I need help from the club

[Dennis Reinhart]

As you all know I have bought a new Blue Marauder, I also have LT. Commander Keith Schuleys car here to, I have not started any Mods because of the piss poor paint in the trunk and slight damage and lots of over spray underneath on both cars, on the trunk floor pan, Ford was supposed to send some one out Friday he never showed up, I am calling tomorrow and find out just what in the hell is going on. Now I drove my car out of town Saturday, to south Florida I stopped at a Lincoln dealership he had four black Marauders there, so I asked to look in the trunks, of those cars and guess what, its the same dam thing, three of the cars have big dents in the left and right side of the trunk floor pans, and they have overspray all over them, the trunl lid has primer showing in spots, the fourth car had the dents but the entire pan was undercoated in black, all four cars were made in Saint Thomas Canada along with mine and Keith's, tonight I washed my car, I opened the hood, and I am totaly dissatisfied with the paint under the hood and inside of the fenders its thin and primer showing in places, like over in the right hand corner, by the battery, I would like the members to look at the cars and send me email of what you see, at this point I want money from Lincoln or they can come get both cars, this is the piss poorest quality I have seen in a long time, and I am sending a copy of this post to Lincoln, if you have these issues I would be contacting them or give me your Vin #'s this just plain is UNSAT:po:

[CRUZTAKER]

Many of us have.............:(

[Dennis Reinhart]

Originally posted by CRUZTAKER
Many of us have.............:(

Ok and what did you find

[TAF]

Dennis,

I'll be glad to help you in any way I can. I haven't noticed what you've found, but never really looked that closely in those areas. Taking her in in the next few days for scheduled oil change and will take a look with Scott while she's on the rack. Do me a favor and tell him exactly what you want us to look for.

[CRUZTAKER]

Originally posted by Dennis Reinhart
Ok and what did you find

The following is a generic search result for "paint problems":
http://www.mercurymarauder.com/forums/search.php?s=&action=showresults&searchid=65560&sortby=&sortorder=

The following is a discussion SPECIFICALLY speaking of piss poor paint jobs:http://www.mercurymarauder.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=581&highlight=paint+problems

You will notice in this thread started by LML, that you are not alone in paint concerns. Although most of us have black, your blue issues are not unique.

My opinion of dents in the trunk liner: if I can't see them,which I can't, who cares??
As far as paint, I have an appointment in the spring for some VERY LIGHT repaint (bubbles) on a lower section of rear door.
The car is under warranty-They are more than glad to fix it.

As far as light paint coats in odd areas of the engine compartment and trunk, not new to me.....

You also must understand that the majority of us don't crawl under, in, around, and on top of our cars checking paint quality. As far as I am concerned, if the outside is shiny, hell, that's a plus. Constant scratches are MY concern.
I am not going to take this car to shows for grades, tropheys, money, or even kudos.
Yeah, I SEE the paint issues in these inconspicuous areas, but I am not in a hurry to return my MM, stop payments, or demand they repaint my door jambs......if it were a Testerosa, yes, but it's not, it's MY Canadian built American, Unique, soon to be rare, muscle car under 30k (dents or not).
:cool:

BUTT!!!! Damn them if my headlites fog up :P

[Bigdogjim]

Will get to ths shop Monday or Tuesday and e-mail the results to you ASAP. Thank you for watching out for us MM people.
Big Dog

[RCSignals]

I'll look in those areas on my car again.

Did you look in the other areas I mentioned in the thread in the "Community" forum?

[vaderv]

Thin paint and thin clearcoat in the doorjambs...CAN U GUYS BELIEVE FORD IS TALKIN ABOUT CLOSIN THE WIXOM MI LINCOLN THUNDERBIRD PLANT AND SENDING PRODUCTION TO THE CANADIAN PLANT THAT (ALMOST BUILT) OUR CARS???! THE QUALITY IN THIS PLANT IS THE WORST IN THE FORD SYSTEM...

[RCSignals]

I wouldn't say it's the worst in the system. the overall quality is good.

