Marlin's Dead Low Voltage Battery (LVB) -- Followed by Stuck in Park

Gimme_my_MME

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Mine was done professionally ... it was about $1300 for everything I wanted done.

5-year ceramic (which just means they do two coats) was $1050 (that includes wash and paint correction), then the two coats on the painted surfaces.

They also did the wheels @ $35 each (that's for outside only ... if I wanted inside it was going to be $70/each and they have to jack up the car to remove each wheel). So that was $140 for all four.

The glass was $75 ... so now it's "as if" I put Rain-X on all windows ... only it works and lasts longer than Rain-X

Lastly, they did the carpets.

The shop told me the Ceramic needs about 2 weeks to cure. But this being winter ... they expect it will take more like 3-4 weeks to really get a good cure.

While it is dry-to-touch when they turn the car back over to me, they explain that internally the Ceramic isn't fully cured yet. If water is allowed to sit on the paint then it can be absorbed into the un-cured ceramic and this can result in cloudy spots. So they told me not to wash it until it's cured. Also if it does happen to get wet, get a damp towel and wipe it clean so that no water spots are left on the paint.

It will be 2 weeks of curing as of tomorrow ... but I'll give it at least another week (maybe even two). It's a pandemic and I don't "need" the car (I have another car to drive) so I may as well make sure it's fully cured.

Once it is ceramic coated not only do you not need to wax it ... they don't want me to wax it. They tell me water will bead up for years to come as if it was just freshly waxed and it's easier to wash. While hand-washing is preferred ... in winter we can't really hand-wash up here in the frozen north (outside faucets have to be shut off for the winter to avoid freezing and bursting) ... so he told me to take the car *only* to "touch-less" car-washes... no soft-cloth and DEFINITELY no "brushes".

I can see a noticeable improvement in the look of the car. The paint looks deeper and has a glossier shine.
Where did you have it done?
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ChasingCoral

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Mine was done professionally ... it was about $1300 for everything I wanted done.

5-year ceramic (which just means they do two coats) was $1050 (that includes wash and paint correction), then the two coats on the painted surfaces.

They also did the wheels @ $35 each (that's for outside only ... if I wanted inside it was going to be $70/each and they have to jack up the car to remove each wheel). So that was $140 for all four.

The glass was $75 ... so now it's "as if" I put Rain-X on all windows ... only it works and lasts longer than Rain-X

Lastly, they did the carpets.

The shop told me the Ceramic needs about 2 weeks to cure. But this being winter ... they expect it will take more like 3-4 weeks to really get a good cure.

While it is dry-to-touch when they turn the car back over to me, they explain that internally the Ceramic isn't fully cured yet. If water is allowed to sit on the paint then it can be absorbed into the un-cured ceramic and this can result in cloudy spots. So they told me not to wash it until it's cured. Also if it does happen to get wet, get a damp towel and wipe it clean so that no water spots are left on the paint.

It will be 2 weeks of curing as of tomorrow ... but I'll give it at least another week (maybe even two). It's a pandemic and I don't "need" the car (I have another car to drive) so I may as well make sure it's fully cured.

Once it is ceramic coated not only do you not need to wax it ... they don't want me to wax it. They tell me water will bead up for years to come as if it was just freshly waxed and it's easier to wash. While hand-washing is preferred ... in winter we can't really hand-wash up here in the frozen north (outside faucets have to be shut off for the winter to avoid freezing and bursting) ... so he told me to take the car *only* to "touch-less" car-washes... no soft-cloth and DEFINITELY no "brushes".

I can see a noticeable improvement in the look of the car. The paint looks deeper and has a glossier shine.
Mine isn't a professional ceramic and has a 2 year lifespan. It's a 10h ceramic coating which I've heard is good. The prep work is really the hard part and since my car will be brand new, I will put the ceramic coating on myself after the detailer installs the Xpel partial front PPF (I wouldn't try it myself if the car wasn't new). I think the clay bar prep will be minimal as you're just looking for blemishes in the clear coat from transportation and the 50/50 alcohol/distilled water wipe shouldn't be hard either. I can't see why they did a "paint correction" on your brand new car; doesn't make sense to me. Applying the coating is done with the applicator that comes with the kit and then you buff the area you have coated before moving on to the next section. Sorry for off topic discussion and I'll move to other forum to continue it.
 
