Ford Sucks...Prove Me Wrong

[CobraBob]

I've had my Cobra since January and have no issues with it at all. I'm very pleased. I guess I'm part of the 95%+ who are happy. If I was as dissastisfied with my Cobra as Sn8k Charmer I would take their offer of a replacement and then turn around and sell it at a slight loss. I would figure the loss would be better than the "torture' of having to live with a car I don't like. Or, I would take another Ford car or SUV. The Mach 1, if you can get one, might not be a bad deal. Just some thoughts. Good luck. Hope they eventually make you happy.

 

[MightyMo]

isn't there an official body other than Ford who can determine/ or officially conclude your car is a lemon and should be promptly replaced or maybe just replace the engine?

 

[03 COBRA SB]

Originally posted by Sn8k Charmer

[B 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...
:??: [/B]

Sn8k Charmer,

like i said before, i'm sorry that you have had this much problems, i still think you should take their offer for a new Cobra. remember, if you go to court they could take the info out of the 'black box' and use any negative info against you.

 

[Sonic Blue MN]

Originally posted by Sn8k Charmer
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.


I suggest that you do this with the help of an attorney. I also want to tell you that I agree with you 100%. Your car is a lemon. The fact that it is driven in hot weather and at a high altitude does not excuse the manufacturer from it's warranty contract with you. Your situation just shows that buying anything, is a business transaction and should be handled as such. You may run into pricks or very nice people at the dealership that either care or don't care about your situation. The fact is a large company like Ford does not care about you personally and has absolutely no loyalty to you.

 

[MightyMo]

Originally posted by Sonic Blue MN

Originally posted by Sn8k Charmer
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.


I suggest that you do this with the help of an attorney. I also want to tell you that I agree with you 100%. Your car is a lemon. The fact that it is driven in hot weather and at a high altitude does not excuse the manufacturer from it's warranty contract with you. Your situation just shows that buying anything, is a business transaction and should be handled as such. You may run into pricks or very nice people at the dealership that either care or don't care about your situation. The fact is a large company like Ford does not care about you personally and has absolutely no loyalty to you.

RIGHT ON !!

There are federal laws to protect the consumer, they apply to YOU!

 

[Sonic Blue MN]

His concern has to be how much will it cost in legal fees to make Ford follow the law. I hope it works out for him.

 

[SoCalBlk03]

Sn8K Charmer,
Just out of curiosity what makes your car different from the rest? Not trying to flame but just what is a high altitude package? Perhaps that is the problem. I've been living in the hight desert seeing regular temps of 110+ and driving hard @ 3000-5000ft elevatins with the ac on w/o problems. I had 2 boilovers; the first from a stupid 1 min burout and the other b/c I didn't burp the system after the 1st boilover. Basically my question boils down to this; can they bring in a car from out of state w/o a high altitude package and test it under the "circumstances"? This would truly prove that the dealer/Ford screwed up your car.

 

[Sn8k Charmer]

Originally posted by SoCalBlk03
Sn8K Charmer,
Just out of curiosity what makes your car different from the rest? Not trying to flame but just what is a high altitude package? Perhaps that is the problem. I've been living in the hight desert seeing regular temps of 110+ and driving hard @ 3000-5000ft elevatins with the ac on w/o problems. I had 2 boilovers; the first from a stupid 1 min burout and the other b/c I didn't burp the system after the 1st boilover. Basically my question boils down to this; can they bring in a car from out of state w/o a high altitude package and test it under the "circumstances"? This would truly prove that the dealer/Ford screwed up your car.

Someone else checked out the "High Altitude Principal Use" option and they said it is nothing. They told me the computer adjusts for altitude, so it just on there to comfort the buyer.

Someone else mentioned they could use the "black box" against me...my car has about 1,000 miles of my use, and 250+ of their use. I haven't even come close to abusing the car. Never seen the strip, or even a drag race (on the street). I haven't really had the car long enough to enjoy the power. It overheated every other week, so that severely inhibited my driving.

I don't hate the car... hell I bought it even though I liked my 1996 body style far more. I knew there might be some problems with the car; any high performance car could have issues. Now that others have had the same problem, locally. As well as the brand new one the service manager got to overheat, I am gun shy. I might try to work a deal on a Lincoln Aviator. My wife called me a while a go and said she would reconsider that vehicle (she will look at it at lunch). I am hesitant because we already have the Durango, so I don't think we need two SUVs but it would only be till next July when the lease is up on the Durango.

