tgara

I detailed my MKZ this weekend. Pictures are posted in the Gallery. Briefly, the steps were: 1. Wash engine compartment 2. Wash car, including wheels and tires 3. Clay body and wheels 4. Sealant on body and wheels. 5. Clean/Detail interior, including leather seats and door and sunroof seals. 6. Clean/Dress Exterior Trim, Engine compartment, Tires. 7. Glass and exhaust tips. 8. Final wipedown. It took 2 days, but worth it!

I don't know if it is the same if you order it with a new car. I bought mine afterwards, and the P/N was listed on the Lincoln accessories website.

Yes, the black plastic piece that goes from the trunk latch to the floor is soft plastic and is easily damaged by loads. FWIW, I detailed my car this weekend and used Meguiar's #40 to dress that piece. http://www.amazon.com/Meguiars-Mirror-Rubber-Cleaner-Conditioner/dp/B0002SQYV4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1462744145&sr=8-1&keywords=meguiars+%2340 It won't hide deep scratches, but light scuffs are hidden and the piece is now nice and clean and looks pretty much new. It also works really well on the lower black plastic fascia that connects the exhaust tips and license plate mount.

I started a thread about this. See here: http://lincolnmkzforum.com/topic/1397-sync-v38-update-with-siri-eyes-free/ In short, it's a worthwhile upgrade. My experience is that the whole system is a bit faster. And the Siri Eyes Free features make texting and changing streamed music very easy.

UPDATE: I had the upgraded modem installed in my car today. It appears to be working well so far. I dropped off my car at my dealership at about 8 AM. The SA was a different person than the girl I had last week. Talk about clueless, this gal wasn’t even aware that there was a Lincoln app, much less the connectivity features of the car. I explained to her why Lincoln was doing this upgrade and she seemed to understand. The Service Manager (also clueless but a bit less so than the SA) actually brought the new modem in for me to see. Picture of it is below. One of the lot boyz drove me to my office and I waited for the work to be done. I was monitoring my iPhone 6S and the Lincoln Mobile App during the repair. About 2 hours in, the app could not make a connection and was timing out. I surmised that this was due to the old modem being removed during the upgrade. Then, at about noon, I checked the app again and it said Verifying or words to that effect. I checked the Status panel and it was active, and included an Oil Life indicator (had not seen that before!). At about 2 PM there was a message on the App saying it had verified my car and was ready for use. Yay! I returned to the dealership and tested the new modem before leaving. I tried a remote start from my iPhone, and the car started up in about 15 seconds. Engine shut-down took about 5 seconds. This is MUCH faster than the previous modem which would have taken 45-60 seconds for the same task. Locking the car takes about 5 seconds. Updates take only about 15 seconds. The new speed is great, and worthwhile if you have a car with the embedded modem. The new modem is identified as CPPM ESN T57R0081. To see this, on the touchscreen, touch the sprocket at the bottom, then touch Help, then System Information, and go to the second page. I think it’s the last item. And, as luck would have it, just today I received the official letter from Lincoln advising me of the upgrade. Better late than never, I guess.

As stated in the paper I posted, yes, Ford does reimburse the dealership for this service. I think it was just a case of bad information provided to a newbie SA from a lazy tech. The same lazy tech didn't bother to reset my oil service life indicator, too. As I told the SA, everything will be fine if you do it my way. I'm a fair guy and not unreasonable, but the older I get, the less BS I put up with. This was pure BS as the paper shows.

I brought my car in for its 7500 mile service today, and asked about the Modem Replacement (FSA 15N04). Not surprisingly, the (young female) Service Advisor was clueless about it. Anyway, they had to order the part and will call me for installation when it arrives. While I was sitting with the Service Advisor, she pulled up my service records and the modem replacement issue was flagged in yellow. There was also some dealer correspondence about it, a "Customer Satisfaction letter", and I asked her if she could print it for me. She did, and I've attached it here. It provides some additional info about the replacement and why it is being done. The short version is that the cellular network that the modems operate on (2G networks most likely) is being phased out. In order to have the telematics system in the car continue to function, a new modem must be installed that operates on the current networks. One small thing that came up during my visit was that at the end, the SA told me that the Service Techs will only replace the modem if the customer is having issues, and that if the customer is asked and states that they are not having issues, they will not replace the modem. I called BS right then and there. I flat-out told her the Service Tech that told her this is either lying or lazy, or both. The service records on my car is flagging an FSA in bright yellow on the screen, straight from Ford. No where in the documentation does it say to replace the modem only if the customer asks and is having issues. I told her that per the FSA, I wanted the modem replaced, period. She eventually backed down and ordered the part, but this really pissed me off. It wasn't her fault, she was somewhat new and was only repeating what the (fat lying lazy greaseball) service tech told her. So don't let this happen to you. Stand your ground and insist that the modem be replaced. Lie if you have to, but be aware of this and don't take No for an answer. Edit: Bob, regarding your question of the location of the unit, I'm told its in the passenger side kick panel in the footwell. If true, this should be an easy job. FSA 15N04.pdf

