boppergee Posted August 7, 2012 Share Posted August 7, 2012 Well.. I was all set to drive my new 2013 titanium home from the dealer until I gave a more detailed look at the body.I noticed the vertical gaps for the motorized rear hatch were not even.The left side was nice and tight, the right I could stick my finger threw it and I could see the edge of the rear body tail light. Is this a normal thing to occur? Am I being a difficult customer? I'm feeling like a di#$.I told them if they can fix it I'll take it.Can the rear hatch be adjusted left-right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
transitman Posted August 7, 2012 Share Posted August 7, 2012 I believe svtenthusiast had some panel alignment issues and they were resolved, I'm sure yours can too. Did the dealership give you any indication what they were going to do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boppergee Posted August 7, 2012 Author Share Posted August 7, 2012 (edited) I believe svtenthusiast had some panel alignment issues and they were resolved, I'm sure yours can too. Did the dealership give you any indication what they were going to do? They said they were going to send it to there body shop tomorrow and see what can be done.I don't have a good feeling because the dealers' service manager came and looked at it,he wasnt too optimistic sounding.He said something like.. we'll have to break the paint seal for the nuts here but If they are treaded thru the whole body.... blah blah blah. I got the feeling it may be un tweakable and it is what it is. edit: transitman your pic/avatar is the area I'm talking about... Edited August 7, 2012 by boppergee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
transitman Posted August 7, 2012 Share Posted August 7, 2012 From your description it sounds pretty bad and should have never left the factory. If it's not adjusted to your satisfaction, or the bolts, paint or hinges aren't the way they should be, don't accept it and have them locate an identical model, or order another car with a high priority number. Don't accept "it is what it is" because that's not the way it's supposed to be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pillboy Posted August 8, 2012 Share Posted August 8, 2012 I would closely examine the hatch and the opening once the body shop is done attempting to correct this. I'm going to assume they have to loosen the hinge bolts and slightly move the door and then retighten the bolts. The paint on the bolt heads will be violated and the paint around the hinges will be disturbed. (I assume the hatch is mounted to the body when it goes through the primer dunk tank and the color and clear coats are applied - anyone know anything different?) Depending on the amount of adjustment the hinges provide, it could be possible for the door to strike the opening surround if it is moved too much in one direction. Also look to make sure someone didn't knock a big chunk of paint off while twirling the ratchet wrench around. Regardless, you should accept nothing less than a hatch that is centered in the opening and flush with the surrounding body panels and with a properly sealing gasket. If you do decide to accept it after it is tweaked, you could ask about some sort of "warranty" against surface rust around the hinges. Another thought would be to spray a sealant onto the hinges to prevent moisture from reaching any bare metal. Years ago I purchased a yellowish, aerosol product from Ziebart for this use, but the last I bought from them last year, it was substantially different (very thin and runny). I would maybe suggest a product like this: http://www.eastwood.com/ew-heavy-duty-anti-rust-13-5-oz.html If you are not satisfied with how things look, I would have them order another or transfer one from another dealership. The wait on special orders does not seem to be overly long at the moment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rk2112 Posted August 8, 2012 Share Posted August 8, 2012 Well.. I was all set to drive my new 2013 titanium home from the dealer until I gave a more detailed look at the body.I noticed the vertical gaps for the motorized rear hatch were not even.The left side was nice and tight, the right I could stick my finger threw it and I could see the edge of the rear body tail light. Is this a normal thing to occur? Am I being a difficult customer? I'm feeling like a di#$.I told them if they can fix it I'll take it.Can the rear hatch be adjusted left-right? When was your Escape built? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlucarelli Posted August 8, 2012 Share Posted August 8, 2012 For what Ford is asking for a Platinum, I would expect nothing but perfect. It will. Not. Be. Right. from the body shop. Stomp your feet, make a scene, escalate up the chain, and get another vehicle. After all, for (about) the same money, you can get an American-made BMW X3 with perfect fit and finish. The Beemer will hold its value better, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
