Hood Corrosion & Ford Voided My Warranty
07-06-2018, 03:58 PM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2018
Location: NC
Posts: 2
Hood Corrosion & Ford Voided My Warranty
In mid March 2018, I noticed the paint bubbling on the front of the hood on my triple yellow 2015 Mustang GT PP 50 year package. It was about the size of a dime, right above the passenger side head light. I contacted Cloninger Ford of Hickory (North Carolina) and explained the issue to the representative. I was told that the issue was a paint issue (not a corrosion issue) and would not be covered.
At this point, I grew concerned because the vehicle had less than 30,000 miles, is garage kept, and I am insanely **** about cleaning, detailing, and keeping my Mustang looking and running perfectly. I plan to pass it down to my daughter and am trying to preserve the factory paint to the best of my ability. My father did body work and painting for Porsche, so I have a bit of knowledge with what I'm doing.
I contacted Ford corporate and was told that it's a corrosion issue that should be covered and they contacted Cloninger Ford of Hickory to schedule the repair.
On March 19th, 2018, with 28,925 miles, my car arrived at Cloninger Ford of Hickory. The transmission was inspected due to a clunking noise when releasing the clutch in first gear at low RPMs/parking lot speeds. I did not receive any type of answer on what was causing this issue, if it was resolved, or any further information. The vehicle still makes this noise and can still be reproduced. They performed the door handle recall and they were informed about the passenger side puddle light image deforming, which was resolved. At this time, a new hood was ordered and the work was scheduled to be performed at Custom Body Works Inc. in Hickory, NC.
I was given a loaner vehicle and they took my car to have the new hood that they ordered painted and placed on my vehicle. I was called by Cloninger Ford of Hickory and picked up my Mustang on April 7th, 2018. It was raining outside and my vehicle was in the parking lot of their dealership. There was black and gray wet sanding/compound residue running down the front fenders and bumper of my car, the hood was not aligned properly (closer to the passenger side and a larger gap on the driver side), the color did not match, there was a crack in the clear coat near where the original corrosion appeared (front passenger side headlight), the hood vent on the passenger side was not installed properly and was raised higher than the driver side. The vent also rattled when the car was driven above 40MPH. Also, on the driver side vent, there was a one inch line that appeared to be an indentation in the paint.
I went back inside the dealership, they contacted the third party body shop that they contracted the body work out to (Custom Body Works Inc.) and I was told that it would be fixed.
On April 9th, 2018 with ~29,500 miles on my Ford Mustang was brought back to Cloninger Ford of Hickory for the hood to be repainted. After a few days, I was called and told that the work was complete. The vehicle was returned with multiple imperfections in the paint, fish eyes, scratches, bubbles, and the under side of the hood did not match the outside or the inside of the engine bay. We brought my Mustang in to their service center, marked several areas with blue markers, and they took pictures of it to send to Ford corporate to be approved to be fixed.
A few days later, the car was send back to Custom Body Works Inc. and they attempted to fix the issues. It was returned with two spots in the center of the hood where they completely sanded through the clear coat and appear dull. At this point, the new hood has several layers of paint on it, it has been worked on three times, and the vents have even more paint on them than the hood due to being the original vents. I contacted Ford Corporate on April 16th, 2018 and explained the issue with the hood. They reached out to three managers at Cloninger Ford of Hickory and I was told to go speak with either Barry Wilson, John Cloninger, or Jeffrey Shepard.
When I arrived at the dealership, I spoke with Jeffrey Shepard and they attempted to upsell me on a 2018 Mustang or a 2017 GT350 that they had in the show room. I was offered $25,000 for my Mustang and was told that a 2018 would be $300/mo more than I currently pay. No thanks. I declined the offer and left, feeling extremely insulted and let down by the quality that Ford was providing to me.
I called Ford corporate when I arrived home and was told that they would contact me the next day.
On April 17th, 2018 (National Mustang Day) I received a call from Ford Corporate that my warranty claim is now complete and that any further issues must be resolved between me and Custom Body Works Inc. (The body shop that they [Ford/Cloninger] chose to use). I was also told that due to the repeated conflict that the warranty on my Mustang is now marked as void and any further warranty claim requests will not be processed or acknowledged by Ford.
