Open letter explaining my disgust with my peeling paint

[QuickFords]

The following is a letter that I mailed to William Clay Ford Jr. Perhaps he was not the proper person to receive it?

Since I have not hear ANY response at all, i thought I would appeal to any Ford executive via this form of media. I would hope that, at the very least, I would receive some sort of response, even if it is as extreme as; "Sorry Mr. Lifelong Customer, we don't care" Please note the attachment with photos.

William Clay Ford attachment.pdf

 

 

 

Saul S Rivkin

130 Pennhurst Road

Spring City, PA 19475

saul@merkurrs.com

 

 

William Clay Ford Jr

Executive Chairman

Ford Motor Company

One American Road

Dearborn, MI 48126

 

 

 

Dear William Clay Ford Jr:

 

I am compelled to express to you both my loyalty to Ford as well as my frustration.

I suppose my loyalty started much like yours did, my father drove Fords. He started driving them as a teenager but, of course, it was the later Fords that I knew and they had impacted me more than I could ever realize. He had owned cars like; 1964 Fairlane, 1966 Country Squire, 1972 Grand Marquis, 1971 Lincoln Mk.III, 1977 LTD Wagon, 1982 LTD Wagon, 1983 ½ Turbo-Coupe, 1984 Lincoln Mk. IV. Most of these cars were purchased new; his Turbo Coupe was his last new car before his passing and one of his favorites.

I still remember the story he used to tell me about when he entered the Ford showroom back in 1966 to buy a new car. There was a 427 Cobra and a Country Squire, both next to each other on the sales floor. He bought the wagon for the room, but at least it had a big block!

My first Ford was also my first car, the ’66 Country Squire that my father handed down to me. At age 16, I was quite proud of my station wagon, as most young boys were of their first car. Despite having 265,000 miles, the engine ran great, had never needed work and the car treated me quite well.

I started collecting more Fords as the years rolled by. I purchased my 1970 XL 429-4v ci. Convertible when I was 18, which I still have today, along with two other XL convertibles. Since 1983, I have owned three Rangers, two I bought new; a new-for-1983 4WD Ranger V-6 and a new-for-1986 Ranger super-cab. I have owned many other cars too; Mustangs, Torino’s and LTD’s. In 1992, my wife and I purchased an off-lease Merkur Scorpio as her daily driver and it’s now a show car showing less than 92,000 original miles. This car, by the way, was on display at your Centennial party in 2003 and also at the Eyes-On-Design show in Grosse Pointe Park in 2006 featuring other automotive designs honoring retired Ford designer; Jack Telnack. I have started collecting many other Merkurs and now have eight Scorpio’s and two XR4Ti’s.

My wife’s vehicle is a 2000 Ford Windstar, our second Windstar. Incidentally, I met my wife because she had driven Mustangs her life and it was her driving a new 1983 Mustang GT that excited me! Of course, her parents drove Fords and still do.

It is, however, our 2000 Excursion that we bought new in February 2000 that compels me to write and tell you my story. We bought our family hauler to pull our travel trailer and hold my precious cargo, our four daughters. The truck has always been babied (as are ALL my cars) including being hand washed almost every week.

In 2006 the paint started peeling off the roof of my white Excursion Limited. My dealer and Ford customer service had denied any responsibility despite my pleading for assistance, regardless of still being under an extended warranty plan. The following year, the peeling became much worse on the roof and now extending into the door jambs on the passenger side. Every time that I buckled my daughters in the truck, I had to stare at peeling paint. I contacted Ford and my dealer again and after some defensive actions (I posted a website displaying my defects and my disgust) I was finally contacted by Ford and my dealer. My local dealer begrudgingly helped to defray half of the costs of having the paint repaired. I was convinced that it would happen again and it has, worse than before. The paint is delaminating on the rear quarter panels, passenger doors, door jambs front fender and of course, the roof that was repaired improperly. As an automotive enthusiast, collector and part-time restoration specialist, I can tell you emphatically that paint should not peel. I am disgusted when I see a mid-eighties GM or Chrysler product driving by with paint flaking off, a sign of poor quality. Now, my beloved Excursion is doing the same thing. Since I only use this vehicle as a pleasure vehicle, I do not need to look at peeling paint every day. It is, however, on the weekends when the whole family goes out that I must be aggravated when I see all the defects on my truck. I say defects because somehow, the paint was not applied correctly and is now losing adhesion. Every white Excursion I have looked at seems to have the same problem, so I know I am not alone.