 

[03 COBRA SB]

Re: 03 COBRA SB!!!

Originally posted by silvercoffin
03 COBRA SB!!!!

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!

silvercoffin,

what world do you live in? What marketing does and tells is to sell cars, how they are going to handle waranty claims is a different issue. the dealers shops are loaded with young techs, that are trained to diagnose, quick repair, and replace if Ford engineers approve it. They are trained to spot 'normal wear and tear of parts. if it is officious(sp?) that we have moded and or changed the factory parts and specs, they are more likely to not waranty the problem. IF, and this is a big IF, the owner of the dealer cares about his customer, they MAY be willing to help. most of the dealers in CO, IMO, are not this way.
If you are going to own a high performance car, you will be fixing it on a weekly bases. Do you think back when the Shelby's and Boss's were marketed, that they told the buyers that you will be working on this car on a weekly bases?. Talk to anybody that owned one, they were high maintance.

Why do most drag racers build chevy,s?, parts are cheep and are easy to find, but most of them use 9" FORD rear ends. If you race your Cobra, and i do, expect to be working on and replacing parts.

like i said to you before, i was not flaming you or anybody else, just trying to show a point.

 

[CobraBob]

Re: Re: 03 COBRA SB!!!

Originally posted by 03 COBRA SB

If you are going to own a high performance car, you will be fixing it on a weekly bases. Do you think back when the Shelby's and Boss's were marketed, that they told the buyers that you will be working on this car on a weekly bases?. Talk to anybody that owned one, they were high maintance.

You really can't compare the '03 Cobra (or any other late model high performance car) to the '60s Shelbys and Bosses. Different technology entirely. Back then those cars were extremely high strung and were meant to live more on the track. And track use meant motor issues. Some cars back then had no warrantee if you went with certain motor options. But the '03 Cobra motor is designed to run hard. As is the Viper. As is the Vette. As is the Camaro SS. Plain and simple. And the vast majority of '03 Cobra owners prove this every day. Unfortunately like any other (American) car there are going to be bugs. But they are the minority. One of the problems with these forums is that the average person posts complaints because they can get stuff off their back (understandable, of course) but we rarely hear about the non-issues because they are -- non-issues.

I had the choice of going with a Lexus RX300 or the Cobra. I chose the Cobra. There is no comparison between the two as far as performance and (more important) reliability. Lexus quality is FAR superior and their attention to their customers is much higher than Ford. I knew this going into my purchase. Fortunately I haven't had any issues except for a bad fog lamp.

 

[SoCalBlk03]

Originally posted by Sn8k Charmer
Someone else checked out the "High Altitude Principal Use" option and they said it is nothing. They told me the computer adjusts for altitude, so it just on there to comfort the buyer.....As well as the brand new one the service manager got to overheat, I am gun shy. I might try to work a deal on a Lincoln Aviator.

OK so much for that theory. I understand your worries but one more question. In each instance of the boilover did the fan come on? The reason I ask is that one of my chip features is to have the fans come on early thus eliminating the need for a lower temp thermostat. If the fans aren't coming on perhaps this is something they could address.

 

[Sn8k Charmer]

Originally posted by SoCalBlk03
OK so much for that theory. I understand your worries but one more question. In each instance of the boilover did the fan come on? The reason I ask is that one of my chip features is to have the fans come on early thus eliminating the need for a lower temp thermostat. If the fans aren't coming on perhaps this is something they could address.

In every instance of boilover the A/C has been on, as such the fans have been on (high). Again a Ford Engineer has looked over the car and said it is OK as far as specs go.

 

[JackisBack]

Money Back

Charmer,
I have experience on this. A friend of mine bought a new Ford Explorer just a few years back. Had a slight vibration at 60mph. Factory rep came out three times. Claimed no problem but it really was...altho not like it was making your teeth chatter. Those guys are always leaning toward protecting Ford's interest. His persistent complaining got him what he wanted. He had the car for about 1 year...got all his money back plus interest!! Note: no replacement. You can get your money but I believe the arbitration board got it for him. I can ask him again to be sure if you like. Hang in there...you'll get it. The law demands it. They just hope you're not smart enough to know it.

 

[Annihil8or]

That's right, I could have received a full refund + interest instead of a replacement Thunderbird. The AZ law was quite clear about that.

