A side note about dealer service since when I used to get my Ford serviced, I tried three separate Ford dealers. They all got the work done and I never had any major issues. But I did note that at each of them, they were always extremely busy, even on weekdays. That just leads me to believe that the volume of traffic they are getting is a hindrence to the level of service they can provide satisfactorily. I had the car in the shop once for two days. The service manager called the first day to say, they just had too much backlog and couldn't get it completed, but it was done by 11am the next day. So of the three Ford dealers I used, I have no complaints about my service. Just wish they had more space/employees to handle the volume. I have not got to test the Lincoln service yet with only 4000miles on my car.
Geez, what a bunch of BS your dealer is slinging. I can sorta relate. I'm driving a 2001 LS pretty much identical to what you were ordering - Manual tranny with all options except heated seats. I love the car but was it easy to get? - No! 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.
I don't think Ford has to look very far to see how to make high quality vehicles. According to the JD Powers 2001 Quality study, the highest quality European vehicle is not Mercedes or BMW, it is Jaguar. The second highest quality line of vehicles in the WORLD is,...Jaguar (Mercedes is 10th).
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.
My 2000LS8 Sport 20K miles, brakes are noisy. The dealer agreed - reluctantly, but has replaced the pads twice without solving the problem. This has gone on for about 6 months. They say it's glaze and they clean it, the noise does not go away so they replace the pads. Any one else have this problem?
Very sorry to hear that. The dealer may have sold it to a higher profit customer but you may never know for sure. Definitely get in touch with Jim Rogers and see what he can do (jroger19@ford.com). Tell him what happened and what you ordered. I guarantee he'll do everything possible to get you the car you want. He's out of the office a lot lately so maybe Brian or someone else could give you his office number to get a quicker response.
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.
Sorry to hear you were hosed by the dealer. Do try to contact Mr Rogers. You might try an auto broker. Should cost you a couple hundred dollars but only if you get the car. Broker is your buyer working for you. As long as broker takes you seriously, should be able to get what you want. Of course, timing is now a mess.
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.
If the dealer cared about customers in general he should have ordered you a 2002 LS with all the same options that you wanted and honored the original 01 price. I guess greed and quick profits always win over future business and long term customer relationships, how sad! I hope Jim R. can help here! Good luck!
Hey folks lets be real. All dealers are under pressure to move new cars out as fast as possible. I have a 98 BMW528 and a 2000 v6 LS Sport. The BMW service is good but not great. Always very busy and NO LOANERS period. I had to be towed in twice for a defective fuel pump then the catylic converter had to be replaced which took a week. The 4 speed auto is jerky and they cant fix it. The cup holders have broken several times both in the front and rear. Window washers continue to clog up, etc. There is a body squeek on a bump I go over ever day.
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.
Re the quality/TQI discussions of late. The Wall Street Journal reported this morning that Ford's man in charge of quality in Europe (name escapes me right now) will assume a similar role in North America. I know many of you get the Journal & will supply us with more details.
Ford is really feeling the pinch on quality issues. This can only bode well for us. Look how far Jaguar has come.
I similar situation happen to me. I order my car on May 18. After 5 weeks of waiting I was told I could not get my car built. The dealership offered to let me order a 2002 LS but the special financing and incentives would not be binding. Lucky for me the dealership found a car in a neighboring state very similar to the one I ordered. It had everything I wanted except the Advance trac.
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.
How did you buy a boat in 1995 with the money you saved from a car purchased in 2000? If I could do that I would go back to just after WWII and buy a house! ; )
Email me with the particulars of your deal gone awry and I will forward it on to the appropriate person at Lincoln HQ. My email address is: brian.gowing@llsoc.com. Jim Rogers is out of the office for the next month so it will be easier if it passes through the LLSOC ombudsman office.
Don't know if anyone else noticed this, but the spare tire floor cover lift handle has a hook on the underside that just happens to fit over the rubber molding at the lip of the upper trunk opening to keep the floor cover up and out of your way if you need access to the battery or spare tire.
What a neat feature! Surprised it took me a year and a half to notice
What might have happened, especially if you got a decent deal, is that they sold the car out from under you. This is especially fishy since it was a manual which hardly any dealer has in stock...get someone really hot to get one and they offer a "bonus" to get it...guess who will wind up with the car? I know this happens because it happened to me...I got a good deal on a corvette and after waiting for about 3 months was told it was no longer available and I'd have to reorder...screw 'em...bought a 280Z instead. Does anyone really believe that a dealer whose livlihood depends on ordering and moving product tells all of a sudden discovers that it was "never ordered" after having provided "order status" in the past? And they wonder why their trust quotient is low?
You must be slow...I figured it out after only 8 months . It *is* pretty neat isn't it? I accidently discovered it after getting tired of holding it up with my head...
