thud, mirror, 60000 miles... service time

Hello all
Problems have arisen, some potentially major, most minor.

I noticed that under somewhat hard braking i get the thud sound coming from the driver side front. i'm thinking ball joints need replaced or sway bar. Any other ideas?

The rear view mirror doesnt dim. Minor

The back of my seat keeps falling off. I think this is due to a dealer replacing the heated seat elements and breaking the seat back. grrr

Sometimes the A/C smells funny. goes away after a few minutes, but it smells like moisture buildup, kinda moldy... Any suggestions on the cause?

I need new tires and i am rather happy with the Firehawks. A mechanic friend said i should put 245 45R 17's on the rims. I understand that this will give me wider tires. Anybody done this and did it help?

Finally, the car is at 60,000 miles. I can replace the cabin filter myself, i think. the air filter too. i change my own oil. I'm thinking that maybe i should have Lincoln flush the radiator? The plugs should last 100,000 right? Any thoughts or suggestions.

Basically i want to get everything done all at once so i dont have to make multiple trips to the dealer.

I know this is alot of questions, but i am just looking for a little direction, thoughts, ideas, suggestions...

Thanks All, any help is greatly appreciated.

I noticed that under somewhat hard braking i get the thud sound coming from the driver side front. i'm thinking ball joints need replaced or sway bar. Any other ideas?

There is a recall for the front end… IIRC the ball joints but I do not know if the campaign had an expiration date. Since you are under 75k mile you may be able to get after warranty adjustment, freebie work, on this and other items. You can get up to two AWA’s

The rear view mirror doesnt dim. Minor

****Yeah mine did the same under warranty. They are cheap enough to replace out of pocket. Check ebay.

Sometimes the A/C smells funny. goes away after a few minutes, but it smells like moisture buildup, kinda moldy... Any suggestions on the cause?

****Could be the cabin air filter 10… 10 dollars to a doughnut.

I need new tires and i am rather happy with the Firehawks. A mechanic friend said i should put 245 45R 17's on the rims. I understand that this will give me wider tires. Anybody done this and did it help?

****I use 245/45/17 and have been happy with them.

Finally, the car is at 60,000 miles. I can replace the cabin filter myself, i think. the air filter too. i change my own oil. I'm thinking that maybe i should have Lincoln flush the radiator? The plugs should last 100,000 right? Any thoughts or suggestions.

****I don’t what they charge for a radiator flush but for the cost I am sure you could get a subscription to alldata.com and do the work yourself. Plugs are supposed to last to 100k but I didn’t buy into it and had mine done around the same point you are at. Not a cheap job whether you have the V6 or V8 so you might want to consider alldata.com and give yourself an education and save some serious money. You will be looking at about 500 to 600 maybe more on the tune up.

Well, Let me tell you friend. The 60,000 mile service will cost you around $900. I just had mine done and To be exact, I paid $928.53. All they did was flush radiator, flush transmission, ABS, Steering, and the the 70something point inspection, replaced the Air filter (which you can do by yourslef along with the cabin filter...They are very easy to change).

This is all the input I can give you. There are some threads about the nocking you are having. I'm lucky enough not to have that.

My A/C also smelled funny when I firt got it but Now is all gone. Read more about it here http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=164403

Here for your Mirror http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=243977

Plusgs, they said that they need to be changed @ 105,000 miles.

Anyhow, there are lost of threads about tires, rims and rotors here. Just searche through....

Good luck and keep us posted.

thanks for the responses.

the smell of the a/c smells muskly, like an older homes basement sort of. I have had the valve covers replaced and had most of the common problems that are associated with the 2000's like heated seats going out, moisture in headlights etc, all covered under warranty. I had the tranny flushed at 45,000.

is there really a need to flush the brake lines and sterring fluid? the car has just been inspected, although that was for the DMV. Filters i will change myself, so maybe i wont have the 60,000 mile service done.

i think i read that someone had their shocks changed at 60,000, is this neccesary?

I have a 3rd party warranty, ie its not a lincoln/ford warranty, upto 100,000 miles or another 3 1/2 years. i realize each dealer is different, but has anyone delt with lincoln with these types of warranties?

thanks again

I would definitely change the cabin air filter if you havent already.

Flushing the brake lines would certainly be beneficial as the heat asborbed over time can degrade the fluid.

I forget where you can get the kits at but I would recommend buying the quick bleed kit. The same agrument for the PS fluid could be made. Think of it as preventative maintenance.

I am still on stock shocks at 108K. Just had them checked during my last tire replacement a month ago. They say they are fine.

245 45 17 will work i just ordered four. My buddy has this size on his ls

Anybody recommend a certain brand of tire? i think road noise would be my main concern, with wet traction a second priority.

thanks for the responses.

the smell of the a/c smells muskly, like an older homes basement sort of.

thanks again


This smell is caused by mold spores growing in the evaporator. It is a common problem with most automobiles. When you turn on the blower, you are blowing mold spores directly into your face, hence the bad musty odor.

There is a service you can have done at your local dealer that kills the spores and leaves a residue to keep them from returning, but only for a little while. You'll need to have the service performed again in the future as they will return. (normal on all cars also)

There are many companies that provide dealerships with this service, I have personally used BG products to clear up this problem and leave a fresh scent residue.

www.bgprod.com is the website, you can look up info on the products and I think there is a place to look up someone that does the services also.

Hope this info helps.