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Comments
Now when we test drove we really did not check out the sound system much because the majority of the time it will be quiet as it will be playing Wiggles and Seseme Street to our 2 yr old, but the other night we took the car out sans child and we cranked the system up. We were like "oh! thats not very good..."
Now we have the Audiophile system from the Limited (and we finally worked out how to switch the RDS system on the other day
Had anyone swapped out the stock speakers for better units? Do new speakers require and amp to go with them? Did this improve things, or is the head unit the weak link and are we stuck with it?
Thanks. K.
Several early reviews (eg the Motortrend) rated the sound system as awesome and many owners say it is good as well. However a lot are now saying it is weak (me included) in that it feels very base shy.
I noted on one forum that someone had posted that the Limited originally had a subwoofer installed in the back of the car (passenger side behind a grill) but that they noted that it was no longer listed on the Ford website and that they thought it have been decontented from the car. Is this true?
Does my new Freestyle limited not have a sub in the back, where as earlier ones did? That would help explain why the sound system sounds so pathetic.
Thanks, K.
EDIT
Okay I just checked the Ford website and it states that the Audiophile system does come with a sub. Guess I will see if it is working/installed when I get home tonight...
there were a ton of freebies on the lot. Have they decided to sell to rental companies?
"Don't forget that price probably includes the technicians time. It most likely took a better part of an hour to diagnose and fix the problem.
Sounds pretty fair to me."
You know, you could be right on this one.Looking on the positive side the dealer handled the problem expeditiously and as the above thread mentioned , "the dealer fixed it on the spot". No waiting time for long diagnostics and the owner drives away satisfied. Great service from the dealer resulting from a minor flaw in the assembly process.
My original thought was from a bean counter's point of view is to collect all these droplets of "fair" service costs into a large bucket and offload them into the price of the new car.In the end these pass through costs are paid by us. If the mfr can control their assembly and/or dealer service costs under warranty the buyer is a winner.
As for the sound system, I think it sounds FAR better than any stock sound system I've ever heard. The "subwoofer" really isn't a dedicated sub, but is designed to handle the bass notes (not ULTRA low) better than any normal 2-way or 3-way speaker can.
I set my Bass response to 4 levels above middle, and the treble to 2 levels above middle. This results in a pleasing sound, but it's definitely got more bass and treble than "flat" would. But it's not too overdone, IMO.
I only set the auto-level to a value of 2. Anything higher is just too much.
I haven't played the 1812 Overture in it. I doubt it could handle THAT amount of bass well. But normal bass lines work quite well. The bass isn't all mushy and muddy like most normal speaker systems in cars.
I've turned the compression OFF. While it helps a lot, the "attack" is just too fast, IMO. This results in some downright SCARY kick-drums and snares that start off songs, or start up after a pause. I've about jumped out of my seat with some of them. If you need an example, I could probably put together an mp3 of the intro of a song to demonstrate it. Yikes!
I've waited a long, looonng time to get a Limited FWD but Ford is not selling it in Canada for '05, maybe not even in '06MY or later.So I may have to bite the bullet and consider an '05 LIMITED AWD as the wife is getting antsy to get her new car.
The local dealer quoted X-Plan price Cdn$41,936 (taxes extra) for the Ltd AWD and I want to check with some of you folks if that figure is close enough. Seems kinda high to me and last Fall when I was pricing for the Limited FWD the dealer invoice price I got was LOWER than X-Plan by around $750.
The situation is a little different as currently there is a $1000 dealer cash incentive plus I also received a e-Certificate for $750 good until June 30th to buy the AWD Freebie.
A small problem is that my X-Plan PIN just expired on May 3rd so I may have to re-apply for a renewal PIN. Financing is great at 1.9% APR. Just wonder if X-Plan is now the way to go.
I hope tomorrow brings better news.
Good luck on your order. Maybe something good will happen for you.
