Cougar Support Group - Chats On...

camelard · January 2001

Sorry all but I won't be able to make it this week. I have a committee meeting that starts at 7:00 pm tomorrow. I will be with you next week though

katlvr · January 2001

I wanna be there but I'm not the chatty type

badulah · January 2001

Kaltlvr:
You should join us and just lurk in the background. I'm sure you will enjoy listening (reading) to our banter, and we might actually talk about something constructive.

I'll be logging in to the chat room around 6:45pm EST tonight. Hopefully we will have our own room, and I seriously hope we don't get any Cougar bashers bothering us. If so, I'll have to use the force and tap in to my "god powers" and banish them from our kingdom!

PS - I don't really have the ability to boot anyone out of our room.

fish8 · January 2001

I dropped off my Cat this morning at the dealership for an oil change, rear hatch problem, vibration @ 65mph and rattle in dash. I actually spoke with the technician this time and explained to him what exactly is wrong with my car. He seemed very concerned about my problems and was interested in finding a fix. We'll see!! I will be VERY happy if I can actually drive around without my dash rattling.

dasaint1 · January 2001

I took my Cat to the dealer for the first time on Jan. 2. I had a problem with the driver's seat. The height adjustment doesn't work. The seat is all the way up until you seat on it, and then it sinks to the lowest setting. After holding the car overnight, the dealer told me they needed to replace the bottom part of the seat. They ordered the part and that they would drop me a postcard when they received it.

I can see that my problem is not high priority. And I guess it really isn't. It's just annoying that it isn't fixed.

But how long do I have to wait for this part? How long has anybody had to wait for a part to arrive to their dealer?

fish8 · January 2001

I have only had to wait a couple of days for a seat cover for my drivers seat. Good luck with your car.

stageleft · January 2001

I've had to wait up to three days for a part for my car before. I think they just get backordered.

See you all at the chat tonight!

badulah · January 2001

All:
Once again i'll be hosting our chat session tonight. I hope to see all of you there!!

Be there or be square!

dana · January 2001

Badulah,

I'll be there as Moderator lurking in the background to make sure that your Cougar Support Group Chat goes as planned

Though we can't keep anyone out, we CAN keep disruptive people (ie: COUGAR BASHERS) out of the room!!

The name of the room will be Cougar Support Group. Click here:
http://www.edmunds.com/chat/cougarchat.html

See you there!

Dana S. Livingston
Manager, Community
Town Hall
Edmunds.com

coolchick · January 2001

The badman and I had a nice conversation, and fish8 was able to join us at the end.....but where were all of you??????

Not a Subiehead in sight. The room all to ourselves. And no one shows up for the party. Eek!

daexpert · January 2001

fish8, I've taken my car to the dealer as well for the rattle in the dash and the vibration @65mph (I've posted that before) and it always comes back the same! Hopefully they'll do a better job on yours. They told me that they couldn't reproduce either of the problems so I was just like "screw" it and just turn up the stereo to fix the rattle (or not hear it). The vibration is not that bad anymore actually, so it has worked out okay for me. Let us know what they tell you.

badulah · January 2001

WHERE WAS EVERYONE LAST NIGHT?!!!
The chat room was like a ghost town. I had a nice conversation with CoolChick (AKA "Cold Chicken"), Fish8, and the two chat moderators.

krnch · January 2001

I'm taking a night course on Tuesday nights, so I regretfully will not be able to attend the chat sessions until April. :-(

dasaint1 · January 2001

Re: Waiting for a part

I knew when the dealer said, "I'll drop you a postcard when we get the part" that I would be waiting for a long time. Well, it's been two weeks and still no postcard. So I guess it'll be a while more.

With the spring loose on the seat, it's actually pretty cool. The seat goes down as sit on it. The employee at the dealer who gave me my car back was asking about the seat. He thought it was a custom seat.

Actually, I would've left it that way since I like the seat low anyway. The only problem is when you're driving with the seatbelt on, then you hit a bump, the seat goes up but the seatbelt doesn't give. So you're momentarily choked at the waist. Not a comfortable, confidence-inspiring feeling when you're driving, if you know what I mean.

dasaint1 · January 2001

Perhaps it's time to reconsider changing the day of the chat. We might get a better turn out on a different day.

krnch · January 2001

Dasaint: Maybe you can blame the delay in 'getting your postcard' on the US Mail ;-)

It sounds like your seat could be a safety hazard. If so, I would like to think that FMC would want to fix it ASAP.

badulah · January 2001

Dasaint1:
I would call the service department if I were you. The last time they ordered a part for me they said they would send me a postcard when they got it in. They never sent the card. I called a few weeks later and they said it had been in stock for a few days.

