Problems with Instrument Cluster Upgrade
07-19-2005, 10:06 AM
#12
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Join Date: May 2005
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Posts: 121
RE: Problems with Instrument Cluster Upgrade
Here is the latest information that I have...
I have spoken with parts managers at two different dealerships and both indicate that everything points to there being one single wiring harness for the Mustangs... both V6 and GT. The only difference being that the GT uses an additional harness to run the foglights from the fuse box under the hood to the front of the car.
The cluster and switch are said to be valid parts from 10/04-08/05. Basically, the entire life of the car.
The only difference with the wiring harness is that they changed harnesses on both the V6 and the GT on 4/19/05. My car was built on 4/15. However, both before and after that date on any given date, there was only one single harness for the vehicle and it supposedly supported the guage cluster with the messaging center.
My opinion, which is shared by both parts managers and my service manager, is that Ford should pay the bill to put the correct (or the rest of the) harness in my vehicle. But the service manager said he has to talk to his Ford representative first to see if they will do that. He said if they won't, and I still want the cluster bad enough, I'll have to pay for it out of my own pocket.
He said that since my vehicle didn't come with that cluster, the wiring is unnecessary. My opinion is that whether or not it is unnecessary is completely up to me, not them. If the parts catalog and the service manuals all indicate that the harness should be there, then I paid for it... whether it is used or not.
Just because I don't use cruise control doesn't mean that I don't have a right to have it fixed if it doesn't work, or even have it at all. I did pay for it.
My service manager did try to turn it around on me and make it look like I cost them a lot of money. He said that because they spent four hours on my car on Saturday that he had to work six people overtime and refund customers about $150 because their cars took so long.
I explained to him that the only reason it took so long is because their very own manuals and the guy on the Ford hotline indicated that the connector for the cluster should be there. Had their documentation matched the car, we would have been in and out of there, realizing that the connector wasn't there, in about 30 minutes. The only reason we took the dash apart, which is what took so much time, was because everything and everyone indicated that the connector must be there.... however, it was not.
I'll keep you all updated.
I have spoken with parts managers at two different dealerships and both indicate that everything points to there being one single wiring harness for the Mustangs... both V6 and GT. The only difference being that the GT uses an additional harness to run the foglights from the fuse box under the hood to the front of the car.
The cluster and switch are said to be valid parts from 10/04-08/05. Basically, the entire life of the car.
The only difference with the wiring harness is that they changed harnesses on both the V6 and the GT on 4/19/05. My car was built on 4/15. However, both before and after that date on any given date, there was only one single harness for the vehicle and it supposedly supported the guage cluster with the messaging center.
My opinion, which is shared by both parts managers and my service manager, is that Ford should pay the bill to put the correct (or the rest of the) harness in my vehicle. But the service manager said he has to talk to his Ford representative first to see if they will do that. He said if they won't, and I still want the cluster bad enough, I'll have to pay for it out of my own pocket.
He said that since my vehicle didn't come with that cluster, the wiring is unnecessary. My opinion is that whether or not it is unnecessary is completely up to me, not them. If the parts catalog and the service manuals all indicate that the harness should be there, then I paid for it... whether it is used or not.
Just because I don't use cruise control doesn't mean that I don't have a right to have it fixed if it doesn't work, or even have it at all. I did pay for it.
My service manager did try to turn it around on me and make it look like I cost them a lot of money. He said that because they spent four hours on my car on Saturday that he had to work six people overtime and refund customers about $150 because their cars took so long.
I explained to him that the only reason it took so long is because their very own manuals and the guy on the Ford hotline indicated that the connector for the cluster should be there. Had their documentation matched the car, we would have been in and out of there, realizing that the connector wasn't there, in about 30 minutes. The only reason we took the dash apart, which is what took so much time, was because everything and everyone indicated that the connector must be there.... however, it was not.
I'll keep you all updated.
07-19-2005, 10:58 AM
#13
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Join Date: May 2005
Location: Tampa
Posts: 4,204
RE: Problems with Instrument Cluster Upgrade
Sounds like you are fighting a good battle. But don't be surprised when Ford says NO. But I agree. You did in fact pay for the wiring harness to be complete. And if all car are suppose to have it then you are missing something. I agree with you though... Don't give up.
07-19-2005, 04:14 PM
#14
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Join Date: May 2005
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Update!
I got a call back from the service manager just before 9am this morning.
He said that he spoke with his Ford representative and that guy said that Ford stopped putting in certain parts of the harness based on the options that the car came with. He said it was a cost-saving idea.
