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must be somwhere inside the car ? Please let me know if you have an idea that will save me a trip to the dealer ! thanks
by the way ford made a Superb job on the LS i just bought one and i like it so much
Prior to the LS, I had a '94 V8 T-bird which gave me 127,000 miles of service with no repairs at all so the LS wasn't quite as trouble-free. However, what does impress me about the LS was that it was just as tight, quiet, and solid as the day I bought it - not a rattle, squeak, or shudder. The doors still shut with a satisfying "thuck." While deciding on a replacement vehicle, I test drove several new cars that were less impressive.
I paid $500 over invoice for the LS which, at that time, I thought was a steal. Obviously, we know that later on there were massive incentives and discounts. I sold the car for $6000 which I think was decent for both me and the buyer. I had kept the car pristine.
Old "Silver" will be a tough act to follow. I will miss him.
What are you replacing it with?
I have had a 2010 MKS ecoboost on order since May. It should be here within the next couple of weeks, I hope.
It was a good, fun car. A few "first year" issues, but a fun car to drive nontheless. We will miss it.
I thought 6 bills was a load for it but after my co-worker and his daughter drove it, he said, "I can't understand why you are replacing this car - it looks and runs like new." He drives a late model Lucerne. The daughter is happy as a pig in mud, too.
I just hope they don't run into big repairs soon - like cooling fans, transmission issues, window regulators, sway bar bushings, etc. Fortunately, I was able to avoid all of that......
If we did, we wouldn't tell you......
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Chintan
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I thought I'd check on when the general board was last active. Now I know.
my 2000 dodge dakota quad cab with 165k of hard working miles on it, has never even been in the shop, and i work the crap out of it. dirt, hellish sun, snow, dust storms, heavy towing, 200 mile per day usage, etc. - it's been perfect.
got an 89 4x4 dodge raider (1st gen mitsubishi montero) with the v-6 that has 150k on it. never been in the shop, and it's been used very hard off road and towed many, many more miles behind our motorhome. never missed a beat.
ford needs to get on the stick and off its collective butts.
Is that why they're aggressively reducing the number of dealers and requiring the remaining ones to significantly upgrade their showrooms - and investing in 7 new or significantly updated vehicles with Lincoln exclusive drivetrains and other features like glass roofs and electronically controlled suspensions?
The only problem with Lincoln is that Ford had to put all of it's resources into fixing the Ford brand first. Now that it's almost done (with the new Focus and Explorer) they can turn their attention to Lincoln.
And seriously - you're swearing off an entire brand just because of one car? The ones with problems - LS and Aviator - were discontinued and the new ones seem to be fine with the exception of the PTU problem on AWD models.
If you just don't want one because you have a bad taste in your mouth that's understandable, but don't assume the new Lincolns will have the same problems as the old ones.
The keypad is now slightly into the dash on the driver's side.
How do I remove the panels that cover the controls (radio, A/C, etc) to see what broke?
Assuming I can remove the panels, will I be able to get at what might have snapped?
I and my brother Scott, participated in the LS Mania in Irvine with Jim Rogers hosting the event. I believe that was the first of very few events Lincoln hosted.
Garth Clark
Either way, I'll be interested in seeing whether Brian gets back to you.
There has been a lot of water over the dam (or under the bridge) since those days, in many venues.
Glad to hear your LS is still (mostly) working well for you.
I'm catching up on some of this because I know there are better ways to get the job done and for less. Stay tuned as you have, maybe we'll hear from Brian.
I dread what this is going to take to fix if it's not the same issue as you found. I have a LS service manual and there's not much listed for this concern. About all I could find is send the radio in for service via approved Ford repair. I wonder how many months that would take plus the expense?
Anyone have updates on this or possibly, those pictures ?
Did you find out what the issue was with the radio buttons on the steering wheel? I've read much and don't get a straight answer.
BTW in addition to the above, recently the radio/cd/seek/tune control buttons no longer illuminate. Have any idea what that is?
Call your dealer and ask who they use for radio problems. There is almost always a local place that does OEM radio repair. That's your best bet to get it repaired or you can always find a new one on ebay.
