Benstix

I just collected my 01/08 BFII 6 Spd Manual XR6 T this week and will be driving it across the Nullabor from Perth to Melbourne after its first service. Ford mentioned the engines are bench run in and an oil change is not part of the 3,000k service. I want them to do one anyway, so I'll supply the oil. My first question is: Which oil and fluids are the best to flush into the main areas of the drivetrain, and anywhere else whilst I'm at it? I've read through this website that Transmax Z seems to be the choice of many for the gearbox. Anything to get over that f*cking backlash that most manuals are afflicted with. There's none right now with 100kms on the clock, though I'm sure that symptom is just around the corner. My second question is: How is best to drive the vehicle straight from the factory? I am a spirited driver and want to get the best out of it...................without mods though as it's a company car. The pedals are well setup for awesome heal-toe downshifts, though should I really be doing that within my first 1,000 kays? All advice / comments greatly welcomed. P.S. There's advice on other topics about the footwell illumination light sockets already being there when Premium Sound is ordered, albeit with no globes supplied. $4 of bulbs and I have light! What a great forum this is.

I'm curious about BF drivers experiences with Backlash? I had a BAI 5 spd manual with severe backlash.........as others have experienced, I was told by Ford it's within limits which is pretty frustrating. It can REALLY affect the quality of your driving experience. I was glad to get rid of it for the BFI ZF 6 spd Auto which is smooth as a baby's bum to drive around. Missing manuals though, I'm swapping for a new BFII 6 spd manual next week so am wondering if I'm going to face the same issues again? Most backlash issues seem to be with the BA's, or is it that BA drivers are more vocal?

You won't regret it! I have a BFI XR6 Turbo and the shifts occur when I would have done them in a manual. It's a very intuitive gearbox and learns as you drive. It probably performs more than twice the gearshifts you would driving a manual as it constantly monitors driving conditions. One impressive thing I noted was in up and downhill driving - the box will choose a higher gear and rely on torque for uphill driving, instead of giving you that constant downshift that some cars are noted for. Similarly, the box will downshift to maintain speed when heading downhill. Given each shift is so smooth you can hardly feel them, the car becomes a very smooth cruiser, performance car or vehicle about town. Having said that, I'm swapping for a BFII 6 speed manual next week as I miss driving manuals. No matter how good an auto box is, if you're a manual driver by heart......stick with them.

"CONNECTING TO THE BLUETOOTH® MOBILE PHONE KIT · The kit can be set up to connect with up to 7 different mobile phones. Each time you get into the vehicle, the kit will automatically detect your mobile phone and make the connection." Does this mean that if two phones are paired to the BT Car Kit, and either handset rings whilst in the car, you can answer via the car kit? Effectively you have two connections running (not 2 phones calls running), and you can answer via the kit no matter which phone rings?