The whining is your whole post.
"Ford sucks prove me wrong" Whine.
"My car won't stop overheating, Ford can't fix it" Not a whine.
See?
Ford Sucks...Prove Me Wrong
- Thread starter Sn8k Charmer
- Start date
The whining is your whole post.
"Ford sucks prove me wrong" Whine.
"My car won't stop overheating, Ford can't fix it" Not a whine.
See?
Well if its just for point a to point b driving get yourself an economy car.
Even as good as ford has built this car to be a daily driver, you cant expect a blown engine like that to function nominally in the conditions your wanting to drive it in.
It'ed probably last longer in those conditions being driven its hardest around a road course than it would in stop and go... Atleast the car would be getting some sort of oxygen circulation then.
I knew eventually the die hard Ford guys would strike. All Ford had to do was treat me with some respect to begin with. I was ready to take a replacement Cobra a few service attempts ago, but since they would not tell me the whole truth (like when they returned the car to me knowing the air conditioning was not working all the time - due to the overheating symptoms) like they should have. They should have called in the Ford engineer when they could not figure out why the car overheated the second time. It was about 80 degrees outside the second overheating. I even purchased a MagnaFlow system and a DenseCharger after the second overheating, so don't tell me I haven't tried to put faith in Ford. I am being forced to pick the car up tomorrow, even though they have made no repairs on my vehicle since the last time it overheated on the Service Manager. You guys whose cars are not having problems sure sit high on your horse, but if you have went through what I am going through with this vehicle you would not be so mighty. All I want is to be done with this situation...this will be my last post regarding this issue. Thanks for listening...
It's a fine line between being pissed and turning into a whine. Another Cobra won't solve your problem. They already proved that overheating problem exists on another. I wouldn't take it either.
The bottom line here is you want your money back and they are not offering up that option. What is your next step instead of telling us Ford Sucks? Are you going to have a lawyer solve your problems (lemon law) or just move on and dump it somewhere else?
Great now I am breaking my last statement about not replying anymore...but hey what the hell...
I may do exactly what someone else suggested. I may take another one with a stipulation that if it does overheat once they will buy it back at the price I paid. My only other option is to go to the Ford Arbitration Board. They will then decide what to do, but that can take up to 40 days (in the mean time my car will continue to have problems). If that does not work I can then go to court to resolve the matter (as per the Colorado statue) and that could take up to a year.
FYI I just spoke with another Colorado dealer (I am going to take my car there next time the car fails) and they currently have two Cobras with the exact same problem. I may just bring them the car after I pick it up from the current dealer. The other dealer (Phil Long Ford) also stated they do not know what to do to repair the vehicle either, but they will try...
I feel bad for you, don't get me wrong. I'd be pissed off if I were you, I mean weren't these cars tested in the heat?
The tone of your post is no doubt influenced by the situation with your car, but I just wanted to point out that the way you word certain things, like the topic of the thread, will change the types of responses you get to it.
The tone of your post is no doubt influenced by the situation with your car, but I just wanted to point out that the way you word certain things, like the topic of the thread, will change the types of responses you get to it.
Yeah you put faith in 1 car out the millions of cars fords produced in the passed 100 years, it didnt work out, so that means fords just not worth it... :rollseyes
That little 5.0 im staring out the window at right now has 300 thousand high way miles on it... it runs as good and as strong as the day my dad bought it off the show room floor back in 1992. That answers an earlier question "why would anyone want to deal with these people?" But since you've driven 1 of there cars and had a sour experience that must mean they're all bad right?
(pardon my sarcasm)
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I have had problems with service for every car I ever owned, except my Acuras (one NSX, 3 TL-s) and 1 Lexus- the dealer and the service dept were great, mod friendly, never pointed the finger at me unless they were sure I gummed it up, and I stood up and accepted it when i did.
My worst experiences have been with Ford - I had a 1987 GT that had a wobbly crank end (I think it was dropped) - the dampener could be seen to rotate badly - my dealer blamed it on my aftermarket exhaust. They would not fix the crank until I put every little God-and Ford-approved piece back on the car, then they pulled the engine and replaced the crank. When I came to pick up my car, it would start and then die - I could not get it to run - they then (on a new car, mind you) tried to charge me $120 to "scope diagnose" the car. Same thing on this car - the clouded headlight was the result of "air being let in by customer" - and this is not a sealed-beam unit anyway. On and on, everything that goes wrong is my fault.
HOWEVER...I have sorted these relatively small problems (the stall being the worst) out, and unless the repair is expensive and/or beyond the physical limits of a shadetree mechanic, I do it myself. But that has been true on all my previous cars too.