I don't trust most of them, meaning, repairing what will correct the problem usually means, replace, replace, replace when the correct repair should require just one replace at the customer's expense. Not many of those technitions have LS training.
Are you saying the radio is the source of the light problem and also the source of the steering wheel radio control issues?
If the lights are out on the radio itself then you can probably get it fixed or at least diagnosed by the local OEM radio shop. Just ask the dealer who they use.
The steering wheel button problem is usually caused by a bad clockspring. You have to pull the steering wheel to replace it and it does involve the airbag so be careful or get a pro to do it.
The ABS/AT problem is usually a bad wheel sensor but that's usually easy for the dealer to test and pinpoint. I'd get a second opinion before going after the controller.
I've read the radio circuit board has a bad printed circuit someplace and one of the owners removed/disassembled the stereo and carefully soldered the bad circuit with the above items working again.
I also read the clock spring has some issues with the radio controls on the steering wheel too.
Well, getting the correct fix the first time is the concern and this is why I doubt a Ford mechanic is going to spend 4 hours diagnosing to do a 1 hour repair when usually they will opt for a repair method which pays them for 5 hours plus the unnecessary parts and delays.
I sold my LS about a year ago when I got an MKS ecoboost. I sold it to a co-worker for his daughter. I predicted that she would wreck it the first time it snowed. Guess what - she didn't wait for the snow. She put it into a concrete bridge pillar and totaled it. She was not injured but my old LS was toast. Front and side airbags worked, though.
Can't believe you are still driving that old stick-shift relic of yours......
Yes we're still driving our relic. No exageration - the car still looks and drives like new. Car has been like a fine watch. Only recent issues in past 2 years were both front window regulators - $150 each - I put em in myself. And why did they break? Because my lovely wife, who lived her whole life in Santa Cruz, was rushing to work last winter (we now live in a full climate area), the windows were iced (and frozen to the doors) and she thought "well, if I push the window down buttons, that oughtta free em up and maybe clean off some ice/snow" I guess that's what she thought anyway I've gotten a lot of mileage out of fixing the windows for her.
Oh, I also had the clock spring replaced for the problem where radio controls on steering wheel dont work right. Fixed it. Couple hundred bucks. Our pal akirby here is a great resource for stuff like this. The manual LS has seriously been the best car I've owned, unfixable climate control issue aside.
I've been meaning to join the other LS group - it costs a few pay pal bucks, but I've reinstated that acct and going to rejoin one day soon.
Still have our Nav too. 75K and also dead-nuts reliable. NEVER an issue with it. Though I actually stopped and looked at the new Jeep GC 2 days ago - THAT's a real on/off road SUV done right. Also looked at the Explorer. It's even prettier than the JGC. But you aint goin too far off road in that.
Wife not hearing any suggestions of replacing the LS. It's her car basically now and she still loves it (as do I). One of these days I gotta replace those spark plugs.
I think I'll head over to the mks forum to see how you like yours.
You probably dont want to hear my thoughts on the latest Ford moves of killing Mercury (they actually did that 20 or more years ago when they put little Sis in charge and turned it into a girly-brand) and setting Lincoln up for doom as well. There used to be 2 Lincoln dealers within 15-20 miles of me. Now? Zero. So my dream of a Mercury Cougar built on the new Mustang chassis (altho perhaps improved with IRS for the Merc) is dead dead dead. I think Lincoln may be as well within 10 years. Anyone here think stand-alone Lincoln stores are going to work? How about buyng an expensive luxury car from a Ford dealer and having it serviced there? I think not. Mulally looks like a genius yet what has he really done? Why, he's sold off everything but the Dearborn headquarters. Now killed Mercury. So went from 6 brands to 2. Soon maybe 1. OK, you've probably heard all u want to from me by now. I should add for the benfit of edmunds that they were right - I was wrong to criticize our boy genius in Washington. My fears that he would destroy the American dollar, further erode our world leadership, set the middle east on fire and run a racist regime - all those fears of mine have proven groundless, eh?
