TampaBear67

Oh, and by the way, Ford has been using LED tail lights since 1992 when it was the First to Pioneer the use of LED's for the Tail Light Panels on the 92-97 Thunderbird, as well as LED CHMSL's in the Rear Spoilers.

Ford also Pioneered the use of Fluorescent Tail Lamps on the Lincoln Mark VIII, which didn't catch on as well.

And lets not forget that we can thank Ford for the Modern, Flush, Aerodynamic, Composite Headlamps, which they introduced to the world on the 1984 Lincoln Mark VII.

metroplex

Another thing is that continuous improvement emphasizes quality improvements. I think almost every S197 suffers from the throttle dead-play, except those that got accelerators that were assembled better. The fix is easy, but it should have been identified and rectified early on in production and not left for the customer to fix.

Another example of why Ford has never grasped the concept of CI is the 1996 intake manifold fiasco with the modular V8 engines. Rather than develop a solution within 1-2 years, they let it drag on until the class action lawsuit of 2005, which still left a LOT of Ford owners high and dry.

TampaBear67

You don't have to tell me about the Intake Manifold Issue. My 97 T-Bird had it replaced under the Recall by the original owner, and the Dealer that did it used the Original Part to replace it, noit the new modified part with the Aluminum Crossover. So I just had to replace it last year, yet again, Out Of Pocket. As I wasn't the Original Owner, and it had been repaired under the recall already.

Juice

I owned a 2005 and bought the 2008 Bullitt and I can tell you there were a lot of differences between the two cars. I have never had the gas tank issue, and the battery issue is not unique to the Mustang. Mt wifes VW Turbo came from the dealer with a solar charger to plug into the dash so the battery would not go dead when you leave it at the airport.
When I filled out my owner's survey, many of the improvments that I suggested were incorporated in the 2010 model. Many of the more popular aftermarket mods have been incorporated like the painted mirror skull caps, sequential tail lights, cold air kit and an optional track pack.
Take alokk at A Camry, and you will see minimal changes from year to year. I thnk Ford did a good job with the 2010, although I like my Bullitt better. Do I wish they went with the 5.0, I don't know. I haven't had a issue with needing more power.

metroplex

VW/Audi has equipped their vehicles with solar chargers for some time and it's not because of drained out batteries. We've owned over half a dozen cars and none of them eat batteries within 3 months of winter storage. Ford's idea of continuous improvement is to disable global windows after MY05. Why haven't they re-instated it for MY06 or MY07-up?

The 2010 features a lot of aftermarket parts to justify its added cost. Quite frankly the body colored mirror covers look suited for an old person's car, but it's popular with the Mustang crowd.

Take a look at a Mazda. They continually improve the cars each model year. They don't have improvement spurts every 2-3 years, each MY has slight differences (continuous improvement). Ford takes a step back every so often, which isn't true to kaizen.

TampaBear67

My God, how important is it for you to open your freaking windows or sunroof with your key fob, that you're so obsessed with the freaking Global Windows Issue Metro? I mean really. It's not that big a deal, besides I'm sure that it would only add to your power drain issue, since the more Electronic Gizmos you add to a vehicle require that much more power.

As for the Mirrors, the Black Plastic, Pebble Grain Mirrors on the 05-09 look more suited for a Truck or an SUV. I like the Painted Skull Caps, something Ford evidently originally intended for the 05-09's, since the mirrors are already designed with the area for them to be installed.

zzcoop

Wait, what?

TampaBear67

It went over your Helmet Coop.

zzcoop

Apparently.

I'm struggling to even comprehend what body colored mirrors could possibly have to do with whether the vehicle they're attached to is an "old person's car" or not.

TampaBear67

Yeah I don't get it either. Chrome Mirrors yeah, but Body Colored mirrors, Ummm Uhhhh No.

Painted Mirrors in the 60's and 70's were used on Sports Models. In my opinion the mirrors on the 2010 are the best looking mirrors I've seen on a Ford in a really long time. They look like they came off of an Aston Martin or a Jaguar. Very Classy!

m05fastbackGT

So in the meantime, while your wife leaves her VW Turbo at the airport. What happens if there's overcast conditions during most of time ? If I'm not mistaken, solar chargers require sunlight in order to prevent a battery from discharging. Otherwise they won't have enough power required for keeping a battery maintained.

Ice Hawk

I'm curious to find out more about this gas tank and dead battery issue and whether or not it's going to be affecting the 2010s. Any specific posts to look at or site anyone recommends?

metroplex

The Crown Victoria, Grand Marquis, and Town Car came with body-colored mirrors since the early 90s. The average age of those car buyers are receiving social security benefits. I paid a few bucks to get the OEM black mirror covers for my Crown Vic. I was elated to see my Mustang with black mirror covers and horrified to see so many S197 owners buying the body colored caps. Yes, the black covers are typically used on trucks and SUVs. The painted covers are supposed to make the car feel upscale and luxurious, typically on cars purchased by old people.

The body colored covers are also harder to keep clean. I just polish the black plastic covers with 303 from time to time.

Aston Martin, Jaguar, and Corvettes are old people cars. How many young people between the age of 15-30 are driving new Astons, Jaguars, or new Corvettes? Almost every C6/Z06 owner at work is above the age of 50. On the road, the Vette owners are in varying degrees of baldness with white hair. The wing mirror design on the Corvette also looks like it was made for old men - similar to the MX-5 wing mirror arms.