I'm surprised at the paint though. They just had a new paint system put in, i think a new dedicated building for paint, and i understand it went into operation for the '03s

[Dennis Reinhart]

You will notice in this thread started by LML, that you are not alone in paint concerns. Although most of us have black, your blue issues are not unique.
(Well sir you are wrong I just said I seen the same piss poor paint in the black cars as well)

My opinion of dents in the trunk liner: if I can't see them,which I can't, who cares?? (I CARE) I just bought a 35 K car, its called ATTENTION TO DETAIL

As far as paint, I have an appointment in the spring for some VERY LIGHT repaint (bubbles) on a lower section of rear door.
The car is under warranty-They are more than glad to fix it.

As far as light paint coats in odd areas of the engine compartment and trunk, not new to me.....

You also must understand that the majority of us don't crawl
under, in, around, and on top of our cars checking paint quality.
HEY BUDDY I dont crawl any where I had the car on the lift

As far as I am concerned, if the outside is shiny, hell, that's a plus. Constant scratches are MY concern. Well after two years when your paint clear coat starts to peel off and the paint starts to fade I would be willing to bet you may care then, but then again I don't know after your previous comments,

I am not going to take this car to shows for grades, tropheys, money, or even kudos. I am

Yeah, I SEE the paint issues in these inconspicuous areas, but I am not in a hurry to return my MM, stop payments, or demand they repaint my door jambs......if it were a Testerosa, yes, but it's not, it's MY Canadian built American, Unique, soon to be rare, muscle car under 30k (dents or not).
:cool:

BUTT!!!! Damn them if my headlites fog up :P [/B][/QUOTE]

OH I see thats cool thanks for your input


But to the rest of the members I will go to bat for every one who sends me email and a list of your problems, we carry far more weight as a group than a single individual.

[RF Overlord]

Uh-oh, I think we've just created our own "Dennis the Menace" :eek:

Hee-hee... J/K, Dennis :D ...it f-ing SNOWED here again last night, so I'll crawl around and look for you in a couple of days...

[mad man]

I put mine on a rack and found no problems under the car. But the rear door on the right side has a bad spot .about the size of a quarter looks like something in the paint:rolleyes:

[Dennis Reinhart]

Originally posted by RF Overlord
Uh-oh, I think we've just created our own "Dennis the Menace" :eek:

Hee-hee... J/K, Dennis :D ...it f-ing SNOWED here again last night, so I'll crawl around and look for you in a couple of days...

HA HA well as I said some of us care, also look under the hood to, what some people dont realize is if the paint is not right now it will only get worse years ago GM had major problems with clear coat, I was planning on keeeping this car for a long time, I dont think its nit picky, to expect the car to BE RIGHT, to me 35 K is alot of money,

a quarter is alot of money if your broke.

[Effster]

dennis,,same deal here.......rained all weekend.As soon as it clears up,i will pull the cover off and look around underneath it.And yes i already have noticed unpainted thin spots in the trunk area when i washed it.Thought it was kinda cheesy on their part to let it go like that.Thanks for going to bat for us all.Jeff

[MMM2003]

I haven't checked my car, for any of the things listed, but I can tell you this:

When I took delivery of my MM, I noticed something on the driver rear quarter panel, next to the gas tank cover.
First I thought it was wax or something like that.

After closer inspection it turned out, that they were two "paintcicles"/tears about 4" long.

I had that noted and the rear panel was repainted.

Of course when rear light was reassembled, they pinched off the wire to the break lights.
I couldn't drive, since it wouldn't let me shift into gear. Someone else already reported on this. So I'll leave it at this.

Otherwise, I enjoy driving my car daily and I'm not to concerned about some of the imperfections. If I wanted a "perfect" (paint, bodywork, interior, gaps) car, I would have bought a european car (Mercedes, BMW, Audi). Of course you pay a premium for that.

