Great, thanks for the response. I was wondering how that would work.

Yes, my MFT has the Auto Time Update on page 2, it changes the clock automatically as we cross Time Zones.

 

On Monday, I'm moving from EST (Maryland) to PST (Washington state), and will spend next week driving across the country. My 2013 HyTi is nav-equipped, so my question is this: I too have experienced the "one hour" problem. When I use the GPS to set my clock, it's an hour off. So I do that, then adjust by with the +/- to make it "real" EST. I also have the "Auto Time Zone Update" button enabled, as show in the pic from the reply above. So even though I've manually fixed the hour error, will my clock automatically adjust as I cross into each new time zone -- and adjust to the manually corrected time (NOT the "one hour off, from the GPS" time)?

Hello, all. Next week, I'm moving from Maryland to the Vancouver, WA area. I'm looking forward to taking my 2013 HyTi on a true, cross-country drive. I was wondering if any y'all live in the area, and have a dealer/service center that you are happy with?

Wouldn't need a dealer for sales, necessarily, but more for ongoing service and maintenance. My dealer here in MD (Apple) had a great "customer for life" program that offered free car washes, free oil changes, free tire rotations, free inspections and the like, but I doubt I'll find something like that out west as a new resident with a car I bought elsewhere. But I do want a dealer I can trust and who provides good service. Google maps shows Vancouver Ford, Gresham Ford, Westlie Ford and Courtesy Ford.

Any suggestions or recommendations?

Thanks!

I finally got around to fixing this problem, and A) it was a HUGE relief to not hear that accursed rattle anymore and B) super easy to resolve. See the attached photos for detail.

• The factory standard black rubber nipples just pull right out of their original square holes (if you pull them carefully, you won't damage them in case you need to replace them for some reason).
• The white plastic pieces that are replacements were called "assorted white plastic nuts" and I got them at Advance Auto Parts. It helped to remove the OEM black nipple, and take it into the store to match up the size of the part that goes into the square hole.
• Screws were purchase separately, and were from a #8 and #10 assortment. (I believe the #10 is the one that fit in my case).
• You just push the white nut into the back trunk hole, put your license plate (and or bracket) down over it, and insert the screw. Done.

NO MORE RATTLE.

I still don't know why they don't do this OEM. The extra parts would cost them less than a dollar. But now I'm happy, and can go to the grocery store without having nails raked across a chalkboard every time i load and unload my trunk. Thanks for the suggestions here!

Thanks for the suggestions, dkegel and dalesky. Once I get done with some holiday travel, I will purchase one of those fittings/screw kits and see if I can fix this annoyance. For those that have done this, is it a fairly easy process? Does it require any special tools other than a screwdriver? So you remove the factory installed rubber bumpers on the bottom (perhaps with pliers?) and they just easily come right off/out? And then you can "place" (push? twist?) the plastic fittings into the hole from whence the bumpers came? Then the screws screw into the fittings? Is it that simple? Are there any issues with the new fittings being watertight?

Where did you get the fittings for the bottom screws, and what are the specifications on those? I'm not very mechanically inclined, so any insight would be appreciated.

Every time I open or close the trunk on my 2013 HyTi, the rear license plate (and its bracket) rattles. It drives me crazy and makes an otherwise solidly put-together car feel cheap. The problem is that there are two screws for fastening on the top, but for some reason, Ford elects to eschew bottom screws and instead puts those two small rubber "nipples" on the bottom. They don't hold anything in place, and the bottom of the plate (and the frame/bracket) rattles every single time the trunk is moved.

I called the dealership, and they said they really haven't gotten any other complaints about this (astonishing -- am I just being OCD?), and couldn't really offer any solutions. They couldn't drill new holes into the car or provide another way to resolve this.

Does this rattle bother anyone else? If so, has anyone found a solution that doesn't require drilling into the car? I'd love to find a non-destructive way to keep the plate/bracket firmly in place and eliminate the maddening rattling noise.

This may be a silly question, but I couldn't find a definitive answer in the manual or related documentation. I keep the Climate Control on the "auto" setting, meaning it should stay at my selected temperature (let's say 70) inside the car. I've only had my Fusion HyTi since June, so it's only been used during warmer months. I've kept the settings on "auto" with the "A/C" button also selected. So primarily, the air conditioning has been running to keep the car cooler inside than the warmer temps outside the vehicle.

