Ford Crown Victoria and Mercury Grand Marquis

nvbanker

"ideal is infinitely variable speeds"

 

Exactly! I agree with you folks! If you need to go beyond 5 individual gears, just go CVT and get it over with, that way, it makes much more sense to me. It's the endless shifting that gets annoying to me. I'd invest in the CVT today if it were available. How's it working so far, John?

johnclineii

I am VERY pleased with it. Reliability remains to be proven. I put 173,000 trouble free miles on my Impala LS. We shall see what the Ford Five Hundred does. We know the Panthers (CV/GM) are very reliable vehicles...

crankshaft

I have always been a ford RWD person with some weight in the trunk.However,I recently bought a FWD and in the snow there is no comparison.If you have a lot of snow,go for a dependable front wheel drive.We have had more deep snow this season,I have been thru snow that would have stopped my GM.

johnclineii

or better yet, get a FWD Ford that switches to AWD when needed, a la Five Hundred! That's what I did...

settsrn

I have 2000 GM.The hvac control makes a high pitch tone sound after its on for a few minutes.When I punch different control buttons[vent/floor etc.]the tone stops for a few seconds ,then comes on again.Does anyone have an idea what the problem is?

ron35

I have had the same problem with my 20001 GM. I don't have the paperwork in front of me but I do know that they had to pull the dash and the bill was close to $600 (most of it in labor). Luckily my extended warranty paid almost all of it.

 

Ron

alien10

I am considering purchasing an older CV partially based on good reviews here and elsewhere too, maybe something in the 2-3K range.

In my area it seems like you can get about a '95 with around 100K for about that money.

So for those with experience with these cars what are the issues to watch out for?

For example the valve guide seals improved around '95 maybe? Or is it the guides that wear out on the early 4.6L's?

Do the trannies hold up OK?

Anything else?

I understand I am buying an inexpensive vehicle so anything could go bad and there is risk involved. Just trying learn more about the older CV's before I buy one.

 

Thanks for your help.

 

Alien10

settsrn

Ron25,thanks for the info.I can at least prepare myself for the hit.

uga91

why Ford Motor Co seems to put the Crown Vic behind the proverbial "8 Ball"? Let me explain...my local Mercury dealer quoted me $20,831 after $4500 in rebates ($3500 on the car and $1000 when using Ford Credit) on a 2005 Grand Marquis GS Convenience Package. This car has traction control and power adjustable pedals and stickers for $26,535. My Ford dealer has a 2004 Crown Victoria LX without traction control or adjustable pedals and the best he can do is $19,895 after rebates. The sticker is about $27,700. Now, the Ford is priced $1000 higher and they quoted $1000 lower than the Mercury--so I believe they did all they could do. But, why is the Mercury less expensive? I thought Mercury was "nicer" than Ford. There is no way I can buy a 2004 Crown Vic when for only $1000 more I can get a 2005 Mercury WITH traction control and adjustable pedals. Do any of you know why Ford Motor Co seems to price these vehicles the way they do?

nvbanker

I'd need to see the stickers to be sure, but there are going to be some other equipment differences between the two. The CV LX is the higher end Ford, and the GM GS Convience is the lower end Mercury, standard equip varies, like the traction control for one, keypad on the door, etc. The model year can make a difference too. Base price may vary from year to year. There are a thousand variables, including certain rebates. I'd get the Mercury myself, but get the one you like the best.

jsylvester

I think the Comfort and Convenience package adds some nice features that requires the LX version of the Crown Vic in order to get. I believe one possible difference is the fabric used in the interior, but again, leather can be had in the GM GS, and not in the Crown Vic base.

You are correct, the GM does have more standard equipment, and it is marketed as the nonfleet version, so most dealerships have a wider selection.

jangolf

Had a remote starter installed on 2000 GM and heater blower no longer worked. Installer (custom radio shop) disclaimed responsibility. Took to our mechanic who found a clip on a wire that shouldn't be there. Had to replace entire module. Lost blower again. Anyone out there had a problem with this? Ready to sue installer!!

uga91

with things like aftermarket remote starters--nobody takes responsibility for them and I believe they void the warranty if a problem pops up as a result of having them.

nvbanker

Same with some aftermarket alarms. You're kind of on your own.

marsha7

wrong with my 2004 CV LX Sport...it has rear air suspension...since I bought it in Aug 2004, I could hear the compressor come on maybe every 2-3 days, for about 1 minute or so and bring the suspenson back up to pressure...for the last 2 weeks, it seems EVERY time I start the car, the pump comes on for a minute...when I went food shopping and came out just 30 minutes later, the pump came on for a minute...could I have a slow (or not-so-slow) air leak, and where would one start looking for the most obvious place for a leak???...or, if Ford has had repetitive problems with this, and I say if, where do the leaks usually occur???...and if it is NOT a leak, where do I start???