All:
Would Monday or Wednesday be a better night for the chat? According to Edmunds, there were a total of 18 CSG members at the chat last week. If we need to change the day and time, please let us know so we can do it ASAP.

dasaint1 · January 2001

The dealer told me the seat assembly was made in Canada. ;>)

dasaint1 · January 2001

Good idea. I'll give the dealer a call today. Thanks.

Monday would work for me.

camelard · January 2001

Monday or Wednesday would be fine for me. Tuesday's are normally OK but I had a meeting to go to last night.

krnch · January 2001

Dasaint: That's funny that you mention that. A good buddy of mine worked a summer job at a plant that made seats for some Mercury products. This was before the days of our beloved new edge Cougar, but perhaps they're made there now. As for your defective seat, I'm assuming it must be a result of installation. Canadians wouldn't dare make a faulty part (yeah right!).

I could make chat sessions on Mondays or Wednesdays. Probably would prefer Mondays, but it doesn't really matter.

gambit293 · January 2001

I accidentally logged into the chat one hour too late! I've been busier at work lately. Maybe next week?

I heard (i think in motortrend february) that the cougar S won't be available til Fall, and the cougar will cease production in 2003, when Mustang production moves over to the Flat Rock factory. True?

badulah · January 2001

Gambit:
At the present time there are many rumors about the S. No one really knows for sure when or if it will be released. I'm sure our friends at Mercury are all tangled in red tape about this issue.

I say ditch the Mustang V6, soup up the basic Cougar design (O say maybe 210 horses), and redesign the S with a supercharger (around 250 horses). Both of these models would KILL the competition. It's to bad I don't work for FMC.

Badulah For FMC President of Design & Product Lineup

fish8 · January 2001

I went to pick up my car yesterday from the dealer. As usual, they could not "duplicate" the rattle or vibration. My service advisor actually stated that ALL cars that have plastic and foam dashes will experience rattling. I told him that that was "crap". Every car I have ever owned had the same dash material as my Cougar and none have ever rattled like the Cat. He also said that the Cougar tends to vibrate at speed because that is the way the car is engineered. He said it was something like an anomily(sp) or something. He then told me that most people that drive a Cougar tend to be younger than me(I'm 28) and tend not to be bothered or complain about rattles and vibrations.

How's that for service!!!!????

badulah · January 2001

THATS A BUNCH OF CRAP!!!!!

Designed to rattle?

Yeah okay, that makes sense!!

So younger people don't deserve a high build quality? Young people don't deserve decent service?

I think you should email MWS0520 about this. It sounds like this guy needs to be "motivated" to fix your rattle.

Stuff like this really chaps my butt!!

fish8 · January 2001

The SVC Rep didn't actually say the car was designed to rattle. He said that because they used plastics in the dash, the rattling was inevitable.

The first tech I spoke with said he heard the rattle, then when I pick up the car they couldn't find the rattle. I guess it just disappeard sometime that afternoon. Also when I went to the dealer to pick up my car, since I was told it was completed, I went to put my briefcase in the hatch and guess what? The hatch was not fixed. It didn't open. They took the car back and "adjusted" the spring. They then came back about 15 minuted later and said it was fixed. I went out to open the hatch by remote control and it still didn't open correctly. The Tech was shocked. The hatch would not work 1 out of every 10 trys. I asked what my options are and he said that there really weren't any. If it gets worse, just bring it back since it is still under warranty. :-(

stageleft · January 2001

Oops! I suppose I "spaced" out last night during chat time. I ended up cooking some wonderful bleu cheese-stuffed filet mignion's for dinner last night and lost track of the time. I guess I have to apologize for not being there, but I will definately be there next week!

Fish: Get ye to the BBB! Write up that yahoo that told you that young people don't complain, because as a young person I demand quality, and no - the Cougar is NOT designed to rattle, nor does it contain an anomoly that makes it rattle. If so, it's probably a loose screw in that guy's head! ;^)

camelard · January 2001

OK, let's see if I understand this correctly. Rattles in the Cougar are OK because young people are the main buyers of the car (and presumably they drive around with their stereo on full volume and so don't hear the rattles).

