thanks for the excellent write up. Was this work covered under warranty or was this an out of pocket expense. The reason I ask is that I am curious about how much it all cost as these are real problems the current and future used car buyers should be concerned with when considering when evaluating the cars value.
At any rate i am glad to hear you have your LS back and hope that the smile is reinstalled soon and for a very long time.
Just about everything in regards to cars at least once.
I am helping a friend with his 1998 ford explorer. The radio LED's have ceased to luminate and am confident that it isn't a light or a fuse. I am a confident component level ET but I have no diagrams to go by and would like to know if any of you fine folks have performed a component level repair on these radios.
That's funny - the display on my LS audiophile head unit just went south. I know it's a loose connection because for a couple of weeks I could hit the display and it would come on. I was thinking of trying to find and repair the loose connection if possible. Let me know what you find out.
This is fairly common after a few years and the dealers know how to fix it. I don't know about the cost, I've never had it happen, but friends who have have always had them repaired under warranty. I don't think it's a loose connection, but a failed LED display, and it needs to be changed out.
First I hope I didn't jinx you. good grief what have I started here .
Ok well I disassembled the radio and found the board that supplies the power to the display and illuminates buttons. I did some serious web research last night and found out that the solder on this board usually suffers from thermal degeneration ultimately it leads to total loss of LED and button illumination. However, the buttons continue to function and the radio as a whole seems to suffer no further loss of functionality.
I removed the board from the radio unsoldered the heat sheild and began to re-flow the solder connections and added some solder in areas that seemed to lacking. I had to go back to the board three times to reflow some of the components but it is fully functional now.
The intermitent diplay condition sounds similar to what other described as well as my brother who own the 98 Eddie B. Exploder, Explorer that is.
I use a variable wattage soldering iron, 15-20 watts, .015 silver bearing solder, solder wick a magnifying glass. If you have a helping hand with magnifying glass it will be much easier. I only have a magnifying glass on a stand so I really had to take my time soldering
If you get a photo of the LS radio out and want to eamil it to me i might be able to ID the board if you have trouble fining it. All in all it is a snap I did mine without repalcing anything at the board level. Good luck.
Hey thanks for the reply. I saw your name in some of the Exploder/ Mountaineer forums when I searched there for some tips. I thought it was familiar from here but didn't have the time to follow up on it.
I got it fixed as you may have read from above. I did have to go back to the board a few times before I got them all right but it works.
Have a pleasant weekend.
Next week I will be in Wyoming and I am curious to find out if i see as many LS's there as i did in West Virginia.
I'm impressed! Sadly, I'm no where near qualified to do such a repair successfully, but that is very helpful to those who are. I doubt I could get the damn radio panel out!
I did have this display failure on my 98 Mountaineer, however, it happened just 1 week before I traded it in on our 02, so I didn't worry about it. The dealer fixed it before they resold the car to my friend, who still has it. That was all the familiarity I have had with the problem and assumed it wasn't any longer an issue. Again, my kudos to your skill and ingenuity - I am obviously way too dependent upon my dealership for assistance! I could just have called you.
I owe that ability to my service in the Navy and classes I attended in High School. I did a component level repair of a Sony laptop a few months ago for 39 dollars most of that was for over night shipping of the part I need to replace. Sony wanted 700 dollars to do the same job.
Nothing like having the guts of a 3000 dollar laptop laid all over the place. Putting it back together was tougher than troubleshooting and repairing the bloody thing.
Aww shucks. thanks. I would have happily done it for you. Heck who knows this my become a systemic problem for the LS. We may have to open an LS radio repair shop. I better not even joke!
Because this car is destined to become a cult classic, I think. Like a Peugeot 505 sedan...but much better IMO. Still, a dying breed I'm afraid. The next LS is destined to be much much less of an engineering marvel from what I've heard.
sadly it does seem this is its destiny. Well from the time I test drove this car to this day, despite all the problems, I intend to keep my LS and maintain it for turnover to my son when he reaches 16. He has 10 years to go, wow how time flies. Shew.
I think the car will continue to have a strong following and expect that folks will hungerily buy them up on the used car market because it is that nice of a car and with the prices they are offered who wouldn't. I hope the enthusiast do find ways to keep the car in repair becasue the folks at the mother ship don't seem to keeping abreast of what is actually happening when the rubber hits the road.
