So. Boss drove new fleet vehicle starting with 40km. Drove to me. 280km. Accept vehicle. Drive 350km to/from job. Notice a smell and then heat when exiting vehicle. Open hood. Heat/smell stronger. Check/clean dipstick. Reinsert. Dipstick dry....No oil...No dummy light activation...The thing has onboard computer. Do a diagnostic. All systems OK....WTHeck? ...Call boss inform the vehicle has been running pretty much dry for 650km....Check inter nets (lol) ...Plenty of problems, peeps are PISSED with the product...Anyone here have a 2013 escape? The specs are pretty awesome: heated seats, turbo, AWD, dual exhaust (only 1.6 ltr), button shift in sport mode, tachometer, 18's, mags, key less entry, satellite, some kind of radar sh#t that alerts fore and aft. Starboard etc...Also equipped for work- a smoking hot ladder. I'm serious. The best ladder I've seen in 25 yrs. Folds into a suitcase bomb. Really nice ladder. Only those who use could appreciate, fiberglass that folds right down.
Ah - in these anxious times, it's rather comforting to see that some things are constant and unchanging. Back in the day ( when I worked in the car business ) , lessee now, must have been 1989 ( ! ) I had to deliver a brand-new top-spec Ford Granada to a senior exec at a big oil company (Total, IIRC). Picked the machine up from the Ford dealer, drove four miles down the road onto a dual carriageway...is that hot alloy I can smell ? Well, all dials and lights reading OK.....let's accelerate gently......BA-LOO-EY ! ....clouds of steam, pull over, all sorts of fluids p*****g out from under the car........manufacturing fault in the auto transmission, main dealer hadn't correctly road-tested the car...... 'THE CAR YOU ALWAYS PROMISED YOURSELF'
Got a Ford Escort estate...silver...but added mud brown for effect..sheep nuts and dog smells internallylll Food wrappers and coffee cartons by the million. Toyota has bust 4 wheel drive...chemicals sloshing in back...sheep wool..sheers, boxes of drugs and needles..chemicals of all sorts...mud..mud glorious mud...just waiting for cops to stop me and ask me what the needles are for...carry a pic of sheep just in case.. Transit van is converted to a camper with windows, curtains, cooker, bed, chair, fridge the lot..pristine ford and likes the beach. The other civvy car is a ford too..Old escort that runs like a rolls royce. POPPY..your too critical..its just a smell mate..put a few sheep in under blankets tied down so no one sees you moving em and the new hot car smell will go away for good.
What ever happened to checking your oil and water before taking off? Even today when I drive older and trustworthy, well worn cars and a pickup, I glance under the vehicle to see if there are any fresh stains under it, and generally check the oil before I start it up. This Ford being "new" from the dealer is no guarantee that the service dept. has done its job. They can be lazy too.
..Old guy..new engine type. Long story long: If the boss doesn't check a 40km vehicle, then I was amiss in accepting it- true. Got back from 350km trip. Smelled hot burning smell...Decided to check oil. Wiped dip stick. Pulled it out. It was BONE dry. Never in my years of working on vehicles has there been a dry dipstick...So I go buy 4 ltrs of oil to put in- shocked that I made it home (no dummy lights). Next morning get up to put oil in. Check dipstick- it's perfect...Seems this new eco engine sucks up the oil, and it takes 10-15 minutes for it to flow back into pan where dipstick can read the level....I checked the owners manual, and the image of the 1.6 litre engine does not match my layout. So thought maybe I had a 2 ltr engine with a 1.6 ltr dipstick- not long enough to read the 2.0 level...i didn't know...Sent out company mail to notify users to wait 15 min before checking oil....I used to stop for gas. Check oil- my 350 always read 'good'- 3 min after stopping.
I'll add that the HP is not listed in owners manual...Had to go online to find it's 178hp...Would like to find its' weight. Mine would be heavier with the cages/ladder/tools...Best mileage- 9.1 ltrs per 100km....My Honda Fit is much more maneuverable, brakes way faster, carries WAY more, better mileage...The Ford is plush. The floor mats are the size of postage stamps. Lots of leg/head room. Heated seats....I say heated seats. Folk below the 49th don't know. But I like warm butts, I cannot lie....Also- a very heavy odoriferous chemical smell, prolly from all the plastic and fabric. A present for the future cancer patient...Crack the windows to let chems out overnight...Plenty of power outlets, inputs. The on board controls are mesmerizing. Like TV. Was very distracted just trying to learn and drive. Trying to figure out radio/satellite, stations. The steering wheel is crowded with bits that do a lot of different things.
