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BREAKING-IN YOUR VEHICLE
Your vehicle does not need an extensive break-in. Try not to drive
continuously at the same speed for the first 1,000 miles (1,600 km) of
new vehicle operation. Vary your speed frequently in order to give the
moving parts a chance to break in.
Drive your new vehicle at least 500 miles (800 km) before towing a
trailer.
Do not add friction modifier compounds or special break-in oils during
the first few thousand miles (kilometers) of operation, since these
additives may prevent piston ring seating. See Engine oil in the
Maintenance and Specifications chapter for more information on oil
usage.
I installed a XM Radio SkyFi2 unit using a fm modulator that runs in line with the MACH radio antenna lead. I set the skyfi 2 unit over the small storage bin in front of the gear shift (when the vehicle is in drive you have unobstructed access). I like XM radio -- ACC basketball live. The SkyFi2 has a "tivo" like feature in that it is always recording up to the last 30 minutes of whatever you are listening to. You can both pause and go back with this unit. In terms of installation. I placed the satellite antenna on the back of the roof and fed the wire under the back lift door's rubber weather seal. I than slipped it under the moulding running down the side of the vehicle, under the passenger seat and under the center console. The console lifts off (spring clips). Be careful, there is a trim plate (chromed plastic) around the gear shift - It will lift off too when you lift the center console top (work it free once it has lifted a little bit - four zigzag type friction taps about 1 1/2 inches long). Than return to lift the center console plate - it is tricky sliding it off the parking brake. I mounted the FM modulator (delphi part S10003 or similar) and removed the MACH radio by going to circuit city and having one of their techs use the special tools to remove it (Bonus comment about Circuit City - they volunteered to do this for free and I drove it home with it slightly popped out to finish my install). Connect the red power line to the switched power supply going into the radio (I used a simple circuit testor to find it). Hook up the rest of the leads. I drilled a hole in the front wall of the small bin to feed the satellite antenna lead, the power lead and the audio out. This really works well - I have great satellite sound going into my MACH radio.
Any feedback or experience with similar problems would be greatly appreciated.
Tara
Staten Island, NY
REAR CARGO CONVENIENCE PKG
INTERIOR CARGO MANAGEMENT SYS
RETRACTABLE CARGO COVER
POWER MOONROOF WITH SHADE
ROOF RACK WITH CROSSBARS
MINI-OH CONSOLE W/BIN & MAP LIGHTS
FULL SIZE SPARE WHEEL/TIRE
TRAILER TOWING, CLASS II
DYNAMIC SIDE IMPACT PACKAGE
SAFETY CANOPY & SIDE AIR BAGS
PREMIUM LEATHER TRIM (BLACK)
TOTAL MSRP $27,415.00
EMPLOYEE PRICE $24,511.79
CASH BACK ($1,000.00)
__________
MERCURY FAMILY PRICE $23,511.79*
Sorry for the ALL CAPS nortsr1. Can I do better than this Merc Family Price or is this price non negotiable? They also mention an "extra $1000 in clearance cash" but I think that is the same cash back incentive listed above.
If anyone has had experience with buying a Mariner lately please let me know about it and why you choose Mariner over the Escape and Tribute.
Also is the rear parking sensor something that can be added later or is it factory installed only?
Thanks in advance for any advice.
I happen to own a 2005 Mercury Mariner that I purchased back in January. At that time, there was a $2000.00 rebate, a $500. hurricane incentive, plus I am a member of the EAA which qualifies me for X-Plan pricing (not quite as good as Employee pricing), so I am telling you your deal sounds pretty darn good to me.
I have never averaged under 20 miles per gallon (and I use the A/C faithfully) and on several trips from Florida to Nj and back, I averaged 25 to 26 mpg. I can honestly say it is the most trouble free vehicle I have ever owned (fingers crossed). Except for the normal routine maintenance, it has had ZERO problems.
Sounds as though you are getting the top of the line Mariner. Go for it! Stop asking "Can I do better" This is a great deal....and yes...I forgive you for again using those big bad Caps!!!
I think that Emplyee pricing is over in a couple of days, and then you will kick your own butt by "hesitating". He who hesitates is lost!!!!!!!
The one I am looking at is white exterior with black leather interior. Since I too live in the South I am a bit concerned that the black leather seats will be super hot if the vehicle has been sitting in the sun. I really like this one because of its side airbags option since the wife and kids will be mostly in this vehicle. What kind of Mariner did you buy and which options did you end up with or wish you had? Do you have the SIRIUS?
Thanks again.
I did not have Sirius, but did have the side airbags, and all the other goodies (leather, etc.)
P:S. Glad to hear you are getting it. Good luck and many, many safe and enjoyable miles.
