On Wednesday evening, I called King Lincoln Mercury in Gaithersburg, MD. (Same dealer I purchased my LS from back in November, 1999). Told the service writer I needed the following issues addressed: Drivers Side heated seat not working, "clunk" emanating from the steering column when turning the steering wheel, drivers side mirror vibrates excessively, light bulb behind the drivers side climate control temperature arrow burnt out, rear license plate bulb burnt out, and headliner hangs slightly low (broken clip?) in the rear near the back window. I asked if I could drop the car off on the next day (Thursday), and was initially told that they were pretty heavily booked, but then the writer told me to bring it in. Within 4 minutes of driving up to the garage door on Thursday am, the service writer came out, tagged the car, and had my ticket written up. Within about 30 minutes (unusually long for this dealership) the Enterprise guy drove up in the shuttle van, and took me back over to the Enterprise office. Placed me in a Mitsubishi Galant with about 5,000 miles on it. (On previous occassions I had a relatively new Town Car and another decent compact car whose brand I cant recall). Ive never had to pay a dime in taxes or any other fees for my loaners. Service writer has called me each day with a status. As of Friday night, the steering column issue had already been repaired, and my LS had just returned from the Upholstery shop (apparently they use an external source to replace the heated seat elements), and they antcipated it being ready on Monday afternoon. (Still have to replace the mirror and fix the replace the bulbs).
If all the work is done properly, as it usually is by this dealer, I will be happy.
Got home late last night. Been on the road since Mania II. Had a Mazda 626 - 4 cylinder in MI for a week and a Grand Marquis in Charlotte for this week. The 4 cyl was almost dangerous at highway speeds on the interstates - floor it and only noise - no go. The Grand Marquis on the other hand moves OK but try and stop Battleship Galactica! It was almost midnight when I got back to Texas but I took the LS out for a drive to see what I had been missing. Didn't pull any 142 blasts as I hadn't seen the car in 2 weeks but 100 is just a touch of the pedal. The more I drive the LS, the more I appreciate it. For Mania II group- do you view your LS slightly differently after seeing it built from the ground up?
I sure do, Ray. Think I mentioned it several times during the tour, but I'm still amazed at the price of a car, after seeing the stupendous amount of overhead necessary for their design and manufacture. Millions of dollars everywhere you look, none of it having anything to do with the actual labor and materials that produce the car. Makes building a house (most people's largest investment) look like child's play.
After the first time at Wixom I'm still completely astounded that something as complex as an automobile assembly line can put together something that doesn't have that many problems (I'm talking in general here gang, so don't flame me telling me your LS has a ton of problems). The sheer coordination of what is required and the incredible amount of computing power and manpower that is required to keep everything flowing correctly is mind-boggling. And they make it look so easy......
I wasn't lucky enough to go to Wixom, but would like to add to the opinion that it's amazing only a handful of things go wrong considering all that goes into making a car. I get as frustrated as anyone with dealer service, but I'm not sure I really want to pay the $10K or more it would take to get the car perfect. I'm not saying Lincoln should accept any defects, just that as you get closer to reaching perfection, the cost involved goes up exponentially. We may some day reach the point that it would be cheaper to pay off the politicians the $$$ it would take to get rid of the dealer so the manufacturer could promptly and quickly fix the handful of things that will always go wrong with such a complex machine. Again, I'm saying someday, not necessarily in my life time!
Please, please, please tell me how the klunk in the steering was repaired. This is starting to drive me a little bit nutty. My dealer will fix it, but they're waiting for ME to tell them what it is from my participation in LLSOC & Edmunds.
I do view my LS differently since touring the plant. Actually, I've always thought it was amazing that comparatively little goes wrong with a modern automobile considering the amount of parts that go into it. The trip really hammered it home, though. The LS is the most complex car Lincoln has ever built. It was amazing to watch what started out as an empty shell drive off the end of the assembly line as a complete car. How did they do this before computers?
Edmunds has a review of the upcoming Mazda 6, with a 3.0 liter Duratech. This engine has variable intake valve timing for 219 hp. It will be available with a five speed auto or Manual. Do I see some similarities here or what?
Dont know for myself how theyve fixed it (havent picked up the car yet) but here is what kicker9 stated in an earlier post with regards to how his clunk was fixed:
"...defective bearing that the steering shaft goes through, the dealer replaced the whole lower steering column as per factory recommendations, the bearing itself is not a serviceable part."
