Lincoln LS

joelincoln

Jim,
I find that the cost of the warranties that are offered by Ford are too high and Warranties offered by third parties are not reliable.

I think on a strictly dollars-and-cents basis, these warranties are not justifiable given the statistical chance of spending that much on repairs in the extra 2 or 3 years covered. Remember that the car comes with 4 years already.

However, like most things, it can depend on your personal situation. How much is your time and aggravation worth to you? How reliable do you think your car will be? Can you handle some of your own repairs? Can you afford an expensive repair if it comes? Do you drive the car hard for many miles?

The 2000 is a first-year build of a brand new design and, being a loaded Lincoln, is full of expensive-to-repair electronics.

It comes down to your tolerance for repairs and your willingness to gamble.

Joe

heyjewel

Another country heard from:

I've got sport package with the Firestones. No vibration problems or any other problems. They handle great and are not *too* noisy. Ride might be a little rough - I think I'm going to drop the pressure a couple pounds myself.

All that said, if it were me buying right now, I'd get one with the Bridgestones. I hate to write this sentence, but unless I'm mistaken, the Bridgestones are made in Japan and the Firestones in US. There have been problems only with the FSs and only in certain factories.
*** I am NOT saying there are problems with the LS Firestones. Only the Wilderness tires on the Explorers are proven to have problems. ****
But seems that the BSs would be a better bet right now. My wife almost nixed the whole car when she saw the Firestones on there. I'd bet that Lincoln wants to get the Firestone name off the tires.

Sunroof - I've got one and love it. No noise, no leaks.

I got into the LS from a '93 Mark 8. Very reliable car for me. I miss the power of the 4.6 liter. And the Mark is roomier in the front. And gets better gas mileage. But the LS handles *much* better and the ride is better too - at least better than my Mark with 127000 miles. The engine is quieter and smoother. Driver position better in LS.

Lastly, I agree - test drive THE car you're going to buy as much as they'll allow. Get it up to 72-73 and feel for vibes. Try 51mph and listen carefully for drone (not likely in a 2001). Make sure everytthing works and if not get them to fix it before you buy the car, *if you can*.

Good luck.. I believe if you buy it, you will like it.

scottc8

I will run out the mileage on my warranty long before the time period. My dealer offered me an extension to 100k miles for $1400 and I jumped at it. The warranty company is owned by the dealership, so it's not quite a "third party", and the coverage is as good or better than the Lincoln warranty.

I'm a pretty competent amateur mechanic, but the LS is just a wee bit more complex than the 1980 Triumph I'm used to tinkering with.

Just my $.02.

Scott

alphanstein

I bought the extended warranty on my 96 taraus when I first got it for $1500, covered everything with a $50 deductible for 5years/75Kmiles.

And, it paid for itself, I had $2200 worth of problems with the car over that 75Kmile period that were covered by the extended warranty (4 seperate visits). It's a gamble, just like insurance, but you have to have insurance.

Jeff

karzz

A link to a cyber survey of the Mk9, most people so far have voted that they like the direction Lincoln is taking with the Mk9.

http://www.detnews.com/autos/index.htm

johnnylinc

I would tend to agree with joelincoln's assessment; it's a crapshoot. Were I to get an extended warranty, I would definitely get it from the manufacturer even though they're more expensive. If you get one from a third party, you may have to pay for the repairs upfront and negotiate with the warranty company for reimbursement, with no guarantee that you'll get anything. There's also the chance that the third party could go out of business and leave you holding the bag.

The situation that scottc8 described sounds like a reasonable alternative as long as you're confident that the dealer will be in business for the duration of the warranty.

One thing to be aware of is that these warranties run CONCURRENTLY with the manufacturer's warranty. For example, if you pay $1000 to add two years and 25k miles onto your 4-year/50k Lincoln warranty, then sell the car after 5 years & cancel the extended warranty, you will NOT get half the money back; you'll only get about 1/6th of it back. Even though the factory warranty covers you completely for the first 4 years, the extended warranty is also in effect for that period, and you get nothing for your money. I think this is sleazy, but that's the way they all seem to do it.

Furthermore, if you finance your car and roll the cost of the warranty into the note, then you're paying interest on that money, too. Alternatively, if you wait until the car is a year or two old, the price of the warranty goes up.

The flip side is that when sophisticated cars break (and they almost inevitably do), it can be very expensive to get them fixed. If you keep your car for the duration of the extended warranty and have a major problem, the warranty could pay for itself in one trip to the repair shop. Some ALTERNATORS cost a grand to replace nowadays, for crying out loud!

