vschmidt

Just received my flip keys from the ebay link referenced in this thread. I ordered 2 for the MMH. My local Ace Hardware wouldn't touch these, but recommended a small local shop that does key work for some of the dealerships in the area. One key worked great, but the other one slipped in the vise and was miscut. I tried it anyway, and it opens the door and turns in the ignition, but then it took me nearly 10 minutes to get it *out*. Won't be putting it back in, for sure! I'm in the process of ordering a few replacement blades. I'll have them all cut, and put the extras away for later, when the current ones wear out. Once I have a couple of flip keys, I'll put the originals away in a safe place. Programming the one that fit ok was really, really simple.

I don't think Nav matters. I originally ordered mine without, and there was a long delay. Then I added Nav, and the following week I got a VIN.

I was able to get my bluetooth phone (Sony Ericsson 810i) connected without any trouble, and finally enabled the "911 Assist" just to kill the annoying reminder. The phone generally works well when coupled with the car. However, about 1/4 of the time the car seems to get confused to the extent that it doesn't think it is connected to the phone any more, and the phone locks up to the point that the buttons are not responsive for several (sometimes more than 5) minutes. I have to reset the phone or the car (or both) to get things resynchronized again. I've never had any trouble with the phone, only with the car bluetooth. Anyone else see this?

The Ziebart guy told me the nature of the rust proofing is such that it is also a minor sound barrier. Not enough for folks to buy it just for that purpose, though. He said some people find the sound of pebbles etc. on the metal on the underside of the car annoying, and this covers those metal parts, so that sound is substantially dampened for those areas. Not sure about the paint protection. They do have a "plastic" film, but I chose not to purchase it. The diamond gloss product is some sort of chemical product. Also, I got my rail car info from the dealer. It was listed under a "track a vehicle" report, in the "secondary status" field, which said "shipped by rail." This is some report for a product he had access to, at a site "www.vehiclevisibility.dealerconnection.com/VehicleVisibilityWeb/currentOrderStatus..." (the rest of the URL did not print). I'm sure it is a dealer-only tool. It may be worth a shot to check again with the dealer today. In my case, he had to go away and check, then get back with me, for whatever reason.

So far I am very happy with the work. I got an advertised special including: "Super Rust Protection with Undercoat" Underbody Sound Barrier Diamond Gloss Paint Protection ("You'll never need to wax your car again!") Ultra Fabric / Leather Protection with Cleaning Total: $1189, special for $799 includes 12 car washes, $699 without the car washes. 10% discount for AAA members. From the polling I have done, rustproofing seems to be a religious argument, coupled heavily with vehicle location, weather, driving habits, and intent of owner to keep the vehicle (or sell) within the warranty period. Sorry for the delay. Long nights this week. Any news?

Having never purchased a new car before, I noticed some interesting items, and wanted to start a list of things people wished others had mentioned to them about having a new car, or a FFH/MMH specifically. Here's my list of observations so far. I've had my MMH since Wed 9/9/09: The seats and surfaces (door panels, etc.) are very plush. MMH is very, very quiet. ICE power is nearly instantaneous when it comes on, and is pretty quiet. MMH has lots and lots of gadgets. No amount of manual-reading is enough preparation! The cupholders will hold large (supersized) cups easily. Finally: for those who like and appreciate the "new car smell," DON'T take a new vehicle to Ziebart right away, or you'll be smelling Ziebart instead!

Now it is time to check with your dealer. My experience: once production is completed, FCC records were not very good. Dealer had better info, and was happy to share, now that the car was on the way (finally)!

Yep, we were "this close" to canceling the order entirely. It would have been done in a moment if my circumstances were even slightly different, and without regrets. However, it is nice to have a new car for a change. The ESP will probably be purchased within the next couple of weeks, via credit card (for the points). We've saved $ for a while, so we won't worry about financing the ESP. Hopefully others are having better luck with their new vehicle orders than we did...