The more I think about, the more impressed I am with the LS build quality. I don't remember the exact number, but several platforms all come down the same assembly line from a Town Car to an LS. Just watching the spare tires come down the chute was amazing. The right spare has to be in sync with the car that's there. One wheel out and the entire system sees the wrong spare in the right car. I spoke to our tour guide about electricals. Dashes come in from sub contractors as complete assemblies. The dash must be the correct color, have the necessary options and correct wire harness. One mistake here and you literally have to dismantle the car to make it right. The main wire harness I thought was universal for each car, IE it is wired for all options but no, each one is custom built for a particular car. The chances for errors must be in the millions. That's why the zero defect concept of manufacturing is at play. If you don't aim for zero - you will never attain it. Then for the icing on the cake, institute 20 changes a week on the fly and mesh all of that into production. Those computers must really be humming! Maybe now you begin to appreciate why the window problem wasn't an instant fix. Just think of all the existing units that must be purged from the system.
Since I knew that Wixom was built in '57 to produce the unit bodied Lincolns and T-birds in '58, I found much humor in the transfer line for the Town Car chassis. Up and over the aisle way, and onto the next stage of production. Definitely an after thought, but it sure added to the complexity of the plant. So that's where Rube Goldberg went to work. :-)
For those that missed Wixom, there is a movie called "How a Car Is Built" about producing the Mustang. It's interesting, informative and about a half an hour. It's available from I-collection.
The movie is enlightening, but this was only one model. Not the five model mix that Wixom produces. Just seeing the "old school" Town Car, the "front driver" Continental, and our beloved LS on the same line was amazing. Outside of some of the Japanese transplants, I can't think of a single manufacture that produces such a platform mix that Wixom does so successfully.
I thought I remember a discussion on V6 manual stumbling and stalling a long time ago (~ a year back?). There was a lot of discussion as to if the PCM reflash applied to the manual. If I remember right the PCM reflash did apply & was supposed to improve the situation.
Would any one know when Lincoln plans on building dates for the Lincoln Aviator? I have a 2000 LS 8 . Looking to replace my blazer. Should make a nice truck if any thing like the LS.
Do I understand you guys that toured the plant correctly? - Do the different models, LS's, TC's, and Conti's run along the same line CONCURRENTLY? If so, roughly what was the ratio of each at that time? 20:20:30, or 2:1:1 or 5:5:10 or something? I really wanted to see this but couldn't. Sounds amazing. Thanks - Brian.
Brian/Mark, YES. The LS, Conti, TC and Stretch TC are all on the same line and come down the line in a predetermined order one after another. As the cars pass each station, the correct parts are fed to the operator (computer or human) at that station to assemble the correct part so the TC doesn't end up with an LS windshield, etc.
As stated before, this is the only factory in the world where a RWD unibody, FWD unibody, and RWD full-chassis are built on the same line. Quite amazing.
The Tbird is built on a different line possibly because of capacity limitations.
Do I understand you guys that toured the plant correctly? - Do the different models, LS's, TC's, and Conti's run along the same line CONCURRENTLY? If so, roughly what was the ratio of each at that time? 20:20:30, or 2:1:1 or 5:5:10 or something? I really wanted to see this but couldn't. Sounds amazing. Thanks - Brian.
and as the "take the long way" phenomenon was at work, it took me 1900 miles to cover a 1500-mile trip. The best stretch of the return trip was I-77 through West Virginia and Virginia - 2AM on a week night, no bears (thanks, V1), only a few 'gators, and very light traffic. Several hours of sweeping turns to put the LS through. This must be what the car was made for!
My thanks to the folks at LM for the excellent tour of the Wixom plant and the engineering labs, and especially to Brian and Debbie for working so hard to make it happen.
Popular Science reports that Lincoln will unveil a new technology on all 2004 models. It's called Smartbeam and will automatically dim the lights when another car approaches or if you approach another car from behind. It senses oncoming headlights (or taillights) and adjusts the lights accordingly. It's not a new idea but apparently Lincoln has overcome the technical obstacles of the past. Sounds neat if it comes to fruition.
I suppose you guys that toured Wixom already knew this, but if you told us you'd have to kill us, right? It's public knowledge now so it's ok to talk about it.