I learned something interesting recently: A coworker bought a new GMC Yukon Denali, but he bought an extended warranty through Chrysler rather than GM because the Chrysler warranty was significantly cheaper. It's worth checking, if you're serious about getting one.

You can also take the money you would've spent on the warranty and put it in a money market account or other savings instrument. You'd in effect be providing your own warranty by keeping that cash in reserve & earmarking it for car repairs.

There are so many factors, thinking about it will make your head spin. That's one of the reasons I use to justify trading cars every 3-4 years. That doesn't make much financial sense, either, but there's a lot to be said for the smell of new leather.

JLinc, using any excuse necessary...

ronniepooh

Had to make an urgent return visit to my dealership (King Lincoln Mercury, Gaithersburg, MD) for coolant loss. Last week, their "pressure test" didnt reeal any issues. Obviously, a cooling system pressure test doesnt use as much pressure as running the engine at highway rpms. Short version: Split coolant hose in front of engine, just under the black engine cover. Started out small last week, and apparently got larger. Dealership replaced the hose, thoroughly cleaned up the engine compartment (looks like new) apologized for the inconvenience, and as usual, put me in a loaner (had my choice between ad Grand Marquis or a Dodge Stratus..both cars had less than 3,000 miles on them.) Also did the usual wash of the exterior of the car. So, if your LS V6 starts to smell of coolant, check those hoses carefully...

giowa

Think johnnylinc and joelincoln nailed this subject! I've heard nothing but horror stories from people who were burned, and badly, buying extended warranties from 3rd parties!!! Put the money in a 36 or 48 month CD.

I priced an extended warranty from Lincoln when I bought the car. It shocked me how much they wanted. Getting a couple years and 25K miles with no deductible cost about $2,400. Don't think it was worth it.

In 7/97 it cost me $400 to add no years but 24K miles of bumper-to-bumper no deductible extended warranty thru General Motors on my then brand new '97 Camaro (which I used for business, putting about 25K miles annually and knowing I'd sell after 3 years). Had some rear end troubles at around 50K miles so it paid for itself.

Cost me about $1,000 in 5/96 to buy an 84,000 mile and 72 month no deductible extended warranty thru General Motors on my '96 Impala SS. I bought it for the time not the miles. I knew I wouldn't drive her too much but wanted the comfort of being able to take her on trips worry free for a few years. She is still under warranty and will be until 5/02. So far after 5 years and 18,500 miles I haven't had to use it. Cross my fingers!

markls8

I too agonized over the extended warranty. I opted not to purchase one for the main reason that the whole purpose for the warranty (from the seller's viewpoint) in the first place is to increase the seller's profit on a sale. No doubt the warrantor has used exhaustive statistical analysis to determine the average amount and frequency of payout, and added to that figure a nice profit margin for himself. According to that logic, I figure that they have very much stacked the odds against me in their own favour. Just like at the casino, the odds favour the house, and, just like at the casino it is possible to win, but you ARE more likely to lose.
I believe that the odds of winning at certain casino games are better than the odds of winning at the warranty game. So why not take the money you would have spent on the warranty and spend it at the casino? If you win, bank the money and save it for a rainy (broken down car)day? Besides, it's a lot more fun.
Just my 3cents (Cdn.)
Regards - Brian. (with my fingers crossed behind my back.)
ps. Looking at the big picture - anybody else see anything perversely obscene about a situation where someone sells you a product and then asks you to take another gamble on the quality of that product? ("Give us some more money just in case we screwed up.")

ls1bmw0

My baby is in the very capable body shop at Rancho F/LM getting the front and rear bumper covers repainted. Seems on my Vibrant White 2000 the covers were starting to turn not so Vibrant White and yellow. It's covered under warranty and since I've got 43,000 miles on the car I figured might as well get a couple of minor things looked at while it's in the shop for three days.

