Oerheat Incident

[DeeCee]

Had an interesting experience with my new Nautilus last Friday. Was taking my first road trip and  about two miles after getting on the interstate and traveling at 70 MPH, I got an overheat warning and the temp gauge was all red and full across the gauge. Also had an engine light and the vehicle went into limp home mode. Thankfully the traffic was light and I was able to get to the right and limped to the next exit. Once off the interstate I popped the hood and there was no indication of excessive heat, in fact the radiator was cool, however I noticed the coolant reservoir was empty.

 

Called Lincoln roadside assistance who promptly sent a truck to get my car and haul it to my dealer. Got to the dealer and explained what happened. The service department said they would get right on it and they did. In about 30 minutes I was informed that a hose clamp on the radiator had not been installed correctly and the hose had worked loose and  lost all the coolant. They corrected the  clamp issue and refilled the coolant and then let the car run for about 30 minutes to be sure all was well.

 

I had also talked to the sales manager and he immediately went to work to get me a loaner should they needed to keep my car.

 

As it turned out I was able to complete my road trip in my own car with no further problems.

[shoeguy]

Good to hear your trip was not spoiled in full.  Moral of the story, this is why we buy a Lincoln and not some of the other Luxury brands. 

[Cosmos36]

I believe you are the first on this forum to report such an incident. Fortunately it was responded to in a proper fashion and you were able to proceed without undue delay. It's difficult to imagine how a line worker could fumble the installation of such a simple engine part, but...!

[DeeCee]

On this trip I visited a daughter and her husband who recently got a new Lexus SUV which I rode in. It is no where as comfortable and quiet as my Nautilus. I was really shocked at how much road noise there was and the seat was not very comfortable to me.

[elijahbird7]

And that Ugly Lexus front...

[shoeguy]

I am always amazed by how many RXs Lexus sells as well as How many XT5 Cadillac sells and how few Nautilus Lincoln sells. 

The Nautilus is such good value and an even better car than the others if you consider comfort and the quiet ride it has.  If Lincoln would only step up there advertising to show the virtues of Nautilus The sales charts would look different.  I remember the days when Ford compared the competition head to head in advertising.  This is the advertising that is needed, not showing famous actors playing pool.  

[Gurgeh]

9 hours ago, elijahbird7 said:

And that Ugly Lexus front...

 

[Gurgeh]

54 minutes ago, shoeguy said:

I am always amazed by how many RXs Lexus sells as well as How many XT5 Cadillac sells and how few Nautilus Lincoln sells. 

The Nautilus is such good value and an even better car than the others if you consider comfort and the quiet ride it has.  If Lincoln would only step up there advertising to show the virtues of Nautilus The sales charts would look different.  I remember the days when Ford compared the competition head to head in advertising.  This is the advertising that is needed, not showing famous actors playing pool.  

 

I've been trying to figure that out too. And it's not just the MKX/Nautilus. For instance, in the year+ since the release of the new Navigator the automotive press has unanimously praised it as the best full-sized luxury SUV on the market, much better than Cadillac's Escalade. But while Navigator sales did increase substantially the old long-in-the-tooth Escalade continued to substantially outsell the Navi. I'm hoping that Lincoln will finally break this curse with release of the Aviator with its hyperbolic reviews which, if grass is green, should massively outsell not only Cadillac's phoned-in new model, the XT6 (which in reality is nothing more than an XT5-L), but many of the segment's mainstays like the Audi Q7, Volvo XC90, and Acura MDX.

 

We'll see. I think there are two things holding back the revitalized Lincoln we are seeing today. One is the continued reputational shadow cast from Lincoln's decade in the wilderness (pre the first phase of renewal, which started with the MKZ/MKC/MKX), and the other is the simple fact that luxury car shoppers don't want to buy their cars at mass market dealers. Only continued superior product will solve the first, and that process is well underway. Lincoln is trying to do something about the latter with its new carrot and stick policies trying to force joint Ford/Lincoln dealers to split off their Lincoln brand into stand-alone stores. But that's a longer-term process.

[akirby]

Dealer experience is a factor but so is brand loyalty and a longer model history.   I'm sure some RX owners are on their 3rd or 4th one whereas MKX didn't really become competitive until the 2016 model.

 

Lincoln also seems content to keep prices high with few incentives or subsidized leases.    Factory capacity is a factor also.  I think they're pretty happy with sales volume vs. ATPs right now.

[shoeguy]

1 hour ago, Gurgeh said:

 

I've been trying to figure that out too. And it's not just the MKX/Nautilus. For instance, in the year+ since the release of the new Navigator the automotive press has unanimously praised it as the best full-sized luxury SUV on the market, much better than Cadillac's Escalade. But while Navigator sales did increase substantially the old long-in-the-tooth Escalade continued to substantially outsell the Navi. I'm hoping that Lincoln will finally break this curse with release of the Aviator with its hyperbolic reviews which, if grass is green, should massively outsell not only Cadillac's phoned-in new model, the XT6 (which in reality is nothing more than an XT5-L), but many of the segment's mainstays like the Audi Q7, Volvo XC90, and Acura MDX.