Personally, I didn't hear talk of that at Mania II, but sounds like an interesting idea. It is in line, however, with the stated Lincoln commitment to maintaining an effective balance between luxury and performance. I didn't get the details regarding the 2004 model plans, but got the clear impression that it will be better in important ways.
I need 2 Firehawk LH 94V P21560R16 tires for my LS and they take 10 days to get One Firestone guy tried to get me to put their Affinity tire on. Said only real diff was 50K mile tread vs 60K mile tread. I asked for his mgr who then explained the difference to the salesman. I didnt order yet but probably will have to. Darn the wait. All right i whined enough.
Though perhaps this is a slightly off-kilter thought, but if someone isn't smart enough to know that they have their headlights on high beams and dim them when they are approaching another car, why are they driving a car then? I know a luxury car is supposed to take a lot of the mundane tasks away from the driver, but isn't there a limit on how removed from driving responsibility a driver should be?
Maybe it's because I like the mechanical bits, but if the auto wipers and auto headlights were optional I probably wouldn't get 'em.
I had the auto-dimmer on my Mark 7, and it was worthless--constant flipping, just as Gary described. I tried it a couple of times and then turned it off permanently. If some new sensors can make it work, it might be useful to someone who does a lot of nighttime highway driving.
Autolamps, on the other hand, are now a necessity for me. After having them on the last 3 cars, I can't imagine having to manually fiddle with the lamps anymore. The auto wipers are neat, too--I've already gotten used to having them, and mine seem to work quite well. It's interesting to note how lazy I've gotten as I rush headlong toward AARP eligibility! (Two years to go, although a buddy of mine signed me up when I hit 40. A year's subscription to "Modern Maturity"--aack!)
Just wait 'til you get OLD, Brian. You'll be wanting those air-conditioned seats from the Navigator. **smirk**
I was coming back from lunch today & got a mystery beep. Just happened to be glancing at the instrument panel, and the message center displayed "AUTOLAMP DELAY 0:03" when the beep went off. That's the first time I've ever caught it. I keep my autolamp setting at 0:10, so it wasn't just a redisplay, and it was daylight out, so the autolamp wasn't trying to activate--at least, I don't think it was. It immediately went back to the normal MPG display.
JLinc, gadget junkie, whose opinion is worth at LEAST a nickel...;-)
"Popular Science reports that Lincoln will unveil a new technology on all 2004 models. It's called Smartbeam and will automatically dim the lights when another car approaches or if you approach another car from behind. It senses oncoming headlights (or taillights) and adjusts the lights accordingly. It's not a new idea but apparently Lincoln has overcome the technical obstacles of the past."
New Technology & technical obstacles ?????? My '92 Continental had a photocell driven system that worked VERY WELL, the best part was I did not need to turn the highbeams on and off when driving at high speed on twisting mountain roads.... ie. the moreno valley mountain pass on freeway 60. MIA on the LS.
Unfortunately the bean-counters got their way and removed this SAFETY feature from the LS.
When I was a kid, my parents had a friend with a 1961 Cadillac that had an auto headlamp dimmer on it. It sort of worked. Today sensors of all typre are incredibly better and it would be pretty easy to put a microprocessor on it to make the auto dim a bit smarter than the old analog systems.
As reported by PopSci and others here, that technology apparently didn't work very well (contrary to your experience). I don't think it's as much of a luxury for the Lincoln driver as it is a courtesy and safety feature for the OTHER vehicles. How many times have you had someone behind you with their high beams on and no way to signal them? Drives me nuts. Or how many times have you simply forgotten to dim yours until the other driver flashed you?
I agree about these automatic features. I get really ticked now when I drive the Expedition and have to actually reach ALL THE WAY to the dash to change the radio station or set the volume. And if it starts raining I sit there waiting for the autowipers to kick in. At least it has autolamps. I don't think I could survive if I had to remember to turn those off and on, too! (kinda pathetic, huh?)
would aim themselves. So many skewed headlights on the road, almost makes me wish they'd bring back annual safety inspections.
Andy, go ahead and laugh, but I got some big, heavy floor mats at Wal-Mart that fit great, match the carpet in the light graphite interior almost perfectly, & wear like iron. $20 or $25, IIRC.
I have a 2000 LS V8 w/Sport Package. My tire replacement choices are limited. I was thinking about moving to a 245-45-17. Has anyone done this? Will these tires rub?
