Crappy build quality of cars from the 00s

[Pis-ton broke]

Originally Posted by PG2

I used to swear by this stuff...

image

I still have some in the shed somewhere.

yeah good one , and your right arm ends up like arnold schwarzeneggers. but that how it was back then.

[Swordie]

Originally Posted by Franco Cozzo

I bought this thing new in 2009, WS Fiesta in 'Morello' which is a metallic purple, this is what the roof and bonnet look like after 11 years.

Can the paint be be polished to help bring it back to a reasonable state? On youtube there are lots of videos of people bringing paint back to life.

[Sprintey]

There's also videos on how to restore the yellowed headlights.

[Sprintey]

Good quality in the 2000s: I thought my MIL's 2000 AUII was really well built and solid, good finish. Wouldn't say no to AUII Fairmont Ghia with VCT 6 in mint condition... And my father's VY Ecotec wagon is still in fantastic condition, torquey, feels solid - paint and finish still looks good in the VY wagons. That one was the last good Holden 6, put an L67 away if you can...

[anobserver]

Its a mixed bag. The inbuilt design flaws to save money are annoying. Some things can be improved with better quality components... Other things can be protected - like clear coats - but some things can only be replaced when they wear out, like sagging roof linings and the like.

One of the advantages is that even a mechanical numpty like me can do basic stuff, like replace blown bulbs.

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by Sprintey

Good quality in the 2000s: I thought my MIL's 2000 AUII was really well built and solid, good finish. Wouldn't say no to AUII Fairmont Ghia with VCT 6 in mint condition... And my father's VY Ecotec wagon is still in fantastic condition, torquey, feels solid - paint and finish still looks good in the VY wagons. That one was the last good Holden 6, put an L67 away if you can...

https://fordforums.com.au/showthread.php?t=11486957

One elderly owner, driven to bakery and back

She's no lowly Fairmont Ghia, she's the full Pavlova!

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by Swordie

Can the paint be be polished to help bring it back to a reasonable state? On youtube there are lots of videos of people bringing paint back to life.

I reckon the way its oxidised, its way past correction, no polish/detail is going to bring that back from the dead

[ad2013]

Originally Posted by Sprintey

Good quality in the 2000s: I thought my MIL's 2000 AUII was really well built and solid, good finish. Wouldn't say no to AUII Fairmont Ghia with VCT 6 in mint condition... And my father's VY Ecotec wagon is still in fantastic condition, torquey, feels solid - paint and finish still looks good in the VY wagons. That one was the last good Holden 6, put an L67 away if you can...

X2 I thought the AU11 sedan with Intec 6 (I owned for 6 years) was the best built car I've owned in 4 decades I've been an owner driver. It's replacement BFMk2 XR6, depite having a great engine, was no where near the build quality. In fact it was poor with thin body paint, door handle trims with peeling chrome, a thin chassis prone to denting way too easily, and that failing diff bush issue.

[PG2]

Originally Posted by Franco Cozzo

https://fordforums.com.au/showthread.php?t=11486957

One elderly owner, driven to bakery and back

She's no lowly Fairmont Ghia, she's the full Pavlova!

Full disclosure though - it has been in an accident.. with some camping chairs.

[lumen8]

Originally Posted by Sprintey

Leathers from the 2000s to today, many look absolutely terrible in a short period of time. Check out the VF Calais and how the leather has aged... Cloth is a better option in this regard, but I reckon even vinyl would age better. Some of the leather in an AUII LTD, or NL Ghia looks way better.

Howe Leather was used in the AU LTD, it seems to hold up very well. I think being a lighter colour helps also as the sun doesnt get it as hot.

Usually the AU Sportsmans I see with (apparently) the same Howe leather, but black, are in worse nick. Perhaps its just that theyve not been looked after as well, but I suspect the black colour makes things worse as they get very very hot inside when parked in the sun vs the LTDs.

I have a silver AU 2 sportsman (that i dont drive, its in storage) with the black LTD style seats, the leather has shrunk, looks ok but not like they did when new.

My white AU2 fairlane isnt an LTD, but rather an LTD clone of sorts, I bought an LTD interior for it. Some old bloke had one and used to go fishing with it often apparently, the poor LTD was dead straight, low k's and very very clean in many respects, but had begun rusting out so it was wrecked.

LTD seats still have that nice curtain effect 20 years later... (versus the black sportsmans I have which have shrunk)

[GXA]

A few years ago I was told by a panel beater that specialized in euro stuff that BMW applied less paint on the lower sections of the panels. Apparently the eye doesn't notice it...

[Vesper Martini]

Grand Vitara and Prado I had both had good paint despite living outside when they were sold, apart from the Prados roof was starting to go. both made in Japan I think.
commodores and Territories don't have the same quality paint, and the commodore was white

[Vesper Martini]

Originally Posted by GXA

A few years ago I was told by a panel beater that specialized in euro stuff that BMW applied less paint on the lower sections of the panels. Apparently the eye doesn't notice it...

That's a glass half full or half empty statement, could it be that BMW apply more paint to the upper sections.

personally what I know with paint applying it on thicker doesn't make it better anyway.

[GXA]

Originally Posted by Bevsta007

That's a glass half full or half empty statement, could it be that BMW apply more paint to the upper sections.

personally what I know with paint applying it on thicker doesn't make it better anyway.

Believe what you like. He wasn't stating it positively....

[Vesper Martini]

Originally Posted by GXA

Believe what you like. He wasn't stating it positively....

I believe it for what it is. a nothing statement. less paint LOL

[Pis-ton broke]

anybody remember the red lasers and capris, with their faded red paint, and some people may think that a good polish will restore the paint lustre, sadly no.
a good red paint is expensive, its because good pigments in the paint cost more. ford did el-cheapo reds , but mazda (amongst others) did good red paint.

