Upset about the build quality

[Hack]

Sorry but the "If I wanted good panel alignment, I would have bought X for X" doesn't really cut it, in my book.

Sure, the GT350 is a good performance bargain but that shouldn't mean that Ford gets a pass on quality issues that companies like KIA seem to do fine at. They definitely seem to have gone backwards and are not on par with the masses.

So I'm saying that it has nothing to do with price or value. In this day and age, these types of issues should be the exception, not the rule.

My advice is to buy a Kia and enjoy it. I would hate for you to be frustrated with poor quality.

As one poster mentioned, this is a car thats built on the same line as every other mustang and fusion currently made right now. This surprises you? I would be somewhat irritated, but surely no one bought this car to scrutinize the panel gaps and whatnot. Im sure everyone here that bought a GT350 bought it for the drivetrain, suspension and heritage surrounding it.

That's what I want. Just over a year ago I wouldn't have even believed it if someone told me Ford would build a car with a FPC engine. That by itself is worth it. I don't expect the cheap Mustang to suddenly become a Mercedes just because Ford swapped out the drivetrain.

It's not perfect but its not a deal breaker for me. Even my LE 50th anniversary Wimbledon White 2015 wasn't perfect from the factory, largest flaw being the passenger side of the rear bumper not lining up perfectly like the shelby you posted pics of. But oh well, its the last thing I think about when driving the car.

Right! When I'm stepping on the gas listening to the exhaust note I will be loving life!

I honestly don't think it's a money issue at this point. They had the opportunity to engineer it and assemble it - that time was spent. It's free to do it right, so it's just a little irritating.

Nothing is free.

The sad thing is, to get these incredibly insignificant things repaired up to your standards by the dealer, you run the risks of creating more problems. I've seen many people go in with a small complaint, whether it be panel gaps or what not, to then pick up there car with new scratches. Then only to have those scratches fixed and the paint not match and they then they noticed a small dent. You open up the opportunity for this snowball effect of molestation to come down on your car. There has to be some level of acceptance when these cars are made and the same has to apply to the buyer. This is NOT a 100K+ car and no matter how much ADM you pay, your car will never be perfect.

Good point

I think it is amazing the excuses some people will make for a manufacturer. If I'm paying a large chunk of money for something whether it's a car, house, etc. I would expect the level of quality to be high. If a company is allowing a sloppy product to get out, whether it's a $20k Mustang or a $60k Mustang, that's bad on them. I get that they aren't going to catch every minor issue but if people were finding this in '15s when they just came out and they couldn't take the time to fix some of those issues and we just keep giving them a pass and saying oh well it's the motor that counts, then they are just going to keep doing it. Sorry, but I'm not throwing down big money on just part of the vehicle, it's the whole package I'm buying.

I can respect your opinion and frankly I'm glad you won't be buying the car. It will make it easier for me to get one.

It is a Ford not a Lexus

True. I have no desire at all to buy a Lexus. Some people love them, though. I think it's great that those people can go out and buy what they like. I do get irritated when they want to turn my cheap performance car into some boring and expensive appliance like Toyota or Honda make.

If I spent that kind of money on a car, everything better be perfect. We are talking about a top tier product from Ford. Not the fiesta.

Nothing is ever perfect.

I don't care what the brand is. I have a 1956 all original ford f100. And when I say all original I mean paint, engine, trans, chassis, brakes etc. it has just over 27000 miles on it and with the original paint compared to today's vehicles is pretty good. Especially considering this is a 1956 truck which was built for work, today's standards are higher. That's why we have QS9000 Q1 etc. I myself am a picky person and in my business I put in more then what I receive back as my payment. The difference is I'm the only one doing my business, not 1000s of employees for me. But I still expect fine results from a company like ford no matter what the cost of the vehicle is. Period.

You know the government specs out what paint they can use now. No chance of finding lacquer on a new vehicle. And I've owned some older Fords. Fit and finish is not even close to as good as the modern vehicles.

Union craftsmanship...

