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2K Ford Explorer Sport Trac's - III
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I am trying to decide if I should purchase any of the extended warranties my dealer is offering me. For about $1550 he's offering 5yr/100,000 mile Extra Care coverage (that's less than premium coverage, but more than basic). Any thoughts as to whether that's a good deal or not? Any experienced Explorer owners out there that have a feel for the likelihood of major repair?
I have to confess I am a little miffed at essentially increasing the cost of the vehicle by roughly 5% because Ford anticipates there will be big problems.
Thank you in advance for your thoughts on this.
http://www.1sourceautowarranty.com
(I found them through a link on Edmunds.com)
Anyway, a 7 year / 100,000 mile Diamond Plan
(which is a "Bumper to Bumper" warranty)
is only $979 (add $100 for 4WD)($50 deductible)
for a 2001 Explorer (the ST should be very close)
Has anyone heard of the 16" version having a tread seperation? Try inspecting your tires visually, looking for the missing ply or internal bonding integrity. Right.
Best method.... reduce pressure to 26psi as Ford once recommended, head to 90+ degree temps, and drive 'er at 80mph for a few hours. That's the acid test.
Zderf
Ordered with Tonneau cover 2/19.
Luckily I haven't changed my mind on wanting my Estate Green 4x4 ST in the past 6, going on 7 months.
Thanks for the posts in keeping me going.
The gas mileage is the same as yours. Car & Driver says it has the manners of a Road Grader and feels as heavy. With that I would also agree.
Enjoy your truck and don't waste all of your summer fixing minor stuff; Unless that shimmy is so bad you can't keep it on the road.
Has anyone noticed a high pitch rattle coming from the bed area at 40+MPH? It is like a ringing and it is a little faint, but nevertheless, noticeable.
Also, my rear berber mat seems way too big for the area it is supposed to cover. The hooks in the floor don't even help and it looks all bunched up in the middle. Take a look at your to see that it isn't smashed up against the center console. I am curious to know.
And one more thing, my AC doesn't seem to blow out very cold. My 96 Explorer Sport blows colder air than this ST. I remember someone complaining about the AC getting warm if not in drive or if idle. Tell me what you think. I use the max ac setting and i am not impressed with the lack of arctic air.
I am scheduled to drop off my ST on Wednesday and they are giving me a loaner 'car'(of course it's NOT an ST). They needed it longer to try and determine the cause of the rattle/ringing in the back of the ST.
It is cleary a Firestone problem. Firestone did not put the proper number of nylon strip/straps or whatever they are yet still labeled the tires that they had the extra strip. Anyway, these tires were specially spec'd for Venezuela but Firestone did not make them to spec. Ford found out about it and recalled them and put Goodyears on them. However, Firestone does not want to recall them.
The Firestone tires in Venezuela also affects GM and Toyotas.
Before you buy an aftermarket warranty, call 800-FORD-ESP and check out their price. You will need your VIN number because you have to own the vehicle already.
The good thing about the FORD warranty is you can pay for it over 10 months with no interest. They just charge your credit card 10 equal payments. Also, you don't have to worry about the warranty being accepted or receiving payment on any claims you may have.
Despite what your dealer says, you do NOT have to by the Ford warranty at the time you buy your truck. You can the warranty direct from Ford after you buy your vehicle.
My rear mat fits perfectly. No bunching at the center console. Perhaps your hooks got installed in the wrong location.
I've just went through a hot summer in Vegas with afternoon temps around 110 and my ST a/c worked fine. Just kept it on Max and the fan all the way up. So I'd have your a/c checked out if it's not cooling you down.
Extended warranties are for suckers. This is one of the biggest money makers for an automobile dealership. I bought my ST about three weeks ago and a lot of pressure was applied to buy their extended warranty. The salesman obviously was on a commission. Who needs it? The new ST comes with a 36 month/36,000 mile bumber to bumper warranty. Most new cars and trucks are capable of running 100,000 miles with no major problems. I cannot believe how many people allow themselves to be ripped off by buying one of these warranties.
