kramf411

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! 🦃

Stay safe and good luck! 🍻

I also sent an email to the service manager and called the dealership immediately. But being a weekend, the service manager is not there neither was the service advisor who handled my recall.

I had several service issues with this dealership so am I bit wary of bringing my vehicle for service there. The service manager is very accommodating though - it is the people who perform the job they are supposed to be an expert that I have mixed feelings.
 
Any wild guess what would have happened if I hadn't found out? I will ask Ford.
 
Happy Weekend and Thanks for replying.

You are correct about it being upside down, too. I already flipped it before I sent the update here. That part is now tight and not moving at all.

Repair / brake hose replacement is complete for my vehicle.

I don't know how they pull, if/when I try the extra cut buffing I'll just mask the piece and do it on the car. The masking is just to avoid any unplanned buffing elsewhere, as the compound overspray just cleans up with a warm bucket of water and soft bath towel. FWIW, only the passenger side piece on my car has this problem, so it would appear it's caused by poor practices/worksmanship. 😞 

My side pieces look like yours, eventually I'll tape 'em off and see how they buff out with some extra cut buffing compound (I have experience in working with gelcoated fiberglass and hard plastics) wetsanding with 1500 if required. If not happy with the results, I'll just drop them off at a body shop for gloss black base/clearcoat paint.

HI kramf. Well...sorry you had to have a problem and pay that amount. But at least now I know my math skills have not deteriorated quite as much as I thought. ??
 
Good luck.

The latest ticket shows a labor rate of $155/hr

Guess what?
I will be bringing the vehicle back tomorrow. I believe I'm still loosing coolant "somewhere". When I reported the burning smell once I got my vehicle, I checked the coolant reservoir to be way below the minimum level. I checked it again after it was parked overnight and found it at the same level. I added coolant today (between min and max level) before going for a 6-mile trip. Immediately upon return, I checked it again - coolant is way below the min level. I'm writing this 3 hours after that trip and the coolant is on the same level.
I did not see any liquid dripping unlike before the service but I do see a wet spot - attached picture.

Hi gang. Just some off the top of the head math here ( not necessarily my strong point...lol):
 
Since the parts are itemized, I would assume (perhaps wrongly...lol) that the $542.50 line item is the labor.
 
So my wild guess is the labor hours were 3.5, since that would come to an even ($155 per hr). Or perhaps 4 hours, at $138.125? or something in that 3.5 to 4.5 area? 
 
Just hypothesizing here...lol
 
Good luck! ?

HI kramf. Happy to hear you have your car back, and hope that takes care of the issue.
 
Keep us updated and good luck.

Dealership called informing me of a bad radiator hose where the coolant is coming out from. ~$690 out of the door.

Only Ford vehicles that are still under the original 4 years warranty (extended warranties do not apply) can get labor covered. All 2018 and late 2017 made Lincoln vehicles had already moved to 4G. There are lots of Ford vehicles that used 3G that are still under the 4 year warranty though. 

I contacted Lincoln to find this information. I wanted to upgrade to a 4G modem anyway as it offers the tire pressure monitors that give the exact PSI and the app just all around works better.

Dealer cost of the 4G upgrade kit is $267 and from what I read you MUST pay for the part in advance the labor is free if when you place the order its still working and then the 4G modem will give you a 4 to 5 year trial. Inuse it all the time to make detailed notations when something is fixed under warranty. Because when the dealer posts the repair it's vague. It's nice to have a digital detailed service history on the vehicle. I've also heard that different dealers are charging different prices. That's what I read on a different forum they advised to call around not sure how that works since the dealer will need the 3g modem back as a core not sure why. My dealer has made a ton of money off my car for repairs $4,000 in parts my cost plus labor maybe they will cut me a deal we shall see.

Merry Christmas everyone.

I believe Ford has a customer satisfaction program (21B09) covering the upgrade.  Labor is covered, parts are not.  The 4G modem is $300+.  This reminds me of when the original GM Onstar units became useless after analog networks were phased out.

