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The Firestone on the right rear of my 2000 Manual picked up a metal screw so I went to the Discount Tire down the street. My tires are probably 75% worn out in 18,500 miles due to my excessive drifting and sliding activity. Considering that the Stones have a wear rating of 400, I am surprised at the wear rate. I looked at the Pilot Sports with a wear rating of 500, but the Assistant Manager recomended two other tires in the 245/45/17 size. One is the BF Goodrich Comp T/A G-Force KD at $250 per. These have a 180 wear rating. These are probably true gumballs and would need replacing every year. The other tire I have seen before on an M3. These have a tread pattern than is really agressive and not the typical "hedge-row" ribbed pattern. They are Yokohama AVS Sports at only $190 per. I think these guys might not like the wet but excel in dry cornering. I call them slicks with grooves. I was shown a Yokohama that said that it could not be used in the rain! By the way, these tires have to be ordered for left and right. Not good for spare use! Here in San Diego, where I don't even remember when it last rained, I could get away with the AVS Sports, but the treadwear rating of 220 makes for expensive fun. Now I'm real confused. Maybe someone with the Pilots can tell us if they corner as well as the OEM Firestones?
My "adjustment" is a little on the hokey side, but it works and prompts some interesting discussions, although few people notice.
I bought four mini-funnels from the kitchen supply area of my local hardware store. These are about 1" in diameter at the big end, and are smoky-gray translucent. I cut off the tips, stacked them, and placed over the light sensor. "Calibration" is by adding or removing funnels.
The light sensor is the little dome at the front center of the instrument panel ... close to the windshield.
Just as an FYI for everyone, the lights on the LS are driving lights, not fog lights. Fog lights are yellow in color, point up a little bit and will blind other drivers. Driving lights are intended to illuminate the road in areas where the normal headlights do not quite hit, which includes just in front of the car and out to the sides more.
The LS's lights are the perfect example of this and I would suggest that everyone check this out on their own. They also will not blind other driver's in the least (unless they are adjusted improerly).
One other bit of info on lights, DOT only allows red, white and yellow/orange lights on any vehicle and also only allows a maximum of 4 lights to be used for illumination. There is a maximum wattage range for those lights as well and I believe it is 55W each for low beams and 80W each for high beams. A lot of the blue lights you see on boy racer cars are simply 100W bulbs with a blue tint to try and impersonate the HID lights (but just end up blinding everyone).
Yes, the Yokohama AVS Sports are expensive for the wear, but have you tried the AVS db, its 320 UTQG and $92.00 per tire. They are excellent in the rain, and kick butt in the squiggles. Also, these tires are extremely quite. I bought a set...don't regret it so far...
What tire size did you get? If the 245/45 is your speedo reading fast? I noticed when I went from 215/60/16 to the 235/50/17 my speedo was more accurate. That's wierd as there should be only a .3% difference. Thanks.
I got the 215/60r16, so my speedo is a little off, but who cares I only glance at it when I feel I'm in the triple digits. I don't think I have ever owned a car with an accurate speedometer, new or used. I think the manufacturers purposely place the speedo 3 mph fast....
When I went up to Mania II, I talked to two of the other engineers from Vehicle Dynamics if I remember correct, and they reiterated what Jonathan had said at Mania 1 in Irvine. The Firestone is a good balance of all the factors combined for the LS. They like it better for the LS that the Bridgestone which they had to develop in a couple of months to get on the LS and remove the Firestone with its stigma. It took them over three years of design and test on the Firehawk. One note they made was that it is possible to increase grip while decreasing steering . They said I definitely don't want that. I can see this happening going to the super sticky tires. I Think the Treadwear on the Firehawks is 500 Actually. To bad the Traction is only an A and not a AA. I am happy though with their performance. They haven't lost their grip except once when I spun the car around as I took it into a vicious turn! That was a morning it drizzled and all the oils must have come up here in Texas. It would have happened to all the other tires though also. I am sure of it. No one was on the road so no incident. Now the car did die though and I had to restart it. I believe Chartrand said that happened to the LS and the Jag at a Cadillac Ride and Drive event. What is the scoop?
