Stuff for the car...

[meyersnole]

I have had the car almost 2 weeks now and have already bought a few things and was wondering what others plan for their rides...

 

So far I have bought:

 

Screen Protector for MFT I said in my post that it only partially worked for hiding prints... I think I am changing my mind on that and really happy with that purchase. I will update my post soon.

 

Tinted the windows (Need to post a picture... came out looking very nice)

 

Covercraft window shade / custom fit for energi with lane assist Was not the cheapest place for these, but the only place I could find that had one that had the cutout for the lane assist (UVS100 Heat Shield: 2013 FORD FUSION ENERGI WITH LANE DEPARTURE SYSTEM (SV Silver))

 

Seagate Backup Plus 1 TB USB 3.0 Portable External Hard Drive STBU1000100  Bigger then I need, but I wanted to put all of my CDs on there uncompressed. (EDIT: This might be fixed now, posted what happened here. But I don't use it as it seems to slow the  whole system down. Back to using a 16G USB thumb drive.)

 

Moved the floor mats from the wish list to the ordered list. Lloyd Mats Luxe Floor Mats ordered today (got 15% off coupon - just give them your email and they will continue to send you offers. Interestingly enough I got a 10% then 12% then 15% all this weekend just by continuing to visit the site). I think these are slightly bigger then factory ones.. they will certainly be more substantial.

 

Also move the L2 Charger off the wish list.  Bosch PowerMax 30A wtih 18' cord

 

What am I missing? What is on your list?

Edited May 3, 2014 at 04:48 AM by meyersnole

[rprobst]

Visual Garage shark fin antenna, mark II: http://www.visualgarage.com/Product_VG_SFA_MKII.html

 

Actually I already got this, and also the screen protector, even though my car is somewhere in Mexico. I'm building a little stack of homecoming gifts for my car.

 

Thanks for your list; I will check out the goodies.

Edited March 21, 2013 at 03:43 AM by rprobst

[rprobst]

meyersnole, have you found a trunk liner for the Energi trunk? That is, a REALLY SMALL trunk liner?

[Peter Kiener]

If you do not mind me asking what  did you guys decide for the screen protector(s). Was it easy to apply and remove air bubbles?

 

thanks

still waiting on my bordeaux red FFE Ti; build week of 3/18

[meyersnole]

Visual Garage shark fin antenna, mark II: http://www.visualgarage.com/Product_VG_SFA_MKII.html

 

Actually I already got this, and also the screen protector, even though my car is somewhere in Mexico. I'm building a little stack of homecoming gifts for my car.

 

Thanks for your list; I will check out the goodies.

Interesting... you will have to try first the OEM antenna before you replace it and let us know if it hurt your reception at all. I have been pretty happy with how well the original one works.

[meyersnole]

If you do not mind me asking what  did you guys decide for the screen protector(s). Was it easy to apply and remove air bubbles?

 

thanks

still waiting on my bordeaux red FFE Ti; build week of 3/18

I put my choice in a separate post on the topic, click the link.  It was a bit tricky to get it right, and took about 20 minutes before I was happy. Its a lot larger then your phone application, and having the screen in a fixed location makes it worse.

[meyersnole]

meyersnole, have you found a trunk liner for the Energi trunk? That is, a REALLY SMALL trunk liner?

I would be interested in this as well. I have only seen the Hybrid trunk liners.

[EnergiManta]

meyersnole, where did you get you tint done and what tint index level did you get?  I am thinking of getting some 32% 3M tint put on at the 3M tint shop.  Trying to debate if i want to only do back 3 windows or all (excluding front windshield but including those little triangular ones on front of the car).  Did you post pics yet?  I haven't been able to find them.  I think the tinting would look amazing on my blue FFE.

 

I am also about to swap out the headlamp bulbs w/ HIDs.  Still dissappointed Ford did not opt to put those on, especially the titaniums.  My '13 Explorer has them (stock) and I love them.

 

I am also looking into floor mats.  Thinking of trying the FloorLiner™ DigitalFit® by WeatherTech.

 

This weekend I am having a guy put OptiCoat 2.0 on my car.  I am huge on paint protection and so far I have had great experience with this product.  I recommend it for those who are looking for some additional paint protection.