Some of the things I agree with, since thin paint, primer etc. could cause the car to rust prematurely and that would be unacceptable

[69Marauder]

Dennis, I just looked under my Marauder (vin#MEHM75V73X609241) built 5/29/02, delivery date 6/21/02 (to me) and found no dents on trunk pan or bad paint either under hood or in trunk. Years ago I worked for a L-M dealer and I was surprised by how many cars were damaged in transit and during loading and unloading, perhaps thats when the dents happened. The dealer that I worked for sent about 20% of the cars to the body shop before they were sold! That always amazed me (the amount of damage) that NEW cars had. P.S. I can't wait for you to complete installation of your supercharger, as my only complaint with this car is its low end power, my 69 X-100 will blow it away. Bill White

[O's Fan Rich]

I have 3 areas on my MM that have debris in the paint. (Painting in a dirty shop is a no-no!) In the trunk lip area I have a few small rust spots starting that use to be welding splatter that was painted over and has worked free now.
Inside the drivers door at the lower hinge area I have paint weraing off due to something rubbing.
I saw nothing underneath. If you want pics from me let me know, I'll snap them off.

[CRUZTAKER]

Originally posted by Dennis Reinhart
But to the rest of the members I will go to bat for every one who sends me email and a list of your problems, we carry far more weight as a group than a single individual.

ahrawwwl.....

You asked for input.....you got it, sorry you didn't like it. I managed to bite my tongue when you blew off my questions about your products I PAID YOU FOR.
No hard feelings here, but I will ALWAYS tell it like it is, I was not created to impress ANYONE, no matter how popular they may be to others.


I smell class action suit........bandwagon anyone????


Pat pat, shake shake, hail hail, flatter flatter............FTS.

[Dennis Reinhart]

Well I just got off the phone Ford ageed to repaint the trunk lid, refused to do any thing about the overspary and damage to the trunk floor pan this to me is unacceptable

[RCSignals]

Actually, not to minimise the paint condition as it came from the factory, it seems to me to be something the Dealer should be able to have taken care of even before the car was delivered.

Paint is part of the Dealer check list when they first get the vehicle.

[joflewbyu2]

inside driver's door jam build date 09/02. i have the same marks and dent under in the trunk area. not really upset as this isn't my 1st car and surely not my last. mine is a 300a black car. paint thin in driver's door jam on the inside of the a pillar - gray primer showing through. i honestly believe if they try to fix it all they will screw it up even more. probably will have tape lines and pealing paint in years to come. bought mine with 318 miles for $26,750 back in december. paint measures 5 mil all the way around - check in spots on each panel with a depth gauge. probably the same quality measure the factory uses. if i paid $262,000 as my friend paid for his 2003 ferrari 575 - i would be pissed. if i was really that upset i would have taken the $25,000 i was offered today for the car. relax, enjoy the car and start to modify it. just think, in 2005 model you won't have the oppertunity to own MM.

[Marauderman]

I stopped by the MM todaay at the body shop and the man putting her back together has alreadt painted the front and under the new hoos--real good job and alot of paint applied..look alot better than from the factory--he poinyed out to me that the front fenders are out of alignment with the front fenders from the factory and he will realign the doors --he had to pull them inward to be correct---he couldn't believe it.. he said they will most likely have to paint the whole car ... which will be a better paint job that the factory did...I 'm getting a complete new truck pan and he will painting it also--will check in again ion friday pm...it appears I'll be getting the correct and plenty of it--paint job but from and for the wrong reasons----sorry I can be of more help---htis guy doing my car has been at it for 40 years and knows his paint--a f-150 next door just finished in black---he did--looked better than anything black every seen---so I can't wait---
Will keep and eye out for pther areas as well-

Chin up Dennis_ you're perfectly right--it's alot of money! We need to take a stand for satisfaction or else!

