2003 Cobra Buyer Beware!!

[Doug McGinn]

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I recently purchased a brand new 2003 SVT Cobra and would like to share my experience with FORD motor company with all of you here.This is kind of a long story but i need to tell the whole thing so you can see the entire picture.
In the last 10 years my wife and myself have purchased 8 new Ford vehicles 4 of which were mustangs.In 1999 we purchased a 35th anniversary limited edition GT,5 speed transmission(all my mustangs have been manual transmissions).
At 6000 miles the clutch in the GT went out of the car so it was hauled to the local dealer who then removed the clutch to fix it.
After they got the clutch out i went down to see the old parts because i couldnt figure out why the clutch went out since i treated the car like a baby because it was the actual limited edition.
The clucth disc was burned to pieces and chunks of the linig were gone due to the fact that the lining is only glued on and not riveted.
When i asked the dealer to replace it with a better disc they refused to do so stating it would void my warranty.So i allowed them to replace the parts with the same OEM parts that it had.At 22,000 miles on my way home from work at 3 AM in the morning the clutch failed again.Obviously i was fairly upset because my car is now 40 days beyond the 3 year warrany however no where near the 36,000 mile mark.
So i take the car to the same dealer who tells me its going to cost me 750 to 800 dollars to fix the clutch again.I reminded them that they already replaced the clucth once at 6000 miles and now its out again,and that something is obviously wrong somewhere.Their explanation was "the clucth is a wear item",to which i remarked i am fully aware of that but you dont replace clucthes more often than you change your fan belt.When i contacted ford to ask for assistance because i felt i shouldnt be charged at all for this repair,the parrot on the other end explained that it was between me and the dealer because my car was 40 days beyond warranty.
In the end i had to pay to have the clucth replaced and of course had a motorsport disc and pressure plate installed.
After this dilema and a few others with my other vehicles and against my better judgement i traded the GT in on a 2003 Cobra.
Originally i scheduled an advance appointment 2 days prior to going in to test drive a silver cobra at my local SVT dealer LITHIA FORD,and then we were to sit down and crunch numbers.
On the scheduled day i took the day off and went to the car wash and had my car completely detailed and cleaned cost 75 dollars.I waited for my wife to get off work at 5 pm and then we went to the dealership,as we walked in the door i noticed the car was gone,so i asked for the saleman who i had made the appointment with.They informed me he wasnt in that he had left earlier for persoanl business.I told them i was there to drive the cobra and get my car appraised,at which point i was informed that the cobra was sold the previous day.Obviously i am fuming mad that they couldnt pick up the phone and call to inform me of this fact so i didnt waste an entire day and 75 dollars,so we leave.
When i got home i made calls to all the SVT dealers in a 300 mile radius of my home and finally located a Red 2003 Cobra at Team Ford in Sioux City Iowa,which we ended up purchasing after driving 200 miles round trip twice,once to see and drive the car,and again to pick it up and bring it home.At the dealership i noticed a chip in the hood which i pointed out to the saleman and i told him that would haveto be fixed as well as a blemish in the paint on the trunk lid,he agreed and said i could take it to any ford dealer to have it done,which was fine with me because i wouldnt have to drive another 400 miles.
Now then as part of the SVT warranty you as the owner of the car MUST be given a complimentary loaner vehicle anytime your SVT goes in for service free of charge,its right in your owners manual in black and white and is one of the selling points for these vehicles.
Once i get home i put the car in the garage because its about 10 PM by now.The next morning my wife and i go out to look our new toy over.
I pulled it out of the garage into the bright morning sun and as we are looking it over i notice that someone has used touchup paint to cover a scratch on the rear spoiler so i call team ford and inform them of this and they dont seem at all surprised they just say to have it fixed along with the other paint problems.
I setup an appointment with the local SVT dealer which again is the dealer who sold the original car out from under me (LITHIA FORD)the appointment is scaheduled a week in advance.
The day arrives again i take a day off to take the car in,at this point i tell the shop manager what needs to be looked at engine wise because the car is backfiring threw the blower and the valvetrain is extremely noisy onc ethe car is at opertaing temperture.I then asked if the body shop manager was going to come out and look at the paint problems like they told me on the phone a week earlier,i was informed that he was out of town and wouldnt be back for several days.
Obviously i was a little upset but at this point my concern was getting the mechanical problem solved so it didnt destroy the engine or blower.
I gave the service manager my keys and asked for the loaner car so i could go home.They said have a seat in the lobby and we will call enterprise rent a car.After 30 minutes a female service advisor comes in and informs me they dont have any cars but they will give me a ride home, i told her no i want a car just lik eit says in my warranty manual.She then goes back into the service area and is chit chatting with the male advisor for about another 15 minutes.Now i have been waiting almost an hour for a vehicle so i go out and ask to use the phone to call my wife to pick me up.
While im waiting for her i went into the showroom to wait because i had stared at the walls in the lobby long enough.I was upset at the fact that #1 the body manager wasnt there to inspect my car as i was told.#2 this SVT dealer has no idea what the SVT premium warranty is about.#3 my wife has to leave work to come and get me.#4 i have no vehicle with which to carry out the remainder of my day.
So i asked the girl in the showroom if i could have the phone number for Lithia corporate office and she said they dont give that out and she then immediatley called the assistant general manager.
The manager comes out and asks if theres a problem and i explained yes there is and informed her what was going on,she then stated "You show me in that book where it says we have to supply you with a vehicle" Quote.
I then left immediatley before i popped a gasket and started yelling at her.
I then went home and called the 800 number for SVT and told them what was going on,the gentleman then said he would call LITHIA ford and find out why they hadnt given me a vehicle to drive.Within 5 minutes of me calling SVT and SVT then calling LITHIA FORD,LITHIA FORD called me back and said QUOTE"since you saw fit to call SVT,we feel that we can not service your vehicle,when can you pick it up?"I told them fine i will pick it up right away and hungup the phone.
Then i called SVT back and explained what was now transpiring after their phone call,SVT then tells me Quote"We cant force then to work on your car" and then proceeds to tell me to take it back where i purchased it another 400 mile drive,or take it to another SVT dealer somewhere else.
Other than LITHIA ford there are no other SVT dealers in my town or within a reasonable distance from me.
The car is now at another Ford dealer here in town supposedly being fixed,mechanical wise anyway.The paint issue is still up in the air.
Nothing has been resolved and now i cant even take my car to the local SVT dealer.
Today i find out that each SVT dealer gets reviewed on each years customer service satisfaction rating and if they fall below a certain percentage they are no longer allowed to sell SVT vehicles.
You do the math,LITHIA FORD and im sure others as well do the same thing.If they feel a customer could be upset or hard to satisfy they simply refuse to work on their vehicle.Which obviously keeps them from getting any negative feedback.
This will be our last FORD product but certainly not our last new vehicle.
Be forwarned if you plan on buying on SVT vehicle,you better buy it at a local dealer and you might as well wipe your *** with that SVT premium warranty because its worth less than the paper its printed on.
Any comments can be forwarded to RedCobra@cox.net