 

We'll see. I think there are two things holding back the revitalized Lincoln we are seeing today. One is the continued reputational shadow cast from Lincoln's decade in the wilderness (pre the first phase of renewal, which started with the MKZ/MKC/MKX), and the other is the simple fact that luxury car shoppers don't want to buy their cars at mass market dealers. Only continued superior product will solve the first, and that process is well underway. Lincoln is trying to do something about the latter with its new carrot and stick policies trying to force joint Ford/Lincoln dealers to split off their Lincoln brand into stand-alone stores. But that's a longer-term process.

I remember in the mid 1970s the Mercury division had commercials running showing a jeweler working on a diamond ring in the back seat of a loaded Grand Marquis Brougham, then doing the same in the back seat of a Oldsmobile 88. The commercial showed the quality of the ride , as well as how luxurious the one VS the other. (I am showing my age). Lifestyle shots are nice to look at, they do not drive home the virtues of the car. This is what Lincoln needs to do , exactly as you said with the Navigator VS the long in the tooth Escalade. Brand equity does go a long way also , and Lincoln must rebuild all that was lost after such a long time of mailing it in.  

[elijahbird7]

[Timmer]

17 hours ago, Cosmos36 said:

I believe you are the first on this forum to report such an incident. Fortunately it was responded to in a proper fashion and you were able to proceed without undue delay. It's difficult to imagine how a line worker could fumble the installation of such a simple engine part, but...!

 

So glad to learn all worked out...  This could have been much, much worse.

 

I owned a Volvo 780 Turbo Bertone back in the day.  It was driven overheated without coolant after a hose failure, causing several thousand dollars of corrective repair...

 

After this incident, the car never ran the same again.  A short time later I traded the car in on my first Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer.

 

Eventually the driver was traded in as well... ?

[DeeCee]

I was worried abut possible engine damage too. The sales manager assured me that the software in these vehicles will protect form incurring permanent damage, i.e., the limp home mode. Believe me, the limp home mode is truly a limp. The vehicle would hardly move at all by the time I was off the interstate. The car is running just fine since the repair.

[mightyjj]

That front of a Lexus is the ugliest front end I've ever seen.   And the Cadillac XT5s seats are like BRICKS.  Cadillac wants to be a BMW so bad, they will stop at nothing to get there.  I'm old school.  Give me Comfort and a smooth Ride.  I'm not going to drive like a bat out of he**.

[shoeguy]

2 minutes ago, mightyjj said:

That front of a Lexus is the ugliest front end I've ever seen.   And the Cadillac XT5s seats are like BRICKS.  Cadillac wants to be a BMW so bad, they will stop at nothing to get there.  I'm old school.  Give me Comfort and a smooth Ride.  I'm not going to drive like a bat out of he**.

You are not the only one that is old school, saying that maybe we are the minority today.  That is why everyone except Lincoln is chasing BMW and selling so much more. All my friends and relatives drive German and Japanese, my wife included. They all ask me why I drive an old mans brand. My answer is that I like to drive and not hear the engine , or feel all the potholes. Give me sheer comfort and quiet any day.  

[elijahbird7]

I currently own 8 vehicles, 5 Classic Cars, 3 modern.  All are convertibles except my Mark V and Nautilus, which both have large moonroofs.  None are foreign cars.  My first memory of a Lincoln in the family was a '53 Capri Coupe, which I don't have a photo of, but it was white with a black top, and red and black leather interior.  Then they bought a '56 Premiere Coupe, exactly like the photo below, but not the actual car.

[Cosmos36]

1 hour ago, mightyjj said:

That front of a Lexus is the ugliest front end I've ever seen.   And the Cadillac XT5s seats are like BRICKS.  Cadillac wants to be a BMW so bad, they will stop at nothing to get there.  I'm old school.  Give me Comfort and a smooth Ride.  I'm not going to drive like a bat out of he**.

 

Ditto the "comfort and smooth". I don't drive like a bat out of heck either...with skill & defensive driving, I've had no accidents since 1963 (56 years ago) when I was hit on Oregon's southern coastal highway by a driverless runaway pickup truck.

[Gurgeh]

12 hours ago, shoeguy said:

You are not the only one that is old school, saying that maybe we are the minority today.  That is why everyone except Lincoln is chasing BMW and selling so much more. All my friends and relatives drive German and Japanese, my wife included. They all ask me why I drive an old mans brand. My answer is that I like to drive and not hear the engine , or feel all the potholes. Give me sheer comfort and quiet any day.  

 

And yet, though Lincoln due to its "quiet luxury" moto won't say it, its newer vehicles get high praise for their handling. In S mode (what I exclusively use for around town driving), the handling is precise with little body roll or bounce, without giving up that smooth ride. Granted, of course, the inevitability of physics, as it's not a Mustang.

[elijahbird7]

I had thought I would likely buy a Blue Diamond '19 Continental with the 3.0 L 400 HP engine AWD when I was ready to trade in the MKX.  Then, the rumors started that the Continental would be discontinued.  So, trade-in value on a Continental in a few years probably would be very bad news.