My MMH arrived at the dealership yesterday (9/9/09) morning around 10am. I was there just after 5pm to pick it up, and by 8pm I was driving it home. [Week 16 for me, waited 15.5 weeks from order to arrival.] The very young guy prepping the vehicle said that he used to work for Infinity, and he doesn't see why anyone would by one of those when they could have a luxury car like this one instead. (I never really thought of the MMH as a "luxury car," but I have to admit, it is a downright impressive vehicle!) This is my first new car -- tuxedo black, rapid spec, and NAV. First impressions: the build quality is excellent, and the ride is very comfortable. It will take a while to get used to the NAV system and all of the menus. I didn't even get to play with any of it yet, and it was dark when I got home, so my wife has not really been able to get a good look, and she didn't want to drive it last night as we went to pick up my Grand Am where I had left it earlier. (A co-worker dropped my 7-year-old daughter and I off at the dealership; she was very impressed, and said it was a much nicer car than the Grand Am -- go figure. Photo attached. Ever see a 7-year-old sit quietly for nearly 3 hours and read and do homework? To my amazement and her credit, this one did!) The actual purchase process went very smoothly, although it seemed long. That did include a good test drive, since I had never even driven one of these before yesterday. As expected, I caught the 025 price level on my sales invoice, even though I ordered at 020. (That was adjusted back to 020 again.) I have decided to take the vehicle to Ziebart (my appointment is today) to get the full rustproofing job done. When the MMH comes home today, maybe I'll have a little time to play. Even those who have gone through the documentation thoroughly will not be prepared for the gizmos and toys on their new rides. Before the car arrived, I read all of the manuals (twice! three times for some) in electronic form, so I was ready to hop into the cockpit when this arrived. Or so I thought. First gaffe, right at the dealership as we were getting ready for a test drive: even though I knew better, I was surprised when I turned the key for the very first time and _nothing happened_. That is, everything that was supposed to happen did, but the engine (ICE) didn't start. Then I had to laugh. This will take some getting used to. My plan is to purchase the max ESP I can get, probably with the $50 deductible. In part, because the price is very, very (very) good. My dealer offered me an unbeatable rate because of the grief we've had over this order, but made me promise not to advertise the price. I would not have hesitated to purchase the same plan online as discussed on the other threads, though. Looking forward to driving this car regularly ASAP (it had 10 miles on the odometer when delivered to me). For those who are waiting: it should be a great purchase for you!

My MMH should be arriving at the dealership today or tomorrow, and I'm scrambling to get ready to take delivery. (Even though I've had plenty of time, there always seems to be lots to do at the last minute.) Over the past four months (!) since I've placed my order, I've been reading all of the various discussions and issues of things the dealer has to adjust of fix. Would those of you who already have your vehicle please suggest actions I should have my dealer undertake, or things I should make sure to address, before leaving the lot with the vehicle? (I know there has been some mention of certain tech service bulletins, etc.)

The date "inside" of the box seems to be the date the sticker is finalized. (No more mods to the stuff included on the car; in fact, they may well freeze the features you ordered even sooner, but certainly no changes after this date.) The date "outside" of the box on the bottom of the page is simply the date the PDF of the sticker is generated for you, normally the current day or the day before. Neither of these are the build dates. The sticker _does not_ seem to include any build date.

I still have to do that, but I figured I still had a couple more weeks. Now I'm scrambling to do that, and also make a list of everything people on this forum have mentioned they needed their dealer to fix or set for them, so it can all be done at once (tech bulletins, various computer settings, make sure door combinations are in the glove box, etc.). Hopefully when I call later this morning, they will say the vehicle will be delivered to them today and I can pick it up either this evening or tomorrow.

Final legs of rail travel: CSX: Peru, IN (NS) 6 Sept 5:10pm (ET) CSX: Fostoria, OH (NS) 6 Sept 8:49pm (ET) Looks like the car has arrived in Fostoria. Now it has to be loaded onto a truck and transported to Dayton. I imagine that won't happen on Monday (Labor Day), more likely on Tuesday. I'll try to get trucking details tomorrow morning. Wonder if I can track them, too...

Updates to my rail travel via phone tracking through CSX: CSX: Whiteside, KS (UP) 4 Sept 2:58 (CT) CSX: Ramona, KS (UP) 4 Sept 5:27 (CT) CSX: Herington, KS (UP) 4 Sept 9:35pm (CT) CSX: interchange, Kansas City, MO (NS) 5 sept 3am (CT) [My calculations suggest rail car left interchange ~5:30pm (CT)] CSX: Moberly, MO (NS) 5 Sept 8:28pm (CT) (arrive) CSX: Moberly, MO (NS) 5 Sept 1145pm (CT) (depart) CSX: East Decatur, IL. (NS) 6 Sept 5:38am (CT) (arrive) CSX: East Decatur, IL. (NS) 6 Sept 10:20am (CT) (depart) Decatur is ~300 miles away from Fostoria, OH, but the train is traveling slower now on the average, and spending hours at a time in interchanges. Still seems to be on schedule, though. No further updates available as of 4pm (ET) today. (UP=union pacific, CT=central time)

Sorry about that, I must have looked at the wrong link earlier in my enthusiasm that maybe your car was online, too. :gang: (I suppose this drops my karma.)