Congratulations! The Platinum is basically North America's version of the Mondeo Vignale, minus the free car washes and special service that our Euro friends get. Really beautiful interior that feels just as comfortable as any "real" luxury car.

And wow, 100,000 miles on a 2013? That's crazy! I've owned my Fusion for 2.5 years now and only accumulated 30,000 km over that period.

Pulled the trigger and paid $1800 for the Sync3 upgrade including navigation and Android Auto :)

It'll ship to my place in California by tomorrow! I can't wait for Christmas when I can finally fly home and install it.

I believe the engine has special output alternators to power heated seats if factory equipped. I don't think it's possible to retrofit a stock Ford heated seat into your car. Your best bet might be to get a cover that plugs into the 12V port.

On a side note my previous car (08 Fusion) had heated seats too but it was broken on the driver's side when I bought the car and I was too cheap to fix it so my bum got super toughened as a result :D

A friend of mine had this issue with a brand new Ford Escape. There was a bad cable in the instrument cluster that was causing rogue battery drain when the car was off. A replacement of the cluster fixed it.

Well, my first semester is nearly over so I thought I'd post an update. May 2017 can't come soon enough.

I made a 920 mile road trip in that Lexus all the way to the Bay Area, stopping overnight in Medford, Oregon to sleep. It was a mostly uneventful trip, until I passed through Redding, California which was blistering hot at the time (July). The heat caused one of my tires to develop a lump (meaning it was no longer perfectly round), so for the last 1.5 hours the car would shake like mad when I exceeded 55 mph. Fortunately, I managed to reach a tire shop after arriving at my destination and $50 later, everything was fine.

Surprisingly despite blasting the A/C the entire way I squeezed 29 mpg out of that V8 engine on the freeway. Obviously I would've preferred my FFH :P but that's not bad for an old V8.

Over the last few months, the Lexus has held up very well - I finally hit 100,000 miles on the odometer in October. The front passenger side window switch no longer works, one of the parking sensors failed, and the cruise control switch only works intermittently, but otherwise it's a testament to Toyota's legendary long-term mechanical reliability. Not a single check engine light since the day of purchase too!

In the meantime, I caught on to a thread on the 2GFusions forum: http://www.2gfusions.net/showthread.php?tid=3881 Since I'm going home for Christmas, I decided to pull the trigger and get a Sync3 unit as well as an FCIM with physical buttons. It'll be a great Christmas gift to myself - turning my Fusion into a 2017 model (sort of)!

Cancel your subscription and use your phone.

I'm actually going all-out and buying a Sync3 upgrade so I can just use Android Auto

I have 18" wheels on my 2013 Fusion Hybrid and have sat in Fusions with 17" and even 16" (2008 model) wheels and didn't feel any difference in comfort.

The fuel economy does take a hit with 18" wheels. I got a pre-owned car so I didn't have a choice, but if I were buying new I'd save the $$$.

I saw a '17 Titanium in person today (Ecoboost). The refreshed look is certainly very attractive. I miss my Fusion so much... can't wait for the winter break when I can go home and drive it for 3 weeks, but it won't be until May when I can permanently go back.

I have never owned a car with collision warning before. It seems like it's not that reliable - can it be turned off?

Thanks! I'll wait for you to update us in December :)

It'll feel so good to get back to my FFH especially with Sync3 retrofitted.

If they can't redesign the battery to leave more room in the trunk, a viable alternative would be to introduce a station wagon variant - they already have the Mondeo Estate in Europe so swapping in the powertrain should be trivial.

I got around the FFH trunk issue by borrowing other cars from my family when I really needed the space, but obviously not everyone is that lucky.

Congratulations Larry! Hope the new ride treats you well.

How does the leather feel in the new SE compared to your old Titanium? I've sat in a Titanium with the Medium Soft Ceramic interior at an auto show and it felt more plush, but the Stone black seats in an Energi which I test-drove felt harder for some reason...

The low-beam headlamps are LEDs I believe, as long as it's an SE w/Luxury Package, or a Titanium/Platinum/Sport.

Thanks heywardjr!

One question - is the hybrid energy flow screen available on the hotswapped Sync3? I'm talking about the diagram showing whether the car is in EV or hybrid mode, and which component is causing the engine to be on, etc.

