Fifty150

High 5. Are you in Norte Califas? The Central Valley? Or The SouthLAnd?

I am in "big city" traffic. The kind of traffic that does not move. Even with a green light, the intersection is already gridlocked. Or the light turns green, and only 3 cars make it across, which means that I only get to advance 3 car lengths. It could take 5 or 10 minutes to go a few blocks. It takes about an hour to get across town, and only travel 7 miles. The 3 - 5 miles of freeway that I drive on never gets to freeway speed. Most of The U.S.A. never sees this kind of traffic, unless they are watching a movie. On top of that, "most expensive fuel in the nation" California gas is a strange blend of "better for the environment exhaust", and "good for the environment ethanol". https://www.arb.ca.gov/fuels/gasoline/gasoline.htm The California reformulated gasoline program set stringent standards for California gasoline that produced cost-effective emission reductions from gasoline-powered vehicles. The CaRFG program was implemented in three phases. Phase 1, which was implemented in 1991, eliminated lead from gasoline and set regulations for deposit control additives and reid vapor pressure (RVP). Phase 2 CaRFG (CaRFG2) set specifications for sulfur, aromatics, oxygen, benzene, T50, T90, Olefins, and RVP and established a Predictive Model. Phase 3 CaRFG (CaRFG3) eliminated methyl-tertiary-butyl-ether from California gasoline.

Report this to your dealership immediately. Since there actually was a recall, it could work in your favor. Dealers can perform an "after warranty adjustment", or avail themselves to some sort of other program to help you. Start taking notes, which you may need later if it goes that far, on the date & time of your failure, who you speak to at the dealership level and on which date and time, ask for everything in writing (in case you need it for evidence later on), and do not take "no" for an answer. If someone says no, ask to escalate the issue higher up on the food chain. Start inquiring with class action, consumer advocate attorneys. Clearly, this issue is not something that the vehicle buyer is at fault. How many other cars, with similar sliding doors and latches, do not experience this type of failure? Since there is already a recall, speak to the NHTSA about your particular situation. http://www2.dealersedge.com/ME2/Sites/dirmod.asp?sid=0EA07745106C4076847B5C35C1AAEF2B&amp;nm=<BR>Advanced+Search&amp;type=Publishing&amp;mod=Publications%3A%3AArticle&amp;mid=B502EFAB5C2C4AB5BDB4C5E749BA3B2A&amp;tier=4&amp;id=F0B82731FB5347B8876E5C0411C3D4B9&amp;SiteId=8FE37FB59D10488FB91B2D037740333E Issue Date: Warranty Administrator for Ford Dealers Oct 2008, Posted On: 9/30/2008 Ford changes the rules and the goals of providing after-warranty policy adjustments In corporate-speak alphabet soup: AWA (After Warranty Assistance) gives way to CLP (Customer Loyalty Program) and LTC (Long Term Value). Beginning this month, Ford is implementing a new customer satisfaction tool they are calling Customer Loyalty Program (CLP) that will replace the longstanding After-Warranty Assistance (AWA) program. More than just a new name, Ford is also launching a new tool to assist you in making AWA, or now CLP, decisions. A customer scoring system they call Long Term Value (LTV), gives dealership service managers an easy-to-read number that is predictive of a customer's value to both the dealership and to Ford. Getting back to the true intention of the AWA, Ford is looking for improved owner loyalty. Dollars spent today on CLP applications should help create or maintain a customer for tomorrow. The new system helps to make sure that our decisions are based on potential customer loyalty out into the future. The customer's LTV score ranges from 0 - 99, and is based on customers who: Purchased or leased multiple new Ford vehicles and products during the past 10 years. Financed their purchase with Ford Motor Credit during the past 10 years. Will likely purchase or lease more new Ford vehicles in the future. Will likely finance a new Ford vehicle with Ford Motor Credit in the future. The score can be found on the customer's CuDL screen. The new CLP process does extend the limits on certain decisions and makes them uniform for all dealers to the following limits: 6 years / 100,000 miles (Ford / Mercury) 7 years / 100,000 miles (Lincoln) 6 years / 150,000 miles (Ford Diesel Engines, Ford GT, LCF & F650/750) With the new process comes a new program code, P18, that must be used for all claims in which a CLP decision was made. While Ford provides generous dealer authorization limits, they also provide a dealer-specific CLP budget. You can find your dealership's budget on FMCDealer.com on the same screen where you look up your 126 and GWMS reports. Based on the dealerships I have reviewed, your budget for the rest of the year is likely to be slightly above what you have spent on AWA for the past six months. First the stick - now the carrot Here is where the program radically differs from the AWA of the past. If your dealership does not spend its budget, the dealership will be credited one-third of the unused budget. It appears that the average dealership will be budgeted about $5,000. While some may be tempted to spend nothing and get $1,666.50 back at the end of the year, they will only hurt themselves. Not only will they leave a number of upset customers in their wake, but they would get almost nothing for the next budget period, since budgets are based on how much you spend. On the other hand, some may be tempted to think, "why not spend every dime of your allocation and then some?" The problem there is the way the program works you can only do two incremental claims beyond your budget and they will only pay 33 percent of the claim total in those cases. This would be in line with the typical goodwill practice where Ford paid a third, the customer paid a third and the dealer paid a third. An additional stipulation is that all CLP claims require a Customer Notification Form. Ford has been looking for way to combat after-the-fact AWA applications for a couple of years now, and they want to be sure that customers are well aware that they are benefiting from a goodwill decision. Also note- you only have 30 days to submit a CLP claim rather than the past submission limit of 90 or 120 days depending on your authorization level.