...Seems to do the same thing. I am confident this can be repair FOC, free of charge, if you have the tools, time and ambition. I would look at my radio but my LS has been at the dealer for 7 business days straight so if you have the time to email some digital photos to me of the radio removed from the console with the face plate off I can give them the once over with the ol' analog eyeballs.
Many of us ended up with LS's because we thought Lincoln (Ford) was dedicated to the concept, but that was quite a few years ago.
Now we are here. Where is here?, you might ask.
Here is where the Merkur was even more years ago. Never heard of the Merkur? Join the (huge) crowd. The LS is headed that way.
The LS is the failed experiment of a dedicated group of Lincoln engineers. It's a monument to why large corporate entities can't compete with smaller, more nimble companies. The Merkur had a similar team of engineers and enthusiasts, and ended up where it is now. The LS is most of the way down the same chute.
I'll probably eventually end up with a BMW, built by people who understand automobile enthusiasts, with a company that actually sticks around long enough to execute plans.
#1 son recently bought a used Dinan M3 that's old enough to not suffer from electronic fatigue. I've passed up a couple of opportunities to drive it, so far. It's hard to deal with what might have been.
Check out this week's "On the Table" at autoextremist.com. Peter M. DeLorenzo thinks that Lincoln "has made it clear that they will not be competing in the same league as its chief domestic rival, Cadillac, or with the European and Asian automakers who play in the premium luxury category." And before some of you conclude that DeLorenzo is a rabid import fan, further reading will show that he often levels equally harsh criticism at BMW, D-C, Porsche, and VW. Lincoln beat Cadillac to market with an outstanding sports sedan and then chose to abandon any attempts to keep it competitive. Does anyone seriously think that a rebodied AWD Mazda 6 can actually compete with the CTS V? How about the Town (AARP/Rental)Car vs. the new STS? Or the Aviator vs. the SRX? Lincoln had Cadillac on the ropes-then decided to throw in the towel. Anybody want to buy some Merkur Owners Club decals?
I understand what you're saying, and how you must feel, and I don't disagree. I would only submit by addition, that the LS has sold a lot more copies than the Merkur ever did, and though the Merkur drove like a Euro-sport Sedan, it was a horrible car, more like a Peugeot in long term performance and they started rusting in the Showroom, I think. The LS OTOH, is an awesome machine, most of which still give their owners much less to gripe about than any BMW of the same age.
What is sad is that Lincoln (Ford) has indeed thrown in the towel on pursuing this path for Lincoln, but I think 2 things have contributed to that - 1) Ford has never been known for a clear, consistent vision of where they were headed, it changes very frequently from regime to regime and in concert with their financial fortunes. 2) They do have Jaguar, which is even better than the LS would be, just more money. So if you want a CTS-V competitor, get used to the fact that Cadillac is moving up-market to try to compete with Jag, BMW & Benz - not that Lincoln is going down market. After all, the LS was the child of the Jag DEW98 platform, not the reverse, I believe. Or, they may have been developed side by side. Whichever. The Jag will endure.
I've been driving Lincolns for 14 years now very happily. If they cheapen the brand, and I agree, the Zephur is likely not going to satisfy me either, I may look at a Jag or a Lexus. BMW has their head up their butt just as badly IMO, and Benz is almost as unreliable right now.
I maintain, that the LS will become a sought after classic after it is gone, not unlike the Mustang, in a narrower scope. Just because it was so darn good, and such an anomoly for an American Sedan.
Hi gunnersmate, The dealership charged me $250.00 dollars, but I was told that substential amount was picked up by Ford! Well almost 5 days and no problems, so I am starting to get back my LS-Grin!.
I do agree with "nvbanker" that the LS will become a classic unlike Mercur! Why, remember this car was designed and made here in the USA (by a great engineering team) with a mission to go back to Europe and compete as "LINCOLN" against some great machines there! Also in the last four years of production there are around 186,000 units out there and that number does not include t-birds and jags!