[meyersnole]

EnergiManta -- if you are willing to drive into Cary, Sun Protection is a great place to have the work done. Its not cheap, but they do an excellent job.  http://sunprotectionglasstint.com/

 

I had the ceramic tint installed at NC legal limit. It had the best heat reflexion index. I want to say it cost about $335 and is warranted for the life of the vehicle. They install FormulaOne tint. I have not taken pictures yet, hopefully this weekend.

 

It is odd they went with the halogen lights, but I guess it is not a big deal to me. I have had no visibility issues yet.

 

That is the exact mat that I am debating now. Just not sure what a plastic/rubber mat is going to do to the overall looks of the interior. Yes it will protect it, but... Maybe you can take some pics of your installation?

Edited March 21, 2013 at 11:06 PM by meyersnole

[FusionEnergi]

I am also about to swap out the headlamp bulbs w/ HIDs.  Still dissappointed Ford did not opt to put those on, especially the titaniums.  My '13 Explorer has them (stock) and I love them.

 

I am also looking into floor mats.  Thinking of trying the FloorLiner™ DigitalFit® by WeatherTech.

 

This weekend I am having a guy put OptiCoat 2.0 on my car.  I am huge on paint protection and so far I have had great experience with this product.  I recommend it for those who are looking for some additional paint protection.

I also am having the paint protection put on my vehicle and I am thinking about the HIDs. Can you please keep us posted on which ones you get and from where with some pictures.

Thanks

I have the WeatherTech Digitalfit floorliner in my camry and I will not be getting them again.Your shoes slide forward on them. I plan to replace them with the all weather ones ASAP. My wife wears heels and she does not like them at all. Also the lip on the edge gets in the way at times. They do protect your floor, but I plan to clean the Energi more often and I will just vacuum out the mats. I dont need to carry excess water and sand anyway it may affect my EV miles. 

[pluggedin]

meyersnole, where did you get you tint done and what tint index level did you get?  I am thinking of getting some 32% 3M tint put on at the 3M tint shop.  Trying to debate if i want to only do back 3 windows or all (excluding front windshield but including those little triangular ones on front of the car).  Did you post pics yet?  I haven't been able to find them.  I think the tinting would look amazing on my blue FFE.

 

I am also about to swap out the headlamp bulbs w/ HIDs.  Still dissappointed Ford did not opt to put those on, especially the titaniums.  My '13 Explorer has them (stock) and I love them.

 

I am also looking into floor mats.  Thinking of trying the FloorLiner™ DigitalFit® by WeatherTech.

 

This weekend I am having a guy put OptiCoat 2.0 on my car.  I am huge on paint protection and so far I have had great experience with this product.  I recommend it for those who are looking for some additional paint protection.

My dealer puts a window tint (customer choice) and paint protection (vinyl?) package on all of their cars. It is more or less mandatory for $1,394 for the two. However, I negotiated that down to $994. I ordered the all weather floor mats with the car.

 

That shark fin antennae looks great too and may keep a car wash from breaking the stock antennae off. I have to think about that one.

[meyersnole]

pluggedin -  Not a fan of dealers that create packages like that and tell you it is mandatory. 

 

Even if they are using quality product, which most of the time the do not, they have built in quite a profit margin for themselves. (I had a very high end film installed for less then $350 that has a lifetime transferable warranty.)

 

Check out page 16 of this presentation: http://www.nclc.org/images/pdf/conferences_and_webinars/auto_webinars/presentations/presentation_sept16.pdf

 

Not sure if you can do anything about it at this point or not, but if you look around you can probably find someone to do tint on your vehicle for $100. And if you inquire about the paint protection you are probably going to find out it is some kind of sealant. If that is the case, they are probably putting about $20 worth of product on your car.

 

You might want to poke at this a bit before you sign.

 

Edit: If they are putting a 3M paint protection film on the car, then the price is justified. Still not a fan of mandatory, but at least you are getting value.

Edited March 23, 2013 at 12:42 AM by meyersnole

[meyersnole]

I also am having the paint protection put on my vehicle and I am thinking about the HIDs. Can you please keep us posted on which ones you get and from where with some pictures.

Thanks

I have the WeatherTech Digitalfit floorliner in my camry and I will not be getting them again.Your shoes slide forward on them. I plan to replace them with the all weather ones ASAP. My wife wears heels and she does not like them at all. Also the lip on the edge gets in the way at times. They do protect your floor, but I plan to clean the Energi more often and I will just vacuum out the mats. I dont need to carry excess water and sand anyway it may affect my EV miles. 

