Tachometer Stopped Working
- Thread starter BillyGT
- Start date
hollywoodstunts
GT Owner
Does anyone have any suggestions as to how to get Ford to acknowledge a problem?
Or at least allow us to handle repairs/replacement through Auto Meter?
Or at least allow us to handle repairs/replacement through Auto Meter?
fjpikul
GT Owner
You're doing it by posting on this website. This site is monitored by Big Brother in an unassuming way. I'm physically close to AutoMeter. They won't touch anything. Ford has to recognize the problem.
hollywoodstunts
GT Owner
BlackICE
GT Owner
Only a guess, all auto companies are required to have 10 years of parts in stock. When the inventory gets low, you have to decide if you make another run of parts, or raise the price of the existing inventory so that it lasts longer. e.g if tachs were $1,000,000, then one spare would meet the legal requirements forever, or at least until inflation makes the $1,000,000 equivalent to < $3000. That may not take too long given our 12 tillion debt going to 20 tillion.
Last edited:
richardhead
GT Owner
- Sep 19, 2006
- 169
Just Checked My Tach Cost
List: $2,753.56 My Cost: $2,141.66 Dlr Cost: Est $1,947.00
P/N: 4G7Z17360AA
List: $2,753.56 My Cost: $2,141.66 Dlr Cost: Est $1,947.00
P/N: 4G7Z17360AA
hollywoodstunts
GT Owner
Do you know the pricing from six months ago? Is it possible that Ford increased the price from $500 (sounds about right for a GT tach) to $2700 (sounds like a group of accountants in a room thought sticking it to the people who can afford $150,000 cars is a great idea).
tmcphail
GT Owner/Vendor
This isn't at all new, I have watched this happen on items over the past 10 years being in this specific parts business.
Extreme281
Extreme281
- Aug 23, 2009
- 47
It was the factory battery tender ,i checked the ground but it looked fine and im sure its not the first aluminum framed car .I havent had anymore problems with it anymore .Its just very aquared that i never had problems with any gauges and the moment i start using it problems ,when the gauges quit working i disconnected the battery and started and they worked and the following time i tryed to start it the stopped working ,i left the battery disconnected for about an hour n they havent gave me anymore problems ,ill bet anybody thats had gauge problems with there GT used the factory tender or a aftermarkt one .As expensive as these gauges are i would rather charge the battery manually or start it once in a while .
Extreme281-
With all due respect, you are describing a completely different problem. What you describe is some kind of initialization fault within the gauge control module. In these circumstances, one or more of your gauges are not waking up properly at start-up. One of the known scenarios that will reproduce this is a low-voltage to the gauge control module - most commonly attributed to a low-battery condition.
Many posts in this thread are dealing with hard gauge failures. There is nothing random (i.e., they never sometimes work). Replacing the gauge is the fix, albeit at a relatively high gauge replacement cost as well as the labor.
With all due respect, you are describing a completely different problem. What you describe is some kind of initialization fault within the gauge control module. In these circumstances, one or more of your gauges are not waking up properly at start-up. One of the known scenarios that will reproduce this is a low-voltage to the gauge control module - most commonly attributed to a low-battery condition.
Many posts in this thread are dealing with hard gauge failures. There is nothing random (i.e., they never sometimes work). Replacing the gauge is the fix, albeit at a relatively high gauge replacement cost as well as the labor.
hollywoodstunts
GT Owner
The gauge replacement wasn't too high six months ago when standj paid $389.
The only way a manufacturer can get away with a 500% price increase is when they know their customers have no alternatives.
I wonder if this is part of how Ford just recorded 2 billion in profits?
Is the gauge pricing structure unique? Or are all GT parts going to skyrocket in price? Somehow, the GT loses some of its luster if this is how the manufacturer treats its most loyal of customers.
A free market would never allow a 500% price increase.
Customers would simply take their business elsewhere.
Standj, I'll gladly give you 2x what you paid in June for your used tach :lol
The only way a manufacturer can get away with a 500% price increase is when they know their customers have no alternatives.
I wonder if this is part of how Ford just recorded 2 billion in profits?
Is the gauge pricing structure unique? Or are all GT parts going to skyrocket in price? Somehow, the GT loses some of its luster if this is how the manufacturer treats its most loyal of customers.
A free market would never allow a 500% price increase.
Customers would simply take their business elsewhere.
Standj, I'll gladly give you 2x what you paid in June for your used tach :lol
- Aug 25, 2006
- 4,436
I understand your frustration and yet at the end of the project there were only a limited number created and in order to keep parts in the proverbial pipeline shorts runs will continue based on demand as such the associated cost will not only climb but then also be as the mercy of the vendor to Ford.
It is not like a Focus or ? for which the production numbers are extreme.
FYI all of the parts continue to climb with some more than others; I suspect that they remain stable until they run out and a new short order is placed.
For example; the upper portion of your dash; "only" the cover of the upper portion of your dash has a retail price of nearly "$30K USD" so I encourage your to think twice when you set your cell phone or radar detector on it and then add to this figure the labor to replace it is in the methodical 30 plus hours range not including all of the secondary operations associated with the process.
Truly phenomenal gals however as with all limited production gals the cost of admission is where the cost to play begins.
Takes care
Shadowman
tmcphail
GT Owner/Vendor
hollywoodstunts
GT Owner
Valid point. The problem is when a part, in this case the tach, has an unusually high failure rate of 4%, the burden should not be placed on the customer to pony up three grand for a band-aid fix. What happens when the part fails a second time? If it fails outside of the 12 month part warranty you're looking at paying another three grand, or more if the part has increased in price yet again.
:ack
Without a proper resolve of this difficult trouble shooting issue, in my opinion, future buyers of the FGT will bid down the buy price accordingly to reflect the uncertainty over the seemingly staggering amount of time and trouble, not to mention money to correct the problem. Gosh, every time you turn the key on now, there is that fear that the gauges are going to malfunction. I read earlier that the aluminum frame may be responsible and in the meantime, it seems like throwing new parts at it is the only way to try and correct the issue. Hopefully the pros on the forum here will do just that for the rest of us, and for that, I thank all of you in advance.
tpraceman
THEE GT OWNER
I met with some of the Ford Tech people for lunch and brought up this issue.
If I can get the part number they can track manufacture info.
Also they might be able to light a fire under someones butt and get someone to look into this issue.
Not saying they alone can get this issue done but it would be one more group shinning a light on it.
If I can get the part number they can track manufacture info.
Also they might be able to light a fire under someones butt and get someone to look into this issue.
Not saying they alone can get this issue done but it would be one more group shinning a light on it.