Read the BMW boards - a litany of problems with the M3 and the dealers,and those cars have huge forensics in the computers - every RPM, shift point, time at WOT, etc is captured, and when people have their engines fail, BMW is all over the data (Oh, Mr Griber, I see that you went 1 RPM over redline onMay 1, 2002, and we must regreattably blow you off".
It is a sad state but seems pandemic - a few exceptions - there is a Toyota dealer here (McGeorge) that is well respected. Crown Acura is well respected. Richmond BMW is not, and one reason I sold my M3.
What is my point? I think each person has to determine his breaking point with a car and the dealer - you do not seem to be patient, and my experience has been that most dealers put up a wall when confronted - a little grease often gets the job done. Am I forgiving or rationalizing your delaer's horrible attitude - no! Find your comfort level, and make your stand. I know it sounds crazy, but cars and people sometimes have a Kharma - the negative energy seems to rise in a negative synergy.
I did have a Lexus for a while as the family sedan - they treated me like a King - they apologized when something went wrong. They were astounded that I did routine maintenance myself - I once tried to order the expensive ATF they use, and they GAVE me a gallon of it, and when i offered to pay, the Service Mgr just smiled and opened the car door for me, waving and shaking his head with a smile as I sped off.
I wish lexus made a ballz-out muscle car - but it would be $70k.
Still, I am having 2nd thoughts about the Ford GT I reserved - whether i want to risk the agony and mental anguish of having even 1/3 of the treatment you have received for a $125k supercar. But I get a woodie every time I look at the thing...
What to do, what to do....
Good Luck on whatever happens - I hope you get satisfaction.
My worst experiences have been with Ford - I had a 1987 GT that had a wobbly crank end (I think it was dropped) - the dampener could be seen to rotate badly - my dealer blamed it on my aftermarket exhaust. They would not fix the crank until I put every little God-and Ford-approved piece back on the car, then they pulled the engine and replaced the crank. When I came to pick up my car, it would start and then die - I could not get it to run - they then (on a new car, mind you) tried to charge me $120 to "scope diagnose" the car. Same thing on this car - the clouded headlight was the result of "air being let in by customer" - and this is not a sealed-beam unit anyway. On and on, everything that goes wrong is my fault.
HOWEVER...I have sorted these relatively small problems (the stall being the worst) out, and unless the repair is expensive and/or beyond the physical limits of a shadetree mechanic, I do it myself. But that has been true on all my previous cars too.
Read the BMW boards - a litany of problems with the M3 and the dealers,and those cars have huge forensics in the computers - every RPM, shift point, time at WOT, etc is captured, and when people have their engines fail, BMW is all over the data (Oh, Mr Griber, I see that you went 1 RPM over redline onMay 1, 2002, and we must regreattably blow you off".
It is a sad state but seems pandemic - a few exceptions - there is a Toyota dealer here (McGeorge) that is well respected. Crown Acura is well respected. Richmond BMW is not, and one reason I sold my M3.
What is my point? I think each person has to determine his breaking point with a car and the dealer - you do not seem to be patient, and my experience has been that most dealers put up a wall when confronted - a little grease often gets the job done. Am I forgiving or rationalizing your delaer's horrible attitude - no! Find your comfort level, and make your stand. I know it sounds crazy, but cars and people sometimes have a Kharma - the negative energy seems to rise in a negative synergy.
I did have a Lexus for a while as the family sedan - they treated me like a King - they apologized when something went wrong. They were astounded that I did routine maintenance myself - I once tried to order the expensive ATF they use, and they GAVE me a gallon of it, and when i offered to pay, the Service Mgr just smiled and opened the car door for me, waving and shaking his head with a smile as I sped off.
I wish lexus made a ballz-out muscle car - but it would be $70k.
Still, I am having 2nd thoughts about the Ford GT I reserved - whether i want to risk the agony and mental anguish of having even 1/3 of the treatment you have received for a $125k supercar. But I get a woodie every time I look at the thing...
What to do, what to do....
Good Luck on whatever happens - I hope you get satisfaction.
Hey dude, you're either a yong driver or you['ve never had a Ford before?!?!? YTou've gotten some good advice so far, so don't toss int the towel. Yeah, you could give up, but I certyainly wouldn't and I certainly will never let somebody treat me, do me like a tool, like this eff'ed up dealership is doing you. Fight back godammit!!! Don't be a victim. You've got them where you need them, so call the BBB and Ford itself. Call SVT and mail them your paperwork and proof of a DISHONEST dealership. Go get 'em!! And, lastly, please don't give up on Fords because of one bad deal. I've owned most makes of cars over the years and I'm also on my third SVT Cobra. All snakes have been good cars. I understand your feelings, but don't take it lying down, boy. ATTACK!