Fog lights do not have to be yellow. I believe PIAA offers fog lights in either yellow or clear lenses. It's the beam pattern that matters. And they don't point up - they point down at the road to get under the fog. I think the distinction between factory fog and driving lights is just a marketing decision.
PIAA driving lights are really high beam enhancers and have to be dimmed for approaching cars. They also make auxilliary low beams which extend the beam pattern on the sides and fills in between the regular low beams. That's what I really want but they won't fit the OEM openings.
Yup. LLSOC made an arrangement with Porterfield Brakes out of Costa Mesa, CA for members to get a 20% discount on their R4S carbon kevlar street brake pads for the LS. I've had them on the project car for about 5,000 miles so far and they have better fade resistance, pedal feel and do not squeal or shed as much brake dust as the stock pads. I haven't been able to get them to fade yet (no more mountain kissing thank you very much). Brake dust after two weeks between washings is minimal.
I'm pretty sure that what we have on the LS is more like the auxiliary lights that akirby is talking about. They light up more of the side and fill in with the low beams. At least that's how I end up using them. Shows me where the edge of the cliff is on my drive home
..of you want LOTS less dusting on your Sport Packaged equipped LS, replace the front pads with the front pads designed for the non-sport package LS. I did this about 6,000 miles ago, and am soooo pleased. Same braking, 90% less dusting.
I drive fairly aggressive, and somehow have 42,000 miles on my original Firehawks. Rotated them around 12,000 miles front to back, keep them at about 32psi all around. Still not at the wear bars. I have a set of 3 new ones (im going to utilize the spare as my 4th) sitting in the dark, cool closet for use next year. Personally, Ive been extremely pleased with all aspects of the Firestone Firehawks...I read an old Consumer Reports recently, and saw a review of the Firestone Firehawk. Got great reviews..
Dropped it off last Wednesday at King LM in Gaithersburg, MD for the following: -Drivers Side heated seat stopped working -License Plate bulb burned out -bulb behind the little blue arrow on the drivers side of the temp control burned out -"clunk" emanating from the steering column when turning the wheel -rear portion of the headliner loose/hanging slightly low -drivers side-side view mirror vibrating excessively.
Dealer gave me a loaner (Galant) for the 7 day repair period. -Heated Seat issue was outsourced to an upholstery shop for repair. Job done perfectly, with no damage to any portion of the leather. (I examined it pretty closely) Total charge for this including parts and labor $216.04. -License Plate Bulb replaced. Labor $22.83, part $1.68 -The bulbs behind the climate control are apparently part of a circuit board. This required replacement of the Air Conditioner Control Assembly followed by a download of NGS and replacement of the control head. Some sort of "service kit-ac" was needed. Parts alone for this repair were $275.22. Labor was $53.28. Unfortunately, they had to peel off my woodgrain plate from that section in order to perform the replacement. Its fairly cracked up now, and I will need to order a replacement. The dealer did call me prior to removing it, and I did give them the go ahead with instructions to not replace it, that I would do it. -Headliner resecured. Labor $15.22 -Steering Column had to be replaced. Labor was $76.11, part was $339.11 -Drivers Side mirror replaced, and painted to match. Labor $167.44, Part $128.02
Total cost;$1540.68, all covered under warranty.
Everything seems to be repaired. No dirty interior, no grimy fingerprints anywhere after the job.
-cons: Didnt wash the car this time. : Bummed about having to get another woodgrain piece. But in all fairness, it was aftermarket installed by me, and they did call me before removing it.
I still heartily recommend this dealership for anyone close to it.
Brian: Feel free to update the LLSOC FAQ with any info gleened from my post. A few have asked about the steering wheel clunk and about the vibrating mirror, so my info might be helpful to some.
List was $99 for the fronts and $79 for the rears before the 20% discount. So cost to LLSOC members would be $79.20 for the rear and $63.20 for the rears.
gregwo: I think they are similar to the Greenstuff pads. I do know that the carbon kevlar pads are very rotor-friendly, but I haven't had any experience with the Greenstuff pads.
I don't normally use my auto lamps. When I've tried them the often turn on and off as it gets dark until they finally decide to stay on. CT is also one of those states with a law that says to turn your lights on when it is raining.