 

Problem #2, also about 2-3 weeks old... intermittent problem with "almost stalling"...the engine almost seems like it is idling 100 rpm too slow, a dash light comes on, and if I touch the gas the light goes out and the car is fine for a few days...the light is on so momentarily that I do not remember which light it is, except that it is red, not amber...what would cause the car not to hold idle (not AM cold fast idle, we are at operating temperature with this), and should the dealer look at both these problems???

smokeyjoe

With the great incentives being offered by Mercury on the 2005 GM ($4K rebate, $500 credit cash) I went to take a look at one yesterday. I am not thrilled with the styling of the GM over the CV, but for the price it was worth it to take a look.

 

Upon sitting in the car, the first thing my wife and I noticed was how poorly one fits in the seats. You have to force your upper back backwads in order for your shoulders to rest against the seat back....worse, the headrests are angled so severely forward, your neck is then pushed down so that your chin is almost touching your chest. These seats are a chiropracters dream!

 

We then took the car for a test drive, and the ride was very unstable and bumpy. Nothing like the '97 CV I am used to riding in. We felt just about every bump on the road....could this be the result of the optional "front stabilizer bar"?

 

We went to a Ford dealer next, since I thought that maybe the CV had a different seat in it. Well....it DOES! VERY comfortable, and nothing like the GM. Though the headrests are also angled forward, the overall seat design is such that you can lay back in the seat and be perfectly comfortable. Unfortunately, we got to the dealer somewhat late and couldn't get the car out for a test drive. If it is a smooth ride, I think we'll get it.

 

So, my questions for you fine folks:

1) Would the GM's stabilizer bar cause the ride to be stiffer?

2) I noticed on 3 CVs and the 1 GM that upon starting the engine, when you turn the wheel while in Park you hear the power steering motor making a LOT of noise. Almost as much noise as you would expect from the motor when you have fully turned the wheel all the way right or left....but in this case, it was constant no matter where the wheel was being turned. Normal???

 

Thanks!

nvbanker

All of the Fords I've had with Air suspension have to re-pump each time you start the car, because they settle down when you turn them off and close up the car. That is normal. I wouldn't worry, it sounds like yours is working normally. On your other problem though, I don't know. sorry.

ragdollgirl

Several months ago I lost one of the center wheel caps on my 94 GM. I stood it as long as I could, but then I had to find one. The dealer wanted $86.63. I had previously checked used car parts dealers, but they insisted on selling me the whole wheel just to get the cap. I bought a perfectly respectable used cap on eBay for $32.99. It has just enough small scratches so it matches the other three. Perfect! Dealer -- you can keep yours! What a rip-off. All that money for a part that's mostly plastic. They should be embarrassed.

marsha7

I was under the impression that most cars have ALWAYS had a front stabilizer bar, even "poor handling luxury boats" like Crown Vic, Grand Marq, Town Car, etc...what I have always wanted, and more cars now offer, is a standard rear stabilizer bar which would only affect (improve) body roll in turns, but has, I believe, no effect whatsoever on straight roads since the bars have no torsion on them in straight roads...

dmers

I need some help for our 2000 GM LS w/Digital dash and auto heat/AC. The car has only 92K miles on it. It keeps blowing the fuse for the digital dash, power door locks, done light, etc.

 We just spent $190 getting the Auto heat/AC fan working about 1 month ago. This same fuse problem occured when we bought it 4 year ago and they tracked it down to the built in garage door opener in the visor.

Any ideas or is this common?

Thanks for any help.

dmers

nvbanker

It is not common at all, but clearly, you have something that's touching ground somewhere in the circuit or overloading. It's a tough one to find. Someone is going to have to trace every wire down to find out where the insulation has worn through or the staple is that's making the fault to ground for you.

esfoad

I just had the same thing. I finally tracked it down to the wire that powers the vanity mirror in the driver's sunvisor. Every time I moved the visor, the wire was chafing on the roof of the car and eventually rubbed away the insulation. Then it was bare wire touching the roof. I hope this helps to solve your problem.

a_l_hubcaps

You should remove those caps yourself anytime you take the car in for service, so you can be sure they are put back on properly. It is very easy for inattentive mechanics to break the clips and then the caps start flying off. I am in the hubcap business and I sell these caps all the time, they are one of the worst designs out there.

 

-Andrew L

ragdollgirl

I will definitely be removing all my wheel caps myself before I take the car in again. When we took another one off to see the part number, some serviceperson had broken a clip off of it. Don't know what shape the other two are in yet. I'll probably be losing another one before long. The car's got almost 200K miles on it but I still want it to look good. Can't go around with naked wheels! Thanks for the tip. I didn't know they were so fragile.

dmers

Thanks to all for any help on the issue of blowing fuses on my 2000 GM w/92K on it.

