Now the last thing that I want to do is frustrate or say something that makes it appear that I do not feel bad for those having expectation/warranty issues because this is not the case however;
My position is very likely the minority as I have lived with and enjoyed the exotic gal's and their often time quirky personalities for many years; in fact during a time that there was not warranty expressed on them; they were as presented and hopefully they met your approval and were mechanically sound. This is no way excuses the lack of proper much less extreme service that folks have come to expect when making a purchase of this scope and magnitude.
When I purchased my gal I knew that the likelihood of her ever being massaged by another was slim and none. I also did not expect perfection but rather a solid base that would have likely a creek and rattle and probably even need to be tended to during the quoted warranty period however I committed to dealing with these issues in house.
I feel that the issue of proper service/warranty work does not rest with so much with Ford as a company because there are no warranty times for these gal's; in fact the dealer has pretty much an open ticket when it comes to back billing Ford for the services on these gal's as such it is not a money issue on a dealer level (or at least it would seem) however; there still remains the mindset by technicians that completion is key and how one gets there is only interesting at best. Now with regards to this statement I am sorry because I do not desire to lump all parties into one group however sadly this is the a-typical mindset where at the end of a given shift the technician determines his/her worth by how many hours in excess of real time spent they were able to book. In fact bonuses and or larger dollars per hour are often times earned as the direct result of this ratio.
So having shared this the technician knows going in that the best he/she can do is a one to one hourly ratio which at the end of the week means 40 hours and when you compare this to the same technician working on a series of Ford trucks he/she can easily produce 100 hours billable during the same 40 hours worked; this is the basis for chaos as well as less than stellar results.
Now having said all of this I do not have the energy or desire to change the system but rather by understanding the system I can suggest as I did in my other thread; be smart and do not arbitrarily turn your keys over to someone until you chat with them and confirm that they both understand your concerns, desires, and most of all "YOUR" expectations (not theirs; they expect to satisfy the concern where on the other hand you expect it to be completed in a certain manner; be VERY clear) and only then when and if they agree to do it your way do you hand the keys over otherwise respectfully take her somewhere else. Is the later a potential PITA; absolutely and I understand this however not doing this is akin to a crap shoot with the outcome unknown at best.
I also want to reiterate; not as support for anyone but rather a matter of fact; Ford did not offer or furnish any special training to the technicians so that they would be prepared and able to properly work on these gals. They received access to the same technical documentation that is accessible to all of us and frankly in many circumstances it is sadly pretty raw data at best; the repair instructions are vague, and often times incorrect or at the very least incomplete as such it takes the patience of "JOB" and the proper mindset before the process ever begins otherwise frustration builds quickly and as have been shared by other's' less than stellar results are eminent. Now add to this repetitive acts tend to make the process easier and in the case of these gal's many dealerships many only see one of these gals and then while doing any warranty work the same concern will likely not be repeated as such each and every time they see her is a total new learning experience.
So are there lemon Ford GT's out there; IMO NO, however there are those for which the stars simply did not align very well. They all have the same parts located in the same place however because these gal's were largely hand built they fall prey to Billy-Joe-Bob's Monday and then another person's Friday meaning the highs and lows of the people putting the puzzle together and IMO what some would refer to as a lemon is simply a gal that was exposed to a person with off says and the results were less than crisp. IMO all of the gal's are well served to have a thorough stem to stern check up because IMO all have something that should be tended to and for those few that have a longer to-do list than most the key is NOT the fact that there is a warranty but rather that the person to which you hand her keys too is committed and hopefully passionate as he/she massages her. Consider the limited number of these gals when compared to for example a Mustang; if this were a Mustang that had an extreme build inconsistency list thus tossing it into the proverbial lemon standards then it would likely disappear over time however because of what the Ford GT is they will always be resurrect able as such they will be resurrected.
These are far more that transportation but rather rolling art and emotions and yet too many dealerships and some would say Ford see them as simply transportation that over time will be tossed aside as have so many cool gals before them. By comparison the European exotics are enjoyed and cherished with all of their short comings year after year whereas a typical American expects perfection and then quickly become bored. There are those that do not feel that these gals will weather the test of time because of this very reason and to some degree I agree. I agree that many will own these gals with a large percentage of folks becoming frustrated over time because they are not Acura NSX like perfect and then in the end these gals will IMO not only weather the test of time but will in fact excel beyond most expectations of today by those that not only enjoy their differences aka their character and personality but also recognize that they were born out of an extreme vision based on days gone past, moderate corporate support and funding, and yet they immediately became recognized and accepted as a true exotic "Supercar" that stands head to head with any other gal out there.
These are fricken AWESOME gals and as another stated; the day is here for some where there no longer is a warranty to consider and for the rest of us it will be here soon and you can take comfort in knowing that they are comparatively speaking; easy to work on even if a bit pricey to have done properly.
In closing; it remains my opinion that the goal for every Ford GT owner is to find and develop a relationship with a technician that understands you and your expectations. Once you do this the enjoyment and confidence level between you and your gal will skyrocket.
Takes care
Shadowman