2010SEL

It is not greasy and does not need cleaning. The defects are molded into the rubber. It looks like whatever chemicals go into making the rubber were not properly mixed, leaving some areas with a somewhat different color or different gloss level than others. Mottled is a good word to describe it: Spotted or blotched with different shades or colors. These different areas react differently with sunlight and/or heat, and as time goes on they become more pronounced. The dash pad should be replaced. But will a new one be any better? My Mom has a '10 SE built 6 months after mine was and her's is starting to mottle also.

Buy the rotors and pads for the 2010. All the parts are the same if you look them up at NAPA. Example: Front rotor #NB48880404, Rear rotor #NB48880172. Also if you dig around on sites like NAPA you'll find out that all the brake parts for all models of all '10-'11 Fusions are the same. It wouldn't surprise me if other cars and other years use the exact same parts.

As I stated previously, Armor All Natural Finish Detailer is what I finally found that works well on this surface, doesn't leave a greasy residue, and is not too shiny. Make sure you get "Natural Finish Detailer" and follow the instructions. I buffed almost all of it off with a microfiber towel and it looks great, going on about 9 months now.

A3 is way too expensive. And the Porsche is way, way too expensive. For me anyways.

Subaru is about it for the U.S. market for AWD and a stick. And you'll only see that option on a bare bones 4-cylinder car too. The car manufactures say that standard transmission cars are nearly impossible to sell. Not many AWD cars are sold either. So put the two together, you get just about nothing. It costs millions to develop, test, and market a unique vehicle. The manufacturers just can't justify making something like that, if not enough will be sold.

In bright daylight the gauge illumination is turned way up. When it is dark outside, or any time the head lights are turned on, the gages will dim. At least that's how my '10 SEL operates, with or without the auto-headlamps activated.

I hate the mount on the bumper! If mine did not already have it on, I would not put it on until forced to. Chances of getting harrassed by the police are very slim. If they do, you can always put it on. I might look at mounting it below the bumper, in the lower grille area. I think that would look better. Not sure if it would hang too low though.

All they really do is keep a few rock chips from happening. Nothing is going to keep your car clean in the salt/snow season.

I do not believe there is a built-in shorcut key to get to the Character Map. I found the C/M by going to Start>Programs>Accessories>System Tools>Character Map. Created a shortcut to the C/M and placed in in my startup toolbar. Something I never thought of doing before. I use it a lot and this will save time. Thanks for causing a lightbulb to go off over my head (like an old Ford commercial "A Better Idea"!) ...And you guys all thought this was just an automotive forum!

Here is my take on it. Based on 40 or so years of being a gearhead, mechainic, automotive enthusiast, whatever: You can run a higher octane if you want to. I am quite certain you won't hurt anything inside the engine. You may or may not see an increase in power, and you may or may not be wasting your money. If the engine has knock sensors it will advance the ignition timing until it detects a knock, then back it off a little. That is great for horsepower creation and also possible mpg improvements. If the engine does not have such a knock sensing system, the engine may actually produce less power by running the high octane gas, because it burns cooler, and the engine isn't taking advantage of the octane. No simple answer. All you can really do with this new computerized stuff is try different fuels until you get the results you are looking for. I am running my '10 V6 SEL on 87 octane and it runs just great. I tried 91 for a few tanks but noticed no difference in power or mpgs. At $0.20 more per gallon it made no sense to use 91.

Sounds like a leak, however it would be very unusual for both front tires to develop this problem suddenly. How are the rear tires? Hey bbf2530, you can get a " º " symbol to show up by holding down the "Alt" key and typing 167 on the numerical keyboard.

All aftermarket (and most OEM) wheels have the wheel size and the offset info either cast or stamped inside the back of the wheel someplace.

4 days to wait for an answer on this board isn't really long enough to wait. This is one of the slowest moving Fusion message boards around. Check back in a week or two.

Obviously the swept area will still rust. But the edges and the center hub can be plated, usually with nickel or cad. When you buy the aftermarket rotors it is usually an option to get the plating. I can't recall the brand of rotors I bought but they are drilled and slotted, as well as being nickel plated. No problems in over a year and they still look good. I can look tomorrow and see what kind they are if anyone's interested.

O.K.