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Looking forward to all your comments!
Went across the street to the Ford Dealer. There were zero Escape Hybrids there, but the sales rep said that I could order one and wait two months for delivery. The sales manager said that 1% of Escape production is the hybrid model.
And one wonders why Ford stock is in the tank?
Go here, this is what happened with me (My Website)
http://www.marinerhybrid.net/
Go buy something that does not start with F...
Frustrated at not finding the local Stuart Florida Mercury Dealership in the hybrid business, I sent a note to Ford President Alan Mulally. He not only replied but issued some instructions that resulted in my being able to test drive a Mariner Hybrid this morning. Glad I pursued this, because the car was better than expectations and a tribute to the Ford design and engineering team. I will be a Mariner Hybrid owner as soon as delivery is possible.
John Dixson
Best of luck.....Can you post where one can write to this person so I can share my Ford frustrations, maybe he can finally make me want to own another Ford product when I am ready to trade. They really did me wrong.
Thanks....
John
Thanks,
John Dixson
You stated that the product (Mariner Hybrid) was not the problem.
Sorry about your bad luck, however, it neither adds nor subtracts from the positive and negative aspects of the Mariner Hybrid.
I agree some of the issues were with the dealer, HOWEVER, everything they (the dealer) had said that the Stereo system WAS satellite compatible. I have nothing that says that, HOWEVER, I have in my hand the original sticker from the vehicle which says "Standard Equipment includes AM/FM IN-Dash 6 disk CD/W MP3 and 4 speakers."
Now.....I spent an additional $3795. for the Premium package and only quoting the audio part it says, "NAV/FUEL ECON/ENERGY FLOW/6CD ENERGY AUDIOPHILE & NAV SYSTEM".
It does NOT say that the 6CD player is now under the passenger seat not in the dash, nor does it mention that it does not play MP3's. And all of that for only $3795.00 extra. I saw with my own two eyes what the dealer had paperwork wise on that vehicle and it said that the radio WAS Satellite compatible.
I doubt any of this was intentional but who paid for their screw up....I DID.
So it WAS FORDS Fault, not the dealer.
Then to add insult to injury, they within one year released TWO Model years which took my vehicles value so I was upside down in my loan with them. ALSO they not only fixed the satellite thing but included 6 months free satellite service in the new vehicle...Sounds like admission of guilt to me.
What did they say/do for me......NADA...ZIP.....So, needless to say, I will never again buy another Ford product. They are just like 90% of the politicians, they LIE.....and we as consumers PAY......
If you would like a copy of the original sticker to prove all this I would be happy to scan and send it to you.
John
Here is my problem it is winter here in michigan and my mileage went to crap. Even though the car will go on electric the engine stays idleing.
Anyone know why, I think there may be some thermostat associated with the motor to keep it warm. any thoughts.
Also for those out there wonder why they are hard to find, I am guess that since the IRS said they were only giving for 65,000 tax credits they will not make more than that
This is a common issue with hybrids. The batteries are less efficient in cold weather, and the engine has to keep the catalytic converter heated up. The combination causes the hybrid to perform less efficiently in cold conditions.
"Also for those out there wonder why they are hard to find, I am guess that since the IRS said they were only giving for 65,000 tax credits they will not make more than that"
Not quite. Everyone gets the tax credit until 6 months after Ford sells 60K total hybrids. That means that tens of thousands of people could get the credit. I'm sure Toyota had over 150K people get the credit. The credit goes down after the six months, then further down for another six months, and expires one year after Ford reaches a total of 65K hybrids.
Consider yourself lucky no one was hurt and go buy a Toyota.
Loved the rental they gave me, a brand new F-150. Would have kept that in a heartbeat.
www.protoolshed.com">Auto Body
the local ford dealership told me i just have to except it during the cold weather???
i want to hear from other hybrid owners and see what you are getting mpg, i live in lawrence kansas and it has been cold here the last 2 weeks. but average highs are in the 30s normally.
John
i have a 2008 mariner hybrid and the last 4 weeks my mpg has dropped from 29-31 to 22-23. the dealership just wants us to except it due to the cold weather, i can see some drop with the weather but not this much.
BTW: Sorry to hear about the Navigation system in the MHH because the Nav in the MKZ is first-rate. You would think they would have shared this across the vehicles since it cost about the same.
I never saw the Nav system in the MMH 06/07 variants, but it was supposed to be pretty clunky. The Nav system in the 2008's is first rate, except for the annoying fact that the information entry is pretty restricted when you're underway. You can't enter a destination address once you're in drive. What an irritating big-brother kind of restriction!
