Limited-Edition Shelby GT350, GT350R Heritage Edition Package

[ParkCity06]

Well, arrived today. GM called me and he was less than thrilled. Sent me some pics. Said the fit and finish is not good, but will make FMC fix it.

im not sure what to do now...

build is 22 btw. Off by one.

Holy cow--I can't believe this. Such a bummer. Clearly the people putting these together--and management for sure--are not car guys. If they were, they would not let this lack of quality happen. If these were truly a Heritage Edition--this wouldn't be happening. And so much for being limited edition--appears they are cranking out as many as they can.

You think Ford would do a better job at this price point instead of the quality control of a Pinto.

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[Tomster]

Holy cow--I can't believe this. Such a bummer. Clearly the people putting these together--and management for sure--are not car guys. If they were, they would not let this lack of quality happen. If these were truly a Heritage Edition--this wouldn't be happening. And so much for being limited edition--appears they are cranking out as many as they can.

You think Ford would do a better job at this price point instead of the quality control of a Pinto.

Its a massed produced Ford. Where else are you going to get performance at a certain price point. Its funny, one of those photos shows dirt. Were you expecting an enclosed transport complete with white gloved personnel to deliver your car?

Welcome to the experience

 

[ParkCity06]

Its a massed produced Ford. Where else are you going to get performance at a certain price point. Its funny, one of those photos shows dirt. Were you expecting an enclosed transport complete with white gloved personnel to deliver your car?

Welcome to the experience

While I appreciate the sarcasm, I assure you I know the difference between dirt and what appears to be problems with the paint.

Yes--they are massed produced. So with that perhaps the new Ford tag lines should read:

• "Yes you just spent $80k, but what did you expect? It's massed produced!"
• "Thanks for the $80k--glad it is the dealers problem now."

And the time tested adage:

• "Ford--Never time to do it right the first time; but plenty of time and money to fix it later."

 

[Tomster]

While I appreciate the sarcasm, I assure you I know the difference between dirt and what appears to be problems with the paint.

Yes--they are massed produced. So with that perhaps the new Ford tag lines should read:

• "Yes you just spent $80k, but what did you expect? It's massed produced!"
• "Thanks for the $80k--glad it is the dealers problem now."

And the time tested adage:

• "Ford--Never time to do it right the first time; but plenty of time and money to fix it later."

80 K for a ford, double that for a porsche. Have fun

 

[Dubbsfaris]

Its a massed produced Ford. Where else are you going to get performance at a certain price point. Its funny, one of those photos shows dirt. Were you expecting an enclosed transport complete with white gloved personnel to deliver your car?

Welcome to the experience

Pffft. Please dude. Ive bought a dozen Shelbys in the past few years new. Honestly, I dont even care anymore about that. Same with the transport- like those guys even get told...

Builds from Shelby American have always had these qc and gap issues, but not this bad ever from Ford.

as for the dirt comment- why be a dick? It is showing the paint run along the panel line. Maybe you are used to seeing that on your overpriced “people’s car”, but Ive never had Ford do any worse than orange peel or a chip.

 

[Tomster]

Pffft. Please dude. Ive bought a dozen Shelbys in the past few years new. Honestly, I dont even care anymore about that. Same with the transport- like those guys even get told...

Builds from Shelby American have always had these qc and gap issues, but not this bad ever from Ford.

as for the dirt comment- why be a dick? It is showing the paint run along the panel line. Maybe you are used to seeing that on your overpriced “people’s car”, but Ive never had Ford do any worse than orange peel or a chip.

I saw dirt. I always laugh at the people who expect porsche grade fit and finish out of a mustang. Dick? No, calling it what it is.

Go get your car fixed

 

[Dubbsfaris]

You are the one that mentioned Porsche- no one else. Just sayin- no need to troll. Its getting fixed, and that is not the point.

why dont you go keyboard warrior some other thread that actually pertains to you, and let the HE guys discuss our cars here- what value do you think you bring to this?

 

[Tomster]

You are the one that mentioned Porsche- no one else. Just sayin- no need to troll. Its getting fixed, and that is not the point.

why dont you go keyboard warrior some other thread that actually pertains to you, and let the HE guys discuss our cars here- what value do you think you bring to this?

Troll? I own 3 of the damn things (Rs). I think I have a right to comment on Ford fit and finish.

For those who haven't figured it out, you are buying a Ford Mustang. It gets the same treatment as any other mustang that rolls down the flat rock line. Think anything else? You are fooling yourself.

And you think your HEPs are that special? I'd have one, but push comes to shove, its just another R with different badging.