[aussiblue]

Maybe white is more resistant to the sun

Likely it's because most white paints are still not covered with clear coat.

[hayseed]

Originally Posted by Pis-ton broke

a good red paint is expensive,
.

tell Me about It...My Fleet colours are mainly Red. I've bought a lot of Red Paint over the Years..

[MrZ]

Originally Posted by Franco Cozzo

The amount of cars you see getting around with oxidised paint and yellow lenses on headlights from cars from the 00s is ridiculous.

This deterioration started happening about 5 years of the car sitting outside and it's been as bad as this at about the 7 year old point.

You say the car's been sitting outside. That's half the problem there - but after just 5 years it shouldn't have started to happen. How often do you wash the car? If it's outside, you need to wash it much more frequently than if it were garaged. I would suggest every 2-3 weeks. The other half of the problem is the fact that, well, it's a Fiesta and I just don't know about the build quality of them at the time?

Trust me, the 2000s cars are no worse than the 80s or 90s ones - the paint on those old cars faded even more quickly.

[Franco Cozzo]

Built in Germany but at the end of the day it cost $18K DA, you can't expect too much.

The window switches have warped and they fall out of their holes in the doors and the vents on the side of the dash the glue melted and they've fallen off, this was happening at around the 5 year mark.

Mechanically it's good but it's only got 91,000km on the clock and it does all highway driving.

I've had a few 1990s Falcons and the paint on those was fine for cars that also sat outside for decades.

Also have an South African built LV Focus that's a year newer with 200,000 on the clock that sits in the same driveway, the paint is still in good condition, alas has some other dramas.

It reinforces my thoughts that Euro cars don't cut the mustard in Australia, they don't deal with our environmental conditions.

[MrZ]

This is what I call poor paint quality:



I took this photo in 2009 in the US - the car would have been about 12 years old at the time. I've never seen this in Australia - where the paint has literally peeled off right down to the metal.

[XR Martin]

Originally Posted by Franco Cozzo

The amount of cars you see getting around with oxidised paint and yellow lenses on headlights from cars from the 00s is ridiculous.

I bought this thing new in 2009, WS Fiesta in 'Morello' which is a metallic purple, this is what the roof and bonnet look like after 11 years.

The whole roof is completely halal, it's oxidised AF, the bonnet is the same and parts of the hatch are also oxidised, the clear is peeling on the rear wing.

image

It's also got corroded wiper arms, in a country that doesn't salt it's roads.

Even the Ford badge has lost its blue paint and clear coat

image

I've seen this happen with red Honda Accord Euros of the same era where they turned a lovely oxidised pink after 4 years.

To me this is the epitome of European cars and how they just do not stand up to Australian conditions - car has 91,000km on the clock and it looks like the Titanic.

You do realize the Accord Euro was made in Japan?
Regular Accord was made in Thailand.

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by XR Martin

You do realize the Accord Euro was made in Japan?
Regular Accord was made in Thailand.

Yes, I'm quite aware

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by MrZ

This is what I call poor paint quality:

image

I took this photo in 2009 in the US - the car would have been about 12 years old at the time. I've never seen this in Australia - where the paint has literally peeled off right down to the metal.

What's that Falcon color that peeled off the cars when you washed them - Shockwave?

[lumen8]

Originally Posted by MrZ

I took this photo in 2009 in the US - the car would have been about 12 years old at the time. I've never seen this in Australia - where the paint has literally peeled off right down to the metal.

Is that the metal showing though, or the base coat, and the clear has come off.

I have a VX commodore that kinda looks like that in some places, but it is the clear thats come off.

By 14 years old it was done for, Capricorn green metallic I believe is the paint colour name.

Ive seen a few AU's with the clear almost gone also, as most around here would know, it happens to them.

Usually its worse when vehicles are non original paint (crash shop jobs), the clear might come off faster depending on how it was done and type of paint.

[CATXR8]

Originally Posted by MrZ

This is what I call poor paint quality:

image

I took this photo in 2009 in the US - the car would have been about 12 years old at the time. I've never seen this in Australia - where the paint has literally peeled off right down to the metal.

Nothing wrong with the factory paint if it is looked after.
That is caused by lack of polish ie laziness.

[Vesper Martini]

Originally Posted by Franco Cozzo

It reinforces my thoughts that Euro cars don't cut the mustard in Australia, they don't deal with our environmental conditions.

Please don't pull the built for Australian conditions crap, other countries have harsh conditions too, and from what I've seen a falcon or commodore do not stand out as any better.
VT commodores or Au falcons to don't fair any better than an E39 BMW or w210 E class.

but Mitsubishis built in Australia have some of the worst paint I've seen

[Vesper Martini]

Originally Posted by Franco Cozzo

Yes, I'm quite aware

I can see what he asked..
your post referred to an Acord Euro, then you stated Euro cars don't cut the mustard in Australia.

did you really mean Hondas don't cut the mustard?

[Vesper Martini]

example of clear coat paint peeling off not in Australia, im sure there's plenty more
https://www.reddit.com/r/Mustang/com...at_clear_coat/

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by Bevsta007

I can see what he asked..
your post referred to an Acord Euro, then you stated Euro cars don't cut the mustard in Australia.

did you really mean Hondas don't cut the mustard?

No, what I mean by 'European cars don't cut the mustard' is European cars don't cut the mustard, see WS Fiesta in my OP

Then made a reference to another 00s car, a Honda Accord Euro that came through the Honda dealership a decade ago I was working at that turned from red to a lovely oxidised shade of pink and it wasn't far out of warranty.