I am 40 years old, I too drive around with my stereo on full volume (what can I say, bit of a seventies head banger)and I still hear every little rattle, squeak, grind, whirr!

The car was either built for drivers or it wasn't. All true drivers hear all noises. Duh!
And I don't imagine there are many people who buy a Cougar for basic transportation.

camelard · January 2001

You spent Tuesday night cooking, and presumably serving, blue (although I like your French take on it) cheese stuffed filet mignon and you didn't invite us.

heyen · January 2001

I bought my 'baby' last march and I've been to the dealer twice for loose motor mounts. Has anyone else had this problem or am I just lucky? The dealer supposedly fixed it the first time by re-torcing? the bolts. I got my car back today, after the dealer replaced a missing motor mount bolt. I'd like to hear if anyone out there has had this problem and what the fix is.
Other than that, I love my car!!!!
Susan

daexpert · January 2001

fish8,

See, I told ya! They give everybody the same exact same crap, it's so pathetic that I already know what they're thinking before they even say come out and say it. They did the same thing to me, didn't hear the rattle, and couldn't feel the vibration. I'm 24 years old and I when it's time to complain, I make sure these goofballs hear me out.

heyen,
I"ve never experienced that before.

On another note, the "wrench" light came on today on my overhead console. I have 12K miles on my car now, does anyone know why this happens? I looked it up on the manual and it says it should come on around 4500 miles (which it did),but not at 12K miles. Any ideas? Thanks.

badulah · January 2001

Heyen:
WELCOME TO THE CSG!!!

If you take the time to go back and read all the posts in here, and the archived ones on the CSG site, you will find a wealth of information on the Cougar.

In 2.5 years of CSG membership and 2 years of ownership, I have never heard of anyone have problems with their motor mounts. Can you explain the problem you had in a little more detail? Also, where did you purchase your Cat and are they the dealership that is doing the work for you? Please let us know.

dasaint1 · January 2001

My wrench light is on too. I have a little over 11K miles on it. I've been meaning to turn it off, but I forgot which two buttons to press. It's in the manual, though. You gotta press a couple of buttons for a few seconds to turn it off. However, this is the second time it came on. The first time was around 5K miles. I guess it comes on every 5K or so.

jimbo_g · January 2001

Mine just came on this past weekend at 30,000miles. Not sure why. I just reset it. Procedure as follows:

Press and HOLD "select" and "units" for like 5-10seconds, you will hear a beep then the wrench will go off....

Jimbo_G

harbachj · January 2001

Was watching the new NBC show "ED" on TV last night and was delighted to see his girlfriend on the show drives a silver Cougar with the sport package (I recognized the wheels and it had a spoiler). Perhaps that reinforces the "chick car" article we commented on earlier. Anyway, it's at least a little free advertisement for Mercury.

fish8 · January 2001

I think my dealer was trying to say I was VERY anal about my car. More so than other younger drivers. He actually said; I "noticed" more problems in my car than others. Then I said I am pretty anal about my car and he said "I didn't want to say that". He didnt have too.

dasaint1 · January 2001

Harbachj, you just described my Cat on that ED show you mentioned. I still don't think of the Cat as a "chick" car, though. For that matter, I'm not a young teen-ager either. So I probably shouldn't have bought a Cougar in the first place.

What's a "guy" car anyway? Do we all have to drive Hummer's??

badulah · January 2001

Guy-mobiles:
a '76 Pontiac Trans Am / Firebird, a GTO, Chavelle (spelling?), a Hummer, a Dodge Ram Pick-up.

harbachj · January 2001

dasaint1: I'm not young either (55 this year) or female and I bought a Cougar. I wanted a sporty hatchback with V6, 5-speed, ABS, and reasonable room, and the Cougar is one of the very few cars that fits that bill. I'm not sure why that article felt it appeals more to females than males, but who cares. It's a good car and a bargain to boot.

In any case, you all might want to tune in to "ED" on NBC at 8 on Wed. nites to see if you can spot the Cougar.

