asperities

[Frpm what I have read there are no widespread issues surrounding the Fusion, so from that perspective there is probably no reason at all not to buy another one. That said, no matter how we justify it the decision to buy car A or car B is dressed up as logical but is usually just the opposite.

Data point, our 17 day old Fusion was taken out by a drunk driver (plowed into our neighbor's Accord, drove that 8 feet forward into our Dakota, and then drove that 6-8 feet forward into our Fusion (a picture is somewhere on the site)). Oddly enough no mechanical damage to our Fusion but the repairs and expenses total about 15K.and took almost 3 months to repair. Now 6 months later I still don't have any non-accident related issues (took quite a while to get the cross system working and I still am not sure it is right). Car is tight, tracks perfectly, and had none of those annoying squeaks, squeals or rattles that most new cars have. We bought a new Subaru Outback (2009) after the accident. Nice car, worked beautifully during the recent multiple blizzards DC received. But, mileage on the 4 cyl is mediocre at best, fit and finish not as nice as the Fusion, and not nearly as comfortable or quiet a car.

Good luck in your decision (after driving 30 cars in less than a year to buy 2, I really don't envy you at all).

quote name=oldschool1962' date='18 March 2010 - 05:42 PM' timestamp='1268948565' post='23316]

I'm sure many of you followed or at the least caught a couple of the issues and related posts for my vehicle. There were some unique to my vehicle issues and I wanted to say that up front so there wasn't a misunderstanding about the line itself.

Anyhow most of the issues or posts about quirk's seem to surround vehicles with an earlier than November production date. This is not to say that all vehicles produced prior to November have issues but that's where the bulk of them seem to be.

I have two weeks before I need to make a decision regarding my vehicle. If it comes to pass....and I trade my vehicle......well....we've already discussed it among myself and my wife that the chance of lightening striking twice ....even for me would be a near impossibility. Yet the thought is still lurking in my mind. Plus I've got a daughter that over the next 3 years is going start looking at College and we'll need all the time we have between now and when she goes to get finances ready. The point is just taking something and driving it for 3 years and then trade is not an option as things sit now.

I am asking for some thoughts to whether or not............ trying to get a car that is produced now or was produced after ......let's say December..........would reduce possibly or a second CF and ensure that software would be up to speed as far as any and all changes?

As I've said before......it would be a total waste to have traded in a perfectly good van with no issues and the only handicap being it was getting 18-20mpg and not trade for another FFH. To give a bit more insight.....the second choice would be a new Taurus but then we're right back where we were with mileage on the van and...again.....that was.............................. quite the paradox I have to figure out for the next 2 weeks mileage and possible same issues or less mileage with ?????????? It's just not going to be feasible to wait for the 2011's.

A quick check of either Fatwallet or Slickdeals (or many others, probably) will provide the details of the various concessions that retention will offer. Unfortunately, my limited exerience with Sirius CSRs pretty much has decided that I will let it lapse when the 6 mos are up. I have three cars and it doesn't really pay to have a limited service in one car and not the other two. The additional cost of equipment, installation and monthly fees puts this into the "way overpriced" category for me (Subaru module for my HK radio is about 500, and finding a portable that can be neatly inserted into the cabin of a Z4 is really a very expensive install and acquisition). This seems to be one totally broken business model -- trying to adapt the Sat TV model to cars. Oh well, I live in a major metro area with traffic and weather readily available on the dial.

In case this wasn't already known....

 

I just had my year subscription with my wife's VW renew, but the credit card online

was expired. I called and just simply told the CSR that I wasn't interested in renewing

and played dumb. They immediately handed me to a customer retentions specialist,

told them the same and they IMMEDIATELY gave me the deal for $77/yr (but it

billed me for $69 with a slight credit of some sort). Took a while to do, but I did

not have to beg for this. Sirius doesn't want to lose any subscribers. So don't

pay full rate... They said it was a special promotion, but I doubt it is.

Interesting, my phone connection decided to just disappear. Since the car had been in the body shop for a couple of months, I figured that it had lost programming -- but during a quick look Ford thought a module died. No reaction to pushing the phone button on either the wheel or center stack. Doesn't recognized either of the two Motorolas that it had been paired to. The car is back in the shop for the punch list sort of body shop issues (overspray, trim pieces. etc) and they will take it to Ford for whatever needs to be replaced. In talking with the Ford hybrid tech, he hadn't seen any pattern of phone connectivity problems.