Update. Put 11.3k miles on the 2 Vredestein front tires, just took them and the last 2 OEM Mich. XMX4 ones to change over to the winter wheels & Blizzaks. FWIW, the Vreds look virtually new, and at 35k miles, the OEM are close enough to the wear bars that I'm just going to wait and order two more Vreds in the Spring to be mounted prior to the snows coming off. Loved the Vreds, handled great in wet or dry but unlike the OEM Mich, didn't wear out like pencil erasers. The 2 Vreds went on to replace the 2 worst OEMs, and now the other two are done. Car is set up perfect-wear was even on all four tires, running the door sticker 38psi cold.
Just clarifying, the car has 35k miles on it, as do two of the OEM tires. The other two OEM were near enough the tread bars at 20k miles that they would have been useless in any bit of snow and not lasted the winter, anyway. That was last Fall, so I made the call to do Blizzaks all around, on their own wheels. I like changing mounted sets of tires on my vehicles, as it gives me a chance to give each corner of the car a good look for fluid leaks and general wear, road hazard damage, etc. That said, I don't want to fire up the furnace in the garage and do that inside compared to a warm driveway session on a sunny Fall day.  

For any viewers curious or interested, Bosch/FoMoCo p/n 0280142519 is what is on the car, very obvious and visible in your face kind of thing once the plastic engine cover is removed. 
However, most auto parts sites and searches for parts by year, make, and model etc DO NOT show the correct part. this includes Autozone and Advanced Auto Parts. They show and provide the wrong part which is why I struggled to find where it was located. 

There's a link to an explanation of pothole mitigation 4 posts above.

I guess this is somehow similar to the tire pressure monitor. All 2018+ displays them but only says "Monitoring" on the 2017 models.
 

Sounds like you should have bought a Honda Civic if your after that awesome 4 cylinder fart can sound.  As already noted, the MKZ is a luxury car, not a tuner.  You will reduce the resale value with all your mods.  Potential buyers will quickly recognize that a teenage driver owned the car....no bueno, when the see the fart can exhaust, CAÍ and vinyl wrap. ?.  It’s your car though so tear it up.  Detroit is making new ones every day.

Hi jivedaddy. I'll answer your questions best as I can.
 
1- I purchased the same console tray that" kramf411" linked to above (but from a different seller at a lower cost at the time). If I need to charge my phone while driving (don't often need to), I usually place the phone in that new center console tray (and close the console lid).
You can also place the phone in the open...sitting flat across the open cup-holder area, facing up, charging port to the rear of the car if needing to charge.
Or you can place the phone sideways down in the cup-holders, charging port facing the rear, if needing to charge. In any of those positions, I can easily pick up the phone without it being "upside down", if I needed to, whether plugged in or not. Either way, the phone is not "upside down" if/when I pick it up.
I would only add/ask...How often do you actually need to physically pick up the phone while driving, since once in the car, the phone automatically connects to SYNC for phone calls, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto etc.?
 
2- In my case, I usually simply keep the keyfob in my pocket. I guess if I had to take it out of my pocket, I would place it in the cup-holder, or in the center console on the aforementioned aftermarket center console storage tray (or the smaller factory one, which you seem to be missing), or the "ashtray".
On that related note: It sounds as though the previous owner kept the small, removable factory center console storage tray that came with our cars when new? Placing it in that tray would keep the keyfob from becoming "lost" in the center console. If that is the case, I would highly recommend you purchase the aftermarket storage tray which kramf411 linked to, and myself/others purchased. It will solve a lot of your issues.
 
If you decide to purchase one, find a seller that includes the "MKZ" monogrammed rubber mats. It looks nicer (in my opinion). When I look at the link for the seller I purchased from, it seems the rubber mats no longer have the "MKZ" logo: https://www.ebay.com/itm/223087148663
 
3- Not sure if anyone has gone through the trouble of removing the center console in order to drill a hole in the bottom of the small front storage bin, run a USB cable etc.
In my opinion (and it is only my opinion), that seems like a lot of work (and possible broken/scratched trim, future creaks/rattles etc.) to avoid a tiny issue.
 
