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Body Alignment/Door Adjustment Issues


Sheklenz

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Hi Everyone,

So I picked up my NEW Flex on Thursday night, like 9 pmish. While there, some issues with scratched paint were noticed and the back hatch was not flush on one side. After examining at home that night, we spotted several trim/door alignment issues. I've just gotten on some FB forums and see that this appears to be a common issue. The dealership was already scheduling a time to bring the car back in as we were signing paperwork. Is this common??? And was this fixed for 2017? I'm wondering if this car was pulled off the line for some reason and had the doors manually put on? Any way to check this? I think this car is too expensive to be having quality issues. Also, if you can't trust the alignment and door placement, is everything else ok? Sincerely questioning this one...I've owned a 6 other Ford vehicles and have never had this question of quality. What are others experiences?

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I wish dealers would address these issues before the consumer sees them. It definitely gives a bad first impression for something that is pretty easy to correct. I do understand your irritation.

 

I don't think I would judge long term durability of this vehicle on these cosmetic issues. I know some Flex owners with many problem free miles.

 

Congrats on the new ride and I hope your issues are easily rectified.

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I wish dealers would address these issues before the consumer sees them. It definitely gives a bad first impression for something that is pretty easy to correct. I do understand your irritation.

 

I don't think I would judge long term durability of this vehicle on these cosmetic issues. I know some Flex owners with many problem free miles.

 

Congrats on the new ride and I hope your issues are easily rectified.

The warranty side of Ford does not want dealers to fix anything unless it's a safety issue or customer complains. If a dealer starts fixing stock units for panel fit it's suspect as fraudulent.

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Until Ford spends money on its factories to equip them with expensive and slow quality control technology, this will always be a problem and it's one of the reasons Lincolns need to be shuttled off to a quality control center (only to ignore the alignment issues anyway). Although Ford assembly quality is well known for it's finish issues, it usually doesn't reflect the actual quality of the vehicle. I never bother getting these things fixed, but every Lincoln I've owned has obvious fit n finish issues inside or outside. The ones that always bothered me the most were the rear lift gates on my previous MKXs, they were ALWAYS out of alignment on the right and sunken in on the left side. In some cases I'm sure it's a design fault, but in other cases it's clear parts just weren't snapped on correctly (like the rain gutters in my last MKX).

Edited by BORG
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Rear hatch to quarter alignment is a large issue with explorer. I remember the mustang used to be awful. I spend hours working on the doors on 1994-2004 mustang door fit issues. Get the body lines right and the door is hard to close. Sometimes it is what it is and that's all you can say. I'm hoping the new Lincolns are getting better. I saw that The PDI process is more stringent. We aren't a Lincoln dealer so I haven't done any.

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Rear hatch to quarter alignment is a large issue with explorer. I remember the mustang used to be awful. I spend hours working on the doors on 1994-2004 mustang door fit issues. Get the body lines right and the door is hard to close. Sometimes it is what it is and that's all you can say. I'm hoping the new Lincolns are getting better. I saw that The PDI process is more stringent. We aren't a Lincoln dealer so I haven't done any.

 

 

The Mustang is notorious for fit & finish issues, even my Uncle had huge problem with door panels rubbing against each other and damaging the paint. He never bough another Ford because of it.

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Until Ford spends money on its factories to equip them with expensive and slow quality control technology, this will always be a problem and it's one of the reasons Lincolns need to be shuttled off to a quality control center (only to ignore the alignment issues anyway). Although Ford assembly quality is well known for it's finish issues, it usually doesn't reflect the actual quality of the vehicle. I never bother getting these things fixed, but every Lincoln I've owned has obvious fit n finish issues inside or outside. The ones that always bothered me the most were the rear lift gates on my previous MKXs, they were ALWAYS out of alignment on the right and sunken in on the left side. In some cases I'm sure it's a design fault, but in other cases it's clear parts just weren't snapped on correctly (like the rain gutters in my last MKX).

I bought a first year MKX and recall when they were lined up on the dealer lots. you could see many of them had a fitment issue between the hood and one of the fenders. I ordered mine and it didn't have that issue. It did have the falling down headliner though.

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I actually had a falling headliner on my 2016 MKX and my 2005 Lincoln LS. I finally got the headliner to snap into place on the MKX after pounding it pretty hard, but there was no way to fix the 2005 LS which seem to hold on with velcro that just didn't make contact in the rear just behind the CHMSL. Again, with a lease, it's never worth the huge inconvenience of getting these things fixed especially since my Lincoln dealerships are such a hike. I still love my 2016 MKX, but ironically after talking about how great the quality was just a day earlier, it started to develop a muffler/heat shield rattle over Christmas and the passenger seat heater/cooler quit working. So now that I have major issues that will require repairs, I'll take my laundry list of fit n finish issues to be dealt with as well.

