Dealership Damage - My 2015 Mustang Transmission and Paint Problems

[15mustang]

I wanted to share my experience to help car owners and explain why I am now looking at other brands after being a long-time Ford owner (Advice: be careful when leaving your car at a dealership!)

Summary: My brand new Mustang GT developed paint damage and serious transmission problems while at a Ford dealership. I am still trying to get it fixed (over 6 weeks later).

My video appeal to Ford with details:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbbwzeOZhNo

More Details:
I recently purchased a brand new 2015 Mustang GT 5.0 ($37k, with 32 miles on it) and when I brought it home I noticed the door brushed against the front fender when I opened it which caused paint damage. It seems the front fender had been misaligned (link in Youtube video below).

So I took it to a local Ford dealership after I drove it about 200 miles, and they took pictures of the paint damage, and got authorization for warranty repair. They then took it to Greg's Auto Collision in St Augustine (~7 miles away) according to both the dealership service manager and assistant service manager and Greg’s apparently did a very poor paint repair on my new car (less than a week old). Pictures in Youtube video below. The paint and clear coat were further damaged on the car somehow in the whole process. The dealership then acknowledged the paint repair wasn’t right and could be sent back for proper paint repair.

So, I chose to bring my car home from the dealership, and when I drove away in my new Mustang (after the dealership had it for ~16 miles), I immediately noticed the manual transmission didn’t shift right at all (it always shifted perfectly when I dropped it off). The transmission would basically now bind, catch, grind and then pop into 4th gear at low RPMs in a very odd two stage process. It absolutely NEVER did this before I dropped it at the dealership. In addition, third and fourth now made a louder thud going into gear. The transmission shift quality was significantly, noticeably degraded somehow when I left it in the dealership’s care. (it is worth noting, they averaged 12.6MPG during the 16 miles they put on it)

Other people have driven it and confirmed my concern.

Terrible Paint Repair:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pairY8em0OY

Update 2/4: Transmission now has serious problems at 244 miles on odometer! While with the Ford dealership for warranty paint repair and door/fender alignment, the manual transmission shift quality became VERY poor in 4th gear. So at 244 miles on the odometer it's now got manual transmission and paint problems!

Update 2/18: After talking to the dealership service manager, GM, and Ford I have still not been offered a brand new transmission for the car.

Update 3/9: Test drove a brand new 2015 Mustang GT Manual at Autonation Ford Jacksonville where I confirmed that a new Mustang GT manual does NOT exhibit the same shift problem. Asked that dealership change transmission fluid.

Update 3/12: No resolution reached despite dozens of phone calls to Ford and dealerships. Still have serious transmission problems with 4th gear.

Update 3/14: For additional confirmation, took it to an independent transmission repair shop 3/14 with 996 miles on it where the mechanic felt a transmission problem exists.

Update 3/17: So far stuck with a problematic transmission, apparently damaged or maybe defective, in my brand new 2015 Mustang! (a dealership mechanic had also said he felt a concern but dealership wouldn't list).

Update 3/19: Unable to get transmission fixed at all (neither rebuild or new) up to this point.

Note: I had requested transmission fluid be changed to check for metal deposits etc, but could not get authorization/approval.

 

[02SE]

Okay.

 

[Range]

I think you're lost. Go here

Mustang Forums for All Ford Mustangs

 

[Lester Lugnut]

I didn't read the entire thread, but it's obvious you aren't happy with Ford.

You could buy any vehicle made by any mfg. and end up with the same or similar problem you've experienced.

Read thru some of the post here at T4R and you'll see what I mean.

As far as I am concerned, buying a car/truck/SUV/whatever is the luck of the draw these days.

I no longer have any real faith in any of them.

 

[15mustang]

I didn't read the entire thread, but it's obvious you aren't happy with Ford.

You could buy any vehicle made by any mfg. and end up with the same or similar problem you've experienced.

Read thru some of the post here at T4R and you'll see what I mean.

As far as I am concerned, buying a car/truck/SUV/whatever is the luck of the draw these days.

I no longer have any real faith in any of them.

4 Runners are Nice

 

[15mustang]

I didn't read the entire thread, but it's obvious you aren't happy with Ford.

You could buy any vehicle made by any mfg. and end up with the same or similar problem you've experienced.

Read thru some of the post here at T4R and you'll see what I mean.

As far as I am concerned, buying a car/truck/SUV/whatever is the luck of the draw these days.

I no longer have any real faith in any of them.

How has Toyota been with repairs etc? I just wish Ford would fix the car.

 

[slides]

sounds normal for a ford

 

[snivilous]

How has Toyota been with repairs etc? I just wish Ford would fix the car.

Depends on the dealership from what I've read. One guy I saw had a ton of issues and he climbed the company ladder as high as possible to get it fixed, which you should probably do too. Climb as high as you can, just keep asking for people's managers and stuff (above the dealership level) until someone will contact the dealership to do something.

 

[blizz86]

Had a problem though not as severe as a tranny issue.

It was with HAMER Toyota in San Fernando. Man.. i absolutely hate to type this over, so I'm just going to copy and paste the letters i emailed to corporate toyota, and include a TLDR (Too long didnt read)

Basically i wrote a letter that highlighted all my problems i had with the dealership to the customer relations mngr.

