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Comments
In their readers' survey report on the DC PT Cruiser it showed that a whopping .007 of respondents had bought a manual transmission versus .993 who bought an automatic. What is wrong with Americans? Interestingly, 53.1% bought ABS/TC, 49.1% a sunroof, 44.8% side airbags, and 40.4% leather interior. A large percentage of owners complained that the engine wasn't powerful enough and wanted either a V-6 or turbo-/super-charging. Not surprising in a 3200 lb car with a 150 hp 2.4L I-4 and automatic tranny.
PM also reporting that the 2003 Lincoln Town Car will have a 300 hp 4.6L DOHC V-8 option and 17 inch tire/wheel combo. Revised front suspension, but apparently not IRS. Have two spy photos. Both bonnet and boot raised. First for the higher output motor and second to increase trunk boot space.
5,000 miles
Cars, Minivans, Light Trucks, Sport Utilities,
Vans, 4x4, Natural Gas, Propane, and Diesel
Vehicles
O Change engine oil and replace oil filter
O Inspect tires for wear and rotate
Additional services for: Diesel
O Check air filter minder, replace filter as required
10,000 miles
Cars, Minivans, Light Trucks, Sport Utilities,
Vans, 4x4, Natural Gas, Propane, and Diesel
Vehicles
O Change engine oil and replace oil filter
O Inspect tires for wear. Rotation recommended for optimal tire life.
Additional services for: Diesel
O Check air filter minder, replace filter as required
10
Normal Schedule
Normal Schedule
I don't think there's anything remotely embarrassing or disgraceful about it; rather than sending the people responsible for it "packing", I'd congratulate them on making an excellent choice. My parents, in fact, were so taken with Ivory Parchment that they chose it for their Town Car, and after two years they're still receiving compliments.
I like it so much that I ordered my '01 LS in Ivory Parchment, and I couldn't be happier with it. All my friends and family agree that I made a great decision, and it seems to be one of the most popular LS colors judging from the number of them I see on the road.
Color preference is a very subjective thing, and everyone seems to have an opinion. Thanks for sharing yours.
That said, it could be that many of the things in our LS's are the best they're ever going to be. Gschwartz's comments on his '99 Miata (had warranty work & recalls; my '91 & '94 did not) reminded me that our '86 minivan (back before they were popular) had better seats, a remote release for the fuel door, a better scheme for opening the rear windows, a rear gate latch that didn't cause a lawsuit, and on and on, unlike our '94 minivan from the same corporation (Chrysler). Like it or not, much product development happens in the field, with the consuming public acting as the guinea animals. The goal is to make everything just exactly as good as it needs to be (no better) to result in that elusive thing called customer satisfaction. The American public is a bit fickle, so making something that lasts and lasts is probably money wasted. OTOH, if something fails in the first week/month/year or before the lease runs out, there's a problem.
Given this problem statement, the Production engineers (heavily encouraged by "Senior Management") shoo the Development engineers away and proceed with this thing called "value engineering." It consists of taking every penny of cost possible out of stuff that hasn't broken yet. Some brands don't engage in this, but I'm a ways from being convinced that Ford (Lincoln) is among them, given the incredibly cheap approach to the trunk lining, seat fold-down release cables and a number of other items I've noted on my otherwise very delightful LS.
Time will tell.
I owned/leased 5 Sables between 1986-1999. It was both interesting and dismaying to watch how LM would "play" with equipment in an effort to de-content the car. The '86 was a mechanical nightmare but had, for its time, excellent handling and steering feel for a family sedan. They eventually backed off on those settings, I guess to please the general public. Some people in the neighborhood had gotten one also and complained to me that it rode "like a truck." I replied, "really, it could be a tad stiffer for my tastes." They looked at me as if I had a third eye. With each successive model, things disappeared, e.g., trunk cargo net, locking fuel filler door, optional 18½ gallon fuel tank, underhood lamp, etc. I guess I don't need to tell you that prices were not going down during this time.
When I got one of the "all-new" '96's, the premium stereo had 7 speakers; the 7th being a mini-subwoofer mounted in the middle of the rear deck. There was a redundant PRNDL in the instrument cluster and a few other goodies that disappeared from my '98. No more subwoofer either.
While I obviously don't have a Sable anymore, I still keep track for old time's sake. While the Sable is still, IMO, a great value in a family car (especially the Northeast edition-free moonroof, leather and ABS), the trend continues: rear disc brakes are no longer available on the sedan; single exhaust only; fixed antenna; no full-size spare.
I think and hope that things will be different with the LS. We've met the LM guys and it's clear that the LS is special to them. Let's hope the bean counters don't get in the way this time.
Avlv - Very interesting. My LS is a 2000 (Feb build) as well, but it would appear that we got different literature. My "Quality Care at your service Scheduled Maintenance Service Guide" included in the literature package with the owner's guide clearly lists both time in months AND distance in kilometers for the schedule.
