No Wonder Ford is Hurting!

[06GTVERT4DE]

Let me start off by saying I love Ford and my new '06 Vert. That said, I ran into a situation that leaves me scratching my head. I noticed on my new baby that the "trim piece" (for lack of a better word) betweeen the vertical upper windshield frame member and the horizontal frame member was missing. It is about a three inch long and 1/2 inch wide "filler strip". It simply covers the joint between the two frame members for cosmetic purposes. So, I went to the Ford dealership and told them it was missing and I didn't know if it was ever there. I have only had the car two months and have only 600 miles on it. Although the dealership I was visiting was not the one I purchased the car from (because they had jerked me around so much), they said they would warranty the piece for me. I thought, no big deal since it couldn't cost that much to replace. The retail cost of the piece is around $32.00! It seemed to me that the total cost of the warranty repair was like $80.00 with installation! All they have to do to install it is remove the release layer from the two-sided adhesive and stick it back in place! If this is how things work these days, it's no wonder companies like Ford and Chevy are hurting! Go figure!

 

[drmustang]

Ford just announced that they are scrapping their flagship GT. How many hundreds of millions were lost on that failure.

 

[boss377]

Ford just announced that they are scrapping their flagship GT. How many hundreds of millions were lost on that failure.

You must have thought that it was going to be a regular model. And a "failure"? How do arrive at that conclusion? It is a phenomenal car, and won every comparo against cars costing twice as much! And here's the clincher: it is likely that the car will always be worth what MSRP was when new. Not many cars achieve that. And finally, I'll bet dinner at Ruth's Chris that you don't own one!

 

[drmustang]

You must have thought that it was going to be a regular model. And a "failure"? How do arrive at that conclusion? It is a phenomenal car, and won every comparo against cars costing twice as much! And here's the clincher: it is likely that the car will always be worth what MSRP was when new. Not many cars achieve that. And finally, I'll bet dinner at Ruth's Chris that you don't own one!

Ford will be lucky if they got a few pennies back on a dollar with this stunt. Ask the families of the recently terminated Ford workers if this was a failure. These guys are now going to suffer because Ford is losing money wholesale with blunders like this and others.
I don't and won't have a Ford GT in my garage. I could however write a check for one today. Maybe that is because I don't buy 150K cars.

 

[gp001]

What a fascinating thread
So fascinating that I am moving it to talk

Business + union = bankruptcy

 

[exwifegotstang]

Yea, I know what you mean, I just had to replace my drivers side rear wheel bearing in my 65 Galaxie! I am stumped that a factory wheel bearing can't last longer than 40 years!

 

[wilsons]

Ouch! I'd like to buy a chevy/ford to (somewhat) help an American company. What a shame.

 

[karman]

Let me start off by saying I love Ford and my new '06 Vert. That said, I ran into a situation that leaves me scratching my head. I noticed on my new baby that the "trim piece" (for lack of a better word) betweeen the vertical upper windshield frame member and the horizontal frame member was missing. It is about a three inch long and 1/2 inch wide "filler strip". It simply covers the joint between the two frame members for cosmetic purposes. So, I went to the Ford dealership and told them it was missing and I didn't know if it was ever there. I have only had the car two months and have only 600 miles on it. Although the dealership I was visiting was not the one I purchased the car from (because they had jerked me around so much), they said they would warranty the piece for me. I thought, no big deal since it couldn't cost that much to replace. The retail cost of the piece is around $32.00! It seemed to me that the total cost of the warranty repair was like $80.00 with installation! All they have to do to install it is remove the release layer from the two-sided adhesive and stick it back in place! If this is how things work these days, it's no wonder companies like Ford and Chevy are hurting! Go figure!

Don't worry I had trim problems with my Toyota back in the day when they were 100% Japaneese. Just imagine if it was one of those BMWs what the cost would cost to fix. NOBODY IS PERFECt. (By the way it took 2 months for YOU to spot it. )

 

[Randyp]

I don't believe Ford is scrapping the GT. Prior to it going into production I seem to recall the magazines saying that it was only scheduled for a 3 year model run due to impending safety regulations that the GT would not be able to meet. If that is correct then next year would be the last year for it as was planned all along. Also, the GT was never meant to earn a profit for Ford as a production vehicle. It was really meant to serve as an image builder for the company which would hopefully translate into increased sales (and profits) for other models in their lineup (such as the Mustang).

 

[tjredgt2000]

OK, I'm stumped. You take your car into a dealer from whom you didn't buy the car, they say "no problem" and replace the trim piece at no charge.

Now what exactly is it you are bitching about? Was the service too good for you?

 

[tjredgt2000]

Ford just announced that they are scrapping their flagship GT. How many hundreds of millions were lost on that failure.

Don't be surprised if the GT assembly line is used to produce another limited production car - one that meets 2007 safety standards.

 

[jasonlee0704]

Scrapped - that's funny. It'd be like Ford announcing that they'll be building a new Bullitt Mustang, and then "scrapping" it after a year.

 

[Berserker]

Oh brother... It's the same with any car company. A quarter size plastic part from Nissan will not be less than 50 bucks no matter how pointless the part. Ford fixed the problem so you sure didn't identify why Ford is hurting.

 

[351CJ]

Don't be surprised if the GT assembly line is used to produce another limited production car - one that meets 2007 safety standards.

Surprised? I'll be flabergasted if that happens, since Ford has announced that they are closing Wixom, the plant where the Ford GT is final assembled.

 

[351CJ]

Ford will be lucky if they got a few pennies back on a dollar with this stunt. Ask the families of the recently terminated Ford workers if this was a failure. These guys are now going to suffer because Ford is losing money wholesale with blunders like this and others.
I don't and won't have a Ford GT in my garage. I could however write a check for one today. Maybe that is because I don't buy 150K cars.

You seem to have a serious case a amnesia.
The day Ford announded the GT they said that it would have a maximum 3 year production run and 3,000 - 4,000 of them would be built.

Do you get this upset every time you see a Ford advertisement on TV?
Because the Ford GT is all about marketing the Ford company and brand. Even if Ford lost $100m on the GT it was money well spent seeing the amount of publicity ( another word for free advertising ) that Ford got from the GT.

 

[dhjones]

The Ford GT only had a limited run. It was a specialty car. If you don't want one well that is your business. But if I could afford it then the car would be in my garage as we speak. I won't degrade myself to denigrate your intelligence if you wouldn't take one.

Doug

 

[tjredgt2000]

The GT line is so small I'd bet they could move it to a number of locations. I doubt that closing Wixom is the reason for ending GT production. I haven't heard of plans to stop producing the Town Car.

 

[Dyoct]

The GT was never meant to be a permanent addition to the Ford lineup. It was basically like someone pointed, a good tactic to show the world that Ford can build a supercar. The Ford GT can't continue because it will not meet safety standards for 2008.

And like someone said, where was the dissatisfaction in your service experience? Has all my work in taking out poor dealers and putting in the best ones possible been all wrong? Was I not to find men and women that can show excellent sales records and excellent service??

 

[06GTVERT4DE]

Don't worry I had trim problems with my Toyota back in the day when they were 100% Japaneese. Just imagine if it was one of those BMWs what the cost would cost to fix. NOBODY IS PERFECt. (By the way it took 2 months for YOU to spot it. )

LOL! I am not bashing the Mustang here! I love the car and enjoy driving it a lot! I actually did trade in a 2004 BMW for it and am glad I got rid of the Bimmer. My point is that a piece that costs around .37 to manufacture is being billed back to Ford at around $80.00 and I think that is a crying shame!

 

[06GTVERT4DE]

OK, I'm stumped. You take your car into a dealer from whom you didn't buy the car, they say "no problem" and replace the trim piece at no charge.

Now what exactly is it you are bitching about? Was the service too good for you?

You guys are missing the point. Firstly, I think they should have replaced the part no matter where the car was purchased as it was brand new and cost over $32,000 dollars. IMHO, the part is badly designed as it is, and will always be, proned to falling off or having people rip them off as they are held on with tape only. Lastly, the fact that a .32 piece of plastic is being billed back to Ford at over $80.00 is a crying shame and perhaps reflective of why Ford is struggling right now.

For the record, the service department at the dealership was nothing but professional and I was quite pleased with them. The sales department and manager were quite laughable and lost a customer due to trying to rip me a new one when I was car shopping.