Ford Underseal fix...... disappointed.

[FMJ]

So I purchased my 2017 GT in March and knew about the lack of underseal. I'm planning on keeping the car for years and this is probably the only time in my life I will ever own a new car as I won't be able to afford it again. I have done quite a bit of rust prevention and restoration on other cars so I wanted it sorted before the winter. I spoke to Ford who said that when I came in for a complimentary 1500miles check up to mention it then and they would raise a complaint for me and then get the underseal done under the warranty.

So I did that and a few weeks later I get the phone call to tell me it's been authorised and I book the car in.

I dropped the car off yesterday and was given a nice courtesy car (Fiesta ST). I was told that the car would be finished that day and left to set overnight. They said they would call me that evening to tell me it was finished.

So by lunchtime today I had heard nothing. I called them and asked to which I was told "I will just go check in the workshop". Weird I thought.... if it was done yesterday then surely you would know.

Anyway the guy comes back and said it was finished yesterday and was ready to collect.

So I leave it until around 4pm and go collect the car. My mistake was not checking it before I drove it away.... but I was wearing decent clothes and didn't want to lay on the floor.

I got home (25miles) and decided to take a look.

First I looked through the front wheels at the exposed metal not covered by the arch liners (the section behind the strut). I can see waxoil type stuff has been sprayed on but its patchy. I would say about 75% area covered 25% missed. It's tacky to touch which is usual with that sort of stuff. Grit stuck to it already...

I laid down and looked under car to see a lot of very shiny black stuff everywhere.... It looks like somebody has slapped on a massively thick coat of black gloss paint about five minutes ago. I reached out to touch it and it is soaking wet. Not tacky, not soft, not sticky or waxy. Just wet. A light touch transfers to your finger as if you had dipped it in a tin of paint. Its so wet drips are forming.... Again coverage is about 75%. There are some bits that are speckled that show the original metal and other small areas missed. Some wiring and things have been coated too....

Now maybe I am too picky. But I really am not happy. I had a previous mustang done at a specialist and it was bone dry and evenly coated. I do not think this patchy coat will offer long term protected even if it does dry properly. Tomorrow it is going to rain all day and I'm sure that won't help.

I really don't know what to do. I want it fixed but don't trust them to do it. I have no idea how it can be fixed now that everything is covered in what ever they have used.

To make matters worse I am booked in next week at the dealer for a small scratch repair that was there on purchase along with a stone chip covered by the bodywork protection I purchased.... I have so little faith now I think I would rather the car stay damaged. Is it silly that these small issues are ruining the experience for me and making me regret that I am paying £374 a month for something I am unhappy with?

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[slowhand99]

My understanding from a dealer workshop near, but not in, Wiltshire is that Ford have authorised “a couple of tins” of underseal for anyone who complains. They seem to be suffering recall overload as 50% of the work going through their workshop is currently recall work. Yes, 50%. That includes an average of one Focus RS head gasket a week. Now there’s the small Ecoboost problems to fix. They told me there is free replacement of convertible tonneau caps because the original ones can damage the top; but only if you know to ask. This might explain why Ford have resisted a recall for the oil cooler problem which you would think would be a no brainer. I think they are in trouble.
I’ll be relying on the 12 year corrosion warranty, but then mine’s not a daily.

 

[FMJ]

I was told that Ford only allow 2.5hrs to do this job.... That's nowhere near enough time. Having just read through some of the massive underseal thread far too late I am now thinking it's not going to dry and I am going to have to have it done myself for about £600....

 

[Kristian87]

A sad story to read, and I wish I could say I'm surprised...which dealership out of interest? C'mon - name & shame...

I feel your pain. Being a newcomer to the forum (welcome btw!), you probably missed my warranty woes at the beginning of the year. To sum up; a small leak in the A pillar meant water was getting in to the cabin. 3 visits to Think Ford Guildford, and 9 weeks (yes, 9 fucking weeks) I was without my car. The second & third visits were because they didn't resolve the problem properly. So as you can imagine, at the end of that saga, I had (and still do have) zero faith in this particular dealership.

Now as for your problem - fear not, you are now in a good position. Based on my experience - and believe me, I spoke to anyone & everyone about my dramas, and tried everything until I got the result I wanted...you can get this underseal done properly. Heres what you do...

Speak directly to the manager. Ask them straight "what the fuck is this?" (perhaps not those exact words), explain why you are unhappy as you have above, make a big fuss. Ask them the difficult questions; did they rush it, did they lie to you and in fact do the underseal on the day you picked up rather than the day before (quite likely) and tell them how you want it handled. I.e. not by them.

Fact is, they've had their chance now, clearly done a poor job and now they need to fix it. Explain that you want it done by a specialist at Fords expense. I'd be very surprised if they don't offer you that as a minimum. Escalate if you have to - raise a complaint with the group (e.g. Think Ford complaints dept), or failing that, take your issue up directly with Ford UK - they have extra pull on the dealerships. Complaints process can be found on the Ford website.