Just look at it as if your wife made the purchase. For example, if your wife bought a sofa for 2k and the right arm had a crooked stitch, would she accept it? NO WAY
Suppose she bought a dinette set for 1k and one chair wobbled, would she accept it? NO WAY!

it doesn't matter what price you pay, if it's new you should expect everything to line up. Durability would be less in a cheaper model, but fit and finish is what makes the sale, it should line up.

It always costs more to produce a better product. You have to set priorities in what you prefer. You can buy plenty of cars out there that have better panel fitment. Make your choice.

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[Strokerswild]

Some of you guys would totally shit bricks if you bought a new Jeep Wrangler. They sticker well into the 40s loaded up, yet have the fit and finish of a sub-$20K-car.

That said, I love them (and DD one, mine was pushing $40K by the time I got done adding dealer-installed goodies) because they are without equal for certain uses, but the same general sentiment sort of applies here.....

 

[Tony Alonso]

Paint I understand but are these panel issues considered within Ford's margin of error?

This car has body lines more complex than the previous generation, which I found to have very good alignment and gaps. I'm no engineer, but these cars are being produced at a higher volume and therefore higher line speed during the last 12 months. The production volumes of the last few years have been at 70000 units rather than the 100000 being seen for the S550. The complexity and line rates, in my opinion, are contributing to what anecdotally appears to be more panel alignment issues.

I assume Ford doesn't want this to be seen as acceptable. It's easy to blame the assembly workers for some things, but they also operate with the processes they were given. I have no doubts this comes up in quality reviews that are held.

In the meantime, getting those issues documented is what needs to happen at this point.

 

[Skatz5000]

If I spent that kind of money on a car, everything better be perfect. We are talking about a top tier product from Ford. Not the fiesta.

It's still a car made on a production line. Who wants to pay tens of thousands more for a hand built car for what in reality seem to be minor issues. When you're cranking out 100k of these cars some panels on some cars won't line up.

 

[scarface]

I stopped by my local dealer and was pleasantly surprised to see that they had a GT350 on the showroom. I have a 2016 AG, black roof, black stripes on order with another dealer and it's scheduled to be here Dec. 5-11th. This is the first GT350 I've seen in person, I was impressed with the final product until I started to look more closely and found several flaws. I am not sure that I will accept my car if it has these issues. Not sure what to do and I don't mean to be dramatic, but it is upsetting that my 2013 Boss 302 came off the line in perfect condition and that this one came off in terrible condition. Link to the images - http://imgur.com/a/hKxYS

1) The front stripes are not correctly spaced, which is super noticeable because there is a crease in the metal right down the middle of the bumper.

2) The trunk has major gaps, the rear bumper has gaps...

3) The paint on the rear bumper seams to have a few pieces of hair or cloth or something in it.

Pardon the iPhone pics, but thought it was still worth posting them up. As I write this, I realize that I may be being a bit picky - though I know I would be upset every time I wash the car and see these mistakes. Does anybody know if the dealer would be able to fix the mistakes, possible as a "due bill"? I also included a picture in the album of the vin, perhaps this was an early build and they have since corrected these issues... I am a big fan of Ford and really proud that they are helping to shape the performance car world with a road race inspired car like this - I know they can do better.

Sorry I don't know what you are talking about, I bought the Shelby GT350 engine, and the car came with it.

 

[icormba]

I had that gap problem on my Nissan 370Z. It was off a bit from left to right. When I went to install my oil cooler I had to take the front fascia off to install the cooler + hoses. When I put the fascia back on... the gap was gone.

 

[TexanZSG21]

I can respect your opinion and frankly I'm glad you won't be buying the car. It will make it easier for me to get one.

I am buying the car, just got my VIN today as a matter of fact! Just wanted to vent frustration that people shouldn't be okay with a sub-par product. Most of the things seem to be minor issues but I know I will be looking mine over thoroughly to make sure it is up to snuff.

 

[mustang_guy]

This, 1000%.

The topic reminds me of my GT500, think of it as a $20K car with a $30K engine.

My 14 gt500 had no notable defects i could find. It came out great. That sucks yours wasn't.

 

[mattlqx]

My 14 gt500 had no notable defects i could find. It came out great. That sucks yours wasn't.