I was able to get my bluetooth phone (Sony Ericsson 810i) connected without any trouble, and finally enabled the "911 Assist" just to kill the annoying reminder. The phone generally works well when coupled with the car.

 

However, about 1/4 of the time the car seems to get confused to the extent that it doesn't think it is connected to the phone any more, and the phone locks up to the point that the buttons are not responsive for several (sometimes more than 5) minutes. I have to reset the phone or the car (or both) to get things resynchronized again.

 

I've never had any trouble with the phone, only with the car bluetooth.

 

Anyone else see this?

S0rry for the late reply --

Allstate (my insurance company) has been grudging in handling the claim. The car suffered no mechanical damage, all body work -- at least so far. Got it back two weeks ago, generally looking good but needing a few more days in the body shop, overspray, fitments, BLIS is reversed, and the assorted punch list sort of things. Over 9,000 of rear end body work, but it was my truck that hit the car, so all the damage was high. Personally I'm shocked, but the car was repaired at a Ford related shop and blessed by my Ford dealership.

Any progress yet with insurance, etc?

Thanks. No one got hurt, just an inconvenience. At this point it is all noise and money. Luckily I retired (this was a retirement gift), so I do have the time to deal with it.

Ouch, that was painful to read!!! Not just the pain of your new car being crushed, but the headache of dealing with it all.

If they total the ffh and you buy another one, I guess you can get a tax credit for each ffh right?

I don't know what to say, but good luck to you.

Yes, he spent the night courtesy of Fairfax Police. I suspect he will be close enough to judgment proof after this. VA requires uninsured/underinsured coverage. His company will likely wipe their hands of the whole thing, go the limit and let us divvy it up. Our own insurance companies will have to make up the difference. Ultimately, most of our bills will be covered -- the towing alone will approach 750 (police contract calls for 300 per vehicle, and now I'll have the car towed back to Ford so that we all can benefit from having a tech around for the adjuster.

I take it the drunk was caught? There is always the possibility (depending on your state) of civil litigation against the drunk for the time and loss of value. Small claims is cheap, easy, and a great way to help get the point across. Keep track of every second you spend dealing with cops, shops, etc.

 

Jon

Well, a drunk took out my Dakota and new Fusion Hybrid last night. Hit my neighbor's Accord which was crushed against my Dakota, which in turn took out the rear of the Fusion. This should be interesting. I can't see Progressive (his insurance) wanting to total a brand new 33k Fusion, but I can't see the repairs being quick or cheap either. I can insist all work be done at Ford, and they will have to pay for a car for the months involved. Then, of course, I can try a claim for diminished value based on the loss of value due to the police report and carfax...

The Dakota is toast. Going to be interesting valuing a 10 year old Dakota with 42k miles.

I enjoyed it while I had it.

First fill up yesterday at about 375 miles. Car was delivered with a full tank, 12 miles on the odometer, and a starting mpg from the computer of 12 miles per gallon. On refill, after driving around suburban Northern VA (more urban than many cities) and highway shortish trips, the computer read 34.5 and a calc based upon gallons and mileage was 36.5. I cannot get over mid twenties on my 4 mile trip to and from the gym, local roads. On a 10-12 mile highway errand that I regularly do, an indicated 36 (or so) heading out and 42 (or so) coming back. The only thing I can figure out from those minor data points -- uphill is a bitch, downhill rocks.

It would be interesting to get a thread going here for everyone to contribute, but so far a collection of 3 different FFH owners (one is me) is collecting detailed fill-up into and the on-board computer so far is over-estimating by 1.0-1.8MPG between the three. My commute is 50% 70MPH HWY and I'm averaging 36.3MPG actual computed mileage. I'm trying to drive as I always have.

 

Jon

Just a bit of probably dubious advice -- before you do anything, check out some of the Auto detailing sites for general advice. If the scratch is not down to bare metal, but is through the clear coat, you might be able to make it look much better by buffing it out than by using touchup paint. If it is to the metal, perhaps the dealer has a company that specializes in touch up and dent removal work. On the side of a car or near the bottom, scratches et al. are not partcularly noticeable. On top of the hood or trunk, more so.