Keyrow....I think 1995 was the model year of the boat, not the year he bought it !!! Brian..I agree..the hook for the spare tire floor cover is a pretty good feature..however my dealer showed it to me when he was selling me the car. Mabey I had a good salesperson ???? He really showed me all the details of the car before I drove off. Another item I liked was the video tape that came with the car..........I have a-little less than 2000 miles on my LS8 sport and I'm now getting 19.1 MPG...75% freeway..25% street. I would love to get around 21-22 mpg given the horsepower.
The WSJ states "Ford Motor Co., gave the Chairman of its European operations, Nick Scheele, one of its biggest jobs: puting its core North American vehicle business back on track after more than a year of quality gaffes, productivity declines and morale problems."
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.
A year and a half? Eight months? Boy, you guys are SLOOOOOOOW! I figured it out in 5! I discovered it the same way as xway! Now we need to find out who was the quickest to discover the lack of a lock cylinder on the passenger side as well as the hook. Also, what about that hook thing on the glove box. I asked about that glovebox hook after a week or so. I just couldn't stand it! Also, no one that was showed by their salesperson is eligible!
I discovered the lack of passenger cylinder lock the first time I walked around one on dealer's lot. Noticed the glove box thingee first time I sat in passenger seat in dealer's lot. We didn't know what it was and it we couldn't find it in owner's manual.
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???
I'll take a picture tonight and post it here tomorrow. I've been holding it up with my head also all this time. I only noitced the lack of a passenger door lock after the tenth time I washed my car
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.
My salesman pointed out the gloove box hook at my initial showroom visit. He called it the "trashbag" hook. I'm not sure whether the salesman pointed out the spare cover hook, but in either event, I noticed it right away and thought that it was a clever and convenient design feature in keeping with the LS as a whole. Since I am (or was?) a Mechanical Engieer I appreciated these types of design features.
Either I lucked out with a couple of good sales people or you guys have stiffs. The 2nd Lincoln dealer I went to, showed me the trunk floor cover lift up hook and alot of other things on the LS. The 4th Lincoln dealer that I went to, where I bought my LS, not only showed me the trunk hook but showed me the purse hook on the glove box. He also let me test drive their manual V6. 3 of the 4 dealers had manual V6's in stock however only 1 would let me test drive theirs.
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.
I purchased my 2000 LSV8 Sport in April 2000. I really enjoy driving it. But must admit, its been into the dealership several times more than my '96 DOHC Taurus LX. My main concern is getting the bugs fixed before my warranty ends. My dealership has always provided a loaner so it has not been to much of a inconvenience.
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.
My salesperson showed me a lot about the LS, but not the trunk or purse hook. I figured out the trunk hook when I was moving things from my old car into the LS, and holding up the lid with my head. It just happened to catch and stay up and I was like, wow! But then when I found the purse hook when I was installing the Wud trim. I just looked at it for a minute, then I toyed with it, all the while trying to figure, what the hell is this for. Never did figure that out until now.
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.
Hey, I just finally heard the much discussed/rumored ticking at idle while sitting in the drive thru of a fast food joint with the window down. Was there ever a consensus on this, was it fuel injectors, exhaust manifolds, knock, whatever? I remember some few people having manifolds repaired, some believing it was the injectors firing.
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.
Umm...you do know that the Autoweek 60-80 in 2.9 seconds was a misprint, right? It's fast, but it ain't that fast. I was the first to point it out, and the 12th to realize that it was a misprint. But I found the trunk holder the first time I looked at it!
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.
You know, it's a lot more fun listening to giowa's ramblings when he's arguing WITH you instead of AGAINST you. I'm just waiting to see how long they'll hang in there before they give up. Go get em, G-man!
G-s killing them with numbers. They still haven't responded with any documentation. I'm glad our own lil' pit-bull is in our corner . I think he's hitting his stride. I'm watching with interest myself. I predict by Monday they'll give up since they can't come up with documented results to back up their claims Tho I gotta admit I do like the conversations about the su-27/31s!
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.
Everyone should try to get to one at least every couple years. Fortunately I live not too far from Offutt AFB (once proud home to Mighty Strategic Air Command, SAC). Have an annual air show. Whether it is watching Harrier go STOL or VTOL, USAF/USN or Canadian flying teams, stealth B-2 bomber or F-117 Nighthawk, etc. there is just something so beautiful and awesome about military aircraft in flight. Even the WW II-era planes. And if you are ever in Omaha area, just west of Omaha right off I-80 is the SAC Museum. Check out the SR-71, B-52, Avro Vulcan (RAF), etc. They have a free open house annually. Think in May. And visit Omaha's world famous Henry Doorly Zoo, also right off I-80.
the monument to the U. S. Civil Service at Offutt? As it was told to me, there's a Minuteman missle on a pedestal somewhere on the facility, and the question goes: "How is this missle similar to civil servants?"