I do, however, have to endure, what I consider my own little version of heck, since the loaner turns out to be a 2001 Cadillac de ville. Not even a STS! Seems that the dealer has told Enterprise Rent-A-Car that any Lincoln owner must get a comparable level car to what they drive. Since they didn't have a LS I got stuck with the Caddy. This is a big sucker! Some very unscientific observations, since it really isn't comparing apples to apples.
1. The LS air-conditioning is vastly superior in control and frostiness compared to the Caddy. I know its a rental but it only had 7,000 miles on it. Took forever to cool down and automatic mode seems to like to adjust the temp. without slowing down the fan at the same time.
2. Didn't like the digital dash. Call me old-fashioned but a proper drivers car should have proper round analog gauges. Felt like I was driving a video game.
3. Less wind noise and more road noise. Actually I think the wind noise was the same just less buffeting sounds.
4. Handling sucks. Typical front-driver. I'm sure the STS handles better, but still no comparison.
5. Monster center console. Could probably hold a small child. Thank front-wheel drive for that. Wouldn't trade the lack of space for it though.
6. I felt very removed from the driving experience. Don't have any experience driving any of the big Lincolns, but I'm assuming it's close to the same since the Caddy is a direct competitor.
7. 70mph felt a lot faster than 90mph in the LS.
8. Mouse fur that the Caddy has looks cheap. So does the type of wood grain. Don't know if it's real or not but even if fake the LS "wud" beats it for looks hands down and so does the interior linings.
9. Does get decent mileage. I was surprised to see it averaging 24 mpg on the daily drive. Thanks to a 5.7L engine with gobs of torque, I guess.
10. Reason number 1 for not putting the parking brake on the floor. When you are used to bracing your left leg against the door panel for enthusiastic driving, the dang floor mounted parking brake is a shin-killer. Surprised I'm not bleeding after that escapade.
11. For highway work, I could see where a car like this excels. It is definitely an American highway cruiser.
12. Our radio and speakers are better.

Can't wait to get my LS back

Brian

eor2

I too spent a good deal of time evaluating the car, and had some concerns with some of the issues raised on this site. However, those issues alerted me to possible problems to look for. I bought an 2001 V8 Sport (with Firehawks) 2 1/2 weeks ago, and so far have had no problems. Some observations:

Moonroof: Have it and love it. Never had one before.

At the 72-73 MPH speed range where the vibrations are reported, none that I can detect.

Road noise. Definately more noise on rough asphault or concreate. Very quiet on smooth asphalt.

Wind noise. None below 60 mph that I can detect. However, on a 300 mile trip yesterday, I did get wind noise when running at 80mph with a 20 mph headwind for a total wind speed of 100mph. Not real bad, but definately there.

Fuel consumption. On same 300 mile trip. At 70-73mph, and 2k-2.4krpm, the readout was averaging 27mpg. At 75-80mph, and 2.5+k, the readout was averaging 21-22mpg. Actual for the trip was 24.3mpg for 300 miles, 280 of which was on interstate or expresway. Driving to and from work (a mix of conditions) I am getting 18mpg.

Demographics: I live 40 miles SE of Seattle in a semi rural town. Have seen only one LS come through here in 5 months of watching. An occaisional Jag S. Go to Seattle and its environs, and I have seen less than a dozen LS's. BUT, Beamers, and Benzs are dime a dozen around here.

I agree with one of the postings, check out the car thoroughly. But don't be spooked by some of the concerns raised.

Elbert

johnnylinc

That stuff on the Seville's console is, indeed, real wood; it's called "Zebrano". It really is hard to tell what's real and what's petroleum, isn't it?

That's not a 5.7 under the hood; it's a 4.6 all-aluminum 4-cam 4-valve V8. In SLS guise it produces 275 horsepower, but it does run on regular unleaded. The STS has 295 HP, also on regular.

Base price of the SLS is now $43,205 with destination fee; that includes StabiliTrak, the Cadillac equivalent of AdvanceTrac. My local Cad dealer has an '01 Seville with 8k miles on the used car lot listed for $33,995.

On a personal note, a couple of nights ago I dreamed that I traded in my '01 LS on a brand-new Catera. I have no earthly idea what brought it on. It was frighteningly real; I woke up in a cold sweat thinking, "What in the heck have I DONE???"

JLinc, swearing off the mackerel-and-kiwi pizza...

(OOPS--did you say "Seville" or "DeVille"?)

brucelinc

One of my brothers has a 99 Seville SLS with the 275 HP Northstar and another brother has a Lexus ES300. Obviously, when we get together, comparisons are frequent. We have often driven one another's cars.

Performance-wise, the SLS and the Lincoln LS8 would be a close race. We have never had a contest like my wife and I did with our Taurus because neither of us could live down defeat! Handling-wise the LS non-sport is miles ahead of the SLS. The LS is quieter and I prefer the ride but the SLS has more usable interior room due to the front wheel drive layout. It also uses a lot less fuel and the computer gives more information. I agree that the wud in in LS looks as good as the wood in the Caddy. The Caddy has more creaks and groans when driving over potholes, too.