"Though perhaps this is a slightly off-kilter thought, but if someone isn't smart enough to know that they have their headlights on high beams and dim them when they are approaching another car, why are they driving a car then?"
They are mostly driving Beemers (in my town anyway). It is the yuppie equivalent of the permanent left turn blinker. They are using those dumb "driving" lights or high beams around town and blinding anyone who is unfortunate enough to come across their path.
The 245/45R17 is an officially-approved size for the LS (as shown on the sticker inside your rear passenger door), so clearance shouldn't be a problem. I believe that several posters here have switched to that size, and I don't recall anyone having any difficulty.
Tire Rack currently lists 6 varieties of 235/50R17 (plus 2 winter tires), so the choices are getting a bit better, but you're absolutely right in comparison to the 245/45. There are 49(!) of those available from Tire Rack. (I didn't check the Discount website but they're probably similar.)
In short, the 245/45 should be fine.
Note to joe166: The Bimmer light plague has been active in Austin for quite some time now. I always feel like opening the window and yelling, "It's not FOGGY, you moron!" Discretion being the better part of valor, I just yell with the window closed.
My dad's 59 Lincoln Premiere had auto dimming lights, a wonderbar touch activated seek mode radio and a pressurized auto lube system for all suspension points. Packv12 reminded me of this when he mentioned unit body construction. Can you imagine a four door pillarless hardtop with a 360 HP 430 cube engine developing about a million foot pounds of torque and no frame? Oh yes I forgot to mention it weighed 6600 lbs. Back in Montreal winter makes cars bio degradable and the double floor in lieu of a frame eventually rotted out and like the Titanic she broke in half. Was a shame as when we towed it to the scrap yard, the interior was like new, original black lacquer paint, original wide whitewall spare in the trunk. The car had over 200K miles and looked like the day it rolled off the line. The LS with time will fare the same way in those winter conditions.
Back in the mid 80's I souped up an 80 Chev Malibu (originally a V6) by dropping in a HI PO 350. After a couple of winters, I couldn't keep windshields in it as the torque flexed the body and cracked the windshield. Before it was towed off to the boneyard, I could steer the car around a corner by keeping the steering wheel straight and gassing it. Everything would flex. I remember my first new set of wheels a 350/350 69 Chev Malibu. A new feature for that year from GM was an anti-theft locking steering column. I thought that was great until I remembered my 1930 Marquette's steering column also locked!
At least until Wednesday. Dropped my LS at the body shop this morning to get my tire damage fixed. $992! Sure glad I've got ins! Now, if I can just live with the rental Impala till then.
Umm, I'm one of those jerks running around with the fog lights on most of the time. The lights on the LS cast a lot of light way off to the sides. Really helps on two-lane roads in the dark. Friends who have seen me on the road at night have told me it's not overly bright to oncoming or passing traffic.
Mike, you'll be OK with the Impala. Just avert your eyes when you walk around the back of it.
Count me in, too. I use them as auxilliary low beams for exactly the same reason as Scott8. As long as they're aimed properly, they don't blind anybody. I don't think you can ever get too much light (as long as you're not blinding others that is). I paid for 'em so I'm using 'em.
I just purchased a set of Michelin Pilot Sport A/S from Costco for $212 (same price as tirerack.com). They now come in 235/50R17. And they're W rated instead of Z rated like most of the 245/45R17 choices. I believe the T-bird and LS will be wearing either these or more likely the MXM4 in the same size from the factory. The regular version of the Pilot Sport got excellent ratings in both handling and ride comfort/noise levels and it has a treadwear rating of 400 which is excellent.
They should be in today and I can't wait. I've been without a spare for 2 weeks and I'm getting more paranoid every day.
regarding the fog lights was rather sharp. I also use to allow them to come on with the headlights, and I used them regularly. Curse the idiots that would flash me, I mean, if the auto manufacture has designed them to illuminate when the headlights came on, they must be legal.
After a lengthy road trip, dealing with the Semi's that would light up their fog lights in retaliation, I learned my lesson. I came upon a car going the other direction that had flame- throwers on, so I flashed a couple of times. I was blinded by the glare. Watching as it traveled on, it was a Cadillac with his fog lights on.