Now, we are entering Fall/Winter, where the temps outside have been in the 50s. So my question is this: Do I need to keep that "A/C" button selected when the Climate Control is set to "Auto" during the winter? Will the "auto" portion of the configuration keep the car warm inside (my selected temp of 70) when it is in the 40s or 50s outside, even if the "A/C" button is not selected/lit? Or is there some reason to keep the "A/C" on to maintain a stable internal temp?

Does it "hurt" to leave it on -- meaning, will the A/C run and take up more energy? Or, if the button is left on will the A/C simply not be triggered to run anyway if the outside temp is in the 50s and my selected inside climate control temp is 70?

You can see a couple of images of the floormats in my gallery

I got the "premium" floormats as a throw in on my HyTi, and they are okay. It wasn't until I pulled the front mats out that I realized there really is nothing to them. Very thin, very cheap-feeling. I left the premium mats in the back and in the trunk, but ordered new mats for the front seats. I chose the berber mats from AutoSport and they are fantastic. Thick, heavy, and a perfect fit for the slight "well" of the floor on both sides. Plus, the driver's side extends more than the Ford standard mats up below the brake pedal (and includes perfectly fit "snaps" to hold it into place). These things are gorgeous and highly recommended.

A tip if you choose AutoSport - when you sign up for an account, you will usually get a 10% discount code. However, if you sign up for the newsletter/offers, within 24 hours you will start getting discounts of 15-20% via email. So sign up, and then wait at least a day, and you will save more (you can always unsubscribe after you place your order).

I just did the update as well. About 30 minutes from start to finish, and no problems that I can detect thus far. It saved my nav favorites, my nav "recent destinations," all 3 of my Sirius favorites/presets and other settings. It did NOT save my custom wallpapers or my quick dials. However, those were easy enough to add back in. One of the minor things I hoped would be in this update is the ability to show the pictures I have associated with my contacts (I'm using an iPhone 4S on the latest IOS 6) on the MFT screen. However, those didn't show up and that's disappointing, but not really a deal-breaker. I didn't have a chance to check out the additional music info, or judge if there are significant response time improvements for the voice commands but I guess I'll find out soon enough.

My black HyTi is named "Drusilla," after a favorite character from my favorite TV show (and she was once referenced as a "black beauty"). And I've always named my cars in the feminine. My dad did that when I was a kid, so I just picked it up from him.

I fnally -- FINALLY -- got my car yesterday. A happy update to the spreadsheet.

Well, I finally got her. The dealer was able to trade for one that was exactly like I spec'd, and I took delivery yesterday. So happy. Plenty of pics in my gallery.

Thanks for the well wishes, y'all. I did forward that autotrader link on to the Ford customer service team handling my case. (I refined the search out to 500 miles, and it indicated 34 vehicles). And as for working out a better deal, there has already been talk of a no cost to me Premium Care Warranty plus making sure that my now-expired private cash offers are honored. We'll see how it goes, and perhaps the pot can be sweetened further after all is said and done. Fingers crossed!

Well, here I am a month after my car "arrived" in state, a few miles from my home and the dealership, and I still don't have a Fusion HyTi. It tunes out that Fusions built on two particular days in April (which happened to be when my car was built) have had steering gear problems. So my original car was shipped off to Detroit for analysis and (possibly?) repair, and I doubt I will ever see that one. In the meantime, Ford and my local dealer have attempted to get me another one via two methods:

1. Locating a similarly equipped, same color HyTi at another local (or even nationide) dealer. In the last two weeks, they have found a handful of matching cars, but they have all been spoken for, and seem to be in VERY short supply.
2. Relying on a "supplemental order" that was placed by the dealer when we realized there might be problems. The specs for this match my original order. This car was supposed to be built on 7.8.2013, but they got it moved up to 6.17.2013. Still, this puts its arrival in Maryland potentially sometime mid to late July (or...two to three months after I was originally going to take delivery).

Everyone's been sympathetic and nice about it, but it still doesn't alleviate the frustration, nor get me what I wanted and ordered any sooner. Sigh.