The Lexus ES 300 seems to me a closer rival to our Taurus than it is to the LS. My brother's has much more wind noise than an LS and his dealer says it is normal because the window glass has no frame. Before I switched to Michelin's, the LS had a bit more road noise than the Lexus but now the LS is quieter. At idle, the ES300 engine is very quiet, though. Again, handling-wise there is no contest.

We on this board may have a gripe or two occasionally, but IMHO, our cars can stand toe-to-toe (or would that be wheel-to-wheel?) with anything in the same price range.

Bruce

jimmyp2

Thanks for all of the information. I guess I am off to Las Vegas to gamble with my warranty money. Then home again to invest my winnings. That should give my LS a real drive, since I live in Maryland. May be I will just go to Atlantic City! Thanks.

brunobus

I have found a local source of some carbon fiber vinyl to use to cover the "wud" and center console. (No luck at any of the dash places for covering the existing stuff.) The problem is that I can only get it in a 30 yd. roll and I figure I will only use about 10 feet of it (with plenty to spare and that includes possibly covering the plastic shroud on the engine.) I have seen some pictures on the net that people have used on car interior parts and it looks just like the real stuff (just like the "wud" looks real). I figure that for about $15 each 10 ft. that I could cover the cost of the vinyl plus shipping it out if anyone is interested. I have seen prices as high as $30 for a 20" X 20" piece of this stuff.

Let me know if you are interested in going in on it with me.

brunob@eatonmetal.com

Bruno

lsjim

Well after reading the postings on this board and others, I'll finally be giving my Silver LS the "treatment". Have been pretty happy w/results of Zymol, but given what some of you have said about Zaino, thought I'd give it a try.

If anyone (like me) prefers to order w/CC I found a means of doing it. Check http://home.bluemarble.net/~dlharden/glossboss.htm They can take the order over the phone and ship right away.

Anyway, I'll let everyone know what my results are after the treatments. It can only help my paint job last through the 2 washings a week I've been giving it since last year (8 Can you tell that I LOVE this car?

ls1bmw0

I've just posted the information for LSMO2STL on the www.llsoc.com site. Can't miss the link on the main page. Click on all the links within the pages to get info. on hotels, the planned activities, surrounding area maps, etc.

If you have any questions please feel free to email me at: brian.gowing@llsoc.com. We need to get a 100 participants to be able to break even with expenses for this rather ambitious event.

Brian

lsjim

I don't recall this topic being talked about before so here goes:

Am considering tinting my 2k Silver LS windows. Dont want it very dark, in fact just a couple shades darker than factory at most(?)

Has anyone tinted their LS windows and wished they did something different?
How light/dark would this group suggest the tinting be for an LS. I don't want privacy, just a level of tint that adds to the beauty of the car and filters a bit more UV.
Any other suggestions/ideas/comments?

Jim

akirby

The key to extended warranties is to NOT BUY ANY. Period. None. NADA. Not even one. What you save IN TOTAL from not buying any warranties (including electronics and appliances) will almost certainly outweigh any repairs. If you try to pick and choose you'll most likely end up paying for the ones you don't use and not paying for the ones you need. The more you skip the more the law of averages will work in your favor. The only case i can see is if you can't afford an expensive repair and you finance the warranty so that you're paying a small monthly fee in exchange for not having to make a single large repair payment. But then you would probably be driving a Focus not a LS.

desertguy

I had my windows tinted within a month of getting my LS. This was almost 18 months ago. Here in SoCal they have a light, med. and dark tint and also limousine tint. The light is not much darker than the factory tint but protects better than the factory against UV rays. I have med all around and with my dark green I have the charcoal tint. For yours I would suggest the grey tint. All of these are metallic coated and guaranteed by the mfgr. for life. As for where to go, I would find out where the Mercedes, BMW, Jaguar, etc. dealers send their cars. These guys will be the real pros as the dealers don't want any problems with their high end customers. It does look really sharp.