It sounds to me that you can get some reasonable deals at this time so you may be able to do better than the X-Plan price. I guess the only way you are going to really know is to have it priced both ways - X-Plan and negotiated price plus incentives.
Granted I also can use a total of $1750 worth of incentives to cut down the cost which will result in $396 LESS than what you paid for the same vehicle, and now you can take a big laugh on the bigger hit of 1 year loss in DEPRECIATION if I jump on the deal.
I got the price over the phone so there's going to be some serious negotiations as I think there is quite a leeway for the dealer especially when there is that 2 month increase anomally and that Ford is also giving out dealer incentives for AWD sales.
The only good thing I can see about getting a late 2nd series '05 model is that there will be virtually the same as an early '06 and avoid further price increase.
Re: the wheels. I recently acquired a set of 18" wheels with the Pirelli tires (LTD take-offs). I'm hoping to swap out my 17" P215/60R17 with the 18" P225/55R18. From what I can tell, it's almost a "plus 1" which shouldn't make a significant difference on the speedo, braking, etc .correct?
I think it's highly unlikely that Ford adjusted the speedos, brakes, or anything else on the LTD's as they came off the line in Chicago. From what it even looks, they're swapping out the 18's with 17's, which leads me to believe this even more.. Any thoughts from anyone? I'm going to try them over the summer and perhaps swap out during the winters (I know, the Pirellis are all-weather, but I'd like to keep the rims looking nice during nasty midwestern winters)
btw - i just got back from a 2000 mile road trip through the Carolinas...one of the better road trips that I've taken. The 3.0 handled the Appalachians capably...26mpg was nice too
I just logged on and the X-plan pricing I obtained in March 2005 in the US has been changed to a more attractive offer. Like you noted Ford is concerned with vehicle sales numbers and are trying to entice buyers with rebates and financing (and changes on X-plan).
I read an article that suggested that if you take the MSRP (sticker price) and deduct 9% that would give you a estimate dealer cost. So when the salesperson asks that tired but classic question "How much would you pay for this vehicle?" You have a response and set the tone. You would then have to set a profit margin over the estimate dealer cost (ex. 2%) and be comfortable if the dealer could not reach that number you would walk away from a transaction.
The only problem is sometimes the buyer gets attached to the vehicle and in their haste to get the deal done wavers from the pricing position they were trying to establish.
Interesting to note with the salesperson running back and forth to the New Car Sales Manger this is a delay to see how attached you are. I suggest one limits their time to an hour including a 15 minute test drive. On the first trip back with the classic "I think were close." Restate your price and start to leave. If they can do the deal and have your number they will call.
Good Luck
My ride 2005 SEL AWD White with Shale cloth and moonroof
Got the car end of April and after a few days check transmission light started to come on occasionally. Usually after I was sitting at red light or in some other position where I was stopped but the car was in drive. Turned the car off, back on, everything fine.
Took it to the dealer this week - they checked it out - seemed to be no issues - sent me home to drive a little more. Sure enough that night the light was on again. Next morning backed out of the driveway and I felt hesitation. Pulled out onto main road and was taching up to 6 but going nowhere fast. Drove it directly to dealer (called on the way and said have a loaner ready). Got the word yesterday that they are replacing the transmission. Should be fixed mid next week.
The dealer has been great throughout the entire process - gave me a loaner - calling every day with updates. I'm disappointed that they need to replace the transmission. Hopefully it will resolve the issue. If resolved, I'll be the person here telling everyone to buy a Freestyle. It 's a perfect fit for the "will never drive a mini-van" family. We've had an Explorer and two Expeditions prior to the Freestyle.
I just want my Freestyle back. I really love the car - ordered it rather than off the lot. Titanium green, black interior, Limited, all the bells/whistles. Awesome car!
Production of the 06 starts July 18
Safety and security package 53 g and 53F ordered dropped from 500/Montego to keep production line going.
