cprime
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Aug 30, 2021
- Threads
- 5
- Messages
- 75
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- 173
- Location
- Bucks County, PA
- First Name
- Caelan
- Vehicle(s)
- 2022 Mustang Mach 1
- Thread starter
- #1
This is a full recap of my experience ordering my Mach 1 and bringing it in for service at Chapman Ford in Horsham PA. It’s a little long, but worth the read.
Starting from the beginning, I placed my first Mach 1 order back in August for a 2021 and contacted Tom (the owner) directly. I was very happy with how easy the process was and how transparent he was with all the numbers. That order ended up getting canceled by Ford sometime in November before I ever got a VIN. Luckily, Chapman was smart enough to have already placed an identical order for a 2022 when the order banks opened in October. My Mach 1 was scheduled on December 9th for a January 10th build date. It was finished by January 13th and on the dealership lot by January 26th. I picked the car up the 27th and had a pretty simple transaction since I was just giving them a check. I had requested that they not clean the car because I was having it detailed myself, so I brought it home with all the plastic still on. However, they still performed their post delivery inspection and removed the yellow shipping guards from the suspension. My experience ordering the car through Tom and Steve as well as completing the purchase in person, was fantastic. I’d recommend them to anyone and would order from them anytime.
Since i’ve had the car, the only modifications done are tinted windows and a Steeda x pipe which was installed at a trusted shop. In early February I noticed that there was paint starting to be rubbed off in between the passenger door and front right fender. After looking closer at how the door was opening and closing, I could tell it was definitely too close which meant an alignment issue on either the door or fender from the factory. I bought touch up paint and covered that area which made it almost unnoticeable, so I let it go. Starting a week ago, the door started making an audible sound when opened which I found out to be it was catching on the fender. At this this same exact point, my active exhaust system stopped working. I started the car and got the “exhaust mode selection not available” warning on the dash. I knew this was a common problem for other people because of the placement of that wiring harness and it’s proximity to the metal frame above it. I was prepared to pay for a new wire harness since I did make an exhaust modification and i’m cable of taking responsibility for my actions. I made an appointment at Chapman Ford for Wednesday, March 23rd and told them about the door and the active exhaust issue. When I first arrived with the vehicle at Ford, a service tech checked out the door and agreed it definitely needed an adjustment along with a proper paint job in the spot it rubbed. I was informed that if I wanted Chapman to do the work i’d have to bring it to their body shop in Philadelphia the next week. They suggested i have them take care of the active exhaust while it was there to get it all done in one trip, but I said i’d rather have Chapman look at it that day since I had already scheduled an appointment. I left the car for about an hour or so and they gave me a call to let me know they fixed the active exhaust issue by clearing the code and resetting that system. On the phone, I asked if all the modes worked just to clarify it was fixed and was told yes. I went back, grabbed the keys, thanked them for their help and went out to the car (Just to reiterate, I was fully prepared to pay for the exhaust fix, but was allowed to leave with no payment). When I started it up to head home, the exact same warning popped up on the dash and I still couldn’t change exhaust modes. I walked back in to tell them it still wasn’t working and they took the keys back so they could look at it again. I had to leave for work, but they said they would call me when they figure it out. I was not contacted for the rest of the day and they kept it overnight. The next morning I got a call from the service manager and his first words to me were asking where I had the exhaust work done. I told him the name of the shop and how long ago it was done. He proceeded to list off a bunch of issues that were apparently caused by the work that shop had done. He also sent me some pictures of what he saw. He said the shop didn’t install the x pipe correctly, the exhaust system was leaking and loose, and the wiring wasn’t plugged back in fully which ultimately led to the wire harness getting worn through by rubbing the frame. Then he said that they lifted the car by the pinch weld and it caused a bend in the frame below the fender which caused the misalignment in the door/fender. To finish the phone conversation, he told me that ford wouldn’t cover anything under warranty because it was caused by another shop. At this point I was extremely frustrated and just wanted my car fixed. I went to pick up my car and ended up having a long talk with the service manager about everything going on and what I should do. The summary of that conversation was “don’t modify your car”. I was also told that I would no longer pass emissions because I removed my resonator. The full invoice to have them fix the entire exhaust system was $847 which consisted of $40 in parts and $800 in labor. I said I would talk to the shop first and hopefully have them cover the cost