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Ford Windstar

804 messages,  Last post on Sep 24, 2012 at 2:07 PM

You are in the Ford Windstar Forum.

What is this discussion about? Ford Windstar, Ford Windstar Cargo, Van

Messages Page 12 of 81

#108 of 804 You are correct... by wholigan

May 26, 2000 (5:55 pm)

Many of those links are for the 1995, however, the 1996 is "statistically" catching up with the 1995. The head gasket is only PART of the problem; Ford put an aluminum head on a cast iron block - the two metals expand and contract at different temperatures.


Personally, it is the right size for my family. I love the roominess and it has a decent ride. However, after living through the repair process for three replacement transmissions, the head gasket job, and an engine replacement, I would say that I am very well educated on how Ford is treating their customer. Need I mention the quality of their product and services (all done at Ford dealerships?). This has not been a desirable position.


Again, whatever you do, educate yourself.


http://consumeraffairs.com/automotive/ford_windstar_1996_gaskets.htm

#109 of 804 Looking at `00 Windstar by avidmarc

May 31, 2000 (2:58 pm)

My wife and I are lloking into buying a mini van for the family. Looking at the Windstar, MPV from Mazda and Honda's version. If anyone has any useful information (problems/concerns or praises) regarding any of these please feel free to let me know. Thanks. I view this board as a major tool in purchasing a car.


Avidmarcaol.com

#110 of 804 Avidmarc by c1054

Jun 01, 2000 (7:42 pm)

I have a 1999 Windstar SEL that I bought last April. My wife and I (and kids) like the vehicle. The front seats are confortable and it's enjoyable to drive. The biggest problem we had was a rattle in the right sliding door, but that was fixed. The reverse sensor is a great option, and well worth the money. It costs less than most insurance policy deductibles, and it's already saved me from bumping into things. If you can get the 0.9% financing, it pays to finance as much as possible. We saved over $2,000 by financing every penny.


My brother-in-law has a 1999 Odyssey. He likes it and has not had any major problems. I think that the inside of the Odyssey is a bit Spartan and not as nice as the Windstar. Honda cut corners on things like the luggage rack; in the end, I believe that the Windstar gives you more bang for the buck, although Honda's disappearing rear bench is a great idea. The good news is that they are both nice vans, so you can't go wrong. Good luck.

#111 of 804 new 2000 windstar by rmblwind

Jun 02, 2000 (12:11 am)

We recently (last week) traded up from a 97 GL to a 2000 LX. We did this for one reason, and one reason only, that being the two rear bench seats in the 97 did not have head restraints - not a problem when we bought it, and our children were smaller, but a safety issue now that their heads extended over the top of the seats.
We never had any of the problems described elsewhere in this group with our 97, although the Anti-Lock Braking System started to engage with routine braking at about 21K miles (and a few weeks past the 3 yr. warranty - the Extended Warranty took care of it, minus $100.00 deductible). Also, on our way from Long Island, NY to Florida this past April, the “Check Engine” light came on in Georgia. As we were driving it to a dealership in Fl to check it out, the light went out, so we never took it in. On the return trip, it came back on (again, in Georgia!), and stayed on until we went to take it to a local dealership, so we again did not take it in. (Who knows what THAT was about!) So if it wasn’t for the rear head restraints issue, we might not have traded up at all. Based on our fairly good experience with the 97 (and a 0.9% finance program!) we went for a new Windstar. The dealer, Country Ford, in Levittown, NY, which I contacted via the internet, made an offer that was within dollars of what I had estimated as a fair price - same with the trade in - kudos to them, a no hassle buying experience! (Of course, maybe we just didn’t drive the 97 enough - at 38 months we only had 24,650 miles!
But at less than 150 miles on the new Windstar, I have noticed a few items that no one has addressed at this forum. First off, I miss the slide out storage bin that we had under the front passenger seat, the Windstar just doesn’t have enough storage up front without the center bin (which we didn’t order, because we thought the under seat bin was standard equipment, and we like to be able to get to the back without climbing over a center bin, or exiting the van!)
Second, the big space at the bottom of the the front console used to have a rubber mat to provide some traction for the items stored there. Our new one doesn’t, so things just fly out when we accelerate! (Does anyone else have a mat here? I’m thinking of cutting up a computer mouse pad to fit in this!)
But more worrisome, is distortion on the front windshield! From the driver’s seat, anything from center to my right side is “wavy”. If I sit in the front passenger seat, the distortion disappears - but I now see it if I look to my left at the driver’s side! If you exit the van and look through the cab from driver side to the passenger side, and you look at, say, the parallel lines caused by the vinyl siding on my house, they split into shallow “z’s”. (It’s the same in the other direction, but not as dramatic.) In other words, the distortion increases with the distance. Is this a “bug, or a feature”? Has anyone else experienced this? - if so, did you bring it up with the dealership? What did they say? Should I be concerned? Any feedback would be much appreciated!
Other than that, we are quite happy with this new van. We would like to hear from other owners of a 2000 Windstar LX, for their comments and/or experience - negative or positive. Thanks for this forum where consumers can exchange information.