2006 information was posted some pages back but here it is again
https://www.fleet.ford.com/showroom/Crossover.asp
Personally I always prefer the factory order route but now that it's closed for '05s we have to resort to what's available on dealer inventories.And that becomes a little more difficult as the wife is stuck on Dark Charcoal Grey w/ black interior or Titanium Green w/ black interior,both on the Limited AWD.
Also from my perspective I am placing more emphasis on the last 6 digits of the Vin #, eg, A69490, which represents the serial # and some clue as to the latest build date. It may not matter that much but I somehow have the feeling that the mfr could instil some running changes, eg updated software to correct cvt tranny problems that a small number of owners are complaining about. However the wife disagrees and if the colour combo is not right, then it's no deal.
Buying under X-Plan is different from the conventional way, no haggling , and the price is established by Ford which is stated on the invoice shown to you by the sales rep.All other incentives,rebates,etc, still apply on top of that.I may try to mooch on them for some small accessories and stuff thrown in as freebies if possible.
My concern is that a good number of local dealers do not show any info on their inventories so what I can find online there is not much to suit us , other than that we are relying on our dealer to do a more comprehensive search and come up with what wifey is looking for. Keeping our fingers crossed....
I love the comment "It 's a perfect fit for the "will never drive a mini-van" family. We've had an Explorer and two Expeditions prior to the Freestyle." That describes me exactly (except I have only one EXPD instead of 2), so I am glad to hear that this car is a perfect fit!
Still, has anyone here heard of any DVD problems???
Via www.ford.com and www.fordvehicles.com
I asked my local dealer why these two methods produced different results and was told that Ford Vehicles includes vehicles built and allocated to them, but not necessarily delivered to the dealership.
Your best bet may be to go an negotiate with the dealer and not buy on X-Plan. After all, just because you can does not necessarily mean you should. I my experience (limited though it is) is that you can often deal better than official company discount schemes.
Thanks
tidester, host
As kjn stated, "Your best bet may be to go an negotiate with the dealer and not buy on X-Plan. After all, just because you can does not necessarily mean you should. I my experience (limited though it is) is that you can often deal better than official company discount schemes."
Yeah, I found that out too when a few months ago I got my dealer quote for X-Plan and also his lowest price for a Limited FWD and his competitive price was about $750 LOWER than X-Plan.There were no incentives then and the Ltd FWD turned out to be unavailable in Canada.
You guys in the U.S. are in a much better buying situation with wider distribution and better selectivity choices.Dealers here don't sell as well so they are more apt to put a greater squeeze on the buyer.And with lower inventories obviously there is less room to negotiate.
At this time we are pretty well resigned to X-Plan and not having to haggle.Also with the $1000 dealer cash, Blue Oval $750 , low 1.9% APR, and the sales mgr. mentioned a $500 coupon(?) from a local building supply outfit, that's not too shabby.
This all hinges now in finding the exact color/combo in stock somewhere .Those are the boss (wife) orders.Its her car but I'm the sucker that pays.
I don't hear any of you have serious complaints with your Freebie so we are quite confident that it will suit us as well.
No serious complaints just little niggles, like a pathetic stereo system (guess that depends on what you are used to) and the fact that it could do with a bit better sound insulation.
Utility wise it could not be better though, this last weekend it eat nearly 400lbs of top soil (bagged of course) with the greatest of ease. My guess that the back could hold 1000lbs of the stuff with ease and still have the second row seats up, but it may make a mess of your new car if a bag split :P
What kind of tires came with your 17" Limited Fwd, the regular Conti's?
On the few Limited AWDs I've seen they're on 18" with the Pirelli 6.
My online searches on local dealer inventories show only a few Limited AWDs remaining,wrong colors,and loaded to the hilt with Family ent.DVD and 2nd row split bench which adds $1400 to MSRP.Every thing else is standard equipment. Just my wife and myself....kinda hard to watch DVD from front seats.
Hope my dealer has good connections with others as other dealers don't show their inventory online.