Thanks FusionEnegi -- I have been struggling with should I get these, I am glad I hesitated. Thanks for the review.

[pluggedin]

pluggedin -  Not a fan of dealers that create packages like that and tell you it is mandatory. 

 

Even if they are using quality product, which most of the time the do not, they have built in quite a profit margin for themselves. (I had a very high end film installed for less then $350 that has a lifetime transferable warranty.)

 

Check out page 16 of this presentation: http://www.nclc.org/images/pdf/conferences_and_webinars/auto_webinars/presentations/presentation_sept16.pdf

 

Not sure if you can do anything about it at this point or not, but if you look around you can probably find someone to do tint on your vehicle for $100. And if you inquire about the paint protection you are probably going to find out it is some kind of sealant. If that is the case, they are probably putting about $20 worth of product on your car.

 

You might want to poke at this a bit before you sign.

 

Edit: If they are putting a 3M paint protection film on the car, then the price is justified. Still not a fan of mandatory, but at least you are getting value.

Yeah, I am questioning my guy about all of this now. He said if I did not want the tint to let him know right away so he did not schedule it to be done. I'll check some local prices before next Tuesday.

 

As for the film they apply it comes with a 4 year warranty, not lifetime like yours. The film does make the paint sparkle like a diamond in a goats ass though, to use a phrase my father use to say. What did you apply?

 

The exterior film is also part of the interior treatment (Scotch-guard?) and the lifetime maintenance contract. These three items are all packaged together so it's hard to tell what costs what. I'm not at all sure I like the idea of paying up front for "free" lifetime maintenance that locks me into the Ford service department. Although I must say their being so close to me was one of the major reasons I am buying a Ford Fusion. It's convenient.

 

Thank you for your suggestions meyersnole.

[meyersnole]

Yeah, I am questioning my guy about all of this now. He said if I did not want the tint to let him know right away so he did not schedule it to be done. I'll check some local prices before next Tuesday.

 

As for the film they apply it comes with a 4 year warranty, not lifetime like yours. The film does make the paint sparkle like a diamond in a goats ass though, to use a phrase my father use to say. What did you apply?

 

The exterior film is also part of the interior treatment (Scotch-guard?) and the lifetime maintenance contract. These three items are all packaged together so it's hard to tell what costs what. I'm not at all sure I like the idea of paying up front for "free" lifetime maintenance that locks me into the Ford service department. Although I must say their being so close to me was one of the major reasons I am buying a Ford Fusion. It's convenient.

 

Thank you for your suggestions meyersnole.

 

Not a fan of the prepaid maintenance plan either. I bought it once before and 1 year into the deal the dealer stopped accepting my "coupons". I was like I paid good money for this...and the dealer said that was with the previous dealership, this one changed hands. What am I going to do, they had my money already.

 

Even if not, now you have tied yourself to that dealer, what if you move?  Or what if you find a local mechanic that you want to use? Besides, your new car is only going to require an oil change every 10,000 miles or 1 year per factory recommendation.  How many of those miles are going to be with the engine anyway?

 

Do yourself a favor and skip that too.  This is a good read on the subject: http://www.edmunds.com/car-buying/prepaid-maintenance-plans.html

 

As far as the paint sparkling, for the kind of money the dealership is charging find yourself a good detailer. For about $100-$150 you can get an excellent interior / exterior detail. I am talking cleaned, clayed, double waxed and sealed. Then they will move to your interior where they will clean and shampoo the carpets and treat your leather seats. Then just do a $35 -$50 exterior wax with the same dude at the 6 month interval. Your car will look way better 5 years from now then anything that bottle of sealant will do. And you will have your interior looking new too!

Edited March 23, 2013 at 02:01 AM by meyersnole

[Scooter80]

My dealer puts a window tint (customer choice) and paint protection (vinyl?) package on all of their cars. It is more or less mandatory for $1,394 for the two. However, I negotiated that down to $994. I ordered the all weather floor mats with the car.

 

That shark fin antennae looks great too and may keep a car wash from breaking the stock antennae off. I have to think about that one.

 

I agree with most everything else said here. Even the $994 negotiated price seems waaaay high for this. A good tint job using good film should be about $25 a window or so. Paint sealant is another undercoating scam, man. Demand they not do either. Spend that money on your own products. You could do it or have it done multiple times for that cash elsewhere!