I would like to feel comfortable buying another Ford, but I do not. I am contemplating replacing the Windstar with a FLEX or even adding a SHO to my stable (because 15 Fords/Merkurs is not quite enough), but I cannot get over the disappointment every time I look at my Excursion.

I am bringing my feelings to your attention. You, because I met you briefly in 2003 as you drove your white GT (which I would love to own) at the Centennial. You, because WE both grew up with Fords. You, because I believe you will do what’s right to ensure that customer loyalty continues. I look forward to your reply and considerations for resolution.

Sincerely,

Saul S Rivkin

Edited February 15, 2010 by QuickFords

[RangerM]

Not many people own a garage large enough to house an Excursion, so I'm figuring the vehicle was parked outside.

 

Six years is a pretty long time. Not saying there isn't something legitimate, but that leaves an awful lot of exposure time. It would be a difficult position to assume that you kept it in a clean, dry environment.

 

You say you are "under an extended warranty plan". If that is covered under the warranty, I'm not sure why you aren't being served.

 

That said, I can't say I've noticed a large number of white (~2000MY) Fords with paint-peeling problems; Excursion or not, I'm sure they all used a similar process. Is there something unique about the Limited version? Special paint, or something?

[ford4v429]

The following is a letter that I mailed to William Clay Ford Jr. Perhaps he was not the proper person to receive it?

Since I have not hear ANY response at all, i thought I would appeal to any Ford executive via this form of media. I would hope that, at the very least, I would receive some sort of response, even if it is as extreme as; "Sorry Mr. Lifelong Customer, we don't care" Please note the attachment with photos.

 

 

our 98 windstar paint has held up excellent except for the roof- the panel seams on both sides peeled away starting a few years ago...seems to be a prep issue with the sealer they use on the panel seams IMO...with the new basecoat/clearcoat if the clear peels you will loose the rest of he paint soon...once water gets under the basecoat it will lift and lift and lift. my 93 f150 was 'blow away gray' and the entire hood was primer by 98...I mean it was clean as a whistle light grey primer, looked like a new hood that hadnt been painted...sadly most of this stuff is due to EPA requiring solvent free/low VOC chemicals...so the crap blows off has to be stripped and repainted, in the end probably putting more VOCs in the air than doing it right the first time...

 

I DO feel Ford needs to rethink their prep- roof sealant seems to have either adhesion or expansion rate cracking issues with the paint...perhaps the ugly black snap in strips were the best idea there- sure as heck not going back to leaded seams

Prep on aluminum panels has already popped up- pretty much every 2005-2007 mustang Ive seen has paint blistering under the hood lip- looks like maybe seam sealer coming out of the crimped edge that got painted over, but soon you see that was a blister and it creeps under the paint incredibly fast...

 

my 06 mustang was not 2 yrs old, never been driven in the salt or snow, but the entire underside of thealuminum hood lip blistered up - I didnt notice till washing one day there was bumps on the front face- lifted the hood and abour 2" all the way across the underside was bubbled up... took it to the dealer to get looked at, was a tsb, but their camera was 'down'...guess they have a special camera, sends pics to ford for approval, was going to take it back the next week, but instead did some offroading and scratched it up- didnt even bother to take it back at that point...got a fang fiberglass/shaker hood...other than that, the mustangs looking good so far...I still need to keep a eye on the 07/09, so far so good- the 07 just has a couple little spots...the 09 aint even been wet more than a couple times to wash the dust off, its still a new/undriven car with 3.7 miles thats now 15 months old...ater seeing the 2010 reveal on the speed channel, called the dealer the next day and bought one- a 09 backup for whenever the 06 dies...the backend of the 10 just didnt click for me at all- some like it, some dont...to me, well, I much prefer the traditional taillamps...