Boy I thought I was the only person on this site who ordered and held out for the tonneau cover. I have just about every assesory needed sitting around the house but no truck! I've posted that I see on a regular basis Sport Trac Taxi's running around Vegas with the tonneau covers on All of them! Makes me feel confedent Ford put the ST on the road to test under the demands of 24 hour heat and abuse a cabbie can expereance. I finnaly got a VIN # last week. When did you get yours? What does it mean? Is it biult? Is it on the train headed to Vegas?.......
TONNEAU COVER: I purchased my st from a dealer's lot on 7/25 and ordered the cover at the same time. The cover came in on 8/21 (4 weeks). Looks great and keyed to work with the existing ignition key. Now I have an st with all the options I wanted with an original SPECIAL ORDER. (Ordered April 24 with cover) The "special order" still hasn't arrived at the dealership.
I saw where someone had an estate green ST...is it the light mossy green or is it the color that is in the brochure?? If it is the lighter green, that's the one I want...I saw it on the Explorer Sport. The brochure color for it is different, too.
Also...how much over invoice should I consider a fair deal for both me and the dealer??
Thanks!
I can't believe someone is getting 21mpg with a 4x4 with the 4.11 gear ratio. The best I have ever received was just under 20mpg and that was just once! Generally it's around 17-18mpg and I don't have a lead foot.
I believe the Estate Green is like a deep Pine type color not light and moss-like.
When I first place my rear mat in the ST I thought it didn't fit right either, but then I noticed the middle part slips under the rear console slightly. Now it fits just fine.
Thanks to everyone here, I am ordering a bed mat tomorrow as well. Thanks to all who post! Happy STing and GO BIG RED this weekend!
The estate green can be seen on the Sports, and I've seen them on the Eddie Bauer Expeditions and Excursions (with Tan trim). The closest example I can give is a somewhat worn dollar bill. That color comes close. And come to think of it, that's probably why I liked green so much. Next to black, that green looked the most classy and sophisticated, with the bonus that it doesn't get as hot or visually dirty as the black does.
If you go to http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/explorersporttracclub
you can join for free and see the pictures DBerndt87 posted of his Estate Green ST.
I too have a pile of accessories: Brush guard, Hidden Hitch, K&N & Stereo awaiting in the garage.
Soon.....
Keep the faith.
Can you post a link to the referenced site? Thank you.
cjhess
This is the best price I found w/shipping, most vendors wanted from $49-57 w/o shipping. Keep up the informative posts and I will keep y'all posted.
"Bridgestone/Firestone has acknowledged that some tires it provided to Ford in Venezuela were mislabeled to show they contained a requested safety layer, when in fact the layer was missing.
Vines said Ford's examination of recalled tires found a defect trend "at least 500 times worse" than that found in the recalled U.S. tires. Ford also found that more than half of the tires analyzed didn't meet Firestone's own standards."
These tires were built in Venezuela and were not shipped to the US.
This is the best price I found w/shipping, most vendors wanted from $49-57 w/o shipping. Keep up the informative posts and I will keep y'all posted.
So far I've ordered and received the rear window deflector and the vinyl rubber heavy duty snow+ice mats.I had to bend my handsfree cellphone antenna to install the deflector.The rear window is the only place to install the antenna ,and only on the part that doesn't move.Last but not least the tonneau is stil on order.
Interested to hear opinions on how people like the factory leather in the ST.
Rich
www.mysporttrac.com
I live in MA and have not had my st through a winter yet and am curious how it handles & if extra weight is needed in the rear to help with traction.
Thanks to all for the great info on this site...It has really been informative.
Thanks
COLORS: I think all of the st colors are really sharp! I've noticed that several people are interested in what the estate green looks like. I think it's a shade that you would be satisfied with and it looks great! I've seen all of the colors now except the new silver. My st is torreador red. (my favorite) I was really surprised with the wedgewood blue! Nice. For those of you with the mandarin gold, you have a treasure now since there won't be many st's out there of that color. (We all know that Ford has discontinued the gold.)
