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

[beach]

You should have made the subject:

LITHIA FORD CUSTOMERS BEWARE

[Dark_5.0]

Originally posted by beach
You should have made the subject:

LITHIA FORD CUSTOMERS BEWARE

I dont think so....It already has engine problems. That is a ford SVT problem.

I hope I dont have trouble getting my car serviced.

[Doug McGinn]

Well its all an SVT issue,the car is brand new and came with the paint defects as well as the engine problems.
Plus the fact that SVT offered no support whatsoever other than to get me banned from the local SVT dealer.

By picking up the phone and calling the dealership to inform them that they must give me a car and there by making the dealership mad as well as having a negative feedback from me.
They decided to refuse to work on my car thanks to SVT.

By doing this Lithia Ford can maitain a higher customer service rating,so at the end of the year when SVT reviews its dealers they wont hav eto worry about being kicked off the SVT team for poor customer service.

[Skyman]

What a ******* frustrating situation.

There must be a reputable SVT dealer around.

Skyler

[medrvstang01]

Doug-

Sorry to hear about your headache. I've had nothing but broken promises on my extended warranty. I had major defects after I purchased my 2001 GT, and I still to this day have not received a loaner car per my extended warranty. The are to provide a dealer car everytime my car is serviced.

The first time the took my car in the were to fix the defective dash. Well, the took the car apart and told me it wasn't under warranty cause I installed an aftermarket short throw shifter. OK....the car was a week old. I never touched it. Well....they bent my rim that day so they had to replace that. They did more damage to the dash then was there to begin with.....They had to replace a second time.

Well....the part that pissed me off the most was when I took my car in for the check engine light. I specifically told them to just check the code and if it was exhaust related I'd take care of it on my own. Well, after I didn't get my loaner again, they decided to call me and tell me that I owed them three hours in labor for the exhaust cause it was aftermarket. I told them I wasn't your average idiot and I know it doesn't take three hours to get the code. They still didn't touch the air conditioning which sounds like it's going to start spitting knives out at me. I told them I wasn't going to pay them a dime cause any idiot can do it in five minutes. I told them to drop my car of the lift and NOT TO TOUCH IT FROM HERE ON OUT! Well, I get there and my car is still on the lift. Know I'm even more pissed. I told them they can store my car in their lot till it gets repoed but I ain't payin them a dime. I suggested they return my car to me immediately or I would call Ford Motor Company in two mintues and make their heads swim.

Well, they decided to waive the fees, but I was banned from the dealer. What a way to treat a customer who spends 27K every three years at their dealership. Still to this day my air isn't fixed.

I've had it with Ford Motor Company. My grandfather was an engineer for Ford, but in all honesty I'd rather have spent my 27K on a Subaru WRX. My buddy blew his transmission in his car and they fixed it even though they knew it was from over boostin the thing with too much horsepower. They said, "we don't care, we make money on it anyways."

I don't understand for the life of me why the dealerships treat us customers like this! You would think the dealerships would warranty everything considering they bill Ford for the hours anyways. This, along with the 5W20 crap just makes me want to buy a WRX for the fiance and ditch the car even though it's a classic automobile.

Bottom line, Ford is going down the tubes!!!!!!!

Good luck with your beauty......too bad Ford can't stand behind their own Warranties!!!!!!!!

[Doug McGinn]

The next closest SVT dealer is an hour drive from here.Thats to far to go everytime i need something done because i would drive an hour to drop the car off,an hour back home if i managed to get a loaner car,an hour back to get the car and drop off the loaner,and then an hour back home.
I would rack up 36,000 miles in a big hurry at that rate if things continue the way they are,and the way they went with my GT.

[GaryDawg]

I don't think it's just Ford...

My car is 41 months old and has 35K miles on it. It has only had to go to the Service shop once for an emergency brake recall... They totally screwed up my emergency brake handle that was working perfectly before... they gave me a hard time about it and I said fine, I will fix it myself... Haven't had to go back since...

My wife's brand new 4X4 Chevy Blazer on the other hand has been in the Chevy Service shop 10 times in the last 18 months!!! And I still haven't got them to look at the cracked paint on the hood because the Service department can't schedule me for body work and neither can the service rep... I have to go over to the body shop in person to schedule service... is that stupid or what?

I feel for you man on that new Cobra... it would certainly make me mad but it has more to do with the dealership and unfortunately, you getting a bad car...

Sorry to hear it... hope things improve...

[89 Cobra LX]

Originally posted by Skyman
What a ******* frustrating situation.

There must be a reputable SVT dealer around.

Skyler

Lithia Ford is the only SVT dealer in Omaha. And it sounds like they suck. They used to be HP Smith Ford and they sucked then too. I was hoping the new management would be a plus.