Sn8k Charmer I was just thinking, if your really that skeptical of the Cobra, maybe you should concider the Mach1. None of those cars seem to have any infamous technical problems that alot of Cobras seem to be getting famous for. I guess then it would be a quesiton of whether or not you liked the way it was styled.
Make sure you find yourself a different dealership to deal with as well.
Make sure you find yourself a different dealership to deal with as well.
This is my first Ford...
I owned this 1996 for six years...I put thousands and thousands of dollars into this car. I finally gave up on the overheating problems, and traded it in on my Viper in January. I loved the look of the car, it handled extremely well, and performed pretty well. So I was pretty excited to purchase this car (2003 Cobra), I am now just shocked I am have heat problems in a car straight from the factory. So this is not a new issue to me. I babied my 1996 for years before I finally gave up. I put in a raditor, a thermostat, I had it retuned over and over all to no avail. So please don't think I am just impatient. Also I want you to know that I have had very nice conversations with the Service Manager, General Manager and the Service Advisor. Its the Regional Rep who has treated me so poorly. He being the top man has not been impressive to say the least. Other I have dealt with have made their mistakes but the regional rep has taken the cake. He is also the finally decision (abeit the board), the GM, Service Manger and the Advisor can do nothing.
I owned this 1996 for six years...I put thousands and thousands of dollars into this car. I finally gave up on the overheating problems, and traded it in on my Viper in January. I loved the look of the car, it handled extremely well, and performed pretty well. So I was pretty excited to purchase this car (2003 Cobra), I am now just shocked I am have heat problems in a car straight from the factory. So this is not a new issue to me. I babied my 1996 for years before I finally gave up. I put in a raditor, a thermostat, I had it retuned over and over all to no avail. So please don't think I am just impatient. Also I want you to know that I have had very nice conversations with the Service Manager, General Manager and the Service Advisor. Its the Regional Rep who has treated me so poorly. He being the top man has not been impressive to say the least. Other I have dealt with have made their mistakes but the regional rep has taken the cake. He is also the finally decision (abeit the board), the GM, Service Manger and the Advisor can do nothing.
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Here is another picture...
I thought this was one of the best look stangs around...
I thought this was one of the best look stangs around...
Damn... Sounds like you've had the problems with ford that Iv had with General Motors.
BTW thats a very sharp looking 96 you had there. Sorry to here you had problems with that one as well.
BTW thats a very sharp looking 96 you had there. Sorry to here you had problems with that one as well.
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wear a suit, carry a golf club in one hand and a cuban cigar in the other. Driving up to the dealership in a custom golf cart to see the manager wouldn't hurt either..
maybe then you'll get the service you deserve..
maybe then you'll get the service you deserve..
oh man
Yeah I wouldnt even bother posting on these boards. Fords got some serious issues and ford fanatics on these boards dont like to hear about it or admit it. I admit that I have been disgusted before and even came to Fords defense before about certain issues because people bad mouthed the 03 cobra so much.
The truth in my opinion is that the issues are not 03 cobra specific. Even your issues arent IMOP. There are all sorts of problems with the 03 Cobra. Some people experience alignment troubles (like me) , others experienced serious vibration, I know someone who got a whole new tranny and drive shaft on his with 400 miles. His car was missing a synchro and had the vib bad. Still some people have a perfect car.
BUT.........I know people with other FOrd cars that have all sorts of troubles as well. Mustangs and Cobras especially, are more heavily critiqued because of these boards and because we are much more picky about our cars than say....contour owners or people with minivans hehe.... We notice every little problem.. but I do know FOcus owners that have major complaints and problems that are never fixed. Taurus Owners as well...
Do some other car makers also have terrible quality??? YES
NEW PROBLEM WITH MY CAR...actually its been doing this a while and I know two other people who have the same issue. ONLY ONE TIRE SPINS WHEN DOING A BURNOUT. especially after going through the water box? Dry burnouts spin both... I need a new set of DRs cause one is completely bald and the other still has tread. F FORD Now im going to pay to get yet another thing fixed that should have come right from FOrd in the first place. Id rather spend money on a new exhaust system.