transitman Posted August 8, 2012 Share Posted August 8, 2012 (edited) For what Ford is asking for a Platinum, I would expect nothing but perfect. It will. Not. Be. Right. from the body shop. Stomp your feet, make a scene, escalate up the chain, and get another vehicle. After all, for (about) the same money, you can get an American-made BMW X3 with perfect fit and finish. The Beemer will hold its value better, too. What's a Platinum? The base price for the two X3 models is $38,500 and $43,600. That's without the standard features included on the Escape and more than a Titanium loaded with everything but the tow package. Do your homework. Edited August 8, 2012 by transitman 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted August 8, 2012 Share Posted August 8, 2012 Do your homework. Trolls don't do homework. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boppergee Posted August 8, 2012 Author Share Posted August 8, 2012 When was your Escape built? I believe it was built on 7-23.Atleast that's what I got from cyberman.I'm no mechanic but it looked like they needed to break the paint seal at the 2 hinges on top and tweak the door to the right about a 1/4 inch.Plus gotta take the motorized pistons into account as well.I guess it all depends how much play is in the holes in the hinges that the bolts go thru.,so who knows...We compared it to the only other escape on the lot but thast was a SEL without the motorized hatch, so not an exact comparrison, but that had no problems. I'm sure 95% of the people wouldnt never have given it a second look but I'm a bit anal and I'm sure whenever I would walk past the car,it would be the only thing I'd see.Hopefully they can tweak becasue I really wanted the car and I dont want to wait another 8 weeks for a re-order.Then again if I pay 30 something for a new car,It's my responsibility to make sure I'm happy with it.Thanx for the input guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickF1011 Posted August 8, 2012 Share Posted August 8, 2012 For what Ford is asking for a Platinum, I would expect nothing but perfect. It will. Not. Be. Right. from the body shop. Stomp your feet, make a scene, escalate up the chain, and get another vehicle. After all, for (about) the same money, you can get an American-made BMW X3 with perfect fit and finish. The Beemer will hold its value better, too. I've heard more than enough horror stories about BMW's to know that many of them are faaaaaaaaaar from perfect in fit or finish. But troll, troll, troll your boat... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sirsaint Posted August 8, 2012 Share Posted August 8, 2012 Hopefully you didn't close your deal. If that's the case, you have the upper hand. Regardless the price or trim level of any new vehicle, if there is a gap large enough on one side to slide your finger through and not the other side, I don't think you are being unreasonable. Good luck and hope it's a simple fix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boppergee Posted August 8, 2012 Author Share Posted August 8, 2012 I heard back from the dealer today, it can be fixed and will be complete tomorrow.I then need time for the touch up paint to cure(his words),so I wont be able to pick it up until Friday.I'll find out exactly what they did to fix it and I'll definetly give it a very good look over.Man, I can't put into words how dissapointed I was yesterday but now,once again,I'm looking forward to my new ride! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted August 9, 2012 Share Posted August 9, 2012 Think about it - body shops replace doors and hatches on a daily basis. As long as they're careful it should be just as good as new. If not you can still refuse it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boppergee Posted August 10, 2012 Author Share Posted August 10, 2012 I picked her up last night. I'm told they didnt need to remove anything,just loosen the hinge bolts,shift the door to the right,retighten and touch up the paint.The dealer even gave my a little bottle of touch up paint,just incase I saw any bare metal,down the line.Anyway.. All is well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
transitman Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 I picked her up last night. I'm told they didnt need to remove anything,just loosen the hinge bolts,shift the door to the right,retighten and touch up the paint.The dealer even gave my a little bottle of touch up paint,just incase I saw any bare metal,down the line.Anyway.. All is well. That's good to hear, glad everything worked out. I was checking the Motorcraft Parts site and noticed along with bottles of touch up paint, there's also primer and clear coat. I would keep a close eye on the area affected and if there is any sign of problems with paint or corrosion, take it back to the dealer, my guess is the minute you try to touch it up yourself, voids any warranty for the affected part. I'm by no means a "they're out to screw us out of our warranty" kind of guy, it's just, they ain't going to pay for something they don't have to and I wouldn't either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sassy7 Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 (edited) I think Transitman & Pillboy are twins separated at birth. You boys should probably look into that.(It's a compliment. You share the same attention to detail. I noticed it first in your check lists for picking up the new car). Edited August 10, 2012 by Sassy7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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