Not happy with Ford at this moment.

[Gulf GT]

I just found out that Ford has denied my claim to have three panels replaced under warranty on the interior of my car. They were clearly improperly prepped or painted, and they look like shit. I never noticed it until I put in a belt bar behind the driver's seat. At a casual glance they look right, but when you look close, the "sheen" on the finish is different from the other side, and when I used "blue" 3M painter's tape to protect it during the install, the paint peeled off when I removed the tape. The other side didn’t. I used nothing but 3M "blue", not even am aftermarket version of it. That should have never happened. It's a pretty lame move on Ford's part. The dealer wants me to take the car back down to have some photos taken. If they aren't approved for replacement on this next round, I am going to really be pissed. I haven't asked for anything from Ford since I bought this car. I replaced my own half shaft bolts and a few other items, and have never asked for reimbursement. Ford even had the gall to charge me for the first set of half shaft bolts and the associated prep. This is a clear manufacturing error, and it should be replaced under warranty without even a hiccup. I do have to say that I have never had trouble with items like these at Ferrari or Lamborghini, if the item was even in question it was replaced every time without question by those manufacturers.

 

[roketman]

I would talk to the regional rep.

 

[fjpikul]

Gulf, did you try the GT hotline for resolution?

 

[THamonGT]

As a Dealer it is not uncommon for Ford to ask for pictures or an inspection by a Ford Rep. on a paint problem. If there is a true paint problem they will fix it. Tomy Hamon PS Be patient and work with your Dealer to get your problem fixed.

 

[B O N Y]

Lots of FORD people visit this forum.

My mother said you get more flys with sugar than vinegar.

You might want to soften your renarks.

Ford has been responsive so far.

Bony
Moderator

 

[Gulf GT]

Lots of FORD people visit this forum.

My mother said you get more flys with sugar than vinegar.

You might want to soften your remarks.

Ford has been responsive so far.

Bony
Moderator

The reason for my tone has a lot to do with the fact that I have honestly yet to have more than one good visit to a Ford Dealer (replaced front diffuser without a problem). Even the original purchase was a problem where the dealer damaged the rear diffuser before I took delivery and then refused to pay for it. And the "hotline" didn't do a damn thing about it but tell me it was "between me and the dealer". I have kept my mouth shut and used enough "honey" to fill the car up with it. I don't want to go into a rant of my list of bad visits to Ford Dealerships over this car, but let's just say I am used a higher level of service than I have personally experienced with my FGT. Don't get me wrong, I love my car and overall build quality is fantastic, but the service side of equation as sucked to this point. I am very easy going and I will put up with a lot, but at some point you have to switch from "honey" to a sledgehammer.

 

[red gt 1442]

The reason for my tone has a lot to do with the fact that I have honestly yet to have more than one good visit to a Ford Dealer (replaced front diffuser without a problem). Even the original purchase was a problem where the dealer damaged the rear diffuser before I took delivery and then refused to pay for it. And the "hotline" didn't do a damn thing about it but tell me it was "between me and the dealer". I have kept my mouth shut and used enough "honey" to fill the car up with it. I don't want to go into a rant of my list of bad visits to Ford Dealerships over this car, but let's just say I am used a higher level of service than I have personally experienced with my FGT. Don't get me wrong, I love my car and overall build quality is fantastic, but the service side of equation as sucked to this point. I am very easy going and I will put up with a lot, but at some point you have to switch from "honey" to a sledgehammer.

I can understand all of GULF's furstrations...... and at times one will get to feel the way he does. Most of my cars are Ford products, and I have always gone the extra mile to be civil, and appease what the dealer saiz, as I know they are only trying to help any given situation...BUT, how much can one take? for instance, many of you here have been listening to my HOT car since purchase...even to the point of laughing about it when I have gone out with a few guys here on a day out, and my car was on the brink of overheating. I almost overheated when I picked up my GT(new) and drove down the West Side Highway, and turned around back to the dealer..... After much done to this car, 2 years later,very close to overheating was a regular occurence, even when coming back from Tasca Ford I had to pull over, because the car was systematically shutting down. So, as the dealer could not find anything wrong, I looked for an outside source to find the problem. After many visits to Bob Ida, along with installing all kinds of things to make the car cooler, he did discover the problem. It seems that the radiator cap was the culprit, and caused the radiator to expand so much, that the core closed on to itself. ( pict's were posted on another thread) So in essence bob discovered that the radiator was just holding antifreeeze but not cooling it. Reported the facts to the dealer, and they decided to replace the radiator after what I did show them. Also, the top hedges of the hood were blistering from the heat. The Ford dealer did the necessary mechanical repairs and I picked up my car a week later to find that now the car was running about 160/170 where it should of been from the get go. I took the car to Ida's to get the hood fixed, as the Dealer sends their work out, and they approved the paint repair. In total I am out of pocked ( besides the paint work) approximately 7800 bucks just trying to get the car cooled....no prob worth it I love my FGT. The dealer calls me thurs to tell me that Ford has denied the claim of the radiator replament, and I might have to pay for the work which is 1800 for the radiator, and 22 hours labor @ 125 per hour. So, since we love Ford, we want this co. to flourish, and get out of the red,(as they are doing)and we wish them the best, we buy their cars, (have 5 additional shelby's I purchased) and then this? so tell me guys, what would you do? the car has 2500 mles, still under warranty, where is the justice here? maybe Gulf is right....I hate attorneys but how can this be? How can a company keep it's clients if this can happen? Any help or suggestions will be greatly appreciated........