 

 

coulda been worse- I bought a 85 camaro new, was first year for water-based basecoat, wasnt 2 yrs old the paint started coming off in sheets...every time it rained another inch or two would lift up...I still have a piece the size of the owners manual out in the garage...really sucked as the chevy dealer had a 'mandatory' 'bodygard' thing on all the cars they sold- upon taking it back, found bodygard voided factory 3 yr warranty, and was null and void as fine print said car had to be returned every 6 months for inspection. that was Burt Greenwald chevrolet in Akron Ohio, and was the last time I bought anything from them. I had that car back for various little issues, one was a soft clunk noise in the rearend, over small bumps...first time they couldnt hear it, took it back took a tech over the parking lot- oh yeah...they had the car another day, couldnt find anything...when I was putting it up on stands to paint it, heard the clunk when jacking- finally could replicate it by raising/lowering the jack...had a nephew work the jack while I looked- OMG...passenger lower control arm had wore a 1/2 inch slot in the frame- bolt/self locking nut was 1/4 inch loose...the way it came from the factory...had to weld some plates over the slots, tightened it up, finally quiet after all those years...

[QuickFords]

Not many people own a garage large enough to house an Excursion, so I'm figuring the vehicle was parked outside.

Actually, the truck has been in one of those large tarp shelters most of it's life

 

That said, I can't say I've noticed a large number of white (~2000MY) Fords with paint-peeling problems; Excursion or not, I'm sure they all used a similar process. Is there something unique about the Limited version? Special paint, or something?

 

Almost EVERY white Excursion I see (pre 2004) has the same issues. I believe it was some really bad prep work.

 

I would have certainly hoped that by 2000 Ford would have been able to avoid the peeling paint syndrome from the early-mid 1980's!!

[Zestar]

Dear Saul:

 

Zestar Corporation is a market leader in the intellectual property licensing of

automotive paint applications software and automotive paint durability research.

Our technology has been used to verify the performance of both new and existing

automotive coatings (paints) as well as advances in factory paint automation.

 

Automotive painting is a science.

 

A typical finish consists of four layers:

1) electrocoat - provides corrosion protection

2) primer - protects electrocoat, stone chip resistance, adhesion between

basecoat and electrocoat

3) basecoat - provides color to the vehicle

4) clearcoat - sunlight protection, scratch resistance, gloss and appearance

properties.

 

Film thickness is a criteria used by the auto industry to ensure durability.

 

Each of the 4 layers must be at the proper film thickness specification.

 

If any of the individual layers is below specification. The vehicle would be

considered a factory paint defect.

 

A visible manifestation of low film thickness is paint peeling, body rusting

and stone chipping.

 

Since the mid 1990s the auto industry while retaining ownership of the paint

facilities have outsourced process and quality responsibilities to multiple

paint suppliers.

 

Outsourcing in this application is defined as a process in which a company

assigns its in-house operations to a third party.

 

Specifics on automotive paint suppliers roles within facilities may be found

in textbooks published both in Europe and America. The most recent

textbook being released in 2008.

 

The paint suppliers actively market and advertise their outsourcing expertise

with terms such as "Cost Per Unit" or "Pay As Painted" Supplier Programs.

Outsourcing [Cost Per Unit] programs are common throughout Europe and

America within the auto industry.

 

Not all vehicle flaws are associated with the paint itself, vehicle design and

weathering will impact the vehicle's finish.

 

It is our opinion that the automaker, auto dealer and consumer should not

receive a vehicle painted below the automaker's film thickness specifications

of any of the four layers that comprise a vehicle's finish.

 

We have analyzed the film thickness data of over 11,000 vehicles and have

found that the measurements are below the automakers specifications.