The distance units are every 5000 KILOMETERS (which is about 3000 MILES) instead of 5000 MILES. That's a considerable discrepancy between Canada and the US considering that there is little difference in climate or other conditions between most of the northern US and most of southern Canada. Also, I think that 5000 mi until the first oil change (which is, as I recall, usually a much smaller interval than subsequent ones) is quite long, although maybe that's common on modern cars. I wonder what the explanation for this discrepancy could be. Seems to indicate a rather arbitrary nature for the setting of maintenance intervals, does'nt it? Thanks for posting this info Tony - this makes me feel at least a wee bit more comfortable with this situation - knowing that the service intervals are at 60% of what they are in the US. Now if the Ford representative could only have informed me of this (or maybe they didn't know about it) at the time of my inquiry at the very least it would have assisted them in presenting a reasonable argument for their case.
It's worth noting, I think, that these facts would likely not have come to light in the pre-internet days. Kudos to Edmunds for serving their clients well!
But just to confirm... don't the 2001 Lincolns sold in the US now include some sort of scheduled maintenance? I thought I saw this somewhere. How are those service intervals set up? Anybody out there know? Thanks.
Regards - Brian.
First, brake pad wear in probably has as much if not more to do with the increased gas mileage and perceived performance improvement after 5,000 or so miles than the engine break in in does. The evidence is the high amount of brake dust on the wheels until 5000 miles. The quantity of the brake dust seems independent of how the LS is driven. I noticed that when my LS was new it didn't seem so coast at all, now it coasts like any other car I've driven. Also, when my LS was new I could not push it in the garage by myself (a very slight incline) At 14,000 miles I can push it in the garage without any trouble.
Second (and I'm sure much more controversial), referring to natural crude oil refined products at "Dino Oil" may be cute, but 50 years from now our grandchildren will be laughing at us for ever thinking crude oil came from dinosaurs. I won't go into the details lest the host chews me out for getting off topic, but remember the ridicule and scorn that was received by the theory that dinosaurs were wiped out by a large meteorite. Now think how well accepted the meteorite theory is, so accepted in fact that millions, if not billions of our tax dollars are now spent tracking near by space objects and developing means to combat any large meteor or comet that would dare to impact the Earth while humans inhabit it.
On the 74, I caught up to a Mercedes S420, I think it was a 98 or 99 model. We were both in a couple of passing situations that we took in tandem. I would drop to third and be right on the back of the Mercedes pushing him all the way until we passed. What a rush. Coincedintally, my finacee thought I was a nut, but she did enjoy the ride.
Brian G, you were right, Hwy 74 is very dangerous, a lot of sharp turns with some steep drop offs if you make a mistake, causing for a sweaty palm driving. But, the LS handled the curves with confidence I seemed to lack, amazing. Best car I have driving, better than my 280ZX which I used to love as my favorite sports car, but now it has fallen out of favor :-).
Today, I am off to Vegas for a week, can't wait to hit the road again.
Jeff
Twilight zone music, anyone? :-)
Our Saturday evening discussion (including our Scottsdale compatriots) after LSmania was worth the entire trip, tho the other activities were certainly enlightening.
We'd like to think the early editions of our car may contain certain "issues" that will be dealt with, while all the things that work well or will last forever will be left alone. I'd dearly love to believe that. . .but I may have lived too long and watched too many past examples of the other approach.
It's definitely an excellent car.
I believe there is always some pad-to-rotor contact with disc brakes, but no real drag unless there is a caliper hanging up.
My theory on your before and after perceptions re coasting and pushing the car are perhaps due to general breaking in of the driveline. Engine braking on coasting with a new, tight engine is probably going to be greater. Add that to new wheel bearings, differential, etc., and IMO, there'll be more drag until things loosen up. Just my unscientific opinion,
Anyone know anything about this?
Hope this helps and Happy LSing :~)
This happened once before, briefly, than stopped. This AM, I turned the radio off then on again, but it persisted. I turned the car off, then back on, but it did it again.
I know that others on this forum have had this happen, but does anyone know if there's been a "factory fix" issued for this problem? I really don't want to have to take the car all the way out to the dealer so they can try to replicate the condition, and then tell me that's it's OK if they can't get it to "Buzz". Thanks.......
It looks like the only models available under either Ford or Lincoln are Acura models. Is the spell checker infecting the rest of your site?
The best way to obtain the actual build date (the day the vehicle completed the assembly process and end of line test) is ask your dealer (any Lincoln or Ford dealer) to run the vehicle VIN on the On-line Automotive Service Information System (OASIS). OASIS will provide the exact date. The build month and year is located on the Vehicle Certification label on the left front door opening, just above the hinges.
Brian: This looks like a good candidate for the LLSOC FAQ's
Tom...