Although I'm nuts for getting involved in the urinary Olympics going on about the LS's extra front lights, the LS brochure that I have lists them as "Fog lights"
Stanny, I highly recommend the Michelin Pilot XGT-V4, although you may not like it that they are unidirectional. All around great tires with very positive user ratings on tirerack.
Thanks to Lincoln engineers, project and plant managers and others who made LLSOC members feel welcome and their interest in our questions/ideas.
The round-trip between Chicago & Dearborn (650 miles) in my "01 LS8 Sport averaged 24 mpg @79+ mph (same as my old '99 Bonneville SLE with 3800 V6 & 3.08 rear end). I even left the radio off for 100 miles to just enjoy the hum of the DOHC V8 and the total lack of wind noise. What a fantastic road car!
I had the privilege of visiting with the LS program manager for the next generation LS. He has been with the LS program since 1991. He was very interested in my ownership experience and reiterated that the Lincoln team is not satisfied with even the small amount of problems of the new, first generation, sophisticated and complex DEW platform. I have not had one problem with my LS8 (13,000 miles), Dec. "00 build.
The program manager promised that the engineers and product planners have listened to buyers concerns and confirmed that the next generation LS will be substantially improved.
He certainly convinced me. I will be a repeat LS buyer at lease expiration and will strongly consider a Lincoln Aviator when the Explorer lease is up next May. Experiencing the dedication of the Lincoln Team at Wixom encourages me that they are doing their best to continually improve their product and provide vehicles that fit my demographic needs and desires.
And last, but certainly not least, THANKS to Debbie and Brian for an outstanding experience.
They said on the news tonight that we have not had rain in So Calif in about 6 months. If I would have known that, I could have bought some slicks and saved the Stones. Yeh
Just a quick note to update anyone interested in a dash cover noise problem that has plagued me since December 1999 (five dealer visits and various parts change outs later).
The history has been several change outs of the insulator between the instrument cluster transparent cover and the Dash. Most recently directly from the dealers notes: "the noise was located from Left dash mount and reference vent: Loose retainer repaired and secured mount"
Initial Results: This is the most quiet the car has sounded upon receiving it back from the dealer. I'm a little skeptical, but pleased so far and will continue to report back after a few hundred miles or so. Perry Ford in San Luis Obispo did a nice job of returning the car directly to my office after checking it out thoroughly.
Has anyone requested a bid from any Lincoln dealer for changing from a factory automatic tranny to a manual?
Jerry McGovern is the man around Lincoln especially with the Design Forum. He made us change the furnishings in the prototype Lincoln dealerships about six times and I think they are still discussing the look and feel of American Luxury. I look forward to the 2004 product selection.
Good article on Gerry. He's right to admire BMW's success. But I hope he realizes that "design" and "looks" are not the only things BMW and younger psychographics buyers hold dear. Alot of yuppie and "X" buyers know about design factors under the hood. They know FWD from RWD, inline from V, wheel and tire widths, etc. They also read magazines, and I don't mean just Consumer Reports. Many buy by the numbers - 0-60, cornering G's, etc. If money is so precious right now at Ford, I would think that instead of creasing sheet metal and doing polka-dot interiors, LM should work on drivetrain refinement - "finishing school" on the LS as LM's flagship performance icon. That could mean taking the Manual LS and finishing the drivetrain. VVT, LSD, the RX-7 tranny and 3:58 rear ratio. But I'm afraid Gerry does not get into the hard parts bin. Ford has the parts but not the will. C'mon Gerry, get your lilly white hands dirty! Look under the car too. That's where the competition is working, especially BMW, Lexus and Infinity.
I have a 2001 LS V-8 Sport package. The back windwo regulator went out twice which prevented the window to go back up once it was down. The dealership told me that they have seen alot of LS's come in with this problem. I just wanted to know if any of you have had it. Also sometimes when turning i hear this clunking sound that seems to be comming from the right front wheel, not that annoying yet to take back to the dealership. I purchased the car in April and now have 6k on it and loving it. Just wanted to know if anyone else had these minor problems that i have encountered.
Your dealer should have replaced both rear window regulators. This is a known problem and is covered by a Technical Service Bulletin detailing the problem and replacement of the window regulators.
Is the clunking sound coming from the wheel area or from the steering wheel column? If it's from the steering wheel column it might be a defective steering column bearing which the dealer should replace as well.
