Tired of all the whining!
 

Man am I tired of all the Whining about 'Why the FEH doesn’t have this or have That!!!!!!!!!!!'

Yeah I know I am Whining about Whining - go figure.

Face it – you have an Escape with added features – NAV system etc and it is a Hybrid, not a Lexus RX, BMW X5 or even a Acura MDX. I know there are a few small insignificant things that some ‘Would Like To Have.’

If it were a Luxury vehicle with all the things you ‘Wish You Had’ - then you should have gotten one. If you did your homework, you knew that these things weren't available - but you took the plunge anyway - so stop crying. Just don’t mess up a good forum with your gripes – this is a place to help and trade experiences of what you have learned to get the best out of your FEH and pass them along to the next guy or even one that might be looking into getting a new Hybrid.

We have - IMO - the best Hybrid SUV, especially for the price, out there - bar none. If I want all those things - heated seats, temp guage, self-dimming mirror, cargo net, wonderful Bose sound system, quiet smooth ride - - - I take my TL - but when I want to drive one of the most Technologically advanced vehicles out there - I jump in my FEH.

I hear the 'I have a squeak' - dang every car has a squeak or something! They are man made objects and a few flaws crop up. Generally they crop up Here before you seek assistance from your Service Dept - where they are generally and genuinely very happy to track down and fix your problem, and have a happy customer, Happy customers sell more FEHs. There are a few that made the mistake of picking one of the very few poor dealership, but they are few and far between. Sure, some have had to help work with their Service Dept to 'Find' the solution to the problem - but as far as I can see - except for the VERY FEW - they have bent over backwards to make things right. Most of those 'Helps' have come from this forum from people that have passed along their knowledge. When you take into accout the 'Problems' - they are all very minor - no wheels falling off or major components failing or blowing up - if anything, in this hurry up world we live in, Ford did a pretty dang good job of R&D before they 'Let Us' take it for a drive.

You also gripe about the price – well start adding on all those ‘Extras’ and then you will really have your shorts in a wad. The added cost of just making the Escape a Hybrid is enough to make many short sighted people opt for a different vehicle. Add on all those superfluous bells and whistles that might make your little life cushier and they wouldn’t even think about getting one.

I am perfectly Happy with just having probably the best Hybrid SUV for the money out there - and having the fun of driving it. Watching people look – after you have gone by and see the looks on their faces like ‘Where did that come from?’

OK – off my soapbox. :zip:

Re: Tired of all the whining!
 

I hear you, Vet (thank you for your service to our country, btw!)

You mentioned squeaks. Dang, now I feel like an idiot for almost posting a new thread about a squeak I have been having (not the rear end frame squeak, though I have that occasionally too).

Anyhow, every other forum here has similar topics to those in the FEH group. Everyone likes to daydream and second-guess the vehicle manufacturer and their engineers. It is human nature, I guess. That said, summertime seems to be getting to a few folks and bringing their blood pressure to unsafe levels. If I were a physician, I would prescribe a steady regimen of driving their hybrids to alleviate their stress. :)

Enjoy your FEH. We love ours!

Re: Tired of all the whining!
 

Thanks Shannon,

Already on Nodolol, Lotrel (Blood Pressure Med), Lipator and who knows what else but like you said - the best is getting in the FEH and trying to raise the FE not the BP.

Guess I had a hard day and should never have vented as I did - but what is done is done - and I still stand behind what I said.

Yeah I know other forums, and this one also, post simular topics (and that is why I quit reading a couple and if I did read I never posted) but I guess it finally all just got to me - like you said 'Summer' - Hit 100 deg - FEH is fine, don't know about me ;).

Bless Ya -

Re: Tired of all the whining!
 

We get the same thing in the Civic forum. 'I wish it had leather, power seats, etc..........."


At the end of the day it is a Honda Civic. Get over it.:)

Re: Tired of all the whining!
 

thanks.

People tend to forget that the very existence of hybrids as a mass-market item is still in its infancy. We'll get there, with all the bells and whistles and colors and models to suit eveyone's preferences. But in the meantime, too many people insist on looking the gift horse in the mouth.

