Who is familiar with "Show Car Prep" on the assembly line?

[duckydave]

I worked at Ford in St Louis as QC final inspector also QC on launch of the Lincoln Aviator
As to show car priorities it wasn't that much, mainly paint imperfections(excluding orange peel),interior trim and cleanliness.
We had quite a few of the Aviators that were show builds also builds for the Ford family that weren't treated any differently.
Don't know what the priorities are at FRAP but it's probably not much different.

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[gtaindetail]

I cant help but chuckle. Fords "show prep" vs anyone who has an eye at all will be vastly different. The idea of paying a manufacturer to show prep my car is laughable.

 

[gtaindetail]

This is on topic. Why does it take a sign on the car rolling down the line to get better fitment. Had I known that when my car was made I would of paid extra. It would of saved me $4000 in replacement parts and paint materials.

But in all seriousness, they should all get the same attention. Will the $400k ford GT have the assembly quality of a $65k ford? Boy imagine that.

It will. I can absolutely guarantee it. The idea that a high ticket car will show up in better aesthetic condition than a production car is something that disappeared in the 70s. The more a car is touched by humans as its producesd means the more issues it will have. The fact that the GT is almost entirely hand made will mean it will arrive is terrible aesthetic condition. The cars we see that arrive in the worst aesthetic condition are Astons, Rolls, Ferraris, Lambos, Mclarens, etc. Hand made = errors, its the way of the game.

 

[TxOilMoney]

Joint the club.
I had all of that. But that's exactly how my luck always is.
2 broken front bumper tabs on the core support.
Door ding
Hood ding
1/4 panel ding
Both ground effects were dented (gouged)
Rear bumper cover had paint metallic sag
Center console had a gouge
Big paint chip on the hoods edge that the factory touched up with a fking brush.
Crooked ott stripes
Scuff mark on right door interior panel
Nail in left front tire
Perfect new car for $65k

Holy Crap!! How many miles were on it? 1000?

 

[ITLRUN]

What exactly does this mean? How does someone actually get this done? I'm hearing about a certain GT350R that has been approved for this process. :gossip: ;)

Anyway to keep this on topic? ;)

This is on topic. Why does it take a sign on the car rolling down the line to get better fitment. Had I known that when my car was made I would of paid extra. It would of saved me $4000 in replacement parts and paint materials.

But in all seriousness, they should all get the same attention. Will the $400k ford GT have the assembly quality of a $65k ford? Boy imagine that.

Come on, this really isn't the thread to complain about the short comings of your car. I asked what it means and how it gets done. Surely you can see you guys are off topic.

It's certainly OK to hate the Game, but don't hate the Player because he's smart enough (read connected / knows somebody) to get something done about it. :shrug:

 

[Tomster]

Come on, this really isn't the thread to complain about the short comings of your car. I asked what it means and how it gets done. Surely you can see you guys are off topic.

It's certainly OK to hate the Game, but don't hate the Player because he's smart enough (read connected / knows somebody) to get something done about it. :shrug:

What does the person that you know who is connected say about it?

I don't know anyone who is connected enough to get a white tag to hang on my R during production, so I guess it will arrive looking like voodoo's did.

 

[ITLRUN]

What does the person that you know who is connected say about it?

I don't know anyone who is connected enough to get a white tag to hang on my R during production, so I guess it will arrive looking like voodoo's did.

I'm told that the process is a huge PITA for the paint department. A lot of special attention is paid to the car during the entire build process. Every tolerance on the car is "tightened". This is typically reserved for high profile cars being sent to big corporate auto shows (Chicaga Auto Show, New York Auto Show and etc) and possibly even "press cars".

I found out about the process here on M6G after I already had my 2016. FWIW, I had no major issues with the way that car was built at delivery. I asked my buddies at the plant about it and pretty much never thought about it again until I had the opportunity to order another car.

As most people know, I experienced a catastrophic failure with my '16 car resulting in Ford buying the car back and getting me an allocation for a '17 R. Ford has been extremely good to me and has done everything I have asked them to do up to this point. So I asked about the Show Car Prep for the new car.

It is entirely possible they told me they would do this to pacify me. I honestly don't know what all the process includes. I posted an honest question here looking for answers. I didn't mean to start a flame war about Ford's commitment (or lack there of) to quality control.

 

[Voodooo]

Holy Crap!! How many miles were on it? 1000?