I have no skills, yet have been able to take any number of scratches and scrapes off using a variable buffer and the right product.

Hi cchaos. :D Yes. You can purchase the Ford/Motorcraft touch-up paint at your Ford or Lincoln-Mercury Dealership.

 

And for the best color match I would recommend you use the Ford/Motorcraft touch-up paint (as opposed to aftermarket brands). The tube with the integral brush and ball-point applicator tip usually runs about $10-$122. Less if you are on good terms with the people at the Parts Counter.

 

While you may certainly find an aftermarket or even the Motorcraft paint paint cheaper someplace else, how much time you want to waste calling/driving around to save a few bucks is up to you. And you will get the best color match with the Ford/Motorcraft paint.

 

Also. if you want to do a professional job for scratches that are in obvious places (not like the one on the bottom of your door) pick up a tube of the clearcoat touch-up paint also.

 

If they do not have your color and/or the clearcoat in stock, they can order it for you. As always, keep in mind that a Dealership is only as good as the people working at it, so if the first Dealership is less than competent, simply go to another.

 

FYI: If the scratch is down to the metal, definitely touch it up to prevent rust.

 

Good luck. :beerchug:

I ordered my FFH right before the 4/1 deadline for the 3400 credit. I sent out emails to 5 dealers, pointing out that this was an unallocated order, and offereing 750 above invoice. The dealer I ordered from accepted my offer and only half-heartedly tried the various packs and add ons.

Mistakes -- yes. I wanted leather and my wife wanted a sun roof. We ordered the full 502 package rather than the 501 and leather. Based on discounts available, the nav portion wound up costing only 900 or so. Not worth it. The new upgrade to the Sync for directions, news, weather, etc does not apply to cars with the Nav. We get to to pay more for less in the way of features. The nav itself is fine, the POI database is useless. This was the only waste in ordering the car from my perspective.

Monday (6-1) I have an 'appointment' with a vulture (er salesman) its been all e-mail to this point - like most people I want a car (FFH in my case) with as little BS as possible. I don't expect a big discount on a 2010 & yes I know the lojack ESP etc pitch is coming , I don't have a problem walking if gut feeling is wrong and am in no big hurry (my hopefully trade in runs fine) but any questions you wished any of you had asked up front ?

The car showed at my dealer last night and was delivered to me today. Nice car, but, due to Late Friday DC area traffic, decided on a short Route 1 loop. Quiet, decent power, comfortable. Will take a longer lunch drive tomorrow. It sat at Jessup for about 5 days with one in local transit.

I don't think that the transit time from Hermosillo was that bad. Car cars are routed any number of times to reach the right ramp/location.

As of yesterday my car was awAiting shipping at Hermosillo. An idea how long that takeS?

Mine shipped on the 8th or 9th and has been sitting at Jessyup since this weekend. It is, in theory, scheduled for delivery tomorrow. It would be nice to have it for the weekend, but I have my doubts.

btw .. this is Ourisman.

As of yesterday my car was awAiting shipping at Hermosillo. An idea how long that takeS?

Sorry, I'm a bit confused All they ever asked me for was my VIN -- which tells them exactly what I ordered -- with the exception of color. The body style is a sedan, but that is part of the 17 digit VIN. I'd try again and hope for a different CSR.

Thanks, looks like that would work if I knew the body style. They wanted the order no, vin number, dealer, and body style. They said that there is a code for the body style, supposedly 2 digit code. When I look up the vin number on the ford fleet vin number check, it says the body style is sedan, but I think I dont think I can use that. Did you have to provide a body style or happen to know that it is?

 

Thanks,

 

Jim

Have you tried calling Ford customer care? They will tell you the current status/location. Unfortunately, mine was in production when the shutdown occured. Still should have it by the end of the month.

RWFFH10 would you care to let us know what part of the country you are in. My Fusion was suppose to have been built the same week and I am wondering when it will show up. I live in San Jose, Ca.

