Sea Warrior

Incidentally since this topic has been about the tail lights including the right/ left turn signal lights, I never actually had a reason to inspect them so closely up until this incidence occurred.

The tail lights have always been a mystery. Every single time the vehicle is washed, some soap bubbles will collect at the bottom of the entire light assembly. 

Looking closely at the left turn signal up at the top, there are two 3/4" long slots can be seen exposed where the plastic lens doesn't cover these slots. The gap is approx just under 1/16". This has to be the area where water / soap easily enters inside the lens and settles at the bottom.

But the right turn signal and center tail light doesnt have the same exposed 1/16" gap and soap bubbles still collect inside at the bottom of the lens tail light assembly.

The gap at the top on the center tail light is so tight you can't see where  water could enter. I'm not a Ford design engineer, but to design slots that were to allow water to enter into these tiny gaps at the top for whatever reason seems like there's no other place for water to go but inside the plastic lens coverings. is this ....  I don't know, dumb?

Or perhaps I'm just the only one who had tail lights assembled this way at the factory

14 hours ago, bbf2530 said:

 

 

 

Hi Sea Warrior. No problem at all. I have recommended some Meguiar's products that I use, mostly waxes and leather care products. But I've never used that headlight product.

 

Again, my opinion would be: Meguiar's are the experts and make the product, so if it were me, I would call Meguiar's and ask them what they recommend as the best way to remove the product.

 

Let us know how you make out and good luck.

Well, I contacted Meguir Support and explained what happened and that I needed to remove the coating from the taillights.

I was told that ISA was the only way.

I told the gentleman from Meguir that I had already used isopropyl alcohol without success. He then asked what percent of IPA solution I used. 

The gentleman said that 70% wasn't strong enough to do the job and that I needed to use 91%.IPA. He said it'll take patience to remove it but it will come off

I was able to remove most with the 91% solution. 

I was thinking all the while that I was probably also removing the factory coating as well. I'm sure that I more than likely did

IMO, the best analogy that I can think of to describe the difficulty level for removing it, think cyanoacrylate, aka crazy glue 

G17804 Keep Clear Headlight Coating may or may not protect the plastic from harmful UV rays. . .who knows.

If I had known what I know now, I would've put this stuff back down on the shelf and picked up a good protective UV wax.           

I found the thread where someone mentioned Meguir's Keep Clear Headlight Coating. It wasn't on lincolnmkzforum.com. I mistakenly confused this forum with LincolnForums.com, which I'm not a member.

It's a longshot that @enigma-2 who posted about the Meguirs product is also a member here too. But FWIW perhaps the member is a member  and could share how to remove the product off of the tail light

Thanks

I had thought I read on some other post that you had used this before. I obviously had mistaken you with someone else. Sorry

The alcohol applied after the sun had been hitting the tail lights for a couple hours was obviously a mistake

The coating has been on ~ 5 1/2 hours (as of this writing).   The can says it takes 24 hrs to fully cure

Is @bbf2530 familiar with this coating and how to remove the stuff before it becomes super difficult to remove? 

I read the can's instructions carefully. It states to tape off all around the headlights. It also says that if overspray occurs, remove with isopropyl ( rubbing alcohol).

Fine.

It came down to a matter of believing if rubbing alcohol would remove the over spray or not ... Or very carefully apply the coating sprayed onto a microfiber cloth. So I chose the latter method.

The headlights turned out fine. 24 hours later I decided to apply the same way to the tail light area.

It was all done in the garage as the instructions recommend.

After about 2-1/2 hours when applying on the tail lights, the sun reached the vehicle. I noticed it showed (streaks) in some spots. So because it hadn't fully cured after 24 hours, I followed the mfg's instructions by applying rubbing alcohol with a microfiber across the entire tail light assy.

Holy ****  The entire tail light immediately became super cloudy !

How do you remove this stuff? 

I read a Meguir's rep response from another customer asking the same question and he said to use rubbing alcohol and which may require a lot of alcohol to remove it, but eventually it'll come off.

There is no way alcohol works.  

How do you get this stuff off ?

17 hours ago, bbf2530 said:

 

Hi Sea Warrior. First, if your MKZ does not need XL load tires, check to see if there is a standard load capacity version of the A/S 4. It would be listed separately in the list of applicable tires. If you have standard load Primacy MXM-4' on your MKZ, I assume you have the 2.0L engine?

 

Next...My car handled and rode better with the A/S 3's and 3+'s, as I mentioned in my previous reply.  No change in mpg's.  Now, part of the better ride could simply be due to the new tires, versus the older/worn tires which had ~53,000 miles on them.

