WAFFH

As a native Texan that relocated to the Seattle area in 1992, I can say that the remote start is great even in the Northwest. This summer it has been nice to "remote start" the car a little time before entering it and have the a/c already cooling down the car. Looking forward to having the car warmer and de-iced when we do get some cold weather. Yeah, I could have done without the remote start but glad that I got it. Since the regular remote buttons are on the key, the extra remote start fob isn't bad. Would have been nice for Ford to have just made it part of the key itself like the regular remote buttons.

Doing it this way, is this the dimmed headlamp DRLs or the amber park/turn signal DRLs? I'm guessing that it is the dimmed headlamp DRLs. I much prefer the amber park/turn signal DRLs. Webelectrics makes a universal DRL set up for the park/turn signals and plug & play for a few cars. We need to get them to make a plug & play for the FF & FFH.

Sorry that I don't know of an upholstery shop to recommend in the LA area but I'm sure there are plenty that could do a fine job.

I was given an estimate of $250 per headrest to modify and then recover them with new material to match the stock vinyl and stitching. After we figured out a way to carefully bend the metal hoop to be straighter and then cut the interior dark foam so that the head restraints fit farther back on the metal hoop, we were able to reuse the stock covers with no modifications. They ended up charging me about $230 for both head restraints. I thought that it was still high, but glad to get 'er done. I didn't check any other upholstery shops but it would probably be smart to do so. If they know what needs to be done instead of "experimenting", it should reduce the price I would think.

On my drive home from the dealer in my new FFH, I realized that I was uncomfortable with the head restraint. I was getting a headache from my head being pushed forward by the anti whiplash design that prevented me from getting comfortable (could not adjust the angle of my head and neck by not being able to move my head back and forth). After checking to see if there was any adjustment front to back (No, there is not!) and trying the head restraint at different heights, I could find no comfort for my 6'2" frame. So, off came the driver's head restraint. While enjoying the FFH every other way, I knew that I needed to find a solution instead of driving with no head restraint. I contacted a upholstery shop that I had done business with before and discussed the matter with them. After some experimenting, we found a solution. The cover was taken off in one piece, then the head restraint taken apart. The steel hoop (a rectangular U shape) was carefully bent so that the angle was not so severe. (The top of the hoop is about 2.25" more to the vertical than original.) We temporarily put the head restraint back together to try it out. Because the lower part of the head restraint had moved up but not back, the "relief" was not quite what I wanted. So, the head restraint was disassembled again and we took about 1/2" out of the dark styrofoam (the steel hoop is closer to the "front" of the head restraint) with the result making the head restraint 1/2" farther back on the steel hoop. We tried it again, and walah, oh what sweet relief! The styrofoam that was "cut out" was glued to the backside of the steel hoop and the head restraint was reassembled. The cover was then placed back on the head restraint and the complete assembly installed back in the car. By using the original cover, a lot of $$$ was saved. I am so happy with the results that I thought that I would share it with other Fusion owners that might find the "forward leaning" safety head restraints uncomfortable. It makes all the difference to me!

Whoa! The FFH has a belt driven water pump, not an electric one like the Prius.

When I ordered my FFH I pacifically stated that I did not want the front license bracket mounted (WA is a front license state). Everytime I talked with the fleet manager (he's the one I dealt with), I reminded him that I did not want the front license bracket mounted. Just before the car arrived, I reminded him one more time. When the car arrived (but before prep) I took a look at it and reminded the prep people to just leave the front license bracket in the trunk. That is where it still is! Don't want holes on the front to fill but have the bracket in case I am forced to put it on.

Look under Heat Reflective Glass forum topic.

Look closer. I've removed both driver and passenger head restraints. Press on buttons (the driver's side of each head restraint base where head restraint posts enter top of seat) and pull out head restraints). The driver's side button is larger than the passenger side of each front seat. Just use the bigger button to adjust heighth of head restraint. both to unlock/remove. Hope this helps.

Check out: http://www.fordaccessoriesstore.com/GfaWeb...E5Z_54132A08_AA

It is LED...only the middle section lights up...haven't checked it out to see if more LEDs could be added to light up the whole bar.

Say it again, man, say it again!

Hold on, let us keep this blog about the FFH. But for the record, I personally thought his choice was a better choice than anyone else that was running. If we drill now, we might have fuel to run our FFH or other car of choice when our "friends" quit selling us imported oil or our money is not worth anything.

When I placed my order for my FFH, I asked the Fleet Manager (I dealt with him instead of a salesman) that the front plate bracket not be installed (it comes with the car and is mounted at the dealership with the car arrives). Nearly every time I talked the the Fleet Manager about the order, delivery, etc. I reminded him that I did not want the front plate bracket mounted. When the car arrived at the dealership, before it was prepped, I reminded him again that I did not want the bracket mounted. I had SUCCESS! The bracket is still in the trunk and will keep it in case I have to mount a front plate later on. Don

One of the reasons that some Cadillacs, Toyota pickups, 97-04 Buick Regals/Centurys, and other cars have brighter amber "park lights" is that they are DRLs (Daytime Running Lights). Some car companies chose to run the brighter "turn signal" part of the two element bulbs as DRLs instead of headlamps at a lower brightness. I really like the amber DRLs instead of the dimmed headlamps. If your car does not have amber DRLs and you want the brighter lights up front, Web Electric has a module to turn the front turn signal/parking lamp into a DRL. Check out: Universal DRLs and look under Daytime Running Lights at their DRL-1 Universal Daytime Running Lights Module. They have several other nice items for your car. I plan on putting the DRL-1 on my new 2010 Fusion Hybrid. Don

I work part time at Avis Budget Group and they are a Ford Partner and that is how I got the X-Plan pricing. Check with your employer to see if you qualify under the Partner Recognition program that Ford Motor Company offers to various employers. If so, your employer will give you a PIN # to validate your eligibility. Don

X-Plan Vehicle Pricing is for employees of companies that have access to exclusive savings on Ford Motor Company vehicles including Ford, Lincoln, Mercury and Volvo products. Don

I think that you can buy Ford ESP directly from Ford. There are a lot of dealerships selling Ford ESP but to get it directly from Ford, take a look at: https://www.genuineservice.com/esp/plandetails.do or https://www.genuineservice.com/esp/purchase.do or call The Ford ESP Call Center: 800-367-3377 CHECK IT OUT!

Which ESP plan did you purchase? Length? Miles? Was your price better at the dealership than what Ford offers on the internet or other Ford dealers that have Ford ESP plans on the internet? Depending on the time you plan to keep your FFH or the amount of miles you drive would probably determine which Ford ESP plan one would purchase. I haven't decided which I will go with. I am suppose to get my car either this Friday or Saturday. Unless the dealer offers a much better price than I can get directly from Ford or other offers on the internet, I may wait a while since there is not any additional charges if you purchase within the first 12 months or 12,000 miles.

My 502A + Remote Start, Brilliant Silver FFH "story" from Hermosillo to Seattle: (Ordered 2/26/09, confirmed order 3/6/09, VIN on 4/3/09, Production 4/22/09) Shipped from factory 4/29, crossed border 5/2, through AZ, NM, TX, OK, KS (5/4), NE, IA, IL (5/8), WI, MN, ND (5/13), MT, ID, WA, arriving in Seattle 5/14, that's 1 Mexican state and 14 US states! Trucked to dealer on 5/18, left rear door hit by employee in another car within 3 hours, so now waiting for new door from CA. Hope to have it by next Friday 5/29. If it looks "factory", I'll take it, otherwise the dealer will order me another one. Here's hoping!

I don’t understand why Ford offers only six of the ten available 2010 colors for the FFH: Atlantis Green Clearcoat Metallic Brilliant Silver Clearcoat Metallic Light Ice Blue Metallic Sterling Gray Clearcoat Metallic Tuxedo Black Clearcoat Metallic White Platinum Tri-Coat $495 Extra I really wanted Vapor Silver Clearcoat Metallic or Redfire Clearcoat Metallic (both available in 2009 but not for 2010) or the Sangria Red Clearcoat Metallic (not available on hybrid). The White Platinum Tri-Coat is beautiful but didn’t want to pay extra for it and decided that the Sterling Gray Clearcoat Metallic was a little too dark for my taste, so I went with the Brilliant Silver Clearcoat Metallic (I’m stuck in a rut, third car in a row that is silver…20 years and counting – 1989 Ford Taurus SHO and 2002 Buick Regal GS – and now a FFH). My Brilliant Silver FFH was ordered at X-Plan price with the 502A package plus the Remote Start on 2/26/09, order was confirmed 3/6/09, got VIN on 4/3/09, production date of 4/22/09 and waiting for info when the car will be shipped by rail from the factory in Mexico. I am hoping for delivery by late May. I have had a chance to take a short drive of three FFH at different dealerships since April 10th and was very impressed with all of them. Looking forward to getting my own!