Taking my MACh in for paint problems on the hood

[erikf]

Any one done this yet? I will be at the dealer next week. Sugested stratagies?

[Evil_Merlin]

Erik,

There are TSB's for this problem, so the dealer has gotta do it if it's determined that is what caused the problem.

Just make sure they match your paint exactly and that they put the hood decal on properly!

[gotmymach1]

I picked up my Mach1 yesterday from the dealer/body shop. They repainted the hood, however they said I had to wait a month for the paint to fully cure before they could put the decal on it. (Take a note on this.) My car is Azure blue and I had a half dollar sized flake come off near the front of the hood. There was no underlying damage. When I went to the dealer I was ready for battle but they took one look and said "Yep, we'll have to repaint that for you". They loaned me a new Explorer for a week and it was all covered under warranty. Great service, and the hood looks great. There is a longer thread on this topic, print it out and bring it with you to the dealership. They should know about this problem but you want to show them you are INFORMED.

[Mach1 EH]

I too had my hood repainted by the dealership.
I noticed the beginning of peel / flake when I was @ a Columbus OH meet in October.

I was prepared for a battle with the dealership over my hood but they took it in. I had my Mach back in 4 days, with a new hood stripe. (no mention of the decal and new paint required wait period)

[erikf]

Well, I took it in...They claim that they can not make the call and the FORD rep has to do it. THey would not pay for my rental since it would be there over-night but not 24hrs. They claim that if it is covered they will pay for the rental. I am pissed at this slight because the only car they will pay for is a Focus or a Mozda Protige. they are both POS. I have to pay for my rental until the FORD REP comes sometime tomorrow. Also If he comes after the 24 hr period they say they will not pay for the rental.I think they are screwing me! Any coments!

[bamaMACH]

Got mine repainted
No rental

There are now a few imperfection in that paint and the clear coat -- example, it looks like the clear coat bubbled and popped leaving a small little crater (sp?). I 90% sure I will be taking it back to get it redone, but I would like to know what you guys think.



Chris

[erikf]

well the BASTARDS are claiming that the damage is caused by rocks and not warantying the repair. 8 rock chips, one that is "bubling up". I guess this is normal if you own a Ford. Anyone know what my next step is?

[Mach1 EH]

Originally posted by erikf
well the BASTARDS are claiming that the damage is caused by rocks and not warantying the repair. 8 rock chips, one that is "bubling up". I guess this is normal if you own a Ford. Anyone know what my next step is?

That is EXACTLY what the dealer said with my car.
Which caused me to counter with
"so every rock chip is going to bubble the paint? This looks like the paint did not bond with the primer"

Easy enough to demonstrate too.
The bubbling area, just gently move the paint.
You will probably get a section of non-bonded paint come up and peel. There is NO way a rock chip can do that.
A rock chip will scratch where it makes contact, not have the area after bubble and lift away.
I would not accept this response from the dealer, as they are obviously trying to save the cost of a repaint.

Do a search there were many issues and comments regarding the paint issues. Seems there was a bad run of paint jobs and some of the Mach1s were in that run.
Warranty, good $$s and a new car. The dealer may take some convincing but it should be covered like mine.

Enough of the BS comments of "I guess this is normal if you own a FORD"

Mistakes happen, it is how they're dealt with that makes them acceptable.

[zammit]

Unless the mistakes a repeated over and over........

[XS HP]

I had the same problem. The dealership repainted the hood but now the clear coat is flaking off and the paint seems very "brittle". The entire front bumper is covered with specks that look like rock chips. Dealership is ordering a new front bumper and repainting again. All this has been covered under warranty.

[Midnight]

I took mine in for hood. They painted it and I bitched enough to the service advisor that they paid for 2 days of rental so I was out of pocket for only 40.00 or so dollars. If you make a big enough issue of it they may pay for part of the rental.

[HAEG]

I had some blems on the underside of the hood and inside my door, dealer took digital pics and E-mailed them to Ford 2 weeks later they fixed it. These were on my vehicle when I bought the car.

[kr4336]

I also had a few blemishes under the hood, trunk, inside the doors, passenger side C pillar, front bumper cover, and deck lid. In addition to the paint problems my carpet had a small tear in the rear passenger side and the emergency brake boot had a scuff. I also was not happy with the driver side door stripe, interior door panels, stitching of the head rests, key guard on deck lid, 3 of 4 wheels had dimples and scuff marks from factory assembly equipment and the lug nuts were rounded. Also driver’s side mirror and passenger side rear turn signal had gouges in them. The car was also covered with rail dust imbedded into the paint.

Yes, I am anal. But I expected a new car to be in a little better condition than this.

The mistake I made was I bought the car in the evening. I hadn't planned on buying but I guess the temptation was too great! The next morning after detailing the car I called the dealership and told them I was returning the car due to the above issues and wanted them to order me another. Their response was to allow them to address the problems from a warranty prospective. Digital pictures were taken and sent to FORD for warranty approval. A picture of the odometer with 37 miles was also taken. Most were approved, but those issues not approved were replaced by new car sales at their cost.

New carpet, emergency brake boot, door stripe, mirror, tail light assy, interior door panels, key guard, 4 wheels/tires with lug nuts were replaced and installed. The front bumper cover and deck lid were repainted along with blending of the under hood, under deck lid and inside door blemishes. The C pillar was color sanded enough to remove the dirt in the clear coat. Dealer now warranties all repainted surfaces for lifetime ownership.

My point from this dissertation is that my attitude remained calm but my resolve to have all issues satisfied was unwavering. I also met with the painter and explained my desire to have the car as near perfect as possible and gave him a gift certificate for lunch before he started work. I never bothered him during the re-paint, but did check the progress occasionally. After completion my initial inspection found paint imperfections that were reviewed with the painter and another restaurant gift certificate was given, twenty five dollars in total. I did this because the amount these guys can bill FORD for in warranty work is pathetic and wanted him to know I appreciated his work.

In all it took 28 days. Dealer also paid for a rental Taurus, to the tune of $1,000.

I am very satisfied with the quality of work and response from my dealer and would recommend them to anyone. I will remain a FORD customer and will also be buying my wife’s new F150 from this dealer.