He also suggested several times that if there were something wrong with my harness, that Ford would pay to have the full harness put into the car. Each time he made that suggestion, the service manager told him that there was nothing wrong with my harness. I guess all this nice guy from Ford can do is wink, but someone here has to take the bait. It seemed like he wanted to help.
Anyways, I have a meeting tomorrow morning with the Ford representative in person. I will let you all know how that goes.
He said that he spoke with his Ford representative and that guy said that Ford stopped putting in certain parts of the harness based on the options that the car came with. He said it was a cost-saving idea.
He also suggested several times that if there were something wrong with my harness, that Ford would pay to have the full harness put into the car. Each time he made that suggestion, the service manager told him that there was nothing wrong with my harness. I guess all this nice guy from Ford can do is wink, but someone here has to take the bait. It seemed like he wanted to help.
Anyways, I have a meeting tomorrow morning with the Ford representative in person. I will let you all know how that goes.
07-20-2005, 05:58 AM
#15
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Join Date: May 2005
Location: Tampa
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RE: Update!
ORIGINAL: jfrayzier
Ford stopped putting in certain parts of the harness based on the options that the car came with. He said it was a cost-saving idea.
Ford stopped putting in certain parts of the harness based on the options that the car came with. He said it was a cost-saving idea.
Yeah that's what I thought... That sucks. Good luck though man, I don't think any business man would be willing to do $500-$600 worth of work for free.
But keep trying, never hurts to try.
07-20-2005, 11:44 AM
#16
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Post-Meeting
Well, I met with the representative from Ford today. It seemed like he had his mind made up before I even got there. I hate that I took an hour and a half off from work to even meet with him... the fact that I also spent half of a day over there on Saturday while they worked on something that wasn't the same as their documentation aggrivates me, too, but that's another story.
He said that adding the guage cluster to my vehicle is an unauthorized modification to the car and that he wasn't going to have any part of it.
At this point, the only way that I will get the wiring in my vehicle is if my harness goes bad, but I don't see how that would ever happen. However, if it did, I would get the full harness as a replacement.
Not sure what would be next. I guess I'll never get the instrument cluster.
He said that adding the guage cluster to my vehicle is an unauthorized modification to the car and that he wasn't going to have any part of it.
At this point, the only way that I will get the wiring in my vehicle is if my harness goes bad, but I don't see how that would ever happen. However, if it did, I would get the full harness as a replacement.
Not sure what would be next. I guess I'll never get the instrument cluster.
07-20-2005, 11:57 AM
#18
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Join Date: May 2005
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RE: Post-Meeting
First, according to the Ford Rep, it is an unauthorized modification to the car. Take from that statement what you want.
I do not know at what date they stopped using the full harness. According to parts managers I have spoken with, they used the same harness on every Mustang period. Except on April 19 they changed it, but it was the same change for all of them. Either way, on any given date, there was only one harness listed.
But I've been told that is *replacement* part. Not necessarily the part that the vehicle was built with.
For what it's worth, my vehicle was built on April 15, 05.
I do not know at what date they stopped using the full harness. According to parts managers I have spoken with, they used the same harness on every Mustang period. Except on April 19 they changed it, but it was the same change for all of them. Either way, on any given date, there was only one harness listed.
But I've been told that is *replacement* part. Not necessarily the part that the vehicle was built with.
For what it's worth, my vehicle was built on April 15, 05.
07-20-2005, 06:30 PM
#19
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location:
Posts: 34
RE: Post-Meeting
hi,
I didnt know about the messaging center until i got the car home and was looking through the manual. I saw it in there and got excited that it was a feature i hant noticed yet. i went in my car and was very dissapointed that it wasnt there. I knew that i wasnt getting "mycolor" but the messaging center should have been included on all models.
I would definatlely have it installed now if it was possible.
I didnt know about the messaging center until i got the car home and was looking through the manual. I saw it in there and got excited that it was a feature i hant noticed yet. i went in my car and was very dissapointed that it wasnt there. I knew that i wasnt getting "mycolor" but the messaging center should have been included on all models.
I would definatlely have it installed now if it was possible.
07-20-2005, 06:35 PM
#20
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RE: Post-Meeting
After some more digging, it looks like my wiring harness has a part number 4R3T-14401-BN. I'll bet those that have been successful in upgrading the guage cluster has part number 4R3T-14401-CN.
Realizing that it is a different harness by design certainly sheds some light on the situation. However, having been told by different sources and concluding from the wiring scematics that it is all there, it still does not change my opinion that it should be added to my vehicle.
Realizing that it is a different harness by design certainly sheds some light on the situation. However, having been told by different sources and concluding from the wiring scematics that it is all there, it still does not change my opinion that it should be added to my vehicle.
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