Geno

It arrived at the dealership on tuesday and they called me at 5:00 PM to come get it. It wasnt exactly sunny outside. Infact, at 7:00 when i finally left the dealership it was raining harder than i've driven thru all year. Oddly enough, it rained like that while i was in the dealership ordering the car a few months ago. Bad omen?

Anyway, im lovin the thing! I couldnt be happier with my choice. I would post pictures but i dont have a camera. Use your imagination and read the signature.

I have some questions now.
1. My car was kind of dirty on the inside when i got it. I assume this is from the factory, but there are some stains, mostly hard to see, on the leather and door panels. Also, the chrome frames around the A/C Vents are scuffed pretty noticable on two of the pieces. The worst are the windows, which look like bath water dried on them. What do you think the dealer will do about these issues? I know i could clean my own glass, but i shouldnt have to wear myself out cleaning a brand new car.

2. WAX or NOT? I read on this forum somewhere that it isnt recommended to wax a new car because the paint needs to "set". is this valid? I dont personally get it. If the clearcoat is dry, which it is, then whats the problem? I really want to get a protective coating on this car ASAP.

3. How much should i expect to pay for a clear bra installation? I want one before the highway blasts the "new" off my front end. The dealer is trying to work something out (most of them didnt even know what i was talking about when i brought it up).

Thanks for the feedback fellas

Kiss Fan

First, congrats on the new ride, you're in for a lot of good times on the road with your new pony. As far as the interior, unfortunately you'd be in the best position if you showed the dealer the problems with the interior when you took delivery. Now they can say you did all the damage. But regardless, take the car back as soon as you can and insist that they clean the interior and windows and replace any damaged or "scuffed" parts. One thing to keep in mind...there is a protective film on the dashboard and probably other parts of the interior that gives the surface a scratched or dull appearance. Check and make sure they removed it from all areas. If not, this could be a source of some of your apparent problems. I don't think the glass has this film. If the dealership refuses to clean the interior and address your concerns, take it to a higher level at Ford. You should be getting a customer satisfaction survey in the mail shortly...let Ford know of the problems and let the dealership know you are doing this...perhaps it will pressure them in to doing the right thing for you. Don't back down, be polite but persistent. You paid good money for the car, they should at least give it to you clean. As far as the waxing goes, I was told that the paint sets not more than 36 hours after the car is painted, so you should be able to wax the car. However, one of the principals at one of the top auto cleaning product manufacturers told me this, so it was a bit of a self-serving statement probably. I'm sure you'll get some good feedback on this issue (and the bra, which I can't help you with) from the other knowledgable forum participants.

torch red

hey good luck, one tip i say is dont use any paste waxes use the spray on wipe off the dont last long but its fast and easy to do once a week, my 91 gt looked dynamite, i never washed it, then again i never went out in the rain either, good luck.

sowaxeman

Take the car back ASAP with a list of issues. They should fix it. I had 3 pieces of the interior replaced and the plastic moldings that fit under the windshield wipers repalced because I noticed the scrathes AFTER I got it home and looked under the sunlight. When I bought it, it was in the showroom under controlled lighting.

That car SHOULD have been spotless (other than the rain of course). No excuse for any kind of stains for scuffs in the interior of a brand new vehicle. They SHOULD fix it all for you.

Good luck.

Geno

Stopped by the dealership today to talk to the sales guy and turn the other key from my trade-in over to them.

The sales guy led me over to the shop area and a guy came out with some cleaner and got the spot off my door (grease, probably) and off the chrome frames (turned out it wasnt scuffed, just some sort of glue-like substance). He also told me to wait a month before waxing my car, which im going to go with. I got a recommendation on a place to do the clear-bra installation at that im going to call when i can find their number. Its a good dealership. They arent organized and the pre-sale service was kind of iffy, but they are being cool post-sale which is a little rarer i bet.

Finally I got some time to pet my pony today (...shut up). Since i picked it up tuesday its been nothing but rain, work, girlfriend, and work again. I left work early today and when i got home i went straight to detailing the inside. I took my first crack at the windows using some Meguiars Invisible glass. Its hard to tell how well it works in the day time, but i'll find out in the morning. Then i whipped out the Meguiars NXT Interior Detailer stuff. Man, if you havent applied something like this to your interior yet you dont know what you're missing. I did absolutely the entire interior with it. The best part is the rivited section of the door panels. Makes them look loosely similar to carbon fiber, in my opinion. Anyway, i finished up with the Meguiars Leather Conditioner stuff. Kind of hard to work with, but gives me peace of mind. Now that all that is over with i can look forward to tackling the exterior sunday.

jthorn9

First of all. The stains may not be nothin, but take it back to Ford and make them clean it. Odds are that some dumb mechanic crawled around in you car an put a few grease stains on the inside of your car. Yes you should way your car regularly, not like once a day, but once to twice a month is fine. You should wax the car to keep the paint shinny and to help it resist fading. If you don't wax it you may find yourself 5-10 years down the road paying a lot of money to get a new paint job. About the clear bra, dude don't do it. In my opinion bras on a car just ruin its looks. Remember bras will cause the front of your car to fade less quickly than the rest, in short take off the bra and you will have a darker front than your rear, this will look kind of crappy, and you will be able to tell. Yes bras do help protect the very fron end of your car, but your still going to take hood and roof damage, so all you really can do is just hope it waxes out.

Geno

It wont ruin its looks, its clear. Well, almost. You can usually see the seam line on the hood at certain angles. But you gotta understand, i drive 100 highway miles a day. It's a gravel gauntlet. To me i have two options:

Apply clear bra for about 4-500 bucks, and enjoy the fact that my car doesnt look like a victim of gang violence in 2 months. 4 years later probably have to get a new one.
OR
Don't get one and be irritated about the chips.

I doubt a clear-bra will cause my car to get a tan line. I dont think the scotchgard has any UV protection. And about hood damage, theres a piece that goes on the hood that will block 99% of the area a rock would likely hit. If i get it installed i'll borrow someone's camera and get some pics up. I dont think we have any sample pictures yet.

jthorn9

Well the best of luck with the bra, I will love to see hat the clear looks like.

sowaxeman

The clear bra is sort of like a smooth finished, clear bed liner. I don't think it will cause any tan lines. And as for a regular bra - if you REGULARLY wax your car like you say (with the bra off of course) and take the bra off when it rains to let it dry out - then you won't have that problem either. I had one on my 93 LX and I was VERY **** about waxing and removing when it got wet. No fade lines

Robs05gtvert

I've had the clear bra installed for 3 months...no problems whatsoever and I know it's saved my paint. I can't endorse it enough. The 3M product is finished with a automotive clear coat finish and blends perfectly with the clear coat on the paint. It's extra UV protection in my opinion. Wax it just like your paint and it is hard to tell it's installed.