 

Low film thickness will cause paint failures.

 

Our two recent press releases

http://www.mmdnewswire.com/vehicle-paint-quality-6280.html

and

http://www.mmdnewswire.com/auto-industry-6716.html

 

provides details on this subject.

 

This is an auto industry issue which is negatively impacting the automakers'

vehicle brand image.

 

Hope this information is of interest.

 

Best Regards,

Zestar Corporation

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saul S Rivkin

130 Pennhurst Road

Spring City, PA 19475

saul@merkurrs.com

 

 

William Clay Ford Jr

Executive Chairman

Ford Motor Company

One American Road

Dearborn, MI 48126

 

 

 

Dear William Clay Ford Jr:

 

I am compelled to express to you both my loyalty to Ford as well as my frustration.

I suppose my loyalty started much like yours did, my father drove Fords. He started driving them as a teenager but, of course, it was the later Fords that I knew and they had impacted me more than I could ever realize. He had owned cars like; 1964 Fairlane, 1966 Country Squire, 1972 Grand Marquis, 1971 Lincoln Mk.III, 1977 LTD Wagon, 1982 LTD Wagon, 1983 ½ Turbo-Coupe, 1984 Lincoln Mk. IV. Most of these cars were purchased new; his Turbo Coupe was his last new car before his passing and one of his favorites.

I still remember the story he used to tell me about when he entered the Ford showroom back in 1966 to buy a new car. There was a 427 Cobra and a Country Squire, both next to each other on the sales floor. He bought the wagon for the room, but at least it had a big block!

My first Ford was also my first car, the ’66 Country Squire that my father handed down to me. At age 16, I was quite proud of my station wagon, as most young boys were of their first car. Despite having 265,000 miles, the engine ran great, had never needed work and the car treated me quite well.

I started collecting more Fords as the years rolled by. I purchased my 1970 XL 429-4v ci. Convertible when I was 18, which I still have today, along with two other XL convertibles. Since 1983, I have owned three Rangers, two I bought new; a new-for-1983 4WD Ranger V-6 and a new-for-1986 Ranger super-cab. I have owned many other cars too; Mustangs, Torino’s and LTD’s. In 1992, my wife and I purchased an off-lease Merkur Scorpio as her daily driver and it’s now a show car showing less than 92,000 original miles. This car, by the way, was on display at your Centennial party in 2003 and also at the Eyes-On-Design show in Grosse Pointe Park in 2006 featuring other automotive designs honoring retired Ford designer; Jack Telnack. I have started collecting many other Merkurs and now have eight Scorpio’s and two XR4Ti’s.

My wife’s vehicle is a 2000 Ford Windstar, our second Windstar. Incidentally, I met my wife because she had driven Mustangs her life and it was her driving a new 1983 Mustang GT that excited me! Of course, her parents drove Fords and still do.

It is, however, our 2000 Excursion that we bought new in February 2000 that compels me to write and tell you my story. We bought our family hauler to pull our travel trailer and hold my precious cargo, our four daughters. The truck has always been babied (as are ALL my cars) including being hand washed almost every week.

In 2006 the paint started peeling off the roof of my white Excursion Limited. My dealer and Ford customer service had denied any responsibility despite my pleading for assistance, regardless of still being under an extended warranty plan. The following year, the peeling became much worse on the roof and now extending into the door jambs on the passenger side. Every time that I buckled my daughters in the truck, I had to stare at peeling paint. I contacted Ford and my dealer again and after some defensive actions (I posted a website displaying my defects and my disgust) I was finally contacted by Ford and my dealer. My local dealer begrudgingly helped to defray half of the costs of having the paint repaired. I was convinced that it would happen again and it has, worse than before. The paint is delaminating on the rear quarter panels, passenger doors, door jambs front fender and of course, the roof that was repaired improperly. As an automotive enthusiast, collector and part-time restoration specialist, I can tell you emphatically that paint should not peel. I am disgusted when I see a mid-eighties GM or Chrysler product driving by with paint flaking off, a sign of poor quality. Now, my beloved Excursion is doing the same thing. Since I only use this vehicle as a pleasure vehicle, I do not need to look at peeling paint every day. It is, however, on the weekends when the whole family goes out that I must be aggravated when I see all the defects on my truck. I say defects because somehow, the paint was not applied correctly and is now losing adhesion. Every white Excursion I have looked at seems to have the same problem, so I know I am not alone.