of the repairs. When I was ready to leave he told me I still had to pay $199 for the “work they did”. That work consisted of putting my car on the lift and bringing in another Mach 1 to compare because they have never seen the underside of one of these cars (this was all done without asking me or verifying I was ok with anything being done that would require payment). To soften the blow, I was told it should have costed $600, but I was getting a deal because they felt bad. Apparently the amount I paid was covering just an hour of work because their labor rate is $199 an hour according to the manager. At this point I was still under the impression the other shop was completely at fault, so I payed the $211 and left. I went straight to the other shop with the invoice from Ford. I walked in and spoke to the owner and head mechanic with full composure and respect. The owner immediately turned to the head mechanic and said let’s get his car in the air and figure it all out. He assured me that I he would take care of me no matter what which was comforting considering everything i’d dealt with already. I followed the mechanic to the shop and he brought me under my car on the lift so I could show him every area of concern. I was upfront and told him that the active exhaust wiring was the least of my worries and that I was completely fine with paying for a new wire harness if need be. We addressed the x pipe fitment and although they used different clamps than I originally thought, they worked fine. The clamps were installed with the bolts facing the ground which I didn’t really like so he immediately offered to turn them to the side before I left. He checked the fitment of the whole exhaust system right in front of me and told me straight up that I had nothing to worry about, which I could see and agree with. When I explained to him how the service manager at Chapman said he would need to take apart the entire exhaust system, heat the metal, resize the piping, then reinstall everything, he shook his head and said please don’t pay for that because there’s no need. At this point I was starting to see holes in the entire story I was told from the service manager and became extremely confused why I was told my entire exhaust needed to be fixed considering there were no issues. We moved on to the bigger problem, the door/fender area. I showed him how the door was catching when it opened and he said right away that it definitely needed an adjustment. He looked inside the door jam and under the car at the area the dealership claimed they jacked it up from to see if there was any signs of bending or stress in the metal. He saw absolutely nothing and showed me every spot he looked at so I could understand. He said if there was a bend big enough to cause the fender to become misaligned, there would be stress cracks in the paint from the metal being distorted, which I agreed with and saw none of. He also said just plain and simple, he would never lift a car from the spot they claimed because it would fall. As I looked closer at this spot, the idea from the service manager at Chapman that the car was lifted into the air by a rounded corner, slipped forward on the lift, and bent the frame, made absolutely zero sense since there wasn’t a single spot of damage other than half an inch of rough paint on the pinch weld (a rock or stick on the road could have caused that). The mechanic at the shop also said that if the car slipped forward on the lift, it would have fell to the ground, and I know that did not happen. The mechanic offered to adjust the door and fix the exposed wiring on the harness for free the next morning which gave me even more of a reason to trust him. Another very important point i’ll add is that this shop had my car on camera the entire time it was in the air. I watched my car get worked on from the waiting lobby on a tv that displays the camera feeds. If something major happened to my car on the lift, I would have noticed and it would’ve taken a lot longer than 30 minutes to do the X pipe install. The next morning I took my car back to the shop to have the wiring and door fixed. They sealed with silicone and heat shrunk tape around the exposed wire to prevent more damage, which actually solved the problem. He informed me that they had a body expert from a reputable shop look at the door and fender and he agreed that it is undoubtedly a factory flaw in the way it was assembled. He said that no one should touch it besides Ford. The shop gave me the body guys business card and said go to a different ford dealership for the warranty work and if they have any questions, he will back up my claims.
My opinion on what happened is that I had clearly been lied to by a service manager looking to avoid a warranty claim. As soon as my car went in the air at Chapman they saw an aftermarket X pipe and decided to blame every issue on the shop who did the work. Before they saw the x pipe, they were in complete agreement that the door just needed to be adjusted and warranty would take care of it. This is proven by me (almost) leaving without paying anything the first day when they thought they fixed the issue, but charging me a diagnostic fee on the second day after they saw I had an aftermarket exhaust pipe.
As of now, I have no hard feelings towards Tom or Steve considering they’re probably unaware of the full story. At this point I would just like my $211 refunded and to move on from the whole experience. I’d be more than happy to talk in person to get everything settled.