:mj:
Yeah I wouldnt even bother posting on these boards. Fords got some serious issues and ford fanatics on these boards dont like to hear about it or admit it. I admit that I have been disgusted before and even came to Fords defense before about certain issues because people bad mouthed the 03 cobra so much.
The truth in my opinion is that the issues are not 03 cobra specific. Even your issues arent IMOP. There are all sorts of problems with the 03 Cobra. Some people experience alignment troubles (like me) , others experienced serious vibration, I know someone who got a whole new tranny and drive shaft on his with 400 miles. His car was missing a synchro and had the vib bad. Still some people have a perfect car.
BUT.........I know people with other FOrd cars that have all sorts of troubles as well. Mustangs and Cobras especially, are more heavily critiqued because of these boards and because we are much more picky about our cars than say....contour owners or people with minivans hehe.... We notice every little problem.. but I do know FOcus owners that have major complaints and problems that are never fixed. Taurus Owners as well...
Do some other car makers also have terrible quality??? YES
NEW PROBLEM WITH MY CAR...actually its been doing this a while and I know two other people who have the same issue. ONLY ONE TIRE SPINS WHEN DOING A BURNOUT. especially after going through the water box? Dry burnouts spin both... I need a new set of DRs cause one is completely bald and the other still has tread. F FORD Now im going to pay to get yet another thing fixed that should have come right from FOrd in the first place. Id rather spend money on a new exhaust system.
:mj:
I will say this though, it wont right any wrongs that you've experienced with fords, but, My dad owns a GN (which he's owned since it was new), knock on wood it has 30 thousand miles on it and no problems yet except the brake line exploding and spewing all of that wonderful acidic break fluid all over those polished stainless steel parts inside dads engine. Cant say that was the only problem with all of the other General Motors vehicles we've owned... He owns that 5.0 I mentioned, I own the Dakota R/T and the Cobra. So far we've had the best luck with ford, like I said with chrysler its too soon to tell. (just if your seeking somebody thats had a positive experience with ford)
My Dads a tooling engineer at dimalar/chrysler, my grandpa used to build trannys for the vettes when he worked at New Venture Gear. But, dad still says that Ford has the best reputation amoungst the 3 american giants as far as quality and service go.
My Dads a tooling engineer at dimalar/chrysler, my grandpa used to build trannys for the vettes when he worked at New Venture Gear. But, dad still says that Ford has the best reputation amoungst the 3 american giants as far as quality and service go.
Re: oh man
silvercoffin, not all of the 03 Cobras are POS, my 03 is doing just here in CO., i have had Fords all of my driving life. i have had POS like the Mustang II in the 70's, but i have had better luck with Fords than anything else, including imports.
My daily driver is a 99 Chevy tahoe, this is a POS, cost my company tons of bucks every time i have to take it in to the dealer for poor quailty. it cost more than my Cobra new.
My son is a BMW tech, and the stories he tells about their $100,000.+ cars. you would be real sick if if you had to deal with them.
I think you are asking to much from Ford if you exceed 'the standard limits' of any of their products, if you have blown the rear end because you do burnouts, don't demand someone else pay the bill, it will not happen with them or anybody else!
I'm not tring to flame you or anybody else, just stating the facts!
silvercoffin, not all of the 03 Cobras are POS, my 03 is doing just here in CO., i have had Fords all of my driving life. i have had POS like the Mustang II in the 70's, but i have had better luck with Fords than anything else, including imports.
My daily driver is a 99 Chevy tahoe, this is a POS, cost my company tons of bucks every time i have to take it in to the dealer for poor quailty. it cost more than my Cobra new.
My son is a BMW tech, and the stories he tells about their $100,000.+ cars. you would be real sick if if you had to deal with them.
I think you are asking to much from Ford if you exceed 'the standard limits' of any of their products, if you have blown the rear end because you do burnouts, don't demand someone else pay the bill, it will not happen with them or anybody else!
I'm not tring to flame you or anybody else, just stating the facts!
Ford, and the other Big 3 companies, seem to sell cars based on incentives and rebates, not service and quality. I am a diehard Ford fanatic, but I would bet that the regional service rep for Infinity or Lexus would have treated the situation differently.
What I don't get about Ford is that the SVT cars are supposed to be the shining star. The Cobra is one of the few cars Ford makes with no incentives. SVT buyers should be treated with a higher level of respect. Instead, they get treated just like a guy who bought a ZX2. Equality would be fine (and ideal), mind you, if the quality of service was high for all customers.