[Marauderman]

Sorry for not prof-reading my typo mistakes---trying to be in a hurry---

[Dennis Reinhart]

Well I appreciate every ones input, but to me it is unsat, I looked at a a 2001 Mercury Grand marquee today, it had full paint in the trunk with clear coat, no thin edges no primer showing, my way of thinking is Lincoln/Mercury is supposed to be a cut above Ford, I have a 2002 Ford GT Convertible it has NONE of these issues, but again as by the end of the day I have been told by Ford that this, is acceptable and standard policy, and they are refusing to repair the trunk damage, I have bare metal showing on my car, so I am going to again seek a phone number of Ford Corporate, so far no one at Customer service will give a number out, Ford Credit basically told me if Keith or me refuse the payments the car will be repossessed and our credit trashed, but again I am not giving up yet, I just think it sucks, and I know if I could get the right person at Ford this could be resolved, I would never buy a car from the Saint Thomas plant. I know we have Ford execs here if some will slip me a number I wont tell,

[Ron]

Originally posted by Dennis Reinhart
Well I just got off the phone Ford ageed to repaint the trunk lid, refused to do any thing about the overspary and damage to the trunk floor pan this to me is unacceptable

Dennis, I agree.
How do you recommend I handle the situation? I have a "Silver Birch" due 4/7.
Do I have the dealer note the discrepancies on the bill of sale or should I refuse it? (I don't want to lose the incentives).
Digital photos? Your opinion please.

[Dennis Reinhart]

Originally posted by Ron
Dennis, I agree.
How do you recommend I handle the situation? I have a "Silver Birch" due 4/7.
Do I have the dealer note the discrepancies on the bill of sale or should I refuse it? (I don't want to lose the incentives).
Digital photos? Your opinion please.

Well I would Notify Ford that you do not want a car from the Saint Thomas plant, also I would let them know of what we already know as problems with the car I will send you hyperlinks of the digital photos

[Logan]

Seems to me the quality on the early marauders was superior to the later production vehicles... My 5/02 car was awesome from stem to stern, no paint problems anywhere...

[TAF]

Hey Logan,

Whatever happened to that "Okie" that bought yours (lucky son-of-a-gun)....is he on here?

[Dennis Reinhart]

Originally posted by Logan
Seems to me the quality on the early marauders was superior to the later production vehicles... My 5/02 car was awesome from stem to stern, no paint problems anywhere...

I agree Logan and I bet yours never came from the Canada plant

[Marauderman]

It was my understanding that the St. Thomas plant is the ONLY plant that is building the MM---anyone know of another plant ?

[jgc61sr2002]

Dennis - When I first picked up My MM and opened the trunk I thought there was only primer on the inside of the trunk lid. I compared it with my 2000 GM which has the inside of the trunk lid clearcoated. You can really tell the difference. Another way of FMC is saving money in production of the MM. FMC only offered a $1,500 on my 2000GMN and $3,000 on the MM. It is my opinion that FMC is attempting to cut costs. By the way all Ford replacememt sheet metal is primed in black so I would assume it is the same as factory parts. John :po:

[bugsys03]

ron--just go over the car with fine tooth comb before you sign the papers, its that simple. thats what i did- my car is black and beautiful. i have no complaints

[Dennis Reinhart]

Well see I dont know, I only figured that there was more than one because there are members that do not have these issues, but again if you are right then something has changed there, at this assembly line, the way it was explained to me the cars are on a skid just under the rear trunk floor pan and this is what is causing the dents, the over sparay and lack of paint is do to robotics

[nomad]

Dennis,I think Logan's right about the early production models,
quote"Seems to me the quality on the early marauders was superior to the later production vehicles... My 5/02 car was awesome from stem to stern, no paint problems anywhere".
Mine is an early[June '02] model,and no such problems as yours.
Just got mine back from the dealer,put 4:10s in[THANK YOU],
checked underside out real close while on lift,looks good!
Sorry to hear about your issues.Hope it's not a rush-job to get the blue ones out.
GOOD LUCK!