I'm temporarily in the states until May 2017 and driving a different car, so if an Android Auto enabling update comes along in the next few months, I'll definitely drop the $2000 US and grab a kit before I head home to Canada (and to my FFH!)

http://www.2gfusions.net/showthread.php?tid=3881

It seems like it's (mostly) working, but active park assist is still an issue, and if you want navigation, you have to retrofit another GPS antenna because it can't use the GPS base on the roof. Let's see if more progress is made in the future :)

Nice, I wish my dealer would give me points towards oil changes :/

About the third party cheap mechanics, a trip to Yelp and Google Reviews tells you all you need to know. I still use the dealer for my Ford since it's not too heavy on the wallet, but for my ancient Lexus, which is 14 years old, I refuse to pay $170 for an oil change or $70 to inspect my brakes, not to mention $1500+ w/labour for OEM brake pads and rotors. I carefully researched reviews and found a reputable, honest third party mechanic who charged me < $800 for an oil change and full front/rear brake replacement with a 2-year warranty on the generic parts they use. This mechanic had an average rating exceeding 4.5/5 on Yelp for over 100 reviews. The local Jiffy Lube, on the other hand, had an average rating of 2.3/5 and their prices weren't any lower.

I still want self-driving cars to become mainstream, but at the same time I believe all self-driving cars should allow a human to manually override the controls if worst comes to worst, and this incident certainly makes a case for that.

A year ago I paid $2000 CAD (~$1500 USD at the time) for the PremiumCARE ESP from my dealer - negotiated a decent price plus $0 deductible if I used that dealer ($100 elsewhere). It extended my warranty to July 2019 or 100,000 km.

One year later I feel that it probably wasn't the best use of money. I've "saved" about $160 getting the TSB 13-5-24 (clicking noise in brakes) repaired, and any real mechanical/electrical issues would likely be covered by the powertrain or hybrid components warranties, which last longer than the bumper-to-bumper warranty. The ESP also doesn't cover rattles or the trim so I can't get my peeling carpet (passenger side) fixed for free.

On the other hand, the fact that I haven't needed to "make back" the cost of the warranty in repairs (just Google the words "Doug Demuro" and "Carmax" to see what I'm referring to) is a sign that the FFH is a pretty reliable car! Any problems that I encountered over the 2 years I've owned it have not hindered the car's driveability.

When I bought my FFH (pre-owned), the engine light was on and wouldn't go away for quite a while. Eventually the dealer figured out that there was a loose fuel valve that was leaking vapours and that solved the problem.

I purchased the SYNC2 to SYNC3 upgrade from OEM as listed in this forum. That was on June 3rd. I am returning it today at the request of OEM as it is not ready for customers and was shipped unfinished. I loved the interface and they will credit me the $2,000. They will notify me when it is ready which could be a week from now, a month, several months.

 

Here is what worked:

 

1. Audio functions including Pandora and other music apps I had on my Android and iPhone.

2. Night mode and Day mode

3. Phone functions

 

What was not working:

 

1. Apple Airplay

2. No navigation icon

3. No climate controls would work...buttons were there and beeped but they did nothing to the vehicle

4. No ambient light controls worked

5. Pandora app would appear and disappear whenever....no reason

6. No updates happened

 

OEM was very apologetic. They were sold units but had not fully tested them before selling to me (I must have been first)

 

They will notify me when they get an updated software that works.

 

I LOVED the interface and the speed of the screen

 

This is a total replacement of the screen and box behind the screen. Easy to install once you know how to remove all the pieces to get to the radio. I had to install an additional GPS satellite which I just ran the wire from my dash to the back of the unit. It did have an additional USB port on back which would be handy to have.

 

I'd recommend it as the whole experience is a ton better. Yes, $2,000 is a lot but to me it was worth it for a $42,000 car with all the bells and whistles.

 

When I get an updated unit I'll come back and let you all know.

 

Thanks for being our guinea pig! If your updated unit works out perfectly fine, I'm immediately buying one myself. Hopefully Android Auto will be included.

For a while I thought there was something loose inside the driver's side B-pillar and it was extremely annoying. Every time I went over bumps or simply gave the gas pedal a little more pressure, I'd hear a clacking noise coming from the B-pillar area. The Premium ESP unfortunately doesn't cover rattles, so I was getting ready to use a third party mechanic, until a friend helped me diagnose exactly where the noise was coming from.

It wasn't actually the B-pillar. It was the bottom part of the seat belt, the piece that attaches to the floor (circled in red in the attached photo). It was constantly knocking against the plastic bottom part of my seat, producing the rattle that was driving me crazy for over a month.