Global Windows or a similar feature has been standard on many foreign cars, including VW. It is a simple matter of programming the SJB but Ford refuses to do this. Continuous improvement would have resulted in a fully functional global windows feature for 06-up S197s.

Again, Ford does not and has never subscribed to a true continuous improvement program. I've never seen Ford to adopt kaizen, they just port over designs and milk it for all it is worth until a change is needed. That was Henry Ford's original plan and it seems to hold true to this day. Mulally is starting to turn things around but I wouldn't hold my breathe especially for the Fords designed and made domestically.

metroplex

You would need a $200 solar charger with sufficient sunlight to maintain your battery. The $30 units don't have enough capacity to maintain the battery, they just provide a tiny trickle charge and that's assuming you get a LOT of sunlight.

VW/Audi has included solar chargers for quite some time but based on my research you need something that can provide as much juice as a tender, and that entails a $150-$200+ solar charger.

zzcoop

There's a big difference between old people cars and rich people cars.

Vermillion06

Here's what Edmund's said about the 2008 RX8The RX8 finally got refreshed for 2009-- they put a new front fascia on it! That's soooo kaizen!

metroplex

Thanks for looking at one of the LEAST popular Mazdas and using that to represent the entire company. Take a look at the Mazda3 and Mazda6. They do small things each year to improve the car. The MX-5 and RX-8 are niche cars and not something I think of when I see the Mazda brand. Ford sells more GT500s than Mazda sells RX-8s and MX-5s, that should give you an idea of their popularity.

The 2010 Mazda3 will most likely be my next purchase as a winter car. In fact, the current Mazda3 shows why Ford fails in adopting Kaizen. The current US Focus is still based on a 1998 C170 while everyone in the world can buy a 2004 C1 based Focus (even in Taiwan the C1 Focus Job 1 was 2004). The Mazda3 is C1 from the get-go and Mazda has taken the C1 to a new level. You can get a fully loaded Mazda3 equipped with LED tail lights, projector Xenon HIDs, heated mirrors, heated seats, Homelink etc... all factory optioned for $21k w/ Ford's X-Plan. That has been the case for a number of years, while Ford doesn't seem to want to offer the same Homelink mirror that everyone in the world uses (including Ford itself).

Want to talk Kaizen? Why doesn't Ford offer the Homelink, Temp, Compass, self-dimming Gentex mirror as a factory option when it is made by the same manufacturer that provides the same full featured mirror that IS offered as a factory option by subaru, Mazda, and a number of foreign makers? It's the same interface. Ford offers all of the non-Homelink mirrors on the Mustang as factory options.

Ford just doesn't understand design or customer priorities. Body colored mirror covers versus Global Windows, factory optioned Homelink vs. crappy mirror, etc... Ford has yet to offer a functional sunroof. The glassback looks great but I want the added ventilation/convection cooling of a sunroof in the summer. The first thing that a co-worker asked as she got into the Stang was, "why doesn't it have a sunroof?" I don't want to take it to an aftermarket place to get it installed. It should be a factory option - ready to rock as soon as it comes off the transporter from Flat Rock, MI.

Also,

WHY HASN'T FORD OFFERED A TELESCOPING STEERING WHEEL IN THE S197?

Is it so hard to make the driver feel comfortable while driving the car? I'm 6'3" and 145 lb. I find myself having to reach to grab the wheel once I get the seat adjusted in a comfortable grand touring position. Ford, in its infinite wisdom, actually REMOVED the telescoping wheel feature from its 2008 NA Focus, while every Focus prior to 2008 actually had it. Continuous improvement or continuous cost-cutting?

TampaBear67

Coop, I guess I Havel Old People's/Rich People's Car-itis, cause to me Plain Black Plastic Mirrors Look CHEAP and Tacky! I guess those Wonderful and Almighty Japanese and European Manufactureres think so to since even the lowest of their models use Painted Mirrors. And when I was talking about the Aston Martin and Jaguar Mirrors, I was only comparing the Elegance and Execution of the 2010 Mustangs Mirrors to those cars, which in my opinion along with the 350/370 Z, are the best out there design wise.

Let's have a look.














Even the Koreans are in on it.







And the Americans Too? Oh My, is this a Conspiracy?
















I know the Fiesta isn't here yet but that reminds me, Don't Forget the Europeans...










I guess those were all Old People's Cars or Rich People's, Shall I Continue?

metroplex

An example of Mazda3 and CI:
Prior to MY07, the MP3 CD receiver was a DIO. I believe it became standard in MY08 (kind of late IMHO).
They have also added the keyless entry and starting system for the M3, which used to be found only on RX-8/MX-5.
Projector Xenon HIDs have been available for quite some time (keep in mind the Mazda3 is a compact entry level car), while Ford only uses this tech on its old-man Lincoln cars.
Various minor exterior changes can also be found from MY to MY.

It'd be nice if Ford fixed the gas tank issue once and for all in the 2010 Mustang, and that would mean it only took Ford about 5-6 years to fix the problem, instead of 9 years and a class action lawsuit.

metroplex

Not really, they usually go hand in hand with limited exceptions. If you're old, you usually have a bigger budget. The Millennial target demographic (age 15-35) has a very different budget and taste in style. GM understood this briefly by making the CTS "sporty" and scared away a lot of old people.