Oh hell no!

Do you think that schmuck at the dealer would take his truck (if he had one) down to the body shop to get "touched up"?

 

Fatboy,

That really sucks. I agree with skiultr, I would call Ford directly and work the deal backwards. Make sure that the dealer takes care of you. Not just this touch up crap line that they fed you!

 

Touch up?!?! NO WAY! I also agree with the others on calling Ford directly and work the fix backwards. I don't believe for a second that the dealer would take a truck of his own to a body shop for touch up. That's just a joke!

 

What would be the purpose of working it backwards? I assume that if I call Ford directly and complain, they are going to send me to the Dealer...???

What should I expect from Ford? A new hood and new door?
Some free OEM stuff?

Give me some Ammo, and I'll be sure to follow the advice everyone seems to be agreeing on.

And hey, thanks a bunch for all the feedback.

Keep it comin' and I'll keep ya posted.

I go see the dealers body dude on Monday. I might not let them do anything until I contact Ford.

Where are those Ford Customer Service #'s, again....???

 

http://www.blueovalnews.com/

 

1st of all be nice. Remember the person on the other line is the gatekeeper! Remember too that they are limited by their lack of knowledge as well. Thereofre be very clear as to what you want and WHY! Be prepared to explain why a dealer touch-up is unacceptable for a brand new ($30k) truck delivered with obvious paint defects that should have been easily found at the Quality Control line. Remind them that paint touch up usually fades in time and (shades of) yellow is the hardest color to match. Again tell them what you want and NEED to resolve this. Ask for a personal visit by a regional QC guy.

Again, Be frim, but nice about a NON-DEALER FIX. They will push this because it is cheaper for them. Do not take no for an answer and keep climbing the ladder. If they play ball with just be patient and persistent with your complanit. After all, you did nothing wrong!

Lastly dont ask for free stuff this cheapens your stance.

Good luck...

 

A touch if it is done properly is much more desirable than a new paint job. These guys can touch this stuff up and you will never be able to see it. If you ever have it painted, it will drop resale value of your truck quite a bit. If you plan on keeping it forever, that is a different story, but most people tend to sell or trade after a few years. If you go to trade it in, and it has signs of paintwork, it will bring a good bit less.

 

Tell them you want a new truck and will except nothing less. Tell them you where approached by the makers of the Titan and they want to use your truck in their new commercial...

 

Personally, I'd get to a FORD Corporate guy and would tell him that I expect a new truck that had been Mfg'ed right. Seriously, you have a legal right here too. You purchased a new vehicle which implies a certain set of standards to fit, finish, detail, performance, and expectation. Not to mention value, depreciation and resale. The sub-standard delivery of this vehicle failed, by no fault of your own, and yet you will be the one who will suffer the consequence. I'd let the Corp guy know that you expect a new truck while still driving this one until delivery can be arranged. Thisis NOT unreasonable. It also can stand to reason, and argued, that if QC missed this what else was missed? Without sounding like a jilted lover or a kid let them know that you know you could see an attorney about this. Don't sound threatening though and don't be unreasonable in your request, just tell them you want what you ordered...A NEW TRUCK IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE MANUFACTURERES EXPRESSED WARRANTY TO FIT FINISH DETAIL AND PERFORMANCE. The logical argument that will carry the most weight is the fact that it never should have passed QC and you should not have to carry the penalty of their mistake. This is serious BUSINESS issue and now customer service issue too as it applies to the set standard the FMC conveys to its public. You have a strong legal case, but perhaps could take a long time to resolve. Thefore the best thing to do is be nice, but firm, and work toward a solution together with a FORD DECISION MAKER this is not your dealer. He is merely a sales contact in simple form. Remember!!!! You did nothing wrong, the burden is upon them to make it right but you MUST get to CORP!!!!

Good Luck

 

I definitely do not want a new paint job on the Hood and Door, because the edges are not that visible anyway. I would however like to have it "touched up" professionally. I guess this will be my request to Ford, when I call them.

 

skiultr:

I just read your post, man, you are PUMPING ME UP!!!!

I want to retract my last statement about the touch up, but I also want to be realistic.

Thanks for the great input!