ronniepooh

Definitely go for it. Ever notice most car ads in magazines and on TV? The windows are usually tinted. Gives the car an overall smoother, uniform look, in my opinion. May I suggest not too dark, but not too light, either. A nice medium quality tint is potentially the best visual bang for the buck for your car, and helps preserve the interior as well. Maintenance is easy. Just watch the keys and belt buckles, and only use a soft cloth and water to clean the interior glass. (Amonias in products such as Windex can break down the dyes used in the tint film REAL fast, causing the purpling effect. Using water only will almost ensure your tint lasts for many years, with no breakdown, bubbling, or purpling. (Assuming you get a quality brand of tint used, ie Llumar or 3M, etc.)

reneleblanc

I have purchased extended warrantees for a 1986 Mercury Sable Wagon, a 1990 Mercury Sable LS Sedan, a 1996 Ford Taurus Wagon, and for our 2000 Lincoln LS. The extended warrantees easily paid for themselves on the two Sables.

So far, our 1996 Taurus (at 40K miles) only had the power antenna fail, and that was covered under the regular warrantee. That car seems so reliable, that I fear we may not win on the ESP gamble on that car.

Our Lincoln LS only has 20K miles and isn't in the extended period yet, but nothing has gone wrong with the car except for the mysterious Passive AntiTheft problem that turned out to be a bad connection between a connector and its cable. We may lose on this one too. I hope so :-)

However, we made out really well with transmission, CV boots, and major A/C work on the two Sables. Our Sable Sedan caught fire when a bracket holding the power steering hose broke, letting it fall down onto the exhaust manifold. Fortunately, I was sitting in the dealer's driveway when the fire broke out! I think our comprehensive insurance also helped pay for part of that.

Even if we never collect on the Taurus or the LS, I think we'll still be ahead.

One of the advantages of the ESP is that once we pay the $50 deductable, the dealers tend to 'shop' for any other wear items (like CV boots), leaks, suspension bushings, etc. and fix those along with the primary problem.

leadfoot4

Quite some time ago, oil filters were discussed at length on this forum. While not trying to drag it up again, I just wanted to toss out this tidbit.
When we purchased our LS last year, my wife really wanted the S-Type Jag instead. I had a hard time seling her on the fact that the two cars were basically "mechanical twins" and the additional $16K wasn't worth it. She didn't argue the mechanicals, all she wanted was the Jag's sheet metal.
Anyway, late last year, a windfall of sorts came her way. Because of that, she felt that a trip to the Jag dealer was in order, and early this year an XJ-8 found it's way to our garage. The car is aproaching the 500 mile mark, a time when I always do the first oil change.
I couldn't find the oil filter part number in the owners manual (a Jag owner get his hands dirty ?) so I went to the dealer's parts counter and requested a filter. $18.00 later, I was on my merry way.
Knowing full well that somebody must carry them for less, I tried the nearest "mass merchandising" auto parts store with no luck. I then went to a smaller local store who cross referenced the Jag number to a number made by Wix. This was $12.00, somewhat better, but still a bit high. During the conversation with the counterman, I told him that the Jag filter looked a lot like the filter for the V-8 LS. He checked the numbers, and sure enough, the filters are the same. The Jag will get the $7.50 Motorcraft filters in the future, especially since the FL-2008's are stamped "Made in the UK" right on the side of the case. I guess that P.T. Barnum was right !!

giowa

For anyone who bought one for their LS, please let us know what you paid and what you got (miles, months, and any deductibles). In 12/99, when I priced a no deductible one for 72 months and around 72K or 75K miles, Lincoln wanted about $2,400. Way to much.

If you can deduct your car as a business expense (which I do for my business car), then you might consider one. (But this past time I bought a Hyundai Sonata as my business car. Has the longest original warranty so I didn't need an extended one.)

I can't see buying a plan with a deductible. You pay the upfront cost years in advance and then have to pay each time you use it. Nor would I trust any third parties to be there in the long run.

eric_ls8

Got my windows tinted here in suburbs in Boston, by a guy called the TINT KING. This guy is king!
He has a Computer software connected with a Plotter/Cutter that cuts the window tint excactly to each window dimensions. What is amazing is that it only cuts 1/2 the film not the backing so that it still gets pealed off. What this was able to do is do the whole back window (1-peice) with out ANY cut lines, and the job came out awesome on my black LS.

His comments were that to remove the 3rd brake light which most tinters do, he said was too difficult required removing the back deck. But given that he had the "pre-cut 3rd brake light" he didn't need to remove the light to cut the film.

I had them do a 50% tint, legal here in mass for the side windows, and 35% (darker) for the rear window. Brian the Tint king, said it would tie the tint togther and reduce the overall amount of light into the car thus making the side windows look lighter. IE, stay legal when they put a meter on the window, but make the amount of light inside the car less to darken the look.