I learned my lesson at that point, figuring that I was putting out just as much candlepower. I now rarely use them, except when I'm in the country where the extra light is needed. I do like their broad light pattern and I do miss them, but I decided that their use was supplemental and not required night lighting.
Of course, I don't even want to mention how sensitive to glare that the eyes become as we age.
Well, I got my stones in from the Tirerack. The damage with shipping for all 4 was $316 dollars! The weather is still hot in Texas and I just hit 30K. The ones I got on right now Should definitely last me another two or three months but I am going to swap them at the first sign of serious wetness (Probably in the next month time frame). Its interesting looking at the 235 and putting your hand accross them. That is a seriously wide tire. Granted there are alot wider tires out there but a 235 is definitely beefy.
The local firestone said they would be glad to install them for about $20 dollars a piece.. Will let you know when its done. I will be able to give an assessment of the feel of the tires when worn and when new.
Regards, Airwolf1000
P.S. Since I am at 30K and taking it in for the 30K Service What was it those of you over 30K on your LS had done (Itemize please) and how much did it set you back... Thanks
Well, I wasn't actually including the LS drivers in that gross overgeneralization for several reasons, including the fact that the driving lights on the LS are not the slightest bit glaring or annoying. I use them too and have never had anyone flash their lights at me. What annoys me is the cafe racers who have self installed (and badly aimed) driving lights and ignore all who flash them to dim the dam lights. No offense intended.
Auto dimming: My 81 & 92 have them... don't work in the 81 and the 92 is too eratic for use.... tried them this past winter after I got my precious winter beater... (aka "The Money Pit") the lights would dim going around a curve that had any snow banked up, or at reflective signs, too.
Driving Lights: Mine stay on all of the time... I would say that a very large percentage of the vehicles out here in the wilderness of PA use them.
Tires/Brakes: Just did my rotation and rim cleaning and my brakes look like brand new at 25K and the tires are holding up very well, too.
I should have anticipated this, but Costco just informed me that the Pilot Sports were on backorder for 4 weeks. This new size is just now going into production. Oh well - guess I need to get the spare fixed. If I get it fixed I won't need it. But if I don't get it fixed, I'll need it tomorrow.
What's wrong with the 245/45/17 size? You probably won't have to wait for that size in that it is more common. And wider! My stock Firestones at 18,000 miles are seriously worn (of course the cornering and sliding is worth it), and I'll be looking at the Pilots very soon. I wish there were lots of 18" x 8.5-9" wide wheels with the correct offset and lighter weight but that's not the case. I hate to be the guinea pig on new wheels. And I doubt that it would make a serious enough difference except to my ego to justify the major cost. I'd rather save the money for 3:58 gears and a now imaginary LSD unit which would help right rear tire wear.
I am considering the 245/45s. I didn't know until this morning that there was a difference in delivery times so I just went with the stockers. Those would still have to be ordered - they don't stock them at Costco - so it depends on how long it takes. They might be backordered for some other reason. But I am considering it.
The last time I checked at the San Diego Costcos (a couple weeks ago), they said they could have the tires in less than a week. I think the 245's are in the pipeline (local warehouse distributor).
No offense taken, and I'm sorry if it seemed that way, just kidding around. (I should get better with the , etc.) Funny the subject came up, because at Mania2 a group of us were discussing the merits of the large lights on the LS vs. smaller round ones. Seemed like most of us used them most of the time for the same reasons. I drive two-lanes in the dark every day and have never been flashed.
What I DON'T do is drive around in the dark with only the parking lights and fog lights on. Around here that seems to be a favorite of ultra-macho Dodge pickup drivers. I'm nowhere near that cool.
I looked over the vendor site (thanks karzz!) and it sounded pretty high-tech. My biggest worry on my drive is how quickly it would react to dimming the headlights around blind curves, which is 90% of my drive. My normal method of headlight usage is to keep them on high beams but dim them briefly before the curve to see if another car is coming around, then putting them back on high unless I see another car. I'm also not sure about the gradual buildup to high beams that they are talking about. Usually if I want high beams I want them right now, not a couple of seconds later. I'm sure there will be an override if you don't want to use the system.
P.S. I also use the driving lights. They light up the side of the road really well and, outside of Cibie lights, are pretty good for regular factory lights.
LS driving lights come in very handy on back roads here in South Florida. My front bumper stays in one piece and small critters don't become road kill.