Gino

 

[Chris A.]

Sorry to pile it on here Bony...BUT....my last experience with my local dealer was so bad that I'm meeting with my attorney on Monday. This was my 3rd time to the same dealer to fix the same warranty issue. However thats NOT the reason why I'm seeing my attorney, its worse.

 

[Kirby Vieira]

I have been told by a 25 years experienced Mercedes mechanic that, generally speaking, 8 of every 10 cars produced by major manufacturers are good to great cars, and 2 of the 10 are somewhere between problematic to "lemon law" cars. IMO, production quality of the Ford GT far exceeded these parameters but no doubt there are some bad cars out there. If you have one, the best course is to follow stated or reasonable complaint procedures and be willing to take whatever progressive steps are necessary to have the issues resolved. I truly feel sorry for the few who have had problems and particularly for the ones whose complaints are not being resolved. Good luck :cheers

 

[AlohaGT]

I have been told by a 25 years experienced Mercedes mechanic that, generally speaking, 8 of every 10 cars produced by major manufacturers are good to great cars, and 2 of the 10 are somewhere between problematic to "lemon law" cars. IMO, production quality of the Ford GT far exceeded these parameters but no doubt there are some bad cars out there. If you have one, the best course is to follow stated or reasonable complaint procedures and be willing to take whatever progressive steps are necessary to have the issues resolved. I truly feel sorry for the few who have had problems and particularly for the ones whose complaints are not being resolved. Good luck :cheers

In another thread, Shelby posted (and I'm paraphrasing here) something to the effect that 9 of 10 FGTs are good cars. His comments carry some weight with me as he's handled, perhaps, more FGTs than anyone. With that said, I thought to myself that 100 out of 1,000 FGTs being problematic sounds very high. Based on what you've stated, Kirby, and Shelby's post - maybe it isn't.

Certainly I feel for all of you with problems and am hopeful they'll be resolved without too much more conflict and to your complete satisfaction. In my case, I couldn't be happier with my FGT. 7 months, 4,500 miles - absolutely trouble free. That's more than I can say of our current stable of European and Japanese cars.

 

[fjpikul]

Well, I think this is why we started the thread on better dealerships for service. I have no complaints whatsoever about my car or the service I get at the dealership where I bought it (more tha 2 years already and 8400 miles). I guess the problem, as it appears to me, is the dealership and their relationship with the regional rep and Ford.

 

[BlackICE]

I have been told by a 25 years experienced Mercedes mechanic that, generally speaking, 8 of every 10 cars produced by major manufacturers are good to great cars, and 2 of the 10 are somewhere between problematic to "lemon law" cars.

I believe that of the 20% of the questionable cars, more than 85% of them can be made into good to great cars with the proper repairs. The problem is finding a competent technician with the knowledge, willingness, and care necessary to repair the cars correctly. This is the weakest link! Much too often cars of any brand going into the shop for repairs actually come out worse than when they entered the shop! This is not just a Ford problem, but one that pervasive in the industry.

How long do you think Ford or GM would be in business if they told their customers that they cannot repair their car for 1 month because of backlog, or parts need to be shipped from Italy? Ferrari can do it, because they are in a niche market, sell at much higher margins, and their customers have other vehicles for daily use.

 

[Gulf GT]

I don't think percentages really matter. It's how you handle the problems that inevitably come up. All people expect is to be treated in an honest straightforward manner, that's all. I have been told by several high-end dealers that I am the most down to earth client they have, so it's not a matter of me being an ass or a "rich jerk". In fact, I’ve had employees of a dealer that I unfortunately had to sue a couple years ago come to me and not only say I was right, but they did business with me afterwards out of respect for how I handled myself during the ordeal. Like I said, I will take quite bit, but at some point you have to put your heels in and say something. I have been handed several really lame excuses by a few Ford Dealers, and even outright lied to on one occasion. If I handled my business like this I would have never been able to afford an FGT.

 

[ROCMAN]

All this does is guarantee the fact that we will not see another supercar from Ford. Someone will come up with a totally awesome car, and someone else will remind them of all the problems they had with the GT and their owners.