Yes, the LM marketing campaign was a joke! I recall that when I got the car in sept.99 a friend from work that I was taking to lunch sat inside the car and asked me how I like my new Buick! Also I think around that time there were many cars that had the silly LS in their names from Hyundai to Saturn. The car should have had real name to go with "Navigators and Aviators" and not LS! So as much as I hate the caddy new look I do like the specifications and the pricing. Now that I have looked at the new Cady-05-STS I see that size is ~ 3" longer and 2" wider wheelbase so almost the same size as LS. I am sorry the Mazda and Volvo platforms just do not make a Lincoln no matter how cute the outside body maybe, so the LS is probably the last real "Lincoln" platform vehicle.
Bill will get comfortable enough with the new direction at Ford, and start making Lincolns again The LS was encouraged by Nasser, and may be one of the good things he should be praised for when history judges his reign (of terror, some would say) at Ford. I am surprised though, that Ford won't advertise the virtues of this excellent car. My guess is the cost/value index doesn't pencil out, as the profit, if any, on the LS is minimal compared to the profit on the other Lincolns, which is pretty huge.
Wow! well that was certainly nice of them! Glad to hear the grin is coming back and i for one certainly hope it is permanent.
It seems bizzare that even the customers that have problems with the car, some of more than others , still love it and would even go so far as to give written or video testimony for them to use to advertise with and they, Lincoln, are just going to let it fail in the market.
I count these cars every where i go like a card counter in vegas and they seem numerous enough to me that someone would see this automible as a viable competitor to that sickly CTS. There are pleanty Cadi-lovers in my family and no one likes it. None of them are partial to any of the new stuff.
I bet if it weren't for the well advertised problems I have had I could get them to jump ship for the LS becasue they have always been very vocal on how attractive the car is.
Well I am in Wyoming for the week. Started out in Jackson Hole drove up to Yellowstone this morning and then drove to Casper. A great ride for the LS without a doubt butn have only counted one during my entire journey. I rented some All Wheel drive Subaru and all i can say is I know what my next car will not be.
It is as sure footed as the llama but just doesn't have enough power and if you are long in the legs you will want to remove the front seat and drive from the back. Have a pleasant evening.
Now that my free maintenance is over I want to start doing a few things myself. My cabin air filter needs replacing. Is it possible for me to lift the engine cowling without destroying those special fastners? Does it require a special tool? Thanks.
Carefully lift the center post of the fastener, and that will retract the "arms" that hold it in place. Remove the plastic cover/deflector, and the filter is radily accessable.
Just be careful to squeeze the little "arms" of the fasteners together, as you put them back in place, and you'll be all set. The whole job shouldn't take more than 10 minutes.
Yes - push in the center of the pin to release it. Then pull it out before reinstalling and push it in to lock it back in place. In the flush position it's locked - pushed in or pulled out it's open.
Well after over 700 miles around Wyoming I counted 5 LS's 00-03 models and 0 CTWhatever you call thems.
In other news a bloddy vtxi moved in to my neighborhood while I was away and my car remains in the shop for shutdown issues.
I beg and implore that if there are any lincoln engineers read this forum to please call Courtesy Lincoln of Brandon, Fl. It has been over two weeks since I re-dropped off my car and they don't seem to have a clue yet. To date they have owned my car 3.5 weeks and I have spent very very close to 1000 dollars and it doesnt appear that there is a solution within sight.
I called last Thursday and all they could offer was that they have a device installed to record the events when I replied oh you installed the VDR the tech said yes and was either shocked or impressed that I knew. It appears that they arent accustom to dealing with knowledgeable owners.
Well I have given them till September to rectify the problem at that point I guess I will have to take my car back and dump it on some unsuspecting car dealer. Maybe I will buy a VTXi Cadillac CTS. I think i could sucker those sales guys in to giving me a good deal on my lemoon flavored LS.
Thanks for the instructions on the fastners. Pushing in on the center allows them to lift right out. I knew there must be a trick to them and I didn't want to break any off. I've broken enough interior trim fastners on other cars. Thanks again.
Group, I replaced the cabin air filter and can't get the message center to quit telling me to replace the AC Filter. I've tried hitting reset while the message is on the screen and I've tried hitting reset when in the status mode and the "replace AC filter" message appears. What's the secret? Thanks.
Go into message centre status, and when the message regarding air filter life % appears, press and *hold* the reset button until the message resets. Same process for oil life message.