I took a 500 mile round trip over the weekend and shortly after reaching my destination I went to a shopping mall. Upon getting out I notice my rear tire is flat as a pancake. The Ford road service was pretty quick to come and change the tire with the doughnut spare. I went to the nearest dealer and they said it had a nail hole, cannot be fixed and so for $200 CDN I had it replaced. There were only 400 city miles on the tire! Evidently, Conti's are not warranted for this so I have to live with dishing out the 200 bucks. I plan to talk to my own dealer.
Anyway, when I had the tank filled at a full-service centre a couple days later the needle was noticibly beneath F mark. I took it to a gas station myself and tried to put more gas in but the nozzle kept stopping. After the tire thing I didn't need this to happen and said a few words to my vehicle that I won't print. That must have worked because when I started it the next day the gas gauge needle was big time up above F mark.
I drove it 250 miles back home today and had a excellent ride. I filled it after arriving home and ... the gas gauge needle is way up over the F mark. Go figure (LOL). I will ask my dealer and let you know. My Freestyle and I are friends again ... but the tire cost bugs me .
Make it explicitly clear to the dealer that you do not want the car with the DVD system and are unwilling to pay for it. I did that to one dealer and he offered that car to us for our target price with the DVD included for free. In the end we still did not take him up on it because we REALLY did not want the DVD player (our daughter would be for ever asking for the Wiggles and we want to control when she can watch TV in the car - long trips only: over 1 1/2 hours - by using a portable DVD player we have).
You may be surprised by how much dealers can bend if they really want to shift stock.
In the end I had to hold the hose up on the pump so that the handle was more inclined. Then the gas went in fine.
When we get to use our regular gas station then we will be able to determine if it is the car of just that particular gas pump.
Sorry to hear about the flat tire and no road hazard warranty from the mfr. A little over a year ago I was driving my wife's Merc.Villager van to a new sub-division to view some new homes.When we got home one tire was absolutely flat.Same as what you did but we went to a local tire shop and they patched 2 nail holes. Next day it was flat again. Returned to the tire shop and they patched up a Third nail hole.No further air leaks and all it cost was around $20.
We have since then replaced a full set of Michelin's HydroEdge from Costco's annual tire promotion. Man those are great tires, too bad the Freebie doesn't get them.
BTW your Conti's are priced at U.S.$62 at Tire Rack's low price + shipping,etc.
The Cdn$200 dealer cost sounds like a big ripoff. They must be getting their revenge because you didn't buy the car from them. Enjoy your Freebie.
More interesting exterior colors.
Second row seats should recline a bit further.
Doors cannot be reliably closed by my eight-year-old daughter. (too airtight?)
My wife doesn't like how the front seat floor heaters blow--doesn't bother me.
Don't completely understand the climate controls yet. (we have the comfort package) Strange things happen, like the A/C always coming on when you turn on the heat--you can turn it off, but why is it on? Nor is it clear how to combine the front defroster with the other settings. I think the controls should be more independent of each other.
We have the 8-way power seats and although I can have a comfortable driving position, my eyes are higher relative to the top of the windshield than I would prefer. Not as good as my former minivan. (I am 6' 5'" with relatively short legs, most people probably wouldn't have this problem.)
It can get a bit noisy when the engine is revving. We hardly ever run at much over 2000 rpm though, even though we live in a hilly area. If it were more mountainous, I think it might get annoying.
But even without those improvements we are very happy so far.
Gas mileage is good. Tires are good. Will most likely replace with Michelin's when it comes time to get new tires. Have always had good luck with them on all our other cars and trucks.
I don't think the FreeStyle lacks leg room. I am 5'9" tall and have long legs. With the seat back as far as it goes I can still reach the steering wheel good. It is very comfortable. I have driven it and been driven in it. I have also ridden in the backseat with our newest Grandson and it sits comfortable too.
All in all, we love the FreeStyle.
I will contact the manager tomorrow and just mention my concern because he insisted that I contact him for ANY reason before completing the dealership survey that sits in front of me.
