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I agree with your points...one thing to consider is that the FFH has many fairly new technical advances and some are unproven as far as reliability. The electronics and sensors can cost hundreds of dollars per shot. I think it all depends on how much you pay for the ESP. You can probably find the top end ESP with low deductible under $1500 if you shop around (good deal!). That and the peace of mind would be your gains.

No problem. I get great ideas from this forum so I figure I share something that I'm happy with. By the way, I did not pick the product first. Someone at work referred me to an installer with very good reputation - his shop has a contract with local BMW dealers and I figured that he is very good at what he does (when I was there I saw BMWs, Ford, Lexus being treated). Just happens that he uses this product - lifetime warranty applies. I bargained him down a little bit to what he said as dealer price. If you're in Orange County area and interested, I have his info. I gotta go back this week so that he can fix the white area on the back window black dots (he expected it to happen and will re-treat the areas after 1 week). I remember reading that someone here had the same problem.

The ceramic type that I have should not have any effect on Radio Frequency. I have Sprint and they are generally good to excellent in-vehicle coverage in the area that I regularly travel. The closest "marginal area" that I noticed is in my garage with all the garage accesses closed. I get 1 bar and no problems with making a call in those conditions.

Thanks! Ceramic and metallic tints are both films. Ceramic cost almost twice as much as metallic. Supposedly ceramic has better heat/infrared rejection. I paid extra since I'm planning on keeping the car for a while. Mine happen to be Madico - their website shows some key points of their line of products. http://www.madico.com/WindowFilms/Auto_Products.asp I think some of the arguments in the internet revolves around metallic tints interfering with satellite/radio signals. Being an RF engineer, I don't really buy that since the film is so thin, and in most cases, antennas are outside the vehicle. My co-worker also tinted his car the same day but with the metallic type. We both had medium all around, but it seems that his is a little lighter shade. I'm happy with mine. I'm sure it helps my AC demand, compared to no tint (had the car for over two months and just tinted last week), when I drive home from work in 90+ degree heat.

UPDATE: here's a link to more pictures (some better in showing tint) http://s768.photobucket.com/albums/xx328/2010FFH/

Here is a picture (have one more but have trouble uploading) of my ceramic medium tint...I spent a couple of hours today washing and waxing (Meguiar's Ultimate Quik Detail, Ultimate Quik Wax, and Supreme Shine plus Meguiar's tire and wheel cleaners). Tints definitely made the car cooler if parked short term and has less AC demand during medium to long distance drives (>10miles)

Is the mic actually in the mirror? I thought it is in the dash (slotted holes behind the right side of the steering wheel, under the SmartGauge)

I'm going to get my car ceramic tinted tomorrow. I don't know if I can make a determination on whether this will reduce the heat in the car if it's been parked outside during my work shift...it's supposed to be pretty good in keeping heat (UV) out.

I'm guessing this is only an issue for Mercury Milans. I don't remember seeing posts of such run-around beyond the standard 8 weeks for Fusions. I got mine about 8 weeks...VIN after about 4.

California is one of those states with 10/150. If you move to a different state, you get the warranty for that state. At least that's what the dealer said.

Your 6/60 quote seems pretty cheap... I'm in the market for 7/75. Who is the dealer that you talked to?

FFH is assembled in Hermosillo, Mexico. Parts, if I remember right: about 50% made in Mexico, 25% made in USA/Canada and 25% made in Japan (I think hybrid components and powertrain).

This seems like a good idea. That way if a key is lost we don't need to pay hundreds of dollars to a dealer (note we need two keys to self program another spare therefore losing either keys will pretty much force you to pay for another)

If it is not the engine, the dealer should agree to do a test drive with you. It could be a leak in your windshield. They can take care of this by removing and reinstalling the windshield.

You should have it. The buttons are next to the "up temperature" button on the center controls. There are only two settings indicated by small red LEDs, low and high (and off of course)

With your commute so small, I think you can say that they are margin of error measurements. We know that the MPG per trip, or even the short term average (Miles to E calculation) are estimates. Consider that your 3.5 miles at 35MPG uses 0.1 gallon of fuel, while at 50MPG it uses 0.07 gallons of fuel. The .03 gallons difference or 3.84oz of fuel is less than half a cup...that can be explained by estimation error or Accessory power demand difference, or acceleration, etc. Don't know for sure but it's not high enough to worry about to me, I'd just consider both measurements down in the mud and not accurate. I would measure your actual MPG when you do longer trips ~10 miles or more. Hope that helps.

I think the HD is 10GB, which can hold appx 2,500 tracks.

Mike, how far is your commute? Short commutes will drive down your MPG since the engine needs to warm up. I get 25-35MPG if driving less than a few miles starting with a cold engine (my driving style is not the most efficient). With an 18 mile commute (one way), 70% highway I can get up to 45MPG because the engine warmup overhead is averaged over the distance. In general you'll not see your car go into EV mode during warmup period (especially if Accessory power demand is higher). If you're in EMPOWER setting, you'll get the data points you need.

I think the non-folding mirror helps with aerodynamics (mirrors closer to the body). I don't mind it. I've never had an issue with any vehicle's mirrors in over 20 years of driving (knock on wood)

I'm not sure for Texas (your profile), but in Southern California, that would be a good rate for that term.

Thanks Richard for the info. I'll shop around like you suggested. I think another poster suggested myfordwarranty.com and that seem to have good prices also. You also answered my next question - verification that Ford acknowledges your warranty. You mentioned 8 year/100k...did you mean 7 year/100k? THANKS!

Hi rlawson4...would you mind providing the contact info? I was offered this same ESP for $2450...I declined.

My advice would be to order it with a REFUNDABLE deposit (of course negotiate with a few dealers to get the best price), line up a credit union (like you planned) and if anything changes, cancel the order. If Open Allocation is extended, then you'll be able to cancel, get your money back, and re-order by September 30 and still get the $1700 credit. Cancelling the order may help the dealer since it does not count against their allocation. I ordered mine (Tri coat white, 502A) $250 over invoice with $500 refundable deposit on 3/30 and received it on 5/22...almost 8 weeks.

I think if you order your FFH, you may get a "build week" date from your dealer. This is most likely the Monday of that week. the "build date," I think, is the date that the car was completed.

GM as in Government Motors?