Worth noting that that was the last year for a platform that had been around for 9 years. They're just barely a year over mass-producing the S550. They'll work this stuff out eventually, but these are the woes of a new model buyer. I'm not excusing it, just saying this is the norm. More pragmatic people tend to buy later into the run.

 

[bretlasalle]

Thank you guys very much for the feedback - helps a lot with thinking this through. I do sincerely appreciate everyone's opinion. After reading the replies here, my general thinking is that Ford chose to bring a product to market at a given price. Their decision to do so should include great quality control. When Ford introduced pricing at $48k, I almost couldn't believe it. The price is dead on from a consumer value standpoint, though if they cannot produce a stellar product - it really doesn't matter to me. My preference would have been for Ford to come out with the best product they could deliver and charge what they needed to. I'm a shareholder, a Ford product owner and a big Ford fan. If anyone cares, YES, I would pay more money to have a more perfect product. When Ford tells the world what they will charge for a car, it should include the cost of good quality control measures.

To be more transparent on my experience with Ford... I purchased my first Ford in 2012 and haven't turned back. So far, I've bought the following cars from Ford and have been extremely impressed - hoping that the Shelby I am delivered holds up to the standard that I have seen so far.
2012 Ford Escape Limited (wife)
2013 Ford F150
2013 Ford Edge Limited (wife)
2013 Boss 302
2014 Ford F150
2014 Ford Explorer Sport (wife)
2015 Lincoln MKZ Black Label
2015 Ford Explorer Sport (wife)

 

[Hack]

I am buying the car, just got my VIN today as a matter of fact! Just wanted to vent frustration that people shouldn't be okay with a sub-par product. Most of the things seem to be minor issues but I know I will be looking mine over thoroughly to make sure it is up to snuff.

Congrats on getting your VIN! This is a great place to vent.

 

[5.0 435]

This is my boss rear bumper gap... not perfect but it's not something you notice from 5 feet. It's plastic and metal match. This doesn't bother me @ all. If I were 3 feet tall it would piss me off. This really only shows up in a close up photo. Actually I went out in the garage to see if I had any so called flaws. I kind of like having a one of a kind car.:clap2: I'm going to sell it as a one of a kind Boss 302 RARE !

 

[Jay85]

Yup, even my 15 Golf R has nicer fit and finish than that GT350 LOL! Not acceptable at the price its at.

 

[Voodooo]

My dad has been in business for over 45 years in the body shop business doing repairs and service on everything from a KIA to $150000.00 Mercedes Benz and bmw. They all have OEM flaws and fitment issues. It's man made. And if you think a 1.5 million dollar car is flawless guess again. It's even more flawed when it's hand made. I get tired of hearing people say imports are better at everything else. That's not true. I agree with some of what everyone is saying but no car is perfect.

 

[5.0 435]

Thank you guys very much for the feedback - helps a lot with thinking this through. I do sincerely appreciate everyone's opinion. After reading the replies here, my general thinking is that Ford chose to bring a product to market at a given price. Their decision to do so should include great quality control. When Ford introduced pricing at $48k, I almost couldn't believe it. The price is dead on from a consumer value standpoint, though if they cannot produce a stellar product - it really doesn't matter to me. My preference would have been for Ford to come out with the best product they could deliver and charge what they needed to. I'm a shareholder, a Ford product owner and a big Ford fan. If anyone cares, YES, I would pay more money to have a more perfect product. When Ford tells the world what they will charge for a car, it should include the cost of good quality control measures.

To be more transparent on my experience with Ford... I purchased my first Ford in 2012 and haven't turned back. So far, I've bought the following cars from Ford and have been extremely impressed - hoping that the Shelby I am delivered holds up to the standard that I have seen so far.
2012 Ford Escape Limited (wife)
2013 Ford F150
2013 Ford Edge Limited (wife)
2013 Boss 302
2014 Ford F150
2014 Ford Explorer Sport (wife)
2015 Lincoln MKZ Black Label
2015 Ford Explorer Sport (wife)

Ok so you have 4 wife's ...that drive fords. Nice.....How did you get them all to agree on one make ?

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