The car now looks smoked but not too dark and I think with the dark interior makes the tint look darker that it actuall is.

Believe it or not, he only charged me $200 for the job, since the computer cutter program he has reduced his cost to customers because he's cranking out twice as many cars a day now.

good luck

ronniepooh

Sounds like a great piece of software, but the overall end result is probably the exact same as a job performed "manually" by a good tinter. And here in the DC area, good tint jobs range from about $150 to $200 (I recall paying $150 about 1.5 years ago), so his price is not a tremendous value, IMO, especially considering his labor is cut. Smart guy, though. I also agree that getting the back glass tinted darker or darkest has a very good overall effect on the overall tint job, as it does let less light into the interior, further protecting that back deck and rear seats from the hot sun, and giving the effect that the overall tint job is darker than it really is...

tom12253

I purchased the 6-Year/75,000 Mile Premium Care Plan for $1125. Got a Quote from Natalee Dour [info@fordesp.com]. I showed it to the dealer who wanted around $1700.00 and he matched the price rather then loose the sale. Mine has a $50.00 deductible. With the problems that I have had in the first year I'm glad I purchased the extended Warranty.

buckwheat

extended warranties. http://www.salemboysauto.com/faqs/faq-15.htm I posted this here many LS topics back, it might be of interest RE: oil filters http://www.salemboysauto.com/faqs/faq-30.htm

heyjewel

Ext warranties: I never get them for 'small' ticket items like electronics, TVs, appliances. But for a car I expect to keep for a number of years? If the price is right, I'll do it. Had one on my Mark 8 that took me out to 75K miles. Paid $750. Came in handy really only once when I convinced dealer to put in a new tranny, and this was at 77,000 miles.
I did not buy one for my '97 Chevy Tahoe that I bought new and just traded 3 weeks ago (at 49000 miles) for a used '98 Dodge RAM conversion van with 35000 miles. Sales manager tried to get me to spring for an extended warranty as part of purchase price. 'Only' $1800. No, don't think so. When I finally got the van price down where I wanted it, went in the back room to sign the papers. Here, the financial guy is trying to sell same warranty to me again. Only now it's $1300. No, still too high. $1200 he says? No, I'll pay $900 I say. He pulls out a big book and thumbs thru it, pauses. Our cost is $910. "Sold" I said. So that brought me out to 2005 and 75,000 miles on this big V8 powered van with all power. And a Chrysler transmission. I think it's a good gamble for me.
I guess one moral of the story is that the price of those warrantees is very flexible :>)

Here's the title of an article Blue Oval News claims to be researching:
• What Does It Cost Ford To Build A Lincoln LS?
Answer to that will be interesting.

George

akirby

Tom - I hope you and others realize that a 6-yr 75K extended warranty is really only a 2-yr 25K warranty since it doesn't kick in until the factory warranty expires.

And remember - for each person that comes out ahead on extended warranties there is at least one person that doesn't (actually more than one). Otherwise the warranty companies would be out of business. And if you figure in dealer markup on top of that it's even worse.

If you want one, buy it, but at least know what you're buying and that the odds are stacked against you.

scottc8

Interesting discussion. Everybody has made some good points, both pro and con. For the record, I have coverage for 60 months/100k miles from new, or as akirby points out, 50k from when the factory warranty expires. The deductible is $100 per repair visit. It covers everything except the tires, as well as rental cars & towing. The cost was $1495 (not $1400 as I stated earlier). Plus of course the interest, since it's on the loan. Many may regard this as a foolish expenditure. Time will tell. As with any insurance, I hope I DON'T get my money's worth.

I wonder what the factory warranty on a new car is "worth", as calculated by the bean counters at Ford, GM, DC, etc.

karzz

It has been my experience that you should only get a manufacturer's extended warranty and NOT to get it from the dealer, they just mark up the price. Better to go direct.

You can get the extended warranty or just a price quote from Ford directly at (800)FORD-ESP or at:


http://www.esp.ford.com/

You will need your VIN number to get a price quote. Ford will also spread the purchase price out over a 10 month period on your credit card for no fee and no interest.

karzz

I noticed the Mk9 is now featured on the Lincoln Web site.

http://www.lincolnvehicles.com/

scottc8

Interesting discussion. Everybody has made some good points, both pro and con. For the record, I have coverage for 60 months/100k miles from new, or as akirby points out, 50k from when the factory warranty expires. The deductible is $100 per repair visit. It covers everything except the tires, as well as rental cars & towing. The cost was $1495 (not $1400 as I stated earlier). Plus of course the interest, since it's on the loan. Many may regard this as a foolish expenditure. Time will tell. As with any insurance, I hope I DON'T get my money's worth.