[MKXMark]

Continental just got the top rating for midsize luxury from Consumer Reports so maybe sales will tick up a bit.

[akirby]

21 hours ago, elijahbird7 said:

I had thought I would likely buy a Blue Diamond '19 Continental with the 3.0 L 400 HP engine AWD when I was ready to trade in the MKX.  Then, the rumors started that the Continental would be discontinued.  So, trade-in value on a Continental in a few years probably would be very bad news.

 

Trade in value on any mid to large sedan won't be good.

[walkabout]

On 3/13/2019 at 5:02 AM, shoeguy said:

I am always amazed by how many RXs Lexus sells as well as How many XT5 Cadillac sells and how few Nautilus Lincoln sells. 

The Nautilus is such good value and an even better car than the others if you consider comfort and the quiet ride it has.  If Lincoln would only step up there advertising to show the virtues of Nautilus The sales charts would look different.  I remember the days when Ford compared the competition head to head in advertising.  This is the advertising that is needed, not showing famous actors playing pool.  

 

 

I'm one of the more critical MKX owners - I still think the interior materials are iffy and a lot of the electronic doodads are flawed (not including Sync 3, which I love, of course). 

 

However, I loathe the RX with every fiber of my being.  I don't care about the styling - that's subjective.  I hate the lousy visibility, dull vehicle dynamics (feels like a 1980s Buick or Oldsmobile), limited storage space., and industry-worst infotainment.  I have an SUV because I need to haul stuff - why would I buy one that has less storage room than most compact SUVs? Heck, a Golf wagon has more usable space. The average purchaser of a Lexus RX is mostly looking for image, interior quality, and dealer service.  I respect those needs but not at the sacrifice of drivability and utility. 

 

I like Caddy's interior materials (for the most part), but the on road dynamics are also flawed, the infotainment is "meh" with a capital "m" and visibility is also lousy. Acceleration is lethargic.

 

Caddy and Lexus are the natural enemies of the MKX - but I think the Lincoln absolutely trounces those cars.  Its not a close comparison, IMO. 

[DoJo]

I had the luxury of riding down the interstate in a truck hauling my 2019 Nautilus (5600mi on the ticker) just last week. My experience was a little different. We had been driving all morning with no problems. Stopped for lunch and headed out again. After driving for about an hour I noticed the temp. gauge was blue and indicated cold. In a few minutes the color changed to yellow and gauge went back up to normal. In a few minutes the gauge went blue again for a short time before going back to normal and then boom the message on the dash said engine overheating, stop the engine. I quickly got off onto the shoulder and shut the engine off. Called roadside. After a lot of back and forth and fumbling around we were able to establish my location and they dispatched a tow service. We sat on a very busy interstate for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Even after all this time sitting the gauge indicated hot when it was driven up onto the truck. Thankfully we only had to be hauled about 40 miles to our next destination where we had a hotel reservation and there was a local lincoln dealership. This was a Sunday so the car had to be dropped in the lot and the key deposited in a box. I contacted the dealership the next morning and was told they might be able to get to my car that afternoon or the next day. The dealership called me late that afternoon informing me that they couldn't find a thing wrong even though it did throw a couple of codes. Coolant was fine, thermostat and cooling fan functioning normaly. I procured the hotel room for another night and picked up the car the next day. They said if they had to make a guess, it might be a "sender" problem. So basically, I'm 400 miles from home, no solution to the problem only a guess. The unspoken message that I got was "here's your key, we don't know what the problem is and good luck getting home"! So off I go with a disabled husband, a crippled up old dog and drove with my fingers crossed all the way home. We made it but there was one time for a gas stop when the temp. gauge was wonky again. The stop was short enough to put 12 gallons of gas in the tank and upon starting the engine the gauge was cold and stayed cold for about .2 of a mile so I whipped into a parking lot, put it in park and revved the engine a bit for about a minute until the gauge went to normal. So now what the heck am I supposed to do? I have a $50,000+ car with intermittent malfunctions that I can't depend on and can't drive any distance with confidence that I won't get stranded again. This is my 3rd lincoln since 2014 and I'm seriously thinking it will be my last. Since I'm in self quarantine for another week I'm going talk to my dealership and see what solutions they have. Still sitting with my fingers crossed : (

[Cosmos36]

Did the "couple of codes" that were thrown identify any issues related to the engine coolant temperature (ECT) sensor and/or powertrain control module (PCM)? The ECT sends signals to the PCM. If either of those components is malfunctioning, the temperature gauge may display false (wonky) readings. If an inspection of your engine didn't display any physical issues, e.g. leaking, loss of coolant, steam, excessive coolant temp (boil over), etc., the problem likely lies within the ECT/PCM circuit or something as mundane as an errant thermostat. The dealer's 'guess' is probably correct...why he didn't correct it is a separate issue.

[DoJo]

The service paper work states the retrieved codes were po120 and p1299. Inspected cooling system--all ok: coolant level is ok: performed key on engine off tests--passed. Let engine run in shop-- cooling fan operation is normal----no overheating at this time. Performed final quick test and road test----all ok: no problem found at this time.