Lincoln is simply trying to reduce the dealer ranks - there were way too many. Getting rid of Mercury allows Ford to put their full attention to Lincoln now. Lincoln dealers are being required to have separate facilities and sales people and to spend big bucks to upgrade their showrooms. You have to tear it down before it can be built back up.
And you might like to know that a certain Ford insider that posts over on gmi and another one that posts on BON seem to confirm that Global RWD is alive and well and will encompass the next Mustang AND Lincoln.
There is hope yet for a new RWD Lincoln.
But then - How is it better for me that I have to drive 30 or 60 miles to buy a Lincoln now when before it was 8 miles? How is it better for Ford that I won't? You've heard me rant about what they did to Mercury so no sense beating a dead planet. Say - did anyone notice there are no cars named after planets anymore? And boy genius is dissembling our manned space program in favor of muslims in space? I think both are a sign of the times. How America is turning inward, away from bold moves and engineering towards being ruled by the lowest common denominator and cowtowing to every politically correct BS artist who pops up. Like BHO. But I shouldn't go there, huh?
This site will surely kick me off again as soon as they wake up. As Costner said in dances with wolves they seem to "Hate me like no other". When I was using the hj moniker and posted for years, they became upset that I didn't see obama as the messiah. So the moderator here said - 'we have some other forums to discuss politics, why dont you post over there' Seemed reasonable, so I did. I made TWO posts there, neither of them were praiseful of obama, and I summarily thrown off, no explanation, not even an email saying don't let the door hit you on the way out. Just gone, including my posts. So where's Bruce? He wanted to hear me rant but if he doesn't check in soon, it'll be like I was never here again.
I don't trust this site or it's moderators to be fair in any way. And the reviewers! Ugh. I read the review by bob visnic of the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee and it's plain to me the man has no clue what he's talking about. How does one get a job here reviewing cars? Appointed by the car czar? Nepotism? What? Knowledge of cars is certanly no requirement. And bob is a 'senior' writer. What is that, bob, senior in high school? Cause that seems to be the perspective you bring.
and I dont trust Ford anymore. Sorry, Alan, but I feel personally slapped by their destruction of Mercury and by their tent-folding on the LS which they replaced with nothing. I was one of many LS owners who met with Lincoln execs several times and we discussed possible futures and what we, as "enthusiast" owners would like to see. The execs listened, took notes, and then totally blew us off. Even in the case of the Mercury Marauder, they just totally 'screwed the pooch' as the saying goes. There is nothing in the Lincoln showroom that interests me. Nothing. The S is nice, but that's it. Finishes last in every comparo. Sorry Bruce, I know you love yours and an AWD eco-boost is tempting, but at the end of the day it's just last decade's volvo underneath.
As for a RWD Lincoln? Honestly, I don't care anymore. I've always been a 'brand-loyal' kind of guy. I don't know why. But it has not been rewarding, indeed not. While I still own and drive 2 Lincolns that have been reliable, quality, fun vehicles, I doubt Ford will ever get my money again. Though problems were few, Ford dropped the ball and flipped me the bird each time one came up. I'll be giving someone else a chance to screw me next time! And I won't buy a car built with union labor ever again. Or anything else if I can help it. The unions have got to go. They are filled with punk-[non-permissible content removed] thugs, 'workers' who are owed a living paid for by the rest of us. Not me anymore. I was proud to buy an LS made in Wixom and Navigator made somewhere else in USA both by union workers. But never again. Lincoln thinks they are going to generate traffic and sales with a new small Scion-like Lincoln? C'mon man, what are they smokin? GOnna put a Lincoln shell on a focus and sell for over $30K and the young target demo is going to flock to Lincoln showrooms to pay money they cant earn for a tiny car that nanci pelosi loves but actual buyers will snicker at? C'mon, man. Does anyone at Ford remember the reason Mercury came into existence in the frst place? Without Mercury, does anyone think Lincoln dealers, no matter how many millions they spend to make the dealerships look like a saddam hussein palace, can succeed as standalone stores? Are u kidding me? How many stand-alone Cadillac dealers are there? Hmmmm? And how many times have we heard that Ford is going to renew the Lincoln brand and move it and the dealers upscale and sell Lincoln ocverseas etc. FACE IT FORD, You killed Mercury with stupidity and you're killing Lincoln with stupidity backed by lots of money. At least when all is said and done, you'll still have Fords to sell. And they'll look the same the world over. Won't that be special.
