The longer I have my '17, the more I'm spotting issues with the assembly process.

Very minor stuff, but as a graphic designer and someone who's a little OCD, this bugs the hell out of me.

I know it's not just mine, because I actually accused a dealer selling a used '16 listed as "no issues" as possibly have been rear-ended. I noticed the bumper was misaligned. The seams didn't match up. But then we looked at a brand new '17, and sure enough, that one was misaligned exactly like the '16.

Then I get my '17, and it's the exact same way. The passenger side is flush aligned, but the driver-side rear bumper is off about 1/4 inch maybe. So whoever is installing the driver's side rear bumper, isn't taking the time to line up.

Then I've noticed a little light shining through the console, just about where my right leg knee is. Took a closer look, and the piece of plastic was popped out.

The chrome that goes around the cupholders is off too.

I get that everything is cheap plastic now. And none of this is a huge deal, but I never noticed anything on my '06 that bugged me like this.

Anyone else notice these problems, or is it just me?




The top rear fender overhangs the bumper about 1/4 in. Was hard to show in a photo.



This piece of plastic next to my right knee was popped out.

 

Sadly it's not just Ford Woody. Chevrolet let a ton of their C7 Corvette's hit the lot with misaligned panels. Luckily mine was OK. This type of stuff is what put American car makers behind Japanese cars. They best wake up. As the price of these cars rise folks aren't going to put up with defects in their new cars.

 

Build quality is way ahead of vehicles built in the late 70s and early 80s.I bought a new Corvette in 78 and it was a mess. My 2017 GT had no such issues.

 

Few years ago I got in a minor fender-bender with my '06. When I got it back from the Ford dealer, the hood was majorly misaligned. It was almost scraping the fender on one side, and I could stick my finger in the gap on the other. I talked to the service manager and instead of telling me "sorry, we'll fix it," his first words out of his mouth were, "I can take you to any one of the new cars on the lot and show you misalignments."

That pissed me off to no end, because I'm pretty sure the salesmen don't point that out as a major selling point.

But, I guess I see what he's saying now.

I did notice a new 6-cyl Camaro at the Indy auto show that was was pretty poorly aligned too. They even added graphics to the front fenders, wheels, and trunk, and they were all half-assed applied. Creases and not straight.

 

I'm a little OCD and I'm struggling with your "right leg knee" quote...

 

My advice is thoroughly look over the vehicle before you purchase it. If you happen to notice body panels being out of alignment, talk with the dealership's service manager and have them look at the car with you. If they're not willing to fix the body panel issues before you purchase the car? then I would look for another dealership. Anyhow, just saying

 

I agree Rocky. I have learned through this thread that I need to take my "fine toothed comb" with me when the brides new car arrives. I always check a new one out, but this time I will be quite thorough.

 

Suppose "right knee" would have worked just the same, huh? I guess there isn't a "left arm knee."

 

Unfortunately, it really sucks having to go over a 40k-50k car with a fine tooth comb prior to purchasing it. Although build quality has improved significantly since the 70's, 80's and 90's, Ford, GM and Mopar all still have quite a way to go compared to the imports

 

I think one of the reasons they're getting away with it and letting crap like this slide from the factory is the sheer number of people out there that don't notice stuff like that anymore or simply don't give a ****. I've noticed that people these days, especially young people just don't care about cars and only view them as an appliance. They'd be more upset about a scratch on their cell phone than a dent in their car.

 

Just having fun with you.

 

I looked at a lot of 15's to 17's before I bought mine and noticed some really bad panel alignments on some. I think some of the problems are all the angle bends put into the panels. Getting them to line up especially as the sheet metal stamping tools wear out must be a bear. Also after watching some different factory car build videos, some of the gauges they use for final panel gap check seems to be pretty forgiving.

 

A few years ago I went on a F150 assembly plant tour in Michigan. 'Every' truck built there, went through a final inspection of the body panels. A large robot with long arms and laser lights inspected and measured many different places on the truck . I still read about people with gaps and fit and finish problems on the 'F150 Forum' .

 

I'm having an issue with my headliner edging showing on the sides and in the back that's bugging me. Seems like it's not cut big enough for the retaining trim to keep it from drooping and showing the edges. It bugs the hell out of me.

 

Unfortunately sad, but true

 

Before I purchased my 2016 Ruby Red GT, I leased a Hyundai Sonata turbo. It was not the "top model", but was very comfortable and quite economical. The build quality on this Hyundai was superb. No issues.


My mustang however has uneven seams. This made me take notice of other Ford vehicles (like Fusion, Explorer, Focus,...) and I did not notice the same amount of poor quality control. I agree with anyone who thinks a vehicle that stickers for over $40K should be put together well (the Hyundai was in the low 30's).


Do not get me wrong, the Hyundai was as much fun to drive as getting your tooth filled at the dentist compared to my Mustang. I am just surprised that the build quality is not better than it was when I owned an older Fox Body mustang back in the late 1980's.

 

I always do this, but I still find that I miss stuff. When I really find the little issues is the first time I detail the vehicle. I wonder if they would let me detail a car before I buy it?

 

 

I actually thought about this myself as I was sitting in the dealership looking at a used car. I would have gladly taken the 3-4 hours to detail the car.

But when it came to the one I bought, I figured, it's brand new. I test drove it. I gave it a once over for scratches, door dings, and front splitter curb scratches. After that, I figured the car can't have much more wrong with it.

 

This is really making me want to hang onto my 2013 for a few more years.