Did your MM have Damage when you bought it?

[wchain]

Howdy Guys,
I was just outside admiring the new DTR that I picked up on Thursday from NPLM.

I love the car, but the more I look at it, the more things I see wrong with it, little discrepancies that all add up to frustration.

WHen I picked up the car from the dealer:
1. All 4 Chrome Tire Valve Caps were missing, did not have any to replace them with.

2. Trim piece that goes under radio/surrounds Climate control has a big dent/scrape in the dot matrix area. Salesman promised a new one/I made him order it while I signed paperwork.

3. Left Rear wheel arch had a chip in the clearcoat, paint exposed. Salesman offered a bottle of touch up paint

4. Trunk has metal shavings all over the floor, did not vacuum the shavings from the spoiler install.

When I got back to Houston, I noticed:

1. Left Front Tire had a DOT manufacture date code of September, 2004 and a nick in the rim, with lint from the dealer's wash mitt when they prepped the car. (Havent washed it yet). All the other tires have production date of April 2004

2. Right Front wheel has a nick in the rim, same lint from the sheepskin mitt, and the piece of rim that was damaged is lodged nicely into the protective lip of the BFG Tire, with a crack in the sidewall about 1" long.

3. Found paperwork in teh glove box when the car was new with a Check engine Light condition , pulled a code and replaced a Evaporative Emission hose. - Didn't disclose this to me, are they supposed to?


So, I think we all know whats going to happen when I call the dealer and inform them about the rims. "Well sir you picked up the car last week, and it's been out of our hands for several days, and you have no proof that you didn't do the damage blah blah blah" I have been driving panthers for the last 10 years. I have never rounded a curb or sc***** anything with the cars before, but they will probably assume that the damage is not their fault. :mad2:

I'm still wondering how I'm going to respond to the customer survey when they send it to me.... "COmpletely Satisfied?" Hmmm...

I blame myself because of the very cold weather, I did not thoroughly walk around the car. :mad:

[RCSignals]

The dealership depends on perfect survey results. Remind them you haven't filled yours out yet if they give you trouble.
Ask them why PDI released the car with these defects, also ask if maybe they already ordered replacement wheels and just forgot to tell you.

The joys of buying a new car :)

[DEFYANT]

Mine was missing the valve caps also......odd. The car had a dead battery after we signed all the papers. I got a jump that night thinking, "it's only been sitting for a while, should be fine". It was dead the next day! Dealer gave me a new one no problems.

[jgc61sr2002]

Wes - Your dealer sounds like a loser. :( Unfortunitly once you leave the dealership you are on your own. IMO A good dealership would take care of the problems you have discovered. I had the dealer record on my bill of sale any discrepancy I discovered even if I didn't have the dealer correct them. There was one small scratch but I opted to leave it alone than have the dealer repaint it.

[Rick-n-Miami]

I had no complaints with mine from NPLM. I too was missing the valve caps, but I found two sets; one in the little cigarette holder thing and the other in the glove box. Check there?

There was a slight nic on one of the fenderwells that did go through to the metal, very very small. I did put some touchup on it.

I also had the red built dates on the tires, but they will wear off.

My only real complaint isn't with NPLM, but with the build quality of the car. I really really hate the little rattles on the interior. This is my third panther and they've all done it. Only the towncars I've been in seem to not have this problem.

[Bluerauder]

WHen I picked up the car from the dealer:
1. All 4 Chrome Tire Valve Caps were missing, did not have any to replace them with.
I was missing the valve caps as well. Didn't notice until I got home. Called the dealer and he sent a set PDQ. :D

Vacuuming the trunk for shavings is a real tell .... it shows that their folks don't pay attention to details and tend to cut corners. :rolleyes: Let 'em know.

[jstevens]

The only problem mine had was the driver door being misaligned and hitting the frame wearing out the paint.
Had to take it in two times to have it corrected. Thank goodness they finally got it right. Not too impressed by the dealership attention but love the car itself.

Am currently using Dorian Ford on Gratiot. Hoping they'll be better than the LM that I bought it at.

[DEFYANT]

Missing valve caps? Could it be so that it is easier to keep the tires properly inflated? I have seen cars that sat for a long time lose air.

[SergntMac]

Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe Wes bought his MM long distance, and this will give LM an easy out for any pre-delivery issues.

[jakdad]

NPLM was very responsive and understanding about these things. They went out of their way to take care of my nicks and warranty issues after I took delivery. Don't condemn them until you have a chance to resolve the issue.

[Patrick]

Sorry to hear about the other things you have found wrong. I hope they can get all this cleared up without alot of problems. Dont let this keep you from Grinning ear to ear!!!

[Mike Poore]

I'm sure they'll take care of it, Wes. Mine had problems with the rear, but we all expect there to be minor issues with new cars. Go to your local L/M dealer with a good attitude, and reasonable expectations, and they'll do right by you. A word of advice: try to find a dealer with car guys working there, instead of one with service advisors in suits.

