LS slammed by technician

[BORG]

At blueovalnews.com Forums, a guy who says he's a Ford Technician wrote a flaming report about the LS.

quote:Just had to jump in here,you people sure dont expect much out of your cars if you own an ls,I have to work on these things for a meager living I might add and I have to say this car is all hype it's amazing how many people get suckered into these cars by the media.this car is noisy v6 and v8,suspension problems galore mainly because of you wannabe race car drivers pressing ford to build these taught rough riding gokarts to me 3 hrs to align an ls the other day due to the cars screwed up suspension geometry and I got paid half hour to do the job.also droning noises that have no fix,dual climate control malfunctions and vibration problems with no cure,we have already had a ton of buybacks on these cars,my 99 ranger rides better,and yes the car was based on jaguar and the british have a less than pristine reputation for building a decent car,I know I used to work on Jags too.sorry folks skidpad numbers and 1/4 mile times and "road feel" dont mean a thing when your car spends days on end in the shop while techs who will never be able to afford and ls even if we wanted to,put up with low pay and no intelligent answers on how to fix your overhyped car from the people who built the thing,also dont blame the dealership or the technician for the reasons your cars dont get fixed or things get overlooked blame ford,they are the ones who dont want to pay us anything to fix your car so there isnt much incentive to try anymore,check out the ford techs to file class action lawsuit bulletin board and you will have your eyes opened for you.in closing if you want a BMW go buy one dont settle for ls.

Since I pick up one next month, I'm a little concerned by what he says. Anyone care to dispute?

[DaKat]

Yikes - what a rant!
Let's hear some opinions out there people. .

------------------
DaKat
'95 LSC/DOHC/290hp/K&N
. . .puts "The Whoosh" on 'em!
The KatzEye (http://home.earthlink.net/~katz2quik)

[Lscman]

This man sounds like he's ready to go postal. I'm betting his discontent is coming from some other source like his personal life. He sounds like he can't cope with the complexity of the car and would rather be working on a 50 year old farm tractor. I have heard similar opinions expressed by older, uneducated grease monkeys that could not adapt to changing times. I'm glad the car rides firm. I suppose the whole automobile world that is currently applauding the handling, ride and manners of this car is full of B.S., not. Thanks for the info, though.

[BORG]

I agree with that perspective. He is really attacking the philosophy of making a car like that more than anythingelse. Or maybe he's jealous he can't have one ;)

[Lscman]

Seriously, I have a few older friends that are mechanics. Every time a new model comes out they have difficulty learning the new tricks necessary to beat book time on repairs. The swear the new models are garbage every time. Some of them go hungry and wind up losing big on the first 50 or so jobs. It truly affects their livelihood (read: take-home-pay). Can you imagine how easy it is to work on a model that has been on the street for years, after seeing the same problems over and over again. You can diagnose and repair them with your eyes shut. A new model? Well, that means opening a Service Manual, reading, thinking, learning and wasting precious time when you could be making money.

[This message has been edited by Lscman (edited February 25, 2000).]

[BORG]

Here is a response to that message in the other forum.

quote:
The "droning" noise in my LS is definitely there, BORG. To try to cure it, my dealer's shop supervisor welded two giant weights (canisters) to my LS's exhaust system (one on each side). The weights helped to reduce the droning, but it's still there. I suspect the droning is caused by undesirable resonance in the exhaust system.

[HTRDLNCN]

Cant really say about the LS but since its based on a Jaquar I can say this,,a person I know who has been freinds with me since high school has worked at Jaquar for the past 15 years at the Jaquar Collection in CoralGables Florida,,he is 37years old,,a master tech and gets updated education every 6 months from jaquar,he doesnt mind the constant learning since he gets paid for it,he never worked on any other cars, and is definatly not an old style grease monkey,,he can talk to you for hours on end about the CRAP Jaquar does in their engineering and design,,it has gotten better but is still pretty bad,combine that with Fords bad history in dealer and warranty work and draw you own conclusion.
I know Ford may have redisgned a lot of the systems so maybe i am way off base but if it was me i would wait 2-3 years till they work all the bugs out,,actually thats good advice with any totally new model

[This message has been edited by HTRDLNCN (edited February 25, 2000).]

[Lscman]

Borg,
In my opinion, there are an unusually wide range of buyers considering the new LS. There is probably an even number of older Town Car owners out there willing to try the new LS as there are prior BMW and sports car owners interested in giving an american car a try. The Town Car owner is going to be pissed with the loud, resonant exhaust while the former M3 owner is going to be sawing it off and installing a Borla to produce more noise. Lincoln has it's work cut out for them to please everyone. I only hope Lincoln soon follows the 325i vs M3 route, providing a different calibration to please both groups. There is much buyer confusion surrounding these cars. This is why Lincoln and Cadillac avoided this market for years. They will likely lose some faithful Lincoln customers that mistakenly choose one as a mini luxo sedan and discover they do not exactly isolate them from the driving experience by simulating an overstuffed sofa in a soundproof living room. That is what the "classic" Lincoln buyer expects.

[This message has been edited by Lscman (edited February 26, 2000).]

[BORG]

The reason we leased one is because it is a sports car. But I find it very funny that I see old ladies driving these fully loaded Sports around. I can't imagine what they must be thinking when driving one of those tought riding cruisers. We're a Mark VIII family so obviously, the only way to stay in the Lincoln lineup was to go right to the LS. But we still prefer the Mark VIII for it's unique looks and plush luxurious interior. But part of that uniquness is that the car was a poor seller and very few were on the roads.

[Lscman]

I couldn't agree more. I know a person who ordered a '97 Mark VIII LSC without ever driving one. After owning it for a week, he took a $5K beating & traded it in on a Town Car. He did nothing but complain about the ride. As you say, the LS will recieve the same negative feedback from many aged former Marquis and Town Car owners. I hope Lincoln buyer's surveys do not result in the cars being detuned & watered down. They really need two versions. The Cadillac STS vs. SLS is another good example.

[BORG]

The LS does have a jarring ride but it's not as shaky and quaky as the Mark VIII which has a serious problem with structural rigidity. But at cruising speeds, nothing can beat a Mark VIII which drives along like a jet. But the floaty boaty ride drives me nuts because it's so uncontrolable and it makes me motion sick. I'll take my Taurus over a Town Car anyday, the TC just disgusts me. But then again, I'm 21 http://www.lincolnsonline.com/ubb/wink.gif

[Lscman]

Well said, young man.