[pluggedin]

Not a fan of the prepaid maintenance plan either. I bought it once before and 1 year into the deal the dealer stopped accepting my "coupons". I was like I paid good money for this...and the dealer said that was with the previous dealership, this one changed hands. What am I going to do, they had my money already.

 

Even if not, now you have tied yourself to that dealer, what if you move?  Or what if you find a local mechanic that you want to use? Besides, your new car is only going to require an oil change every 10,000 miles or 1 year per factory recommendation.  How many of those miles are going to be with the engine anyway?

 

Do yourself a favor and skip that too.  This is a good read on the subject: http://www.edmunds.com/car-buying/prepaid-maintenance-plans.html

 

As far as the paint sparkling, for the kind of money the dealership is charging find yourself a good detailer. For about $100-$150 you can get an excellent interior / exterior detail. I am talking cleaned, clayed, double waxed and sealed. Then they will move to your interior where they will clean and shampoo the carpets and treat your leather seats. Then just do a $35 -$50 exterior wax with the same dude at the 6 month interval. Your car will look way better 5 years from now then anything that bottle of sealant will do. And you will have your interior looking new too!

 

 

I agree with most everything else said here. Even the $994 negotiated price seems waaaay high for this. A good tint job using good film should be about $25 a window or so. Paint sealant is another undercoating scam, man. Demand they not do either. Spend that money on your own products. You could do it or have it done multiple times for that cash elsewhere!

Okay, okay. They're outta here. Unless they drop the price significantly I will just have the work done myself and I just don't like the idea of paying for maintenance up front.

[Peter Kiener]

Anyone seen a fusion, hybrid or energi with body side moldings? There were none on any of the cars at my local Ford dealer.  How do they look?

[Earthdog]

Anyone seen a fusion, hybrid or energi with body side moldings? There were none on any of the cars at my local Ford dealer.  How do they look?

I'd like a set if anyone comes across them.

[meyersnole]

I'd like a set if anyone comes across them.

Not sure it would look right...

 

http://www.carid.com/2013-ford-fusion-body-kits/painted-moldings-3138234.html

[pluggedin]

EnergiManta -- if you are willing to drive into Cary, Sun Protection is a great place to have the work done. Its not cheap, but they do an excellent job.  http://sunprotectionglasstint.com/

 

I had the ceramic tint installed at NC legal limit. It had the best heat reflexion index. I want to say it cost about $335 and is warranted for the life of the vehicle. They install FormulaOne tint. I have not taken pictures yet, hopefully this weekend.

 

It is odd they went with the halogen lights, but I guess it is not a big deal to me. I have had no visibility issues yet.

 

That is the exact mat that I am debating now. Just not sure what a plastic/rubber mat is going to do to the overall looks of the interior. Yes it will protect it, but... Maybe you can take some pics of your installation?

I also had ceramic tint installed. There was a tint one price level down that was darker, and I liked better, but it had metal in it. I read some reviews saying the metal interfered with radio and phone reception, so I nixed that one.

 

Oh, I also had an additional strip installed on the front windshield. The sun is brutal here.

Edited April 2, 2013 at 02:05 PM by pluggedin

[meyersnole]

I also had ceramic tint installed. There was a tint one price level down that was darker, and I liked better, but it had metal in it. I read some reviews saying the metal interfered with radio and phone reception, so I nixed that one.

 

Oh, I also had an additional strip installed on the front windshield. The sun is brutal here.

 

Did you get it a little cheaper then the dealer would have charged you? 

[pluggedin]

Did you get it a little cheaper then the dealer would have charged you? 

No not really, the Dealer was charging me $300 and the tint was right at $300, with tax. The tint with the metal in it was cheaper and had a higher heat rejection value but, as I said, I did not want that tint due to possible radio wave interference.

[meyersnole]

Same film?

 

I had this put on at 35% http://www.formulaone.com/en/pinnacle.aspx

[pluggedin]

Same film?

 

I had this put on at 35% http://www.formulaone.com/en/pinnacle.aspx

No, I don't think its the same film but very similar. Mine is also ceramic but the percentage escapes me at the moment but it was in that same 35% range and also has infrared rejection as well.

 

The name of the film is Wincos, made by Lintec according to a review I just read. That review says Wincos is not ceramic based so I will have to research that tomorrow. If it ain't one thing, it's another.

Edited April 3, 2013 at 09:26 PM by pluggedin