Instead of the rep complaining about driving style, the approach should have been focused on dealing with the problem. Sooner or later, they are going to have to deal with it if it is happening to other cars in the same situation. They can't market the Cobra with pictures of it doing smokey burnouts and then expect that customers are not going to do the same.
This is what happened at a much larger level with the whole Firestone fiasco. You would have hoped that Ford would have learned from that situation.
I disagree that Ford sucks, but I agree that your situation sucks and you are being treated very poorly.
There must be some Ford reps, dealers, execs, etc. on this forum...maybe they could be of some help in a discrete way.
Good luck...
What I don't get about Ford is that the SVT cars are supposed to be the shining star. The Cobra is one of the few cars Ford makes with no incentives. SVT buyers should be treated with a higher level of respect. Instead, they get treated just like a guy who bought a ZX2. Equality would be fine (and ideal), mind you, if the quality of service was high for all customers.
Instead of the rep complaining about driving style, the approach should have been focused on dealing with the problem. Sooner or later, they are going to have to deal with it if it is happening to other cars in the same situation. They can't market the Cobra with pictures of it doing smokey burnouts and then expect that customers are not going to do the same.
This is what happened at a much larger level with the whole Firestone fiasco. You would have hoped that Ford would have learned from that situation.
I disagree that Ford sucks, but I agree that your situation sucks and you are being treated very poorly.
There must be some Ford reps, dealers, execs, etc. on this forum...maybe they could be of some help in a discrete way.
Good luck...
03 COBRA SB!!!
03 COBRA SB!!!!
You didnt read my entire post before quoting me and critisizing it!
I even said that some people have perfect cars!!!
I also said that two other cobras have the same problem! DO you really think that all three of us blew out rear ends at the track? NO Way! You could be right, but I think its more likely that this is another FOrd issue. This car is supposed to be designed to take a beating. Ford encourages all the Mustang Mags to go out mod and beat thbe hell out of it. Then tell us its our fault when something goes wrong. You sound like you work for Ford!
Regardless I feel real bad for the guy that started this thread. No one should go through what he is and FOrd is rediculous for telling him that its his fault. I wouldnt believe him if I hadnt gone through similar BS with Ford over my alignment that they tried over and over again to tell me was the result of wider tires on the 03 cobra before finally checking it out and redrilling the camber plates....and still not fixing it right...
03 COBRA SB!!!!
You didnt read my entire post before quoting me and critisizing it!
I even said that some people have perfect cars!!!
I also said that two other cobras have the same problem! DO you really think that all three of us blew out rear ends at the track? NO Way! You could be right, but I think its more likely that this is another FOrd issue. This car is supposed to be designed to take a beating. Ford encourages all the Mustang Mags to go out mod and beat thbe hell out of it. Then tell us its our fault when something goes wrong. You sound like you work for Ford!
Regardless I feel real bad for the guy that started this thread. No one should go through what he is and FOrd is rediculous for telling him that its his fault. I wouldnt believe him if I hadnt gone through similar BS with Ford over my alignment that they tried over and over again to tell me was the result of wider tires on the 03 cobra before finally checking it out and redrilling the camber plates....and still not fixing it right...
Cito...thank you. Your post is right on the money. If you look at some of my other comments you need to understand that the Regional Rep is "Ford". When the service manager and the rep called me, they said "Ford" had decided that my car was operating normally and it was my fault the car was overheating (again it did overheat the next day on the service mgr when they were trying to wash the car). I believe the Service Manager was actually happy it overheated on him. It was finally proof I was doing nothing wrong. When the Regional Rep told me that "Ford" had decided that nothing was wrong with my car, I kept trying to figure out who "Ford" was. I finally got him to admit it was his decision, but he still represented himself as "Ford". Now I hope you understand why I say "Ford sucks"...he and everyone in a position like his, represents "Ford". As such, if he/they continue to treat their customers like they are expendable, they will only have the die-hards left...and sooner or later they (the die-hards)will encounter more than one situation like this, and leave as well. Don't tell me how great Ford Quailty is .... show me. Quality is not just in a car, but its in how you treat your customers. That goes for any car manufacturer.
I never complained about the car until this fourth time...I have been a perfect gentlemen until they blamed my driving style on the car's problems...give me a break, I do have a breaking point. I really hope that someone at Ford see this, they need to and I feel can change public opinion. One person at a time. One unhappy customer can cause this much crap...I know there are lots of you guys who are happy with your cars, but you don't get near this kind of continued attention. I hope with this post you can see the damage one "Ford" rep can initiate. It is he who has burnt me on "Ford". And there is only a couple avenues around him...the arbitration board or court...
:??:
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