I had a gift card from my dealer, so I used part of it to purchase this new Lincoln first aid kit. http://accessories.lincoln.com/catalog/product/view/id/11298/s/kit-first-aid/category/2948/ It's pretty nice, the zippered box is hard plastic with a textured coating and has the Lincoln Star embedded on it. The zipper pull is a Lincoln Star, a nice touch. I added some velcro to the back and attached it to the side of the trunk for easy access.

I was updating my profile at owner.lincoln.com and noticed this new recall notice. It was on the MyLincoln Mobile app on my phone too. FSA Title: EMBEDDED MODEM REPLACEMENT Field Service Action Number: 15N04 From what I've researched, this is a replacement of the 2G modems to an updated model, hopefully 4G. Anyone with a modem-embedded car have this service yet?

Like Joe, my 2015 MKZ has the (standard) Premium Sound system, and it sounds fine to me. In terms of sources, I either listen to Sirius satellite radio, stream music from my iPhone via Bluetooth, or plug the phone into the car directly with a USB cord. All the music sounds essentially the same in the car as it does in the house using various speaker setups. For this reason, I did not spring for the THX II system. Perhaps this particular car you were listening in had a defect? Maybe try listening in another car for comparison?

Looks very sharp! Nice ride!

There were some additional upgrades, including faster and easier pairing, and a more effective auto-reconnect, which apply to all phones, not just the iPhone. Easier destination entry for China was also included, although its likely most of the folks here won't be interested in that. I'm sure additional "under the hood" improvements were made since the version went up a whole point (from 3.7.11 to 3.8). The whole system seems snappier to me with the new update. My recommendation is to install it, regardless of what phone you use.

I installed the Sync 3.8 update in my 2015 Lincoln MKZ over the weekend. I downloaded the update files from the Lincoln Owner portal to a USB stick and ran the Sync update in the car. It went smoothly and took about 20 minutes. I had a bit of a tough time reporting back to Lincoln that the update was successful.... it took a couple of tries, but it finally went through and now shows on my Lincoln Owner page. This update seems to install an entire new Sync system because it goes through several reboots during the update process. After the update, I had to reset a number of settings (ambient lighting color, panel brightness, navigation preferences, etc.) and re-pair my phone. I also had to re-enable the feature that allows texts to be shown and read on the car's screen. I also had to re-load all the extra Sync backgrounds I had uploaded. But after all that, the Siri function works great. Just hold down the Voice button on the steering wheel for about 3 seconds and the Siri voice comes on. From there, you can tell her to compose texts, send emails, add events or reminders to your calendar, change songs, check the weather, get you a beer (well, not that one but you get the idea)... :) I have my iPhone 5S set so that Siri only gives voice feedback when connected to a hands-free device (such as my MKZ). Using Siri on the phone itself gives no voice feedback, which I prefer since it speeds things up. You can access this on your iPhone settings via General --> Siri --> Voice Feedback, then choose "Hands Free Only". So, when I use the Eyes Free system in my car, I get the voice feedback through the car's speakers. I also have the Siri voice set to a British female because, well, she sounds sexy.... :) Anyone else install this Sync update?

Another Star field with larger stars.....

Made another one.... an array of the new Lincoln Star logo on a black background.

Made a few more wallpapers.... Feel free to download and use them.

Geno, could you please post the details of your screen protector, such as the size you ordered, and a link to an order page? Many thanks, I am interested in one of these.

Actually, Pandora was one of a handful of apps that were compatible with Sync Applink. But for some reason, Sync 3 does not use Applink. Go figure. http://help.pandora.com/customer/portal/articles/80708-pandora-and-ford

Don't forget to add a sexy chick to your MLT Home Screen to complete the effect! Here's one I made to get you started....