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[Tomster]

Joe,

That's the problem with the forums. Topics stray and take on a life of thier own.

If you have the means to get it done, I'd say do it. It defiantly can't hurt. Infortunately, this topic does strike a chord and a nerve with some people. The fit and finish on these cars has a lot to be desired. Although some posts were not right on topic, they were IMHO applicable.

Could you imagine if Ford was able to put these cars out and not have the issues that people are complaining about? The fact that you or anyone else would go to the trouble to ensure that they get the special treatment speaks volumes. Of all people, and especially for your trouble, I sure hope you get it done. :cheers:

 

[Voodooo]

Come on, this really isn't the thread to complain about the short comings of your car. I asked what it means and how it gets done. Surely you can see you guys are off topic.

It's certainly OK to hate the Game, but don't hate the Player because he's smart enough (read connected / knows somebody) to get something done about it. :shrug:

My point is, it shouldn't take a paper sign or a special favor to get better fit and finish. Why would ones vehicle get better treatment over another. Is their money better then mine? No.
I know people at ford also, should I ask for special treatment just to have a special attention car? All because the assembly line employees don't give a shit who's car it is.

 

[ITLRUN]

Joe,

That's the problem with the forums. Topics stray and take on a life of thier own.

If you have the means to get it done, I'd say do it. It defiantly can't hurt. Infortunately, this topic does strike a chord and a nerve with some people. The fit and finish on these cars has a lot to be desired. Although some posts were not right on topic, they were IMHO applicable.

Could you imagine if Ford was able to put these cars out and not have the issues that people are complaining about? The fact that you or anyone else would go to the trouble to ensure that they get the special treatment speaks volumes. Of all people, and especially for your trouble, I sure hope you get it done. :cheers:

Fair enough. I try to shy away from the flame wars and the bashing especially after the way I was treated by Ford. I can't emphasize enough how well my situation was and continues to be handled by them.

Edit: How's the old saying go? 'You catch more flys with honey than you do with vinegar."

 

[Tomster]

Fair enough. I try to shy away from the flame wars and the bashing especially after the way I was treated by Ford. I can't emphasize enough how well my situation was and continues to be handled by them.

Edit: How's the old saying go? 'You catch more flys with honey than you do with vinegar."

I get it.... brand loyalty and you hate to see someone bashed who is taking care of you. It comes through but you can't control what others post.

I see your point and the fact of the matter is that all that extra attention costs extra money. Ford built a supercar slayer that a layman can afford. Not to change the subject, but that parallels my argument when it came to the tech vs trackpack. Ford did what they could to keep the price point down down the keep this car as affordable as possible. Now that the base has the coolers built in, the car costs more money.

Back to your issue, that kind of quality improvements that people are complaining about to bring up to BMW or Porsche standards would significantly increase the cost of the car. So my point is the average person can own a MASS produced car that competes with cars that cost twice or more as much.

Oops, I think I just sidetracked your thread again

 

[ITLRUN]

Well, I'm still not sure if I have actually been approved for the "Show Car Prep". The blend date listed on the window sticker (online) was yesterday (9/13). When I call Ford Performance, I'm told the car is in production with a start date of 9/9 and a scheduled finish date of this Friday (9/16). I have a "mole" in the plant that is telling me the car does not have a rotation number in the system for paint yet. Once it has the rotation number assigned we should figure out if it has actually been officially approved for "Show Car Prep". The wait continues...

 

[ShadowBlackR]

I love moles.

 

[302toVoodoo]

This is on topic. Why does it take a sign on the car rolling down the line to get better fitment. Had I known that when my car was made I would of paid extra. It would of saved me $4000 in replacement parts and paint materials.

But in all seriousness, they should all get the same attention. Will the $400k ford GT have the assembly quality of a $65k ford? Boy imagine that.

Door ding on the passenger door, right near the bottom panel crease.

Scratches on the glovebox door.

Scratches on the A-pillar interior.

Broken hood vent tabs, waiting on ETA from dealer.

Just washed the car for the second time, used a vinyl protectant and a very soft microfiber cloth on the stripes....and the stripes are now lightly scratched/swirled....the stripes definitely leave something to be desired relative to durability.

Trying not to let this stuff bother me too much though. Sigh. Visiting the PDR guy for the ding tomorrow. My dent also happened prior to paint.

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