 

 There was a short in the visor to the remote control garage opener. The mechanic disconnected the wire and now all is working well on our electronic dash, door locks, heater fan, etc. at an unbelievable $68.00

   

The cost to replace the part: a new visor: $454.00 __you guessed it, we are using the old garage openers, again. The first time this happened, it was on Ford, back in 2000. I did not trust a third Ford Visor for electronics reliability.

 

I think I am going analog when possible on all my future cars.

jsylvester

My digital gauges on my 94 Grand Marquis work flawlessly. They are not known for being anymore troublesome than the analog gauges - the problem on your car seemed to be with the design of the built-in garage door opener.

 

I'm holding out for a Grand Marquis LS Ultimate somewhere around 2008, depending on whether Ford decides to stop building them or not. The 500 is a decent car on paper, but it is no Panther.

marsha7

but here goes...I need to raise my 2004 Crown Vic headights just a little...there apparently is no left-right adjustments, but you can raise and lower the beams (is this what they call cost-cutting?)...the adjustment screw is a small screw with a hex head that requires a 4 mm wrench... that's right, 4 millimeters...I have a 4 mm small socket, but the space is designed so that I can fit the socket on the end, but no room for the ratchet...what I need is either a 4 mm wrench, preferably a combo wrench with a six sided box on one end (12 sided might slip), or a 4 mm socket with flat surfaces ground onto the outside so a wrench could fit OVER the socket, and one could wrench the socket to tighten the screw...I hesitate to use a pliers or a visegrip, and it might slip and ruin the tiny hex head surfaces on the screw...my dilemma is that I cannot find any manufacturer who makes a 4 mm combo wrench, or small 4 mm sockets with the outer surface designed for a wrench...does anyone know of a source where I might buy such an item???

nvbanker

Why do you want to blind oncoming traffic, Marsha?

esfoad

Ford has a special ratchet tool designed to fit in the limited space. I'm sure someone here can help you to find the tool. I also had to raise my headlights. I never get flashed and I can see further down the road. If no one here can help you, check out www.crownvic.net.

marsha7

I do not wish to blind oncoming traffic, but raising the beams a little will improve my visibility...I feel it was poorly set at the factory, and I wish they still had windage adjustments in addition to elevation...

harmar2

I replaced my OEM bulbs with Phillips bulbs from Wal-Mart (~$10 each), and they improved the brightness. Admittedly a subjective improvement. And GE, I believe, has a new bulb that allegedly improves brightness further, though I have not seen a test with their bulb.

nvbanker

I'm not being insolent Marsha, but raising my headlights will improve my visibility too, no doubt-but no doubt, it will also affect oncomers too. Particularly, in low cars. And, I'm not sure they can be maladjusted at the factory today. In the old days, most cars needed the headlights readjusted after delivery, but no longer.

marsha7

I am curious....why do you believe that the lights are "perfectly set" from the factory???... it is still a mechanical connection that requires aiming, with lamps and brackets that require alignment, which I do not believe would be set by computers or robots...since each bulb/bracket combo is different, each would require individual alignment, unlike, say, seats or dashboards, which would be virtually identical from car to car, and would just drop in the chassis as it goes down the line...am I wrong in this assumption???

mybluegm

Marsha, my lamps were set too low from factory as well. Put the 4mm socket onto the adjustment screw and use a small vise grip to turn the 4mm socket *itself*. This way you save the adjustment screw from damage while aiming your lamps properly.

 

A small adjustment to mine made a world of difference. And I've never been flashed because of this. The lights were simply factory set too low, uh huh :-)

nvbanker

I humbly stand corrected..... I have driven Ford products among others since the 70's, and have never needed to adjust the headlamps on a new one.

Naturally, I would draw the conclusion that I did.

marsha7

I would take your advice, but someone in another topic where I posted the problem found the website where Snap-On makes a 4mm open end/boc combo wrench for about $25...it is worth it to me for the perfect fit of the box wrench to adjust it once and never again...until I purchase another Ford product like an Explorer or Mountaineer, but that will probably require a 5mm wrench, since I now own a 4mm wrench...:):):):)

tommusser

The headlight covers on my 99 CV are cloudy. Is there a way to remove them and polish the plastic?

ron35

I have seen this addressed in other forums. There are a number of solutions applying toothpaste, Brasso, rubbing compound, ultra fine wet sand paper (800 or higher grit) and rubbing them in in circular motion will get the lenses clear again, however, the problem seems to be that they will not stay that way long unless you apply some type of protectant on a regular basis. I personally use 303 Protectant every 30 days or so and have not had any yellowing in 4 years. Another solution which I heard works very well and doesn't require much maintenance is applying plastic sheets known as headlight protectors (custom sized for each vehicle). I have seen them for sale on the net, they are designed to protect the haedlight form flying stones etc.