A FORD will never have the amenities of a MERCURY, which will never be on par with LEXUS or the Germans. Doesn't make it a bad product, but if you want the other stuff, you're gonna have to wait until the folks who build cars with that stuff come out with their versions.

On the other hand: Its true that innovation often occurs only when enough folks say "wouldn't it be nice if..." which is very similar to complaining but for a shift in tone. And a forum like this is a place to say exactly that. Power windows, ABS, DVD players, etc never would have made it to 'regular' vehicles like Fords unless people complained long enough from enough different places. The makers DO read this and other hybrid forums, and DO hear what we are saying. Some of it will be heeded, some of it is pipedreams, and some of it is simply humorous.


So some degree of whining is not a bad thing. To a point.

Re: Tired of all the whining!
 

I bought my FEH 4WD instead of a BMW x3 or x5.

I have never looked back, nor have I looked into an x3 or x5 since. I do wish I had gotten the nav system, but it just wasn't available at the time. Such is life, I move on. at 30+ mpg, I move fairly efficiently, too.

Re: Tired of all the whining!
 

I love mine and I'm happy with most of the options available. I think some grousing is normal though. Its not like most of these people are saying they HATE the car.

I do have one comment though. That squeak from the back.... thats not a "normal" squeak from a car. That sounds HIDEOUS when it happens. It sounds like a hinge that hasn't been oiled in 30 years. It possitively ECHOES in enclosed areas.

Fortunately mine only does it once in a long while and it seems to be getting better.

Its okay though... you're allowed to blow off steam once in a while.

Re: Tired of all the whining!
 

Amen, Teester. Good post. I would like to say that sharing stories of the options folks have added or issues they've discovered on their FEH's is great.

I like knowing how someone hooked up their Ipod or installed a Gentech mirror with all the bells and whistles and where they found one for the best price.

I also like posts asking if anyone else has noticed a squeak here or a problem there and how it was resolved.

When these posts turn into gripes and complaints then it is bothersome. It's also very annoying when it turns into name calling and FEH bashing as happened in a recent thread.

Re: Tired of all the whining!
 

That is not what I was trying to point out -

Sharing stories of the options folks have added or issues they've discovered on their FEH's or installed a Gentech mirror with all the bells and whistles and where they found one for the best price.

You are right - That is what this forum should be all about, telling others what you have done (own your own - Asking questions about how to get and install that Gentech mirror) to improve your FEH or how to get the best FE, not venting about not having something as an option from Ford. They must have their reason - I as you wish I knew that reasoning.

As I stated - You knew when you got your FEH that these things were not available - why drive it into the ground? Plus many of the things complained about here, your Ford Service knows about - and we know about them from people here, like Colin (Nightracerx) keeping us updated with these latest TSBs (Technical Service Bulletins).

The 'Anyone tried - - - -?' or 'Great way to - - - ' is GREAT and that is how we improve on what we have - by asking those questions and sharing that info here.

I'm Out Of Here - And Sorry To Have Ever Posted This Thread. Die Thread Die!!!

Re: Tired of all the whining!
 

PS: I never meant my comments about folks needing to "chill" to be taken as referring to you, Phillip. I realize after re-reading this whole thread that my comments might have been read that way, and just wanted to mention that it wasn't intended. I actually had a couple very heated threads in my mind, and concur with your comments. We'd all be a little more mellow if we drove our FEH's a little more and groused a little less, myself included. :)

Good day!

Re: Tired of all the whining!
 

It's not that people complain. It's the volume of it.

Outside of Phill's post, my FAQ thread, it seems like the entire first page of the FEH Forum is complaints.

Re: Tired of all the whining!
 

Guess I need to .bump my FEH front window tint thread! ;)

{kidding!}

Re: Tired of all the whining!
 

gang

The FEH is an awsome SUV. For those looking for something more than a prius or civic, but less than a highander or lexus, then its perfect. Lets face it, 33MPG average for many folks in an SUV is outright AMAZING compared to a gas suv. Good start for the enviroment!!!