I wonder what the factory warranty on a new car is "worth", as calculated by the bean counters at Ford, GM, DC, etc.

heyjewel

I agree with karzz that manufacturers' warranties are the ones to get. The one for my Mark8 was thru Ford and the one for my Dodge van is thru Chrysler. Both carried $50.00 deductibles. The Dodge is out of warranty at 36000 miles, so I added 39,000 miles of worry-free ownership is the way I look at it.

I'll have 2000 miles on my red LS within the next 2 weeks. Think I'll take it in for first oil change. I think the dealer is going to pay for this one. My last fillup produced 20.8 mpg. I expect it'll get better on my V6 manual soon.

George

eweygrin

Happy 00 LS v8 owner here. Just bought my wife an 02 mountaineer today. Can't wait to pick it up on Sat. I was told that the mountaineer uses the same 5 speed auto as LS. Could this be true? The mountainer has a v6.

mkovalsk

The Explorer/Mountaineer transmission is very similar to the LS transmission, but not identical.

The gear ratios are identical.

Mark

reneleblanc

giowa, since you asked...

Our LS factory warrantee is 4-years/50K miles.
We elected to extend this to 6 years/60K miles with the PremiumCare ESP plan. The price depends upon the amount of time, mileage and level of care chosen. The 6-year/60,000 mile PremiumCare (the highest coverage) combination cost $995.

We could have spent more and gained more miles or more years. We can extend the time or miles later, but the cost will be higher, of course. Now that I see how many miles we're racking up on this car, I think we should have opted for 80K miles. Oh well, perhaps Lincoln will come out with a 300 HP VVT LS model before we hit 60K, and we'll trade :-)

The PremiumCare package is a big list, but can be described as everything EXCEPT:

Mechanical -- Service adjustments/cleaning; battery cables, belts, hoses, brakes (front hub,drums, shoes, lining, disc rotors and pads); exhaust system (including catalytic converter); lights (bulbs, sealed beam and lenses); filters, fluids, lubricants; manual clutch disc; shock absorbers; spark pluts/wires; squeaks and rattles; tires; tune-ups wheel balancing; wheel alignment; wheel studs; wiper blades.

Exterior -- Service adjustments (glass and body parts); bright metal, bumpers, door handles, glass, mouldings, ornamentation, paint, rust, sheet metal; sideview mirrors (glass, housing); water leaks; weatherstrip; wheel covers/ornaments; wind noise.

Interior -- Buttons, carpet, dash pad, door and window handles, knobs; rearview mirror (glass, housing); trim, upholstery.

reneleblanc

Your 'nada' policy can turn out to be the best if you get a car that happens to be very reliable on the big ticket items, and I hope that our Taurus and LS will continue to make that so, but consider this: Just ONE transmission rebuild costs way more than the whole ESP policy. Also, a major A/C rebuild can approach the policy cost. These things happened on our 1986 Sable and our 1990 Sable, and we came out many hundreds of dollars ahead.

lsjim

Thanks for the tips on tinting! After doing some homework and visiting some "tinters", I have the following questions for those who have had tinting done...

Looks like Lumar tint is the best I can find locally. Has anyone found problems with the rear window tinting? There appears to be some window paint around the edges of our rear window that doesn't really allow for tinting to adhere as well as other areas (very small areas however).

Given that the CHP doesn't "technically" allow for *any* tinting on the front drivers/passengers side windows, how does tint look on the rear window and rear seat passengers windows only? Anyone done just these windows? Given my past experience with tinting matters, I'd rather not have a fix-it ticket added to any speeding ticket I'm likely to get eventually (can't help it with my LS).

For the rear window/rear passenger seat windows, my cost may be $190 which I don't consider too bad since they were recommended by a local bmw and Mercedes dealership...

Jim

ls1bmw0

lsjim:

If you are around the Irvine area I recommend Elite Window Tinting. Toby Larrson does a GREAT job at tinting and he uses the Llumar film. He will show you the different tints available and recommend based on color of your car.

I paid $150 for all 4 windows and the rear in a medium tint. And he comes to your house or business.

