http://www.autoweek.com/news.cms?newsId=101899

 

Ford:

Fixing our $150,000 car into $40,000 Corvette quality, one recall at a time.

 

Kind of a lame way to fix a crank issue.

 

I guess they were right when they said it's a "Pace Car For An Entire Company."

 

sad..hopefully they will smooth things out for next year

 

I guess not everyone can have their engine built in mexico, ****ing american built pos... right guys.

 

Last I checked, Z06 motors were lined up to be built right here in the Detroit area and the cars are being assembled in Bowling Green.


And let's get one thing straight, Sparky...

Just because Ford can't build a fart in a windstorm in the US as far as a flagship performance vehicle goes, that doesn't mean everyone sucks.

It only means that FORD sucks.

 

First of all, lighten up, it was a joke I wasn't being serious. Second, yes, I know the 425ci small block will be hand built proudly in the u.s. Third if you can't respect a mid engine super car maybe you shouldn't be into cars because you're so goddamn jaded about other car manufacturers.

 

If you want a little perspective from the people who can actually buy these cars............ here is a good read.
http://70.85.40.84/~ferrari/forum/sh...ad.php?t=50219

One other small thing. On handbuilt cars, there are typically more problems than on mass produced cars............. because all the building is done by humans. This is why Ferrari's, Lambo's, Bentleys, etc all have alot of issues. However, the joy of driving these cars usually outweighs their problems............... which is why people keep buying them. Basically, they don't expect Toyota Camry's............. thank goodness.

 

I'm glad those people have that much money to toss around. Personally if I dropped a quarter mill (after dealer markups) on a car, I'd expect to be able to drive it (control arms) and for it to hold oil (crank seal). As far as Ferrari, Lambo and the other exotics having problems, I understand because those are tiny niche companies hand-building everything. This is the Ford Motor Company for gosh sakes....you would think they of all people, with all their engineering and quality control resources, could build a supercar right the first time.

 

this is why I'm interested to see how GM does with the Z06.. suppsodily with one guy start to finish for each engine..

How are the Ford GT engines assembled?

 

Ford does not do assembly on the GT in-house--I believe Saleen does the assembly. Check me on this, but I believe that's correct. See link:

http://www.saleen.com/about_saleen.htm

Listen, a client of mine got a new BMW 645Ci late last year. Ten--yes ten--trips to the dealer later for electrical glitches, the dealership and BMW just swapped him for a new car. This is not just a Ford problem. It's just that the media love picking on our (meaning USA) car companies. When the M3 engine "grenade" disaster cropped up about 18 months ago, it barely made a squeak on the radar screen. Maybe BMW just bribes the press better than Ford does.

As a Z06 owner, I still wish Ford every success--I hope they do not fold. That's all our economy and huge trade deficit needs.

 

I knew I wouldn't be able to scroll all the way through this thread before the Ford Fanboys (or fangals) came in to defend their brand and make excuses.

I don't care if its hand built or not, for ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS it should not have as many recalls and problems as that article lists.

You could have six Ford 500's for the price of this one car, or you could own a nice 3br, 2ba home with 2 car garage almost anywhere in the South or Midwest. You could send a kid to Yale or Harvard for this kind of money, recalls for shade-tree fixes to crank oil leaks and major suspension parts replacements should not happen.

Do hand bult Ferraris have these kinds of quality issues? Nope, not to this scale. Get it right or don't sell it, it is an embarrassment, and I'd be just as embarrassed if this level of incompetence pops up after C6 Z06s start hitting the streets, but then again I don't expect the same level of fit and quality on a $75,000 car as a $150,000 car, but granted those expectations would still
be extremely high.

I'm beginning to think Ford rushed this car out way too fast in an attempt to create a product the company and its loyalists would rally around. As a result they botched what is supposedly their #1 job.

 

I agree totally.

I this were a GM product, it'd be slammed so hard....

Saying "people expect these troubles and it's OK because......" is nothing but making up excuses where there are none.

 

Well, according to BON (yes I know), Steve Saleen just went into the SSV facility and cleaned house........ due to the problems. Ford is very unhappy. Saleen had hoped that a good job on the GT would lead to other very small production niche vehicles coming his way.

The GT is completely hand built at the SSV facility. FMC does not have anywhere that they could do this type of handbuilding, which includes machining and everything. There are a great deal of brand new processes being used.......... and alot of others that have not been around for very long.

The Z06 engine, while being hand assembled (as is the Cobra motor) should not have these types of problems. All the casting, and machining will be done at large facilities, with the finished product arriving to be assembled. This will eliminate much of the human error factor. The Corvette also has the advantage that it is an existing product, even if many of the pieces are changed for the Z06. This is completely unlike the GT, which is a completely brand new car, from the ground up.

As for the recall(s). According to someone working at the facility that is making the replacement arms for the GT (they are billet steel made to look like the cast pieces so that all of the suspension components match). 35 customers cars have been refitted so far (out of the 114 that were in customer hands). Ford has been sending enclosed transports to these owners house to pick up the cars, then bringing them into the repair facility. While there, the cars are inspected to see if they are affected by any other issues, and will be repaired at the same time. He said Ford is replacing all of the control arms, just in case. He also said that this will cost Ford about $5000 per car.

I think they are more than handling this right, and so do other exotic/supercar owners.

I think we have to look at this in perspective. When most of us spend $30K on a vehicle, we think we have dropped a large chunk of change, and we have expectations of that vehicle......... accordingly. When someone drops $150-250K on a supercar, for most of them, it is a pittance............ something akin to us dropping $30 going out to eat. Thus, their expectations are different. They also understand the indiosyncracies of supercars, so they don't blink an eye. I saw a picture of Ben Affleck standing next to his brand new $168,000 Bentley (had bought it 3 days earlier), that had broke down and left him stranded (it was being towed). He looked like he didn't have a care in the world.

Perspective