Very Frustrated!!!!

I picked my car up at night. I wasn't able to really inspect it, not that I'd know what to look for.
So my Mustang came with few issues right away. Driver side window trim/gasket had to be replaced the first week.
Then came the driveshaft that had to be replaced at 10K miles.
On my last service visit, I pointed out some of the paint defects and my service advisor took some notes and photos... Next day he calls and says Ford has approved to fix my paint.

I've scheduled a body shop date with my dealer for some paint work next time I bring it in for 30k mile service. Little paint bubbles on the edge of my hood, some spots on my rear bumper, and some paint chips where the body panels meet.
My local dealer has been nothing but helpful and understanding.
It's no big deal to me. I have other cars to drive. Sure it's a pain in the butt but isn't that what a warranty is for?

Shouldn't this just be covered under warranty? Just take it to your local ford dealer and if they can't help go directly to ford.

I purchased the car on September 2nd, detailed the car over Labor Day weekend, and opened a case with Ford, first thing Tuesday morning, the 5th. I also stopped by my local dealership on the 5th and the service manager took many pictures to upload to Ford for their review. As of yesterday, Ford Customer Service said they still have not received the pictures. I've tried contacting my local dealer service manager for about a week now, and they haven't returned my call.

Unfortunately, the service department closes at 6pm and I work about 1.5 hours away from them, so I haven't been able to stop in and catch them personally. So if anybody is putting the numbers together, my local dealer is only 10 miles from my house, so that means I work about 1.5 hours away from home!!!!

Damn bro. Sucks you had to go through this. I got burned on my first ever car purchase. Got a black Jetta. Had the dealer "detail it". Car was ready at sundown, looked gorgeous in the shade. The next morning in the sunlight it looked like a massacre. Scratches everywhere. I never let a dealer prep detail my car ever again. I don't leave the lot until every inch of the car is inspected in full sunlight. If it aint right as rain, I aint signing a damn thing.

I tell the guy/girl as soon as we're done negotiations, "Do NOT wash my car."

"You want it all dirty?"

"Yes."

"But on the survey you'll give us a 10 for detailing?"

"Yes....if you don't detail my car."

Shocks them every time.

if you don't let them wash your car, and it is covered in dust, how will you inspect the paint ? They could have "detailed" the car a month ago, then put it back on the lot, where it got a coating of dust / dirt.

Wow dude, you didn’t buy a new car at all....you bought a one year old used car. Was it even certified by Ford? Either way your lucky that the dealership took care of you..............

mustang1 said:

if you don't let them wash your car, and it is covered in dust, how will you inspect the paint ? They could have "detailed" the car a month ago, then put it back on the lot, where it got a coating of dust / dirt.

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I buy cars in early to mid fall. Here in Maryland, it's gorgeous weather. Fair, no rain. Any dust would be minimal. Even with a little bit of dust, I'm not sitting there with a magnifying glass, I'm just looking for very noticeable flaws.

For example, went to Dealer A to look at a LBlue V6. A little dust on the car but still inspected it throughly. Found a big chip on the hood near the latch, an imperfection on the door, and a mark on the bumper where someone clearly backed into something. Car was probably on the lot for months. Dealer A wanted to "detail" it and "make it like brand new". I told them to keep it. Went to Dealer B and got the same car pristine in the overflow lot fresh off the delivery truck. It was full sun out and the car was flawless. Drove it home with what little dust or whatever was on it and hand washed it myself.

My point is, throughly inspect the car. If it's up to spec and looks good to you, drive it home as is. Once you put it in the hands of the dealer detailer folks, you never know how you're going to get it back.

OP said he inspected the car in daylight and it had water spots, but later discovered they were no ordinary water spots.

After speaking with a body shop and the detailer that sanded my car, they both believe that the water spots had a chemical fallout in them that damaged the paint. I think anybody that buys a new car and does a walk around and sees water spots won't think much of it. How many times has it rained while you're at work, and then the sun came out, dried the dirty water to the car, and left water spots? Many people get water spots from a sprinkler that won't wash off and require a harsher bath to remove. That's what I thought I was dealing with.

