twokidsnosleep

I cannot believe this...excuse my online rant, it is therapeutic.
Got the call at noon car done early, so I go after work. Read entire service blurd about their findings and what they fixed...plenum leak gromets, poor seals, hung up carpets to dry, heater used all night to dry. Do you see where this is going yet???

I open the door and the mats are dirty, car smells musty. Gotta get kids home so I leave. At home, I find my rear quaterpanel deeply scratched and very smelly mats. I rip up the passenger mat and it is f'ing SOAKING wet. I did this infront of the dealer rep as I went back to show scratch, dirt and smell. It is wetter than when I dropped it off (as I dried it out).
I lost it and had to leave I was so mad. Called GM and will talk again Monday when I have settled down. This is ridiculous.

DynamicmustangGT

little black pony said it right with the lemon law, get an 08 out of the deal with the hids

Hollywood_North GT

So essentially they did nothing except make things worse with their slip-shod service.

Personally, I would give the GM one last chance to set things right, and barring that, I would up the stakes IMMEDIATELY so they don't get the impression they can "wait you out" or "wear you down."

If the GM doesn't sort this out for you, then let them know you are prepared to play hard ball >> I would call up my attorney and have a chat with him to determine what your options are; you may wish to take the dealership to small claims court for carelessly damaging your car. I would also have him help you prepare a very strongly worded letter of dissatisfaction and grievance to be sent to Ford Motor Co - on HIS letterhead - detailing precisely what has happened and what you're prepared to do about it if the situation is not resolved to your satisfaction.

Is this Coastal in Burnaby, or Coastal on Main? Cause the guys on Main don't seem very reputable to me (one of the reasons I went to the North Shore).

twokidsnosleep

I really need some time to settle down and think about what to do. I was so mad I cursed out the rep and did a pretty good peel out in the enclosed service bays....the GM said he heard me leave when I called him after.
I just want her fixed, no leaks, no mould and no BS. Maybe new carpets now and certainly new insulation.

hi5.0

Scott, it is better to take your frustrations out on-line than out in the "real world". Hope it works out - but be prepared to play hard ball if it comes to that. Hang in there.

twokidsnosleep

Thanks hi5.0. I appreciate the positive support.
You live in one of my favorite places in the world
If I could retire to Kailua suburb, I would be a happy man.

RobK

If I'm seeing this right this was actually your first trip in for this correct? I think it's gotten a little confusing because you added to an old post. Anyway, they obviously should have done a better job drying it. I personally would try to get it dry as much as possible myself. The best way is obviously to remove the carpet and stick it out in the sun, which I'm sure isn't feasible. The alternative would be to pull it back as much as you can and wring out as much water as possible by stuffing towels under the padding and pushing down on the carpet. It's a pain but it will work. Then keep the carpet propped up with windows down or even better doors open and a fan blowing through the car. I certainly agree you should NOT have to be doing this, but all emotion aside it's the best thing to do for the car and carpet. I doubt you'll need to replace it or the padding. The one question I have is have you been able to ascertain whether the leak was fixed? At any rate, take the car back and let them pull it all apart and clean everything thoroughly. Tell them you want the floor pan wiped down and the carpet steam cleaned. It's stories like yours that have kept me from taking cars back to dealers, even for warranty work, as the ordeal often ends in frustration. We're passionate about our cars and these guys are predominantly just doing their "job" i.e. - little passion involved. They just want to move on to the next car so they can go home. Good luck nonetheless!

twokidsnosleep

Rob, I had dried it out just like you said before the dealer saw it. The carpet was good, it was the underlay/insulation that was still wet. I left it that way so they could see the water's entry point into the passenger side.

AS for me doing all that again, forget it, the dealer soaked it and they are going to have to fix it...hopefully with new carpet and insulation. The car is mouldy and smells now. I have her garaged to protect any further damage.
I won't touch the scratch they put in it until the GM see it. Not sure I trust them with my paint so I may deal with that myself.
Other threads have implied to lighten up, all cars have problems, don't be a whiner, get a bike. As a new Ford owner do you think I am pleased with them or their dealer network. I love how the service rep says before I find all this crap..."and when they call, it is my report card and very important to me" More worried about the survey than their service.

RobK

Scott, believe me I agree with you 100% that the service you've received sucks and that you would never expect a brand new car to leak like this. I'm simply suggesting that you go through the drying process as much as possible yourself to avoid it getting any worse (mustiness). I'm not so sure you'll convince them to replace the carpet and pad that's why I figure an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure at this point. I guarantee the most they will do is steam clean it. That said, once it's dry you won't have the smell to contend with any more provided the leak doesn't return. I will suggest that, as hard as it may be, try to keep a level head when dealing with the GM. It's easy for everyone on here to get you pumped up and tell you to let him have it, but I assure you that will get you nowhere and will likely turn the guy off. If you give him a glimmer of hope that he might be able to salvage his reputation (and Ford's) then he'll do more for you. If you beat him over the head and are very demanding then he'll think you're a foregone conclusion and won't do anything for you. Regarding the scratch...isht happens. Let them fix it. If they screw it up make them do it again. They'll get it right, it's not brain surgery. The bottom line is, as hard as it may be, set emotions aside and try to guide them to an acceptable resolution.

twokidsnosleep

Absolutely Rob, wise words.
Precisely why I left the dealership last night. I knew I was out of control and hand to get out of there so I could calm down and be more rational...took me all night and was good to vent on here.