 

[PP0001]

Pffft. Please dude. Ive bought a dozen Shelbys in the past few years new. Honestly, I dont even care anymore about that. Same with the transport- like those guys even get told...

Builds from Shelby American have always had these qc and gap issues, but not this bad ever from Ford.

as for the dirt comment- why be a dick? It is showing the paint run along the panel line. Maybe you are used to seeing that on your overpriced “people’s car”, but Ive never had Ford do any worse than orange peel or a chip.

It is hard to imagine that we would have a prominent member of our forum who would condone this type of workmanship from the FRAP regardless of price and would suggest that if their Mustang arrived in this manner from FR that this person would be livid and rightly so.

Fortunately I have toured the FRAP and can tell you that Ford has QC Managers who inspect and sign off on these cars as they go down the assembly line at various stages of production therefore not only has the regular assembly line production team fallen far short of where they need to be but also has some of the QC Manager's based on this type of inferior fit, finish, paint and assembly.

Based on the pictures provided I have not seen anything this bad on any of my brand new Mustangs over the last 12 years and that includes purchasing some ~20 Mustangs models which includes GT500's, Boss 302's, 2015 50th Anniversary GT's and GT350/R's.

Is this not the same thread whereby one of our members recently had his HEP R model shipped with a GT500 front splitter and also had one of his polyurethane shipping blocks missing from the suspension of his R model and we are supposed to accept this as reasonable because these are mass produced vehicles?

Hard to imagine that this vehicle got out of the FRAP this way and then on top of that having a member thinking that this type of workmanship is acceptable!

Good luck with getting all of this rectified and if my car arrives anything close to this level of fit and finish I can tell you that it will be a very interesting conversation with my dealership and also with Ford.

 

[Hi-PO Stang]

I was appalled by the pictures of the lack of quality in the above GT350. I have ordered five Mustangs over the years and the paint quality and fit and finish was perfect on all five except one had a slight dent in the drivers door that was out of sight.

 

[nmp1]

I don’t expect concourse level paint or fitment but this is the 21st century and this is basic stuff. My $17k corolla had no issues. I would expect this if I had the car painted at maaco not from a factory with modern equipment. They feel its acceptable to ask $10,000 for painted stripes on the GT 500 but they can’t even do basic paint prep. The HEP cars seem to have it the worst. Here’s another one.

 

[DCShelby]

Looks like a person was eating cookies in the paint booth and the crumbs got painted over. I would not accept a car in that condition. That’s not going to buff out, that’s debris that’s been painted over. Even Earl Shibe and Macao aren’t that bad. The whole thing needs to be taken down to metal and repaintedx

 

[03reptile]

QC, for the Ford Mustangs "has" deteriorated a bit over the recent years. I've been buying them, new, since 1984. Since that time, I've purchased eight Mustang's (four of them Shelbys), two SHO's, and one SVT Contour and all were pretty decent vehicles as far as fit/finish and paint were concerned. The last being a 2013 GT500. But they are Mustangs, and as such, they are affordable for much of the public, as it should be. They aren't comparable to BMW's, Mercedes, Audi's, Porsches and all other manner of higher end sedans and SUV's. Nor should they be. As said, our specialty Mustangs are produce with base line Mustangs and I have no doubt that they are not scrutinized as thoroughly as more expensive vehicles. I bought a new 2019 GT350 and noticed it was not up to the quality standards that I saw in all my past Mustangs. I'm not sure why, but that's something I've noticed in the newer cars. I kind of think Ford has put more emphasis on their Truck and SUV fleets and the Mustangs have been relegated to the "less important" category. Boys and girls, it comes down to money. I could be wrong, but it just seems that way, given the quality I've seen lately. The high priced 2020 GT500's have the same issues, so go figure. Tomster's response may have been a little gruff, but I think he has a valid point about the Mustangs, specifically. I also agree that other manufacturers do a better job of quality and fitment with cars that cost less than a base Mustang, so I'm thinking this falls in Ford's lap to explain.

