Caught a rock...pay attn FORD!

[cgouzoulis]

Well I caught a rock to the H/E this morning....below highway speed (approx. 55mph,its 65 where I am). Put a fricken crack in the Horizontal fin...causing all of my intercooler fliuds to spew out.... I go to Ford to get it looked at, well obviously its not warranty, but c'mon FORD, everybody and the mother have been questioning the lack of griile, myself included. I figured, "hell, they are FOMOCO, they know what there doing."...... So should I be THAT guy and put a grille in my lower facsia???:dw:......im annoyed.... Oh and BTW before anyone says this is a "freak" incident...bettergo look at your own car before posting a response....annnndddddd this is the second powerful hit its taken. The first time it didnt go through. And one of my buddies here on the forum has had his 13 gt500 for three weeks and already has 2 dents in the H/E fins....not little digs, Im talkin dime size and up.
So what the hell do I do now??? Anybody got some upgrades on the H/E?
Thanks guys
Chris

 

[USV8PWR]

Well I caught a rock to the H/E this morning....below highway speed (approx. 55mph,its 65 where I am). Put a fricken crack in the Horizontal fin...causing all of my intercooler fliuds to spew out.... I go to Ford to get it looked at, well obviously its not warranty, but c'mon FORD, everybody and the mother have been questioning the lack of griile, myself included. I figured, "hell, they are FOMOCO, they know what there doing."...... So should I be THAT guy and put a grille in my lower facsia???:dw:......im annoyed.... Oh and BTW before anyone says this is a "freak" incident...bettergo look at your own car before posting a response....annnndddddd this is the second powerful hit its taken. The first time it didnt go through. And one of my buddies here on the forum has had his 13 gt500 for three weeks and already has 2 dents in the H/E fins....not little digs, Im talkin dime size and up.
So what the hell do I do now??? Anybody got some upgrades on the H/E?
Thanks guys
Chris

Obviously not warranty?? I'd maybe argue that. But I love the fact it has no grille. It's the first vehicle in a long time not to have one. I'd rather have more cooling then than a grill. And I don't tailgate or get to close to ANY type of truck, semi, SUV in my prized sports cars. I think in the 4.5 years I had my 08 Vette I might have had 3 small rock chips. So I think I'll be fine. If not however, and I do have a problem, it will be fixed under warranty. Good luck!

 

[HAMMRHEAD]

I was thinking of fitting some sort of screen in front of the H/E that would at least 'cushion' the hit of a stone. Wouldn't really change the look of the front end and would still let air flow through.

 

[mullens]

I'm afraid this will not be the last incident of this type. I never agreed with Ford's decision to leave the heat exchanger with NO protection. Not to mention the bugs and other debris that will collect over time. The little bit of extra airflow isn't worth it IMO.

 

[cgouzoulis]

I'm afraid this will not be the last incident of this type. I never agreed with Ford's decision to leave the heat exchanger with No protection. The little bit of extra airflow isn't worth it IMO.

I agree 100%

 

[Van@RevanRacing]

I'm pulling rocks and pebbles out all of the time. Sorry to hear yours took the hit.

Hopefully Ford will work with you on it.

 

[Snorman]

You do realize even the heat exchangers on the '03/'04 Cobras were not protected from a screen or plastic grille either, right?
S.

 

[USV8PWR]

You do realize even the heat exchangers on the '03/'04 Cobras were not protected from a screen or plastic grille either, right?
S.

Now that's what I was thinking too. And weren't there issues with dings/damage to those as well that Ford ended up fixing under warranty? Seems like I had a buddy or two that had warranty repairs for this.

 

[ON D BIT]

No pics?

Ford would not put out a product that would not stand up to everyday driving. They have way more miles on street roads and put it through more abuse than anyone here will. If you are that worried, fab up a screen or dont buy the car. Its not hard.

I love the look without the grille.

 

[Drwalker02]

I've got 4500 miles. Almost ALL from highway miles with a 40-miles-each-way commute. I've got a few small fun bends from the 3-1/2" grasshoppers here but nothing else. All if the bugs easily fall off with my water nozzle. I avoid dump trucks and the large 18-wheeler crusher fine carriers like the plague.

 

[mullens]

You do realize even the heat exchangers on the '03/'04 Cobras were not protected from a screen or plastic grille either, right?
S.

Yes...i had an 03 Termi. I thought it was a dumb move back then and I still think so.

 

[Hourigan218]

I live in Laredo Tx. which has a very very abundant amount of tractor trailers due to the #1 inland port. So I really have to be careful with rocks flying. So the lack of grill is a blessing and a curse. So far no problems but it sux that I'm always on guard until I can hit an open peice of road.

 

[PowerWheels]

The '03 had a much smaller opening. A little protection up front would be nice if nothing else to take your eyes off the fins of the cooler itself that will become scared over time. I'd like a pretty much exact grill like on the 11/12's just for that reason.

 

[Snorman]

Yes...i had an 03 Termi. I thought it was a dumb move back then and I still think so.

I'm not sure if I think it's dumb, but there were a number of aftermarket solutions vis a vis screens that covered the HE's. I can say that after DD'ing my '03 for over 2-years, I never had a problem, and I've never had a problem since.
:shrug:
S.

 

[Snorman]

The '03 had a much smaller opening. A little protection up front would be nice if nothing else to take your eyes off the fins of the cooler itself that will become scared over time.

I think the opening sizes are pretty comparible. The GT500 obviously now has a much thicker core.
S.

 

[cgouzoulis]

I was thinking of fitting some sort of screen in front of the H/E that would at least 'cushion' the hit of a stone. Wouldn't really change the look of the front end and would still let air flow through.

Let me know what you come up with......

 

[Drwalker02]

I live in Laredo Tx. which has a very very abundant amount of tractor trailers due to the #1 inland port. So I really have to be careful with rocks flying. So the lack of grill is a blessing and a curse. So far no problems but it sux that I'm always on guard until I can hit an open peice of road.

Agreed. Try I-35 also. Eeeesh

 

[svt boost]

My 07 has grills, and still has tons of dings and dents in the HE etc. In theory a rock could fly right through a opening and cause the same damage. Sounds like a good time to upgrade to revan racing stuff!

 

[cgouzoulis]

No pics?

Ford would not put out a product that would not stand up to everyday driving. They have way more miles on street roads and put it through more abuse than anyone here will. If you are that worried, fab up a screen or dont buy the car. Its not hard.

I love the look without the grille.

No pics because I left it at the dealer....They took pics...I will get them....Ford obviously HAS put a portion of a product out that cannot stand up to this issue....Time will tell the better story with how many more run into this issue.....Yes, look at my sig...I had an 03-04 as well..... and I know better enough than to ride someones ass in this car.....

 

[3Dglasses]

I've run an expanded steel mesh in front of mine for years. I didn't trust having the HE out there exposed.