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Comments
I had been working with one dealer and almost bought a 2000 V8 left-over at a real good price, but wife and I decided that we really wanted the 5 speed manual. So I ordered the manual just like I wanted. Then a few days later I get a call from the dealer who says 'We arent going to order your car cause you appear to be too flaky and we don't want to get stuck with a manual tranny Lincoln cause we can't sell it to our blue-haired customers." paraphrased. (You're not flaky too, are you G? :>)
So I called Jim Rogers, whom I had met at the autocross event in Irvine. Within an hour, the fleet manager at another Lincoln dealer called, anxious to order my car for me. They did, (in fact, they took the order over the phone and placed the order with Wixom before they had my check). It arrived about 1 week late (Feb 19), but what a great car - Autumn Red with Light grey interior.
So your dealer is either dumber than a box of rocks, or they lied and never ordered the car on purpose. I found out that the dealers have the leeway to order or not, their call. And that it doesn't matter how much $$$s you put on deposit, at least here in California if you don't take delivery, you get your money back. (My dealer never even cashed my deposit check. They returned it to me when I picked up the car - and wrote them a much bigger check!)
Long and short - try calling Jim Rogers. I dunno if he can help with 2002 at 2001 prices, but if there's a 2001 LS that meets your requirements somewhere in the USA, you can trust him to find it. Good luck.
It isn't a coincidence that the person who is now running North American operations at Ford is the very same person who turned Jaguar around and turned it into the second highest quality line of vehicles in the world.
Thanks
a.l.
If you really like the LS (and it sounds like you do) I would wait and see what Jim can do for you before you jump ship. I think I can speak for almost everyone here when I say that you won't be sorry. But in the end, you gotta do what you gotta do. Good luck.
Have you gone to a decent dealer and asked to do a locate and inter-dealer trade? Keep expanding the search until you find it or find out there isn't one of what you want anywhere.
My LS has been totally trouble free. The transmission is silky smooth. The V6 is far superior to the BMW straight 6. The Alpine stereo is much better than the BMW digital and the LS seats are MUCH better than the 528. The dealer has been super with an LS loaner my first visit. I much prefer the handling of the LS sport.
I think it is time to debunk the Teutonic myth. BMW is mainly superior in their advertising and brand development. Car for car they are about the same but BMWs cost 30% more and they dont deal! If you want to pay $15,000 more for basically a very similar car, go for it. I bought a 20 foot SeaRay (1995) with the $15 k I saved.
Ford is really feeling the pinch on quality issues. This can only bode well for us. Look how far Jaguar has come.
I am very happy with my car, but I wonder if the dealership ordered my car or maybe sold it to someone else at a higher profit. Since I was using the A-plan I was getting a significant discount. They could have easily sold it to someone well above invoice price.
I was pretty upset that it took the dealership 5 weeks to tell me my car would not be built. Although, my sales person seemed to go out of his way to find me a car that I would accept I will also wonder what really happen to the car I ordered.
Brian Gowing
What a neat feature! Surprised it took me a year and a half to notice
Brian
Mr.Scheele is credited for the turnaround of Jaguar. Reporting to Mr. Scheele is will be Group Vice President Jim Padilla, whose responsibility was changed to manufacturing and quality from global manufacturing under the shuffle.
Overall, I like the approach he is reported to be bringing to his new post . . . "a simpler message to North America, where managers have been inundated by one iniative after another aimed at boosting efficiencies." How often do shifting priorities and management projects "du juer" affect quality and morale? All too much from where I sit.
But here I've been holding up the damn trunk floor all these 19 months!!!! And once in middle of winter when I had to jump my other car after leaving the headlights on! Can someone take a picture of exactly where you are hooking it up to? And is this on all LSs? '00s and '01s? Does Lincoln mention this in owner's manual or anywhere else? If not, WHY???
Now I'm getting this info. from my wife, but she said that the glove box hook thing is to hold a ladies purse straps so the damn thing doesn't slide all over the place. Mind you, Lincoln must have made that piece pretty strong because she normally carries the equivalent of a small suitcase whenever she goes out.
Of the 4 dealers I went to, 2 of them had sales people who knew the LS inside and out and were eager to demo all the features and make comparisons to competitors. As far as the other 2 dealers one was a Ford / Lincon / Mercury dealer and I think when I went on a LS test drive that was the first time the salesman had seen the inside of a LS (Jan 2000). He seemed have a comfort zone of selling SUV's and pickups. He spent most of the time telling my about the Navigator he just sold and the F350 that he sold the day before. Nothing like connecting with your customer. The last dealer was one of those 6 dealers in a row type, all the same ownership, and I got a Olds salesman who was covering for someone. He didn't know everything about the LS but he knew a lot more about the LS than the salesman at the Ford dealer.
I guess the moral of the story is, go to more than one dealer before you buy.
The problems I experienced include faulty transmission [would not engage into drive](Thanks to Jim Rogers this was replace), both exhaust manifolds have been replace [engine tick], headlight covers replaced (more than once), rattles (more than once), squealing brakes, torn door panel, because the seat belt didn't retract, and leaky jet sprays. I hope Lincoln improves there initial build quality before I contemplate my next purchase.
