randyking

Hi Folks, You WILL DAMAGE the transmission on the Focus if you tow it with power applied. One of the posters here recommends powering the vehicle using a charge line from the coach. BAD IDEA. Once the transmission is set for towing, all electrical power must be removed to ensure the electronic transmission is not receiving power. Otherwise, the transmission is in an unknown state and my be engaged under certain conditions. The guy that burned up four transmissions almost certainly didn't completely remove power which is why Ford is denying his claim. Pulling the black cable from the terminal to the frame, at the frame, WILL NOT accomplish the objective. The reason that cable is exposed is to make it easier to connect a jumper cable. The negative cable must be disconnected at the battery terminal. Or, as others have suggested, the positive cable can also be disconnected at the terminal and is a much better approach due to the location of the negative terminal. Follow Ford's well written directions exactly and you can tow your Focus with total peace of mind. I agree with others that say the door lock thing is a pain but the workaround is acceptable.

My Verizon smartphone is grandfathered in on their unlimited data plan (I know, lucky me). Unfortunately, making any changes to that phone or my plan will cause me to lose my unlimited plan. The share everything pricing is decent deal unless you are currently on an unlimited data plan. In that case, you should think twice about switching if you use more than 8GB a month. We use my smartphone as an access point when we are on the road and stream a lot of content. We routinely use between 15-18GB a month. That's for $50 a month.

Here are some things to consider about the current situation on the Florida Turnpike. First, Toll-By-Plate is new and only available on a very limited section of the Turnpike. If you only access this section (mile 47 and south), you can use TBP but I have to wonder why anybody would want to do so. Toll-By-Plate will charge you an administrative fee unless you setup a pre-paid account. If you are going to go to all the trouble to do that, why not just setup a SunPass account and install transponders in your vehicles. I also question how well TBP will work and suspect this is why the Turnpike Authority is doing a test run first. For example, how will TBP work when you are towing and car or trailer and your tow vehicle plate is obscured? I suspect that many motorist are likely to get toll violation letters which they will then have to deal with. My advice is to get SunPass. Even if you only travel the Turnpike once in your life, SunPass is a good investment. The mini transponder only cost $4.99 and they give you a $4.99 toll credit. Setup an account backed by a credit card or bank account and the system will automatically refill your account when it gets low. You set the balance at which refill occurs and the amount to be refilled. A couple of gotchas: If you are going to travel a long section of the Turnpike, and especially in a mult-axle vehicle, make sure you have an adequate balance in the account. If you are towing a vehicle you don't want to get charged twice on two transponders. If the system sees two transponders go through it will usually charge both for the total axle count of the vehicle. So, if you want to have a separate transponder for your tow vehicle (for independent travel like side trips) you will need to get the portable, not the mini transponder. The mini transponder is a small credit card like device that affixes with adhesive to the windshield and is destroyed if removed. The portable transponder is bigger, and cost more (about $20 I think-sorry no toll credit) but you affix it to the window with suction cups. This way you can remove the transponder from the tow vehicle window when it is being towed so you don't get double charged. On request, the Turnpike Authority will send you a metalic bag to put the transponder in so it doesn't receive the toll signals. The other advantage of the portable is that you can move it from vehicle to vehicle, including rentals and friends cars. You could, of course, just use one portable and move it between the motorhome and your tow vehicle as required but I find that to be a pain. You also have to replace the batteries in the portable when it gets low. Hope that helps. We live in Florida and travel the Turnpike almost daily. The new high-speed lanes are awesome though they (like TBP) aren't in place everywhere on the Turnpike yet. Where they are though it's great. You just keep moving at highway speed and the system debits your account. I can't imagine why anybody would waste time sitting in line to pay a toll anymore.