Unsure what you mean by creaking. If you mean, on a hybrid, the brakes feeling as if they are grabbing or even coming to a full stop with a noticeable thunk when they are applied while in motion at very slow speeds, that's been reported many times here previously.
Bottom line: It is what it is...
Word through the grapevine is that the private offer is specifically attached to the name of the individual buyer, so it will tag along with you should you switch dealers.
Being on a preorder list does absolutely nothing so far as speeding things up. Your individual place in line is determined by a bona fide order being placed by the dealership and subsequently approved by Ford.
As for large versus small dealers, there are arguments for and against both (and as...
Frankly too lazy to go look but there's at least one thread about keypads with various entries about where people have placed them.
Oh, do take note there are two separate part numbers - one for vehicles without factory remote start (like the XL) and a different one for vehicles with factory...
No thanks, hard pass. A melding of the hideous with the practical.
Except on the place a driver will be looking at the most - the steering wheel. Whoops.
Could be wildly off base but my layman's understanding for '22 models is that you can either go with price protection (keyed to date of order) OR with any incentives/offers available upon date of sale. But any current incentives are not applicable or transferable to price protection.
Bluetooth runs the gamut from finicky to exasperating to utter dreck. Wired connection is hands down always the better choice.
Even phones equipped for wireless charging still come with a cable in the box.
VINs are coded to the specific model year. If you have a VIN, it is for a '22.
Barring some major catastrophe (Hermosillo being swallowed up by the earth type catastrophe) you'll take delivery of a '22.
If you remain anxious about it, why not hold out just a few more weeks until all '22...
Just to add as a general observation, USB cables are not something to skimp on when it comes to their cost. There are many very good ones but also a plethora of really crappy ones.
Try doing a soft reset of the system
With ignition on, press and hold the seek up ( >> ) button and also the on/off/volume knob.
Wait for the screen to go dark, then release both controls.
It may take a shortish interval for the reset to fully cycle through and complete, following which the...
Memorize the license plates. Not even the whole thing, just memorizing the first few or the last few letters or digits will suffice.
If needs be, can even slap a label on the back of each fob with that relevant data.