I'm not trying to pick a fight, but I feel compelled to address this post on a few different levels. Sorry for the long-winded rants....
ASNU said:
Joe.
Thank you for such a informative response.Do you have a limited with a message centre on the dash that is constantly adjusting to driving conditions or litres used per 100km?.
I do not. I have a '98 2-door Sport as listed in my signature. The Sports were never equipped with the message center.
I drive alot in the city and do long trips on the expressway sometimes doing 1100km in a day and want a gauge that is accurate.My fuel consumption can vary from 18L/100 to 13L/100 on the expressway.When I have a message centre says its dead empty with 0 kms left in the tank I really are not going to take the risk of running the tank dry but as it is at present this has limited my driving range by up to 200kms.
Two questions: When the message center in the console says the tank is empty, does the gauge on the dash concur? When you first fill the tank, on the message center, how many KMs to empty does it show?
Is there an analog odometer on the dashboard as well in the Australian models? When we referred to watching the mileage, we implied that you would use that. Yes, it's not going to be the same every tank as the instantaneous mileage will vary with the driving conditions as you mentioned. However, the overall mileage traveled per tank will remain relatively steady, assuming you maintain the same driving patterns. Worst case, you said that the message center said it was empty when there was 8.5 liters left in it. In lieu of a proper repair, let's be conservative and say that you had at least 7 left in the tank. Now, worst case, you know you get 13L/100K, so that means you're good for AT LEAST another 53 km. That's worst-case scenario. If you know that's the case, then why stop when the light comes on?
I have had the car at the dealers with the tank out and a new gauge fitted and was told this is as spec/
What test did they perform to determine it was a bad gauge? If they actually tested it, they should be able to show you the old one and explain the tests they performed to come to that conclusion.
I really do not want to hear the words [Jap Crap]. Do abit of travelling mate outside of the US and you will see the amount of Japanese cars sold around the world.
I'll call it what I want. I'm entitled to my opinion. I work for Ford, and I'm an American that chooses to support both a domestic automaker, as well as the company that has put food on my table, clothing on my back, and a roof over my head for four (soon to be 5) generations. Yes, I bleed Ford blue. I don't need to travel outside my country to see a proliferation of foreign vehicles. I see them every day. I LIVE it. When your job is on the line because someone can get the Japanese or the Chinese or the Indians or the Pakistanis to do it for a fraction of the cost, then you can tell me how I should feel about foreign competition. The fact of the matter is we cann't compete with the Chinese or the Japanese. How the hell do you maintain the standard of living we here in the states have built, when we're trying to compete with a company that can build similar products for a fraction of the cost because their employees make less in a year than I make in a month? We won't even get into the political restrictions imposed on foreign manufacturers in China, Japan, and the far west. We're already priced out of the market, then the local governments pile on more taxes and trade tariffs, further compounding the difficulty. Why do you think domestic automakers in that country dominate the market share so completely? Do you honestly think it's because Ford can't build a comparable product? Whatever....
But I digress....
Ford or GM cannot match there sheer sales figures around the globe and quality control.Look what Lexus has done to your luxury car market.Dont they have 60% market share over there.
Nope. Not sure where you got that figure from... Have we lost ground to the imports? yes. Are sales down because of it? Yes. Does Lexus have 60% of the luxury market in the US? Nope. The latest data I could find was from '04, and it showed luxury brands accounted for 11.5% of all US sales. Lexus sold 260,000 vehicles in '04, and was the best-selling luxury brand for the 4th year, but that doesn't mean much in my book. Even with slow sales, Ford still sells more pickups than that EVERY MONTH. I'm not impressed. I'll see what I can drum up for some real numbers from work tomorrow.
Time to pull your head out of the sand mate.
Not sure where that came from, but I assure you, although I'm no business analyst, as a loyal 4th-generation employee of the company, I see what's going on around us. Trust me, I see it every day.
This is my 10th Ford as I like the product and always will.I am sure if you where in the same situation and paid alot of money you would want a better response or have it reading correctly.
You must also keep in mind that you're dealing with a 12-year old vehicle (assuming we're talking about the '94 listed in your profile), and that vehicle was based on an even older vehicle (the late 80s Ford Ranger compact pickup truck). The technology has come a long way since then, and wasn't very refined to start with. There are plenty of other members here that have the same vehicle (in left hand drive trim, of course) that have not had that issue, and I'd be willing to bet good money that far more people have NOT had that problem than have had it. I'm sure there are plenty of 12+ year old 'Other-than-Ford' vehicles driving around out there with less than accurate fuel gauges as well.
Now, getting back to the problem at hand....
Let's start from the beginning. We understand that the message center indicates that you have 0 kms to empty long before the tank is empty. When that happens, what does the gauge on the dash say? What tests has the dealership performed on the system to determine that the gauge was bad? What parts have been replaced in an attempt to fix the problem? The system isn't extrordinarily complex, but as I mentioned in my first reply, there are a few parts that come to mind. We'd all love to help more, but we need more info about the problem and the results of any troubleshooting that's already been completed to get you pointed in the right direction.
Always happy to help,
-Joe
