Fords indifferent quality loses another customer

[RSgerry]

Today I said goodbye to my 2002 AU3 XR6. I personally liked the styling of the XR, both inside and out and liked the way it went (although my RS2000 is quicker). I bought the car new 4 years ago, and sadly, the indifferent attention to detail, the annoying rattles and the poor service have taken their toll.

The final straw came two weeks ago. The cd stacker (we paid the extra $1000 for premium sound) refused to play, change or eject any CDs. So, the stacker was replaced at a cost of $300. To top it off, the blind chimp at mcinerney ford who removed the radio managed to scratch the surrounding facia. But, then, Ford service went completely mad. The old stacker, complete with 6 of my discs was shipped off to Melbourne. I live in Perth. And apparantly this is standard practice. So, it is two weeks later and my discs still havent shown up.

I have had enough. The Falcon has gone, and is being replaced by a Mazda SP23. I have had a gutful of crap build quality and crap service. The decision for a new car came down to a car built in Japan or Germany. At least these people understand build quality. I will never buy another car built in Australia and will never buy another new Ford. This is a pity because I was very keen on a new Focus, but dont want to deal with the crap.

The British car industry was once one of the worlds greats. Now, there is no significant British car manufacturer left because they got lazy and started serving the customers with unreliable, badly designed and badly built rubbish. If the australian motor industry doesnt get its act together, it will go the same way. And in truth, if we cant build a car properly, then we dont desreve an industry. For years Mitsubishi served up some of the worst crap imaginable and they are now paying for it.

I hope the same doesnt happen to Iord. if anyone at Ford can be ars3d reading this, take notice...build your cars properly, and remember that the people who spend good money buying them dont want rattles, squeaks, whines and crap service. They also dont want to be 3000km away from their CDs. If you dont fix this soon, you will have nothing left to fix.

Rant over. Now to wait until April for my new car (yes Ford...some manufacturers have a waiting list for their vehicles).

[Steffo]

Sorry to hear about the bad luck with the Falcon.

Originally Posted by RSgerry

will never buy another car built in Australia and will never buy another new Ford. This is a pity because I was very keen on a new Focus, but dont want to deal with the crap.

I don't mean to be a ИИИИwit but... the Mazda 3 is pretty much a Ford too... (in fact, 3 and Focus are the same car)

I hope it works out the best for you though.

[RSgerry]

Originally Posted by Steffo

I don't mean to be a ИИИИwit but... the Mazda 3 is pretty much a Ford too... (in fact, 3 and Focus are the same car)

I should have said that I know the Mazda (and Volvo) all share the same platform. It is just the difference in build quality. I cannot bring myself to trust a car with a blue oval badge on it. It is almost as if Ford want their cars to be seen as the poor relation of the Ford group. It really isnt a surprise that Ford and GM are losing market share and money in the US (and here too). I dont want Ford to have no Ford badged cars left and to rely solely on their various subsidiaries for an income, but it is definitely headed that way.

At least I have the RS...a car with less rattles than the Falcon.

[EvilChief]

Originally Posted by RSgerry

... The decision for a new car came down to a car built in Japan or Germany. At least these people understand build quality.

...

This is a pity because I was very keen on a new Focus, but dont want to deal with the crap.

Focus = german :

[Redrum]

The AU always had poor interior build quality. This was due to the fact, that Ford, wished to cut staff that assemble it, and they did cut numbers from the EL, so made bits that clipped in rather than screw in etc. The result the AU. I owned 6 of them and not one was rattle free.

I think you can get crap build quality (lemons) on all cars regardless of make, but I think the AU was a stand out of how not do make a car. The BA is much better, but if you are fed up with Ford, give someone else a go. Let us know how the SP23 goes. I test drove one. Went ok and those things are everywhere now, selling like hotcakes.

[MAGPIE]

Originally Posted by EvilChief

Focus = german :

South African built though e

[Mark351]

Mercedes and BMW build cars in South Africa for export to countries like Australia. Fiesta and XR5 are German made.

[Bucknaked]

I hope you have better luck with your SP23. I guess sometimes cars come from Factory with heaps of problems. Some cars come out great, others seem to have endless problems.

Originally Posted by MAGPIE

South African built though e

I have an 04 Focus. I think it was made in Belguim. That's what the dealer told me.

[MrSparkle]

Welcome to the Ex-BlueOval fold Mr Gerry (well partially since you've still got the RS) :

Until I took the blinkers off and actually took the step to BUY a car of another make, I didn't realise just how traumatic it was to service and maintain a modern Ford. There are a lot of really REALLY bad dealers from many different manufacturers, but Ford have worked hard to earn the coveted Gold Medal of Consumer Indifference and Runarounds.