Jim H.

dasaint1 · January 2001

harbachj:

Imagine that--CSG will single-handedly (as a group) boost the ratings for the ED show. Is it because of some young, hot sexy female model? Nooooooo. Is it because of some big name comedian in the lead role? Nooooo. The main attraction is the Cougar.

malibu · January 2001

Badulah: People love to stereotype, Chick Cars/Guy Cars...Poo Poo. My mom bought our 68 GTO After her divorce, gave it to me in high school and now my son drives it. I drove a 82 4x4 pickup for many years out of high school. You love your cougar as much as I do. So whoever says its a chick car is WRONG! If our car is a chick car than what is a Honda Civic or a lowered Accord?
Question: There is a new (98 or 99) black camaro down the street from my house, he has 2 exhaust pipes that are rectangle and the car sounds awesome! I know it's stock but does the Borla sound anything like that? Or is that a v8 and I have no hope of getting that rumble?

Fish8:
I think your dealer stinks! I let my salesman know right up front that I was very obsesive or anal-whatever you want to call it, I let the service manager know also, he just shook his head, but he was very considerate..and respectful, that's what makes the difference between a good service dept and a bad one. You are the customer, if not for you they wouldn't have a job, you may need to remind them of that!

Stageleft:
you don't really think you can tell us about that wonderful meal and not share the receipe do you? It's a little far for some of us to travel for dinner so maybe you would post the recipe? Please.

Thanks.

badulah · January 2001

Malibu:
If it has two pipes, It's a 350 V8. The tips are stock and the shape of them has nothing to do with the awesome sound.

iexplore2000 · January 2001

Hello,

I am new to this board but thought that I should at least sign myself in for support until my factory ordered Cougar arrives to my local dealership.

I placed the order yesterday (1-17-01) and according to the dealer, the vehicle should arrive between the beginning of March 2001. For those of you that even care (ha, ha), I ordered my vehicle as follows:

* V-6 Convenience Group
* V-6 Sport Group
* C-2 Feature Vehicle Group
* Leather Sport Seats
* 6-Way Power Driver's Seat
* Side Air bags
* 4 Wheel Anti-Lock Breaking System
* Engine Block Heater
* Front License Plate Bracket
* Body color Body-side moldings
* Smoker's Package
* Power Sliding Sunroof
* Traction Control
* Automatic Transmission

I decided to order my vehicle in black with the midnight black leather seating surfaces. The local dealership had two C-2's, one in black and the other in French Blue. I really liked the looks of the black vehicle!

I currently have a 2000 Ford Explorer Limited which has been fairly trouble-free, therefore I am truly concerned with the overall reliability of the Cougar. The Cougar will be in addition to my Explorer but may travel more than the Explorer (due to soaring gas prices). Any additional insight that you all could provide would be greatly appreciated! Please feel free to em-ail me @ IExplore2000@aol.com.

Thanks!

fish8 · January 2001

Congrats on your new Cougar purchase. You will really love the car.. The reliability should be fine on the '01 models. The early '99's had some minor teething problems. Unfortunately, I'm still trying to get through those "teething" problems.

My Cat goes back to the dealer tomorrow morning. The hatch refuses to open again. The only time it opens is when the drivers door is open(and I leave it open), I then push the hatch button inside the car and immediately open the hatch. If I push the button and then get out of the car and close the car door, the hatch will not open correctly. This is the 4th-5th time my car has been to the dealer for this fix. I hope they get it right this time. :-) At least this time I will most likely get a loaner.

camelard · January 2001

Actually I think the Kitty on "Ed" is tourmaline green and this weeks show was the first time we got a good long view of it. They have been teasing for weeks.

P.S. It is actually quite a good show.

Iexplore2000:

They actually have such a thing as a "smoker's package"?

Stageleft:

Malibu is right, you should share the recipe or, even better, you can cook it for us at Lime Rock.

jdbishop · January 2001

Actually the color of the car is Sage Green. The Dark Tourmaline Green is almost Emerald in color (thus the name of my kitty Emmy Lou, which is short for Emerald).

About two weeks ago I was being very cynical about a back ordered part from FMC. The part came in this week and I had it installed yesterday. Much to my surprise, the new part actually fixed the moan/groan problem. My Emmy Lou once again purr's like a beautiful kitten.

iexplore2000 · January 2001

Thanks for rolling out the welcome mat for me!

