Some Advice needed from the 2016 Owners

[Hack]

Have read nearly 71 pages of this brilliant funny interesting forum, and have read many horror stories about the S550 from back windows, to paint chipping, poor Alignment on the hoods, boots, panels, bumpers. But also the sheer love of having the cars.
So my question is to the 2016 owners as I will soon be one, all these issues have any been resolved on the 2016 car? and as I am getting a California Special, what is the quality of them?
Many thanks

Larry

If you look hard enough and want to find problems, you will. Some people are just that way. I think they love to complain. I'm thrilled with my 2016, and I loved the 2011 and 2015 Mustangs I owned previously. Definitely not perfect, but a lot of fun to drive.

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[Rob00GT]

My 2015 was built in the first run of convertibles back in December 2014. Love my car and spent an hour hand washing it again yesterday. Found a tiny paint chip on the leading edge of the hood, but I don't hold that against the car. Otherwise I have none of the issues described here, my biggest complaint was waiting for tonneau caps (which I don't even use often).

As mentioned above, just do a careful and thorough inspection of the car at the dealership before you sign the papers. Anything mechanical that you cannot see will be covered by warranty. Enjoy!

 

[Pa-fatboy]

My hood is a mess, paint has scratches, and the seats have some insane wear going on for a car with only 200 miles now. Other than that it's OK so far...

I have had zero issues with my s550. I may be in the minority of people with a logon to this forum. As some others have pointed out, we do not typically hear from people without problems. There are probably a lot of 2016 s550 owners that do not come on here that have had good experiences as well.

I've had nearly every version of a ford car made since the 80's. The reason, I have been lucky as my fords have only required normal maintenance. Except the escort. Initially, it had electrical problems and failed out of warrantee. I called the ford 800 number and they covered the tow and the repair. Great service.

 

[turbohvn]

My RR GTPP was ordered 1/15/16 and arrived 6 weeks to the day later. I insisted that I meet the car at the drop off point while still on the truck. I would not allow a PDI and in fact insisted that I be the one to remove the plastic covers, labels etc. and drove the car home with the rail dust still on it. In a past life I have been a technician and while in college worked at a body shop as a painter. I was one of the first in the area to utilize the "wet on wet" refinishing system which we now see as the standard base coat/clear coat process. After college, I continued to paint cars, motorcycles, jet skies, and even a helicopter more on the custom side. I was, and still am a perfectionist in the area of automotive paint and painting! I mention all this as when I ordered my Mustang, I was not quite sure what to expect quality wise in the body and paint areas. Let me tell you, after owning this car for a month, I could not be more pleased with the quality of panel and glass fitment. All the glass is flush, no air bubbles in the adhesive, all the panels have consistent gaps and heights match. In addition, I have found zero issues with the paint. I can honestly say, "I could not have done better myself". The RR being a three stage process offers up lots of chances for human/robot error. Again I found none. Is the paint thin? Yes. But this is due to the manufacturers, almost worldwide, being required by both environmental and fiscal issues to utilize water borne paint technologies for the base and mid-coats. I believe the clear coat is still a solvent, or "two part" (catalyzed) coating. The robot application of the paint has absolutely minimized the level of "orange peel" in the paint and more importantly, what orange peel is there, is consistent across the entire car. That is very difficult to achieve with a human hand, so cudos to the robots :>). As for mechanical and interior quality issues, I don't have enough miles on the car yet to offer an opinion. Other than the well known shifter limitations, I have noticed nothing build or design wise, that was not assembled/built right at the factory. Plans are to whipple this car along with the common suspension mods, so a few rattles or gear noises are not something that will bother me. I do suggest that you read these forums and make note of any areas others have seen with new car QC issues with the body panel and paint, and drive the car as well BEFORE handing the dealer a check. Enjoy!

 

[Stangman21]

It is a production model and these problems will occur. I think it's been said here already but everything online and forums are deceiving. They barely mention how fun the car is once you drive it home the first time. Problems get magnified. If you face any problems that are within warranty take it this way.

1) Notify your dealership you purchased it from. (Get referrals who to speak to regarding the problem - department reps - body shop, service, etc.)
2) If they are hesitant or you might have ANY hesitation from the dealer use the forums true power of escalating to HQ. FordService people here on Mustang6G are very kind and will connect you with a customer service rep
3) Take before and after pictures for reference.