A great dealership is nigh on impossible to find, and in fact the only two guys I would deal with for anything Ford related would be Mr Ratt and Mr Gadgetman. Ford HQ should give an internal knighthood to these two as they are arguably the only blokes at a dealership level that GAF and care about customers.

Build quality can be a tough thing for a company to achieve, but certainly providing a bare minimum service level should be a priority and will not cost all that much. Training and attitude of dealership (especially service) staff is key and Ford has as much interest in developing this as FPV do in developing an engine over 290kW. :

Have a go on the other side mate, it does your automotive experience a world of good to take the blinkers off and actually buy and live with another make, instead of just commenting on them from the sidelines (like a hell of a lot of people on here and other fan forums do). You'll love the SP23, neat little thing! :

[OzJavelin]

Not just Fords mate .. Holdens aren't any better .. neither are Chevs, Buicks, Pontiacs, etc. I think Americans and English are getting better with quality after MANY years of churning out cr@p, but Australian cars are ony starting. The BA seems a lot more quality car than the AU ( my AU ute rattles a bit, but I've convinced myself that's 'cos it's a 1-tonne ).

Problem wit most Jap cars is that they lack that certain "something" ... I'd take a German over them anyday; VW Golf GTi anyone??

Rod.

[ltd]

Originally Posted by RSgerry

Today I said goodbye to my 2002 AU3 XR6. I personally liked the styling of the XR, both inside and out and liked the way it went (although my RS2000 is quicker). I bought the car new 4 years ago, and sadly, the indifferent attention to detail, the annoying rattles and the poor service have taken their toll.

The final straw came two weeks ago. The cd stacker (we paid the extra $1000 for premium sound) refused to play, change or eject any CDs. So, the stacker was replaced at a cost of $300. To top it off, the blind chimp at mcinerney ford who removed the radio managed to scratch the surrounding facia. But, then, Ford service went completely mad. The old stacker, complete with 6 of my discs was shipped off to Melbourne. I live in Perth. And apparantly this is standard practice. So, it is two weeks later and my discs still havent shown up.

I have had enough. The Falcon has gone, and is being replaced by a Mazda SP23. I have had a gutful of crap build quality and crap service. The decision for a new car came down to a car built in Japan or Germany. At least these people understand build quality. I will never buy another car built in Australia and will never buy another new Ford. This is a pity because I was very keen on a new Focus, but dont want to deal with the crap.

The British car industry was once one of the worlds greats. Now, there is no significant British car manufacturer left because they got lazy and started serving the customers with unreliable, badly designed and badly built rubbish. If the australian motor industry doesnt get its act together, it will go the same way. And in truth, if we cant build a car properly, then we dont desreve an industry. For years Mitsubishi served up some of the worst crap imaginable and they are now paying for it.

I hope the same doesnt happen to Iord. if anyone at Ford can be ars3d reading this, take notice...build your cars properly, and remember that the people who spend good money buying them dont want rattles, squeaks, whines and crap service. They also dont want to be 3000km away from their CDs. If you dont fix this soon, you will have nothing left to fix.

Rant over. Now to wait until April for my new car (yes Ford...some manufacturers have a waiting list for their vehicles).

Lucky for Ford as they own Mazda. Suppose you can just hope that Mazda hasn't been Ford-ized with quality huh?

[ltd]

RSGerry, don't worry your cd's will turn up, I've had 3 units changed and to me it's been no problem. Suppose it's just where you go for service. Build quality in Fords I find no more dubious than others, and I have an 04 big Benz, that makes little rattles and squeaks that never seem to be found at service. When you think about it, Ford really aren't that bad, and the premium sound issue with the stacker jamming the discs has been resolved (I know that too because I haven't had to send any BA's back for this reason).

Good luck with your mazda, from all accounts they are brilliant cars.

[Paxton]

From the Two Mazda's that I have driven, and the one that I own, I can say that the build quality difference between Ford, and Mazda is huge. There are no rattles in the Mazda. My Territory has had a dash rattle since new. The Mazda doesn't ping, even when driven on Regular unleaded, which its not rated to. The Territory would ping on 200 Octane Gasohol if it could (presuming 200 Octane Gasohol existed).

The service Department near me is fantastic. They wash, and vacuum the car. They also give you a curtsey car similar to what your car is. At Ford, I got a Fiesta, and when I asked for the car that I booked, a Falcon, they laughed (this wasn't at the current Ford dealer, this was when I had my AU).

The Mazda experience is a different one. I have not been happier with the car, even though it is still relatively new, it has done nearly 8,000 Kms, and does the inner city commute daily.

As LTD said, They are brilliant cars, and the Mazda6 motor in the SP23 is a great one. I wish I could have had an MPS.