I would like to feel comfortable buying another Ford, but I do not. I am contemplating replacing the Windstar with a FLEX or even adding a SHO to my stable (because 15 Fords/Merkurs is not quite enough), but I cannot get over the disappointment every time I look at my Excursion.

I am bringing my feelings to your attention. You, because I met you briefly in 2003 as you drove your white GT (which I would love to own) at the Centennial. You, because WE both grew up with Fords. You, because I believe you will do what’s right to ensure that customer loyalty continues. I look forward to your reply and considerations for resolution.

Sincerely,

Saul S Rivkin

[carforford]

I know exactly how you feel. In August I traded my 2003 Explorer Limited Centennial Edition with 70K on it (Bought New 4/18/03) for a New 2010 Milan. Now The Explorer was in Black and had the paint on the Hood Pealing as well. I also wrote to Bill Ford back in January 2007 regarding this problem. I have yet to get a response from him or from anyone else. It's a shame.

 

My Dad also still has a 2004 Explorer Limited in Black (Bought New 8/20/04) with currently 22,000 Miles on it. Guess what? The hood is also pealing in the same place as my '03 did. His hood started pealing about 4 months after mine. This vehicle was also mentioned in the above letter to Bill Ford. Now these vehicles were/are also well taken care of as well and Garaged!

 

A friend of mine had a 2001 Expedition Eddie Bauer in Wedgewood Blue with paint pealing as well....It is on a lot of different Fo.Mo.Co. Cars and trucks with various colors.

 

Hope this helps...

[QuickFords]

For anyone interested, there is a website dedicated to my complaints:

 

MyFordpaintPeels.com

 

and there is a FaceBook fan page:

 

Face Book Page; My Ford Paint Peels

 

Make YOUR voice be heard!!! :happy feet:

[2004BlackBird]

Not many people own a garage large enough to house an Excursion, so I'm figuring the vehicle was parked outside.

 

Six years is a pretty long time. Not saying there isn't something legitimate, but that leaves an awful lot of exposure time. It would be a difficult position to assume that you kept it in a clean, dry environment.

 

You say you are "under an extended warranty plan". If that is covered under the warranty, I'm not sure why you aren't being served.

 

That said, I can't say I've noticed a large number of white (~2000MY) Fords with paint-peeling problems; Excursion or not, I'm sure they all used a similar process. Is there something unique about the Limited version? Special paint, or something?

 

I also have a 2000 Excursion Limited that I factory ordered. It is Toreador Red w/gold trim and has not been garaged since we moved to Florida in mid 2003. Surprisingly, it has no peeling or fading issues at all and actually looks only a year or so old even now, sitting in the Florida sun. I keep it waxed with Zaino and use a sunshade, leather protectant, to maintain the inside.

 

That being said, I also have a beef with the 'finish' of Ford SUVs. The left rear door on the Excursion has a 'bubble in the aluminum about the size of a quarter. The selling dealer in Vivian, Louisianna would do nothing whatsoever to stand behind it and because of it I never bought another vehicle from him. (I had purchased five new vehicles from him previously) My daughter's 2003 Explorer (red) also had this same type cancer on the hood and the local dealer here in Jacksonville was good enough to address this and repaint the entire hood. (They stated Ford had a TSB on this that could be exercised until 60000 miles)

 

My gripe is that there is no way that the cancers in the aluminum components could not have been noticed and yet they were assembled and painted over anyway.

[Zestar]

Hello 2004BlackBird:

 

We know many of the professionals personally that applied the paint on many of the vehicles that are experiencing paint issues.