The noise is comming from the right front wheel no doubt...it comes and goes but only when turning. I will be due in for my oil change at 9500 miles so i will have it looked at then. Other than that its been a great car, had the rear spoiler put on and window deflectors as well as sun roof deflector so i have it all together. Brought the front facial mask but rarely uses it because it covers the beautiful front grill. Thanks you so much for you advice.
Left the house this morning at 7:00 - ie dark... had the cruise set on 62 mph. just finished going through a sharp curve. Heading toward a tree-lined section of the road...
Just beyond the trees-section of the highway, another road intersects at an angle and I was watching on on-coming car turn onto this road. Next thing I know... I look back to the road and there stand 3 chickens! (Go ahead and laugh... I am!) I turned the wheel to the left... but alas, it was too late... I mowed over at least one of them.
The sad part is that the impact burnt out my passenger side fog/driving light. I haven't had the chance to look under the car to pull the feathers out, or anything... but I'm not too worried, either!
Yes, Brian, I mentioned that Gerry doesn't touch parts. The point is that the precious few dollars LM has should not be wasted on looks when the hardware needs attention. Actually, I think Gerry is going backwards. For years, LM ignored the hardware and sold gingerbread. It's time for world class mechanicals. And not just name brand trannys, especially if they compromise performance.
More so than ever, I'm grateful to have attended Mania 2 and met the real people behind the LS. Otherwise, having read the Fortune article, I'd be dreading what Lincolns might look like by the time I'm ready for another one. McGovern's general assessment of Lincoln styling, issued after the LS was in the works, gives me the willies. Luggage? Sunglasses? Please.
Stanny is correct; it's what's under the skin that counts. But, the car has to look like something. I'd be afraid to ask Mr. McGovern what he thinks of the Aztec.
Scott (planning to outlive current car, plus several more, & hope they're Lincolns)
Year 2000 LS V-8 is making a deep noise from the engine at 50 mph. It sounds like rushing air. Kind of like the sound I remember coming from my 1971 Olds 455 4 barrel when I'd stomp on the gas and all for butteflys on the huge carb would open. Has anyone experienced a similar noise with their LS?
At what RPM? Does it occur at the same RPM in 4-th gear? If you tap the brake while the noise is present, does noise go away for a second or two? Does noise occur at: Light throttle, medium throttle, heavy throttle?
I'm a sucker for punishment and keep going back to the same dealer(Don Davis in Arlington TX) because every now and then they surprise me and actually do what I expect them to. Today was the down side. I got suckered into the 2 year service plan for $299 when I bought the LS in July of last year. It was supposed to be included in the sale but I found it tucked in as an add on in contract after I was home. I took it in today for 25K service stating I had the service plan. The service tech came back 20 minutes later saying I didn't have a plan as I wasn't in the computer. Told him he had better look a little harder as I was and all service to date had been free. He came back and said I couldn't possibly have the plan as they don't offer it on used cars. Told him I bought it new. Took and hour of back and forth before they even took the car in. Finally told him to do the work, I'd pay and they could credit me when I faxed them the paperwork. Finally did the service no charge but still hadn't resolved the problem . I got no receipt, no service record so they must have slipped it in under misc. That was the last freebie so I'm into doing my own service from here on in. I always preferred to do so anyways.
Chartrand, at least you got the service done. This isn't related to the wife's LS, but I've had my fill with service contracts, extended warranties, etc. Six years ago, I bought a Camaro for myself. The dealer asked if I wanted the extended warranty. I was planning on keeping the car for a while, so I thought it might be a good idea. A couple of weeks later, I get the paperwork on the warranty. I bought a GM car from a GM dealer, so silly me, I expected a GM warranty. Instead, my good friends at Doyle Chevrolet, in Webster NY slipped me a third party, warranty company deal. I go back to the dealership to register my unhappiness, but they ASSURE me that this is a better deal. The "hook" that they use to convince me that it's better, is that I'll get my purchase price back if I don't make any claims against the warranty during the three year, extended period. To make a long story short, I still own the car, it's now six years old, and I've made no claims against the warranty. Call the dealer, tell them I want my refund, and now it's a whole new story. They ask for the "letter" that I got stating I'm entitled to get the refund. There never was one sent to me, but now the scam is that this "refund offer" was a limited time promotion. They say,"We sent out letters to those who bought cars during this time stating so, and since you "lost" your letter, no refund". Now I'm embroiled with GM, the State Attorney General, The Better Business Bureau, the FTC, and anybody else that I can think of. If I can't get a refund, at least I'll get my money's worth out of dragging them through the mud. Please pardon my ranting, but this really has me cranked up !! Has anyone else had this happen, and did you get a good resolution ??
I'm not sure of the exact RPM and if I remember correctly is not dependent on whether the care is in 4th or 5th gear. I have not tried tapping the brake. If tapping the brake relieves the noise - what do you think that indicates? Also, the noise does not seem to be throttle dependent, i.e. it happens under light, medium and hard throttle.
Just looked at your profile. Thanks for taking the interest. Any recommendation with respect to where I should tell my mechanic to look would be most appreciated. I hope I can return the favor someday.
Remember the whole idea of a service contract is to make money for the seller, not to save you any. A few years ago I was attempting to buy a TV and the salesman kept pushing the service contract. I kept refusing and finally told him to just write up the ticket w/o the contract or forget the sale. He ended up throwing the paperwork at me and stormed off. Probably means if he didn't sell the contract he got no commission which should tell you something about the value of most service contracts.
Send me your dealer name and location and the name of the person you've been dealing with on your vibration problem. I've contacted Lincoln and they will contact you once I forward that information on to them. I know you've done this several times but if you can also include in the email as much detail as possible about the problem it will help them get it resolved quickly.
Greetings. We picked up our new LS today. Silver, V8, sport package, moonroof, all weather package and com. system. I was planning on buying a 98 MK VIII but the new car financing coupled with the fact the MK VIII has been discontinued for 4 years so it will start to look dated soon changed my mind. The LS is way more car as far as handeling and finish is concerned. I'm only sorry the appearance package was not going to be available for quite a while. I really think that stuff should be part of the perf. pksg. anyway. Maybe I will be able to purchase the body panels from the parts department someday. :-) Two questions. Does anybody make a bra for the car and secondly who makes the aftermarket wood that fits the gear shift and radio area that I have seen in a couple of showrooms. Thanks.
I went to an automotive marketing survey today. Comparison was Lincoln LS, Audi A6 and new Cadillac CTS interiors (only).
Age group was older 40+. Almost no good things were said about the CTS interior. Very "designed" but not appealing to the test group. Most also did not classify the car in the same price league with LS and A6 interiors.
Heard a few "this is a Lincoln?" statements at the end. It's amazing how little is known about the LS even 2+ years after launch.
While we haven't seen Gerry McGovern's touch yet, I tend to think from his statements so far that we will get a much more friendly and "crafted" interior than the CTS has. After all, the interior was the only part of the mark 9 concept car that was acceptable.
Congratulations on your LS. If you like it better than the MkVIII now, wait till you get it on a twisty road.:)
I have a wood kit from Joshua Tree (joshuatree.com, I think.) Very good quality, good instructions, free shipping to LLSOC members. Another source is Exotic Wood (exoticwooddash.com). I've never actually seen their products, but they will sell smaller kits, i.e. partials of the entire kit, whereas Joshua Tree only sells the whole shebang, maybe pieces you don't want.
You will be able to purchase the body kit, but it will be quite expensive.
Sorry, can't help with the bra. Most people I know recommend against them due to damage they cause to the paint underneath.
One more invaluable asset to the Lincoln LS owner/driver: Membership in the Lincoln LS Owners Club. Check out www.llsoc.com.
FINALLY got the car back today. The bumper sure looks good without those patched license plate bracket holes !
Was looking under the hood and did you know we have a modified tower brace? There is a metal bar running across the back of the shock towers, under the plastic cowling. It looks like it attaches to the firewall under the cowling.
And for all those that think our V6 is anemic. I was reading the 300M board and one of those guys had his 300M dynoed. IIRC the advertised HP is 253 for their 3.5L six. He said the dyno showed 163 at the front wheels! My "anemic" six had 169 stock with only 210 HP and 3 liters! Talk about parasitic loss!
rgnmstr, CONGRATULATIONS!!! Welcome to LS land! You won't be able to have real fun 'till that motor loosens up, but once it does...HOLD ON! Now you just need to join the club. There are MANY benifits to membership. Hop on over to www.llsoc.com to see all about us.
Pleeeeeeese Gerry. Don't bother with the interior of the LS unless you put in Recaro seats and a place for a Nox bottle. Just send your interior decorating budget over to the guys over in drivetrain. With just a few thousand in hides we can get the six-speed Getrag instead. Send the money over to the Focus division - they know where to get them cheap. As soon as you get back from San Francisco.
Comments
My "adjustment" is a little on the hokey side, but it works and prompts some interesting discussions, although few people notice.
I bought four mini-funnels from the kitchen supply area of my local hardware store. These are about 1" in diameter at the big end, and are smoky-gray translucent. I cut off the tips, stacked them, and placed over the light sensor. "Calibration" is by adding or removing funnels.
The light sensor is the little dome at the front center of the instrument panel ... close to the windshield.
The LS's lights are the perfect example of this and I would suggest that everyone check this out on their own. They also will not blind other driver's in the least (unless they are adjusted improerly).
One other bit of info on lights, DOT only allows red, white and yellow/orange lights on any vehicle and also only allows a maximum of 4 lights to be used for illumination. There is a maximum wattage range for those lights as well and I believe it is 55W each for low beams and 80W each for high beams. A lot of the blue lights you see on boy racer cars are simply 100W bulbs with a blue tint to try and impersonate the HID lights (but just end up blinding everyone).
Bruno
If I can't talk the dealer into changing the sensor out, I'll be off in search of the Mini funnels you suggest.
Regards,
Airwolf1000
PIAA driving lights are really high beam enhancers and have to be dimmed for approaching cars. They also make auxilliary low beams which extend the beam pattern on the sides and fills in between the regular low beams. That's what I really want but they won't fit the OEM openings.
Brian
-Drivers Side heated seat stopped working
-License Plate bulb burned out
-bulb behind the little blue arrow on the drivers side of the temp control burned out
-"clunk" emanating from the steering column when turning the wheel
-rear portion of the headliner loose/hanging slightly low
-drivers side-side view mirror vibrating excessively.
Dealer gave me a loaner (Galant) for the 7 day repair period.
-Heated Seat issue was outsourced to an upholstery shop for repair. Job done perfectly, with no damage to any portion of the leather. (I examined it pretty closely) Total charge for this including parts and labor $216.04.
-License Plate Bulb replaced. Labor $22.83, part $1.68
-The bulbs behind the climate control are apparently part of a circuit board. This required replacement of the Air Conditioner Control Assembly followed by a download of NGS and replacement of the control head. Some sort of "service kit-ac" was needed. Parts alone for this repair were $275.22. Labor was $53.28. Unfortunately, they had to peel off my woodgrain plate from that section in order to perform the replacement. Its fairly cracked up now, and I will need to order a replacement. The dealer did call me prior to removing it, and I did give them the go ahead with instructions to not replace it, that I would do it.
-Headliner resecured. Labor $15.22
-Steering Column had to be replaced. Labor was $76.11, part was $339.11
-Drivers Side mirror replaced, and painted to match. Labor $167.44, Part $128.02
Total cost;$1540.68, all covered under warranty.
Everything seems to be repaired. No dirty interior, no grimy fingerprints anywhere after the job.
-cons: Didnt wash the car this time.
: Bummed about having to get another woodgrain piece. But in all fairness, it was aftermarket installed by me, and they did call me before removing it.
I still heartily recommend this dealership for anyone close to it.
Brian: Feel free to update the LLSOC FAQ with any info gleened from my post. A few have asked about the steering wheel clunk and about the vibrating mirror, so my info might be helpful to some.
What was the cost of the R4S brake pads after the discount?
Airwolf
gregwo: I think they are similar to the Greenstuff pads. I do know that the carbon kevlar pads are very rotor-friendly, but I haven't had any experience with the Greenstuff pads.
I don't normally use my auto lamps. When I've tried them the often turn on and off as it gets dark until they finally decide to stay on. CT is also one of those states with a law that says to turn your lights on when it is raining.