Even with these issues, I'd probably do it over again. My wife and I looked at a 528...but couldn't justify the $10K more bottom line price (Although she keeps wishing that we would have but the 528). I thought the 528 used better quality interior materials, the seats where very comfortable and more adjustable. My 96 Taurus has full leather, my LS is just leather seating surfaces. But there is just no substitute for DOHC V8. I thought the ride quality was close,,,although I thought the 528 had the edge. I to was disappointed with the standing start performance. I was hoping for mid 14second quarter mile runs. But after driving it, I'm perfectly satisfied with the performance. Punching the LS at 65 mph, there are very few cars that could keep up with it [Ref: Autoweek 60-80 in 2.9 seconds, most other performance cars accomplish this test in 3 to 4 seconds]. I wouldn’t hesitate to try a 540 or GS400 at that speed.
I also discovered that unlike my previous car, the window lockout on the drivers side only locks the rear doors. So now I can't piss my fiancee off by locking out her window anymore, damn, that used to be fun.
Regarding sounds, got to follow a "Bullitt" Mustang for a mile or so through traffic. Rolled the windows and sunroof down to listen, and Ford definitely has the sound of that exhaust tuned right for that car. Really loud, throaty, deep thrumming burble at idle and part throttle, expanding to a sound like King Kong farting in a cave at wide open. Very very mean sounding, very fitting. I may have to put a Borla on the LS, I'd like the lower rumble but don't want it so loud inside the car. If it was a Stang, yeah, go for LOUD, but it's a luxury sport sedan, so I'd like a little more sound, better tuned sounding, without too much noise.
Actually I noticed the lack of passenger lock right away too because I bought a 99 expedition that is the same way. First time I drove it (without the keyfob of course) I came out with a bag of groceries and reached to unlock the passenger door. But I have to say that was the only time with either vehicle that I have missed it.
swauger: It's likely the manifold if the ticking is quite loud when the engine is cold. If it goes away after the engine warms up it probably isn't the manifold. Also depends if you have a 2000.
Brian
Answer: It doesn't work, and you can't fire it.
I have video tape of several F-15 Eagles making simulated ground attack bombing runs out on the Goldwater bombing range in soutwestern Arizona. I was driving on Arizona SR 85 on my way to Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument when about 3 F-15s came screaming overhead and just to the right of the car. I pulled over so that my wife and I could enjoy the ensuing show as it lasted for more than 20 minutes. Repeated steep dive ingress and egress maneuvers.
With all the fun roads out here in Arizona, beware the south and western portions of the state, as you may be used as part of the military's target practice exercises!
Brian
So, I will now renouce my previous advice for those in SoCal not to got to this dealership. Richard is the GM and Ramez is the service manager. Both are good men who see customer satisfaction as their highest priority. Now all they need to do is get their service advisors to make it theres as well.
Tom
alphanstein: Yea, not having the window lock switch lock out the front passenger window is a bummer. Used to be able to get the wife going with that on previous cars. The ticking is probably the injectors.
My daughter who seems to have inherited her dad's heavy foot and love of driving was concerned her little WV Fox would vibrate above 80 mph. I told her to take it in to Walmart to have the tires looked at as well as rotated and balanced. They did exactly that - no more no less. They were even successful in adding a half a pound of weights to one wheel to compensate for a broken belt in the tire! The tire was on the rear and the belt had started to squirm. It was very evident to the naked eye, yet they balanced and rotated it to the front. My daughter came home saying her car shook so bad she couldn't go above 30. The rear tire now on the front rolled the steel belt right off to the sidewall!
I took the car back the next day and had the tire replaced. I never mentioned it had been in the day before and they never mentioned the tire was ready to blow - so I blew, everyone in shouting distance knows what I think of their service...
As icing on the cake, I did an oil change and lube job on my son's Olds. While greasing the front joints I noticed both brake hoses were rubbing against the tires and almost worn through. They were changed as part of a complete brake overhaul at a Goodyear dealer a couple of months ago. They never attached the hoses to the struts with the original hold down clips and the hoses were left to flop in the breeze. When I took it back to them it was stated that larger than normal tires were the cause for the brake line rubbing. The car has been running for 10 years with one size larger tire 195-205 and never had problems with the original brake hoses.
Both of these were potential life threatening situations to which I got a shrug and nod of the head.
That's why if I can do it myself, I do. It's hard to find a mechanic you can trust anymore. It's all a numbers game with so many through the system per hour. Service on my LS is no different and I always go over the service myself after to insure it was done properly.
http://www.llsoc.com/index.htm
under the picture gallery.
Has anyone flush mounted a tweeter in this location? Is there enough room behind the sail panel to flush mount a tweeter? Does anyone have any comment or experience they could share with respect to component speaker mounting and sound quality?
Also, I was considering using Dynamat in the doors to reduce door panel vibration and increase sound quality. Any experiences to share here?
What’s interesting is after the dealer ship replace the right manifold, within a couple of months the ticking was back. After taking it back, the dealership diagnosed the left manifold as having cracks. I would say the initial tick develop after 10,000 miles. My build date is 3/00.
I do still hear the fuel injectors firing. I typically hear it driving between 20-25mph.
At the end of the day, would I do it again-no. I think that it is a waste of money.
All I would do is put in four good 5x7's like Polk DX-7's and drive it until I sell it in four years.
If any of you more experienced LS owners have removed the bracket withmout damage, I would appreciate some advice on this small enhancement.
on forever and never made to be taken off. I think the dealers put the bracket on because at LS Mania I met a guy from Arizona who never had a front bracket installed. I can tell you that the rear bracket needs a better retention system but I can work on that and still am.