[Silver_04]

My car had the following problems after "Dealer Inspection":

Defective right front passenger window seals
Mis-aligned doors...all 4 of them
Couldn't get the darn steering aligned
Defective seals and molding for right front mirror
Scuff in rear seat leather

Not everything was considered "damage" but you should have seen the damage the dealer created in the process of fixing the aforementioned problems. :shake:

Just keep on the dealer, service manager, Ford and even engage the state attorney generals office because they deal with all of the lemon law stuff. That's what I did and next thing I knew all of my problems were resolved and I promptly sold the car.

[telson]

My dealer (Jack Demmer in Dearborn, MI) said that the Marauder valve caps are often stolen while the cars are in their lot, so they remove the caps and place them in the ash tray.

Sorry to hear about all the issues though.

[Black03Marauder]

I was missing 2 valve caps when I got mine.

odd...:confused:

[hdwrench]

when i picked mine up at the same dealer as wes it didnt have any valve stem caps on it and i pointed it out to the salesman... he went and took some off another car in the delivery area. :confused:

[LimoMerc]

My 04 has swirl markes between the paint and clear coat that can only me seen if the light is just right and your at the right angle. There are 3 spots on the hood and 1 on the trunk. The marks look just like someone used rubbing compound applied with a cloth, the marks vary in size. I noticed this during it's first hand wash and after it dried I drove straight to the dealer:argue: and they gave me:bs: . The service manager stood said that the paint is extremely sensetive and if you touch the paint (which he demonstrated) it will "never be the same". I gave LM a piece of my mind with their survey but have not heard from them and that was months ago.

[the_pack_rat]

I searched for & bought my DTR from King LM up in MD - I live down in Port Charlotte FL(just under 1100 miles away).

Small ding in the RR door & buffer swirls in the same area where some moron went overboard trying to get the small chip of paint that must have been there.

Minor scratches on underside of front bumper.

Minor scratch on drivers door over keyless entry pad.

Pin head sized dark colored specs on the trunk & LR 1/4 area.

Appears someone used something abrasive on the wheels in a few spots.

Paint/buffer swirls on the LR 1/4 roof/area. Swirls in the window moldings around the door glass of this area as well.

Instrument panel surround has a factory defect on the underside close to the lense over the speedo & gauges.

Tire air valve caps -

I traded in a Solara for the MM. When I bought the Solara(used) - I had a new set of tires put on it. After the new tires were done on the Solara, it then had chrome metal sleeves & valve caps on it I don't recall it having before, which I never asked for - nor pd extra for. On the day of delivery when I was looking over the MM - it was missing (2) of the caps. Come to find out that day, the ones I got on the Solara I NEVER asked for were the SAME ones the MM was supposed to have on it. I/we just yanked the ones of the Solara to put on the MM. Something really eeery about that ... it was like the Solara was destined all along to be traded on the MM(which wasn't the original plan).

The dealer didn't want to do anything for the things I brought to their attention at time of delivery(some of the above things I didn't notice until I was home) ... claimed the were already dipping into the holdback money - that price was it. I could'nt even weasel a free set of molded door edge guards out of them. Being I had gotten $600 MORE than KBB on the trade for the Solara sight UN-seen - & the price on the MM was pretty good for the time ... I didn't push it too much. I did NOT want to come back home in the Solara & I'm sure they knew that deep down themselves. A gut feeling also told me - getting them to document these things in writing wouldn't have happended either.

The ding I decided to just live with.

The instrument panel thing I'm sure I can get replaced w/a new one w/o much fuss - pretty cut & dry.

I've gotten most of the swirls out of the RR door & a some out of the LR area of the car as well. It's rather time consuming - but I should be able to get most of it out when I get more time. Same goes for the lil dark colored specs ... only a clay bar seems to be the only thing that completely gets those out(MORE time consumption). Most of the minor scratches on the underside of the front bumper came out.

The wheels I've yet to do anything other than polish them with regular ole' wax. I need to track down the CORRECT polish on the net here ... & order some. Maybe the few swirled spots on those will come out as well(not that bad). I'm probably SOL on them if the marks DONT come out. It will turn into me saying I took delivery of it that way(the TRUTH) - vs some factory rep telling me that __ I __ must have screwed them up etc etc. Personally I'd love to do an exchange on a CHROMED set some day anyway.

I know when you pay for a NEW car regardless of discounts ... you want & expect a DAMAGE FREE car.( I DID). However, being an admitted pessimist quite often ... I knew before I even went up there for the car there was NOOOOOO way that it could have been there from May - Oct & made it thru 100% UN-scathed. And as I am MOST often with such thoughts - I was RIGHT :P. However ... the car was actually in BETTER shape than I had expected - so I really wasn't dissapointed.

I wish I would have been able to ORDER what I wanted from the get go ... then I would have been able to snatch it up right after a PDI & nothing more than a gentle HAND wash before someones dumb *** managed to screw it up.