 

[JackisBack]

more info

Sit back and chill. Help is on the way. I was right. Ford Rep said nothing was wrong with his Explorer...said they all vibrate at 60mph and that was normal! Contact the arbitration board by filling out the card in the owners manual. 2-3 weeks later they call. This is how it was done with my friend. They called to say that they accepted his complaint for arbitration due to the number of times in the shop.....hint:lemon law. They also sent an INDEPENDENT rep to test the vehicle. They told him of the next monthly meeting of the board which meets in Wash DC. You can choose tele conference or appear in person. My friend chose tele. They give you a specific day and 1 or 2 hour time period they will call. You can only speak when spoken to and you must only answer questions and not ask any. They called, asked what the problem was, told him they would respond. They wrote back about a week later informing him of the decision for Ford to pay him money back plus interest or replacement vehicle. His choice.

The Ford factory rep is worthless. He cannot do this for you. The arbitration board is 3rd party, not Ford. They are bound to do what they say. You shouldn't have a problem getting your money back. Good luck!

 

[ArizonaSnake]

Originally posted by Sn8k Charmer
In every instance of boilover the A/C has been on, as such the fans have been on (high). Again a Ford Engineer has looked over the car and said it is OK as far as specs go.

What is your elevation where you are located? Interesting that so many of the Cars you are coming in contact with want to overheat.

I regularly run around here in Az at 4100-5300 ft elevation in 100^ weather and I am not seeing any indication of overheating what so ever.

I wonder if they have a bad batch of (designed primarily for high elevation useage) cars in your area. Mine is not one of the high elevation types. Perhaps that is the issue and Ford could look along those lines?

Pay my travel expenses and put me up at your Crib and I will come visit you and we can tool around in mine and see if mine overheats! :-D

 

[94SVT Coupe]

Originally posted by Sn8k Charmer
In every instance of boilover the A/C has been on, as such the fans have been on (high). Again a Ford Engineer has looked over the car and said it is OK as far as specs go.

Have you tried a new fan? Could be it's not moving the air it should. When I had my 94, I remember 94-95 Cobras with cooling problems that were from fans that were still turning, but not like they should. Of course these cars had a lot more miles. But your fan could be a culprit.

 

[94SVT Coupe]

More... if you think about it, how could the radiator possibly not be cooled from a 5000 CFM fan pulling 90-100 deg air through 200+ deg water. The 5000 CFM be be a little high, but not much. OEM fans kick some serious ass. The Mark VIII fans pull 5K. I think the SN95 may be lower like 4500 CFM on high. I definatley have them check the fan.

 

[Sn8k Charmer]

Repairing my Cobra is, at this point, their responsibility. From what I can tell the car it locked up and they are not doing anymore work on it. Monday the Service Mgr and I agreed to have me come pickup the car...even though they have not repaired it...when I arrived last night the Service Mgr was not there (he had the day off, planned). Unfortunately my car keys were locked in his office and the Service Advisor knew nothing about me coming, nor did he know they were forcing the car back on me. I was going to take the car to another dealer (Phil Long Ford) who has the other two overheating cars.

BTW I tried to make a deal with them on the replacement offer. I looked into a 2003 Lincoln Aviator. They are only going to give me MSRP for MSRP, then zero percent financing. I paid more than MSRP for the Cobra and the Lincoln is now selling at like $8557 less than MSRP at the dealer I went to. Plus I put $1,000 down on my loan and the upgrades, so I will also lose that money as well. So I don't know about you guys, but I think that is a complete insult. I (am trying) tried to work something out but they are just not working with me. I found out the Regional Rep is the same for all the local Ford Products, so there is no getting around him. If I don't work something out they know they are going to lose in arbitration, then they will more than likely have to give me what I paid for the car, plus my modifications, and my taxes. I can't believe they are willing to let it go to arbitration, since they are not even working on my car...it's just sitting there.

And to those of you who have said just take the replacement car and trade it in...why should I have to take a loss on this deal. I have done nothing wrong. I would love to get my Audi S4 back and just start the car search process over again.

 

[Sn8k Charmer]

UPDATE

Just got a call from the Lincoln Dealer. He said the Regional Rep is trying to make things right, and they really do want me out of my exisiting Cobra, as it is apparently having problems that others are not. So that puts me off edge. I hope we can make a mutually beneficial arrangement. If we can come to an arrangement I will retract what I said about "Ford sucks". I can tell you this much, with just the simple call the Lincoln dealer made, he is earning my trust.