It sounds like the second dealer is doing a better job, and that is where I would bring my vehicle back to for further service. And since they know of your PCM issue, they could probably do a better job with keeping an eye on it for you. Rewind this back. I've never heard of something like that. A car dealer took the OEM battery out, and replaced it with another battery, prior to selling you the car. Why? Was this something that they did prior to selling the car to you? That sounds fraudulent. There is absolutely no reason to replace an OEM anything, with something else, then sell the car. Are they taking your Motorcraft battery to resell as new to another customer? Are they selling you a new car, with a low quality battery? If you are buying a new car, you have every expectation to receive a new car as it was built at the factory. What other parts are they stripping from their new cars? Check your tires. Are those OEM tires, or $40 tires from China?

The City of Oakland, on the other side of The Bridge & Tunnel, uses Transit Connects.

Where I live, those are police motorcycles.

Ah yes. Back in the days of Ford Vans that nobody bought. Your brother may have the last of the Freestar vans, AND the only one sold in his zip code.

A "dealership" at the flea market does the exact same thing. It is legal. They are a licensed car dealer. Buyer beware is the rule. But in some cases, the buyer has no credit history and no options. Nothing new, since unscrupulous used car dealers have operated for decades with used car lots and fancy TV commercials. Even worse, the buyer knows absolutely nothing about how cars are bought & sold, how the value of a car is determined, or they wouldn't consider buying a car at a flea market. Typical customer is a young person who does not have anyone to guide him/her. Or a recent immigrant. They sell the car based on color, rims, sound system, and wax. Then they charge you whatever they can get out of you each month in payments, and finance you into 72 or 84 payments. So some kid or immigrant ends up paying $500 a month, for a total of $42,000, for a 10 year old Chevy Malibu or Hyundai Sonata with over 100,000 miles. They do the math to show the sale at whatever amount it takes to finance at 20%, so that the number fits into the "negotiated" payment. In some ethnic immigrant communities, there are "car brokers" who operate without inventory or a lot. You meet with them, and they determine what you are willing to pay monthly on finance or lease, get the particulars on make & model of you choice, then source the car and deliver it to you. The buyer is a recent immigrant. The sale is handled much in the same fashion with outrageous finance, and the vehicle being sold for way over Blue Book value. With the brokers, the more common scam is the lease. Once they have determined that you want a black BMW, 3 Series, or some other "luxury " brand, with nice rims, they will source a salvage title, or 10 year old used car with 100,000 miles that another used car dealer couldn't get rid of. Then they lease it to the customer for for $500 or $600 monthly, Imagine buying at auction, a 2005 Mercedes-Benz C-Class C 240 Sedan 4D, with a Kelley Blue Book of $1,086 - $1,777, and cleaning it up real good with a new coat of wax. Then some guy from The Ukraine or Korea is willing to give you $100 a week to drive a shiny Mercedes. In a year, you generate $5,200. But he doesn't even get to buy the car from you. He leases it from you, and whenever he doesn't want that car anymore, you get to sell it off at auction or to another used car lot, and probably recover the $1,000 you paid for it. Not bad for no lot, no inventory, and doing business with a cell phone, meeting your customers at a coffee shop. These guys only need a continuous supply of new immigrants to make a good living. Is this greed? Well, they are not in the non-profit sector. Taking advantage of poor people, with no sophistication in finance, and even less knowledge of things like Kelley Blue Book.....not exactly nice, but not illegal.