The only time I've been flashed down here was by several young ladies during Spring Break. Come to think of it, that was during the day so my driving lights weren't even on ;-)
You guys didn't mention my favorite use for driving lights. When I'm really cruising the slower drivers in the left lane seem more willing to move to the right when my driving lights are on than when not. Totally unscientific,m just gut feeling. I don't know if it's because I'm blinding them or because they figure the lights must come with a performance car that's really moving. I only occasionally have mine on. I like them, but worry about being inconsiderate to others, even though I doubt the LS lights hurt anyone's eyes. Everyone else is 10 feet in the air in their truck, van, or SUV right? At 75 mph can you really avoid something 15 feet in front of your car?
On the subject of lights, does anyone know if the automatic on headlights are adjustable for light sensitivity? Mine don't come on until it's fairly dark. I find myself just putting them on manually sometimes, especially in rain.
Comments
If all the work is done properly, as it usually is by this dealer, I will be happy.
It was almost midnight when I got back to Texas but I took the LS out for a drive to see what I had been missing. Didn't pull any 142 blasts as I hadn't seen the car in 2 weeks but 100 is just a touch of the pedal.
The more I drive the LS, the more I appreciate it.
For Mania II group- do you view your LS slightly differently after seeing it built from the ground up?
I do view my LS differently since touring the plant. Actually, I've always thought it was amazing that comparatively little goes wrong with a modern automobile considering the amount of parts that go into it. The trip really hammered it home, though. The LS is the most complex car Lincoln has ever built. It was amazing to watch what started out as an empty shell drive off the end of the assembly line as a complete car. How did they do this before computers?
"...defective bearing that the steering shaft goes through, the dealer replaced the whole lower steering column as per factory recommendations, the bearing itself is not a serviceable part."
Then for the icing on the cake, institute 20 changes a week on the fly and mesh all of that into production. Those computers must really be humming! Maybe now you begin to appreciate why the window problem wasn't an instant fix. Just think of all the existing units that must be purged from the system.
For those that missed Wixom, there is a movie called "How a Car Is Built" about producing the Mustang. It's interesting, informative and about a half an hour. It's available from I-collection.
The movie is enlightening, but this was only one model. Not the five model mix that Wixom produces. Just seeing the "old school" Town Car, the "front driver" Continental, and our beloved LS on the same line was amazing. Outside of some of the Japanese transplants, I can't think of a single manufacture that produces such a platform mix that Wixom does so successfully.
YES.
The LS, Conti, TC and Stretch TC are all on the same line and come down the line in a predetermined order one after another. As the cars pass each station, the correct parts are fed to the operator (computer or human) at that station to assemble the correct part so the TC doesn't end up with an LS windshield, etc.
As stated before, this is the only factory in the world where a RWD unibody, FWD unibody, and RWD full-chassis are built on the same line. Quite amazing.
The Tbird is built on a different line possibly because of capacity limitations.
Joe
My thanks to the folks at LM for the excellent tour of the Wixom plant and the engineering labs, and especially to Brian and Debbie for working so hard to make it happen.
I suppose you guys that toured Wixom already knew this, but if you told us you'd have to kill us, right? It's public knowledge now so it's ok to talk about it.
Does anyone remember the auto-dimmer Lincoln had in the 70's? Reflective road signs would drive the system (and driver) nuts.
No car coming - go to high beams, big reflection - dim lights, no car coming - go to high beams - big reflection- ....... at about 1 cycle/second.
Though perhaps this is a slightly off-kilter thought, but if someone isn't smart enough to know that they have their headlights on high beams and dim them when they are approaching another car, why are they driving a car then? I know a luxury car is supposed to take a lot of the mundane tasks away from the driver, but isn't there a limit on how removed from driving responsibility a driver should be?
Maybe it's because I like the mechanical bits, but if the auto wipers and auto headlights were optional I probably wouldn't get 'em.
Just my .0000000000000000000001 cent worth
Autolamps, on the other hand, are now a necessity for me.
Just wait 'til you get OLD, Brian. You'll be wanting those air-conditioned seats from the Navigator. **smirk**
I was coming back from lunch today & got a mystery beep. Just happened to be glancing at the instrument panel, and the message center displayed "AUTOLAMP DELAY 0:03" when the beep went off. That's the first time I've ever caught it. I keep my autolamp setting at 0:10, so it wasn't just a redisplay, and it was daylight out, so the autolamp wasn't trying to activate--at least, I don't think it was. It immediately went back to the normal MPG display.