Although I'm nuts for getting involved in the urinary Olympics going on about the LS's extra front lights, the LS brochure that I have lists them as "Fog lights"
Stanny, I highly recommend the Michelin Pilot XGT-V4, although you may not like it that they are unidirectional. All around great tires with very positive user ratings on tirerack.
The round-trip between Chicago & Dearborn (650 miles) in my "01 LS8 Sport averaged 24 mpg @79+ mph (same as my old '99 Bonneville SLE with 3800 V6 & 3.08 rear end). I even left the radio off for 100 miles to just enjoy the hum of the DOHC V8 and the total lack of wind noise. What a fantastic road car!
I had the privilege of visiting with the LS program manager for the next generation LS. He has been with the LS program since 1991. He was very interested in my ownership experience and reiterated that the Lincoln team is not satisfied with even the small amount of problems of the new, first generation, sophisticated and complex DEW platform. I have not had one problem with my LS8 (13,000 miles), Dec. "00 build.
The program manager promised that the engineers and product planners have listened to buyers concerns and confirmed that the next generation LS will be substantially improved.
He certainly convinced me. I will be a repeat LS buyer at lease expiration and will strongly consider a Lincoln Aviator when the Explorer lease is up next May. Experiencing the dedication of the Lincoln Team at Wixom encourages me that they are doing their best to continually improve their product and provide vehicles that fit my demographic needs and desires.
And last, but certainly not least, THANKS to Debbie and Brian for an outstanding experience.
The history has been several change outs of the insulator between the instrument cluster transparent cover and the Dash. Most recently directly from the dealers notes: "the noise was located from Left dash mount and reference vent: Loose retainer repaired and secured mount"
Initial Results: This is the most quiet the car has sounded upon receiving it back from the dealer. I'm a little skeptical, but pleased so far and will continue to report back after a few hundred miles or so. Perry Ford in San Luis Obispo did a nice job of returning the car directly to my office after checking it out thoroughly.
Has anyone requested a bid from any Lincoln dealer for changing from a factory automatic tranny to a manual?
Jerry McGovern is the man around Lincoln especially with the Design Forum. He made us change the furnishings in the prototype Lincoln dealerships about six times and I think they are still discussing the look and feel of American Luxury. I look forward to the 2004 product selection.
Gerry McGovern is a designer not an engineer so I don't think he's going to get into the dirty bits.
Also sometimes when turning i hear this clunking sound that seems to be comming from the right front wheel, not that annoying yet to take back to the dealership. I purchased the car in April and now have 6k on it and loving it. Just wanted to know if anyone else had these minor problems that i have encountered.
Thanks
Is the clunking sound coming from the wheel area or from the steering wheel column? If it's from the steering wheel column it might be a defective steering column bearing which the dealer should replace as well.
Thanks you so much for you advice.
Just beyond the trees-section of the highway, another road intersects at an angle and I was watching on on-coming car turn onto this road. Next thing I know... I look back to the road and there stand 3 chickens! (Go ahead and laugh... I am!) I turned the wheel to the left... but alas, it was too late... I mowed over at least one of them.
The sad part is that the impact burnt out my passenger side fog/driving light. I haven't had the chance to look under the car to pull the feathers out, or anything... but I'm not too worried, either!
I'm still laughing...
Glad to see it didn't ruffle your feathers too much.
I had to get back on my chair after I read your post since I was laughing so hard.
So are the feathers adding anything to the aerodynamics of the car? Are you broiling or frying the chicken?
You know, if you really wanted a hood ornament you could have gone with something other than a screaming chicken
Stanny is correct; it's what's under the skin that counts. But, the car has to look like something. I'd be afraid to ask Mr. McGovern what he thinks of the Aztec.
Scott (planning to outlive current car, plus several more, & hope they're Lincolns)
Does it occur at the same RPM in 4-th gear?
If you tap the brake while the noise is present, does noise go away for a second or two?
Does noise occur at: Light throttle, medium throttle, heavy throttle?
Today was the down side. I got suckered into the 2 year service plan for $299 when I bought the LS in July of last year. It was supposed to be included in the sale but I found it tucked in as an add on in contract after I was home.
