Got My Replacement Car

[Aikouka]

So, as I noted in my other thread, I was in need of a new car, and I was really eying down a Ford Taurus. Well, last Saturday, I made a fun four-and-a-half hour journey up to Louisville to pick it up.

Front Picture

It's definitely rather different going from the Ford Fusion to this car... and I'm not just talking about the worse gas mileage. It has some silly little features like auto high beams ( I challenge anyone to watch this Ford video on the feature and not come away angered by the first 10 seconds ), which I ended up disabling because I found it enabling high beams in unnecessary situations and not disabling them with oncoming traffic on the other side of the median. Auto-sensing wipers are interesting, and they seem to work alright. This is also my first vehicle with tinted windows, which I never really thought much about in the past, but I kind of like it. Although, everyone tells me that my car was probably owned by some drug runner! :biggrin: There are also a lot of small things that I like about the car such as the position of the turn signal indicator on the dash. The steering wheel kept obfuscating them on the Fusion.

However, it's rare to have everything be peachy keen as I noticed something tonight. I went out earlier today to run some errands, and when I got back, I noticed that there was quite a bit of condensation in my driver's side headlamp. I'm certainly no expert, but I'm pretty sure that's not supposed to be there. The only thing is... I'm not sure if Ford covers failed headlamp seals on their warranties, which seems a little ridiculous given that the car isn't even two years old.

Any thoughts?

 

[HitAnyKey]

Congrats! That is quite the intense looking ride. It has that don't mess with me look.
Whats the motor in that thing?

 

[Aikouka]

Congrats! That is quite the intense looking ride. It has that don't mess with me look.
Whats the motor in that thing?

Thank you! ...and in regard to its look, the most common comment is "That is a Taurus!?" This is what I normally think of when I think of the Taurus, because we had one when I was younger.

The car has a twin-turbo V6. To somewhat simplify it, the SHO is pretty much the civilian version of the new Ford Taurus police interceptor. It has a lot of the same mechanical parts, but also gets the nice amenities. Some people did mention that the car is a bit of a porker, and you can definitely tell that it has some weight to it, but it isn't too bad.

 

[Zivic]

you got the sho... you did alright.

 

[thecoolnessrune]

Excellent car. I was extremely close to making a deal on one myself earlier this year until some last minute dealership details had me calling the whole thing off.

I'm looking forward to the 2016 Redesign. Hopefully they continue making a potent SHO.

 

[twinrider1]

However, it's rare to have everything be peachy keen as I noticed something tonight. I went out earlier today to run some errands, and when I got back, I noticed that there was quite a bit of condensation in my driver's side headlamp. I'm certainly no expert, but I'm pretty sure that's not supposed to be there. The only thing is... I'm not sure if Ford covers failed headlamp seals on their warranties, which seems a little ridiculous given that the car isn't even two years old.

Any thoughts?

Is that a crack running vertically about an inch in on the left?

Good looking sedan.

 

[iamwiz82]

It blows my mind that the SHO curb weight is almost 4,500lbs. There is no reason for it to weigh as much as a Toyota Sienna.

 

[Ferzerp]

Full sized car (not mid sized like the old Taurus), AWD, family sedan, etc. Not hard to get that weight.

 

[MrPickins]

This is also my first vehicle with tinted windows, which I never really thought much about in the past, but I kind of like it. Although, everyone tells me that my car was probably owned by some drug runner! :biggrin:

Depending on where you live, tint can be almost mandatory. :thumbsup:

 

[RGN]

It blows my mind that the SHO curb weight is almost 4,500lbs. There is no reason for it to weigh as much as a Toyota Sienna.

Holy crap, doesn't a 5-Series come in just around 4000lbs?

 

[Aikouka]

Is that a crack running vertically about an inch in on the left?

I thought the same thing when I looked at my photo, but after going back out and taking a look, I believe that it's just some line in the plastic.

Now, it did rain yesterday (and today), but I don't think that had anything to do with the moisture. Prior to it raining, I took my car to the car wash. When it was over, I pulled off to fix my mirrors, and I noticed some soap on that same headlight. However, I don't think the soap was on the headlight, but rather it was inside the headlight. It's probably some leak that doesn't normally get hit, but the targeted sprays from a car wash hit it.

...and now I wait for someone to lambaste me for taking it to a car wash!

you got the sho... you did alright.

Yes, now I get to make all the terrible puns that come along with it! :sneaky:

Excellent car. I was extremely close to making a deal on one myself earlier this year until some last minute dealership details had me calling the whole thing off.

What did they do?

I'm looking forward to the 2016 Redesign. Hopefully they continue making a potent SHO.

It'll be interesting to see what Ford does, but I think my opinion remains the same as it did back when I bought my Fusion... there's no way I'd pay original invoice for a Taurus SHO.

Depending on where you live, tint can be almost mandatory. :thumbsup:

I grew up in the north, and tint wasn't terribly common up there. However, it's almost ubiquitous with living in the south!