Funnily enough I only got my final compensation item today - a letter containing a Ford voucher, valued to cover a full service, or for use on any Ford parts/accessories. I also received a good will gesture from Ford UK for my trouble, enough between the 2 vouchers to just about cover 2 services. They also forked out several hundred for a full machine polish & detail (but that's another story).

Admittedly, the timescales for my warranty issue played a big part in my complaint, but the principles remain. It dragged on for what felt like forever, but at all times I was rational and kept my cool - never went in all guns blazing. I think (eventually) Ford appreciated that & I now have my warranty issue sorted and very fair compensation package - in my opinion. So it can be done.

For what it's worth, I wouldn't let Ford deal with the scratch either - take that to a specialist

Sorry for waffling on - my experience took up so much time & effort so I could go on, but I won't!

Hope this helps, keep us posted & good luck.

 

[FMJ]

It does help thank you for the replies. I will be under the car tomorrow to check if it's still wet (from what I read it will likely never dry). At that point I will video it as best i can. I will be on the phone to them on Monday to complain and try to start the ball rolling. I have a place locally I trust to do it (the place that did my previous S197 to a great standard). I won't name the dealer yet as I would like to speak to them first.

Cheers for the support.

 

[Charlie Brown]

It does help thank you for the replies. I will be under the car tomorrow to check if it's still wet (from what I read it will likely never dry). At that point I will video it as best i can. I will be on the phone to them on Monday to complain and try to start the ball rolling. I have a place locally I trust to do it (the place that did my previous S197 to a great standard). I won't name the dealer yet as I would like to speak to them first.

Cheers for the support.

Best underseal treatment is Raptor and I had mine done by Modurstang at a cost of £450 but 18 months on its as clean as a whistle underneath now and dry as a bone

 

[Flamesey]

It will be interesting to see what the score is with the MY19 coming in direct to Liverpool

 

[Andy22]

It will be interesting to see what the score is with the MY19 coming in direct to Liverpool

Any news on your car?

It will be interesting to see what the score is with the MY19 coming in direct to Liverpool

 

[Flamesey]

Any news on your car?

Not yet, hopefully with the dealer the week of the 15th.I think it is on the Atlantic Sky at the moment.

 

[Andy22]

Same ship as mine then. due in at 6 am wed, was due 7pm tues.not that im checking it ever day or anything like that

 

[Flamesey]

Same ship as mine then. due in at 6 am wed, was due 7pm tues.not that im checking it ever day or anything like that

Cool which app are you checking it on, last fix I got was leaving Canada 3 days ago

 

[FMJ]

I am willing to bet that there will either be no underseal or a bodge job.... I have got under the car and made a video today. It's still just as wet and no signs of drying off. I think its only fair to raise the matter with Ford Monday and then I will post the video.

 

[Garvin]

I, too, would expect it to be a poor job. I took mine to Modurstang a day after taking delivery of it in April 2017 to have it under sealed because of the tales of woe I had heard. Once up on the ramp the complete horror could be surveyed. It looked as if some under seal had been applied by driving the car slowly over some automatic spraying machine. The centre two feet or so of the underside had been coated, and badly at that, so the rear diff, inner parts of the suspension, exhaust pipe and rear part of the transmission were coated. The wheel arches and outer floor pans were all completely untouched although there was some speckled overspray on the inside of the rear wheels, probably from the some of the spray bouncing off the diff etc.

The wheels and arch liners were removed together other obstructing bits, the paintwork on the lower sides of the car was then masked off and the complete underside completely cleaned and sealed. A thoroughly professional job.

If you are having a year old or so car undersealed then it does need to be completely steam cleaned underneath with its arch liners etc. removed and the bodywork masked off before any coating applied. If you believe a dealer will perform this level of work then you have far more faith than I.

There are many companies out there who will do a complete professional job. IMHO not to get it done properly is a false economy.

 

[Andy22]

Cool which app are you checking it on, last fix I got was leaving Canada 3 days ago

Was using MarineTraffic but its not updating now.still shows that ETA though.

 

[Charlie Brown]

I, too, would expect it to be a poor job. I took mine to Modurstang a day after taking delivery of it in April 2017 to have it under sealed because of the tales of woe I had heard. Once up on the ramp the complete horror could be surveyed. It looked as if some under seal had been applied by driving the car slowly over some automatic spraying machine. The centre two feet or so of the underside had been coated, and badly at that, so the rear diff, inner parts of the suspension, exhaust pipe and rear part of the transmission were coated. The wheel arches and outer floor pans were all completely untouched although there was some speckled overspray on the inside of the rear wheels, probably from the some of the spray bouncing off the diff etc.

The wheels and arch liners were removed together other obstructing bits, the paintwork on the lower sides of the car was then masked off and the complete underside completely cleaned and sealed. A thoroughly professional job.

If you are having a year old or so car undersealed then it does need to be completely steam cleaned underneath with its arch liners etc. removed and the bodywork masked off before any coating applied. If you believe a dealer will perform this level of work then you have far more faith than I.

There are many companies out there who will do a complete professional job. IMHO not to get it done properly is a false economy.

Exactly what I had done at Modurstang when my car was new now 18 months old and clean as a whistle underneath

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