 

Thanks,

 

Jim

Ordered the last day of March and received my VIN and schedule date today (which means the info was made available to the dealer yesterday). Last week we changed the color from white to green and that didn't have any impact on the scheduling. Scheduled for the first week in May, probably delivery by Memorial Day.

Does any one that ordered the last couple of days in March, have a vin number or schedule date yet? I'm actually interested in anyone's date ordered, date schedued, and date delivered. Trying to compare and get some idea what to expect.

Thanks

There are cosmetic differences between the two (at least in the Fusion/Milan model). The only "luxury" difference that I am aware of is the two tone leather in the upgraded interior. The design windshield pillar forward is different. As for the price differential, some of it seems to a matter of discounting. if you get the full monty, Ford has a larger discount than Mercury. In addition, mercury provides a "spoiler." If you eliminate the discount, the price differential is only a few hundred dollars after allowing for the spoiler and two tone leather (items that can be added to other cars).

As for DC pricing, we ran into that as well when we decided that we would only buy one if we could order it before the expiration of the ful tax credit. Since we could only find one to test drive the day before (March 30) we didn't have a lot of time to negotiate. I made the same offer to 5 dealers and one of them said fine. The other dealers either didn't respond or wouldn't sell below MSRP. Funny note, the dealer whose car we tested was a good distance away, and that particular store had at least two closer dealerships. They wouldn't budge!. Day after the expiration of the full credit they emailed my wife asking "what happened." My wife nicely explained we had purchased the car at a local dealer for a decent discount. They asked what dealer and we didn't tell them (nor did we try to shop his price). Too funny. Two days later we recieved an email from the same chain's Richmond store (!) offering us an instock base Fusion Hybrid. Again my wife indicated we had already bought. We had never contacted the Richmond dealership -- clearly the Gaithersburg branch referred us to them (no we don't live any where near Richmond).

Mercury tends to run little higher than ford. We had a mercury salesman that Mercury tends to have more bells and whistles, such as maybe a little fancier front end or healights.

He likened the ford/mercury comparison to the toyota/lexus difference. I don't know if that's an accurate comparison or not, but that was his explanation.

Any opinions?

You might want to google Fusion Hybrid or Fusion Sync in Google News. I think the NYT had an article coming out of the autoshow.

As for the packages -- it was a toss up for us. My wife insisted on a sunroof and I insisted on leather (I am a slob who frequently gets into a car immediately after a bike ride ... fabric won't do). Adding leather to the 501A brings the nav pack and whatever else is included "only" about $900, after the additional $600 discount for the 502A package. Worth it? Maybe not, but then agaiin, for me. niether is the hybrid. However when viewed as "car as toy" it probably is.

The only option I wanted that isn't available is the rear tail light "chrome" detailing. Oh well.

I getting the 501A basically for the same reasons you did, Ice Blue also. One thing that is often overlooked on any of the Fusion Hybrids is that they all have with Sync 3.0 a built in GPS with voice turn by turn instructions. You enter your destination via a voice command and the command is sent to a service where the route is calculated and instructions are downloaded over your cell phone. The one thing it is missing that most GPS systems have is an automatic recalculation of the route if you take a wrong turn. However there is a command for that is suppose to expedite the recalculation. It may not be as pretty as a nice map display, but it is certainly functional and maybe even safer. In California, you couldn't mount a portable GPS on your windshield until this January and then it is only in the lower left hand corner of the front window.

 

Beyond that, I would really like to know what else is really in Sync 3.0 and what it controls. It would be nice if it also controlled the radio which in earlier versions are controlled by the navigation system.

 

Jim

I am partial to green colors -- but dislike most car greens. This is almost black in many lighting situations, and metallic green in sunlight. My wife and I both liked it. She thinks it is only a few shades darler than our Miata -- I stick with black with a greenish cast. In theory this color is exclusive to the Taurus SHO.

Having had a black car once (never again), this looks like it won't show the dirt and pollen to the same extent. I think most folk who ordered it will like it.

btw ... the fully loaded Milan they had in looked very nice -- pity we couldn't get the two tone leather in the Fusion...

I went to a local dealer today and saw the Atlantis Green. I would have said it was black if the sticker didn't say green. I'd prefer it a little more green like a fir tree. Guess you liked it though huh?

