Hi, Guest
03-28-2005, 04:48 PM
(This post was last modified: 03-28-2005, 04:55 PM by DanielB_ZX3.)
It was a nice warm day on Sunday so I thought I'd give the car a nice hand-wash as it'd been a while since its last bath. By the time I was done I'd sworn out loud & cursed Ford about 10 times..
1. Holy f*ing stone chips.
Yes my car is black, but shouldn't they have used a black primer instead of a white one? Every little scratch, every little chip shows up like a stinking bird s**t. And 99.99% of the 'little' chips (I've owned other cars before and these wouldn't even be noticeable) are, on this car - BIG CHIPS. Next time I go to the Ford dealer I'll get them to update the info in their system - my car is no longer Midnight Black, it's 'speckled'.
2. Holy f*ing flaking paint, Batman! (Part 1)
So I'm wetting down the car with a hose & sponge. I get to the right-rear fender/quarter-panel (above the wheel) and my sponge is suddenly covered in large black specs. WFT? I examine them and realize.. it's PAINT. I swear out loud and continue working my way around.
3. Holy f*ing flaking paint, Batman! (Part 2)
I get to the rear-bumper cover (WingsWest, which was replaced/repainted under warranty by Ford people 2 or 3 years ago for a flaking issue) and notice the insides of the cutout (which are obviously 0-wear) have paint flaking off. Add that to the sideskirts (also repl/rep at the same time by Ford, and which the urathane has been visible in places for a while now) and the f*ers have now officially done another crap job that didn't last 2 years. WTF, does everyone else with WW kits have to get them repainted every 2 years?? Oh well, this wasn't the worst of my paint issues..
4. Holy f*ing flaking paint, Batman! (Part 3)
I was crouched down with a gentle stream of water on the bumper's left side (probably still swearing about the WW stuff) when I noticed something fluttering by in the breeze. It stopped on the ground beside my foot. Surely it's too soon for butterflies? I pick it up -- HOLY F**K - it's an INCH AND A HALF x 1/2" OF PAINT THAT FELL OFF ALL BY ITSELF. I looked to see where it was from and sure enough it's right above the wheel arch on the rear-left.
It's not from wheel rub as the paint underneath is still intact -- this is on the vertical side at the lower edge. Nice shiny metal exposed now.
If I don't do something about this, I doubt I'll have any paint left on the car by the end of the year. I had to be *extremely* light with my sponge and hose - I could feel the paint lifting up on both rear fenders - a little bit of pressure and the paint would have torn like a piece of cheap toilet paper.
So the big questions are:
1) how long was my car's paint warranty? Car is a 2000, car is 4 1/2 years old, only 45,000kms on it.
2) do I just have crazy bad luck or is this a common problem with these cars?
3) What is Ford's likely response when I either go in or call their 1-800# and give them hell? (or even if I'm polite and patient with them)
1. Holy f*ing stone chips.
Yes my car is black, but shouldn't they have used a black primer instead of a white one? Every little scratch, every little chip shows up like a stinking bird s**t. And 99.99% of the 'little' chips (I've owned other cars before and these wouldn't even be noticeable) are, on this car - BIG CHIPS. Next time I go to the Ford dealer I'll get them to update the info in their system - my car is no longer Midnight Black, it's 'speckled'.
2. Holy f*ing flaking paint, Batman! (Part 1)
So I'm wetting down the car with a hose & sponge. I get to the right-rear fender/quarter-panel (above the wheel) and my sponge is suddenly covered in large black specs. WFT? I examine them and realize.. it's PAINT. I swear out loud and continue working my way around.
3. Holy f*ing flaking paint, Batman! (Part 2)
I get to the rear-bumper cover (WingsWest, which was replaced/repainted under warranty by Ford people 2 or 3 years ago for a flaking issue) and notice the insides of the cutout (which are obviously 0-wear) have paint flaking off. Add that to the sideskirts (also repl/rep at the same time by Ford, and which the urathane has been visible in places for a while now) and the f*ers have now officially done another crap job that didn't last 2 years. WTF, does everyone else with WW kits have to get them repainted every 2 years?? Oh well, this wasn't the worst of my paint issues..
4. Holy f*ing flaking paint, Batman! (Part 3)
I was crouched down with a gentle stream of water on the bumper's left side (probably still swearing about the WW stuff) when I noticed something fluttering by in the breeze. It stopped on the ground beside my foot. Surely it's too soon for butterflies? I pick it up -- HOLY F**K - it's an INCH AND A HALF x 1/2" OF PAINT THAT FELL OFF ALL BY ITSELF. I looked to see where it was from and sure enough it's right above the wheel arch on the rear-left.
It's not from wheel rub as the paint underneath is still intact -- this is on the vertical side at the lower edge. Nice shiny metal exposed now.
If I don't do something about this, I doubt I'll have any paint left on the car by the end of the year. I had to be *extremely* light with my sponge and hose - I could feel the paint lifting up on both rear fenders - a little bit of pressure and the paint would have torn like a piece of cheap toilet paper.
So the big questions are:
1) how long was my car's paint warranty? Car is a 2000, car is 4 1/2 years old, only 45,000kms on it.
2) do I just have crazy bad luck or is this a common problem with these cars?
3) What is Ford's likely response when I either go in or call their 1-800# and give them hell? (or even if I'm polite and patient with them)
'00 ZX3, WW 'W-Typ' kit & 3-pc Wing, 17" CSA Ultra 5-spoke rims, Progress Springs, SPAX shocks & struts, MAC Intake.