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20010521/bs/autos_bridgestone_dc_2.html
Joe
I've been away for awhile. No real issues with my LS8 after 27K miles.
But......
I was notified via the message center (with a beep) that my right rear brake light was out. I pulled into and advanced auto parts to purchase the replacement. After turning to the parts replacement page in my owners manual, I discovered that I need to bring my car into the dealer for this replacement.
Question1: What is the going rate for this service?
Question2: Is it possible to change the bulb myself?
Any comments?
If you want to do it yourself then after you pull back the trunk lining there are four nuts (7/16?) that hold the taillight housing on.
Tom....
1) What average gas mileage are you getting?
2) What are competitive terms for a lease, $x down, $y/month for z months?
Thank you.
P.S. bet you can't wait for wireless internet connections in cars.
drolds1 - I have a regular V8. During the 1st 5000 miles the brake dust was real obnoxious, even with mostly highway driving. Just washed my LS at over 2000 miles since the last wash and there was almost no brake dust on the wheels. As far as the "tight" engines that was true 30 years ago but I don't belive that there is anywhere near the opening of engine clearences these days. Again possibly a Lincoln participant can confirm. All brake rotors have designed in runout (warp) to push the pads away from the rotors to reduce drag. The LS could have lower runout than other cars. As far as the perceived effort to push my LS in the garage, that would be in neutral so there would be little drive line friction.
My lease payments are $429 month for 24 months/30,000 miles. I put $2,000 down. However, it is an A-Plan lease, so it may be hard to match unless the current incentives are better than I realize. I seem to recall that the residual value at lease end is $22,000.
Hope this helps.
Im still trying to find a company who makes the dustless brake pads for the LS. No luck yet. Used them before on all of my cars (BMW's/VW's) with great success.
Pat
Host
Sedans and Women's Auto Center Message Boards
When I got in to work this AM, I found a good heavy ground wire in our odds and ends cabinet. It's now on my desk, soon to be on the LS.
In a horrible twist of irony, a driver was killed on Long Island this morning when he PULLED OVER to make a cell call and was rammed by a newspaper truck. I don't have full details yet, but it seems like he pulled off to the left near the median and may not have been completely off the roadway.
Re drag. You are quite correct. Clearances in today's engines are much closer than in days gone by. I can't speak the V8, but we've had lots of posts describing how "tight" the V6 is until some mileage accumulates. It goes w/o saying that you'd be in neutral to push the car in your driveway. Don't know about that one. Maybe your new non-Sport pads do have a period of break-in and subsequent reduced drag. I envy you being able to drive 2k miles w/o having to clean the wheels. My experience is closer to ronniepooh's.
Brian
Arizona, like much of the west, really has some wonderful roads and scenery. I headed north-east out of Phoenix (elevation: 1300 ft) on route 60, and didn't stop until I saw the 8,000 ft level near Show Low (a town named after the card game for trivia buffs). The mountain roads were fun and challenging, and really allowed me to put my LS8 sport through the paces. The SST is GREAT!!! I had the reflash done a few months ago, but I really haven't had an opportunity to really check it out since having it done. AWESOME baby! The shifts were quick and authoritative, allowing me to really enjoy all the V8 has to offer, both in terms of torque, and peak hp. I had to use SST to maximum advantage on the few passing opportunities mountain roads afford, with several, prolonged rpm excursions over 6,000 when passing multiple vehicles that just aren't designed for mountain grades. Steering, as always, is precise as was much appreciated on some of the blind, 25 mph turns I saw. Mileage for the entire trip (aggressive, high altitude driving in high temps, with both reformulated and normal fuel) averaged 23 mpg. On my last fill-up, I took on non-reformulated (outside the Phoenix metro area) premium fuel and averaged better than 27 mpgs for the last 100 relatively "flat" miles. Advance track kicked-in a few times (some of the turns marked 25 mph really mean that!) but I think I could have managed without it. Route 191 near the New Mexico boarder between Eager and Clifton, AZ, particularly around Hannagan's Meadow (around 8,000 ft level) is just unbelievable with regard to fun, twistie mountain roads. This is one of my new favorites. Since this was a pretty remote area, I saw only 5 other vehicles on this stretch, 3 of which were coming the other way. I was pretty much going between 60 and 80 mph (marked 50) in a state of nirvana. This car is FUN!!! My last 2 cars were '84 RX-7 and and 90 300ZX, both manuals, but my LS with SST was just as satisfying over these roads. I had complete control over what gear I was in, and used it to maximum advantage. Mark, if your reading this, the 3-2 downshift worked flawlessly! Engine braking, in concert with the brake pedal entering the turn and throttle input through the turn was smooth and confidence inspiring.
Needless to say, I think more people need to take "mental health days". The LS and Arizona roads were made for each other. Today, the world seems a much better place.
Do you have any pictures that you could post on LLSOC?
Artie
Any ideas?
Bruno
Regards,
AIrwolf1000