Hello all,
I am in the process of buying a 2001 f-150 Screw Lariat 4X4 with the 5.4L V8 (62k) and had a few questions.

First, I noticed while browsing the threads that there is a fair amount of talk about body and door cracks. IS this common in the Screw's as well? Or just the Extended cabs?

Second, I noticed on the roof, in the rain channels, the paint in a few places seams to be flaking off exposing the primer. Is this a pricey repair? Has anyone had any luck in having the dealer fix it as it is obviously a factory flaw?

Any and all help will be greatly appriciated. The truck is in excellent shape. I know the previous owner and know for a fact how well he maintains all of his vehicles. Looking forward to being a part of the F-150 community. Chuck.

 

I have the exact same truck your talking about in White. I don't have the spots on the roof, but why not just paint it yourself. No one ever sees the roof anyway.

 

I purchased a 2001 Supercrew Lariat 4X4 5.4 Auto that was painted Dark Green in November of 2003 from a dealer. This truck had 26,000 miles on it and showed as new. Once purchased, I called Ford Corp and per their instructions, my dealership, and they looked at the paint. It had strange marks throughout the paint that could only be seen real close up and in the bright sun. Ford agreed to give me a new paint job (at a custom paint dealer) - while at this dealer, I had all of the dings taken out and had it two toned. Dark Green and Gold. The overall paint job cost $4000. of which I paid $800. for the dings & second tone in the paint. My truck was under warranty but I think the paint and body is warranted for a full five years while the drive train is for 36 months. The negative of this is that it took them three weeks to finish my truck - so you have to have some alternative transportation.
Why don't you look around some more and try to find an Screw with mileage that might keep you into the original warranty period. My warranty is up October of 2004.

 

my wifes 02 expy had the paint problem in the rain channels. ford sanded it down and ground the sealer out and replaced the sealer in the channel and repainted the roof all under warranty. but it was still under the factory warranty.

 

I am getting a really good deal on this particular S-Crew so I think I am going to go for it. The previous owner is going to go see Ford about it and at the same time work on getting his new truck (04 F250 4X4 Crewcab Shortbox Lariat) deal worked out. Maybe that will persuede them to go the extra mile so he can sell it to me. <crosses fingers> Thanks for the input. Chuck.

 

The "rain channels" on the SCrew are filled with a self leveling sealant. The outer door panel (sheets) fit over the u-channel of the roof, then it is tack welded and the sealant is poured in to provide waterproofing. The cracks and bubbles are a result of the sealant shrinking after the paint has been applied. It is completely cosmetic and should not affect the performance (sealing capabilities). I have a dime sized blister in my roof channel over the driver's side door that I'm currently monitoring to see if it grows. The dealer stated that he would repair it if I requested, but stated that there would be a good chance that it (the cracks) would re-appear again and I would have the vehicle in the shop again. The repair requires repainting the entire cab section over again.

Since I drive a FX4, I'm the only one that sees it when I wash the vehicle, so I can live with it.




And for those of you who were "wondering," NO that is not dirt in the channels, well at least it won't wash off w/soap and water.

TonyPTX

 

Why subject all those poor big rig drivers to looking at a bad paint job!! LOL, I don't have this problem yet and hope not to, I think I would want it fixed obvious or not but a total repaint job..... that sucks!! Good luck.

FM

 

My '02 S'crew doesn't have "door crack" problelms, but I have seen problems with the "puddles" in the grooves on top. Mine has 60,000+ miles so Ford isn't going to worry too much about it! Looks like the "clear coat" puddled.

 

Well, I did it. Actually made the deal and took possession of the truck on Monday. I am still giddy as a schoolgirl. I straight up love that truck. Click the following link to see some pics I took of my pride and joy the day I brought it home.

------> CLICK HERE <------

I am looking forward to doing some mods. Thinking of a new, easier way to mod the factory fog lights. Also pondering acetoning the badges. Also have an idea for the front and rear Ford Badges as well. Also need to install an MP3 player as soon as finances allow. ;-) Chuck.

 

Chuck,

Congrats on the purchase, you'll love it. The door crack seems to be central to SCabs, not SCrews. Don't know why this is, but SCabs seem to be the only place I see the reports of this.

As for the roof, I have heard of this a few times, but my '01 does not have signs of it (yet ? ). I do have a few marks, but these are slightly larger then a pin head, and look to be something under the paint. One on the rain channel on the drivers side, and one near the back of the cab on the pass side. Rather live with the 2 pimples then let the factory paint be torn into.

TonyPTX,

For those marks, have you tried something like #81 or white rubbing compound to remove that ? That is strange looking, can't say I have seen it straight away. Prior to this, maybe trying something like 3M tar and adhesive remover ? Just some thoughts on it. You might not want to get too carried away in case it is part of the bubble you are seeing, less you make the problem worse.

 

I plan on leaving it alone. To me, it's only cosmetic and does not affect the performance of the vehicle. Also, I'm the only one that knows they're there (not easily seen) so ....

I'd rather leave it alone then do something to it to screw it up. The marks are not bug/tar related.

Tony

 

TonyPTX, your picture looks like the roof on my 2003 supercrew i purchsed last Septmember. what you see there is the sealant that Ford used to glue the roof on. it should not look like that. Ford knows they have a paint problem, they did not use enough paint and clear coat on there trucks. they had to repaint my roof 3 weeks after i bought it. if i hadn't said anything and my warranty ran out i would have been SOL. oh by the way i'm also a newbie to this site. i've been reading the boards for the past couple of weeks and i find a lot of the topics very interesting.

sgauthier

 

didn't get the owners manual when I got mine, but did someone mention that the paint actually has a 5 year warranty? Would someone mind schooling me on this? First I've heard about it.

 

3 years- 60000km in Canada, even if you purchase the extended warranty this remains the same. that's why i would get that paint fixed if you still can. it amuses me to see that some find it acceptable to have paint look like that on a brand new vehicle. i paid $43000 for my truck and i was PO when they had to paint it. the dealer wouldn't even compensate me whatsoever. even the bedliner thrown in the truck for free or the extended warranty would have been nice. at least that way it would have shown me they stand behind this vehicle for the next 8 years. don't get me wrong i love this truck but had i seen that before i signed the dotted line i would not have purchased it, i would have bought the same truck somewhere else or at least one that didn't need a repaint new. you shoul;dn't have to use a magnifying glass to look over a new vehicle. i learned my lesson, even wrote to FORD Canada and talked to there warranty guy on the phone, that was a joke as well. again i do love my truck thu