This is getting very frustrating. Here it is a week later than my scheduled delivery, and I still know nothing about the car and its status. The car arrived at Allied Systems, which is just a few miles from the dealership, on May 5th. All the Ford tracking reports, according to my salesperson and his sales manager (and @FordService) simply show the status as "TBD." No further info is available. The sales manager had the Regional Ford manager call me last Friday, and while he was very nice and apologetic, he couldn't (or wouldn't) tell me why the vehicle was suddenly classified as "TBD." It's just their policy not to give out that information. So I don't know why it's being held there (spot testing? Damaged during transport? Failed inspection? Something else?), and nobody can give me a revised ETA. Will it be days? Weeks? Months? Should I give up on this VIN/specific car and order another one? Should I give up on Ford altogether and shop for a different make/model?

My experience all through the process up until this point was easy, pleasant and hassle-free, but the past week or so has left a very bitter taste in my mouth. And it's not like I don't understand that sometimes "shit happens" and cars, especially the first of a model year, can have issues. Or that a vehicle can be damaged during transport. It's the lack of honest communication to let me know what the status is that really chaps my hide. I've been purchasing cars, both domestic and imports, for well over two decades now, and I've never had an experience like this one. How you can spend tens of thousands of dollars on a product, and not have anyone able to tell you what the hell is going on with it, is beyond my comprehension.

Well, shit. It seems I got my hopes up prematurely. I checked in with my dealer yesterday, and the car is mysteriously "on hold" at the railyard and has not been delivered to the dealership. As noted above, it's only a few miles from the dealer, but for some reason, it's in a limbo and not yet scheduled to be moved to the dealer for prep and delivery. My salesman has discussed this with the dealership manager, and they've reached out to Ford corporate to find out what the hell is going on. My salesman says he has never gotten this particular message, nor seen anything like this, in his 18 years. So...who knows?

Well, shortly after the VIN was generated, I was told my car would arrive mid to late May. Subsequent conversations with @FordService on twitter indicated the ETA would be May 15th. I checked again this morning, and they said it was looking like May 9th, but that my dealer would have better info. I talked with them, and the car actually arrived in the state this weekend, and the rail station is less than 10 miles from my dealership. So it's looking like I'll be able to pick it up in the next couple of days!

Very pleasantly surprised that the dates have been shifting in my favor, and I can't wait to take her for a spin!

Updates on my order for the tracking spreadsheet:

Sticker Date:4.16,2013

Build Week:4.22.2013

Actual Build Day:4.23.2013

ETA Date: 5.15.2013 (From @FordService on twitter)

Greetings, all! Just wanted to say “howdy” and introduce myself, since I image I’ll be posting here quite a bit when my new car arrives. I’ve lurked for a while, and posted a couple of times, and look forward to engaging more with everyone soon.

This is my first hybrid, and my second Ford (I had an Explorer back in the mid-90s). My last few vehicles have been a BMW 5 series, a Lexus RX-300 and a BMW X5. My X5 is a 2002, but very low mileage for the age (80,000) and I decided to get something more “practical” before age (and pricey repairs) finally caught up with the BMW. What I love most about the FFH is the balance of functionality and form. Yes, it’s very practical (hybrid, warranties, mileage, cost of ownership with Ford vs. a luxury import) but also dare I say “sexy.” There’s great tech in the car (especially compared with the decade old stuff I have now) and it has terrific eye appeal and “luxury” features for a moderately priced domestic sedan.

My tuxedo black HyTi (which I will name “Drusilla”) was built last Tuesday, and now I’m joining the waiting game to find out when it will be shipped to the dealership here in Maryland. From looking at the spreadsheets and other posts, I’m guessing (hoping) it will arrive in the next couple of weeks. The forums have been very useful in helping me make my purchase decision and learn more about the car, and I look forward to chatting it up with y’all in the future.

I'm in the same boat with you, so I would love to see the answers to this. The things I've picked up on thus far: the aluminum pedal covers (which, if they've been removed for some reason, I plan to add as aftermarket), making sure Sync is updated to the latest softward (3.5.1., I believe), and are the cupholders illuminated as part of the ambient lighting like in all the marketing materials.

Malibu, you can use "DR308994" for the VIN. Thanks!

If we're tracking, you can add me to the spreadsheet, too. Anxiously awaiting my new HyTi!

I've just found it frustrating that I haven't been able to get a straight answer, or find a definitive picture of the color, from any official sources. And the singular term "charcoal black" has been shown in many pictures as distinctly different colors across different models of the Fusion Hybrid.