Ford Edge

[Dodge Guy]

Ask how often the PTU has been serviced?
My wife loves her 13 Explorer 4WD. We have 100k miles on it now. The PTU tend to grenade around 70k miles. The problem is the unit only holds a 1/2 qt of gear oil. It is sandwiched between the engine, trans and catalytic converter. The fluid breaks down and turns to sludge and can no longer lubricate properly. Some of the later PTUs have drain plugs to service them. If it does but hasn’t been done have it inspected. To see how the fluid looks. I added a drain plug to mine and change the fluid every 12k miles. We’ll worth it.
Otherwise they are great vehicles.

[Charming]

Y'all are killing me! Power transfer unit?

The good news, any vehicle I purchase will never have to worry about sticky calipers from snow and ice treatment.

[Blastvalve]

Admittedly it’s not just a Ford problem, the brine solution the state has switched to in conjunction with salt we use on the roads during winter is causing issues across the spectrum, cars/trucks weren’t designed to have salt stuck to them like that. The brine is supposed to help keep the salt on the road and reduce salt runoff into the waterways. When you combine “sticky salt” and reduced usage it’s just a bad combo. Ideally you get the car washed to clean out the bottom but depending on the winter that’s not always a option as it’s just too cold.

From my end, this was my first Ford (had several Honda Accords and my wife had a CR-V over the years) and I’ve been very happy with it. I jokingly call it my duffel bag, it just does whatever I ask and hauls whatever I need. It’s a tank in the snow (I do run snow tires), will tow a decent amount if needed with the factory tow package, and is comfy for both long and short trips. We are a family of four and the back seat has plenty of legroom.

Ford has been good about updates to the Sync entertainment system, while not quite as frequent as when I 1st bought there is still usually a update at least 2x a year, usually tweaks and compatibility items to keep the car fully engaged with updates to smartphone operating systems. Updates occur over wifi or you can download to a USB stick and just plug into car and it does its thing.

There have been a couple recalls over the years, I just had one done this week where Ford replaced the front brake hoses free of charge. I also just replaced the original battery this winter, it was just over 6 years old. (Our winters are hard on batteries and this winter was exceptionally cold).

I think the only criticism I would give is around the OEM tires. My car came with the Pirelli Scorpion Tires, which are REALLY soft tires. They were shot after about 20k miles. I’m not sure why Ford put such a soft, performance oriented tire on this car. Don’t get me wrong, it’s peppy and drives nice, but it is in no way a performance vehicle! I have Michelin Pilots on it now and they are holding up much better. I run Bridgestone Blizzaks in the winter.

I’m not car shopping but when I do I will be looking at another one, it’s been a really good car.

[Charming]

I loved driving the Edge, but the 6 cyl gas consumption is too much for me. I prefer a 4 cyl.

Looks like I will have to settle for a Chevrolet Equinox because it is a 4 cyl and it weighs less than the Edge.

[Charming]

Well, it is done!

We signed the papers yesterday to purchase a 2014 CR-V. Not quite identical to my now deceased CR-V, but a good contender. It will suit our purpose. The insurance payoff will cover the cost of the car and we will have to have all new everything plus a hitch added for towing. It is in excellent condition even though it has about 40,000 more miles than my previous car and lacks some of the nicities I was used to.

When the travel bug is satisfied it will be a decent trade in for a 4 cyl Edge.