OK, I guess for a Sunday morning I should say something nice so - man, the '67 Mercury Cougar was one nice ride. But never again ...
Good luck though.
Surely you jest.
This site (Lincoln LS) is so far off the radar that almost no one visits it who didn't in the past. Besides which, Pat, who rode the hardest herd on us is, well let's just say, no longer around.
Nobody cares about the car any more, let alone this site, not that they ever did, really.
By the way, you were on the focus group that provided feedback on the MKS so any faults that car has is on you! Incidently, I don't recall seeing any direct comparos with the MKS ecoboost. Frankly, I trust my opinions (for my tastes) over anyone else's anyway.
You won't hear me defend much of anything Ford has done with Lincoln over the past 10 years. The MKS was a compromise put together under the old management. I am hopeful about the future of Lincoln - primarily because of the advances they have made with the Ford brand. Too soon to tell, though - the Lincoln nameplate is pretty badly tarnished. The current cars are a helluva lot better than their image.
The ecoboost engine is a real jewel, though - not a heyjewel - just a jewel. I have often thought how nice it would be to have an LS-type car with that engine - 500 pounds lighter than the MKS and RWD...
Bruce! I dont think I was on a panel giving feedback on the mks? I gave feedback on the LS, yes. Last panel I sat on was at the mania (3?) where they showed us the '03 LS 'redesign' which included redesigning the manual tranny into the rear view mirror.
Yes, Bruce, each of us is the final arbiter of our vehicles. I only use comparos as one source of info, sometimes of bragging rights. But it really sucks to see Lincoln's finishing last or thereabouts in any comparos I read - MKS, MKX, MKT, Nav, ... pretty much all do, like back in the glory days of the Taurus-based Continental. Jim Rogers, etc, had the right idea about Lincoln. But I dunno about today's execs.
You are right however, I don't recall seeing a comparo with the ecoboost engine. An eco boost with AWD and 20s does appeal to me on a broad level. I do like the 'real different' rear end treatment on the S. And it is nice inside. I've sat in, but not driven one. Seriously, the S looks like a fantastic car but it aint no LS. I think we can agree on that. See you on the twisties, Bruce, if u need convincin! Your dream of a ecoboost LS would've been nice. And look at the Jag XF or whatever to see where the body might have gone. Ah, but no sense in those musings, eh? Nor in saying I would have bought a nicely done Mercury Cougar on the new Mustang platform. I'll never buy a Mustang though. I just do not like to be a lemming, u know? That's one of the reasons I bought an LS in the first place. Something a little different.
I've ranted about it, but in all honesty I am very curious to see the Lincoln focus thing. If it is ANYTHING like the concept car, if could sell. DiLorenzo at autoextremist LOVED the concept car and he seldom even mentions Lincoln. But it will still be considered a failure if the majority of the buyers are blue-hairs (or no-hairs like me! Lincoln HAS to reach younger buyers or will be histoire. Everything they've tried so far to reach that demo has failed. Will a super-expensive Scion rip off be the key? I doubt it, but then whatdoIknow?
There are insiders hinting that Global RWD is alive and well and we'll see RWD Lincolns again, but with better interiors, features and 500 HP drivetrains.
But think about this for a minute. When in the past has Lincoln had a 365 hp vehicle? When has Lincoln had any of the new features that are now available (radar cruise/park assist/etc.)? Just compare the MKS ecoboost with the 2006 LS V8 and the MKS blows it away everywhere except handling in the twisties.
I think Lincoln will be fine in 3-4 years but we'll have to be patient until then. We were supposed to see new Lincoln designs at Chicago but Wolf wants to put his stamp on them first.
Yup, TSX w/ a manual (of course). Has close to 50K miles on it w/ absolutely no issues. Only problem is it's FWD.