That also reminds me... I still find it odd how people wear sunglasses down here as long as there's daylight. I wear sunglasses when the sun will get in my eyes, but I don't need them any other time. I had a friend tell me that it's too bright outside without sunglasses. Maybe they've conditioned their eyes to the reduced light levels from always wearing them?

Full sized car (not mid sized like the old Taurus), AWD, family sedan, etc. Not hard to get that weight.

The MKZ is only 200 pounds less than the Taurus SHO, and while they both have similar items on paper, I'm not sure if the SHO has more given it received a lot of the engine/trans-axle cooling items from the police interceptor model. The SHO weighs 900 pounds more than the Fusion AWD, and it would be interesting to see where the weight comes from. I wouldn't be surprised to see 100-200 pounds just from the completely different engine.

EDIT:

Holy crap, doesn't a 5-Series come in just around 4000lbs?

It looks like the base 2-liter 5-series is only 3900 pounds, but the 6-cylinder turbo diesel weighs 4200 pounds and the V8 twin-turbo weighs 4500 pounds.

 

[thecoolnessrune]

What did they do?

I drove 80 miles one way to go sign paperwork, and they "found" nearly $5,000 worth of fees, car washing, and services to add on in addition to several accessories that we discussed having added form the Ford catalog suddenly being charged for when they were supposed to be part of the vehicle price.

They kept saying that if I'd "just sit with them a while" that they were sure we could work at a deal, even though they were completely unwilling to sign on the deal they had accepted on the phone and over E-mail. I had even brought the E-mails along, and they said something to the effect of it being a "new salesman" which means the original deal just wasn't going to work.

I left. They called and emailed for 2 weeks asking if there was a way to still make it work, then they dropped it.

 

[RGN]

Had to do some digging. The 550i (V8) F10 (newest design) sedan is about 4000lbs. The E60 generation is ~3900lbs.

http://f10.5post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=325034 (looks like official specs)

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?469192-Curb-Weight-and-hp-(e60-e39-e34-)

edit: Don't mean to de-rail, and SHO is beastly looking. Very nice. Like iamwiz82, I am just shocked at the weight.

 

[Aikouka]

Hmm looks like the condensation is considered normal. I suspected it might have been, but since it was only in one light, and I never had that happen with my Fusion at the same car wash, I wasn't entirely sure. Although, I do still see a drop of water in the light, but it probably isn't a big deal. I'd really prefer to start doing my own washing, but I've read that you should leave it out of the sun afterward (especially if you waxed it), and I can't really do that. :\

I drove 80 miles one way to go sign paperwork, and they "found" nearly $5,000 worth of fees, car washing, and services to add on in addition to several accessories that we discussed having added form the Ford catalog suddenly being charged for when they were supposed to be part of the vehicle price.

Ugh... honestly, when I saw the difference in price on the car that I got compared to similar vehicles, I was worried that I would get the same crap. I guess they suspect that since you drive from far enough away, you don't want to go home empty handed. Hopefully you let people know how shady the dealer is so others make sure to avoid them in the future!

What did you end up getting in place of it?

Had to do some digging. The 550i (V8) F10 (newest design) sedan is about 4000lbs. The E60 generation is ~3900lbs.

http://f10.5post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=325034 (looks like official specs)

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?469192-Curb-Weight-and-hp-(e60-e39-e34-)

edit: Don't mean to de-rail, and SHO is beastly looking. Very nice. Like iamwiz82, I am just shocked at the weight.

I took the numbers from Edmunds, but I don't know how accurate they are. The one thing that I wanted to do was to try to get a relatively close comparison because the SHO is a twin-turbo V6. That's why I went with the turbo diesel (not sure if it's an I6 or a V6 though) and the V8 twin-turbo as a look at bounds (a twin-turbo V6 would be somewhere in between that).

...and I don't mind discussions about the car's weight at all. One thing to keep in mind is that the car doesn't even have a spare tire as it has one of those lame tire reseal kits. I watched Ford's video for it, and the worst part was at the end when it says you'll have to replace your TPM sensor and the sealant canister. The TPM sensor is ~$80 according to Ford Parts. If you have free towing through Roadside Assistance, why would you ever use the tire reseal kit? ...you have to buy a new tire anyway!

 

[thecoolnessrune]

What did you end up getting in place of it?

Nothing actually The car was a pretty good deal as we had agreed on in E-mail, and so I was going to buy it for myself as a reward for managing to climb the corporate ladder pretty quickly. I still have a meh beater car, and an admittedly crappy beater car, so I was never in a particular rush to buy anything. I've test driven several other cars since then, but nothing's made me 100% eager to pull the trigger on purchasing.

The I would have been happy with a WRX had they brought Eyesight to it, but they still have yet to do so. The WRX S4 checks all the buttons, but of course that is only getting released in Japan for now. For now, I'd say the 2015 Volkswagen Golf R will tick the most buttons for me when it drops.

 

[LTC8K6]

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2013-ford-taurus-sho-instrumented-test-review

Does it have the Performance Package?

 

[PhoKingGuy]

If anyone from Ford told me that that much condensation on the inside of the light was normal I'd probably call Ford USA right in front of them and ask for their ass to be fired. That's the biggest cop out I've ever heard.