Picture #1: a photo that I took at the shop who installed the x pipe showing the area on the pinch weld that was apparently pushed upwards and bent the frame according to the service manager
Picture #2: a photo the service manager sent me showing the X pipe which was apparently installed incorrectly and ruined the exhaust system
Picture #3: a photo I took before I brought it in to Chapman showing the door slightly opened and rubbing the fender
Picture #4: copy of my receipt for the diagnostic fee
Pictures #5,6: Invoice for the remaining work suggested by the service manager to fix the exhaust
Starting from the beginning, I placed my first Mach 1 order back in August for a 2021 and contacted Tom (the owner) directly. I was very happy with how easy the process was and how transparent he was with all the numbers. That order ended up getting canceled by Ford sometime in November before I ever got a VIN. Luckily, Chapman was smart enough to have already placed an identical order for a 2022 when the order banks opened in October. My Mach 1 was scheduled on December 9th for a January 10th build date. It was finished by January 13th and on the dealership lot by January 26th. I picked the car up the 27th and had a pretty simple transaction since I was just giving them a check. I had requested that they not clean the car because I was having it detailed myself, so I brought it home with all the plastic still on. However, they still performed their post delivery inspection and removed the yellow shipping guards from the suspension. My experience ordering the car through Tom and Steve as well as completing the purchase in person, was fantastic. I’d recommend them to anyone and would order from them anytime.
Since i’ve had the car, the only modifications done are tinted windows and a Steeda x pipe which was installed at a trusted shop. In early February I noticed that there was paint starting to be rubbed off in between the passenger door and front right fender. After looking closer at how the door was opening and closing, I could tell it was definitely too close which meant an alignment issue on either the door or fender from the factory. I bought touch up paint and covered that area which made it almost unnoticeable, so I let it go. Starting a week ago, the door started making an audible sound when opened which I found out to be it was catching on the fender. At this this same exact point, my active exhaust system stopped working. I started the car and got the “exhaust mode selection not available” warning on the dash. I knew this was a common problem for other people because of the placement of that wiring harness and it’s proximity to the metal frame above it. I was prepared to pay for a new wire harness since I did make an exhaust modification and i’m cable of taking responsibility for my actions. I made an appointment at Chapman Ford for Wednesday, March 23rd and told them about the door and the active exhaust issue. When I first arrived with the vehicle at Ford, a service tech checked out the door and agreed it definitely needed an adjustment along with a proper paint job in the spot it rubbed. I was informed that if I wanted Chapman to do the work i’d have to bring it to their body shop in Philadelphia the next week. They suggested i have them take care of the active exhaust while it was there to get it all done in one trip, but I said i’d rather have Chapman look at it that day since I had already scheduled an appointment. I left the car for about an hour or so and they gave me a call to let me know they fixed the active exhaust issue by clearing the code and resetting that system. On the phone, I asked if all the modes worked just to clarify it was fixed and was told yes. I went back, grabbed the keys, thanked them for their help and went out to the car (Just to reiterate, I was fully prepared to pay for the exhaust fix, but was allowed to leave with no payment). When I started it up to head home, the exact same warning popped up on the dash and I still couldn’t change exhaust modes. I walked back in to tell them it still wasn’t working and they took the keys back so they could look at it again. I had to leave for work, but they said they would call me when they figure it out. I was not contacted for the rest of the day and they kept it overnight. The next morning I got a call from the service manager and his first words to me were asking where I had the exhaust work done. I told him the name of the shop and how long ago it was done. He proceeded to list off a bunch of issues that were apparently caused by the work that shop had done. He also sent me some pictures of what he saw. He said the shop didn’t install the x pipe correctly, the exhaust system was leaking and loose, and the wiring wasn’t plugged back in fully which ultimately led to the wire harness getting worn through by rubbing the frame. Then he said that they lifted the car by the pinch weld and it caused a bend in the frame below the fender which caused the misalignment in the door/fender. To finish the phone conversation, he told me that ford wouldn’t cover anything under warranty because it was caused by another shop. At this point I was extremely frustrated and just wanted my car fixed. I went to pick up my car and ended up having a long talk with the service manager about everything going on and what I should do. The summary of that conversation was “don’t modify your car”. I was also told that I would no longer pass emissions because I removed my resonator. The full invoice to have them fix the entire exhaust system was $847 which consisted of $40 in parts and $800 in labor. I said I would talk to the shop first and hopefully have them cover the cost of the repairs. When I was ready to leave he told me I still had to pay $199 for the “work they did”. That work consisted of putting my car on the lift and bringing in another Mach 1 to compare because they have never seen the underside of one