I bought the Highlander because my wife still loves the 'boogity boogity' -and wanted all the bells and whistles, and we wanted the hybrid to do our share. Now of course 'our share' for the enviroment is not as good as the honda insight, but again it comes down to preference.

We highlanders dont gripe much because we already sacrificed fuel economy to still have our cake and eat it too. The FEH had to sacrifice some features such as towing capacity and horse power to get the extra MPG.

I think everyone should be happy that they bought hybrid alone. Its a definite step in the right direction.

cheers

Re: Tired of all the whining!
 

I think thats the nature of the beast (meaning forums). People who are having a good experience tend to not post... people having a bad one are frustrated and post more.

Kinda a "silent majority". Whenever one looks at a product online and reads the complains/comments, one has to take into account: 1) the "haters" are always the most vocal. 2) the "lovers" are usually so quiet that the only REAL "loving" reviews are mostly "plants" from someone with a vested interest. I think I heard on NPR that some people are actually hiring people to write online "personal" reviews on Amazon...

In this forum its somewhat similiar we get a mix of both types (and I suspect no "plants") but we will hear more VOLUME from the people with complaints.

You just have to take a deep breath and roll your eyes a bit... it helps. (I end up doing it frequently). Theres too much good info on here to ignore reading it completely... just have to filter.

Re: Tired of all the whining!
 

Ah, but as a moderator, I read all the the posts here. Which, lately, seems to be mostly reading complaints, reading helpful suggestions from a handful of people (sometimes myself), and then repeating.

Though, I'll have to admit, sometimes reading a note from John (GPSMan) or Gary (GaryG) can help brighten my day, especially a few of them that made me glad I own a FEH.

I understand that people complain, but the good and happy posts seems to have dropped quite a bit lately in both quantity and quality.

Re: Tired of all the whining!
 

Happy to brighten anyone's day Rich.

Did not have the chance to meet with Phillip (VietVet67) to compare notes on the AWD and FWD. We had a tropical storm coming though, so maybe some other time.

Finding out how to hypermile with the A/C normal recirc mode on most of the time. It helps the battery stay cool and perform better. I have written more on the subject at http://www.cleanmpg.com/

For those parking in the sun, the gray leather on the steering wheel is turning a yellow color. Need to get a sterring wheel cover.

My right rear brake noise has been gone for 7 months now. Never took it in for that.

Adding the full size spare did not effect MPG, and is well hidden if you don't bend down to look for it.

Still love the FEH, and very glad I bought it.

GaryG

Re: Tired of all the whining!
 

Toldja that spare would fit! ;)

Re: Tired of all the whining!
 

Phillip,
I was glad to read this thread. Especially since you stated the obvious. "If you wanted those options, you should have purchased them with the vehicle." Yes I would have also liked to get heated leather seats. But that option wasn't an available option for 2005 (accidentally test drove a 2006 model.) But I went to the dealer knowing which options were the deal breakers (which was the NAV system, 4WD, and leather seats.) I wouldn't waste my time looking at the models that didn't have the options I wanted. However, stating this, I also ended up getting the appearance package with fenderflares and I also got the safety package (both were not options on the 2006 model I test drove.)

I also like the fact that you stated if you wanted the options of a Lexus, you should have purchased the Lexus instead of the FEH. However, I have driven the Lexus RX400h sister-vehicle the Highlander Hybrid. That is one peppy vehicle. But as was also stated in this thread, it doesn't get the FE the FEH gets. I also looked into it's 4WD system. The FEH's 4WD system is different than the HiHy. My wife got to drive on of the company HiHys for a couple weeks. She told me it doesn't last as long on Battery than the FEH and takes longer to charge (unless it was just the vehicle she was driving.) But judging from the price tags, I got more options for the $$ than what was paid for the HiHy. This I do know for a fact. But I also got the other quirks as well (meaning what the FEH sacrifices for FE.) Though these aren't really sacrifices for me since I never used my vehicles for them anyway.

Just my 2 cents.