But I'm not surprised, Ford has awesome products but their dealers are filled with scum.

 

[thecoolnessrune]

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2013-ford-taurus-sho-instrumented-test-review

Does it have the Performance Package?

This really bugged me about the SHO. You can either get the Performance Package, which gives you a PTO (AWD Transfer case) that has proper cooling and won't overheat under heavy use (as the first gens did), BUT you have to give up the Adaptive Cruise Control system and Lane Departure Systems. The reason you have to make this sacrifice is that apparently the routing for the additional PTO cooling pack gets in the way of the Adaptive Cruise Control harness. And they aren't going to run two different harness SKU's on the car. I understand that car companies have to make sure as much is re-usable as possible on cars, but it just seems like such a silly thing to ruin what could otherwise have all the bells and whistles.

 

[ThatsABigOne]

Very nice and sharp looking car! I don't know anything about the Taurus except that it has a huge shifter.

 

[Aikouka]

Does it have the Performance Package?

Yep. It has pretty much every feature except for adaptive cruise control.

The I would have been happy with a WRX had they brought Eyesight to it, but they still have yet to do so. The WRX S4 checks all the buttons, but of course that is only getting released in Japan for now. For now, I'd say the 2015 Volkswagen Golf R will tick the most buttons for me when it drops.

Hmm... I had never heard of Subaru's Eyesight until you mentioned it. Although, I'm not too sure if I would consider it necessary for a car purchase. I think a lot of those features are more helpful if you have a lot of distractions in the car, or your reaction speed isn't so good.

If anyone from Ford told me that that much condensation on the inside of the light was normal I'd probably call Ford USA right in front of them and ask for their ass to be fired. That's the biggest cop out I've ever heard.

But I'm not surprised, Ford has awesome products but their dealers are filled with scum.

To be clear, I didn't speak with a dealership about the issue. My comment on 50% being okay came from the Taurus's owner's manual:

Lamp Assembly Condensation

Exterior lamps are vented to accommodate normal change sin pressure. Condensation can be a natural by-product of this design. When moist air enters the lamp assembly through the vents, there is a possibility that condensation can occur when the temperature is cold. When normal condensation occurs, a thin film of mist can form on the interior of the lens. The thin mist eventually clears and exits through the vents during normal operation. Clearing time may take as long as 48 hours under dry weather condition.

These are examples of acceptable condensation:

• Presence of thin mist (no streaks, drip marks or droplets)
• Fine mist covers less than 50% of the lens.

These are examples of unacceptable moisture (usually caused by a lamp water leak):

• Water puddle inside lamp.
• Large water droplets, drip marks or streaks present on the interior of the lens.

This really bugged me about the SHO. You can either get the Performance Package, which gives you a PTO (AWD Transfer case) that has proper cooling and won't overheat under heavy use (as the first gens did), BUT you have to give up the Adaptive Cruise Control system and Lane Departure Systems. The reason you have to make this sacrifice is that apparently the routing for the additional PTO cooling pack gets in the way of the Adaptive Cruise Control harness. And they aren't going to run two different harness SKU's on the car. I understand that car companies have to make sure as much is re-usable as possible on cars, but it just seems like such a silly thing to ruin what could otherwise have all the bells and whistles.

Hmm at least in my case, I only lost the chance for adaptive cruise control, because I believe the lane departure option wasn't available until 2014. I'm not too worried about adaptive cruise control though, because I consider that to be one of the nice, but not necessary features like Bind Spot Indicators. I am a little surprised though... isn't adaptive cruise control mostly just the radars in the front of the car?

Very nice and sharp looking car! I don't know anything about the Taurus except that it has a huge shifter.

Hmm... it's really not all that bad. Here's the shifter in the car.

 

[Jumpem]

Nothing actually The car was a pretty good deal as we had agreed on in E-mail, and so I was going to buy it for myself as a reward for managing to climb the corporate ladder pretty quickly. I still have a meh beater car, and an admittedly crappy beater car, so I was never in a particular rush to buy anything. I've test driven several other cars since then, but nothing's made me 100% eager to pull the trigger on purchasing.

The I would have been happy with a WRX had they brought Eyesight to it, but they still have yet to do so. The WRX S4 checks all the buttons, but of course that is only getting released in Japan for now. For now, I'd say the 2015 Volkswagen Golf R will tick the most buttons for me when it drops.

Why is lack of Eye Sight a deal breaker? I kind of want it for the Outback/Forester I always get, but it is usually part of a several thousand dollar package of other items that I don't want.

 

[Kadarin]

Nice car!

 

[Aikouka]

Nice car!

Thanks!

Although, I'm hoping to get another "beater"/project car when I finally get around to buying a house... mostly because I lack the garage. To be frank, I've been wanting to get into RallyCross for ages, but I'm not keen on using a daily driver for it. Maybe when I do that, I can join the ranks of some of you with the epic project threads! :$

 

[Zargon]

nice, very sleek looking

 

[Kaido]

Missing tofu sticker

Looks great man, mean machine!