Software update for R's only (suspension)

[theman1990]

My BMW M3 had the same issue.... I bought it from the original owner with just 5000 miles on it at close to 15k below blue book.... He was selling it bc it rode SO rough and the few other people who'd looked to buy it hated the ride..... Same awesome change after removing... Maybe we can find a few R owners who think the ride is too harsh and wanna unload ;)

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[machsmith]

Good lord, I thought it was just my car. I was kvetching about the R ride quality compared to my non-R. My dealer contacted me in April because I had one of the first R cars delivered and they were concerned that the spacers were still installed. Sure enough! A floor jack and 5 minutes later all 4 spacers were out, and it rode like a completely transformed car.

Does this mean maybe you'll knock off a second around the track?

 

[Tomster]

Good lord, I thought it was just my car. I was kvetching about the R ride quality compared to my non-R. My dealer contacted me in April because I had one of the first R cars delivered and they were concerned that the spacers were still installed. Sure enough! A floor jack and 5 minutes later all 4 spacers were out, and it rode like a completely transformed car.

That explains Christie's description of the R model ride.....that a girl needs a sports bra and a mouthpiece.

Glad it got sorted out. Eargerly awaiting my new R. Kellie will be happy to hear she won't need a sports bra to drive it around town.

 

[DrumReaper]

Ford needs to add "REMOVE BEFORE DRIVING" ribbons to the spacers. Clearly the techs are not following the delivery instructions.

Has anyone suffered permanent damage from driving with the spacers? Some pictures seemed to show the innards of a rear shock bulging out of the top where it meets the spacer.

It's not the innards, it's a dust boot that the spacer separates from the upper shock mount.

 

[DrumReaper]

Honestly, IMHO, if Ford had a little skit that was a "Must See Video" displayed through the NAV screen on electronics cars or via DVD on non-electronics cars, this would solve he problem. They could shortly notify the dealer prep guy by a short video learning session rather than relying on hem to actually read a PDI checklist.

Smh... What a simple issue that could cause devastating consequences.

 

[machsmith]

Not sure if you guys are aware of it but you need to keep these spacers in your glove box or somewhere in the car in case you need to have it towed or transported in the future. Also be advised that the life expectancy of the MRC shocks have shown to be around 45-60K miles or so and you need to check for oil film or leakage whenever the car is on a lift or being serviced.

Just some helpful tips and enjoy your rides.

I plan on having a hauling company pick up my car.
I asked that the dealership take them out and do the calibration. Should i ask them to put them back in for the trip on the hauler? Maybe just leave them in and have a local dealership do the calibration?

 

[abcut973]

My BMW M3 had the same issue.... I bought it from the original owner with just 5000 miles on it at close to 15k below blue book.... He was selling it bc it rode SO rough and the few other people who'd looked to buy it hated the ride..... Same awesome change after removing... Maybe we can find a few R owners who think the ride is too harsh and wanna unload ;)

Lol! Good dream!
Even with the TSB dealers are still not doing it properly?
I wonder how long will it take for FORD to realize poor PDI from dealerships?

 

[Optimum Performance]

Honestly, IMHO, if Ford had a little skit that was a "Must See Video" displayed through the NAV screen on electronics cars or via DVD on non-electronics cars, this would solve he problem. They could shortly notify the dealer prep guy by a short video learning session rather than relying on hem to actually read a PDI checklist.

Smh... What a simple issue that could cause devastating consequences.

The dealer should be following the PDI. It's not a secret. This is due to most dealers using a contract (low bid) car washer to PDI new cars and not the techs. I was a salesman in a very former life, new cars did not get touched by techs. The salesman usually makes sure the car was presentable.

Videos should not be required.

 

[stanglife]

Good lord, I thought it was just my car. I was kvetching about the R ride quality compared to my non-R. My dealer contacted me in April because I had one of the first R cars delivered and they were concerned that the spacers were still installed. Sure enough! A floor jack and 5 minutes later all 4 spacers were out, and it rode like a completely transformed car.

Did the removal of the spacers change your opinion about R vs non-R as far as street drivability goes?

 

[R 350 gt Donson]

This is so much B.S. Ford dealers need to have some punishment for this crap...I just heard of another R yesterday at the shop that I received my clear bra at...and the guy had 700 miles on his car...and did not know they were in there....they took them out and now hes in love with his R (for real this time) On a side note I have over 1000 miles on my car got the oil changed yesterday an NOW let the games begin...LOL can you say 8K rpm's !! here I come

 

[Dtmaso]

Did the removal of the spacers change your opinion about R vs non-R as far as street drivability goes?

They did recalibrate it on the lift, off the wheels, before sending you on your merry way, right?

 

[treynor]

Did the removal of the spacers change your opinion about R vs non-R as far as street drivability goes?

It is much much closer now. The non-R is still the better pure street car - the tires are better-suited to normal driving speeds and do not tramline the way the Cup tires do; the interior is more comfortable, and quieter when you are not calling upon the motor to sing its glorious song; the suspension is slightly more compliant on bumpy roads and expansion joints.

But I could now happily drive an R every day and not rue my choice.

 

[DrumReaper]

They did recalibrate it on the lift, off the wheels, before sending you on your merry way, right?

Wheels off?

 

[Dtmaso]

Wheels off?

Sorry, on the lift, wheels off the road, no load on suspension

 

[RadBOSS]

Well I'd be dipped.

We removed the front spacers when I got the car home. It was assumed the rears were also on the coil spring and figure that during my test ride the rears fell out. WRONG!!

So no I know where to look as a result of this thread, and sure enough the rear now looks to be on the shock absorber.

Well thats great and bad news. The bad news is my local dealer has never seen one of these except when I drove it by.

I assume this recalibration is supposed to be done by a trained and qualified service tech, and maybe special equipment is required?

The only people around central coast certified to do any thing are the winery chemists. Good luck with that.

Yes the rear definetely rids like a buck board wagon. I figured may that was the price you had to pay.

Well thats two things I have to deal with.

1) getting suspension calibrated

2) getting all the fasteners I was supposed to get with the splitter. Some rookie must have been given the assignment to install the splitter. By the looks it was an aborted effort. The 8 C-clips installed were backward and upside down. I sorted that all out then decided to take inventory and understand where each kind of fastener went where. Thats when I found out I don't have all the clips and bolts to finish the job. My dealer is claiming innocence. Well somebody put those fasteners on incorrectly, and lost some fasteners at the same time.

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