desertfusion Posted May 2, 2013 Share Posted May 2, 2013 (edited) Well my first post, I've been following a while and have decided to post something everybody needs to watch for. I ordered my Fusion Ti on the very first day Ford dealers could accept orders. I didn't receive it until the middle of December. So there is some background, now onto my troubles. The paint is peeling off on the inside edges where the rear bumber attaches to the trunk/rear of the car. It first bubbles then flackes off. So I have these tiny unpainted dots starting to appears all along the edges. Took it in and of course the dealer really doesn't seem to give a rats care but went ahead and took pictures to send to whoever has to approve it out of the kindness of his heart. One of those one horse town dealers. So Ford is going to pay to repaint it and I have to take it in Monday to get this done. Will it ever by the same? Are they going to color match or do you know if Ford will send the dealer the paint. The dealer however will not be repainting, a local autobody shop will be doing the work. It's going to take a couple of days so that being said do I get a loaner car? On other issues the ac plug has to be replaced, it quit working and what is up with the passenger seat belt and the white stitched fabric on the upper portion of the seat belt. I have to hammer the belt clip past this stitching and it's getting old. The dealer said everyone of the Fusions on the lot have this and won't do anything about it. On another note I have never gotten one of those survey requests from Ford on my visits to this dealer and I heard through the grapevine that some dealers can have those survey requests sent to employees houses where the employees fill them out. Anyone heard of this? This also isn't my first trip to this dealers service department I have an F-250 that has been in a couple of times and I have never gotten a customer survey from Ford. I know they send these out I have seen it at my brothers house and when I owned a Mazda they sent one out everytime I went to the dealer. Thanks. Edited May 2, 2013 by desertfusion Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
47Minutes Posted May 2, 2013 Share Posted May 2, 2013 I've had a similar issue with the rear bumper paint on my Fusion Energi Ti. On delivery I noticed a chip of paint off, and more ready to flake off, where the lower, rear bumper forms a point behind the rear tire. I took it to my purchase dealership 3 weeks later based on my schedule to have this and other issues addressed. The service advisor had to take photos and submit these to Ford in order to get approval for a warranty repair. If not approved, I'd be on my own to pay for any repair. Fortunately, Ford did approve for the bumper to be repainted and it should be getting finished up today. It was my impression that the dealer's in-house body shop would be mixing the paint. Because it is a warranty repair, I am in a rental car at Ford's expense. As with any paint/body repair I do have concerns about the final quality. Having only had my car for three weeks and already having something repainted, I am hopeful they will do an excellent job. It will certainly be better than the alternative. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BadRock Posted May 2, 2013 Share Posted May 2, 2013 That's terrible to hear about the paint, hopefully Ford does you right and takes care of the problem. I'm curious about the survey too, my salesman has been coaching me on what to say on the survey. Cracks me up, he wants a lot from me but yet doesn't want to do much to earn it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desertfusion Posted May 2, 2013 Author Share Posted May 2, 2013 @47minutes, Your paint chip started about where mine started. So they gave you a rental car, that is good to know. Let us know how it goes. Thanks. @BadRock, Interesting on the survey, these surveys mean a lot to them. When I turned in a bad one I immediately got a call from the dealership asking what they could do to fix it. Obvisouly I wasn't the only bad one a couple of months later they weren't selling Mazda's but I think that had more to do with the three or four they were selling a month. Is there a way to check with Ford on what my address is for these Surveys? So anyone on the passenger seat belt stitching? I just noticed my gender as female last I checked i was standing up when I did number 1. How do I change this in my profile. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bearcats98 Posted May 2, 2013 Share Posted May 2, 2013 I have the survey and they need to fix some electronic gremlins and the bumper before I submit it. He asked to tell him if there was anything I would not feel comfortable enough rating a 10 and he would address it. What do they get out of all 10's or not get if they dont get all 10s? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fastronaut Posted May 2, 2013 Share Posted May 2, 2013 As much as I dread reading these posts, I am grateful to see the entries. I am about to take delivery soon and will pay extra attention to the paint. I've had work done in the past and it all depends on the people doing it. I've had great pain matches. The one thing that really helps is if you do painting while the car is relatively new. Then, you are not having to deal with UV faded colors that will never be a match for new paint. I'm guessing the paint is only covered by the 3/36,000 warranty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bearcats98 Posted May 2, 2013 Share Posted May 2, 2013 As much as I dread reading these posts, I am grateful to see the entries. I am about to take delivery soon and will pay extra attention to the paint. I've had work done in the past and it all depends on the people doing it. I've had great pain matches. The one thing that really helps is if you do painting while the car is relatively new. Then, you are not having to deal with UV faded colors that will never be a match for new paint. I'm guessing the paint is only covered by the 3/36,000 warranty. Go over it closely. It will depend on how much you trust your dealer but if I had major paint issues I would pass on the car period. I would not accept a repaint of anything other than a plastic surface (bumper covers) as those typically will not match 100% anyway. Remember if you have any hesitations, say its not what you want and if you would accept it with a reduction in price, let them know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