of these cars (this was all done without asking me or verifying I was ok with anything being done that would require payment). To soften the blow, I was told it should have costed $600, but I was getting a deal because they felt bad. Apparently the amount I paid was covering just an hour of work because their labor rate is $199 an hour according to the manager. At this point I was still under the impression the other shop was completely at fault, so I payed the $211 and left. I went straight to the other shop with the invoice from Ford. I walked in and spoke to the owner and head mechanic with full composure and respect. The owner immediately turned to the head mechanic and said let’s get his car in the air and figure it all out. He assured me that I he would take care of me no matter what which was comforting considering everything i’d dealt with already. I followed the mechanic to the shop and he brought me under my car on the lift so I could show him every area of concern. I was upfront and told him that the active exhaust wiring was the least of my worries and that I was completely fine with paying for a new wire harness if need be. We addressed the x pipe fitment and although they used different clamps than I originally thought, they worked fine. The clamps were installed with the bolts facing the ground which I didn’t really like so he immediately offered to turn them to the side before I left. He checked the fitment of the whole exhaust system right in front of me and told me straight up that I had nothing to worry about, which I could see and agree with. When I explained to him how the service manager at Chapman said he would need to take apart the entire exhaust system, heat the metal, resize the piping, then reinstall everything, he shook his head and said please don’t pay for that because there’s no need. At this point I was starting to see holes in the entire story I was told from the service manager and became extremely confused why I was told my entire exhaust needed to be fixed considering there were no issues. We moved on to the bigger problem, the door/fender area. I showed him how the door was catching when it opened and he said right away that it definitely needed an adjustment. He looked inside the door jam and under the car at the area the dealership claimed they jacked it up from to see if there was any signs of bending or stress in the metal. He saw absolutely nothing and showed me every spot he looked at so I could understand. He said if there was a bend big enough to cause the fender to become misaligned, there would be stress cracks in the paint from the metal being distorted, which I agreed with and saw none of. He also said just plain and simple, he would never lift a car from the spot they claimed because it would fall. As I looked closer at this spot, the idea from the service manager at Chapman that the car was lifted into the air by a rounded corner, slipped forward on the lift, and bent the frame, made absolutely zero sense since there wasn’t a single spot of damage other than half an inch of rough paint on the pinch weld (a rock or stick on the road could have caused that). The mechanic at the shop also said that if the car slipped forward on the lift, it would have fell to the ground, and I know that did not happen. The mechanic offered to adjust the door and fix the exposed wiring on the harness for free the next morning which gave me even more of a reason to trust him. Another very important point i’ll add is that this shop had my car on camera the entire time it was in the air. I watched my car get worked on from the waiting lobby on a tv that displays the camera feeds. If something major happened to my car on the lift, I would have noticed and it would’ve taken a lot longer than 30 minutes to do the X pipe install. The next morning I took my car back to the shop to have the wiring and door fixed. They sealed with silicone and heat shrunk tape around the exposed wire to prevent more damage, which actually solved the problem. He informed me that they had a body expert from a reputable shop look at the door and fender and he agreed that it is undoubtedly a factory flaw in the way it was assembled. He said that no one should touch it besides Ford. The shop gave me the body guys business card and said go to a different ford dealership for the warranty work and if they have any questions, he will back up my claims.
My opinion on what happened is that I had clearly been lied to by a service manager looking to avoid a warranty claim. As soon as my car went in the air at Chapman they saw an aftermarket X pipe and decided to blame every issue on the shop who did the work. Before they saw the x pipe, they were in complete agreement that the door just needed to be adjusted and warranty would take care of it. This is proven by me (almost) leaving without paying anything the first day when they thought they fixed the issue, but charging me a diagnostic fee on the second day after they saw I had an aftermarket exhaust pipe.
As of now, I have no hard feelings towards Tom or Steve considering they’re probably unaware of the full story. At this point I would just like my $211 refunded and to move on from the whole experience. I’d be more than happy to talk in person to get everything settled.
Picture #1: a photo that I took at the shop who installed the x pipe showing the area on the pinch weld that was apparently pushed upwards and bent the frame according to the service manager
Picture #2: a photo the service manager sent me showing the X pipe which was apparently installed incorrectly and ruined the exhaust system
Picture #3: a photo I took before I brought it in to Chapman showing the door slightly opened and rubbing the fender
Picture #4: copy of my receipt for the diagnostic fee
Pictures #5,6: Invoice for the remaining work suggested by the service manager to fix the exhaust
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