At the time I bought my LS, I was lucky to find a salesman that even knew what an LS was - let alone any features it might have. No wonder my hair is thinning on top - it's from holding up that tire cover every time I need the lug nut key.
Someone asked a while ago about the 2001 console top. I checked with my parts guy. The number for the deep charcoal console top is xw4z54044d90.pad. The price is $293. The generic console number is 045a36. He said from that number it is easy to find the number for your spscific colour. Hope this helps.
Now your talkin'! Lots of fun, awesome speeds and capabilities. Arizona is home to Davis Monthan AFB in Tucson and Luke AFB on the west side of the Phoenix Valley. Luke is where all F-16 training takes place. Up until a few years ago, Phoenix also had Williams AFB on the east end of the Valley where foreign pilots were trained. We get either the Thunderbirds or Blue Angel teams out here every year around February/March time frame. Thrilling, no matter how many times you see them.
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!
I too have noticed that ticking, but it sounds more like the injectors since the frequency seems to be the same and it changes with gas input. I only hear it on certain kinds of pavement like concrete which seems to echo it back up to ear level. Mostly in the garage too where it is quite enough to catch. Strange thing is it doesn't happen always. As Brian enlightened, it may be related to a warm/cold engine, but if you heard it at a drive thru, that doesn't sound right.
While exploring the spare tire area with my new found freedom of not having to hold up the cover I discovered a light blue plastic bag stuck behind the fuse box next to the battery. Turns out to be either an extra set of locking lug nuts or the set that were supposed to originally have gone on my car.
A week or two ago I ranted on this board about how bad the service dept. was at Peyton-Cramer L/M in Torrance, Ca. I can now say persistence pays. After speaking with the GM and service manager they took care of all my issues. Some of you may recall that I was pissed that they did not even look at my car when I brought it in for service after having it for 12 hours. That nobody called to give me any updates. I was never offered a loaner and the car was never washed when I picked it up. I just received very poor service from my service advisor. After speaking with the head-honchos, they repaired my car, detailed it, filled up the gas tank and finished the service on time. They had the car for 2 days and called me at least twice a day to give me updates. Time will tell if they continue with that kind of service, but I can tell all of you who are having problems with your dearler, that unless your dealing with total losers, if you take the time to sit down and talk with them respectfully and lay out your case 9 times out of ten the will go above and beyond the call of duty. One just wishes they would perform so well at the outset.
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.
Thanks to everyone for the advice. I have emailed and tried to call Jim Rogers, but he is out of town for a while (thanks Stanny1 for the contact info). I also emailed Brian Gowing with the details of my experience so he could forward it to someone at LM headquarters who might be able to help. Hopefully something good will come of it! I will keep everyone up to date on what happens.
Yes you can! The only reason I haven't is the cost. I just bought one of those adapters that will adjust to fit the hole and the cup. If the cost comes down, I will definitly buy one! D. Cupcka drove around for a while with the '01 console on the '00. He says that there is a 1/4" or so gap where the old style flips open. The gap should be obscured by the parking brake lever.
ezaircon4jc: It was I asking for the console top P/N, thanks. I'm going to have to do some shopping and see what sort of discount I can get on it as $293 + tax (ouch!)is a lot for a LS with 20 months left on the lease.
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.
There's lousy service and then there's LOUSY service. 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.
Im thinking of purchasing a pair of component speakers for my 01 LS (specifically Boston Acoustics RC820 with a nice drop in 5x7 woofer... see here: http://www.bostonacoustics.com/ProductsPage.asp?ProductID=177&SpecID=4&SeriesID=46 ) and I was wondering about tweeter mounting options. I am assuming people have used the sail panel (behind the side view mirrors) to surface mount tweeters.
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?
In my case it was definitely exhaust manifolds. During initial startup, you could hear the tick standing outside the car. It was loud enough that I could hear ticking while watching my wife pulled out of our driveway, and driving away down our subdivision street. Once the engine warmed up, the ticking was not audible.
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.
A front license plate is not required in my state, and I think my new LS will look better without the plate so I started to remove it. The mounting fasteners looked like a type of pop rivet with a center pull rod to spread the back of the fastener. After I pushed these pieces out, the fastener was still holding tight. I am concerned that simply pulling out the bracket will result in big holes in the bumper cover. Rear access to the fasteners does not look easy.
If any of you more experienced LS owners have removed the bracket withmout damage, I would appreciate some advice on this small enhancement.
Robert - getting that damn bracket off is a problem! I'm in the state without real gasoline (Calif) which requires a front plate but I take them all off. The challenge, as you have found, is that stupid rivet system. I used a series of ever larger drills but still warped the area around the holes and touched them up with paint. The real solution would be to take off the bumper cover and attack the rivet from the rear. It's a real challenge anyway you do it but worth it for the looks. The front end looks more aggressive and not like an appliance with tags. Just be as careful as you can. They used a "one-way" system: 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.
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.