47Minutes Posted May 2, 2013 Share Posted May 2, 2013 I've not noticed any stitching issue on the passenger belt. When I get mine back, either late today or tomorrow, I'll have a look for it. I've gotten two emails concerning the Viewpoint survey from purchasing the vehicle. I've yet to get one for having it in to service, but it may come now that they're doing some actual work. I don't know the specifics on dealer motivation for excellent survey results, but I do think they get some sort of incentive from Ford for excellent results. An award maybe or something. I don't think it is monetary. I haven't had my salesperson "coaching" me on the answers and I've been waiting to see how they deal with the half dozen or so things I've asked to be addressed on my vehicle. So far on the paint and the rear window glass they are taking good care of me. But I've got another annoyance or two that I don't think I'm going to get far with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delnatha Posted May 2, 2013 Share Posted May 2, 2013 I remember my dealer showing me a sample survey. He went on and on about how any mark not in the highest category is considered a failure by Ford and if I'm not happy with something I should let them know so they can make it right. Begging for a good score on a customer service survey is pathetic and defeats the purpose of the survey. Just give good service and everything else will work out right. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Powered By Fusion Posted May 3, 2013 Share Posted May 3, 2013 My new Fusion HyTi came with a huge blemish on the right side of the front bumper...literally dirt or some dirty oil got lodged between the paint and the clearcoat at the factory leaving a dirt spot you'd think you could wipe off....but would never come off...saw it the morning i got my fusion after picking it up the night before when it was dark....very next day its at the shop and they took pics of it and approved the paint...your dealer should approve the paint...your car is under warranty for a number of years and its to my knowledge that ANYTHING THAT HAPPENS TO THE CAR THAT ISNT YOUR CAUSE OR THE CAUSE OF SOMEONE ELSE IS COVERED UNDER WARRANTY...so if paint chips on its own its a defect and defects are covered...they took my entire front bumper off and had to sand down the blemish spot and repaint it...the next day after the paint dried they sprayed the clear coat on and let it dry and i picked it up later...ford did it themselves..and i had worries too about the bumper being repainted but guess what... ...IT LOOKED AMAZING. It looked as good as the factory and the color matched and my white platinum was sparkly with the rest of the car as if it werent even repainted. i was surprised at the quality and spee dof the work..just one and a half days...but as most others do i worried about the longevity of the paint job..it looked good now but will it fade and scratch and chip before the rest of the car because it isnt a perfect "factory finish"? Fortunately they said the painted bumper is under lifetime warranty too..so for as long as I own the car i wont have to worry about it..anything happens to it then ford will take care of it for free....now this of course was because its on the due bill...my dealer added a number of things to th e due bill the next day and all those things ill never have to pay for... so there are two things to get out of this. 1. paint jobs depend on the quality of work of the person doing it...but if my dealership can get white platinum tricoat perfect then anyone can who can do high quality work..so just take the risk because if they mess up they repaint..beats living with the messed up bumper 2. find problems within a day or so of getting your new car so they add it to the due bill...MAKE SURE THEY DO THIS...that is your insurance policy that this wasnt just fixed but was something due to you at the time of purchase so it will always be fixed no questions asked. If its put on the due bill you dont pay for it and you dont have to worry about any mistakes because they'll keep redoing it until its the quality of a brand new car sold to you the day you paid for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gl419 Posted May 3, 2013 Share Posted May 3, 2013 The quality of my paint job (blemish and orange peel) is acceptable. Not perfectly "glass like". But I don't really expect it to be. The only thing that bothers me is that the front bumper is not an exact match colorwise to the rest of the car. Mine is Ruby Red, and the front bumper is slightly lighter than the rest of the car. Not as noticable in bright sunlight, but in a lighted garage or cloudy day it is definately noticable. Anybody else see a difference in the front bumper to the rest of the car? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bearcats98 Posted May 3, 2013 Share Posted May 3, 2013 The quality of my paint job (blemish and orange peel) is acceptable. Not perfectly "glass like". But I don't really expect it to be. The only thing that bothers me is that the front bumper is not an exact match colorwise to the rest of the car. Mine is Ruby Red, and the front bumper is slightly lighter than the rest of the car. Not as noticable in bright sunlight, but in a lighted garage or cloudy day it is definately noticable. Anybody else see a difference in the front bumper to the rest of the car? You will see this almost on any brand of car. To get the plastic and metal painted surfaces to match 100% is very slim. There will always be some variation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