[Marauderman]

You know when you think about it--first MM 's are black ..so naturally any overspray anywhere--who's gonna see it anyway--we aren't--the owners of the black ones--now the blue ones are out and the paint sprayers haven't changed there ways and means ---so the tell tell signs of there misgivings are very visable against the blue/ light color interior...maybe the blue owners just haven't looked as close as Dennis...again ..Dennis IS pointing out helpful situations for us all to take note on..and although we may have the black MMs and can't notice or see the problems cause they blend in--doesn't mean we should not pull together and support him-----so Dennis....keep your copies of the members responses and use them if needed as a way of showing that we are too looking as to how FMC will satisfy this with you--for this will tell us how they will respond to any of our needs should they arise or and give us much insight as to how we may spend our dollars next time--much less how well we speak our tongue to those who may want to on them NOW!.......ok my .02C worth!

[drobin]

Dennis, just finished checking my MM built in Canada (6/02) and the only gripe is the two dents on each corner of rear of trunk area. There is no clear coat on trunk lid, but it has plenty of paint. Paint quality overall if very good and no primer spots showing anywhere.

I feel the only satisfaction you will receive from Ford is a promise to have dealer take care of your complaints since they will classify it as only cosmetic in nature. Nothing comparable to like vehicle falling off a transport truck etc., They do however, have an obligation toward achieving CUSTOMER SATISFACTION by repairing your vehicle in a manner in which the majority of ours were built.

Good luck and keep your cool. Remember, you can attract a lot more bees with honey rather than with vinegar...

Keep us posted.

Donald

[RCSignals]

I have yet to see any Panther with clear coat on the inside of the trunk lid, even the pre-'98 cars. If there is I suspect the car, or at least the trunk lid. was repainted at sometime.
Even the new 2002 Lincoln LS I had to drive for a few days didn't have clearcoat on the inside of the trunk lid

If a black car has overspray on the trunk pan like Dennis's car has it will show up, the primer is grey as on Dennis's car, not black

[RCSignals]

Originally posted by Ron
Dennis, I agree.
How do you recommend I handle the situation? I have a "Silver Birch" due 4/7.
Do I have the dealer note the discrepancies on the bill of sale or should I refuse it? (I don't want to lose the incentives).
Digital photos? Your opinion please.

your dealer should go over the car when they receive it, and already have discrepancies noted and taken care of.
When you take delivery, take the time to go over it thoroughly before you finalise the paperwork, and have them note everything you find.

[RCSignals]

Originally posted by Dennis Reinhart
I agree Logan and I bet yours never came from the Canada plant

Dennis, All Crown victorias, Grand Marquis, and Marauders come from the Saint Thomas plant

[RCSignals]

Originally posted by Dennis Reinhart
the way it was explained to me the cars are on a skid just under the rear trunk floor pan and this is what is causing the dents, the over sparay and lack of paint is do to robotics

well that's what I said in the other thread, and it's exactly what it looks like in your pictures, with the post shadows in the overspray.

[JohnE]

Very sorry to hear of the quality Dennis.


I had problems with my 2000 Grand Marquis when new. Dealer made a mistake and signed papers on one car and gave me a different one. They had two identical cars on the lot. Well the next day I realized it when checking the VIN for insurance.

Went in that evening and swapped cars. Problem, it was late and dark when I picked it up. Noticed trash in the paint on the left rear quarter panel next day. Dealer trying to buff, but no good. Dealer wound up repainting the whole quater, under warranty. And of course it doesn't look all that good. But for the hassle of it, I said screw it and I'll live with it.

Personally I think the quality of paint on my car is poor. Thin layer of paint and clearcoat. And it scratches too easy. But I love the color.

When I bought mine, there were 3 choices for American Full-Sized RWD Sedans (TC, GM, CV). And they were only talking about the Marauder....


IMHO Ford sets their quality to just good enough to slip it past you. And many other manufacturers do too. (Remember that these are made in Canada & Mexico, with some American design cars.)

[RCSignals]

Ford of Canada has been making automobiles since it's inception in 1904. One year after Ford started in the US.
Canadian made cars are not anything like Mexican made vehicles.
Traditionally Canadian made vehicles have been of high quality, often higher quality than those made in the US, and it has been recognised for decades that engines made in Canada are of first rate quality, back to the flatheads at least.