To make a long story shorter, after visits to two L-M dealers and a call to the Mercury hotline, I was told that although the correct radio was installed, the vehicle was wired with a 16-pin connector for the radio unit, and a 24 pin connector is required for the RDS and speed-sensitive volume to function. (The back of the radio unit has both 16- and 24-pin sockets.) The first dealer also showed me a Mariner from earlier in the production run that had the non-satellite/non-MP3 6-disc changer, and the RDS worked fine (speed sensitive volume wasn't available with that version of the radio).
I can only come to two conclusions: either my car was wired incorrectly, or Mercury decided to install "upgraded" radios without upgrading the wiring, knowing they would then not have full functionality. (Although in this competitive age where quality is so important, I can't imagine purposely installing wiring for the radio so that a driver is able to access and "adjust" the speed-sensitive volume, but with no effect... to say nothing of the missing RDS. You're just inviting frustration...)
Anyway, I'm wondering whether anyone else has had (or heard of) this problem, and what they've done about it. I'm having a hard time finding information about it(both dealers I talked to have never dealt with anything like this before), so whatever help or advice any of you might have would be much appreciated. Thanks!
Dilip
Houston, TX
Jeanine
Long Island, NY
Dave glunt
Also, I can't find it in the manual, but my Mariner doesn't have the auto lock door feature. I am talking about the doors automatically locking when you put the car in gear and start to drive. I love this feature but can't seem to get a straight answer from the dealership. They told me maybe it has to be programmed, but they also said not all Mariners came with this feature. They were going to look into it but I haven't heard from them. They tried a few Mariners on the lot and they all had the feature, but mine doesn't. I think it is strange that a Premier doesn't have this. Does anyone out there not have this feature on theirs.
Thanks for any advice you can give me.
Thanks for your response.
My wife purchased a 2005 mariner last July and from the get go had a problem with the car pulling to the left. We waited 8 months for an "engineering" fix only to be told the truck needed new tires. They replaced the tires with Michelon cross terrain SUV tires (originally had Continental tires) last week and the truck still pulls to the left. The dealership here (in Michigan) has 15-20 other mariner's with the same problem. They have been working with an engineer here in Dearborn Michigan. When we were told it was a known problem and engineering was working on a solution and the dealership was waiting on parts I assumed it would be mechanical and not a tire swap. Anyone else experiencing this problem?
Mike...
I'm curious. If you don't mind sharing. When were your two purchased and what brand/model tires do you have.
Thanks,
Mike...
You are right, the continental tires are junk. I had them on my Expedition and couldn't wait to replace them. The Michelin tires they put on the mariener are much better tires.
Appreciate the feedback/info,
Mike...
------------------
My latest update on the high-pitched noise coming from the MACH 300 stereo...
Visteon, the manufacturer of the MACH series of stereos, issued a nation-wide bulletin to all its service centers about this problem. The service centers should take out the stereo's cooling fan, which is the culprit. Visteon has apparently done enough testing to know that removing the cooling fan will NOT cause over-heating. So now I need to take my Mariner to the dealer. They will take out the stereo, and the service center will pick it up on the same day (luckily, there is a service center in the same city, and the stereo slides out by pressing on a couple of pins). They said I should have it back in 2-3 days.
Now, here is something I thought was interesting... Visteon, as I have found out, is actually owned by Ford. This being the case, why did the dealership not know about this? Even worse, when the dealer called the engineering hot line for dealerships in Michigan, why did they say that that there was nothing they could do because that was how the stereo was designed? Ford, Mercury, Visteon... all one company. Yet, one doesn't know what the other one is doing. I had to dig deep on my own to get this resolved.
BTW, I will try to get the Visteon bulletin number and post it here, in case others have to go through this.
Steve, Host
A shade tree mechanic gave me a logical answer, had to do with the turning set-up. Also, had to do with the crown in the highway, while driving on the straight away ... I had to pull left on the steering wheel .... hour after hour.
I am surprised to read here that they haven't been smart enough to correct that problem. Until reading here, I was almost tempted to yield, and return to Mercury. But, now at age 88 ... I better not wait any longer for Mercury to correct this fault ...
but i must say i love the mercury mariner, the desig is more elegant and modern than the escape, i love this car.
I have had the problem pretty much all along but not every tank. When it's been at the dealer of course it's been fine. :sick: It is more noticeable to me going uphill and way more noticeable in the summer.
The dealer told me to bring it in when it's happening. I tried explaining that it is not a constant thing. But they said it hasn't tripped any codes so they cant tell anything.
What's weird is how in any given tank it will do it or not.
Like I said it is not a constant thing.
The good news is, your engine is running very efficiently - the bad news, it'll knock sometimes. Turn up the radio? That's what I tell my drivers to do....