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Cougar Support Group - General Maintenance

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What is this discussion about? Mercury Cougar, Hatchback

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#1 of 585 Welcome To The... by bonnie_rick Mar 29, 2000 (4:40 pm)
"General Maintenance" topic that we can discuss things we've mentioned in the past, such as weather stripping, transmission, oil changes, and such other maintenance discussions. Bonnie Rick Town Hall Community Manager, Edmunds.com Replies to this message: mizzoudude1 (Apr 19, 2006 9:05 pm) blue05 (Jul 24, 2006 9:08 am)
#2 of 585 by stageleft Mar 29, 2000 (8:14 pm)
What have you taken your Cat to the dealer for? I know I've visited on several occasions for various things including: Oil changes (every 5K miles!), Tire rotation and wheel balancing (gotta be good to 'em or they'll wear out on ya), front-end alignment (darn potholes), and other warrantee work on things that weren't quite right. A lot has been discussed in the past, but we all know how we like to tell the same story over and over again, so lets hear them!
#3 of 585 lefty: by gustafsc Mar 30, 2000 (2:42 pm)
Service visits: I've been to the dealer about 4 times since I took delivery of my cat. First tiem was for the normal oil change, a scratch fix (during transportation), crimped window gasketing, and intermittent hatch release. 2nd time for oil change and hatch release. 3rd time for oil and hatch release (do we see a pattern here?). 4th time, oil, tire rotation, A/C recharge (factory tsb), door latch recall, and hatch release. This time, they got the tsb for hatch problems out, and found a wrong strut so it seems to work now. Finally, after a year of trying, the hatch works!!!! I've had no problems with the brakes squealing as some have, so feel lucky there. Other than the above, the car has been trouble free. Now, about alignment. What in the hell have you people been hitting, and how fast were you going? I live here in pothole heaven (Chicagoland), have hit one that took out the left tires (both w/big bulges in the sidewalls), wore out shocks way before thier time, and loosened one car up so bad that it rattled sitting still. NEVER had to get the front end re-aigned, and believe me, i pay attention to the handling and tracking of my cars. I just don't understand! By the way, the extra $5 or so for road hazard warranty on tires can be really worth it. (See pothole story above) I'm well ahead of the gamble, and will be for life. Bonnie Rick: Say 'bye' to Shifty for us, he was a good moderator!!! Skip G.
#4 of 585 by stageleft Mar 30, 2000 (3:07 pm)
Gustafsc: Unfortunately, when the wheel made contact with the pothole that did me in, I was under heavy braking. Usually, I leave a "loose but tight" grip on the wheel, because most road deficiencies will bounce the wheels this way and that, and that's fine, but when I hit this particular pothole, I felt the alignment pull out. Wierd, because I've hit larger ones, but I must've just hit under the specific conditions that make a car go out of alignment. [shrugs shoulders]
#5 of 585 Service Question: by dasaint1 Mar 30, 2000 (7:57 pm)
I haven't yet taken my Cat in for a service. She's still got less than 500 miles on her. But I'm planning to after 1K miles. So how much should the dealer charge for the oil change? Does this price vary from dealer to dealer, or should it be one price for all Mercury dealers? Does anyone change the oil themselves; is it easy? I haven't really gotten a chance to look under the hood and see where everything is.
#6 of 585 by badulah Mar 30, 2000 (8:00 pm)
Dasaint1: I do all of my own oil changes. I use Castrol Syntec oil and a standard filter. It is very easy to do and should only take about 15 minutes.
#7 of 585 by ambercadabra Mar 30, 2000 (8:58 pm)
I'm not preaching here, but I believe that every responsible car owner (even us women-folk - some of us don't mind getting our fingernails dirty, or evne broken.) should know how to do a few things - connect jumper cables safely and properly, check fluid levels, and do their own oil change. With the exceptions of a few cars that have oil filters that are tricky to get to, doing your own oil change is easy, only takes about 20 minutes, saves you some $$$, and lets you spent those all-important moments of cuddle time with your Kitty.
#8 of 585 Lefty: by gustafsc Mar 30, 2000 (9:09 pm)
If you hit the hole that hard, I would seriously consider examining the whole front end as getting out of alignment could mean that something got seriously bent and should be replaced. My $0.02 Skip G
#9 of 585 by stageleft Mar 30, 2000 (11:54 pm)
Gustafsc: Thanks for the advice, and I did have them run it through the ringer. They realigned it, and it's been great ever since! I actually think I'm over the edge sometimes on what I think I can feel differently about cars from one day to the next, and in the case of my Cat, it is definately enhanced because I drive it everyday. Oh well, gotta go stare at the Cat to make sure it's okay for the night. Later!
#10 of 585 lefty: by gustafsc Mar 31, 2000 (2:44 pm)
A bedtime story such as, "The Cat In The Hat", will assure a good night's sleep for both you and your kitty. Skip G.

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