<<<<Go into message centre status, and when the message regarding air filter life % appears, press and *hold* the reset button until the message resets.>>>>>>>
OK kids I tried this and the "replace AC filter" message goes away same as when I just hit the button but it's back the next time I start the car same as before. What next.
There's a story about Lincoln by an editor at Forbes that is great reading. Though the LS is not mentioned by name, he says that Ford refuses to get serious about their rear drive platforms at a time when Chrysler and GM are. Sounds like comments on this forum. I found the reference on Blue Oval News.
Press Status. When it displays A/C filter % remaining press the reset button once (don't hold it). It will then say to press and hold reset to reset to 100%. THEN you press and hold the reset button.
Press once, then press and hold to reset. I just did it and it works.
Sorry folks, of course "akirby"'s right. Thats the trouble with our minds as we get older. The action may be "automatic", but try to describe it to someone else!
is to have the V6. No message centre = no problems resetting it.
Still wouldn't mind having it though, for fuel mileage and such.
Sorta sad that cabin air filters are just about all that's been discussed for the past two weeks. That said, I need to look up the Forbes article (thanks carjim) pointing out that the Lincoln brain trust is going exactly counter to their domestic competition. The trip 'round Wyoming was also enlightening. Otherwise, it was dead silence or cabin air filters.
Steve, hope all is well with your manual LS, as I can state that my Oct. '99 LS V8 sport is still going strong. However, I must say that I've given up any hope that the LS will ever be improved upon let alone survive more than another year or two. The Lincoln Marketing guys really had me believing back in 1999 with the first set of TV commercials that seemed to indicate that Lincoln was earnestly trying to compete in the 21st century. While the car lived up to their claims, senior Lincoln management has shown me that a leopard can't change it's spots. After the LS and the current Aviator run their short lived lives, the only thing that may ever hold interest for me is the Navigator.
I'm not sure yet what will eventually replace my LS, as I'm not really excited about anything on the market today. Perhaps a Mustang Cobra will fill the thrill bill, but it certainly won't offer the creature comforts that the LS currently provides. Sadly, nobody seems to have anything I like right now except for the LS, which appears to be well on it's way to being a lame duck in the market. One thing for sure, I'll be hanging on to my LS until something exciting hits the streets.
My LS is still wreaking havoc on the local SCCA Solo II (autocross) scene where I placed 3rd in the past Spring Series in the Street Tire 1 category. The series consisted of your best 3 events out of 4 events against cars that included the likes of 3, 2000+ Model Year BMW M3s, 3 Z06 Corvettes, and 2 Nissan 350ZXs, and 2 more Subaru WRX Sti's. A 2000 M3 and a 2004 WRX Sti got first and second place, respectively. Few people in the Phoenix SCCA crowd doubt the capabilities of the LS any longer.
BTW, after a less than auspicious start with my Aviator, it's been doing a good job for us . . . serving as a highly refined, luxury SUV that can still handle the "rough and tumble" stuff Arizona can throw at it. No minivan would have ever been able to make it to the North Rim Grand Canyon National Park's Point Sublime, nor the Toroweap lookout . . . both of which provide a unique and awesome view of the "big ditch".
from you, Chris. Glad the Aviator's working out. My (much) earlier comment regarding a minivan's ability to go many of the places people take SUV's certainly wasn't meant to cover the destinations you mentioned. Nor the "back way to Crown King," where we recently took our Pathfinder. Looking forward to Colorado adventures in a couple of weeks.
As to what I'd replace my LS with. . . At least you still have the option of replacing yours with another one, for the next year or two anyway. If mine were totalled, . . . The G35 is a possibility, but I really need a fold-down rear seat. The coupe may have one, come to think of it. I've never even sat in one, though, so probably should at some point, to see if the interior some other features are as tacky as I've been led to believe.
How is the grin, well I hope. I would like the name and number for the SA and Tech at the dealer you went to if you do not mind. Since these guys have had my car over 30 days now i think they should be speaking with someone of experience.
