BluHvn

noreast- No degradation in signal at all!

WTF? I thought I attached the pics... Let's try this again...

OK everyone, sorry this took so long. The weather just broke up here so i took advantage of it this weekend....Sorry for the pic quality, I used my BlackBerry...

Yes, H11 for low beam, H7 for hi beam. The Silverstars will have the same designations.

Yes, Silverstars or PIAAs. I have the PIAAs on my '10 Sport and am very pleased with them. The other alternative is going HID.

Yeah, once. Then again the next year when the nose is all chipped again, then the year after...

HI Cindy, I have the "clear bra" as it is sometimes referred to on all three of my cars and let me tell you, it is a must if you want to protect the car's finish. The are a few different product options, but none of them are meant to be installed by the do-it-yourselfer. You must have these products installed by a professional. Do not fall for any of the kits you see on ebay, they're junk. The two top products are XPEL, which is made by 3M and another called Venture Shield. I have the 3M product on my Thunderbirds, one has had it for almost 5 years, the other for about 10 months. While the quality is good, the warrantee is only five years against discoloration or wear through. Even though I've experienced no issues with my five year old install, I opted not to use the 3M product when it came time to do the Fusion. Instead, I used the Venture Shield product. It is quite a bit thicker then the XPEL (which is a plus) and the warrantee is lifetime. My installer did an amazing job. The entire (and I mean entire) nose, all lights and lower quarter of the hood are completely protected. The Venture Shield is made to wrap around all the leading edges of the hood, bumpers, etc. Now all this being said, this is not an inexpensive thing to do. I had the entire nose, headlights, lower hood, backs of the side mirrors, rear door sills and the top of the rear bumper (so there would be no fear of scratching the paint if something was inadvertently dragged out of the trunk) done and that came to $750.00. I guess you need to weigh the cost against the damage that will occur during the time you own the car. For me, it was well worth it considering how harsh our winters are and the amont of sand used on our roads. I hope this helps, please feel free to PM me if you have any questions.

X3 on the Weathertechs...

I agree, the system is quite good for a factory set-up. I would consider adding another sub in the future. You can't go wrong ordering it as part of either the nav or moon & tune package.

Here is a pic of the sharkfin prior to install. The overall size is 7" long from point to rear, 3.5" wide at the rear and 2" tall at the rear.

Sorry guys, it's way too cold to install it. I want to be sure the adhesive on the 3M tape takes properly. My garage is full of Thunderbirds in storage, so I'm trying to get into a buddy's place over the next few days. Stay tuned....

I've had it on both of my Thunderbirds for nearly five years with no issues. There are so many different products out there, perhaps you ended up with an inferior one. I've heard of situations just like yours. The Venture Shield is guaranteed for life against discoloration.

One of the small enigmas in life...why no rear sill pads?? I had Venture-Shield installed on the front of the car, so I asked the installer to cover the rear sills with the same material. At least it will protect the paint in that area.

Got my liners today. As stated, the fronts are a perfect fit. I ordered the back as well, knowing that it would not fit in an AWD car, and it doesn't. I plan on modifying it to fit.

My Sharkfin arrived today. The paint is an exact match to the Sangria Red. I hope to get it installed this weekend, depending on the temp (the 3M tape doesn't like the cold). Will post pics once done.

SEL2010, I was on a pre-order for the new antenna, so I received this... http://www.visualgarage.com/Product_VG_SFA_MKII.html

Is your car AWD?

Will do.

Received an email from VisualGarage.com that their new sharkfin is now available for order. This unit was designed to fit over the larger based antennas that are being used on the 2010 Fusion. Just ordered mine.

Replacing the driver side bulbs is easy. Not so on the passenger side, in fact, the owner's manual will tell you to bring the car to the dealer to replace the high beam. You can get to it if you are double jointed and have very small hands, but be prepared to bleed a little. The low beam is accessible by removing the retaining clips for the plastic wheel well liner and pulling it down. I don't want to start an argument here, but in my humble opinion an HID upgrade is not necessary to get more light out of these cars. I just replaced all of my bulbs with PIAA's and while not the same as HID, there most certainly is a difference over the stock bulbs. It's all a matter of choice. I would stay away from LEDs, as the reflectors in the light housings are not designed to bounce that type of beam pattern. Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

Just saw this color last weekend at the Hartford Auto Show...it's ugly at best.

2010SEL, I haven't ordered them yet, but here is what i was going by. It only says the rear mat will not fit AWD, so I'm making the assumption the fronts wll. UPDATE: I just called Weathertech and was told the #441081 front mats will fit the '10 AWD. http://www.weathertech.com/store/mvproduct...oiceIds=694,710

Right! :hysterical2:

Well, those two black lumps on the hood have been driving me crazy since I picked up the car. Finally took care of it today...much better!! (sorry for the quality of the second pic)

I also had this done to my Sport today...15 minutes in and out.