Don't get me wrong. If you are treated wrong, or your car is not getting fixed, then they do need to get their act together. I just think complaints of suing and talking to lawyers should not be broadcast on a public forum until every possible chance of a resolution has met with failure.

I hope, and I really do hope EVERYONE HERE that has issues gets them rectified. :thumbsup

 

[shelbyelite]

I would agree that most of the problems are with the actual dealers and not ford.... HOWEVER, I am fortunate enough to have a local ford dealer that works with me very well. Obviously we are gonna have MORE warranty claims than the average Joe as we have about 10 or more GTs come through here a month. Mostly just the usual such as warped vents (which I have had ford send me about 20 broken ones and maybe 4 good ones as they insist on sending them un-packaged :willy ) , axle bolts, delamination on the STANDARD wheels center caps, faulty hose clamps, and other various small issues. I do have a current car that has the bubbling in the center console paint as others have described having the same problem here on the forum. I submitted detailed pics to ford of the issue, and got denied the first time. Now, I can assure you I will get ford to approve this claim as it is clearly a warranty issue, just may take a little louder BARK to get it approved. What I will tell most people that have issues is that reasonning rather than threats MOST of the time gets alot more done. Please remember that when it comes to warranty issues there are 3 or 4 middle men that are working to get your issue approved. Sometimes it takes a little extra mile and civil and none emoitional inquiries to your dealer to get things done the way they should be. I would say this is normal with many different car companies. Not just Ford. If anything I am on the side of all you guys as I have to get more warranty work done than anyone on here, but through my personal experiences, I have found everything goes smoother when I bite my tounge and take a different approach to get denied warranty work approved. If any of you guys are having PROBLEMS getting your local dealer to work with you, give me a call and I will see what I can get done for you. I hope you all get your issues resolved as uneventful as possible. I want to see you guys get back to enjoying these cars!! :thumbsup


P.S. One thing I do wanna point out is that ford gave us a LONGER warranty at no additional charge than 9 out of 10 exotics came with at the time the GT was produced. I really do feel for you guys that are having issues, but lets take a different approach and see if we can get you guys happy again!

 

[Gulf GT]

I think most people know here that I don't cry wolf, and I am certainly not threatening to sue Ford. So don't try and read between the lines, because I am not sending any messages that way. If I get really serious, this won't the method of communication. Again, in my opinion, here in America, "most" companies like to know when their customers are unhappy. And all I am saying right now is that I am unhappy and explaining why. Last I heard there wasn't anything wrong with it in this country, now in Russia.... that's different matter. If this forum is just a "cheering section" for Ford where they can do no wrong, then let me off the ride. I clearly have, and consistently do give Ford credit where it is due, but on the other hand I will also let them know when they need to straighten the house. Most legitimate businesses would prefer I did it in this constructive way, as opposed to other ways. I thought that was what "Forums" are for.

 

[shelbyelite]

I think most people know here that I don't cry wolf, and I am certainly not threatening to sue Ford. So don't try and read between the lines, because I am not sending any messages that way. If I get really serious, this won't the method of communication. Again, in my opinion, here in America, "most" companies like to know when their customers are unhappy. And all I am saying right now is that I am unhappy and explaining why. Last I heard there wasn't anything wrong with it in this country, now in Russia.... that's different matter. If this forum is just a "cheering section" for Ford where they can do no wrong, then let me off the ride. I clearly have, and consistently do give Ford credit where it is due, but on the other hand I will also let them know when they need to straighten the house. Most legitimate businesses would prefer I did it in this constructive way, as opposed to other ways. I thought that was what "Forums" are for.

I am on the same page with you. Just giving suggestions of how to help correct your issue you are having.

 

[Fubar]

I hear ya man. I have had some issues with dealers (not just Ford). It is like any business... good, bad, ugly they are all out there.

I think Bony is trying to keep this forum upbeat. His warnings are not always "upbeat" but I do understand why he makes them. It is too easy for a good forum to become cynical. That is the way to the dark side

 

[cobrar1339]

Photos to document this kind of stuff is standard proceedure from what I have seen. My Dad had a delaership many moons ago. I think Tommy is right here. I'd be pissed too, but let the process run it's course. If the Rep sees the car he will likely figure something out that will get the panels looking correct.

The dealers will normally side with you and help the cause, unless it is a job they do not want to do or cannot make money doing. I doubt there is a standard labor rate in the book for this and that makes it much harder to estimate than a clutch job. So I would assume they need to neg. with the rep to get a labor rate all can live with. If the dealer is not working with you they likely have low confidence they can fix it to your satisfaction and don't want to chance making it worse. That would be my first clue to go elsewhere. They cannot refuse service, but in your case they can make it more difficult by not pitching the need to the rep.

 

[junior]

I've always said, the biggest issues of owning this superb automobile is how Ford and their dealer treat their F-GT customers after the sale. Quit giving yourself a continuing headache and get an attorney, expensive but it will get their attention. Please let us know how it turns out.