WELL IT IS AUGUST AND I WAS WONDERING IF THERE WAS ANY NEWS ON NEW FEATURES TO THE '06 LS? THEY ARE STILL MAKING IT RIGHT? ALSO I HAVEN'T READ MANY POSITIVE POSTS ABOUT THE ZEPHYR. I KNOW THERE ARE PLENTY OF DIFFERENCES BETWEEN IT AND THE LS BUT WHAT ARE THE MAJOR POINTS(OTHER THAN SIZE AND PLATFORM)? IS IT REALLY GOING TO BE FWD?
STILL DREAMING THAT LINCOLN WILL COME TO IT'S SENSES AND KEEP THE LS ALIVE AND MAYBE NEW STYLING IN '07.RUSS
Yes, the Zephyr will be FWD, similar to the Lexus ES300 or Audi A6. It's not meant to replace the LS. The reason you're hearing negatives is that it's being compared to the LS and most LS enthusiasts want RWD and more power. That's not what this car is intended for. In it's market it should do very well.
Lincoln has already announced it's new vehicle plans and sadly none of the cars are RWD. Even the Aviator is going to a FWD based AWD platform. In addition to the Zephyr there will be a new mid sized car (probably the continental) and a new large car. Both will be built off the Volvo S80 platform (also used for the 500) with AWD (FWD based). That's all we know but apparently Lincoln has decided to A) go AWD and reuse platforms and not invest in a Lincoln only platform. They've chosen the Mazda6 platform for the Zephyr and the Volvo platform for the others. The DEW platform is D-E-A-D at Ford and will be a Jag exclusive it appears. The LS itself could hang around for a few more years but once the Tbird goes it will be very lonely. Rumor has it the Wixom plant will be closed at the same time.
We were expecting one or more RWD sedans, coupes or convertibles built off the new Mustang platform but no word on that yet.
I've owned Lincolns since 1990, one model or another, and this direction concerns me, if anybody cares. I kind of understand why they're doing it, but for those of us who have had a sense of pride of ownership with our Lincolns - it seems like that chapter is coming to a close.
I ordered my Porterfields today and plan on replacing the pads this weekend. Does anyone know if the 2000 non-sport had DOT 3 or DOT 4 in it. Looking at the Ford workshop manual it looks like the prefered type is 3. Since I do not plan on bleeding the system and just replacing what I siphon out I didn't want to mix the 2 types.
Well, I finally got it to reset. Many thanks to brooster54 and akirby for the "first push then hold" tip. To think .... I used to own a 55 Chevy street rod, a 60 Corvette and a 65 Griffith 200GT (powered by Ford) Don't know how I ever managed to keep those cars running. I'm sorry to read all the posts regarding people's thoughts of the impending doom of the LS. I really thought Lincoln was in the running by doing a true American sports sedan. I was happy to buy a BMW alternative. In fact we have 2. We drove the comparatively priced loaded BMW 3 Series and felt it was like driving a really nice Accord. I know a 540 is really the competition but then it would not compare in price. However since we keep cars for a long time maybe things will change and there will be another V8 powered RWD vehicle available down the road. Hell, I like coupes anyway.
I've owned 2 LS V8s. One sport and one non. I've driven a couple of manuals and would have bought one had I been able to test drive one. All local dealers at the time wouldn't even consider ordering one for you without a large deposit. The president of a national LS club was so impressed by the manual after taking it out on a road course that he bought one to add to his stable. The car has the best weight balance of all the LSs.
On another subject, I'm an enthusiast and go out of my way to look for LS ads. In the DFW area of Texas the weekend paper holds probably 30 pages of car ads. Not a single mention of the LS even in the few Lincoln ads. Same on TV. You see one in the background but 0 mention of the LS. It's as good as dead!
<<<<Might I mention that this procedure and many others can be found in that little book in the glovebox called the "owner's guide"? >>>>>>>
That wasn't nice. I looked there before I decided to make myself look like a putz on here. I looked from one end to the other in my owner's manual and nowhere did it explain the procedure to do the reset.
I was all set to respond to noller2g's question regarding manual LS's, but the post appears to have disappeared.
Being somewhat aware of conspiracy theories and such, it wouldn't surprise me if he was encouraged to delete his message and stay off this board. But I digress.
The real message is that the manual LS is one of the best. . .when it was available. The engine on mine so far appears to be bulletproof and nothing else has broken (besides the window regulators & other interior junk), so it's the way to go.