 

Also keep in mind I installed the A/S 3 and A/S 3+ on my older, 2007 MKZ. I believe the 2017-2018+ , 3.0L AWD MKZ's simply had XL tires in order to handle the extra power/torque of the 3.0L engine, and perhaps also the slightly higher weight of the 3.0L AWD version.

 

Feel free to ask any other questions you may have, keep us updated and good luck.

My MKZ doesn't require XL tires. I have a 2.0L engine.

Standard load tires does reduce the number of selections to choose from  

Michelin only makes two All Season's standard load tires in 245/40R19 - neither of which Tirerack ranks in the highest categories.

The choices are the Primacy Tour A/S and the Primacy XMX4

According to Michelin's site the Pilot Sport A/S 4 is only available in XL.

Their site does return the Pilot 4 as an "alternative" tire when I enter my model and trim.     

I don't see a necessity to limit all choices to SL tires and not consider replacements where there are better A/S tires available in XL

My guess is the only thing perhaps I might notice with XL tires is a difference in tire control, feel of the road. . . while driving by myself ?                

By the way, with 4/32" remaining on the Primacy's,  I could probably ride on these until October when manufacturers typically have better offers   

I was wondering if you could briefly share a couple words on one last concern

i should've asked earlier, my apologies

it has to do with the load capacities, e.g, changing from Standard load and Extra load

Did the car, tire control, and feel of the road become different when you changed from the OE factory Michelin's ?

I still have all four OE Primacy MXM4 tires on the car which have a standard load capacity

Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3 and Pilot Sport A/S 3+ both have extra load capacity (same with the Continental DWS 06 plus)  

With the reinforced structure in the XL tires, its a feature you would think was an added bonus. i just wonder what tradeoff goes with it (other than maybe slightly lower fuel efficiency)    

Thank you bbf2530 for sharing your personal experiences with the Michelin UHP tires 

I think its important getting personal experience feedback on treadlife. I mean who wants to pay the prices for tires these days only to sadly learn the tread had worn down fast

Between the Pilot Sport A/S 4 and Continental DWS 06 Plus,  I think TireRack's test results do show somewhat of an edge in many categories that went to the Pilot Sport 4 when including the Conti DWS 06 Plus in the test results by comparison.

Both are excellent UHP A/S tires and

after reading through TireRack's write ups in the test results, I'm guessing it's probably so very close to distinguish which tire outranks the other in categories which matter most to a driver, that many drivers wouldn't be able to even tell which tire they were driving if the two were conducted under blind tests, IMO.

Perhaps I passed over the test results  comparing the Vredestein Hypertrac All Season with my two choices. Or maybe they never compared the Vredestein tire with the Pilot Sport 4 and DWS 06 Plus. Nevertheless, the two choices I think are fine

I also want to thank you for clarifying what the "miles reported" in the Ratings Charts means. Maybe I'm just getting old, but I would've never thought that it meant a compilation of all drivers who reviewed particular tires. I wasn't even close in my guess of what it meant

Having spent days reading through most (not all) of TireRack's Test Results with the amount of time I could afford, it seemed that I had narrowed the choices down to two.
Then after reading TireRack's ratings charts for UHP All season tires, it looked like those choices were in align pretty much according to the categories.

The choices that I narrowed down based on the criteria across different categories and tests were: 

Michilin Pilot Sport All Season 4

Continental Extreme Contact  DWS 06 Plus  

What's not obvious to me is what the data means regarding the miles reported in the Ratings Charts. Perhaps someone could help clarify what they're referring to. 

For instance, the Conti Extreme Contact DWS 06 Plus has a miles reported of 4.4M. What does the data for miles reported mean ? What is 4.4M ? 

Or for that matter, the VRedestein Hypertrac All Season has a miles reported of 641K. What does that mean ?       

The last thing that didn't make sense is the Decision Guide. It returned three recommendations. All I did was enter Lincoln, make, model, tire size and All Season. (no priorities were selected for my level of importance).

The decision guide recommended  - Vredestein Quatrac Pro, Pirelli P7 AS Plus 3, and Continental Pure Contact LS.

Where do they come up with these and based on what ? I know Conti makes a 245/40ZR/19 Extreme Contact DWS 06 Plus.  I can't imagine why this tire or the Michilin Pilot Sport A/S 4 wouldn't be among their three recommendations. 

Unless I'm totally unaware of some ground breaking new development in the tire testing industry, what testers do not do nor will they provide to the consumer public is the speed of tread wear.  