His number is (714) 998-7797 and his work is guaranteed.

Brian

lateralg

Yep!

gkarg

My Uncle bought a 99 STS and I drove it. Fantastic car and the Northstar power is wonderful, but I thought I was being launched into space when I kicked it to the floor (at 60 mph.) The front end lurched toward the clouds and came flying back to earth. I appreciate the anti-dive and anti-squat engineering more and more everyday.

I'll take my V6 LS anyday!

ls1bmw0

Ahem,

In case you haven't noticed we now have a new logo, courtesy of Eric LaCombe, one of our members. Lincoln has given us their blessings on the logo as well. Now that we have a logo again I can go ahead and create the membership packages with the caps and membership cards. Don't fret. The embroidery will not have the black background on it. It will be a silver gray thread which will look really nice on the stuff.

Brian

akirby

Rene - assuming you hit the mileage limit before 6 yrs expires, you paid $995 for a policy that only covers a problem that occurs between 50K and 60K mileage (less than 1 year). 6 yr/60K mile coverage sounds great but doesn't tell the whole story. The gamble is not whether you will have a problem or not, but whether that problem occurs inside the (sometimes very small) extended maintenance window. You can get a bigger window but it costs even more.

Here's a thought. Take the money you would have spent on the ext. warranty (say $1000) and put it in the bank or invest it safely. It would not have kicked in for 3-4 years anyway (on average) so now it's worth $1200. If you need a repair during the ext. warranty period and it's less than $1200, you're ahead. If it's more then you're only out the difference between the repair costs and $1200. e.g. if a tranny rebuild is $1500 then you've only lost $300. BUT - if you don't have a repair, you still have the $1200. And that can be kept (gaining value) to cover ANY FUTURE REPAIRS at any time, well after any regular or extended warranties have expired. Now if you did that for all warranties on all your products you would most likely always have enough money in the account to cover any single problem on any single item, even a major car repair. Over several years and many products the law of averages will work in your favor almost every time. This is the concept of self-insuring and this is why large companies do it. You essentially provide the insurance to yourself and you keep the profit that would have otherwise gone to the warranty company.

If you like the warranties because it gives you comfort or you simply can't afford the big one-time cash expense and want to include it in the monthly vehicle payment that's understandable. But don't think that you'll come out ahead cost wise over the long term.

amengual

Has anyone had to remove a scratch from the rear bumper yet? Something scratch my Pearl Blue bumber and the yellow underneath is showing. Is not big, about 1 inch long.

reneleblanc

I probably underestimated the amount of driving we would do in the LS, so perhaps I should have opted for greater mileage.

It is our third vehicle, counting my BMW motorcycle, and we generally put about 10-12K miles per year per vehicle. I didn't have a track record for how much driving we'd do after retirement (or how seductive the LS would be). I agree that 10K extra miles doesn't seem like much for almost a thousand bucks, but I expected the extra two years of coverage would be a better bet.

As I said, on two other cars it paid off, so I tried again. Time (and miles) will tell. I can fully understand your position. It is a gamble.

scottc8

Hector- Don't know if this will help, but I put some deep scratches in the lower right 1/4 panel a while back, much worse than what you describe. One scratch was over six inches long and so deep it actually raised a burr on the plastic. The LM dealer has a guy that comes in once a week and does touch ups (they don't have a body shop). He filled the scratches with some kind of super glue, then sanded & painted it. You have to look really close, in perfect light, to see any defect. Took 90 minutes (mostly drying time) and cost me $75. I wish I could show you before/after pictures; the man truly worked a miracle. Maybe there's a similar traveling magician in your area.

Scott

scottc8

Like most insurance, money spent on an extended warranty will not be fully recovered (we hope, anyway), so it's a lousy investment from that point of view. But, to cite akirby's example, major transmission repair is the sort of thing I had in mind when I bought the warranty. It's hard for me to believe the LS transmission can be rebuilt for anything like $1500. Don't mean to nit-pick that particular example, but catastrophic failure of a major component is what I'm purchasing insurance against.

My warranty cost about 4% of the car's price, or 2/3 the amount of the sales tax. To me, a small price for a lot of peace of mind.

ronniepooh

Action LM (On the web) informed me that Lincoln no longer makes the premium mats with the Lincoln logo, AND that the price on the standard LS mats is now increased to the former price of the premium mats, $42.00 retail, $37.00 discount Action price. :-(