At this point, I have lost all faith in Ford or Cloninger Ford ever making this right. I have owned several Mustangs and have been a Mustang enthusiast for over two decades. I find it incredibly insulting that Ford would call a customer and try to return a vehicle in such bad shape after a warranty repair.
Below, I have included several pictures displaying the imperfections and issues that have been outlined in my story above.
Sanded through clear coat: https://imgur.com/8jpQaQb
Another picture of where the clear coat is gone: https://imgur.com/3z2xMJv
Misaligned front of hood where it meets bumper: https://imgur.com/9ejf7lW
Flat spot/indent in paint: https://imgur.com/YFUbN55
Tags marking fish eyes, scratches, imperfections and other issues at the service center inside of Cloninger Ford of Hickory: https://imgur.com/3JS3BrX
Passenger side alignment of hood: https://imgur.com/ONbOWmz
Passenger side of hood from above: https://imgur.com/h0sHuNG
Driver side hood alignment: https://imgur.com/nBtgSQY
Driver side hood alignment from above: https://imgur.com/SGg9rS6
At this point, I grew concerned because the vehicle had less than 30,000 miles, is garage kept, and I am insanely **** about cleaning, detailing, and keeping my Mustang looking and running perfectly. I plan to pass it down to my daughter and am trying to preserve the factory paint to the best of my ability. My father did body work and painting for Porsche, so I have a bit of knowledge with what I'm doing.
I contacted Ford corporate and was told that it's a corrosion issue that should be covered and they contacted Cloninger Ford of Hickory to schedule the repair.
On March 19th, 2018, with 28,925 miles, my car arrived at Cloninger Ford of Hickory. The transmission was inspected due to a clunking noise when releasing the clutch in first gear at low RPMs/parking lot speeds. I did not receive any type of answer on what was causing this issue, if it was resolved, or any further information. The vehicle still makes this noise and can still be reproduced. They performed the door handle recall and they were informed about the passenger side puddle light image deforming, which was resolved. At this time, a new hood was ordered and the work was scheduled to be performed at Custom Body Works Inc. in Hickory, NC.
I was given a loaner vehicle and they took my car to have the new hood that they ordered painted and placed on my vehicle. I was called by Cloninger Ford of Hickory and picked up my Mustang on April 7th, 2018. It was raining outside and my vehicle was in the parking lot of their dealership. There was black and gray wet sanding/compound residue running down the front fenders and bumper of my car, the hood was not aligned properly (closer to the passenger side and a larger gap on the driver side), the color did not match, there was a crack in the clear coat near where the original corrosion appeared (front passenger side headlight), the hood vent on the passenger side was not installed properly and was raised higher than the driver side. The vent also rattled when the car was driven above 40MPH. Also, on the driver side vent, there was a one inch line that appeared to be an indentation in the paint.
I went back inside the dealership, they contacted the third party body shop that they contracted the body work out to (Custom Body Works Inc.) and I was told that it would be fixed.
On April 9th, 2018 with ~29,500 miles on my Ford Mustang was brought back to Cloninger Ford of Hickory for the hood to be repainted. After a few days, I was called and told that the work was complete. The vehicle was returned with multiple imperfections in the paint, fish eyes, scratches, bubbles, and the under side of the hood did not match the outside or the inside of the engine bay. We brought my Mustang in to their service center, marked several areas with blue markers, and they took pictures of it to send to Ford corporate to be approved to be fixed.
A few days later, the car was send back to Custom Body Works Inc. and they attempted to fix the issues. It was returned with two spots in the center of the hood where they completely sanded through the clear coat and appear dull. At this point, the new hood has several layers of paint on it, it has been worked on three times, and the vents have even more paint on them than the hood due to being the original vents. I contacted Ford Corporate on April 16th, 2018 and explained the issue with the hood. They reached out to three managers at Cloninger Ford of Hickory and I was told to go speak with either Barry Wilson, John Cloninger, or Jeffrey Shepard.