Let us know how you make out and good luck with whatever you decide to do.
 
PS- Here is quick Google for the aftermarket center console storage tray that kramf411 mentioned and purchased: https://www.google.com/search?q=Lincoln+MKZ+center+console+tray&client=firefox-b-1-d&source=lnms&tbm=shop&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj_w8CejOrwAhVoc98KHUhKCEUQ_AUoAXoECAEQAw&biw=1920&bih=1005
 
Here is the small center console storage tray that should have come with your car: https://www.getoemparts.com/oem-parts/ford-storage-tray-dp5z5413546aa?origin=pla&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI3ZyKwozq8AIVi5yzCh1p7wyNEAQYAiABEgKTH_D_BwE
 
 

How about this?
 

Ahhhhahaha... it told me I had to talk to one of them.... NOT

Hi gang. It's the time of year when some of us will be dealing with bent or damaged wheels, especially at the tail end of a rough winter for many of us. So, not being sure if everyone knows that wheels can be straightened/repaired, I figured I would begin a new thread, instead of hijacking another.
 
Instead of paying a bundle to replace a factory wheel or replace all four wheels with aftermarket wheels, it is possible, in many/most instances, to have a bent and/or cosmetically damaged wheel straightened/refinished.
 
Essentially, If you Google "Automotive wheel repair in my area" most of us should be able to get at least a short list of wheel repair companies and specialists in your own area.
 
How do I know this...you may ask? ? I just had a bent 19" wheel on my sisters car straightened for her (humongous pothole and also flat tire).
 
Now, there are obvious re-straightening/repair limitations as to where the damage is and how much. For example, the first question I was asked by all three companies I called was "Is the visible bend on the outside (visible face) or the inside (suspension side) of the wheel." In my sister's case, it was on the inside. Once I told them that, they all said "Sure, it should be able to be straightened". Also, in her case it was not what I (a non-expert) would consider to be a significant bend (in the grand scheme of bent wheels). It was probably enough to feel when driving, but not as bad as many of the "Before/After" display photos the companies showed on their websites.
 
Anyway, the price quotes I received to straighten a wheel ranged from $85-$125. And one of the companies will actually come out to your home, business etc., remove the wheel, straighten it onsite in their fully equipped double trailer, then reinstall the wheel etc
Being very picky about my own car, impact wrenches etc., I decided to reinstall her wheel myself afterwards (the spare was already on). After all, it is my sister. ?
The wheel was road force balanced with a new tire and actually had less balance weights on it after the straightening than before. ?
 
A new factory wheel for her car would have run ~$800. And that was after me negotiating the price down from the ~$944 list price from several Ford Dealers I called the day after the accident (a Saturday). I also called 3 different wheel repair companies that same day (knowing they were closed). They all called me back on Monday.
 
For those unlucky enough to hit a pothole and bend a wheel, $85-$125 is much better than $400-$500...$800-$900 etc for a new wheel.
 
The company I used is a national franchise that will come to your location to repair the wheel. So if anyone has been unlucky and is interested, I can give them the company name and you can Google to see if they have a franchise in your location. I can vouch for the franchise owner/tech who did my work (in NJ), and would hope all their franchise owners would be as good.
 
Otherwise, just Google "Automotive wheel repair in my area", as mentioned above.
 
As an additional FYI: I asked about the procedure for cosmetic wheel repair (curb rash et.), and was told that repairing curb rash or other cosmetically damaged wheels usually requires them having the wheel for at least 24 hours for a full and proper repair, refinishing, repainting etc. I can't quote any pricing for that, as I did not ask and assume cosmetic repair pricing will depend on the amount of work necessary,
 
Hope this helps anyone who may bend or damage a wheel and did not know they can be repaired. May possibly save you a lot of money.
 
Feel free to ask any questions and good luck.