I think we will see more & more stories of less than perfect cars ... as the last few of the MM's are sold. It's really UN-avoidable unfortunately ... the longer a car sits in someones inventory - the more likelyhood of something happening to it.

Eric

[wchain]

All the little things considered, it still doenst remove the big grin on my face.

I called and left a voice mail for the salesman today. I'll probably end up just using the worst rim as a spare and pick up a new one here or there.

Car got some silverstars today and a bath. Man I grin every time I start her up!

:burnout:

[captJ696]

My experience was one I really NEED to forget!
1) R/S moulding around headlight was coming off (common problem)

2) Rear bumper appears to sags a bit.

Ultimately this has been a lesson well learned, my next automobile purchase will Not happen until I hire "Columbo" to give it the "once-over" ..he he :rolleyes:

Honestly, I`d love to hear better comments (and referrals) about dealerships who are concerned about maintaining a satisfied customer. C`mon..word of mouth means everthing

[Bluerauder]

Honestly, I`d love to hear better comments (and referrals) about dealerships who are concerned about maintaining a satisfied customer. C`mon..word of mouth means everthing
As I have said on a number of occasions before, I am really happy with my dealership. It's Brown's Lincoln-Mercury in Fairfax, VA. Every time I go in, they are actually glad to see me. :D And, more importantly, they remember my name and who I am. Service is always first rate and the car is hand-washed and dried even after just an oil change. :up:

The last time that I was in for the 15,000 mile routine service, I happened to overhear part of their Saturday morning training session. The instructor asked "What was the best form of advertizing?" .... after a couple wrong answers (TV, news print, etc.) from a couple employees ... someone chimed in with "..word of mouth". Now, here's a dealership that knows that every satisfied customer is a source of advertizing. And, that's exactly what I am doing right now. :D

[HwyCruiser]

Maybe you can work something out where a local L/M dealership can take care of your delivery issues (if you can trust someone else not to screw up worse). The only problems you should have to put up with are the one's by your own hands.

Heck, I've been through a rear bumper cover, a couple paintless dent repairs, and I've got more rattles than I care to discuss after the speaker / sub upgrades. I still love her though!

[Agent M79]

I can't say mine arrived damaged, but it was a little incomplete...

http://www.mercurygallery.net/mmnet/data/500/1096SU640-med.jpg

...in the rear seat belt department.

[sailsmen]

My car had alum valve caps, well made but I replaced w/ chrome.

Ran an Oasis and the front/bottom drivers door was touched up. I can tell only if I look for it.

[Patrick]

I can't say mine arrived damaged, but it was a little incomplete...

http://www.mercurygallery.net/mmnet/data/500/1096SU640-med.jpg

...in the rear seat belt department.

How did they miss that???????

[Patrick]

All the little things considered, it still doenst remove the big grin on my face.

I called and left a voice mail for the salesman today. I'll probably end up just using the worst rim as a spare and pick up a new one here or there.

Car got some silverstars today and a bath. Man I grin every time I start her up!

:burnout:

Glad your still happy. All that will work out somehow. Some flows will make that grin bigger!!!!!

[Hack Goby]

The only problem mine had was the driver door being misaligned and hitting the frame wearing out the paint.
Had to take it in two times to have it corrected. Thank goodness they finally got it right. Not too impressed by the dealership attention but love the car itself.

Am currently using Dorian Ford on Gratiot. Hoping they'll be better than the LM that I bought it at.
John,did you get yours at Stu Evens?Didnt like them from the start for a couple of reasons I wont get into.I also go to Dorian,That where I got My LX Sport plus all my trucks and cars for the last 20 years and never had a problem.I dont how they will treat our warrintys because our chip and gear though.

[2003 MIB]

Maybe they knew you were going to replace the valve stem caps with logo caps anyway??- Sorry Wes, couldn't resist...

Seriuosly, I think there's power in the uncompleted survey- let them know. You might also let them know that you're a moderator on this board and touch thousands of potential Mercury buyers.

[nelsonrock]

The warranty sez you should bring cosmetic problems to the dealer's attention within the first week. Based on my dent experience, I'd suggest you get each problem itemized on the service invoice so you have a record of reporting it.

My MM didn't have too many issues other than the dent in the instument panel. The only other thing I've had a problem with is the speedometer. It seems to read 2 or 3 miles too fast when I've compared it with my other cars. The service manager said that when they tested it, it was right on.

[wchain]

Well I got a call from Rudy at NPLM today,
here are the issues they have addressed:

Dash Panel Dent- New Center panel ordered

Missing Valve Caps- Set of Four Ordered

Rim- NPLM will pay for repair for the worst condition rim, and if I produce a receipt, they will reimburse me up to 120 bucks.

I guess I can live with the other rims, the pass front one is pretty bad though.

Just wanted to let everyone know!

See ya
Wes