Sylvia

A reporter would like to interview someone who recently bought a large sedan such as a Mercedes E-Class, Lexus LS 430, Mercury Crown Victoria or any large Cadillac or Lincoln.

 

Please send your daytime contact info to jfallon@edmunds.com by Friday, February 11, 2005.

marsha7

one company that makes many headlight protectors is X-pel...<xpel.com>, I believe...

barnzy

I want to install an XM Satellite radio in my 2000 GM. Have found an independent radio shop offering one for $195, installed. Circuit City has one for approx $300,installed. Both units can be easily removed and reinstalled in another vehicle. Any particular makes/models recommended?

johnclineii

Yeah. Look at Sirius, too. It all depends on what you want. On Sirius, you will find the NFL, some NPR programming (NOT Morning Edition or All Things Considered, though)...and, in about a year, Howard Stern, if that's important to you. The music is also more hit based and largely familiar...which can be either a plus or a minus. If you pay for it at least a year at a time, the cost is about the same as XM.

 

XM has major league baseball, more diverse music choices and more familiar choices on talk radio.

 

Just be sure to look at both. I've had Sirius (starting in my General Motors product at the time) for almost three years now. I couldn't be happier.

 

I paid about $101 at Circuit City for my Sirius, installed. They were having a sale, but I have an Audiovox PNP3 that was about $67, the car cradle was $29 and installation was on sale for one cent. The rest was tax. Watch for sales, they run about every third week. I also got the service contract, which I do not usually do.

 

I do know this...both services give you coast-to-coast commercial free music, great programming and instant availability of news and entertainment programming. I would never want to go back....

 

I wish Ford would make satellite radio a factory option on their cars, but, for the most part, it hasn't happened yet. It will. At GM, XM is at least an option on everything they sell (then again, GM owns part of XM)...

lostwrench

I took off my wheel covers and painted the wheels gloss black. I think it looks great with the thin white wall. Looks a little NASCARish.

a_l_hubcaps

lostwrench-

 

You should consider adding the small "cop car" center caps to those wheels to complete the sinister look. You can usually find those on eBay.

 

-Andrew L

lostwrench

Andrew L. I did. The state police here in Connecticut have the center cap with a chrome trim ring. I love it. I went to the dealer's parts department to order the set up and was told that to order them my vehicle's vin number would have to be submitted with the order and if,through the vin number,they see I don't have the police package, they cannot fill my order. Since then, I've noticed the state police cars are now using a funny looking wheel, very different than mine, with just the cap and no ring. I think this is going to mean junkyard hunting. Thanks.

a_l_hubcaps

That's ridiculous -- I know of a lot of people who have bought those caps at a Ford parts counter with no problems. You should try a different dealer, or try telling them you need caps for a '98 Ranger with steel rims -- they are the exact same caps. You can also try eBay.

 

-Andrew L

geekchic

On February 4, 2005, I was involved in an accident. A driver in a Nissan ran a stop sign and I tried to miss the car but ended up striking the car while I was going about 45 mph. I struck the Nissan with the right front center and corner of my car directly in front of the drivers side of the Nissan. Both cars were totaled and we both went to the hospital with injuries. Now, my problem, the airbag on the passenger side of my car deployed...the driver's side airbag did NOT deploy. My doctor's said that my injuries are consistent with those that result from hitting the steering wheel...but I don't remember if I did or not. The question...should't the driver's side airbag have deployed? Any one else had this problem? We are in the process of looking for another car now but still have concerns about why the airbag didn't deploy. I have filed a complaint with Nhsta but haven't heard anything from them...

lostwrench

Thanks Andrew. After watching the Daytona 500 last Sunday, the set-up I have now is my current favorite. Wheel covers off. Wheels painted gloss black. Clean and bright thin white-walls.

marsha7

airbag deployment depends on the actual point of impact on the front of your car...often hitting an object (tree, pole, another car) at an angle may cause one, both, or no bag to deploy...you state the right front and center struck the other car...if the driver impact sensor was not impacted directly, driver's bag may not deploy...we have been led ot believe that ANY frontal impact will cause bags to deploy, but it just ain't so...that misinformation has caused more folks than I can count to believe that their airbags are defective and they have a product liability (defective product) suit against the maker...usually ain't so...That does not mean you may not have a defect, just that the impact usually must be fairly specific in the front to cause both bags to deploy...

wnichols

I will second what marsha7 said. I had a t-bone accident like you but at a slower speed (30mph). The other driver ran a stop sign. My vehicle sustained over $4000 in damage, I believe. However, my airbags did not deploy. I was told by the body shop that the impact wasn't severe enough and that it did not set off the airbag sensors. I was not hurt.

Ward N.