After that letter, the customer relations mngr from Hamer called a few times and basically spewed some bullshit and offered $400 in parts/accessories as a sorry. That was fine. After some time, and no letter/GC showing up in our mail, we called him and he flat out denied any recollection of the offer.

So thats when i sent the email below to corporate.
-----------------------------
We have been going to Peter Fernandez for years, each time he has attempted to be helpful. However, our most recent visits with Hamer's Service Department is likely to be one of our last.

In the past we brought our 2000 4runner in for an alignment service, someone keyed the entire length of the passenger side. The damage was freshly done as the paint along the scratch had a burr that was obvious. Peter denied that it occurred there but he would request the carwash people to buff it. I know what was exactly on the truck because I took the time to detail/restore the paint. So now I’m left with a passenger front door with a line of bare metal showing. We didn't raise our concerns because it is a 14 year old car, but nonetheless it should have NEVER happened. On this service, I had the car aligned again for the second time by the service department after I noticed the vehicle was slowly going out of spec - not tracking straight. Whoever performed the alignment over torqued the tie rod adjustment nuts so that the alignment was no longer able to be adjusted properly. (I learned this later when I went to an independent shop and they physically showed me what was going on, where the adjustment nut was impossibly torqued and that my outer tie rods were starting to fail –which I was failed to be notified by Hamer)

That was 2 strikes in my mind, but I forgave it because like I stated it was an older car.

This latest service was with our 2012 4runner. We had brought it before numerous times with a complaint that periodically the backup camera would only display a blue screen before cutting out when put into reverse. We noticed this happened much more often after we had a warranty claim in which the felt gasket of the spoiler was peeling off and it was replaced by Peter's team. We brought in the truck on 9/11/14 because of the camera issue and he finally took it back and fixed it. When he returned the truck to me he told me that there was not a good ground connection in the connector behind the radio under the dash. BUT when I read the documentation it said there was a pin fitment error in the rear panel. It’s quite obvious that the connector was damaged from the time the spoiler gasket was replaced, so I can only assume Peter tried to hide the facts.

When I was pulling out of the Service department, I noticed that the radio reception was awful. I pulled back in and was forced to wait again as Peter diagnosed the problem. He told me that the car washing people damaged the hell out of the mast base and it broke the antenna assembly somehow. I was skeptical about this since the car had not even been washed. Peter then told me to just return the next day and it would be fixed. At this point I was livid since I’ve had to waste so many trips for this issue before he finally addressed it, yet I had to make at least one more to fix the radio antenna problem.

I highly suggest cameras in the service department, with available footage to hold employees liable for their actions. If the service people have the audacity to KEY an entire side of one of my trucks, an action of vandalism, and perform negligent service combined with intentional damage to my 2012 4runner (never before did any work be performed on my radio or antenna so there was no reason to tighten the antenna mast), I hope nothing was done to the powertrain or driveline that could possibly sabotage or damage either or injure myself in the long run.

All these times of trouble with SOMEONE or SOME PEOPLE in the service department make us reconsider our choices when choosing a TOYOTA dealership to bring our cars into or purchase from. After purchasing a NEW 2004 Sienna and NEW 2008 Camry and years of coming to Hamer’s service department, we expected much better consideration/respect from your mechanics/employees. Our family was looking to purchase an Avalon for my wife and my son was looking into the Tundra or Tacoma for himself, but these unfortunate events puts Hamer Toyota on a blacklist of dealerships we will be purchasing or servicing cars from at least until some discipline is applied to account for employees displaying unprofessional/incompetent/disrespectful conduct.


....

There was back and forth correspondence in regards to "investigating" what went on with the dealership, and that the customer relations mngr would contact us again. NO dice. Eventually after consistently checking in with the corporate (ask toyota people) they offered us a $500 credit towards parts.

That made me pretty satisfied with TOYOTA, because i knew they could just put all the blame on Hamer without giving us any sort of compensation.

TLDR: Hamer (local dealership) does a shitty job, messes up 2 of our 4runners .. denies any wrong doing.. doesn't say sorry... complain to corporate and be persistent, some form of compensation for time/headache/gas/wasted breath.

 

[JayceeP]

Wow. Brutal. They should have removed the door/panel and did a new paint job. I had a couple pimples in my paint and the body shop had my 4RUNNER for 5 days to repaint the panel. Dealer covered everything. No questions.

 

[4Runner4TW]

Toyota of Seattle left me hanging a few times. First time they told me the car would be ready in two hours so I waited at the dealership. 5 hours later my truck was ready. Apparently they lost track of it and paid for the oil change which I was happy about.

Next oil change I brought it to them. Done within the hour. Drive it home and it smells terrible, like burning. I pop the hood and there is fresh oil EVERYWHERE. All over the engine, fender, leaking out of the bumper area and lights. I called immediately and no one has a clue so I drive it back and all the service advisor does is wipe it down with a rag and tells me to bring it back it the smell gets worse but to deal with it for two weeks while it burns away. I was quite pissed. My fiance wanted me to write to the manager, but at the time I was too busy.

Basically, I was taught from that point on that the "squeaky wheel gets the grease". So just keep at Ford and after a long hard battle because this will probably take many months they will hopefully correct the problem.