Perhaps some owners on this forum have had one of the two of my tire choices installed on their MKZ within a year or so and could share how well the tread is (or isn't) holding up  

On 4/13/2022 at 9:55 PM, 17MKZ3.0TT said:

I'm starting to wonder if the Motorcraft batteries are less than stellar. On my 2017 3.0T, I had the battery fail (shorted plate, according to the 3 hr. test) under warranty around 16~17 months ago. My booster box wouldn't get it going but my old reliable Sear charger/starter set to stun for 30 seconds let it crank and the charging system brought the system voltage above the 13v point right away so I made an appointment & drove it to the dealer right away and got a ride back home. Replaced under warranty and all was fine until my "report card" after the dealership oil change said, (rpl. battery immediately). I pointed out how new it was as and accepted the car as is. Short story, I've put the battery on a 4A max charger/maintainer with an automatic high-freq. mode 3 times, and it's calling "fully charged" at 12.9V instead of the usual 13.3~13.4v I get with my other cars & a spare deep cycle RV one. Going to let them rpl. it with whatever battery pro-rated warranty it still has (car out of warranty now) and eat the labor, I guess. Like 6 of the 7 Dwarfs, I am not Happy.

Yep, I told my dealer "the replacement battery isn't even a year old... has to be the recent short trips I've been doing".  I still get the messages every now and then. Don't know how my 1 yr old  battery could be the reason though when my driving distances have returned back to how I've always driven.       

11 hours ago, scn101 said:

The other day my 2019 MKZh "texted" me via the Lincoln app that my vehicle went into a low power mode while I was at the gym and shut down its remote app start/unlock.  I've not been driving it much, and when I do, the trips are often short.  I charged the battery when I got home and no issues since.

 

One thing to keep in mind if you're going to charge the battery.  The BMS, battery management system, keeps track of the amount of charge going in and out of the battery and does this via a current probe on the negative battery clamp.  So when you attach a battery charger you attach the positive clamp to the battery's + terminal and the negative clamp to a ground point (on my hybrid the battery is in the trunk and there are several ground straps I can attach to).  This way the BMS sees the charge entering the battery and won't try to overcharge it later.

The dealer lent me their battery charger last year. I had it for about 4-5 days before I could get scheduled in for the replacement. Thanks though, their mechanic showed me. I wonder what dealers charge for a charge ?   

Quote

 

Hi Leftoverture, sounds like your right. I don't make a habit of short trips, but this week, it just happened to turn out to be the case. I made maybe four 1 mile trips (one per day) without ever driving it anywhere else on two of those days. The other days were pretty average 15 -20 miles / day 

I cancelled the dealer appointment for now. I don't see any reason for testing right now. Next week will be different and going forward will be too. It was just seeing that message that threw me off little . . after I dealt with it last year before the battery died.   

I'm guessing if the dealer had tested it today, they would've likely found nothing. Then the next words I would've heard is: The total for today will be ...."

It was the dealer I called who said this indicates a low charge.

So what do I know. 

As far as driving variables, I drive it every day.  But driving distances have been short thoughout the time I owned it. I'd say a weekly average is maybe 90 -120 miles.  I'll drive farther some days that'll add 50 mi / week or so. A conservative estimate, maybe 140 -170/wk

Are you saying dealers charge for the test either way even if its a bad 1 year old battery they installed ? 

If so, I'm heading to the Lincoln Owner or Dealer sites to look for coupons 

[EDIT] The new Vehicle Warranty expired already this year
  

Either the quality of Motorcraft replacement batteries are slipping or I'm unlucky.

I jumped in the car for a short ride to the post office today and I see the message " Battery Off to conserve power", or something or other.

The last time a message like that appeared was last Spring right before the OEM battery completly died. I posted last April on this forum a concern about Motorcraft on this thread:  "Battery issue after vehicle sat in shop for so long" 

So practically a brand new Motorcraft BXT-94RH7-730 that the dealer put in (11 months) ago is already starting to give up the ghost.

It'll undoubtedly be covered by the battery warranty. But the dealer said they have to follow a testing protocol of some sort putting it through a (3 hour) long test. Then they can write the death certificate ... replace the battery under warranty ... and return my car

Not knowing if I would have enough juice tomorrow to turn over the engine to take it to the dealer, I drove around for 50 minutes.

With gas at $4.30 / gal,  it couldn't suck any more right now at the start of the weekend

drolds1. This might sound silly to people who are more observant than I am.  But I just don't pay attention to the bottom of the seat back when I j get in and out of the car.   I jump in and out without looking there. The light pink on cappucino tan wasn't noticed until I parked it on the driveway to clean and condition the leather on a bright day (around 5 weeks after they had the vehicle). . . Pretty difficult to argue a case after that much time elapsed. 

@bbf2530 and @drolds1,

Well, I didnt have the success that I wished and hoped for after trying to remove the red dye from the driver side seat back. I'm afraid that I've removed all that can be removed. There's still a pretty good portion of the dye that can't be removed. It's too set in. 

So whenever it begins to bother me, I'm just going to block it from my mind.