Regarding the 2016, the dealer said they don't certify used cars that have the majority of their warranty remaining. It costs money to do CPO. When I inspected that car, I checked the door jamb and DID notice that the paint wasn't as high a gloss in the seam. This is indicative a repainting and doing a feathered edge. So I checked the other side, and it was the same, so I assumed it factory since both sides were the same. I should have known better when I saw a speck of dust in the rear quarter paint, but we all know that Ford's quality isn't the highest with these cars, so I assumed it was factory since the car was low miles. I did not see any tape lines at that point because they were hidden very well by the body shop. Lesson learned.

I'm an experienced detailer, what you are seeing is etching caused by water spots left for too long, most likely from a sprinkler system. No way the car left the factory like that. I have seen it many times on customers cars, it ruins the original paint job.

Update...went to my local dealership, which has always been good to me, and they photographed the markings on every panel, and submitted them to Ford. Ford is reviewing the photos, and the service manager is informing them that she thinks there are only two options. Completely sand down the clear and apply more (which won't really work) or a trade assist/buyback option.

The service manager said that I won't be happy with option 1, because they will just tape off some areas to re-clear the car. This will have the same effect on value as a repaint. She said the rear 1/4 windows are a one time use and cannot be removed, without being replaced and Ford will not authorize that. Also, with the case being opened at the dealership with only 360 miles on the car, she's gonna push for a buyback/replacement.

So now we wait for Ford to make a decision!!

Update...Received a call from the dealership last week that the GM wanted to help me get out of this car, so I was asked to bring it in. They wanted me to trade the car in on another one they had. I wasn't too keen on this plan as my car was over $43k and their car was listed at $41k. They offered me $32k for a 4 week old car with 2k miles on it towards the purchase of their car. obviously, this would have been a bad decision, and it would have increased my loan by $5k, but for a cheaper car. So I said no and left.

It turns out that Ford contacted the service manager and said they are authorizing a repaint. Because she knew I wouldn't be happy with that option, she asked the GM to work with me.

My last option was to call Ford and ask why trading my car in for a loss of value was supposedly even an option. I also asked why I should have to take a loss of value for a repainted car. Ford will not authorize a proper repaint, but will be taping things off and removing only certain parts. That diminishes the new car value considerably. I explained to the CSR that all options being offered by Ford leave me losing thousands of dollars and I shouldn't be losing anything on a new car purchase. The CSR agreed and opened a Vehicle Buyback case. I now wait and see if Ford approves of this one.

Man, I hope everything works out for you :cheers:

scottmoyer said:

The issue with a repaint is the devaluing of a vehicle. If there are two cars, identical in every feature and mileage, sitting on a used car lot, which car would you buy? The one that's got it's factory paint, or the one that's been repainted? To entice someone to buy that car, the price is usually lowered. In the insurance industry, this is called diminished value, and can be substantial in value. Needless to say, I do not want the car repainted, unless Ford/dealer compensates me for it.

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Is that spot on the hood the only one?

Jesus Dude, relax, it's no big deal. Seriously, these are cars, and cheap ones at that. If you are looking for perfection, spend the real money and buy a Porsche.

Have a local dealership work through ford to get the hood re-painted, and move on with life. Or just leave it, it's no big deal.

I really don't get the obsession so many people here exhibit. They're cars, meant to be enjoyed, used up, and traded in. No one is going to diminish the value of the car in 5 years because of that.

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NoVaGT said:

Is that spot on the hood the only one?

Jesus Dude, relax, it's no big deal. Seriously, these are cars, and cheap ones at that. If you are looking for perfection, spend the real money and buy a Porsche.

Have a local dealership work through ford to get the hood re-painted, and move on with life. Or just leave it, it's no big deal.

I really don't get the obsession so many people here exhibit. They're cars, meant to be enjoyed, used up, and traded in. No one is going to diminish the value of the car in 5 years because of that.

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I guess you are rich compared to me, but I don't consider ANY car that you are paying $40k for, a cheap car. That is insulting. $40k is a lot of money and you shouldn't have anything wrong with a new car that costs $40k unless it's a recall. Ridiculous that you think that is okay.

I do agree with your last point though. Cars are meant to be driven. Months or years down the road, someone should expect chips, scratches, dings, etc, if they are driving the car. But new? No way.