When it comes time to lay down and stretch out, The current generation Long Wheel Base may offer you more room.

Ford wants $3 to install a little green tree that smells funny.

The Transit Connect is certainly not a "Shaggin' Wagon". Believe me. I've tried. Bead curtains. 3D posters. Lava lamp. 8 separate tracks of high fidelity sound.

That has changed in a few years. A lot more wagons on the road now. It used to be only commercial vans. What does a 2024 model year look like? Got any pics?

I am only guessing that you pushed the bikes in there by hand. No way you could have driven the bikes up that ramp with a little bit of clutch friction zone. I'm surprised also that you were able to strap the bikes down, and transport them without them tipping over. Kind of hard to tell in the photos where you anchored your ratchet straps. I guess I'm too old and used to doing things the old fashion way. I just don't think I can do that with my Harley. I am used to having a bigger ramp, and actually riding up into a pickup truck bed, where I already have a wheel chock mounted for the front wheel of the bike, and truck bed has anchor points for the tie downs. Now I want to go buy a little sport bike, just so that I can drive around with it in the back of my little van. Maybe one of those little Honda Grom bikes. Those look like a lot of fun.

My visors are fine.........just too darn big and block out half my field of vision.

At the local Acura dealership, they charge for that service. Yes! Honda owners will pay the dealership to "install" a little bottle of Techron.

Mine popped right out after removing the torx screws. It is kind of fitted with the lamp housing assembly. But should pull right out once you remove the screws. With the price of fuel being what it is, and me getting only 18 MPG with California fuel, I probably can't afford it.

Sometimes dealers will offer an inspection report. Other times, dealers will simply announce that they inspected the vehicle. Some guys insist that the seller allow you to have your own mechanic inspect it. If you are competent, you can lift the hood and kick the tires yourself. But with used cars, there is always the chance that an issue will arise that nobody saw during the inspection, or that an unscrupulous person is hiding. Then there are things that you just can't see. You'll never know the condition of the timing belt or chain. You can check the fluids, but you won't be able to see what the inside of the engine or transmission looks like. I know someone who ran into a fire hydrant. High pressure water sprayed up into the engine compartment for over an hour. The car was flooded. After draining and airing out all of the mechanical parts, then replacing a whole bunch of parts, a shop got it to start and run again. But it never ran the same again. Then there were "phantom" issues with the BCM, ECM, and TCM. When the car's computer gets wet, even if you replace a module, there is corrosion in the contacts. Climate control would switch between heat & AC, lights flickered, turn signals activated randomly, high beams sometimes worked, you get the picture. Engine would occasionally bog down, misfire, randomly idle higher, et cetera. The car became "haunted". All in all, it became a piece of garbage. It was less than a year old. $100 worth of detailing, and the car looked great. Traded it in. Dealership tech looked it over, and it looked good. Everything on it was clean. We saw it on the used side of the lot for about 6 weeks. Next thing you know, someone else bought it, and by now, they are probably wondering how a next to new used car can be such a piece of junk.

A guy I know said that when he got married, he felt like the luckiest guy on earth. When he got divorced, he got lucky twice.

I would like to see a photo of 2 bikes & gear in the back of a Transit Connect.

On the surface, it's a bolt on operation. Seems like you guys should be able to swap with hand tools.

$200? I don't see spending that much on a Harbor Freight set, just to get one piece. I hate buying open stock tools because I know it's cheaper to buy a set. But then again, I've bought a lot of open stock tools, because I didn't want to spend more on a set, when I only needed 1 piece.

Sorry you had to use that for dump runs. I know guys who have flatbed trucks just for dump runs.

I'm sorry.

That all depends on what you can live without. I have a button on my dash for heating up the mirror mounted on my door. It never gets that cold here, that I need it. I now other guys who bought cars with engine block heaters, and they never use them either. I am living without leather seats. I am living without the top of the line stereo. I am living without the tow package. I did not get the OEM bumper insert cornering fog lights. I am living without the glass roof.

If you think that a used car will satisfy you, try searching with CarMax. I think buying used cars online is challenging at best. But it is an option. Just to see what is available and where the pricing is.