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What neat tricks and tips have you've found since owning?

727K views 1K replies 388 participants last post by  antbarlow76 
#1 ·
Just wondering what features, tips and tricks people have found since owning?

For me I found the hidden menu to be neat. Holding trip/reset down while starting car shows the menu. Holding again for 5 seconds returns you to normal operation.

Salesman didn't know that the SE has a line in for mp3 players. Inside glovebox on top.
 
#904 ·
Well maybe not a neat trick, but an interesting tip.

I rode in the back seat of my 13 Titanium Sedan for the first time yesterday (wife and mother in law in the front seats).

The back seats are softer and feel nicer than the front seats (to me anyway). I was quite comfy. Did not expect that.
 
#909 ·
I've read this thread from page 1 all the way to my post. I have to say it has been very interesting.

My tip: We all know when you turn the car off and take the key out, the radio continues to play until a door is opened. However, you can open the back doors (haven't tried the hatch) and the radio will continue to play. It seems it's only triggered by one of the front doors opening.
 
#911 ·
I was driving back to work and had been using the navigation, I cancelled the trip before I got there as I did not need it any longer. The navigation screen was still displayed.

Shortly there after that my low fuel light came on and I head the warning chime.

I looked at the navigation screen and it had automatically populated the map display with little blue gas pump icons showing all of the available nearby gas stations.
 
#914 ·
i also discovered that if your phone is connected via bluetooth and it receives one of those emergency alerts (such as severe flooding here in chicago), the radio will change from any input and make the emergency broadcast sound until you look at your phone.
awesome!
 
#916 ·
I have emergency alerts enabled on my phone - but I've never actually gotten one before? [dunno]
 
#919 ·
Anybody know how to keep the fog lights on every time the headlights turn on? I have a 13 hatch and it seems like I have to push the stupid fog light button every time my headlights turn on if I want them on. Annoying. Any way to change this? Thanks.
 
#921 ·
Aww man I love this thread but I didn't realize the Focus doesn't have DRLs until now :( That's really sad.

Can you turn on the yellow DRLs manually, like in most other cars?
What are "parking" lights?
 
#923 ·
I have a race red focus ...bright ass red...if ya can't see me coming down the road without lights., there's a problem [hah]...just get them turned on at the dealer....or get some LED"s put in

sent from some beach :)
 
#988 ·
There are two rails that hang down from top of glove box that holds owners manual up n outta the way.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using FF Mobile
FWIW, mine never hold it in place very long - it's like they're 1/4" to 1/2" too far apart.

It'll sit in place when I slide it in, but next time I open the glove box it's always tossed around inside.
 
#945 ·
This week I noticed that if I'm idling at a stop light and put the clutch in, the engine will increase my RPM's from about 500 to 1000. However, if I'm holding the brake down and put the clutch in, the engine will remain at 500 RPM until I release the brake. Is this to help conserve fuel or help me get going? I've almost snubbed it a few times because I usually beat this automatic increase in RPM's and then it requires more gas than I'm expecting.
 
#947 ·
Driving n fog lights aren't to shine down the road but at area infront of car.our 11 fiesta headlite switch has off, park, n headlites(ol school style) the fogs come on with park lites n stay on with lo n hi beams.lo are on with hi beam also.would sure like that with my focus....it gets awful dark here in Missouri
 
#948 ·
Driving n fog lights aren't to shine down the road but at area infront of car.
Oi... Yes, fogs are for lighting up the area directly in front of the car, more specifically, for throwing light under fog so you can still see road markings, which is why HID's in fogs are the most retarded things on the road...
Driving lights are designed to augment your highbeams and function very much like spotlights, in that they throw a highly focused beam of light down the road, even further than highbeams can.
I have looked into it, because i kept seeing the same auxillary lights advertised as fog lightd AND driving lights, just on different websites. Both of which have specific federal rules regarding placement on a vehicle, beam pattern, and functionality. For example, fog lights are to be mounted between 10 and 24 inches from the ground, and driving lights between 14 and 30 inches from the ground. Current Federal regulations require fog lights to be wired to the low beams, so they can only be turned on with the low beams. Driving lights are required to be wired solely to the highbeams, for the same reason. Of your car ia wired differently, it might fall under different requirements, or may have been built before the current requlations. I cant speak for why some cars can get away without following the rules, but hey... Anyways, ill stop my rant now... Sorry all... :banghead::eek::banghead:


Sent from SGH-I747M Via Tapatalk 2, Care of CSIS ;-)
 
#953 ·
CD Player in MFT equipped cars - compressor

Not sure if this was mentioned before but I just discovered this feature today. When playing a CD (remember those?) there is an option button that takes you to a screen where you have the option to turn on the built in compressor. This is only available in the Sony stereo system. It is not available when you play music through USB. It is actually quite effective. Does a good job of boosting the signal. There is only an on off switch and no other parameters though.

