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What Have You Done To Your Explorer ST Today

zdubyadubya

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It’s from I5 autohaus, the vents are interchangeable
I really want this hood but nobody has explained to me yet how it works when you get the vented version and if it gets rained on/washed/wet. Where does the water go? Does it just drip down into your engine bay? Are there channels to flow the water away from the electric bits? Also, does the hood come with any sound deadening installed? Can you take pics of the underside of it?
 

ZRX61

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Cleaned the lift gate, windows & the wheels.
Ran errands.
Taped a plastic shopping bag over the left mirror again. This is because a pair of sparrows have decided that the window trim by the mirror is the perfect place to conduct mating rituals & random crapping. This started on Friday, yesterday I came up with the plastic bag mod & it worked, no poop! After I got done driving today I put the bag back on the mirror. Apparently the right side mirror & window trim hasn't been discovered by them yet.

Then I got to deal with some clueless moron from the dealer who called to schedule a service appt. She couldn't answer a SINGLE frigging question & knew NOTHING about vehicles at all. I'm assuming she gets given a list of people who bought vehicles & is told to call them two months after they drove off the lot. It was like dealing with a telemarketer that has a pretty severe synaptic misfire issue.

Examples:
"Your vehicle is due for a service & we'd like the schedule an appointment"
Me: It has 7100 miles on it, I thought the first service was due at 10,000 miles? At this rate we'd be needing an appointment sometime in August
"oh, I don't know anything about that, you'd need to speak with the service dept"

Me: It also needs the modem reactivated via SM 50251 or replaced because it doesn't work.
"oh, I don't know anything about that, you'd need to speak with the service dept"

Me: I assume SM is Service Module?
"oh, I don't know anything about that, you'd need to speak with the service dept"

Me: While I've got you on the phone, I have a question about loaners during warranty work.
"oh, I don't know anything about that, you'd need to speak with the service dept"


This went on for damn near 15 minutes & I got the distinct impression I was speaking with someone who would have difficulty finding the steering wheel while sat in the drivers seat.
 

KegsBdry

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Cleaned the lift gate, windows & the wheels.
Ran errands.
Taped a plastic shopping bag over the left mirror again. This is because a pair of sparrows have decided that the window trim by the mirror is the perfect place to conduct mating rituals & random crapping. This started on Friday, yesterday I came up with the plastic bag mod & it worked, no poop! After I got done driving today I put the bag back on the mirror. Apparently the right side mirror & window trim hasn't been discovered by them yet.

Then I got to deal with some clueless moron from the dealer who called to schedule a service appt. She couldn't answer a SINGLE frigging question & knew NOTHING about vehicles at all. I'm assuming she gets given a list of people who bought vehicles & is told to call them two months after they drove off the lot. It was like dealing with a telemarketer that has a pretty severe synaptic misfire issue.

Examples:
"Your vehicle is due for a service & we'd like the schedule an appointment"
Me: It has 7100 miles on it, I thought the first service was due at 10,000 miles? At this rate we'd be needing an appointment sometime in August
"oh, I don't know anything about that, you'd need to speak with the service dept"

Me: It also needs the modem reactivated via SM 50251 or replaced because it doesn't work.
"oh, I don't know anything about that, you'd need to speak with the service dept"

Me: I assume SM is Service Module?
"oh, I don't know anything about that, you'd need to speak with the service dept"

Me: While I've got you on the phone, I have a question about loaners during warranty work.
"oh, I don't know anything about that, you'd need to speak with the service dept"


This went on for damn near 15 minutes & I got the distinct impression I was speaking with someone who would have difficulty finding the steering wheel while sat in the drivers seat.
Maybe you were talking to a bot. Same answer to all questions. ...
 

GearHead_1

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How difficult of a job is that? I've seen the you tube video's but from your perspective?

There is nothing particularly difficult about the job. Depending upon the video you may have watched there could be a minor but time-consuming difference.

Early models used sheet metal screws to attach the support group lower. Later models got rivets. Mine had rivets. Depending upon how you choose to reattach the support group can take some time. Rivnuts were my choice. Self-tapping sheet metal screws would also work. I had to get some small bolts to fit and it cost me some time to run to the hardware store. I also changed out the Blue Oval to a Black Oval while I was there.

All in all, it took me over 5 hours. I've seen several that claim they can do it in 3 so I assume that's possible but I'd think the average guy probably isn't moving that fast. Doing it that quickly is definitely assuming you have everything you need on hand and within reach. I'm a former ASE Certified Master Tech and have any tool you might imagine. Having been through it I could easily knock an hour off of that next go round. Admittedly I don't move as quickly as I once did.
 

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F=MA

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Re: Whipple I did not want to see silver behind the black grill so I painted the front of the Whipple flat black.
 

GearHead_1

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Re: Whipple I did not want to see silver behind the black grill so I painted the front of the Whipple flat black.
I also considered this.
 

ZRX61

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Maybe you were talking to a bot. Same answer to all questions. ...
It sure seemed like it when I asked a question, but the rest of the conversation was conducted like she had a pulse.
 