Thanks for the advice re drying it out...it is pouring rain here again today so she is staying in the garage. There are too many kids toys in there for me to open the doors wide enough to move around and fiddle with the car....ahhh being a dad.

RobK

I hear ya! My garage is piled high with all of the kids outside toys for the winter. I can barely keep a path open! I'm hoping I can finally convince the wife to let me build my "Garagemahal" this year...

twokidsnosleep

Rob, I couldn't leave her alone so I backed her out, put the car cover on and climbed under. Wiped down the floorboards as far back as I could reach and lifted the carpet to put towels under and around the insulation layers...it was pretty wet insulation.
I am not sure if they just didn't dry it out fully after the leak test or if they did not get the leak sealed . Whole area is just darn damp.
See, I still love the stang, just needed some time to settle down. I have a hundai elantra as a rental....it is painful.

RobK

I've been that boat many a time myself Scott. Just don't make the mistake I made years ago with a Supra I really loved. It was totalled by an drunk a-hole while parked in front of my folk's house. I was able to keep it AND the insurance settlement (minus salvage value) so I got to work and restored the whole car. Since I did the work myself (minus paint) I was able to do the entire car. It was literally like new by the time I was done. Then I started having problems with her. She left me stranded a half a dozen times necessitating a tow. The timing kept going WAY out and killing it. I initially thought it was the belt jumping for some unknown reason. I got to the point I left the covers off and was able to re-index the cams without tools. It turns out the crank sproket had failed and essentially wiped the woodruf key away. I fixed it, but got so fed up I traded it. I still miss it to this day.

twokidsnosleep

I would definitely miss the mustang if I got rid of it....it won over more expensive and refined cars..... love that exhaust note

Hollywood_North GT

Since the mods haven't yet merged all these leak threads together, I am posting this info in all the current water leak threads >>

Below is a post over on MustangForums from a Ford employee at the AAI plant who allegedly knows all about this and claims a TSB is in the works. Hopefull this helps out people with leaks.

The TSB has the tech looking in no less than 10 places. The water that is entering the cabin is doing so from the cowl. The cowl captures all the water coming off the windshield. It will pool inside the cowl like a sink if the water is entering faster than it can drain. The problem is that the cowl is full of holes (10 grommets for attaching the cowl and a large hole for the filter). If installed correctly all the grommets and the filter gasket and other seal will hold the accumulated water. But anyone one of those grommets or filter gasket or other seals could leak if not installed correctly and that is why so many people are getting leaks from different places. When a certain grommet is leaking, the water will drip onto a cross-beam that runs from the left to the right side of the dash in an arch. Water follows the arch of the beam to the passenger side A-pillar and leaks down on top of the SJB. Some grommets will leak down the firewall. If it's the gasket for the filter then in leaks into the plenum and out the drain hose.

As you can see they're a few entry points into the cabin.....but they are all related to the cowl. I'm pretty confident that the TSB's scope is large enough to fix all the leaks we've been talking about in this thread.

The TSB is being developed and will be out in the near future. I e-mail my contact at the plant once a week about news on the leak TSB.......it's not ready for publication yet.

This is a serious issue and requires a complete repair process so that our customers can have their vehicles fixed to their satisfaction. Making sure that the process works for all leak conditions requires testing.

IWantMyNewGT

Thanks for posting this. Let's hope the TSB is out soon and includes carpet and insulation REPLACEMENT, not just some spray-on deordorizer. I am allergic to mold and mildew and don't feel I should have to pay to replace carpet due to Ford's poor engineering and/or assembly.

mail906

Yes - this is a lot of soft talk from a dedicated Ford employee attempting to save face for his employer. Unfortunately it does not speak to the main issue: Ford's failure to take responsibility. Ford has been aware of the SN197 leak problem for 3 model years, and still no resolution (TSB / or othewise).

Hollywood_North GT

Careful, or you may be condemned as a "Ford hater" or "insulting others" for expressing your opinion.

RobK

Scott, We're dying to know how you made out today! Fill us in!!!

twokidsnosleep

Hi Rob...not much happened.
Orig dealer GM was not avaliable and I left a message that I was getting a second opinion on the leak and to call me..no call.
I took Hollywood North's suggestion and phoned another dealer. I asked if they had any experience dealing with this kind of leak and he said they have seen and repaired them and transferred me to a lady. I repeated my question to her and she says" oh yeah, we got the guy for you...he is good at these, is your car a convertible?"
So right away I have more confidence that these guys have it together. If they fix it up, the stang stays. Appointment is next week, vert stays garaged until then.

I also followed your other suggestion, Rob, and disinfected the floorpans, hooked up a heater to dry out the insulation and remove the dampness from the passenger foot area. I have a small unheated single car garage and it has been pouring here most of the weekend so it is pretty damp here. It only took Monday afternoon to get her drier inside and all that damp feel and smell out. When it cleared up, I was playing hockey and baseball with the kids in the driveway and just kept moving the heater around. WTF was the first dealer doing if I got it to this dry point so quick in an unheated garage with a space heater?? I had time to wash my wife's car too.

Scott