The entire paint facility at St Thomas is new, so a car painted there in 2000 was painted under different conditions than the 2003s.
There should be no reason for poor paint quality on the 2003 if all is set up properly at the paint section of the plant

[Paul T. Casey]

Just did another fine tooth comb check, here's my problems. No clear coat underside of trunk, although they did manage to get paint everywhere it's supposed to be. Seems kinda bush, MSRP being in the $35K+ it should be right. Some overspray on frame. Under hood seems ok, doesn't appear to be clear-coated. Paint thickness seems to be around .005", which seems a little thin for a limited production car which may have collector's value down the road. I try to wax everything that's painted, used to wax oil pan and valve covers on my 1990 Country Squire. In those days they actually painted the frames!! I'll probably end up doing that part myself. I couldn't find any of the dents in the trunk pan as you described, maybe I'm just lucky. I did notice on the child seat hold downs that they were painted and clear-coated after assembly. I ran an antenna wire through the center one, and when I removed the bracket it was just primer under it. again, seems bush on a $35K car. I hope this helps you some, and I certianally appreciate your looking out for our cause. Thank You.

[Dennis Reinhart]

I truly appreciate the members, very few here have said any thing non supportive, I have worked hard all my life, to some people 35 K may not seem much compared to a 250K Ferrari, it comes back to quality control and pride in your work and attention to detail, if Ford refuses I will correct these problems my self, you have brought up a good point about paint thickness, how are these cars going to weather age years from now, years ago Ford and GM had big problems with clear coat peeling off, at first they did nothing, then people complained as they should, GM did recall some cars, so again a few here have said I am making a fuss over nothing that's there opinion, I respect it but will never agree with it, and that's my right.



Dennis A. Reinhart
Reinhart Automotive

[Logan]

I think that's ultimately what it'll come down to. Fighting Ford is time consuming. Easier to just take a detail gun and fix the problem yourself...

[Ron]

Originally posted by Dennis Reinhart
I truly appreciate the members, very few here have said any thing non supportive, I have worked hard all my life, to some people 35 K may not seem much compared to a 250K Ferrari, it comes back to quality control and pride in your work and attention to detail, if Ford refuses I will correct these problems my self, you have brought up a good point about paint thickness, how are these cars going to weather age years from now, years ago Ford and GM had big problems with clear coat peeling off, at first they did nothing, then people complained as they should, GM did recall some cars, so again a few here have said I am making a fuss over nothing that's there opinion, I respect it but will never agree with it, and that's my right.

Dennis A. Reinhart
Reinhart Automotive

Dennis,
Your on the money w/ the "peeling paint".
I purchased new in '87 a Pontiac Bonneville, SE. It was a "pleasure use" & kept in the garage most of the time for the first (5) years. Then it became my daily driver, the paint started to wear thin on all the decks. Eventually the gray primer was showing through the dark blue (very similar color to your blue) paint.
I contacted GM, filed complaint, & rec'd a complaint #. They stated that since the car was older than (5) yrs. it wouldn't be covered.
I remember MSNBC doing a special on "Peeling Paint", I believe they stated it was because of a step in the paint process that was eliminated.
Needless to say I absorbed the cost of a repaint & it is currently my daily driver, 185K mi.
THIS IS THE PROBLEM: If anyone of you keep a car like I do, you won't know you have a paint problem until it's too late for coverage!!

[Macon Marauder]

I feel really bad about this for you Dennis. Sometimes you just gotta get to the right person. It took me 3 months to get my full size spare. But in my case, a Mercury Customer Service rep was the hero: "I'm all about making you happy."

The outside of my Marauder is darn near perfect since I removed the swirl marks. Door jams look good, too.

Yesterday evening I checked underneath. I have one of the dents: mine's only on the left side. And there's a little over-spray under there, too. And the paint inside the trunk does look "flat."

Bottom line: I still love the car. But obviously L/M needs to step up their QC.