Doug, thanks for the heads-up. They've just lost any potential new business they had from me. I almost bought a 2002 Cobra from them last fall, but they're customer service was such garbage I decided to stay with the old 5.0.

When you get everything straightened out, let me know. I wanna see what you've got.

Peace,

[89 Cobra LX]

Originally posted by Doug McGinn
The next closest SVT dealer is an hour drive from here.

Who is it?

[Doug McGinn]

Theres one in blair and one in fremont.Imagine having 2 SVT dealers that close together and in towns that small.We are in a major city and only have one SVT dealer and they shouldnt be.
SVT only allows so many dealers in a given radius,so i dont understand why the hell they would allow a town like blair and fremont with a tiny population to be SVT dealers when the majority of the buyers are located in Omaha.

[Doug McGinn]

Just got the car back from atchley ford,they said they couldnt find any problems as far as the backfiring.
I have an appointment monday to have the rear spoiler and side scoop painted.Im not letting them paint the hood and trunk lid yet.Until i settle this crap with SVT.
Its looking like they will be replacing a blower or engine in the near future becaus eim certain that backfire threw the blower will evetually destroy something.
Also they state that the valve train noise is normal.

[Badass_yellowGT]

this sounds like a better business burea call should be made also according to most lemon laws they have to fix the problem or buy the car back from you at the price you paid. i would call the local tv stations the local news paper and contact a lawyer, media coverage is a powerfull thing it can realy make or break a bussines and they don`t want it to be bad most of the time it will change a dealers mind in a heart beat . i had the same problem with a 2002 nissan spec-v i bought new this year after 150 miles the paint was falling off the car i went to my local dealer and he told me it looked like paint chips but schedualed a appointment for a nissan rep to look at my car .long story short the rep told me it was my F*cking problem and i shouldn`t follow so close to vehicles. sure considering i work late at night and i`m the only person on the road when i go home i mean when i would ping the front hood paint came off they still didn`t see my point ,so i said F*ckit and traded my car for my current 1998 gt i lost $5000.00 of the price i paid when new towards a trade with only 250 miles on the car Don`t ever buy nissan .to this day i go down to the dealer monthly and tell prospective buyers of my problems. and have succesfully cost him $78,000.00 dollars in sales and counting. he should have painted my car.

[91LX2Bfast]

OK, first off it not just Ford, its most American cars in General. The quailty of cars gets worse and worse every year, and pretty soon no one will be buying American just like in the early 80's.
The paint problem, well that is Ford.
My fathers '01 Lightning already had paint pealing off of the GFX. Its like the paint can't even stick, its just pealing away and looks like the GFX were never primed. There are blemishes from the painting process all over the truck.
My brother has a '99 Gt and that also has very bad paint. Big chips and blemishes in various spots.
I have many complaints about the paint on my '97 and my mom's '95 Tbird also. So Ford's bad paint isn't anything new, just that its getting worse.
The dealers... ohh my. They need to have their SVT rights taken away, period. No more needs to be said about that.

If you wouldn't mind, I would like to post what you wrote on the board at this link: http://www.f150online.com/forums/sho...threadid=84377
Hopefully SVT will hear about this story and other like it and make some changes.

[Doug McGinn]

sure i will post it on that BBS in the morning or later this evening.

Lithia Ford obviously is very poorly managed. I'd raise holy hell with Ford Corp. I had a buddy who had a similar situation with Saturn and he eventually got the service manager fired AND a new Saturn. It'll take time, plenty of calls and letters, it's just depends if you want to go through that agony, for a potential resolution. I've had great service and support from my dealership in Florida (Mike Davidson Ford), and my GT's run great since the day I had it. Good luck! It sounds like Lithia has no local Ford competition and they know it.

[98SteedaGT]

Sorry to hear about your problems. That is a bunch of horse sh*t too. Our SVT dealer Philpott Ford seems to be ok, I haven't heard of any real crap stories like that from them. Several of my friends were mechanics there and they never talked about anything like it happening. I don't like to deal with them though, I like our other local dealer Energy Country, they were very easy to deal with. When I blew my engine during the flood, they had a new one ordered, shipped from Houston, and installed in 3 days. The only reason I had to even pay any money at all was : I told them to use a complete, new engine. They wanted to re-use 60K mi Alum heads on a new engine block.... I don't think so... So, now I have a brand new 4.6 Engine, from/installed by Ford, for about 1000.00..... But, my cousin did own a 95Cobra, that thing sucked.... the transmission failed so often, you could set your watch by it. then when they would fix it, the gears never would shift right..... (This was at a New Orleans Dealer, don't know the name though)..