JLinc, gadget junkie, whose opinion is worth at LEAST a nickel...;-)
New Technology & technical obstacles ?????? My '92 Continental had a photocell driven system that worked VERY WELL, the best part was I did not need to turn the highbeams on and off when driving at high speed on twisting mountain roads.... ie. the moreno valley mountain pass on freeway 60. MIA on the LS.
Unfortunately the bean-counters got their way and removed this SAFETY feature from the LS.
I agree about these automatic features. I get really ticked now when I drive the Expedition and have to actually reach ALL THE WAY to the dash to change the radio station or set the volume. And if it starts raining I sit there waiting for the autowipers to kick in. At least it has autolamps. I don't think I could survive if I had to remember to turn those off and on, too! (kinda pathetic, huh?)
http://www.gentex.com/wn_smartbeam.html
Andy, go ahead and laugh, but I got some big, heavy floor mats at Wal-Mart that fit great, match the carpet in the light graphite interior almost perfectly, & wear like iron. $20 or $25, IIRC.
They are mostly driving Beemers (in my town anyway). It is the yuppie equivalent of the permanent left turn blinker. They are using those dumb "driving" lights or high beams around town and blinding anyone who is unfortunate enough to come across their path.
Tire Rack currently lists 6 varieties of 235/50R17 (plus 2 winter tires), so the choices are getting a bit better, but you're absolutely right in comparison to the 245/45. There are 49(!) of those available from Tire Rack. (I didn't check the Discount website but they're probably similar.)
In short, the 245/45 should be fine.
Note to joe166: The Bimmer light plague has been active in Austin for quite some time now. I always feel like opening the window and yelling, "It's not FOGGY, you moron!" Discretion being the better part of valor, I just yell with the window closed.
The LS with time will fare the same way in those winter conditions.
Back in the mid 80's I souped up an 80 Chev Malibu (originally a V6) by dropping in a HI PO 350. After a couple of winters, I couldn't keep windshields in it as the torque flexed the body and cracked the windshield. Before it was towed off to the boneyard, I could steer the car around a corner by keeping the steering wheel straight and gassing it. Everything would flex.
I remember my first new set of wheels a 350/350 69 Chev Malibu. A new feature for that year from GM was an anti-theft locking steering column. I thought that was great until I remembered my 1930 Marquette's steering column also locked!
Mike, you'll be OK with the Impala. Just avert your eyes when you walk around the back of it.
They should be in today and I can't wait. I've been without a spare for 2 weeks and I'm getting more paranoid every day.
After a lengthy road trip, dealing with the Semi's that would light up their fog lights in retaliation, I learned my lesson. I came upon a car going the other direction that had flame- throwers on, so I flashed a couple of times. I was blinded by the glare. Watching as it traveled on, it was a Cadillac with his fog lights on.
I learned my lesson at that point, figuring that I was putting out just as much candlepower. I now rarely use them, except when I'm in the country where the extra light is needed. I do like their broad light pattern and I do miss them, but I decided that their use was supplemental and not required night lighting.
Of course, I don't even want to mention how sensitive to glare that the eyes become as we age.
Just my 2 pence worth.
The local firestone said they would be glad to install them for about $20 dollars a piece.. Will let you know when its done. I will be able to give an assessment of the feel of the tires when worn and when new.
Regards,
Airwolf1000
P.S. Since I am at 30K and taking it in for the 30K Service What was it those of you over 30K on your LS had done (Itemize please) and how much did it set you back... Thanks
Driving Lights: Mine stay on all of the time... I would say that a very large percentage of the vehicles out here in the wilderness of PA use them.
Tires/Brakes: Just did my rotation and rim cleaning and my brakes look like brand new at 25K and the tires are holding up very well, too.
What I DON'T do is drive around in the dark with only the parking lights and fog lights on. Around here that seems to be a favorite of ultra-macho Dodge pickup drivers. I'm nowhere near that cool.
P.S. I also use the driving lights. They light up the side of the road really well and, outside of Cibie lights, are pretty good for regular factory lights.
The only time I've been flashed down here was by several young ladies during Spring Break. Come to think of it, that was during the day so my driving lights weren't even on ;-)