[mdmarauder]

I have an early build MM, only saw one spec of dust on the car. Probably could have made Ford fix it. But then I would have a repainted panel on the car, and probably peeling later. As far as the trunk goes, I never paid attention to it until it came up here, no biggie to me. It's the inside of the trunk! I've fought Ford before on my previous car, which was bought back. It consummed all my time for months. In my opinion unless it's a serious mechanical problem it's not worth it.

[JohnE]

On second thought, these are in fact American cars. From both North and South America ;-)

It's the bean counters that are killing the products. They keep attempting to cut items, hoping people will not notice. (parking brake release, fuel door release, trunk release lock, steel trunk lids instead of aluminum, door lights, and so on) And thanks to boards like these, we can better realize the items they cut.

Look at where rumors that the DEW platform being used on the new Mustangs will include deleting items like Independent Rear Suspension. This is truly sad if it is true fate of Ford's Special Vehicle Team (http://www.detnews.com/2003/insiders/0303/24/autos-117128.htm)

I wish they would allow you to choose the options you really care for. Some things are too expensive to add later. You go through wishing you had them the whole duration of ownership. I for one would pay more for a better quality paint job.


One of my favorite mottos: Quality is remembered long after price is forgotten.

[gonzo50]

I also have the dents in both corners of the trunk floor and the overspray underneath, the paint in the trunk lid is also flat like primer but in black. :fire: Man, I would have never thought of looking so close to these defects, and they are defects. Thanks Dennis.
My built date is 8-23-02. I'll give it a thorough once over this weekend and give you the details.

[RCSignals]

I looked at my Marauder for you.

Under trunk lid is fine. It's painted past the hinges.
there ia no clear coat. Clear coat would be nice, but as I said in an earlier post, i've not seen a car that has been clearcoated under the trunk, and not just Fords.

I looked at the trunk pan. There is a little over spray, and no obvious "dents" nut I ran my hand over the corners and can feel them.

I also looked at an '03 CVPI, which was the same, good under trunk lid coverage, slight overspray on trunk pan, and dents that could be felt by hand.

Also a '97 CVPI, exactly the same.

You cannot see the rear of the trunk pan unless you are under the car.

I know of no manufacturer, at least in this price range, that paints the entire underside of cars. Most have overspray on them.

Remember these are "Body on Frame" vehicles. The body is assembled and painted separate of the chassis. It has to be well supported on a buck as it goes through the assembly process before the body drop, and those rear "dents" are from that buck. I don't really see them, ot the overspray as a defect, nor poor quality.

If you have bare metal showing in the trunk pan, and if the overspray is really obvious on it, detracting from the car, the dealer should be happy to take care of it for you, IMO, long before the buyer has to contact Ford themselves.

Someone suggested the Frame is not painted. The frame on my car is painted. The rear axle assembly isn't, but those haven't been for many years now.

The paint issues that have been discussed from the past, peeling paint on Fords and GM, were because of a single stage paint system Dupont sold manufacturers on back then. It was a huge failure for everyone that used it, and is no longer being used.
BTW, Mercedes had the same peeling paint problems, and like General Motors didn't just happily repaint vehicles.
Ford did have a program to repaint problem vehicles. In fact when they did repaint them, they removed all trim, glass, etc, and did a thorough job.

[NickLee]

Hey Dennis, I am behind you all the way. Haven't had time to inspect my Black MM yet but I will!

[Dennis Reinhart]

Well, Thanks for every ones support, and for those few who felt this was frivolous, and petty,

Listen up a Ford Executive called me today, he stated, QUOTE he agreed with me fully AND THEY ARE GOING TO FIX BOTH CARS TO MY COMPLETE SATISFACTION.:D

[TAF]

Congrats, Dennis.

That "squeaky wheel" thing usually works...

[JohnE]

Well Dennis, you're going to have one very desirable car. I can hardly wait to see the progress from your planned incremental mods.

I hope to make a trip to Florida and visit your shop one day.


Thanks to Ford for caring, and thanks again that they produced the Marauder.