 

We also know personally many of the Senior Auto Executives who are active in the industry. Our technology is used in the auto industry

for paint durability analyses. It can predict why one Excursion is peeling, but not another. We know why it is happening and explain it

in detail in our publications. We also know why one location will have paint bubbling, but not another.

 

We know what has been causing the cancers. We have personally worked in many of these auto paint facilities.

 

Our technology was made a "Best Practice" within Ford Motor Company.

 

Millions of factory paint defects have been released to the auto dealer, automaker and consumer.

 

Ford is aware of the problem. Senior Management has been contacted.

 

However, this is just not a Ford Issue. It's an Auto Industry Issue.

 

In our opinion, it would assist all concerned, if Ford would take a leadership position to permanently correct this problem.

 

Billions are on the table for Ford to recover revenue from their paint suppliers.

 

Our research (which is factory data) concludes Ford never received properly painted vehicles from the paint suppliers.

[lenrapp]

There are two websites with tons of information on the Ford Peeling Paint issue and one is a group on Facebook.

 

If you are having problems, please join both of these discussions for help in dealing with Ford and achieving success in having them pay for the repairs. It is simple, costs only a few dollars but may take a day in small claims court, should you decide to go to court to sue them. The success rate in small claims court from what we see is 100% in favor of the plaintiff because Ford will only say that it could have been from environmental issues like bird droppings, UV Rays or stones hitting the paint finish. Of course once you bring the photos of your peeling paint to court and a couple of estimates to repair them, it is enough to convince any sane individual that it is a paint application issue and not bird droppings.

 

One important note, once you decide to go to court with Ford, they will contact you and try to buy you off. Do not be tempted to do so because you will lose any future rights you have to sue them again if other parts of your vehicle begin to peel. You can only sue them for the damage you have on your vehicle at the time of the law suit, not for potential future damage.

 

So if you sign their agreement you waive your rights for any further action and they will have you sign a confidentiality clause which means you can't help others with the same problem as I have been doing since I won my judgement against Ford. I didn't want to sell out and give up my rights for future actions either.

 

Go to our group on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=info&gid=94328817418

 

Read the discussions and view the Photos. I have published scans that will show you how to take them to court if that is what you want to do.

 

Also go to the Lemon Law blog for additional information and complaints.

 

http://www.lemonlaw.com/wordpress/more-problems-for-ford-paint-defects-in-2000-2005-models/

 

I am president of the International Press Association, so as a journalist, I have been basically spit upon by Ford and treated like dirt, but I can understand their position, my postings and writings can eventually cost them big bucks, so like in all the movies you have seen about whistle blowers and the cigarette and chemical industries, this is no different.

 

One day someone in our government will either take up this cause or we will begin to see some aggressive class action law suits.

Edited March 27, 2010 by lenrapp

[lenrapp]

There are two websites with tons of information on the Ford Peeling Paint issue and one is a group on Facebook.

 

If you are having problems, please join both of these discussions for help in dealing with Ford and achieving success in having them pay for the repairs. It is simple, costs only a few dollars but may take a day in small claims court, should you decide to go to court to sue them. The success rate in small claims court from what we see is 100% in favor of the plaintiff because Ford will only say that it could have been from environmental issues like bird droppings, UV Rays or stones hitting the paint finish. Of course once you bring the photos of your peeling paint to court and a couple of estimates to repair them, it is enough to convince any sane individual that it is a paint application issue and not bird droppings.

 

One important note, once you decide to go to court with Ford, they will contact you and try to buy you off. Do not be tempted to do so because you will lose any future rights you have to sue them again if other parts of your vehicle begin to peel. You can only sue them for the damage you have on your vehicle at the time of the law suit, not for potential future damage.

 

So if you sign their agreement you waive your rights for any further action and they will have you sign a confidentiality clause which means you can't help others with the same problem as I have been doing since I won my judgement against Ford. I didn't want to sell out and give up my rights for future actions either.