JRG
Is my only realistic choice a Toyota which sells a ton but it also seems to keep their dealers well-supplied?
In case its so far back in the strong read this website (Mine) about my Mariner experience. Also I have never gotten over 23 mph in this vehicle and as a 59 year old driver I am very light on the Gas/electric.
http://www.marinerhybrid.net/
I have owned Fords exclusively since I started driving back in the 60's. Their Loss, my next car will be a Lexus.
Anyway, i love mine!!!
Cheers,
JRG
THEN, the WORST thing they did was to release within 6 months TWO model years of this vehicle correcting all the problems but refusing to do anything for me. They could have put a 2008 nav/sat system in my dash and I would have been happy.
In fairness to Ford, I have not had one problem per se with the vehicle outside of the fact it gets nowhere near the advertised mileage. Their response to that was "Some get good mileage, some do not".
I HATE the vehicle, not because its a bad one, because of the LIES by Ford and the unwillingness to correct some very big screw ups. I would have waited for my Lincolns part had I known I was going to go through all of this. SHAME ON FORD, and they wonder why they are losing customers to foreign vehicles.
Lawyers, Car Salesmen, Politicians, all of the same cloth. I don't understand WHY they think they have to lie to make a sale.
He should have pointed out the good points about it, such as it dosen't have the crappy Nav system that the 2006 did, and that it now is indeed Satellite compatible.
That is not a problem, that is the way the FEH / MMH are designed. The A/C compressor has to run when the defrost is selected, and the compressor requires the ICE to operate. Using either of the two "orange" HVAC selections is the same as turning on A/C without ECON.
To stay on topic though, how come these Mariners are so hard to come by? I would have probably bought one instead of my Sienna if there had been any in stock... Is Mercury losing money on these or does it have limited electric powertrain production capacity or something? There are plenty of regular versions in stock, so what's stopping them from switching over to the hybrids that everyone wants? Does anyone have any insight?
Don't buy the extended warranty from the selling dealer.
Go to a finance person at a different dealer, even different marque, and negotiate a deal for an extended warranty. I have often bought Toyota warranties for Fords and vice versa often at half the price quoted by the selling dealer.
Kind of makes you wonder what direction they want to move in :confuse:
What should I look for OR look out for in a used one? I have read a lot here about problems in winter. I am in WI. It is in garage at night and when not used. I have 2 vehicles. Also, how long (days) can it sit without being run? I use my Ranger mostly in winter. Are some quirks showing up in the '08s? Any years to avoid or look out for? Should I ask for a CARFAX report? Contact previous owner? Escape VS. Mariner. Any important differences good or bad I should be aware of?
Would appreciate advice or info that might help me get a good vehicle at a good price.
Maybe it would be better to wait for the new Fusion and Milan hybrids. But any idea of the projected price of them? I understand their will be significant differences in the hybrid system. Salesperson said they should start to show up in first quarter of '09.
Thanks anyone/everyone!
There have been few problems with winter weather and hybrids other than the change in gas mileage. Hybrid mileage is affected by cold weather, more so than regular cars, just browse thru the message boards and you'll see why. The gas engine spends more time on charging the battery and warming the driver, and the gas that is uses (if has more ethanol) gets worse mileage - our mileage varied by ~20% between summer and winter. If you do short runs where the battery never kicks in, the mileage is really affected. For the vehicle you're looking at, your discharge rate should be relatively slow, and keep in mind the high voltage battery and the standard 12 V battery are connected, so the battery should take a long to discharge. I would think if you drove it once every other week you won't have a problem.
There a virtually no differences between FEH and MMH except for trim. Exactly the same powerplant and drive train, and same options on the inside. I would certainly ask for a Carfax report and if you're serious, set up an appointment at another dealer who has a hybrid-trained technician and give it a once over.
In my opinion, It's hard to make a case for a hybrid with gas prices 12 years. But I think that in 18 months, gas prices will be back over $2.50 a gallon and you can make the case for using a hybrid. A really good case when the price goes over $3.50/gallon.
I personally would wait. A lot of really good technology should be out in 2 years - much better batteries, extending the range, and better, more efficient engines that can extend the basic mileage.
Cheers
Thanks again.
Well my new Mariner is crap. Poorly appointed for all the money spent on it and since the day I got it it has some sort of transmission problem that cant be rectified. This vehicle sucks the big one I hate it = piece of crap so dont buy one. I wish I had never agreed to stop at the dealership. I should divorce my wife out of spite for making me buy this P.O.S.