The main reason I come off as such a malcontent is that Lincoln dropped the manual LS after I'd bought into the concept. . .and the car.
hardly anybody bought them - that's the problem! They are awesome, no doubt, but with Ford's miserable approach to marketing this car, nobody knew about them.
Comments
At any rate i am glad to hear you have your LS back and hope that the smile is reinstalled soon and for a very long time.
I am helping a friend with his 1998 ford explorer. The radio LED's have ceased to luminate and am confident that it isn't a light or a fuse. I am a confident component level ET but I have no diagrams to go by and would like to know if any of you fine folks have performed a component level repair on these radios.
Have a splendid weekend.
Ok well I disassembled the radio and found the board that supplies the power to the display and illuminates buttons. I did some serious web research last night and found out that the solder on this board usually suffers from thermal degeneration ultimately it leads to total loss of LED and button illumination. However, the buttons continue to function and the radio as a whole seems to suffer no further loss of functionality.
I removed the board from the radio unsoldered the heat sheild and began to re-flow the solder connections and added some solder in areas that seemed to lacking. I had to go back to the board three times to reflow some of the components but it is fully functional now.
The intermitent diplay condition sounds similar to what other described as well as my brother who own the 98 Eddie B. Exploder, Explorer that is.
I use a variable wattage soldering iron, 15-20 watts, .015 silver bearing solder, solder wick a magnifying glass. If you have a helping hand with magnifying glass it will be much easier. I only have a magnifying glass on a stand so I really had to take my time soldering
If you get a photo of the LS radio out and want to eamil it to me i might be able to ID the board if you have trouble fining it. All in all it is a snap I did mine without repalcing anything at the board level. Good luck.
I got it fixed as you may have read from above. I did have to go back to the board a few times before I got them all right but it works.
Have a pleasant weekend.
Next week I will be in Wyoming and I am curious to find out if i see as many LS's there as i did in West Virginia.
Again, my kudos to your skill and ingenuity - I am obviously way too dependent upon my dealership for assistance! I could just have called you.
Nothing like having the guts of a 3000 dollar laptop laid all over the place. Putting it back together was tougher than troubleshooting and repairing the bloody thing.
I think the car will continue to have a strong following and expect that folks will hungerily buy them up on the used car market because it is that nice of a car and with the prices they are offered who wouldn't. I hope the enthusiast do find ways to keep the car in repair becasue the folks at the mother ship don't seem to keeping abreast of what is actually happening when the rubber hits the road.
Many of us ended up with LS's because we thought Lincoln (Ford) was dedicated to the concept, but that was quite a few years ago.
Now we are here. Where is here?, you might ask.
Here is where the Merkur was even more years ago. Never heard of the Merkur? Join the (huge) crowd. The LS is headed that way.
The LS is the failed experiment of a dedicated group of Lincoln engineers. It's a monument to why large corporate entities can't compete with smaller, more nimble companies. The Merkur had a similar team of engineers and enthusiasts, and ended up where it is now. The LS is most of the way down the same chute.
I'll probably eventually end up with a BMW, built by people who understand automobile enthusiasts, with a company that actually sticks around long enough to execute plans.
#1 son recently bought a used Dinan M3 that's old enough to not suffer from electronic fatigue. I've passed up a couple of opportunities to drive it, so far. It's hard to deal with what might have been.
Even so, I won't be too far behind him, I think.
Anybody want to buy some Merkur Owners Club decals?
What is sad is that Lincoln (Ford) has indeed thrown in the towel on pursuing this path for Lincoln, but I think 2 things have contributed to that - 1) Ford has never been known for a clear, consistent vision of where they were headed, it changes very frequently from regime to regime and in concert with their financial fortunes. 2) They do have Jaguar, which is even better than the LS would be, just more money. So if you want a CTS-V competitor, get used to the fact that Cadillac is moving up-market to try to compete with Jag, BMW & Benz - not that Lincoln is going down market.
After all, the LS was the child of the Jag DEW98 platform, not the reverse, I believe. Or, they may have been developed side by side. Whichever. The Jag will endure.
I've been driving Lincolns for 14 years now very happily. If they cheapen the brand, and I agree, the Zephur is likely not going to satisfy me either, I may look at a Jag or a Lexus. BMW has their head up their butt just as badly IMO, and Benz is almost as unreliable right now.
I maintain, that the LS will become a sought after classic after it is gone, not unlike the Mustang, in a narrower scope. Just because it was so darn good, and such an anomoly for an American Sedan.
The dealership charged me $250.00 dollars, but I was told that substential amount was picked up by Ford! Well almost 5 days and no problems, so I am starting to get back my LS-Grin!.
I do agree with "nvbanker" that the LS will become a classic unlike Mercur! Why, remember this car was designed and made here in the USA (by a great engineering team) with a mission to go back to Europe and compete as "LINCOLN" against some great machines there! Also in the last four years of production there are around 186,000 units out there and that number does not include t-birds and jags!
Yes, the LM marketing campaign was a joke! I recall that when I got the car in sept.99 a friend from work that I was taking to lunch sat inside the car and asked me how I like my new Buick! Also I think around that time there were many cars that had the silly LS in their names from Hyundai to Saturn. The car should have had real name to go with "Navigators and Aviators" and not LS! So as much as I hate the caddy new look I do like the specifications and the pricing. Now that I have looked at the new Cady-05-STS I see that size is ~ 3" longer and 2" wider wheelbase so almost the same size as LS. I am sorry the Mazda and Volvo platforms just do not make a Lincoln no matter how cute the outside body maybe, so the LS is probably the last real "Lincoln" platform vehicle.
Ah yes, but the TC & LS COULD generate inter-generational traffic to the showroom.
It seems bizzare that even the customers that have problems with the car, some of more than others
I count these cars every where i go like a card counter in vegas and they seem numerous enough to me that someone would see this automible as a viable competitor to that sickly CTS. There are pleanty Cadi-lovers in my family and no one likes it. None of them are partial to any of the new stuff.
I bet if it weren't for the well advertised problems I have had I could get them to jump ship for the LS becasue they have always been very vocal on how attractive the car is.
Well I am in Wyoming for the week. Started out in Jackson Hole drove up to Yellowstone this morning and then drove to Casper. A great ride for the LS without a doubt butn have only counted one during my entire journey. I rented some All Wheel drive Subaru and all i can say is I know what my next car will not be.
It is as sure footed as the llama but just doesn't have enough power and if you are long in the legs you will want to remove the front seat and drive from the back. Have a pleasant evening.
Just be careful to squeeze the little "arms" of the fasteners together, as you put them back in place, and you'll be all set. The whole job shouldn't take more than 10 minutes.
In other news a bloddy vtxi moved in to my neighborhood while I was away and my car remains in the shop for shutdown issues.
I beg and implore that if there are any lincoln engineers read this forum to please call Courtesy Lincoln of Brandon, Fl. It has been over two weeks since I re-dropped off my car and they don't seem to have a clue yet. To date they have owned my car 3.5 weeks and I have spent very very close to 1000 dollars and it doesnt appear that there is a solution within sight.
I called last Thursday and all they could offer was that they have a device installed to record the events when I replied oh you installed the VDR the tech said yes and was either shocked or impressed that I knew. It appears that they arent accustom to dealing with knowledgeable owners.
Well I have given them till September to rectify the problem at that point I guess I will have to take my car back and dump it on some unsuspecting car dealer. Maybe I will buy a VTXi Cadillac CTS. I think i could sucker those sales guys in to giving me a good deal on my lemoon flavored LS.
Well actually I am holding out hope for my car.
I replaced the cabin air filter and can't get the message center to quit telling me to replace the AC Filter. I've tried hitting reset while the message is on the screen and I've tried hitting reset when in the status mode and the "replace AC filter" message appears. What's the secret? Thanks.
OK kids I tried this and the "replace AC filter" message goes away same as when I just hit the button but it's back the next time I start the car same as before. What next.
Press once, then press and hold to reset. I just did it and it works.
Still wouldn't mind having it though, for fuel mileage and such.
Sorta sad that cabin air filters are just about all that's been discussed for the past two weeks. That said, I need to look up the Forbes article (thanks carjim) pointing out that the Lincoln brain trust is going exactly counter to their domestic competition. The trip 'round Wyoming was also enlightening. Otherwise, it was dead silence or cabin air filters.
Oh well. . .
I'm not sure yet what will eventually replace my LS, as I'm not really excited about anything on the market today. Perhaps a Mustang Cobra will fill the thrill bill, but it certainly won't offer the creature comforts that the LS currently provides. Sadly, nobody seems to have anything I like right now except for the LS, which appears to be well on it's way to being a lame duck in the market. One thing for sure, I'll be hanging on to my LS until something exciting hits the streets.
My LS is still wreaking havoc on the local SCCA Solo II (autocross) scene where I placed 3rd in the past Spring Series in the Street Tire 1 category. The series consisted of your best 3 events out of 4 events against cars that included the likes of 3, 2000+ Model Year BMW M3s, 3 Z06 Corvettes, and 2 Nissan 350ZXs, and 2 more Subaru WRX Sti's. A 2000 M3 and a 2004 WRX Sti got first and second place, respectively. Few people in the Phoenix SCCA crowd doubt the capabilities of the LS any longer.
BTW, after a less than auspicious start with my Aviator, it's been doing a good job for us . . . serving as a highly refined, luxury SUV that can still handle the "rough and tumble" stuff Arizona can throw at it. No minivan would have ever been able to make it to the North Rim Grand Canyon National Park's Point Sublime, nor the Toroweap lookout . . . both of which provide a unique and awesome view of the "big ditch".
As to what I'd replace my LS with. . . At least you still have the option of replacing yours with another one, for the next year or two anyway. If mine were totalled, . . . The G35 is a possibility, but I really need a fold-down rear seat. The coupe may have one, come to think of it. I've never even sat in one, though, so probably should at some point, to see if the interior some other features are as tacky as I've been led to believe.
Stay safe.
STILL DREAMING THAT LINCOLN WILL COME TO IT'S SENSES AND KEEP THE LS ALIVE AND MAYBE NEW STYLING IN '07.RUSS
Yes, the Zephyr will be FWD, similar to the Lexus ES300 or Audi A6. It's not meant to replace the LS. The reason you're hearing negatives is that it's being compared to the LS and most LS enthusiasts want RWD and more power. That's not what this car is intended for. In it's market it should do very well.
Lincoln has already announced it's new vehicle plans and sadly none of the cars are RWD. Even the Aviator is going to a FWD based AWD platform. In addition to the Zephyr there will be a new mid sized car (probably the continental) and a new large car. Both will be built off the Volvo S80 platform (also used for the 500) with AWD (FWD based). That's all we know but apparently Lincoln has decided to A) go AWD and
We were expecting one or more RWD sedans, coupes or convertibles built off the new Mustang platform but no word on that yet.
Autumn Red"
Nice color - price looks high.
- Ray
Also a 'retread' - owned a 2000, now a 2003 . . .
I'm sorry to read all the posts regarding people's thoughts of the impending doom of the LS. I really thought Lincoln was in the running by doing a true American sports sedan. I was happy to buy a BMW alternative. In fact we have 2. We drove the comparatively priced loaded BMW 3 Series and felt it was like driving a really nice Accord. I know a 540 is really the competition but then it would not compare in price. However since we keep cars for a long time maybe things will change and there will be another V8 powered RWD vehicle available down the road. Hell, I like coupes anyway.
The president of a national LS club was so impressed by the manual after taking it out on a road course that he bought one to add to his stable. The car has the best weight balance of all the LSs.
On another subject, I'm an enthusiast and go out of my way to look for LS ads. In the DFW area of Texas the weekend paper holds probably 30 pages of car ads. Not a single mention of the LS even in the few Lincoln ads. Same on TV. You see one in the background but 0 mention of the LS. It's as good as dead!
That wasn't nice. I looked there before I decided to make myself look like a putz on here. I looked from one end to the other in my owner's manual and nowhere did it explain the procedure to do the reset.
Being somewhat aware of conspiracy theories and such, it wouldn't surprise me if he was encouraged to delete his message and stay off this board. But I digress.
The real message is that the manual LS is one of the best. . .when it was available. The engine on mine so far appears to be bulletproof and nothing else has broken (besides the window regulators & other interior junk), so it's the way to go.
The main reason I come off as such a malcontent is that Lincoln dropped the manual LS after I'd bought into the concept. . .and the car.
If you can get one, do it!