But most of all enjoy the car and drive it!

 

[Old 5 Oh]

I have one of the first Job 2 2015s, built in October, 2014. It's build quality was perfect. No panel gaps, no glass issues, no scratches. No wear on the PCAG seats at 14,000 miles. No bubbles in the dash. They did fix the squealing front brakes, and the 2016 cars all have the fix.

Don't hesitate. There are some rough cars out there, but I think the big majority are just fine.

 

[KE5.0]

Mine is great so far. No issues at all. Much better than the last car I had.

 

[Orgalorg]

The nature of internet forums are that people rarely post about things that aren't problems.
Sometimes this gives an overall negative impression.

That said, I have had zero issues with my 2016. The back window is fine, the paint isn't chipped, all the body panels line up the way they are supposed to, it doesn't leak, the engine hasn't started making noises or blown up. The transmission doesn't make strange noises or exhibit any unwanted behaviors. I don't have a wheel hop issue. I don't have weird rattles or strange vibrations at any speed.

Maybe mine just got built on a good day, but I suspect that this is the rule, while most of the issues that you read about are actually the exceptions.

What he said.

 

[Azzurro]

I get random rattles in the dash, that seem to move around and vary with the weather.

I have noticed a couple very small imperfections in the paint.

The base audio system is awful.

Other than that, I love the car, and I can tell you despite all of this, it puts a way bigger smile on my face than my 335i Msport convertible ever did. There is just something about a loud, torquey Mustang.

I also just came from a 2013 BMW 335i MSport and couldn't agree with you more. This car is way more fun to drive plus I don't miss ASS or RFT's.

The base audio system is no worse than the BMW base system. Just turn the bass all the way up then adjust the mid and treble.

I have an intermittent rattle and a little wind noise out of the drivers side window but this is minor. The other advantage is the Sync3 Nav is much better than the BMW without having to use the iDrive. Touch screen or voice commands which has some issues. My Borla ATAK exhause in Sport Mode makes a sound no BMW makes that I've heard. No regrets losing the BMW.

 

[73MachI]

The base audio system is awful.

True story.

 

[Cruizer40]

I have a new California Special with 200 miles or so, it's going in next week for a 1" suspension drop and tinted windows the week after. It's a beautiful car and the only problem I have it appears to be the circulating fan in the passenger seat is making a little noise.

 

[docprego]

I have a '16 EB PP, it's terrific. Leaps and bounds better quality than my last performance vehicle (a C7). First Ford I've ever owned and I am thoroughly satisfied with it in every way.

 

[2morrow]

There's a little rattle on my interior panel below the toggle switches but overall I feel that this car is built superbly. Many other folks have problems and that is the nature of mass-producing ANYTHING. However compared to many of the Jap and German cars I've owned this is definitely one of the best. The only other car I've owned that can even come close was my '15 Acura TLX.

 

[TruBlu16GT]

I just rolled over 1000km on my '16 Base GT. My panel fit is superb. Rear glass is fine as far as I can tell. No squeeks or rattles in the interior and my transmission is smooth and quiet.

The base sound system is fine. It's not loud but the quality is fine. I guess it depends on whether you prefer quantity over quality.

In regards to paint, I was amazed at how smooth it was. I noticed a very small nick on the driver rear bumper at the dealership. They tried to buff it out and failed. It's really insignificant, though. You can't tell it's there unless you really, really look.

I have not experienced any wheel-hop issues either. Matter of factly, this car'll get sideways with the best of them and is smooth and poised while doing so. Very easy to control despite how large the car does feel.

My only real complaint is my own fault. I think I should've opted for the 3.55 gears. The car gets a little lazy in 6th with the 3.31s. Oh well. I can live with it. I don't do much freeway driving anyway.

I suppose it would've been nice if the base GT came with the MyColour gauges. It was explained to me that all GT's get it. Evidently not. Not a major issue, just a slight annoyance.

 

[kinchy]

5000 miles..it's exceeded my expectations and I'm pretty anal about the details. I smile every time I usher those 435 ponies to my destination. Is it an AMG or Z06? No, but that's what makes you smile.

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