Cobra348

I did NOT clear any grille areas - upper or lower. I only cleared accumulation from the buttons within the bumper faschia. The grilles were actually in very good shape and also unobstructed.

Then how come I pull over, clean off the gunk ... hop back in car and restart it with no ACC error message and good operation? It may be there is a camera, but **something** is telling ACC the distance to the vehicle ahead. And it HAD to be the bumper sensors because the windshield was clear and unobstructed. Guess it's off to the dealer and some tech talk if possible.

While heading to Rochester last week, I was subjected to a wet, slushy snow coming directly at me face-on. I was running ACC at a bit under limit and things were fine until >DING!< "Adaptive Cruise Control inoperative. Sensors are blocked. See manual." and I drop out of cruise - back to manual. When I did get a chance to pull off the road and check ... sure enough the two sensors bracketing the front license area were crusted over quite well. So, I have a question ... Is there anything I can use on these to prevent slush/snow buildup like this and yet allow the sensors to operate correctly? I'm thinking perhaps petroleum jelly (Vaseline or the like). Will/does/can this work? I also realize if yes it will need refreshing after a wash or just after a period of time. Sooooo, anyone got an answer for me - or should I enter the "bleeding edge of experimentation"? ;)

Actually it wasn't a hassle at all. Comparisons of what we each have is pretty interesting. And with all the gaming forums plus this place, I'm used to thread wandering all over! <chuckle>

I have no chime sounding at any speed drop ... even below12. I do agree that if the ACC detects slowing traffic it does stay engaged - even to braking - then speeds back up as needed. The '17 ACC is Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop/Go so if engaged, it will come to complete stop based on traffic ahead. Except when that traffic is already stopped, then all bets are off.

I have had the ACC go inactive at 20. Mine drops to inactive at 20 MPH, which seems to be the minimum speed it can be set to ... more on this later. The stopped traffic detect fail is what I was surprised at since it knew there was traffic ahead. <shrug> Okay ... minimum ACC setting. There is a school zone only 1/2 mile from me and speed limit is 15 MPH. Soooo, I usually do that thru the zone but the ACC is on (not set). When I hit the Set+ button near the end of the zone, set speed is 20 MPH. Based on that I have the impression that 20 is minimum set speed and based on other observed behaviors it's most likely the "drop to inactive" speed as well.

Automatic ACC Stop/go: If you are approaching traffic that is ALREADY stopped, this feature does not work, even if ACC is actually on and set. Because I am still dinking around with this stuff, I had my foot ready over the brake. I got within 10 feet of the rear end of a GMC SUV and manually applied the brake, altho ACC was on AND set to 30 MPH. Distance setting was 2 bars (approx 2 seconds).

Heated seat/steering. With colder weather closing in, I went looking for heated seat and steering wheel controls. Seat controls are on the control panel just below the center stack screen. Steering wheel? Just a bit buried and NOT a button on the control panel! If your car has the heated wheel, tap the Climate Control button on the Sync3 button bar. The steering wheel on/off button is in the upper left of the CC screen - again, only if you got the Driver Assist package. When on, the home screen will display a steering wheel with wavy heat lines off it in the upper status bar. Performance ... Had to try them out. It was 39 degrees F here this morning. Wheel heats up pretty well, but the seats will take a bit longer. Seats turn on at highest setting, but tap the control button once for medium, once again for low, once more for off.

Center stack screen: Unlike MFT screens, this really does cut down on fingerprints! Oh, they are there and visible when the screen is black, but a light swipe with a microfiber cloth took them off right away. Also, while MFT had a tendency to be rather light-reflective at times, this new screen isn't as much. There is still some glare but it is so reduced you can still read the buttons. Small issue: Both front windows periodically have issues going up from full down. The rear corners of the glass don't seem to line up properly and it does a bounce-back. While I have in-channel Weathertech deflectors, the problem happened twice before these were installed - and mostly on mornings where there had been a heavy dew. Have already contacted dealer to see if there is a possible misalignment in the track somewhere. <shrug> Other than that, car comp says 45 MPG for 2500+ miles, receipts are 42.6 as of 2226 miles and 5 days ago. Still pretty respectable.

I just took my new '17 on a run to Altoona, PA and back last weekend. While I didn't really push it hard, it had no problems maintaining 75 MPH sustained.

Nope. Pre-collision settings are Sensitivity of low, normal (default), high and Brake assist of on or off. So you can turn off the precharging of the brakes but not the alarm itself. Either low or high will probably lessen the occurrence but not stop it completely. Had the same issue on my Fiesta and simply lived with it.

Okay - novice question for anyone knowing: I understand that new colors that have different mixes than a close match for what it replaces requires a new name and color code. Example: Shadow Black replaced Tuxedo Black. If hermans is correct that Burgundy Velvet is the same color as the one he references (I think it was Bordeaux Reserve), can the color code and name be reused? If not, then why? This is all predicated that the new color has the same mixture as the older one. Has there ever been an instance where a "dead" color was resurrected with the same name/code?

collision alert still goes off - even with false alarms and I cancel it by hitting the gas a little. Typically it's someone turning right and they decide to slow way down half way thru so their back end still activates the sensors.

DRL setup: This is a snap of the right headlight. The DRL is a white LED across the top (from amber part to hood /faschia gap) and then the hashmark leg going downwards simply transmits the light. When you hit the turn signal, the LED switches to amber and hashmark goes out.

Okay - some mod info for those who may have a 2013+ FFH with any or all of the following: Steeda Strut Tower Brace, Steeda Hood Struts, Steeda Sway Bar I restored the '15 FFH to stock before trading it in on the off chance these parts would fit the '17. Everything I had seen about the '17 led me to believe I'd be golden. I was right. Sooo, if you have a '13+ with these on, you can remove them (you DID save the OEM sway bar, right?), hold them and put them on a '17 with no issues. HINT: Take the hood struts off as one assembly instead of breaking down the pieces. Re-install on the '17 will be a snap and no hack will be needed on the inverted "U" harness support on the right side. However, you will still need to release the Xmas-tree clip that holds the harness to the "U" and carefully slide the harness (and clip) inside the "U" to avoid the right strut hitting it.

ACC has to be ON and set - because the distance/proximity sensors are used to determine the need for braking and they are not really active if the item that uses them is off. I will tell you this about the braking ... when it is used it comes to a complete and pretty gentle stop. I sat at a light with no foot on the brake and only used the gas when the vehicle ahead started rolling. I used ACC with a 2-dash (2-second?) delay and there was no hard braking. Someone else may have different experience, but in working with it, this is mine.

Yeah. My car is about 700 miles now - purchased Aug 31. Car comp says 43.4 MPG, but I found with the prior HyTi that it can be off a couple MPG from receipts. One fill-up so far: 40.45 MPG per receipt. I expect it to get better and the first few tanks are not all that reliable for stats any way. I find that the new handling of the ICE versus electric is different enough that I can see ICE running more (Empower screen), but for less time than before.

@machman1337 - the seats don't feel as plush, but still offer good,comfy positioning without a hassle. Auto Highbeams: In full dark situations these are pretty good, although if you are traveling a road that has sharp curve or blind curves, the oncoming traffic may get blinded temporarily. It would happen if doing manual switching, so nothing new here. However, in a situation where it is dusk/dark time AND on straight road, they had a tendency to go on when I could plainly see a vehicle approaching. Hit the stalk and they drop to low beam. Rain-sensing Wipers: Had an excellent chance to test these last Thursday on the way to see my gal. It appears that the interval is altered based on amount of rain being experienced. Turn on the interval setting, set it to the lowest and leave be. The wipers will eventually settle back to home, but start up as soon as water is detected. Rain got so heavy they were running at high speed without me touching a thing. ACC Stop/Go - additional: When starting up, the car will not begin rolling until the vehicle in front is at least the delay gap in front of you, so use the gas a little bit to get going. I'm still too cowardly to try the park assist. <shrug>

Okay ... swapped in the 16" donut spare for the mobility kit. Couple interesting points as compared to the '15 HyTi: 1. The '17 has a fuel funnel in the mobility kit where the '15 did not have one. Makes me wanna go "hmmmmm" 2. the mobility kit is a bit longer front to rear so in order to get it out you need to lift the HVB cover to just about a 45-degree angle. You also need to slide the kit a bit forward in order to clear a couple hard plastic edge pieces at the rear of the opening. Put the assembly kit for the donut so it rests on the locator but is NOT on it yet. Slide donut front edge under the lifted HVB cover and using the other hand, get the assembly box located. As before,the holddown screw assembly for the mobility kit is used to clamp the spare and assembly tower into place. = = = = = Update on Sync3/Pandora volume: If you are going to do this, increasing the phone volume for audio/media helps some but you will still need to run at a higher volume setting than you may normally use.

Welcome to the club! I was quite surprised to learn the A/C was all electric but it's really pretty efficient. In really warm temps like we had recently here (90+ for several days) I would do a global window open a couple minutes before using the car then remote start it to get the A/C running (this is in Settings in the left screen). Darn thing sounded like a jet engine warming up but it worked quite well. This was my prior '15 FFH Titanium. I need to try this same procedure on the new car and play around with a couple more things but overall, I like the changes done between '15 and '17 model years. some of the mods I did to the '15 will be on this car next week ... including the donut spare. An inflation kit is not my cup of tea. Again, happy to have you here! There's plenty of knowledge around here - just for the asking.

EDITED 4 Oct 16 with some updates to original notes. Look for items in green text. After thinking on responses I got to questions in my other thread here, I pulled the trigger and got me a '17 FFH SE. Sig has pretty much the options I got and so forth but I have played with some of the items I was questioning. 1. Why is Driver Assist pkg needed for ACC? as pointed out in my other thread by Waldo or someone, the sensors in the DA pkg are used by the ACC for the stop and go. Testing ACC in city traffic, I can tell you that you should use 2 second or more gap setting as the 1 second is a bit short. However, the car does slow down nicely and stop/go as promised. Yes, foot was hovering over the brake as I tested! <chuckle> ASSUMPTION: If not using Adaptive but only Normal cruise, I ASSUME this feature will not work. I'm too chicken to try. EDIT: If ACC equipped, it does NOT have to be on for the stop/go feature to work. Marklally found that out (later post). 2. Lane keeping. I played with this at 55 MPH on a fairly clear expressway in Rochester, NY. I found that like playing pool, the sharper the angle when approaching the lines causes a sharper angled comeback by the car. Gradual drift is almost undetectable on return. This may be very handy on long roadruns but ATM it is off. 3. TPMS. Unlike what I have seen on a '15 Camaro, it does not show the active testing of the sensors at startup. However the TPMS "map" is a new screen in the left-hand display of the speedo cluster and can be switched to via the steering wheel controls any time. 4. New/moved screens. In addition to TPMS in the left screen, there is a digital speedo screen as well. As my saleman stated, "it's for those who can't read analog." There is a Driver Alert that can be set off if desired. This is a reminder that perhaps you need to pull over for a rest. I have had this chime in and display a message after only 5 minutes behind the wheel, so it's off ATM. Fuel history is available in the MyView, however it is an active screen in the right-hand display of the cluster (under Information), as is the 3-bar usage Coach screen and the leaves. 5. Console in general. The pass-thru under the center screen is a flat area now with the USB and 12V socket on the front wall. Immediately behind that is a slot area where you can sit a couple smartphones or small iPad type of mobile device. Dial shifter with "L" button in center - takes some getting used to, Parking brake is immediately behind it. Cupholders run front/back to the right of the shifter. Cluster of 4 push toggle buttons behind all this: Hill Assist, Eco, Park Assist on/off and Park alert. Contact switch controls under the center screen are now buttons and make for a smaller but easier grouping. EDIT: USB ports are framed with light blue lighting when in night mode. Shifter is NOT ... repeat NOT ... locked in Drive mode as a a stick would be. Don't know if that could cause problems but it's something to be aware of. 6. Armrest. It is a bit longer now with two latches closely set together. If you use the left one, it opens up with the junk tray and gives full access to the storage below. Opening with the right one leaves the junk tray down for access, but you can manually lift it out of the way if needed. 12V and USB in here as well. SE trim doesn't have the plugs and SD card slot as the '15 HyTi had but I don't miss them. 7. Other stuff. 3rd 12V and 110 plug are in the console rear and accessible via the rear seat area as usual. Filler cap is not a press-to-open type, but is locked with the release being in the driver door in the front area of the map/drink holder area. DRL are eyebrow-type LED over the headlights with a downward hook hashmark (see later update on this). The road lights in the lower faschia are LED as are the headlights (I think) and display more outward than the round ones the HyTi had. Switchable on/off via the same toggle by the headlight switch. 8. Sync3. As advertised, better on voice recognition. Center screen will auto-adjust for day night usage. Daytime is a light colored background with large, easy-to-read buttons for various functions (settings, audio, etc). At night this flips to black with light text except for things like the compass heading needle and a few others. Nice transition and is quite easy to handle in either lighting situation. 9. Phone apps/Sync3. I just played with thi a bit today and am by no means highly experienced. But I downloaded Pandora to my phone (Kyocera E6560 with Android 5.1.1). When connected Plugged into the 12V via charger and the Apps screen of Sync detected Pandora - showed it as a button I could pres. Did so and it played quite well with one little caveat: volume. In order to hear the music I had to crank up the volume to 27 (of 30 max), so disconnecting it then deafens you as the car switches back to other audio. Maybe a bit of playing with phone settings will fix that some ... dunno. Okay - enough on this one. I still need to find a decent area to play with the Park Assist and try face-in, face-out and parallel to make myself happy with how it does things. But this is my initial review after 300 miles on a new FFH.

Deleted ... somehow duplicates got posted and this is no longer valid.

I'm with 2014FusionSE - biased as all getout. I've had a blast in the FFH for 37K miles and will soon have a newer one to abuse. <chuckle> No more gas-only cars for me if I can avoid it. However, comparing an all-gas Civic to a hybrid is apples and oranges to me as far as mileage. They don't even compete in the same market niche. If I were the buyer I'd go with the CPO Lincoln - after all the "C" is for Certified, is it not? But you did not mention how old the MKZ is - 1 year? 2? 3 or more? Go with your gut on this one. I really am biased - both toward hybrids and toward Ford.

okay - I'll wing it then! ;)

Waldo - have the contents of the small screens changed at all or are they the same as well? I'd love to be able to get into the new car and simply set all the preferred stuff without going back thru the OM again. The main screen, I expect to do some. Right now, it appears my phone is not compatible with AndroidPlay but that could be simply an OS rev.