Well my dealer just received an Atlantis Green Milan. Barely a green color, more a black with a green cast. Changed my order from the platinum white to the atlantis green. Hey it even saved me a little money...

Ordered on 3/31 just at the last minute. White Platinum, 502A paskage, black interior DOR indicates the order was accepted by Ford, no VIN as of yet...

I think you may be getting ahead of yourself here. Yes, any dealer (or individual) can try to cheat you, but usually not. A reputable business isn't really going to run the risk of a fight with Ford, you, the local office of Consumer Affairs, etc., just for a little money. The verification process is so that Ford knows someone other than the dealership ordered the car. Hybrids were (and still may be) on allocation, meaning that dependent on the dealer size and location, only a few hybrids can be ordered for stock. However, if an individual ordered the car, it wasn't counted against the dealer's allocation. That is why Ford wanted a copy of your driver's license. Enjoy the anticipation...

I don't know if they did go through a verification process. They took my license, but they didn't run a credit check. I had to ask them for the order receipt; and the receipt copy they gave me was a xerox without their signature line on it (was off the bottom of the xerox) and no date! I called them up a couple days later and had them send me the original green copy of the receipt, and told them to make sure it was dated and signed, which they did.

Truly a fwiw comment -- we tested a Camry hybrid a week before testing the Ford. The Camry and the Ford were both fully loaded. Camry, nearly silent highway cruiser, hid the road imperfections on a suburban limited acces loop. Seats comfortable, but had a slightly "cheap" feel. Nav was difficult to see and use for me. Can't imput data while driving, even by the passenger. Good stereo. Surprisingly good acceleration from a dead stop.

Ford has a very nice interior almost on par with the Maxima (which I thought set the high mark for near luxury interiors). Seats more supportive than the Camry, more obvious bolstering. Leather feel "superior" to the Camry. Radio may be a bit better, but the controls were much nicer (I also liked the stock quotes from Sirius). Nav large and easily visible. More road feel, less a highway cruiser, though still quiet and comofrtable. Not quite as quick feeling as the Camry from a dead stop. Both my wife and I thought it a more enjoyable ride, but this is our first sedan in thirty years so our priorities are a bit off...

Im going to order my FFH today. I have not driven one, but currently own a fully loaded Camry hybrid. The camry hybrid is a really nice car. Drives nice and i get about 37 mpg consistently on the highway, but the interior of the Camry is average. It has navigation but its an average system at best. Inside is cheap looking. So those of you who have driven the FFH, have any of you driven the Camry Hybrid too? If so, what are your thoughts? Ill be buying a FFH without even driving one.

My dealer wants me to put down $3,000 to order the car and will not budge on the price.

Very odd behavior for my local dealers. Found one to test at a store about 40 miles away (N. VA locale, there are at least 8 closer dealers). We made an Appt., they had a car prepped and ready for the test. No horseplay about coming with on the drive. We liked the car and wanted to discuss price -- this was on 3-30. No negotiation allowed at all, confirmed by the sales manager. Odd behavior since all customer orders prior to 3-31 would not count against the dealerships allocation -- in effect a free, incremental order. We had been car shopping for 6 months or so, and were getting a bit weary of the drill. Liked the car, dislike OPEC, realized that the premium for the car will never be justified by savings, wanted to buy from an American car company, so we decided to try to buy the Fusion for no more than $1000 more than the equivalently equipped Camry Hybrid (after tax credit).

On 3-31 (last day for full tax credit) contacted 5 dealers, including the local Costco and Penfed referral. One dealer wanted MSRP plus $1795 due to demand. One dealer didn't bother responding to two emails. Two dealers offered at MSRP only. Ironically the dealer closest to me accepted my offer of invoice plus $750. I knew they wouldn't budge on the dealer processing fee (359) so I didn't bother to try. Whole ordering process took 30 minutes and a $500 deposit. Seriously, I can't imagine why any dealer would turn dow the deal.

I suspect it will be a couple of months till we actually get the car.

Ordered on 3/31 just at the last minute. White Platinum, 502A paskage, black interior DOR indicates the order was accepted by Ford, no VIN as of yet...