My Freebie is just great .. but I see Michelins in it's future real soon.
Enjoy your Freedbie as well and wave if you see a white SEL in Toronto.
On another issue I have had a heck of a time with the 6CD changer skipping and repeating. I gave them the Ford bulletin, they have replaced the unit twice in four trips to the dealer. I still get the skipping and repeating. It is a slight bother and going to the dealer seems to be more of a pain seeing they have not been able to fit this yet. Any suggestions?
BTW, the dealer finally found out my alarm problem, it is the hood's hinch or sth. The part is back order until 6/10. I will post the update after that.
Uh, I'm not mechanical but I'm not sure what that thingamomabob is that you are referring to above? Since I, too, am having the alarm go off for no apparent reason and am at risk for having my car egged/keyed/tires flattened by the neighbors, I'm interested in your post.
Go to this website. Premier motoring is located in Mason, OH
http://www.premiermotoring.net
Same as yours, the alarm just goes off as it wishes, no reason, totally random. The dealer can't find the problem after running the diagnocis program several times. But another problem of the alarm I TOLD them finally helped them to locate the problem. And this problem is: when I get off the car and try to arm the alarm, the alarm will beep twice instead of once, which indicates that one of the doors, hood, liftgate is not closed, although I DID closed all of them twice. :confuse: :mad: . So, do you have any other problems except the one you just said? Or some small animal may get into ur car and cause the alarm? :P
Draw-tite has released their 2 inch receiver model 75299. This is in addition to their 1 1/4 inch model 36360.
I just ordered the 2 inch version from HitchFinder for $119 usd (vs $131 from Etrailer.com).
http://drawtite-hitches.com/
http://www.etrailer.com/products.asp?model=Freestyle&category=hitch&year=2005&make=Ford&t1- =&h=e
I'm not towing anything heavy, just using the 2 inch mount for my bike rack.
I'll report the ease of installation in a couple weeks.
BTW I just got my first statement from Ford Credit and they list my car as a Ford "FRSTY". Somehow calling a $30,000 SUV a Frosty seems more appropriate that calling it a Freebie!
Regards,
Webbcam
You'd think he'd go to bat for the fifty bucks Ford probably pays for the tire. I'll vent on the survey and see if I get results. I'd be ok with tire failure with even 1,000 miles on it. But, 500 miles ... well that bugs me.
I researched Michelin HydroEdge and they look like the ones for me too.
Drive safely.
You also said, " Enjoy your freebie". Well I don't have one YET. I spoke to a new dealer today and seemed to be on the ball. Located two cars with colour/combo the wife selected. First one was released only two days ago to a dealer in Toronto.Dealer will try to re-direct it to our area in west coast BC so that there will be no additional shipping.
The 2nd vehicle is in Canmore,Alberta, with estimated shipping charge $450 but it is undercoated and has locking wheel nuts. Hope it will be the first one as it is a job #2 order.
I think we have a different alarm system. My car doesn't beep at all when I lock the doors with the keyfob, or at anytime. I've studied the sticker, looked in the owner's manual and to tell you the truth, I still haven't figured out what the "perimeter" alarm is (or isn't). As to the small animal, I'm thinking it's a gremlin, or sunspot activity, or?? I hope the fix works for you.
Also - has anyone attempted to connect an iPod to the factory stereo? I see there is an AUX button on the radio but am unsure if the input on the stereo is something specific to the Satellite radio / DVD input.
Any thoughts or ideas?
Thanks!
Amy
One alarm annoyance for me is when someone who stayed inside the Freebie decides to go to the bathroom five minutes (for example) after you have exited and locked the doors - like at the gas station or rest stop. The alarm lets them know who's boss (whether or not they pulled the inside door handle or hit the unlock button on the armrest). I found a note in the Freebie manual on how to reprogram the alarm so that behavior goes away. I hope to try it soon. :shades: