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Hey Jon - your point is well taken. I went to my Ford dealer with the schematic of the frame mounted hitch in question (for the bike rack) and they gave a quote - around $300 Cdn for the labour only. It goes without saying that any new car should only be touched by a factory authorized service department!

Hi there I checked out frame mounted trailer hitches for bicycle racks. You can check out a frame mounted trailer hitch offered by hitchesonline - hitchesonline do offer a frame mounted trailer hitch for the 2010 Ford Fusion: http://www.hitchesonline.com/ The hitch mounted bike rack may be obtained from either Thule or Yakima: http://www.yakima.com/racks/bike/ http://www.thuleracks.com/product.asp?dept_id=8&sku=970 Most Ford dealers can install the complete kit for you (for a fee). Another source may be JC Whitney.

Hi there I checked out frame mounted trailer hitches for bicycle racks. You can check out a frame mounted trailer hitch offered by hitchesonline - hitchesonline do offer a frame mounted trailer hitch for the 2010 Ford Fusion: http://www.hitchesonline.com/ Most Ford dealers can install the complete kit for you (for a fee). Another source may be JC Whitney.

The simple solution is to have a frame mounted trailer hitch installed and your Ford dealer can do this. Frame mounted trailer hitches are easy to find for any Fusion. From there you need a hitch mounted bicycle rack and "Bob's your uncle!" http://www.yakima.com/racks/bike/

Garmin GPS is in a class by itself and it is head and shoulders over everything on the market. It also one of the better examples of "value management." I just liked the NAV system on the Honda Insight because it was so easy to learn and the display was great when showing the "lane assist" feature.

Hi there - I spent the last two months test driving and researching the latest hybrids and will bore you with my findings: There are several significant differences between the Honda Insight and the Ford Fusion: 1) Hybrid - the Ford Fusion Hybrid (FFH) is a true gas/electric hybrid and can operate on full electric in grid lock, stop and go traffic. The Honda Insight is an electric assist system and cannot do this. 2) Brakes - FFH comes standard with 4 wheel disc brakes whereas the Insight has two discs on the front wheels and drum style brakes in the rear. This is a significant difference if massive stopping power is important. 3) Wheels/suspension - FFH comes standard with 17" cast wheels and the Insight has 15" steel rims on the DX and 15" cast aluminum wheels on the LX. Small wheels on the Insight give a "little car" ride and you feel every bump. 4) Functionality - the FFH is a 4 door sedan with a small trunk and the Insight has a hatch back. 5) Accessories - FFH offers an extensive menu of options and upgrades to suit a variety of needs. The Insight offers only two packages, DX and LX: LX offers an impressive navigation system, blue tooth connectivity, upgraded stereo, and steering wheel shifting paddles (?) Conclusion: Both the Insight and the FFH are well built well designed cars but there are big differences. The FFH is a real driver's car, rock solid at highway speeds (75 mph/120 kph) and offers true electric performance in bumper to bumper/grid lock conditions. The FFH is a very comfortable car and people over 5'-5" tall can sit comfortably in the front and rear- ride is Euro style. The Honda two biggest features are its versatile hatch back and the Navigation system standard (one of the best I have ever seen) on the LX package. Hope that this helps!

My experience with dealership rustproofing is that it can be very expensive and the application quality is haphazard. Consumer groups in Canada like Rust Check and Krown Koat. Both require an annual re-spray and costs vary from under $100 to under $200. Again, the reputation of the applicator counts for a lot. We did our 97 Chrysler Intrepid annually with Krown Koat but it was messy. Results were good with no rust whatsoever over a ten year period.