 

[PP0001]

QC, for the Ford Mustangs "has" deteriorated a bit over the recent years. I've been buying them, new, since 1984. Since that time, I've purchased eight Mustang's (four of them Shelbys), two SHO's, and one SVT Contour and all were pretty decent vehicles as far as fit/finish and paint were concerned. The last being a 2013 GT500. But they are Mustangs, and as such, they are affordable for much of the public, as it should be. They aren't comparable to BMW's, Mercedes, Audi's, Porsches and all other manner of higher end sedans and SUV's. Nor should they be. As said, our specialty Mustangs are produce with base line Mustangs and I have no doubt that they are not scrutinized as thoroughly as more expensive vehicles. I bought a new 2019 GT350 and noticed it was not up to the quality standards that I saw in all my past Mustangs. I'm not sure why, but that's something I've noticed in the newer cars. I kind of think Ford has put more emphasis on their Truck and SUV fleets and the Mustangs have been relegated to the "less important" category. Boys and girls, it comes down to money. I could be wrong, but it just seems that way, given the quality I've seen lately. The high priced 2020 GT500's have the same issues, so go figure. Tomster's response may have been a little gruff, but I think he has a valid point about the Mustangs, specifically. I also agree that other manufacturers do a better job of quality and fitment with cars that cost less than a base Mustang, so I'm thinking this falls in Ford's lap to explain.

I certainly get and appreciate what you are saying and would like to provide you with some of my thoughts.

Like you I have purchased many new Mustangs over the years including GT350/R's from 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and also have a 2020 R model on order.

Personally I see absolutely no difference in build quality between my 2015 GT350 and my 2018 GT350R and would like to understand what concerns that you had/have with your 2019 GT350?

Aside from the 2015 MY the FRAP will have assembled ~27,000 GT350/R's when the dust settles therefore there continues to be a huge demand for these great cars and suggest if the build quality was so bad on these Shelby's that enthusiasts such as you and I would not continue to purchase them.

Having said that and for one of our members to suggest that the pictures posted by @Dubbsfaris which reflects very poor paint, fit, finish and body panel gap and that we should come to expect this type of workmanship and that we should be satisfied with this level of quality in spite of what we pay for these cars is very difficult to comprehend.

As far as base line Mustangs being produced with our GT350's and GT500's nowadays that is certainly no different than what took place with your 2013 GT500 at the FRAP back in 2012.

With respect to high priced 2020 GT500's having some of the same issues as @Dubbsfaris has on his hands I was not aware of that and it should be noted that the MSRP for a base 2020 GT500 is actually less than a base 2020 GT350R.

Based on having purchased ~20 new Mustangs since the 2008 MY I have only had one Mustang arrive whereby the body panel fit was not up to par and it was dealt with by Ford just as this 2020 R in question will be dealt with in the same manner.

I would suggest that the GT350R HEP in question is not indicative for all 2020 Mustang models coming off the FRAP when it comes to paint, fit, finish and body panel gaps but also must say that this HEP R should have never made it out of the FRAP in this condition and luckily the GM of the Ford dealership in question also seems to agree.

 

[03reptile]

I think the build quality from 2015 MY to the present to the 2020 GT350 is probably about the same. One thing I have noticed between the 2013 MY and my current 19 GT350 is metal thickness of the body panels. I sometimes used to lean on the side of my 2013 when filling it with gas. Seemed pretty sturdy. The first time I did this with the new 2019 the fender deflected in as I leaned against it! I know this is not a scientific study, but the strength of the 2019 fender was not nearly as substantial as my 13 GT350. I think Ford reduced the thickness of the panels of the newer 2015+ model years and it's probably the same with all Mustang models from 2015 forward. My hood alignment on the GT350 is off a little with the front fenders (this is also a common complaint from other owners). Some folks have had it realigned and some just leave it. My 2007, 2011, and 2013's hoods all lined up nicely. as did the doors to side panels etc. I've noticed that the black, plastic trunk panel with the Cobra emblem on it, is not as scratch proof as was my 2013's panel. I use the same method of cleaning and polishing it as I did on my 2013, yet it doesn't seem to be adverse to showing light road related scratches. All in all the 2015 and forward cars seem to have been "cheaped down" a bit by Ford. I rarely had any mechanic issues with my past Mustangs yet the 2019 had a rear differential cooling line that was leaking oil when I took delivery. When the rear panel was removed the technician found it was not even finger tight and leaking! He re-tightened it and all was good. My shifter mechanism took a dump at about 2K miles and it was back-ordered for months!! I ended up buying an MGW shifter and the dealer installed it for free. Ford's new up-dated shifter showed up two months later! I'm just saying that although I really enjoy my new GT350 and it's been great, so far, I think the overall quality on the cosmetic side of the Mustangs has dissipated beginning with 2015. And reference the new 2020 GT500 price, when the basic options we all want on a performance car are added on, you're looking at over a hundred grand or more. A fully tricked out 2020 GT350R is well below that price and has all the options that Ford tacks onto the GT500.
I'd also agree that the OP's car is not indicative of what we see in most Mustangs. My paint is quite nice on my white GT350. With the Covid 19 issues, maybe things are falling through the cracks at Flat Rock. I'm just glad my motor is solid!

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