#112 of 804 RE: You are correct by philhy

Jun 05, 2000 (3:03 pm)

(wholigan) writes:
"Ford put an aluminum head on a cast iron block - the two metals expand and contract at different
temperatures"


This has been a very common practice in the automotive industry for quite some time. The fact that Ford might have screwed this particular engine up not withstanding, this fact alone should not deter anyone from buying a vehicle with a similar engine. I would venture to say that probably every competing minivan has the same aluminum heads on an iron block. In fact, it might even be correct to argue that the Japanese manufacturers did this first.


Regards,
Phil

#113 of 804 Philhy - And I will state once again... by wholigan

Jun 05, 2000 (3:44 pm)

This is only one example of engineering issues with the Ford 3.8L engine. It is obvious that technology is moving engines toward lightweight aluminum (the Honda 3.5 is an "Aluminum-Alloy"), however, why is it that Ford is having SO MANY problems while other manufacturers are not? What is causing the head gaskets to fail? Why is it that most of head gasket failures occur around Cylinder #4? Why is that so many front main bearings fail after the head gasket is replaced? Not to mention the Timing Gasket failure... Did I mention the transmission? Oooops; we were talking abount engines


Anyhow, thanks for the clarification!

#114 of 804 wavy windshield - rmblwind by cptplt

Jun 05, 2000 (11:22 pm)

My own 2000 SE doesn't have that problem or any number of LXs I have driven at work. Must be a manufacturing defect. Make the dealer check it out or show you others in his lot who have the same problem.
I had a problem with a replacement windshield on another car, I got a headache anytime I looked straight ahead! Somehow my brain must have gotten used to it because it doesn't bother me now unless I try to look for the "defect"!

#115 of 804 Entertainment system by w_harris

Jun 07, 2000 (4:23 pm)

Does anyone have experience with the factory entertainment system in the 2000 Windstar? My dealer has never seen it and does not know much about it.


Also, are there any changes expected in the 2001 Windstar? My lease is up in August.

#116 of 804 Entertainment System by bdemas

Jun 07, 2000 (5:55 pm)

w_harris: The system doesn't have a TV tuner. It does have a remote, a set of inputs for video games and 2 headphone jacks with headphones. It flips up from the back of the floor console. The console and viewing screen cover are all plastic and feel kind of cheap. The console also sticks further back into the second row then the normal floor console. My kids have kicked the normal console multiple times and I'd be afraid of them breaking that part of it.


We were thinking of getting this option, but chose not too (besides, the van that had it was the wrong color). We talked with a couple of dealers and both recommended buying an after market system. Hope this helps.

#117 of 804 New Windstar Warning by chordbuster

Jun 08, 2000 (10:16 pm)

I just bought a new 2000 Windstar LX and edmunds report of a floaty ride are true. My wife said she got sick driving the first one home. We took it back the next day and drove 3 other Windstars which she reported all drove differently. We wound up taking home a Windstar with 16" aluminum wheels and the ride on this vehicle was superior to the other three. She said that after driving all four vans, she could rate the ride different for each one. My advice , if you are interested in getting one of these vans, is to take it for a long drive to see how it handles. We really wanted an Odyssey, but we couldn't wait the 3 to 6 months delay in delivery. Now we really like our Windstar.

Messages Page 12 of 81

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