 

Hey $30k + for a truck is big money. You should get what you paid for. BE PATIENT- EXHAUST ALL OPTIONS BEFORE MAKING A DECISION. Knowlege is power! Investigate your options from all sources (as you are doing) and THEN make an informed decision for YOU. You are not on a limited timeline here. I agree with being realistic, but don't discount your postion early just to get it done quickly. Be logical and realistic in all your dealing with FMC and their DEALERS. Go to 2-3 diff dealers and see what they suggest. Again knowledge is your power. But I firmly believe that you best resource will be a regional FORD QC or CS guy. They are the decision makers as the what FORD Corp will/will not do. They are the ones the dealership will contact. If you don't know how to get to them, contact your Insurance agent they should know. Make the first word out of your mouth "I need your help." This sets the tone and mindset of the reciever. It is human nature to want to help. Seem vunerable but stay firm in your SOLUTION. Again $30k+ is alot of jack for a truck. Keep is logical and reasonable. Stay calm but firm, keep climbing the latter. The mistakes speak for themselves. Use the phrase "stands to reason" and other quibs from my last post. Rehearse what you will say and how you will say it. That way you don't sound weak. Remeber, this is business not personal so don't make it personal. Keep the busines edge and focus on the problem and workable solution. Put then in your shoes, restate the facts, $30k-fit finsih etc, new vehicle expectation etc, failed QC etc. Stay firm, cave on your terms.

Good luck.

 

First of all I'm no paint expert, but judging from the photos it looks like paint DAMAGE, not poor painting. If it's at bare metal- there is no way a door and hood could come out of a e-coat dip like that. If the edges where the paint is missing are rough- it's defintely damage. I would guess the hood was chipped somehow during the install, and the door could have been damaged at any time it was open from the time it was hung to the time it was delivered. Maybe one of the plant guys could give us insight on how the hood could get chipped like that.

Anyone who has seen these trucks delivered off of car or rail haulers has to cringe when they see how tight they are in the carrier.

I would get the paint touched up, and make sure the dealer warranties it. I'm not defending Ford or the dealer, but the dealer could always say you damaged the truck after delivery, and make your life more difficult.

I've been down this path before. By the time you hire the lawyer and spend more money and time, you could have had the thing fixed and moved on. There is no way a Dealership will buy the truck back for a paint chip(s). It takes major problems like engines, and other mechanical issue before any car company will buy a vehicle back.

There was a guy driving around here a few years ago with magnetic decals on his Dodge Ram that said "Dodge- the Lemon Truck- major engine, brake, and electrical issues". We have a Lemon law, and this guys was so teed off he had the decals made.

 

Heh Heh! We had a guy here do the same thing with his Dodge truck. He had a large decal of a big lemon on both sides of his truck. He drove around with those on for several months before he finally got Chrysler to take care of his problems. Sometimes you have to go to the extreme to get something done.

 

As someone who recently went through a similar experience, I can tell you that Ford will not be replacing your vehicle. By doing so, they'd be opening up the flood gates to everyone who took ownership of vehicles with faulty paint jobs...and apparently with Ford products, that's quite a large group. My dealer contacted a regional rep when I went bizerk over what I found in terms of a botched factory repair on one of my doors (unfortunately, I didn't see it until the sun hit the door just right, when I got it home). They repaired it, gave me a 3 day free rental and also increased my warranty coverage on the powertrain to 5 years, 75K miles...(btw, I didn't get anything in writing yet on the warranty extension..still waiting). The repair didn't come out as good as I was hoping. The paint match is slighty off. Lesson learned. If you're really picky about quality, especially in the paint department, don't count on Ford to deliver. I can easily see myself going to a private auto-body in the future to have this re-done.

I recommend to all 2004 SuperCrew owners with two-tone paint jobs to carefully inspect the arizona beige (way down below) to ensure the paint covers the entire area. Something tells me that Kansas City is painting this section by hand. If you look real close, there's evidence of masking, etc....

While I'm very dissappointed with the paint quality on the truck...I will say that I'm very pleased with the ride comfort and suspension quality. I think I bought a great truck "underneath"...just got stuck with some bad skin.