Edited by BORG
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The warranty side of Ford does not want dealers to fix anything unless it's a safety issue or customer complains. If a dealer starts fixing stock units for panel fit it's suspect as fraudulent.

Pictures can say a thousand words. If it were well documented I would think it is a non-issue. Unfortunately the dealer represents the brand so if the factory isn't going to do it, someone should before the customer sees it. They need to start doin a better job of cleaning this stuff up at the plant if they don't want the dealer to do it.

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Pictures can say a thousand words. If it were well documented I would think it is a non-issue. Unfortunately the dealer represents the brand so if the factory isn't going to do it, someone should before the customer sees it. They need to start doin a better job of cleaning this stuff up at the plant if they don't want the dealer to do it.

Agreed. Also, that's a lot of effort for .2 of an hour to adjust. Which is 12 min of pay especially if no one has complained.
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meh, it doesn't always take even that long to line it up properly, provided you have access to the "proper" tools

It doesn't take long most of the time. However, that time includes getting the repair order, going to get the car, pull it in, do repair, perform write up, park car and turn in keys. That's well more than 12 mins. When stock units have recalls, the only way to make your time is to do multiple at the same time.

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Hire the blind for final inspection do they? This is suppose to be the premier luxury group for Ford. They should never leave the factory like that EVER! What happened to laser measuring don't they do that any more?

its the lazy 'I've put my time in' high seniority people who are 99% of the inspectors at most plants.
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its the lazy 'I've put my time in' high seniority people who are 99% of the inspectors at most plants.

Unfortunately it's a nationwide epidemic. It's not limited to one industry. No pride in their work anymore. Sense of entitlement and poor work ethics. Really it's a shame. When I put my hands on something, I like to think that I did a good job and the customer is happy. The secret to making money, staying busy and having customer loyalty is caring about your work. Sure you can be a careless jerk and still draw a check, but your value is diluted.

I understand that working on a assembly line is not as rewarding because you don't get a "thank you" from the customer directly. However, just knowing that what you put out is as good as it can be and seeing those products on the streets with families inside them should be enough. This is where I have issues with union. Not just UAW but all unions. Employees need to be rewarded for performance AND seniority. Just because you have been a crappy employee for 10 years doesn't mean a productive great employee of 5 years should get shit on. It should be case by case. Oh well rant over. Thanks to all the men and women who do a great job and try each day building the products that I make my living on repairing.

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Unfortunately it's a nationwide epidemic. It's not limited to one industry. No pride in their work anymore. Sense of entitlement and poor work ethics. Really it's a shame. When I put my hands on something, I like to think that I did a good job and the customer is happy. The secret to making money, staying busy and having customer loyalty is caring about your work. Sure you can be a careless jerk and still draw a check, but your value is diluted.

I understand that working on a assembly line is not as rewarding because you don't get a "thank you" from the customer directly. However, just knowing that what you put out is as good as it can be and seeing those products on the streets with families inside them should be enough. This is where I have issues with union. Not just UAW but all unions. Employees need to be rewarded for performance AND seniority. Just because you have been a crappy employee for 10 years doesn't mean a productive great employee of 5 years should get shit on. It should be case by case. Oh well rant over. Thanks to all the men and women who do a great job and try each day building the products that I make my living on repairing.

Well said! I just had to quote it so it can show up twice! :)

 

If something is worth doing, it's worth doing right!

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Ford is also known to turn off quality control equipment to speed up their plants. Ford and Lincoln typically designs their cars to avoid the need for extra quality control measures so you get larger panel gaps or designs that eliminate the need for flush seams to things like the hood and front fascia. More recent global Fords however have these details that need to be done right which is why they struggle so much with their assembly quality in North America because their plants are run so fast and lean. The Explorer is actually a great example of how differently Ford of NA designs products. Taillights never wrap into the tailgate because they are difficult to keep aligned, the hood floats above the headlights and grille rather than sealed to the fascia.

 

I'm absolutely convinced that their inspections are entirely symbolic and are there only to catch obvious faults and not tune to higher tolerances, otherwise every Ford and Lincoln will need to be adjusted.

Edited by BORG
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Ford is also known to turn off quality control equipment to speed up their plants. Ford and Lincoln typically designs their cars to avoid the need for extra quality control measures so you get larger panel gaps or designs that eliminate the need for flush seams to things like the hood and front fascia. More recent global Fords however have these details that need to be done right which is why they struggle so much with their assembly quality in North America because their plants are run so fast and lean. The Explorer is actually a great example of how differently Ford of NA designs products. Taillights never wrap into the tailgate because they are difficult to keep aligned, the hood floats above the headlights and grille rather than sealed to the fascia.

 

I'm absolutely convinced that their inspections are entirely symbolic and are there only to catch obvious faults and not tune to higher tolerances, otherwise every Ford and Lincoln will need to be adjusted.

Well, that's really sad to read. Kia has better fit and finish than Ford does. With the prices that they are selling cars for today the quality should be way better. Just my opinion.

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