When I arrived at the dealership, I spoke with Jeffrey Shepard and they attempted to upsell me on a 2018 Mustang or a 2017 GT350 that they had in the show room. I was offered $25,000 for my Mustang and was told that a 2018 would be $300/mo more than I currently pay. No thanks. I declined the offer and left, feeling extremely insulted and let down by the quality that Ford was providing to me.
I called Ford corporate when I arrived home and was told that they would contact me the next day.
On April 17th, 2018 (National Mustang Day) I received a call from Ford Corporate that my warranty claim is now complete and that any further issues must be resolved between me and Custom Body Works Inc. (The body shop that they [Ford/Cloninger] chose to use). I was also told that due to the repeated conflict that the warranty on my Mustang is now marked as void and any further warranty claim requests will not be processed or acknowledged by Ford.
At this point, I have lost all faith in Ford or Cloninger Ford ever making this right. I have owned several Mustangs and have been a Mustang enthusiast for over two decades. I find it incredibly insulting that Ford would call a customer and try to return a vehicle in such bad shape after a warranty repair.
Below, I have included several pictures displaying the imperfections and issues that have been outlined in my story above.
Sanded through clear coat: https://imgur.com/8jpQaQb
Another picture of where the clear coat is gone: https://imgur.com/3z2xMJv
Misaligned front of hood where it meets bumper: https://imgur.com/9ejf7lW
Flat spot/indent in paint: https://imgur.com/YFUbN55
Tags marking fish eyes, scratches, imperfections and other issues at the service center inside of Cloninger Ford of Hickory: https://imgur.com/3JS3BrX
Passenger side alignment of hood: https://imgur.com/ONbOWmz
Passenger side of hood from above: https://imgur.com/h0sHuNG
Driver side hood alignment: https://imgur.com/nBtgSQY
Driver side hood alignment from above: https://imgur.com/SGg9rS6
07-06-2018, 04:29 PM
#2
Banned
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Pennsylvania
Posts: 2,327
They voided the warranty because someone else other than the dealer did the
work in their own body shop, even though they contracted the work, thus
it is now the 3rd party body shops problem. The work is to be warranted
by that body shop now. That was a crap move on Ford's part, but they
are just eliminating themselves as the middle man, so you are to deal
directly with the body shop. Though, I would suspect you need that in
writing, somewhere on the invoice; a notice that the warranty has been
void. The warranty period has not expired, you need documentation that
clearly states the warranty is void, why, and who is now the claimant
of any, which would be the body shop.
AS far as hood alignment, it just laziness on the installers part. It's not
easy to line up the hood with the car's body lines, especially if they
removed the hinges from the vehicle. I have done three deer collisions
with mine, and it takes a lot of time to line it back up. I tighten the bolts
down enough so that I can shift the hood, press here and there at the back
to push the hinges down, then SLOWLY open it back up to complete the
tightening. One wrong move, and it goes out of whack again. Took me
over a half hour each time I did it. Still, with collisions, sometimes you
won't ever get it to line up right. You just had a removal for painting, and
they should have preserved the evidence marks for remounting.
I would have thought the dealer could order a pre-painted hood right from
ford.
work in their own body shop, even though they contracted the work, thus
it is now the 3rd party body shops problem. The work is to be warranted
by that body shop now. That was a crap move on Ford's part, but they
are just eliminating themselves as the middle man, so you are to deal
directly with the body shop. Though, I would suspect you need that in
writing, somewhere on the invoice; a notice that the warranty has been
void. The warranty period has not expired, you need documentation that
clearly states the warranty is void, why, and who is now the claimant
of any, which would be the body shop.
AS far as hood alignment, it just laziness on the installers part. It's not
easy to line up the hood with the car's body lines, especially if they
removed the hinges from the vehicle. I have done three deer collisions
with mine, and it takes a lot of time to line it back up. I tighten the bolts
down enough so that I can shift the hood, press here and there at the back
to push the hinges down, then SLOWLY open it back up to complete the
tightening. One wrong move, and it goes out of whack again. Took me
over a half hour each time I did it. Still, with collisions, sometimes you
won't ever get it to line up right. You just had a removal for painting, and
they should have preserved the evidence marks for remounting.