The bass and midrange is boosted effectively. [headbang]
 
#954 ·
Not sure if this was mentioned before but I just discovered this feature today. When playing a CD (remember those?) there is an option button that takes you to a screen where you have the option to turn on the built in compressor. This is only available in the Sony stereo system. It is not available when you play music through USB. It is actually quite effective. Does a good job of boosting the signal. There is only an on off switch and no other parameters though.

The bass and midrange is boosted effectively. [headbang]
This seems to be a feature on all of Ford's upgraded sound systems. My '08 Milan had the 8-speaker system, and had the same feature. Ditto with my mom's Mustang, with the Shaker 500.
 
#957 ·
Does anyone know what the two slits next to rear defrost and passenger airbag light are for? I saw a photo somewhere on the forums where someone was using them to store cards of some kind.

I checked with my debit card and a parking garage ticket and they fit perfectly. Is this the intended purpose? I couldn't find anything in the manual on it. I wouldn't want to fill them with something if they ended up being vents or something however.

 
#959 ·
They're called "feature fillers". They're where the active park assist buttons would be, if equipped.

I don't think it's a coincidence that credit cards fit there, though- more like a nice design feature for student ID's, gym membership cards, things of the like. I don't have parking assist on my car (since I can park by myself just fine, thank you very much!) and I keep my Sam's Club membership card in there. Works perfect!
 
#963 ·
If your car is equipped with MFT, you get all the goodies- the USB ports, SD card slot, A/V in ports, etc. Your car and mine are almost identical in features- I'll be damned if I can find the AUX port, though.
It's definitely not in the glovebox, I just checked- maybe it's deleted in favor of the A/V ports- use and RCA to 3.5mm cable instead?

*EDIT*

What hiss are you talking about? I use the streaming every time I'm in the car and I never hear a hiss- and I'm an audiophile. What are you streaming from?
 
#964 ·
Usually from an iPhone5. It's nothing in your face, but I can hear a difference between the audio source being say an AUX/USB device rather than Bluetooth. I only consider myself a novice audiophile but it's there. Try them side by side sometime on a song you know really well. There is a sound quality difference. Secondly I don't carry much music on my phone anyway, just enough that I don't go crazy should I be caught in a situation where it's all I have.

I suppose I may have to get an adapter then. Can you pull audio through the A/V ports while the car is moving? I thought they were locked down unless you were parked?
 
#965 ·
I'll have to try that out, now I'm curious.. the only thing I've noticed is that my iPhone 5 doesn't play as nice with MFT as my 4S did. It's constantly throwing the audio back at my phone, instead of playing it through the car. Yet, I can control the songs with the MFT screen.. weird.

I.. err, don't know about the A/V ports, though. I think just the video is locked down, but I have no idea, I've yet to hook anything up to them. Anyone else care to chime in on this?
 
#966 ·
I've not had that particular weirdness with MFT yet. Really the only issues I've hard is losing the ability to adjust the volume until I reset the system by turning the car off and on. From what other people are saying about MFT though I guess I'm lucky. I wonder sometimes though how many of the supposed MFT problems since the big patch are user errors.

Also, just noticed your username. My name is Josh as well. :p Looks like we're car/name brothers now![cheers]
 
#977 ·
Tissue dispensing

Couldn't find a convenient place to have a box of facial tissues in this car. Yesterday I finally discovered that a standard 9" x 4-5/8" x 4-5/8" Kleenex box fits perfectly under the front of the driver's seat, with the opening facing forward. There's a strut that prevents it from going too far back, and I added a bungee cord to keep it from slipping forward.
 
#978 ·
Made a nifty little discovery this weekend while road tripping. It's more of an app feature, but still cool. We all know when using Apple Maps, Google Maps, etc via bluetooth or USB, the sound will come over the speakers without a problem. However, Google Maps will interrupt the radio, CD, SIRIUS, AUX when it wants to give you directions. It acts like a phone call and cuts off the music.
 
#986 ·
I have MFT in my car. The service loaner I got from the dealer did not. The AC was in dual mode. Without MFT I did not know how to get out of dual mode. All it took was to hold in the driver side control for about 2 seconds and they passenger setting became the same as the driver.

It also works in my car! It is very intuitive and much easier to use then going into the touch screen.
 
#987 ·
Haha! I've had the car for 2 years and I didn't know this yet! Then again, I drive alone 97% of the time.
 
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