Fish8: Good luck with the hatch problem that you are experiencing. One of my coworkers has a dark green 99 V-6 Cougar with grey leather and I called him today in order to ask him some questions on reliability. He mentioned that he hasn't had any problems with his other than this squeaky noise that he hears every now and then from his rear hatch.

Camelard: YES, they actually do have a smokers package. The funny thing is that I don't smoke . I wanted the ashtray in order to hold my wrapped candies in! Ha, ha.. My Explorer has a bunch of compartments for that! The cigarette lighter will be useless, just like my Explorer's.

ONE DILEMMA... Someone at work told me to take a look at the Monte Carlo SS's today and I did. Had a chance to drive one and it's actually pretty nice. Both are competatively priced. I received X-Plan on my Cougar order BUT my dad works for GM so I can instantly get the GMO or GMS pricing too? The Monte had a lot of room, more gadets and 200 hp but to me it looks rather LOOONNGGG. I think that the Cougar has greater eye appeal, looks like a true sports car. I hope that I am not confusing myself, I will have to sleep on it. =( I should have not listened to my coworker! Keep the comments rolling.. I want to be a Cougar owner but I guess I need a little more convincing.

Thanks!

IExplore2000@aol.com

krnch · January 2001

IExplore2000:

My opinion is definitely biased, but I don't care much for the "big boat" looks of the Monte Carlo. Performance wise, the big GM might have a slight edge on the auto Cougar in a straight line, but get into the twisties and I'm sure the Cougar would prevail. The sharp handling and relatively compact size of the Cougar add up to a great "fun factor" and the great looks get lots of comments. The hatch is actually quite large in the Cougar, making the Cougar a pretty practical car as well. In my mind, your choice is easy. Good luck!

badulah · January 2001

Iexplore2000:
WELCOME TO THE CSG!!! If you get a chance, take the time and go back and read through all of the GREAT posts. Older topics are archived on our official web site:

Cougar Support Group

You will find a wealth of information and a millions why you should buy a Cougar.

- Monte Carlo SS vs Cougar -
Here are just a few reasons why you should get a Cougar:

* Reason #1 on why you should get a Cougar:
Just look at the Monte!! The design is one that only a (blind) Mother could love

*Reason #2 on why you should get a Cougar:
The Monte is more of a luxury Coupe, and the Cougar is more of a touring car. The Cougar is much more nimble, and handles the twisties like a champ. It is truly a driver's car.

* Reason #3 on why you should get a Cougar:
The Cougar is available with a manual 5-speed transmission and the Monte is not. This transmission combined with the Duratech really make an excellent match. A true sports Coupe / Touring car should be available with a manual trans. (No offence to all you ATX owners!!!)

* Reason #4 on why you should get a Cougar:
An award wining interior. Compare the interior of the Monte with the interior of the Cougar. Yes the Monte does have much more room (prime example of why I call this car a luxury sport coupe and not a Sport Coupe), but the design is bland and not very appealing to the eye. The Cougar's interior design is fresh and exciting. It is very well done and not over stated. The unique air vents actually won a design award back in 1998/1999.

* Reason #5 on why you should get the Cougar:
The Cougar is available with side impact air bags and the Monte isn't. Cougar safety is excellent. One of our members got SMASHED by a Mustang. He was not injured at all because his car protected him properly. At first glance his Cougar looked totaled, but the dealership actually rebuilt the entire thing and it is back on the road today (the car was so badly damaged that every single panel had to be replaced. When the owner spoke to the dealership doing the work, the service department actually asked him if he wanted them to rebuild it in a different color).

*Reason #6 on why you should get a Cougar:
Do you see a "MCSG" (Monte Carlo Support Group)anywhere? I don't think so!!

malibu · January 2001

Go with the Cougar!...if you have an explorer than you need something more economical, the Monte Carlo can't be as good as the cougar on mileage. I have a friend who has a brand new one, black and it's okay looking but put my cougar next to it and it just looks ordinary. It has to weigh quite a bit more since it's so big. He always wants to race my Cougar but I think he would beat me pretty bad so I just ignore him. I think you will enjoy the sportiness of the cougar and it rides just as smooth as the Monte carlo (at least the one I rode in) Besides we need more members and Cougar fanatics!

Badulah: I was afraid that camaro was a V8...I just love when he drives by, he ususally looks at my Cat. He may go faster, but I look better getting there!

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