47Minutes Posted May 3, 2013 Share Posted May 3, 2013 I'm also facing an issue related to the dealer washing the darn thing. It was washed at least once before delivery and there are already some very, very fine swirls in the clearcoat. When I took it in for the infamous "clicking/popping" noise I specifically indicated I did not want them to wash it because of this and fear it will get worse. They, of course, washed it. So now it's been done at least two times by the dealer and none by myself yet. I don't trust them to wash it properly and now don't trust them to NOT wash it. Hell, they're probably washing it right now as I hope to get her back this evening. I'm looking for a good local detailer (dallas) if anyone has recommendations. One that does Zaino products or something similar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted May 3, 2013 Share Posted May 3, 2013 I'm also facing an issue related to the dealer washing the darn thing. It was washed at least once before delivery and there are already some very, very fine swirls in the clearcoat. When I took it in for the infamous "clicking/popping" noise I specifically indicated I did not want them to wash it because of this and fear it will get worse. They, of course, washed it. So now it's been done at least two times by the dealer and none by myself yet. I don't trust them to wash it properly and now don't trust them to NOT wash it. Hell, they're probably washing it right now as I hope to get her back this evening. I'm looking for a good local detailer (dallas) if anyone has recommendations. One that does Zaino products or something similar. Tell the dealer you now have to get it detailed to get out the swirl marks and that they need to pay for it. That's why I never let the dealer wash my car. On the bumper repaint - as long as the body shop is competent it will be as good as new and sometimes better so no worries there. Just check it afterwards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desertfusion Posted May 4, 2013 Author Share Posted May 4, 2013 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desertfusion Posted May 4, 2013 Author Share Posted May 4, 2013 (edited) So I called the Ford Customer Care number and the guy told me that rectangular stitching is on every passenger seat of every Fusion. I guess I'm just going to have live with slamming the buckle on the threading to get it over. First world problem I guess!! Edited May 4, 2013 by desertfusion Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted May 4, 2013 Share Posted May 4, 2013 So I called the Ford Customer Care number and the guy told me that rectangular stitching is on every passenger seat of every Fusion. I guess I'm just going to have live with slamming the buckle on the threading to get it over. First world problem I guess!! It's there to hold the buckle and keep it from sliding down. Just leave it above the stitching when it's retracted and it works perfectly fine. No need to "slam it over the stitching" every time - leave it there and just buckle it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jared6788 Posted May 4, 2013 Share Posted May 4, 2013 What color are your stitches? I can't tell from the pic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
47Minutes Posted May 4, 2013 Share Posted May 4, 2013 That paint pic looks pretty much like mine. I had it on both sides and right at the point of the rear bumper. Photos sent to Ford and it has been repaired as a warranty item (rental included). I'm waiting to get her back on Tuesday as they still need to replace my rear window glass. Turns out they to have to pull down the headliner and some other stuff to replace that window. Ugh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desertfusion Posted May 4, 2013 Author Share Posted May 4, 2013 It's there to hold the buckle and keep it from sliding down. Just leave it above the stitching when it's retracted and it works perfectly fine. No need to "slam it over the stitching" every time - leave it there and just buckle it. The plastic button is what the buckle is resting on in the pic. I can't keep it above the stitching, if no one is in the passenger seat it eventually slides down and rests on the plastic stop button thing. When you go to put the seatbelt on you have to hammer it a couple of times to get it back above the stitching. Again, it's only the front passenger seat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desertfusion Posted May 4, 2013 Author Share Posted May 4, 2013 What color are your stitches? I can't tell from the pic. White. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desertfusion Posted May 4, 2013 Author Share Posted May 4, 2013 That paint pic looks pretty much like mine. I had it on both sides and right at the point of the rear bumper. Photos sent to Ford and it has been repaired as a warranty item (rental included). I'm waiting to get her back on Tuesday as they still need to replace my rear window glass. Turns out they to have to pull down the headliner and some other stuff to replace that window. Ugh. Yeah its on both sides, sorry to hear about the rest of your car that sucks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jared6788 Posted May 4, 2013 Share Posted May 4, 2013 It would be darn difficult for me to get my buckle below the stitching. I'm sure they can add more stitching. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jared6788 Posted May 4, 2013 Share Posted May 4, 2013 And my stitches are black so they blend in with the belt. I never knew they were there until you posted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fastronaut Posted May 4, 2013 Share Posted May 4, 2013 I had a weird rectangular paint issue under both rear tail lights that needs some touchup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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