Originally Posted by Bucknaked

I have an 04 Focus. I think it was made in Belguim. That's what the dealer told me.

04 Were German it's the new style focus that is built in South Africa .... :

Originally Posted by DeathXR

DeathXR Mercedes and BMW build cars in South Africa for export to countries like Australia. Fiesta and XR5 are German made. .

Ive read that all XR5's being delv to Australia will come out of South Africa and the english will get them out of a german factory

IMO German is Better Built

[Sloth]

Yeah the Aussie XR5s will be built in South Africa, i cant remember where I read it.
New Zealand Focus production is being shifted from SA to Germany shortly for better quality and better equipment levels. Sadly I dont think we are getting the XR5 here, no announcements have been made...

[EvilChief]

Originally Posted by MAGPIE

South African built though e

let m rephrase ... german engineered :Reverend:

[banarcus]

Yes and the mighty escort was another pommy car(assembled here) that had hopeless quality.

[Homer1]

I can relate to you RSGerry. I had a 99 AU1 XR6 for 5 years and found the quality appaling too. The dash fascia felt like it was stuck on with glue stick and there were rattles left right and center. Also has various problems like leaking coolant and clunking diff. Most service centers made me feel like a hassle rather than a customer. Finally had enough and bought an Accord Euro. Couldn't be happier (even with FWD). Built like a bank vault and so smooth and quiet, makes the old XR feel like a model T. Honda service is great too, they make you feel like kings and are pretty much willing to do anything the customer asks (within reason of course).

[Blue Oval Mopar Man]

Geez , some people are just dont get it ! It doesnt matter what car you buy , you will get hassles. its not the cars fault that the dealer has a shyte attitude ! Ford cant make a dealer tow the line ! If they took action the way a customer wanted everytime a complaint came in then the company would have no where to sell their products from ! its up to you to negotiate with you dealer the out come of problems and going off the deep end will more than likely make the person you are dealing with less likely to help you out!

It mostly comes down to how well you can communicate with people and how well you can negotiate !

[MrSparkle]

Originally Posted by Blue Oval Mopar Man

Geez , some people are just dont get it ! It doesnt matter what car you buy , you will get hassles.

No, wrong. Spoken like a true Ford apologist.

I have had two new cars now that are NOT Fords (Nissan and a new VW) and both have been exceptional in their reliability AND the dealer experience. What people don't get is that you don't have to put up with crap quality and service levels - you just have to look beyond the end of your nose and try something different. sleep:

[YELLAUTE]

Originally Posted by Blue Oval Mopar Man

Geez , some people are just dont get it ! It doesnt matter what car you buy , you will get hassles. its not the cars fault that the dealer has a shyte attitude ! Ford cant make a dealer tow the line ! If they took action the way a customer wanted everytime a complaint came in then the company would have no where to sell their products from ! its up to you to negotiate with you dealer the out come of problems and going off the deep end will more than likely make the person you are dealing with less likely to help you out!

!

Rubbish.

My wife gets a new car every three years, anything she wants (up to $50k) she has had new Fords for the last three, Her comment last weekend is "no more Fords they don't care about me, my car or a future sale. I asked why and she said "the three local dealers we have tried over the last two years have all had a chance at fixing simple things in the Focus and all have either returned the car with items not done (and not even told her they were not done) or tried to charge for warrantee items and even rung to say the service was complete and when she arranged a lift up to the dealer the car was not finished (actually did not get finished to the next day and then she drove it home with one of the items not complete- wiper blades were removed and not replaced- I noticed the next day when I walked past the car)

She says she paid $32k cash for the car two years ago (has only done 12k klms) had it serviced by Ford every six months regardless of klms and has never been happy with the dealers service and has given up on ever getting warrantee items done.

{It mostly comes down to how well you can communicate with people and how well you can negotiate}
She is the most polite person (a librarian for goodness sake) all that gets her is trodden all over by the dealers she has dealt with. Why should she negotiate to get what Ford have a contract to do? (Warrantee document - legal contract)

To quote her last comment yesterday after another dissapointment with a dealer service department " What you doing on Saturday? lets go car shopping, I like the VW Golf or maybe we should look at the small cars Holden has"

[Dark Horse]

Sorry to hear RSGerry,

Upping customer service doesn't cost anything. As you say what happened to the British motoring industry. In the 1970's what was Japans reputation for building cars? They pulled their finger out and look where they are now.

[bobski]

Originally Posted by MrSparkle

No, wrong. Spoken like a true Ford apologist.

I have had two new cars now that are NOT Fords (Nissan and a new VW) and both have been exceptional in their reliability AND the dealer experience. What people don't get is that you don't have to put up with crap quality and service levels - you just have to look beyond the end of your nose and try something different. sleep:

I have to agree, my last 2 cars were an SP23 and a Nissan Xtrail. Both were built far better than my BA (1 problem - knock sensor recall - with the xtrail and none from the mazda in 3 years of total ownership). And the service I got from those dealers was much better (as was the buying experience).

I'm not saying the Ford is all bad, its a great and thrilling car to drive, I just think Ford need to really put some shine on their well engineered product. I paid $45K for a ford, I don't think its unreasonable for it to be as well built and backed as a $32k Mazda or an $18k Honda Jazz for that matter.

Gerry, enjoy the SP23 mate. I get happy just thinking about that car, it was an absolute joy to own and drive.

[Mark351]

Originally Posted by MrSparkle

No, wrong. Spoken like a true Ford apologist.

I have had two new cars now that are NOT Fords (Nissan and a new VW) and both have been exceptional in their reliability AND the dealer experience. What people don't get is that you don't have to put up with crap quality and service levels - you just have to look beyond the end of your nose and try something different. sleep:

So as a 'contributing member', are you now solely contributing advice that others buy something other than a Ford now Sparkles?
:

[XRated]

Hmm it's such a shame to lose customers... But I guess if you can't give what other manufacturer's can offer on cheaper and similarly priced cars, why would you buy another Blue Oval? Yes, there are good people at Ford around willing to help, they just seem to be in limited numbers.

So the question here is, why the hell is Ford's servicing department so poor compared to other manufacturers? Why is it that the people (a high percentage) who work for Honda, VW etc want to make your experience better and fix your problems?

[YELLAUTE]

Originally Posted by XRated

So the question here is, why the hell is Ford's servicing department so poor compared to other manufacturers? Why is it that the people (a high percentage) who work for Honda, VW etc want to make your experience better and fix your problems?

In WA I believe it is because Ford has taken control of almost all of the dealerships over here. My experiences with new Fords go back over 20 years and the experience all changed about 5 years ago, about when the new alliance was set up. I had great relationships with one dealer principal (bought four new fords and two used fords off his dealership oner eight years) and remember clearly how very few of the dealer principals wanted to surrender the dealerships back to Ford. I have continued to buy my Fords from different Ford dealers since but alas have had nothing but bad experiences getting them looked after.

[MrSparkle]

Originally Posted by DeathXR

So as a 'contributing member', are you now solely contributing advice that others buy something other than a Ford now Sparkles?
:

Better advice than telling them to "stick with it", "it will be alright in the end", "Ford will *eventually* get their act together", "it's just part of owning a Ford and you get used to it", ... etc. etc. etc.

There are a metric assload of other cars to pick from out there and it would do all the zealots a world of good to go and try them out. For most people, the car is the 2nd most expensive thing they will ever buy/own, and in this vein doesn't it make sense to at least *examine* the pool of options? Hell, you'd have to be doing pretty well financially to ignore every alternative on the basis of zealotry... :

Of course, for those who are zealots this is meaningless, and they will continue to buy their favourite irrespective of its capabilities and value. :sm_headba

Each to his own! it:

(Not sure what the comment about being a contributing member was intended for, by the sounds of it you're insinuating that by contributing to the forum, that one is obliged to offer uninhibited promotion of the products of the manufacturer? Maybe you're right, I should stop contributing to the site until I think that "Fords are number 1" etc.)

[telstar1]

i have had trouble with toyota dealers where one saleperson didnt now what the other one was doing and sold a car i wanted to someone else. i found the car i have now a 98 au wagon. the saleperson said they would hold onto it till i got money for it. they held onto for a month when i picked it up they gave it a wash and cleaned the inside again got a full tank of fuel the only problem i have with it was the starter motor stuffed up. i bought a ford from a holden dealer the salespeople were great service department were crap.

[WASP]

It's heartbreaking to read such problems. I have owned many a new Ford and many other brands as well. For me it has actually been the other brands (Mazda, Land Rover, Toyota and Mitsu) that have provided me with the most grief and questional dealer service. I have gone to the same Ford dealer for the last 5 or so years and have owned 4 new Fords (2 XR8's, 1 GT and 1 LS Focus) in that time. Everyone has been a great car and the Ford dealer service on all of them has been excellent.

I just wish everyone else could say the same.

[Des]

Unfortunately people you need to shop around when it comes to dealers. I've found a good Ford dealer in Sydney and have been going to the same dealer for years now (six or more). We bought the wife a Maxda6 and compareing the dealer experience, both dealers were comparable for pre and after sales service. We get an answer for any issues from both dealerships straight away, though the Mazda does cost more to service (per service and intervals).