[jgc61sr2002]

Congrats Dennis - Keep us posted.:D

[gonzo50]

Way to go Dennis !:banana: :bows: :up:

[Marsha]

I also found a small spot on the right rear near the light that looked like blue paint. I will check more when I get home from FL.

[BOBSBADBLACKMM]

Correct, St Thomas is the only plant for Grand Marquis, Marauder, and Crown Vic. My Marauder built 9/02 is outstanding, no paint problems.

[RCSignals]

Originally posted by Dennis Reinhart
Well, Thanks for every ones support, and for those few who felt this was frivolous, and petty,

Listen up a Ford Executive called me today, he stated, QUOTE he agreed with me fully AND THEY ARE GOING TO FIX BOTH CARS TO MY COMPLETE SATISFACTION.:D

Frivolous or not frivolous, I wouldn't expect them to do any less.

As I've stated before, with that new paint facility, there should be next to zero paint "problems" of any kind.

[screamdennis]

i wax my mm last week and noticed the paint was fading on the lower panel where the tire spray hits , i took the car to the body shop and was told the the clear coat was being beat off because i didnt have mud flaps on the car.
the car only has 4,000 miles on it , i went to the dealer and there are going to get an estimate on repainting both lower panels and sumit to ford and see what they say .
to me this is a pi$$ poor paint work when you pay the money and it doesnt even last six months. as far as the rest of the car its ok , same lack of paint in areas that they could skimp on.

[Dennis Reinhart]

Originally posted by screamdennis
i wax my mm last week and noticed the paint was fading on the lower panel where the tire spray hits , i took the car to the body shop and was told the the clear coat was being beat off because i didnt have mud flaps on the car.
the car only has 4,000 miles on it , i went to the dealer and there are going to get an estimate on repainting both lower panels and sumit to ford and see what they say .
to me this is a pi$$ poor paint work when you pay the money and it doesnt even last six months. as far as the rest of the car its ok , same lack of paint in areas that they could skimp on.


I agree and I would tell them where to stick the mud flaps

[LincMercLover]

Originally posted by Dennis Reinhart
I agree and I would tell them where to stick the mud flaps

Hmm... do I sense some hostility?:rolleyes:

[Dennis Reinhart]

Originally posted by LincMercLover
Hmm... do I sense some hostility?:rolleyes:

actualy not its called common sence, LOL

[jefferson-mo]

Dropped my car off at the dealer today to get the paint issues resolved.....lots of foggy spots and light scratches and 'spiderwebs' all over it........it'll be there for 4 days while I'm outta town.....I'm expecting to see a nice shiny--no spiderwebby--no swirly marks Black Beauty when I come back.
While I was changin' my tail light harness on Sunday I had all the trunk trims out and it was very easy to fix the dents in the floor pan of the trunk with a small plastic headed hammer. Other than the light scrapes you can hardly tell.......



"screw you guys--I'm goin' to Memphis"

see you on the other side:uzi:

:rasta:

[CRUZTAKER]

Originally posted by jefferson-mo
it was very easy to fix the dents in the floor pan of the trunk with a small plastic headed hammer. Other than the light scrapes you can hardly tell......

Shhh...that's not the point here... :lol:

[RF Overlord]

Dennis:

Sorry it took so long (probably doesn't matter now), but my car has the same effect your does...small dents in the corners of the trunk well, and overpray...although mine doesn't look as severe as yours, maybe because it's black... I know Ford is fixing yours now, but thought I'd send this along in case you're keeping count...

[jefferson-mo]

well I'm back from Memphis/Nashville trip and my car wasn't done yet(supposed to be done on 4/18)...I guess they had to repaint the roof as it was the worst anyway........they're delivering it to me tomorrow afternoon....I took it to the dealer I got it from instead of having it fixed at the dealer I work at(sorry about the dangling participle..I live with a school teacher..can you tell?) I think I'm actually gonna get better service there.............


hey Cruz.....I know but but but but.........whatever:uzi: