side. Anyways, I'll be sure to stay off your lawn, since you sound old and obviously know everything.

Yeah, I guess I should be okay with pieces of trim breaking on a car that's not even three years old. Like the driver's side door handle that broke less than a week before I picked up my new car. Yeah, it's perfectly acceptable for that sort of thing to happen on a $33k car that's practically new. And yes, the design of the dash storage bin is defective. If you design a storage area that can't stop things from sliding in to its latching mechanism, then you sure as hell better make sure it can deal with things blocking the latching mechanism.

It can provide torque to the wheels in certain situations.

For some reason, this picture I took today feels relevant to this topic. It's a repair crew repairing the plane that VP Biden flew in to Tallahassee on yesterday. One of the windshield panes cracked on landing, so two Air Force Gulf Streams were flown in to ferry the VP and those deemed important enough to get a seat back to Washington. The plane's windshield was replaced today, and after a 24 hour curing period, will depart for Andrews:

Incorrect, there are two electric motors and one gas engine that are connected via a planetary gearset, though you are correct that there aren't dedicated motors for each drive wheel. My brakes will squeak in colder weather (below 50F for us Northern Floridians), I had the dealer look at it when i first got the car and they said they couldn't find anything wrong. I did a bit of research and I learned that it has to do with the new asbestos-free friction compound that is being used in cars these days. It is more likely to squeak. And the reason you'll only hear it below 5 or 10 mph when braking lightly is that above that speed, the front brakes aren't engaged (again, during light braking).

Oh, and one other thing. Unless she drives the FFH like a maniac (always braking hard), there's almost no way that it needed new brakes at 40k miles. My car was in for its 60k mile service in December, and the brake pads looked like new on the front, and only minor wear on the rear (I looked at them with the mechanic while they had it on the lift). Granted, most of my miles are highway miles and I am generally trying to brake lightly while playing the city fuel mileage game, though I have had a few hard stops.

Yeah, she probably got taken for a ride as far as the charges, but it isn't uncommon for the rear brakes to need servicing before the front brakes on the FFH (though there can't be that many FFHs that have reached the mileage to need brake work done). Go down to the dealer and have a nice talk with the service manager letting him know that you don't appreciate being stolen from and that you'll be having any future services completed at another dealer that doesn't feel the need to take advantage of customers.

It really all depends on the dealer you go to. The one closest to my house has tried its best to screw me, while the one 40 miles away (that I bought the car from), has always been honest, forthright, and upfront about any charges. And the one time that they did come to me with a bill higher than I had been quoted, I called them on it, and they let me pay the original quote without any protest. I would say make sure you have the car fully checked out before the manufacturers warranty runs out. The only thing I've had fail multiple times was the AC blower motor which I've had replaced twice now.

I finally got some pictures of the car. These pictures are before I have the car detailed. You can see that even without having been detailed, the car is in pristine condition at 61,385.6 miles. There is a gallery of the below photos at imgur

Yeah, I'm leasing a 328i Convertible without the sport package. It isn't that much faster than my FFH 502A. I know that Bimmers are not the most reliable cars, but at least I get a loaner BMW or a free rental while the Bimmer is in the shop. My thought process was like this: 1. I want a new car 2. Can't be a Ford 3. I'm young, make great money, and single/no kids, why not get a luxury car and have fun for a few years. 4. Hell, why not get a convertible. 5. Grew up in SC about 15 miles from the BMW US plant (Where Z3, Z4, were built until 2004, and the X3 and X5 are currently built), so I grew up wanting a BMW. 6. Also, the 3 series convertible was just about the only convertible that didn't look like a chick car IMHO. And given the premium I had to pay to get a convertible, I didn't have the budget available to get a Z4 sDrive 35is or a 335is. Also, I have a bit of a heavy foot, so a CTS-V or another really powerful car would just get me in trouble. I test drove the Z4 sDrive 35is and every time I looked down, I was doing 80 in a 45 (with the sales guy yelling FASTER!). Also, I'm leasing the 328, so I only have it for 30 months. It's definitely not a long term commitment. Who knows, I might come back to Ford after this lease is up.

No, I did expect Ford to pay for it. It is a bad design that is too weak to handle something that is bound to happen more than a few times in the life of the car. Also, I was sold the extended warranty as being "just like the factory bumper-to-bumper" warranty. And all that aside. There is such a thing as a goodwill warranty extension, which Ford refused to do. Here's a link to two pictures of the part after the second arm broke off a few weeks later: http://imgur.com/a/nTaZV You can see the notepad sitting there that blocked the lid. I had just written some information in the notepad and put it back in the bin. When I attempted to shut the lid the arm split from the lid. I was appalled at how flimsy the part is.

I have the two-way system. Being in Florida, and living at an apartment complex at the time, I used it more for the AC than Heat.

My center dash storage bin cover broke off when I accidentally closed it with a notepad sitting over latching point. Just used normal pressure to try to close it and one of the two arms broke clean off at the spot where the arm and cover come together. I have the highest end extended warranty, which I was told was the same as B2B (first time car buyer mistake to not double check). The warranty company steadfastly refused to pay for it, saying it was a trim. I said it was a defective design. The design of the tray makes it almost a certainty that at least a few times in the life of the car, a user will try to shut the bin with something blocking the latching mechanism and it should not break so easily. I even called Ford corporate and complained on Twitter. It was all to no avail. Ford forced my dealer to offer to replace the part with free labor, but I still had to buy the part ($198). I told Ford that day I would not be buying another Ford, and last month I made good on my promise by ordering a BMW. We'll see in a few years if I decide to go back to the energy efficient side of the road. And yeah, I know that the warranty company and Ford had no responsibility to pay for the part and that I did well to even get the 1 hour of shop time for free, but the complete stonewalling I got from Ford Corporate and also the Warranty company just pissed me off. For want of $300, they lost a customer who was going to buy a $34k+ car.

I'm trading my 2010 FFH in for a 2012 328i convertible in a few weeks. Just waiting for delivery (Feb 10). I fully intended on replacing my FFH with a next gen FFH, but after an extended warranty tussle with Ford, I told them I would not be buying another Ford, and I'm keeping my promise. Leasing the Bimmer so I don't have to deal with an extended warranty, because I've read that BMWNA is even more obstinate than Ford in this area. I'll do a test drive of the Fusion Energi around when my lease is up, and maybe I'll come back to the Blue Oval at that point.

I couldn't find the picture last night, but here is a picture of my front brake pads at 50k miles: https://skydrive.live.com/redir.aspx?cid=908332818eb6adbc&resid=908332818EB6ADBC!742&parid=908332818EB6ADBC!126&authkey=!AFeZXQr9SpwRhcA

The rear brakes are used more often than the front brakes on a FFH. The car will utilize only regenerative braking up front if at all possible, but the rear brakes don't have regenerative braking, so when rear brakes are engaged it is always the brake pads up against the rotors. Though 40k miles is a bit soon (unless most of the miles are city miles), it is not at all unexpected for the rear pads to need replacing before the front pads on a FFH. When my car was around 50k miles, the dealer took the pads off the front and rear. My front pads might as well have been new. Rear showed only slight wear (most of my miles are highway miles and highway miles don't generally wear the brakes that much).

Hi, I have a 2010 Silver FFH 502A for sale. Current mileage is 61k. Yokohama tires on car have 1,000 highway miles on them. Car is in excellent condition, nary a dent or ding. Has Ford Two-Way Remote Start system dealer installed. I would say that 80% or so of the mileage has been highway mileage. Located in Tallahassee, FL. Tinted windows 20% all around (great for reducing Florida summer heat). Car has been garaged most of its life. Full service records available upon request. All non-tire maintenance performed at Ford dealers. Just had 60k maintenance done 1k miles ago. No issues mechanical or electronic. Car has Ford Premium Warranty to 5 yr/100k mi. No accidents, no fender benders. Car was aligned when tires were mounted, will have realigned before sale if requested. Asking $18,500. PM for contact info, or post with any questions. I will post pictures tomorrow, but this car is in perfect condition.

Why'd you have to go and ruin a car with such a wonderful color scheme with that horrid front license plate?

Something must be wrong. I generally get at least 33 mpg doing 80, and 36-40 doing 65-70.

Forgiven, you are

A diesel engine is an ICE.