I would have thought the dealer could order a pre-painted hood right from
ford.
07-06-2018, 04:41 PM
#3
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2018
Location: NC
Posts: 2
They voided the warranty because someone else other than the dealer did the
work in their own body shop, even though they contracted the work, thus
it is now the 3rd party body shops problem. The work is to be warranted
by that body shop now. That was a crap move on Ford's part, but they
are just eliminating themselves as the middle man, so you are to deal
directly with the body shop. Though, I would suspect you need that in
writing, somewhere on the invoice; a notice that the warranty has been
void. The warranty period has not expired, you need documentation that
clearly states the warranty is void, why, and who is now the claimant
of any, which would be the body shop.
AS far as hood alignment, it just laziness on the installers part. It's not
easy to line up the hood with the car's body lines, especially if they
removed the hinges from the vehicle. I have done three deer collisions
with mine, and it takes a lot of time to line it back up. I tighten the bolts
down enough so that I can shift the hood, press here and there at the back
to push the hinges down, then SLOWLY open it back up to complete the
tightening. One wrong move, and it goes out of whack again. Took me
over a half hour each time I did it. Still, with collisions, sometimes you
won't ever get it to line up right. You just had a removal for painting, and
they should have preserved the evidence marks for remounting.
I would have thought the dealer could order a pre-painted hood right from
ford.
work in their own body shop, even though they contracted the work, thus
it is now the 3rd party body shops problem. The work is to be warranted
by that body shop now. That was a crap move on Ford's part, but they
are just eliminating themselves as the middle man, so you are to deal
directly with the body shop. Though, I would suspect you need that in
writing, somewhere on the invoice; a notice that the warranty has been
void. The warranty period has not expired, you need documentation that
clearly states the warranty is void, why, and who is now the claimant
of any, which would be the body shop.
AS far as hood alignment, it just laziness on the installers part. It's not
easy to line up the hood with the car's body lines, especially if they
removed the hinges from the vehicle. I have done three deer collisions
with mine, and it takes a lot of time to line it back up. I tighten the bolts
down enough so that I can shift the hood, press here and there at the back
to push the hinges down, then SLOWLY open it back up to complete the
tightening. One wrong move, and it goes out of whack again. Took me
over a half hour each time I did it. Still, with collisions, sometimes you
won't ever get it to line up right. You just had a removal for painting, and
they should have preserved the evidence marks for remounting.
I would have thought the dealer could order a pre-painted hood right from
ford.
I have aligned a hood as well and while it's not hard to do (just takes time), and is easier if you have two guys doing it. However, again, this should not be my job to do.
07-08-2018, 05:23 PM
#5
Chop Mod
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: OK
Posts: 3,333
I would file a complaint with the BBB. What they did may be legal, but it's highly unethical and not something Ford would want against them. I'm not sure if you can file against all three businesses involved (dealer, Ford, and the body shop), but if you can, I would. It should never take a body shop that many times to paint a hood.
08-19-2018, 08:34 PM
#6
1st Gear Member
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location:
Posts: 82
I'll be honest, the alignment problems and flat spots are no worse than what you get from the factory. The issues with the clear coat, well that's the shops problem. I would contact a lawyer if they are unwilling to fix it, then have another shop make the repair and send the dealership the invoice. If it was a $300K car, I would expect perfection, but it's a $30K Ford. You want an absolutely stellar paint job, it would cost nearly 1/4 of the value of the car. Just my 2 cents. I do hope you get your issues resolved though. Feel free to put your story on Twitter, and put Ford on blast. I've done that with so many companies and they jump at the opportunity to make things right so to avoid negative exposure. Amazing what a little @ symbol will accomplish. 
08-23-2018, 10:28 PM
#7
Join Date: Aug 2018
Location: CA
Posts: 2
That was horrible about what Ford did to you. Definitely go on twitter or even make a YouTube video about what happened and blog about it. Pictures will help to expose such thing too. If it is the body shop that have done wrong, a lawyer's letter will usually do the trick. Good luck mate.
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