I'm glad you got it worked out. By the way, do you think you could make your signature a little bigger? I can't quite see it from outside in the neighbor's yard!

 

Paint on plastic/fiberglass will look different than on metal. I know it sounds crazy, and I thought my painter was nuts. The flares on my '99 look like a slightly different shade than the bottom of the doors, but they both came off the same gun on the same day. (The factory paint on the other side is the same way.)

And IL6fan is correct. There can be multiple "batches" of factory paint, and just because it's color code "XYZ" doesn't mean it will be a perfect match sight unseen. The only way to halfway guarantee it is to photo match from the existing paint, and even then it may take the tinter a bit more work to get it dead on.

I don't see that swapping out the fuel door for a few weeks is a big deal if it will give them what they need to do the job to your total satisfaction. I assume you'll have the truck a heck of a lot longer than that. Think "big picture."

G/L with the process. It sounds like ARE and the dealer are doing everything they can to make you happy.

Andy

 

No offense to you and your painter, but fiberglass looks not different WHEN PROPERLY PREPPED- ie- use a good quality primer with plenty of build up and then properly guide coated and then primed again before painting. I have had my Mustang painted twice now this year (long story) but I have done literally weeks of research on the matter, making myself quite the expert. This is probably why I am so PO'd with ARE... I know better. Anyone that tells you otherwise is just too lazy to fix his mess ups and is feeding you a line.
As for the tint, I agree with you on that... even different batches from the same manufacturer can vary. I refuse to let them take the fuel door and leave the truck looking like crap for 4 weeks... I think there are better, faster ways to solve the issue. I'm sure there are Ford dealers within reasonable distance from the ARE factory too, and I'm fairly certain they have something in Ingot Silver. I have been inconvenienced enough by them already. Fix it MY way... Pay someone locally to repaint it.

 

Sounds like you can take it to a local painter and get it done quickly, but at your expense. Or, you can have ARE take it back and fix it at their expense, but it will take longer and may require you to give up your fuel door for a couple of weeks.

I think the minor inconvenience of giving up your fuel door and a couple of weeks are well worth the factory fix.

Good luck with the fix and I hope you end up happy in the long run.

 

Send your fuel door. ARE is basically offering to custom paint your top, they just need your help. Sure, they could probably find a part off of a local truck, but what's to say that it will match perfectly with your truck. Maybe it's your truck that doesn't match all the others. If you want to be really picky about the color matching, then sacrifice. Who cares if you have a chrome fuel door for 4 weeks, at least that way you will have a cap that matches forever.

IMO, if you aren't willing to send in a fuel door for a perfect match, then you don't really want the topper so just ask for a refund.

 

Someone's being a little vein with their truck when you won't give them the fuel door so they can actually fix the problem you are complaining about. So you drive around without a fuel door for a few weeks, is everyone gonna point and laugh at you?!! The only faster/better way to fix this, is to take your CAP to a local paint shop and pay them to do it but it will be on your dollar, not ARE's.

 

I disagree with you all... It is not my job to help them get it right. I paid them an @$$ load of money and if they can't get it right, I will take my money in return. I will not bend. You may be Pansey @$$3$ yourselves, but I don't put up with that kind of bull$#it. Make it right or lose my business, that simple. I won't be butt hurt.

 

I hope you take this in the light-hearted way intended, but I can't help it. This popped immediately to mind.

Francis

You're really making a huge deal out of something that was unfortunate, but also unavoidable. The odds are well stacked against a perfect match when using only a color code. In their documentation, ARE states this because they know it's very unlikely that a paint-code "match" may be slightly off. (This effect is multiplied when dealing with metallic colors.)

They are trying to work with you to make it right, it's not costing you a penny (I believe, in fact, you said they were giving you a partial refund), and the dealer is even giving you added work at no cost for your trouble.

Sounds like they're going out of their way to help you, and the only inconvenience you'll suffer is not having the cap for a few weeks, and having to trade fuel doors temporarily.

Heck, I'd drive around without a fuel door for a month if it meant a perfect match for the truck I was planning to drive for years.

Andy

 

It's not only the driving around with a cheesy chrome fuel door, but this is a brand new truck and my wife and I are very leary about taking any part of it off, sending it across the country for a month and expecting it to come back without a hiccup. I guess this is the straw that broke the cammel's back (too many cammels around lately). I feel I have already done my part (paid up- and more than I should have, I am sure...). My wife already missed my grandmother's birthday 2 weeks ago because the cap took so long to get in (needed it to take the dogs) and now they want more time. I think if they want to keep my money, they need to pay a local shop to paint it.
By asking for my fuel door and shipping the cap back to the factory, they are trying to fix it on the cheap, at my inconvenience. This is where I get ticked off. They messed up once, now fix it my way.
True what thier website says, but that does not mean I have to accept an inferior product. If I don't like it, I take my money and walk. there are several other brands.
And the "partial refund" is the rebate that we were entitled too in the first place, but the guy that rang up my wife didn't include it... conviently forgot. Again, I am not upset with the dealer, they are trying to work with me. ARE is who I am wanting to choke the ^#$@ out of right now. Woosah...

 

Wow I am glad I'm not that ARE dealer. Talk about a pain in the ***

 

Sozzy. Wow, man. You need to step back and take a chill.

ARE is willing to work to get the job done to your satisfaction, and it's still not good enough.

Unfortunate incidents like this are why I'm happy to not be in the service industry.

 

If I were the A.R.E. dealer I'd probably tell you to shove it at this point. They have given you the best solution to the problem, and you don't like it. Let's see, paint it yourself, or pay some shop you don't know anything about 300+ to paint your product . . . which one is going to take a bigger hit on the margins?

You missed out on a trip because you couldn't bring the dogs? They will survive without the cap. Also, you could have just left them at home.


Go ahead and get another brand, but it likely won't have the fit that the A.R.E. unit does, hell, look at the latest Leer Cap thread. You didn't overpay for anything, you paid what it was worth to you.

 

So if your truck has a warranty issue, are you going to want to take it to any local garage to get it fixed and expect Ford to pay for it? No, if something goes wrong with your truck it goes back to Ford for repair. Same scenario with the cap.

As others have said, ARE is trying to fix the problem and you won't give them the fuel door to match it? You are way out of line.

 

I could just see them taking the fuel door, and painting it to match the shell. That way, when you complain, they would say the shell is a perfect match!

 

Sozzy I'm betting you're over there as a contractor no?

Your initial complaint I was with you on, hell, even mad with you. Then when you came back and told me what they offered I thought "wow, now that's service". Then when they asked for the fuel door to make extra sure they got it right and offered you a temp, I was REALLY blown away at their service and dedication to customer service.

I'm not going to call you a flat out ***, but you certainly don't have reasonable expectations.

My advice (which you'll say you didn't ask for but hello, you posted in a forum) is to ask for a full refund and walk away. I highly doubt they'll make you happy so all you are doing is wasting their time and your wife's.