HELP: Someone posted a few weeks ago that there was available (or soon to be available) a catalog with sport trac accessories only. Does anyone have one or can provide additional information? THANKS!
I have installed the Ford Accessory rear window visor. Fits fine, comes only in smoke, and cannot be painted. Only clear can be painted, and then only on the back side... that keeps the paint on and not subject to damage (no clear coat required either). I also installed the Ford soft tonneau cover which works very nicely (gave up on the hard cover). Lund makes a front hood bug deflector for the ST, which comes in clear and can be painted to match (back side) the vehicle. Looks great and fits nice.
Mileage... 15 no matter what. Now at 3000 miles with no improvement.
As for the Firestone 16" tires... nothing much matters now. The public perception is in control, and it will take years (i.e. Firestone 500 Radials in the 70's) to recover if at all. Perhaps these tires are safe, but the real test is: try selling your ST and see if the Question/Concern comes up from the perspective buyer. Any takers?
In any event... I'm pleased with the ST, and have accepted its shortcomings.
Peace.
Zderf
RE:jimz2
Let me see T-minus 19 days 6 hours 12 min and 18 seconds and counting to delivery.........
2) one of the knobs on the cargo cage recently broke off. They ordered the new part & when it came in, Ford sent a WHOLE NEW CAGE!. The parts guy said they redesigned the knobs due to a problem with it. The new one looks exactly like the old one. I couldn't see anything different, but maybe they changed/reenforced the fitting.
3) Also requested they fix the gas cover rubbing problem. They went and ordered a new cover. I even told them about the heating/bending fix that I had been reading about here, but they didn't want to do that. Has anyone else had their cover replaced successfully?
The instructions say one way but it FITS and is more difficult to remove if you install it the other way.
So IMHO, Install the cage by pressing down while the cage is in the "open" (over the gate) position. This makes it more difficult (but not impossible) to remove with the tailgate shut.
You will also notice the rubber feet that are closest together fit into dimples molded into the tailgate.
P255/70R16 tires taken off my Island Blue 4x2.
I was concern with the recall of the 15-inch
that soon all the Wilderness would be recalled
and there would be a tire shortage. I wanted
a larger tire I now have "Michelin P265/70S16
XCLT4" I like the way the Michelin tires handle
over the Firestone, more control of the road.
Also last week added the Hard Tonneau Cover,
splash guards and bed mat.
Could someone give me advice on the K & N filter,
I spoke with a Ford service manager on buying one
for my ST. He said he only saw problems with
them since most people don't understand how
to clean them well. He said not to put one in
the ST.
Has anybody noticed if your grab bar that you use to close the door getting scuffed up. I have been very careful getting in and out so I would not hit it with my watch. I can't say how careful the service dept has been when they have been jumping in and out the last couple times it has been in the shop. But it appears that a clear plastic coating is peeling off. I wonder if it is because of the sun and high temps here in GA. Plan to have them look at that when it goes in to get the gas door fixed.
BTW: Found out that out of the "ST", "Focus" & "Escape" the "ST" has had no recalls and has spent less time in the shop for repairs.
I have yet to resolve my AC problem. If the idle is high enough (700 rpm's) the compressor stays engaged and the air is cold; however, if the idle drops to 500 rpm's (while in drive with your foot on the brake)the compressor kicks off. My first thought is the high pressure switch on the AC. I am unsure how this relates to the idle. Anyway, I sure they will find something, as for now all the dealer did was remove 2.0 ounces of freon.
My rear mat is a little on the large side too. I have it neatly tucked under the console so there is no buckling. It look good.
PS My ST is Estate Green, maybe it's a color thing!
I received my No boundaries catalog in the box with the free Sport Trac director's chairs that Ford sent to me.
Thanks for your answer.