 

Go to our group on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=info&gid=94328817418

 

Read the discussions and view the Photos. I have published scans that will show you how to take them to court if that is what you want to do.

 

Also go to the Lemon Law blog for additional information and complaints.

 

http://www.lemonlaw.com/wordpress/more-problems-for-ford-paint-defects-in-2000-2005-models/

 

I am president of the International Press Association, so as a journalist, I have been basically spit upon by Ford and treated like dirt, but I can understand their position, my postings and writings can eventually cost them big bucks, so like in all the movies you have seen about whistle blowers and the cigarette and chemical industries, this is no different.

 

One day someone in our government will either take up this cause or we will begin to see some aggressive class action law suits.

Edited March 27, 2010 by lenrapp

[J-150]

For anyone interested, there is a website dedicated to my complaints:

 

MyFordpaintPeels.com

 

and there is a FaceBook fan page:

 

Face Book Page; My Ford Paint Peels

 

Make YOUR voice be heard!!! :happy feet:

 

 

where's Otis and Lemon?

[fordtech1]

I understand your concern and frustration. I agree that in a ideal world, paint would not peel, pit, scratch, or etch. However, Its a 10 year old vehicle. My family and I have owned alot of Fords. We had a few paint blemishes. The vehicles were out of warranty and with the exception of a couple, it was a outside source that caused the issue with the paint. Either way, we just had them repaired and moved on. Every manufacturer has some vehicles with paint issues.

 

From what your saying , my girl friends 2000 Accord with the clear coming off should be covered by Honda because its manufacturing defect from 10 years ago.

[NickF1011]

From what your saying , my girl friends 2000 Accord with the clear coming off should be covered by Honda because its manufacturing defect from 10 years ago.

 

If Honda had to repaint every one of their vehicles from ten years ago that has paint fading off the C-pillar, they would be out of business in a month. :lol:

[Zestar]

Ford has acknowledged receipt of our letter concerning the practices occurring within their paint supplier contracts.

 

Ford, Dealerships and Consumers should not be subsidizing paint suppliers' profits.

 

All three parties should receive a vehicle painted to the proper specifications.

 

It does not matter if the vehicle is a Honda or a Ford.

 

If its brand new or 10 years old.

 

The vehicle should not be a factory defect when it is first released from the factory.

 

Our research which includes the actual factory data indicates this is occurring.

 

Paint Peeling, Stone Chipping and Body Rusting are the results of low film thickness.

 

Ford and any other automaker is in the position to reap substantial revenue by exerting their rights.

 

Ford should not be complacent on this issue.

 

Paint Failures is impacting customer retention as well as draining natural resources.

 

In our opinion, if Ford has an interest in both profits and the environment

they would solve this problem plaquing the auto industry.

[fordtech1]

So let me put this in another way. I have two identical A/C units in my home. Both are the same age. One has failed just out of its warranty. The other one is working fine. So does that mean one left the factory with a defect and it took a few years to show?

 

So how long should any manufacturer be responsible for defects? Five years? Twenty years?

If your purchased item out lasted the manufacturers warranty over two fold, why should it be covered?

 

I have purchased 3 Dell computers at the same time. Every year one hard drive failed in each. They were out of warranty. Dell did not pay for them. Why should they? I declined to opt for the extra warranty and so its on me.

 

Hell the space shuttle has tile problems. Shit happens!

[J-150]

So let me put this in another way. I have two identical A/C units in my home. Both are the same age. One has failed just out of its warranty. The other one is working fine. So does that mean one left the factory with a defect and it took a few years to show?

 

So how long should any manufacturer be responsible for defects? Five years? Twenty years?

If your purchased item out lasted the manufacturers warranty over two fold, why should it be covered?

 

 

 

Well, I suggest you stand outside the dealer all day wearing a snadwich board and them come up with a username like "XYZ Airconditioners Suck" And spam boards all night (because you are busy picketing during the day).

Edited June 1, 2010 by J-150