Thank you both for all the suggestions and responses. They were really appreciated. 

 My apologies drolds1

Actually, I did do a search under the Interior forum prior to posting. I think I recall searching posts as far back as 2019. I don't know how I missed the one you included.

From my own personal experience using Leather Master's cleaner and conditioner (not on auto leather) but on several leather sofa's, was that their cleaner dried out the leather on one sofa after approx 2 -1/2 years.  When a leather re-storer came to repair the cracking, I was told to only use Leather Master cleaning and conditioning products going forward.  What he couldn't answer when I told him that's all I ever used, was why the same problem didn't occur on a different leather piece of furniture.        

Many Thanks bbf2530.

I forgot to mention the seat color is light tan (Cappucino ). The general consensus on various sites say that the dye probably would've came off more easily if it had been addressed right after it happened. Now that the dye is set in, I'm expecting more of a challenge.

The product I already tried that I had on hand was Pinnacle leather and vinyl cleaner. I ever so gently rubbed for two long intervals with a microfiber being very mindful of not removing the protective micro coating. The product did nothing to remove any dye.    

I'll try your suggestion of Meguirs (all-in-one product) followed by Tanner's Preserve Automotive leather cleaner and Tanner leather conditioner. 

I'm skeptical about the Leather Master product though. Its primarily marketed for leather furniture. So I think I'll keep your advice and look for products specifically stating as being safe for micro coated car leather.

10 hours ago, bbf2530 said:

I use Meguiar's Automotive Leather Cleaner/Conditioner (an all-in-one product). And also use Tanners Preserve Automotive Leather Cleaner and Tanners Preserve Leather Conditioner. Never had any issues removing dye transfer, regular old dirt, etc., from my leather seats

 

10 hours ago, bbf2530 said:

 

I typically clean and re-condition the leather seats about every 6 weeks when I wash and wax.

I took the car into the dealer for a state inspection five weeks ago. I finishing detailing the vehicle a week before taking it in.

I just now was about to detail the car again when I noticed a red dye transfer on the seat back of the driver side. I'm the only one who drives the vehicle and since no one else could've caused it, I know it wasn't my shirt because I don't wear red shirts. The mechanic had to have done it.

I went on Autogeek and they mentioned a bunch of different products to use. But the product they list to actually remove the dye transfer is for A & P (Analine plus Pigment) leather. Now I'm not a newbie when it comes to leather but correct me if I'm wrong here that  Bridge of Weir leather in cars do not undergo the same tanning process as leather used in furniture. So I'm also familiar with this product line of leather cleaners and conditioners mentioned on AutoGeek because I'm been using Leather Master on my leather sofa's for years.

Has anyone found any success with Leather Master leather dye transfer cleaner on their MKZ ? I don't care how well it removed a dye transfer on a sofa. I need to be certain that its safe for the seat. If no one's tried this product, what safe product has been tried that won't remove the finish and ruin the seat?   

A few on this thread have commented about the Motorcraft replacements. I know this topic is a matter of personal opinion

Some dealerships might install a replacement sitting around on the shelf where mechanics sometimes don't check to see how old it is.

We regularly go on trips to a pretty remote area where the closest place is so far away that only Goober and Wally work at the nearest fillin' station outside of Mayberry

The battery warranty covered a free replacement. I'm going to still shop around for another battery though. It'll probably sleep better.      

So I had the car taken in to the dealership to have the scheduled battery test.  Someone comes up to me while I'm waiting and said, we replaced the battery. I said, you did what? What did you replace it with?

The guy escorted me to the back where the vehicle was and then started heading away from me like I had the bubonic plague. I said to him as he was storming away, Excuse me, would you mind providing some information ?...like on the warranty, what the CCA and RC is, and if it isn't too much trouble, the date code? 

The last question must've ruffled his feathers and he looked at me like you want to know what?

One pretty cheap $134.95 94R battery replacement job. I figure as long I get 2 - 1/2 yrs out of it, it's all that matters. Let someone else worry about it in 2023.

Thanks Zondedo. I heard about Optima's red tops. I looked at them on Amazon and Auto Zone but they don't fit.

Do you happen to remember a similar brand that might fit a \ MKZ ? 

{EDIT} Have you heard of a brand called Full River?  I only asked because I never heard of them.

They have a series called Full Throttle which is an AGM. The number FT85094R supposedly will fit my Reserve.

After reading more posts, there's a general consensus from people weighing in that 3-4 years is typical for Motorcraft batteries. I have no way of knowing whether or not they disconnected it. I can only make a conjecture based on no warning signs of a low battery ever appearing before it sat for so long.

The backordered parts :

Front & Rear right hub assy

Rear passenger side toe link

F/R passenger side rotor