I took it in today for 25K service stating I had the service plan. The service tech came back 20 minutes later saying I didn't have a plan as I wasn't in the computer. Told him he had better look a little harder as I was and all service to date had been free. He came back and said I couldn't possibly have the plan as they don't offer it on used cars. Told him I bought it new. Took and hour of back and forth before they even took the car in. Finally told him to do the work, I'd pay and they could credit me when I faxed them the paperwork. Finally did the service no charge but still hadn't resolved the problem . I got no receipt, no service record so they must have slipped it in under misc. That was the last freebie so I'm into doing my own service from here on in. I always preferred to do so anyways.
Six years ago, I bought a Camaro for myself. The dealer asked if I wanted the extended warranty. I was planning on keeping the car for a while, so I thought it might be a good idea. A couple of weeks later, I get the paperwork on the warranty. I bought a GM car from a GM dealer, so silly me, I expected a GM warranty. Instead, my good friends at Doyle Chevrolet, in Webster NY slipped me a third party, warranty company deal.
I go back to the dealership to register my unhappiness, but they ASSURE me that this is a better deal. The "hook" that they use to convince me that it's better, is that I'll get my purchase price back if I don't make any claims against the warranty during the three year, extended period.
To make a long story short, I still own the car, it's now six years old, and I've made no claims against the warranty. Call the dealer, tell them I want my refund, and now it's a whole new story.
They ask for the "letter" that I got stating I'm entitled to get the refund. There never was one sent to me, but now the scam is that this "refund offer" was a limited time promotion. They say,"We sent out letters to those who bought cars during this time stating so, and since you "lost" your letter, no refund".
Now I'm embroiled with GM, the State Attorney General, The Better Business Bureau, the FTC, and anybody else that I can think of. If I can't get a refund, at least I'll get my money's worth out of dragging them through the mud.
Please pardon my ranting, but this really has me cranked up !! Has anyone else had this happen, and did you get a good resolution ??
Thanks for any info you can provide.
If it's on a Lincoln LS, please check out the questions I posted.
The 300M is one of my other cars. I have other issues with it.
I'll have to check the question you posted re the brakes when I get home tonight.
Thanks again.
Send me your dealer name and location and the name of the person you've been dealing with on your vibration problem. I've contacted Lincoln and they will contact you once I forward that information on to them. I know you've done this several times but if you can also include in the email as much detail as possible about the problem it will help them get it resolved quickly.
Thanks,
Brian
Age group was older 40+. Almost no good things were said about the CTS interior. Very "designed" but not appealing to the test group. Most also did not classify the car in the same price league with LS and A6 interiors.
Heard a few "this is a Lincoln?" statements at the end. It's amazing how little is known about the LS even 2+ years after launch.
While we haven't seen Gerry McGovern's touch yet, I tend to think from his statements so far that we will get a much more friendly and "crafted" interior than the CTS has. After all, the interior was the only part of the mark 9 concept car that was acceptable.
I have a wood kit from Joshua Tree (joshuatree.com, I think.) Very good quality, good instructions, free shipping to LLSOC members. Another source is Exotic Wood (exoticwooddash.com). I've never actually seen their products, but they will sell smaller kits, i.e. partials of the entire kit, whereas Joshua Tree only sells the whole shebang, maybe pieces you don't want.
You will be able to purchase the body kit, but it will be quite expensive.
Sorry, can't help with the bra. Most people I know recommend against them due to damage they cause to the paint underneath.
One more invaluable asset to the Lincoln LS owner/driver: Membership in the Lincoln LS Owners Club. Check out www.llsoc.com.
Was looking under the hood and did you know we have a modified tower brace? There is a metal bar running across the back of the shock towers, under the plastic cowling. It looks like it attaches to the firewall under the cowling.
And for all those that think our V6 is anemic. I was reading the 300M board and one of those guys had his 300M dynoed. IIRC the advertised HP is 253 for their 3.5L six. He said the dyno showed 163 at the front wheels! My "anemic" six had 169 stock with only 210 HP and 3 liters! Talk about parasitic loss!
rgnmstr, CONGRATULATIONS!!! Welcome to LS land! You won't be able to have real fun 'till that motor loosens up, but once it does...HOLD ON! Now you just need to join the club. There are MANY benifits to membership. Hop on over to www.llsoc.com to see all about us.
Happy LSing!