92onward

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I really want this hood but nobody has explained to me yet how it works when you get the vented version and if it gets rained on/washed/wet. Where does the water go? Does it just drip down into your engine bay? Are there channels to flow the water away from the electric bits? Also, does the hood come with any sound deadening installed? Can you take pics of the underside of it?
Yeah I’ll send them sometime this weekend when I go back home
 

ZRX61

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The hunt continues for a service dept that I'm comfortable with. Today's call was going well until the gal I was talking with put me on hold for a moment to go check the SM 50251 /TCU issue with the service manager. She came back with 'The service manager asked me to tell you there are three other Ford dealers that are closer to where you live"... after we'd already discussed why I wouldn't be going to any of those shit shows...
At one point she did say "I don't think we can do software updates via the phone" which left me a bit confused about why she thought that's what I was calling about.
So that's four crossed off the list & there's two others that have such bad reviews I wouldn't bother calling them anyway.

At this rate I'm going to be driving from LA to frigging Bakersfield...
 

Cruising68

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The hunt continues for a service dept that I'm comfortable with. Today's call was going well until the gal I was talking with put me on hold for a moment to go check the SM 50251 /TCU issue with the service manager. She came back with 'The service manager asked me to tell you there are three other Ford dealers that are closer to where you live"... after we'd already discussed why I wouldn't be going to any of those shit shows...
At one point she did say "I don't think we can do software updates via the phone" which left me a bit confused about why she thought that's what I was calling about.
So that's four crossed off the list & there's two others that have such bad reviews I wouldn't bother calling them anyway.

At this rate I'm going to be driving from LA to frigging Bakersfield...
I've been fortunate throughout my GM years to have established relationships with service and parts people. Enough so that I was comfortable with them working on my vehicles and I got my parts at close to internet pricing.

I asked the dealer I bought my ST from if he wanted to give me a price on installing an intercooler and lowering springs. He told me they couldn't do that without voiding my warranty. I told him I wasn't expecting coverage on the intercooler or springs and he gave me a song and dance about warranty problems. And he was one of the owners. So I'm on the hunt for a reasonable Ford dealer in Chicagoland as well and I will end up doing all the work myself.
 

ZRX61

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I've been fortunate throughout my GM years to have established relationships with service and parts people. Enough so that I was comfortable with them working on my vehicles and I got my parts at close to internet pricing.

I asked the dealer I bought my ST from if he wanted to give me a price on installing an intercooler and lowering springs. He told me they couldn't do that without voiding my warranty. I told him I wasn't expecting coverage on the intercooler or springs and he gave me a song and dance about warranty problems. And he was one of the owners. So I'm on the hunt for a reasonable Ford dealer in Chicagoland as well and I will end up doing all the work myself.
I would much prefer that this vehicle never see's the inside of a service dept ever again (except warranty work if needed).... I know about the deal that allows owners to do oil/filter changes without affecting the warranty & any damn fool can rotate the tires, but what about this "safety inspection" BS?
Couldn't get a straight answer from the gal today... & she questioned my ability to jack it up to rotate the tires, which was when I mentioned I'd jacked up 70ton aircraft to pull wheels and/or do gear swings by myself so an SUV wasn't going to present any problems. "oh, yeah, you should be ok doing that yourself" Got a laugh out of that.

The last time my Kawasaki 1100 saw the inside of a dealer was the day I bought it 23 years & 121,840 miles ago :)
 

Cruising68

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I would much prefer that this vehicle never see's the inside of a service dept ever again (except warranty work if needed).... I know about the deal that allows owners to do oil/filter changes without affecting the warranty & any damn fool can rotate the tires, but what about this "safety inspection" BS?
Couldn't get a straight answer from the gal today... & she questioned my ability to jack it up to rotate the tires, which was when I mentioned I'd jacked up 70ton aircraft to pull wheels and/or do gear swings by myself so an SUV wasn't going to present any problems. "oh, yeah, you should be ok doing that yourself" Got a laugh out of that.

The last time my Kawasaki 1100 saw the inside of a dealer was the day I bought it 23 years & 121,840 miles ago :)
I'm with you. Haven't been to a dealer for anything but warranty work and thanks but no thanks on the free oil changes. I consider myself an over maintainer regarding fluids and safety. Would rather do a brake job myself and know it was done right and didnt't cost me 4X what it should. And I understand it is rare to have customers that know more about your vehicle than the techs but do you have to talk to me like I have no understanding how anything works???

I have also found in the past couple years all the service departments are WAY OVER SELLING services. I get it, they are struggling with few new car sales but I'll be damned if I'm going to make up for it in my work.

On a side note, had a GPZ1100 back in the day. Just before the revolutionary Ninja came out. Got quite the deal on it but still ended up a but disappointing. Gave up street riding when I moved to Chicagoland. Not worth it to me. Raced in the woods instead for 20 years.
 

ZRX61

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Had an '82 B2, '83 A1 & a '85 B3, still have some GPz11 parts laying around including a complete lower end. :)
Would buy another '83-'85 in a heartbeat if the right one showed up... like this example: GPz1100.jpg
 

Cruising68

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Still like that classic look! Remember the first time I twisted the throttle after the Vance and Hines 4 into one. When I hit the throttle it tried to pull out of my hands when it hit


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

ZRX61

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Back on topic, these just arrived :)

20220331_121914.jpg
 

Nbk4t5e

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Added the black ST emblem with no chrome lining and the red RaceSeng tow hook today




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Last edited:
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To
Added the black ST emblem with no chrome lining and the red RaceSeng tow hook today




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Tow hook looks awesome.. what size did you order and how did you mount it? I went to the site but no help there.
 



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