I've solved the problem for now by sticking a piece of soft foam to the plastic bottom part of the driver's seat, so that the seat belt knocks against that instead and produces almost no sound. It works, but it's kinda ugly and eventually that double sided tape will lose its stickyness and the foam will fall off.

Anyone have a more elegant and permanent solution?

I had a base 2015 SE rental (2.5L) once. There is definitely a 12V port in the front, under the centre panel. Otherwise I wouldn't have been able to power my Garmin GPS.

Ugh, another addition to my list of reasons for detesting moonroofs. I only have one because I bought a used car. I'm definitely factory ordering my next car to avoid this (if possible).

Don't bother taking off your number ;).

What I understand is that you don't actually have the relay harness installed? If no, It cost 20$ and your problem is over.

I checked my detailed receipt from RPM Electronics and it did say they installed a relay harness. Perhaps it wasn't done quite right - I do have the option of going back to them though since it's well within the 2-year warranty.

Federal is not a rebate. It is a tax credit. You don't get it until the following year when you file the tax return for the previous year. You have to owe at least the value of the credit to get it all.

That sucks, but fair enough I guess, otherwise it would lead to federal funds being abused by non-residents.

I will be temporarily relocating to California for graduate school in about 2 months. I will swap cars with my parents before I move, and bring a US model Lexus LS430 with me (we intend to sell it anyways, and it is easier to import since the EPA label and original bill-of-sale are automatic proof of compliance).

I've been doing research on the procedure for getting my car registered and insured in California, and would like to confirm if I have the procedure correctly outlined. For safety, I won't cancel the Canadian insurance (which covers me for up to 60 days outside my province, including the US) until after I am fully settled in.

This is what I believe is the correct procedure:

1. Get a smog check
2. Get a California insurance policy - I've emailed GEICO and Farmers and it seems like I can buy a policy while still having a Canadian driver's license and Canadian license plates. Apparently insurance is tied to the VIN and not the registration? Please confirm.
3. Go to the DMV to get my California title and plates
4. Pass my written test and road test at the DMV

The part I'm least sure about is whether I should do #3 before #2. Some people say that showing my Canadian insurance to the DMV is fine, while others say I absolutely need to get the CA insurance first. Either way, I'd like to get California plates asap and I only have 20 days to do so.

Additionally, once I get a California driver's license, is it necessary to update details with the DMV and insurance? Do they even note your DL number on the insurance and registration?

Finally, I am thinking of trading in for a plug-in hybrid when I graduate next year. I don't plan to stick around in California, and will likely return to Canada, at least in the short term. Does anyone know how the federal/state EV rebate system works? I originally thought of buying a plug-in back in the province of Ontario, but the law requires me to reside in the province for a minimum of 12 months after buying the car, otherwise I forfeit the rebate. If I can get the federal and state rebates right away and then leave the state (and possibly the country) after less than a month without any penalty, that would be awesome.

rain sensing wipers turn on in car washes unless they are off, do they not? as for high beam usage ... I'm old school ... I want to determine when they should be on or not. my brother has lane-keeping and I know that can be set off. In the area where I am we're lucky to have ANY lane markings except on major highways and Winter eliminates them completely. Brother is in NC so can use it regularly.

 

See, I'm trying to justify in my mind why I must get a driver assist package at US$1500 or so when it has stuff I choose not to use. If I can set those off then I am happy and the next owner of that car gets some bonuses. <shrug> Only thing that the package has that I absolutely love is the heated steering wheel. It baffles me how that is a driver assist however.

My parents own two Lexuses with rain-sensing wipers. The stalk has a "fully off" position, a "turn on when sensing water" position, and finally the standard manual positions you see in other cars. At a car wash you'd only need to flick the stalk one notch to fully-off if it's in automatic mode. I reckon the Ford is like that.

I do agree that having more a-la-carte options would be better - it was true of 2013-2016 models (you could even delete spoilers from the Titanium!). I suspect Ford's sales data showed that the majority of customers who buy options like adaptive cruise, BLIS, etc tend to get pretty much all the options, so they decided to add these restrictions to simplify the production process.

At least so far, the moonroof isn't forced on you except at the Platinum trim, and the driver-assist stuff is fully available on the SE.

Btw, I also just noticed something when watching a review - there is now a "visual parking aid" on the 2017 Fusion, which I already saw on an Explorer and in various Lincolns as well as the European Mondeo. Basically, when the parking sensors go off, an overhead graphic showing exactly which side detected the obstruction will pop up on the screen. Now I have more incentive to upgrade after graduate school.