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ChasingCoral

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Marlin's still at Koons Ford: primary drive unit transplant today.

Got this from the FSE at 9:30 this morning:
Mark,

Here is the FedEx tracking number for the Primary Drive Unit - xxxx. It is expected to arrive by noon today. We received the harness yesterday. We are going to begin disassembly this morning so we are ready to install the part when it arrives.

Of course, I immediately checked the tracking number. It arrived at Koons at 9:45.
☑ New harness
☑ Primary Drive Unit
Surgery underway.

I asked it I could come take some pictures of the PDU before they installed it and got the usual "no one in the shop" rules. He did say he'd send me lots of pictures, including of the Easter Egg on the PDU.

Transplant today, diagnostics tomorrow. If he gets a clean bill of health I take Marlin home tomorrow. ? We've decided to take Saturday to prep, so a one-day delay on departure for Florida. I'll make sure they wash him. I bought some cheap Meguir's spray on wet wax (spray it on right after rinsing and then dry it off) to protect the finish until I do PPF and ceramic on return. I plan to take my wash and detail buckets to FL with me.

I'm hopeful but also steeling myself for another disappointment. ?
 

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Transplant today, diagnostics tomorrow. If he gets a clean bill of health I take Marlin home tomorrow. ? We've decided to take Saturday to prep, so a one-day delay on departure for Florida. I'll make sure they wash him. I bought some cheap Meguir's spray on wet wax (spray it on right after rinsing and then dry it off) to protect the finish until I do PPF and ceramic on return. I plan to take my wash and detail buckets to FL with me.

I'm hopeful but also steeling myself for another disappointment. ?
Pretty gutsy taking it out on an immediate road trip.
 


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ChasingCoral

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ChasingCoral

ChasingCoral

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ChasingCoral

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I certainly like the idea of an extended warranty!
 

MJMachForum

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I certainly like the idea of an extended warranty!
Ford was very accommodating with my Flex issue. It took awhile to get the extended warranty applied after they agreed to give it to me. Patience is key when dealing with the vehicle support team. I think the whole process start to end took me 6 months.
 

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An extended warranty seems fair and potentially minor expense for Ford should these be as reliable as we hope for (present issue exempted.)

Best of luck Mark & Marlin!

I certainly like the idea of an extended warranty!
 

sjaj14

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I certainly like the idea of an extended warranty!
I would think this should be the least of what they offer considering the major surgery Marlin is going through!!
 
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ChasingCoral

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Great news: Marlin is close. They did all the major work but they removed a couple of one-time use bolts, so two more parts are being FedExed in for the completion of tomorrow's reassembly.

Tomorrow morning will be start with prepping and priming the cooling system and completing the reassembly. After that Marlin will get new diagnostics run to make sure everything looks good and the parking brake issue can no longer be triggered (he's already been holding a charge fine). Then a test drive and perhaps more diagnostics.

The Field Service Engineer is very hopeful I'll get Marlin back tomorrow -- as long as the rest goes back together well and diagnostics and test drive go fine.

I realize all of you feel like pioneers in buying and learning to operate your Mach Es -- we are! Now think for a minute about the folks in service. All Ford EV Certified Repair dealerships have had to get special equipment, install chargers, and have someone go through some basic online training. Some are just getting to see a Mach E in person for the first time and most have done little to no service work. The majority of the work they've done has been prepping our new cars for delivery, making sure software is up to date, fluids are good, cars are charged, and they are nice and clean. Some have now had a chance to do an update but only if their dealership has received cars needing the 21B02 update. Koons Ford now not only has a trained service foreman but now has a service tech who has performed the first Primary Drive Unit replacement on a customer car! Today and tomorrow, the service techs at Koons Ford have been following the procedures mapped out for these procedures, under the supervision of one of our DC-area Field Service Engineers. However, at the same time, they've been re-writing those procedures as they learn how to do it better.

At this point, Marlin has had at least two firsts. He's the first first customer Mach E to:
1. Ever get an OTA (they used OTA on part of my software load in addition to cabled upload)
2. Have a new PDU installed (~$5,500 part with no standardized labor cost defined yet)

While this process has been nerve-wracking and frustrating for me, I have been amazed at the intense attention Ford has given this repair.

?
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