I couldn't take too many pictures from the outside as it was raining tonight and I didn't want the camera to get wet. There are more pictures of the engine bay as I had the protection of the hood from the rain.
Caveat Emptor. I was lucky when I bought my used X from a dealer. They had the Carfax info linked into their online ad. From what I understand Carfax only lists what is submitted to it, so it is not perfect. My Carfax disclosed that the X was indeed a prior rental. At least I had that information going in. I did a thorough check of the X before making the deal. I feel I was lucky in finding my X, running good, no complaints. Haven't noticed any overspray, but now I'm gonna look closer.
The engine being very clean does not seem odd to me. I don't think that it is uncommon for the dealer to clean the engine. They can work wonders. The paint is a little suspicious though.
learning can be a painful & costly process. i learned the hard way. bargin cars. there are always lots of them. car salesmen. i was one for a short while, but my stomach wasnt strong enough strange breed. to be effective, you have to learn to ENJOY lying and tricking people. certain types do well at that, and always have. that has been the case since the jokes about horse and chariot salesmen from the greek and roman days.
i must have personally looked at over 20 Excursions, and reviewed the paperwork on at least 100 more, before finding my "cream puff" - from the Ford dealer in Palm Springs, California. Yes, it was a rental. But it looked and smelled like a new car, having only 14,000 mi. on it.
What did all my previous "learning" experiences tell me? Take good notes, people, this is very complicated. Write it down.
YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR !
I paid almost full retail for mine. For that, I got Ford Motor Company's own FACTORY warranty. That means THEY stand behind the car, and ALL Ford dealers have to honor it. That means I dont worry about the transmission. Or the engine. Or the power door locks. Or the incredibly complex heating/air conditioning system. Nor do I wonder about the occasional "rumble" from the brakes (these vehicles are notorious for warping their "factory" discs, and a minor "warp", combined with an occasional "computer glitch" in the anti-lock brakes will do that every so often....
How did the Excursion I bought from a Ford dealer, get to be a "Ford Certified" used car ? Frankly, I dont know how detailed THEIR examination is of the vehicle, before making the decision to "wholesale" it (dealer's slang for getting rid of questionable vehicles to some other car sales entity lower down on the food chain).
But I dont see any signs of over-spray.. (one of the FIRST things you look for). I dont see any signs, when I crawled under it, (that's the NEXT thing you do) that it had EVER been off-road , much less been abused when doing so ! The trailer hitch receiver didn't indicate it EVER had a hitch shoved into it.
So - the point of all this is...even really DUMB guys like me can learn. Be assured my history of buying used cars has its share of disasters, where I got royally screwed. And, again, since I am dumb and a slow learner, this happened over and over again.
Again, in case anyone forgot to take notes
YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR !
(if someone will tell me how, I will "post" a photo of my beautiful "mint-factory fresh" Explorer, pulling over 11,000 lbs of motor yacht....!
Speaking of overspray, I purchased my 05 new from the dealer. When you open the hood you can see that the rubber bumpers that align the height have been painted. I don't believe that the vehicle was in an accident prior to me getting it but it is strange that the rubber is painted.
__________________
2005 Eddie Bauer 4x4 w/6.0
Who said size doesn't matter?
Have A Similar Issue With Clear Pealing. It Looks As Though The Fuel Door Side Of Ours Has Been Repainted Or Poorly Painted From The Factory. The Fuel Door Appears To Not Have Quite Enough Paint On It, As Though You Can See The Primer Below The Paint Surface. The Clear Is Pealing Around The Rear Vent Window Seals. I'll Try To Get Some Pix Tonight. I Think Mine Was Crashed And Repaired As Well But Carfax Said Nothing. My Vehicle Was Also Driven By A Polititian Of Sorts In Illinois. This Was A City Owned Vehicle. My Opinion Is That It Was Somehow Damaged And Fixed At The City Garage. No Claim.
my '02 has overspray under the hood, door jamb and rear bumper, I know its history since new, never been repaired..just a ford goof up
Again, my own Ford Excursion, built in the last days of Excursion production, has NO signs of over-spray. During production of a motor vehicle, the bodies are painted FIRST before ANYTHING is attached to them.
Over-spray is typically the sign of a quick cheapo "collision damage" repair. Which is why it should be the FIRST thing you look carefully for, around rubber mouldings, windshield trim, etc.
The EXCEPTION to the above, is what is noted by other chatters in this "thread". And that is the result of the incredibly lousy "build quality" that Ford has always been noted for. I would not reject a vehicle SOLEY because of a little over-spray, especially in a Ford product, simply because we know that they do such a terrible job of painting at the factory, it is frequently necessary to do a fast "touch up" to get the vehicle out the door.
The fact remains that even the Ford organization, with its long history of disregarding quality, appears to be doing a pretty good job in limiting its "stamp of approval" on used cars sold thru its dealer network as 'CERTIFIED USED CARS". As I noted in my earlier "post" in this thread, I personally have no idea how they administer this, or who supervises who. The fact is, I did look at several "CERTIFIED USED CAR" Excursions, and found in EVERY case that particular vehicle had good "build quality", had clean engine and transmission oil, and other signs of being treated properly. And, of course, each was priced accordingly, at or above full "blue book/retail" value.
I would make a rough guess that I paid at least a five thousand dollar premium on my 2005, to get a low mileage "cream puff" Excursion. Was it worth it ? Good question. Really depends on what your needs and use are.
In my own case, I keep vehicles forever, applying standard common sense service techniques. My 1938 Packard V-12, purchased when I was 15 back in 1955, was "mint" when I bought it, and remains so, still in service as a second car when I feel like showing off. My Excursion, like my other vehicles, stays indoors when not in use, and, lucky me, I do NOT live in the "salt belt".
Given the durability of modern drive-line components, if I could have found a nice, super-clean higher mileage Excursion, I would not have been the least bit reluctant to buy it, PROVIDED it came with that 'CERTIFIED USED CAR" Ford warranty.
But - that's the problem we have with these Excursions - basically they ARE damn good vehicles, that get DRIVEN and USED. And some are getting USED UP thru lack of proper maintainence. If we are going to buy an Excursion, it is going to be "used". Trick is...get one that is NOT "used up"....!
Hi, it is not your brakes. I had the exact same thing on my 04 X. It is the slip joint where the driveshaft goes into the trans. It needs to be lubed, there is a TSB out there on it for the SuperDuty but it does not list the Excursion. It is the same problem.
Funny story, I had the same problem went into the dealer and told them what it was and what needed to be done to fix it. I even brought in a copy of the TSB, well they were smarter than me and were not going to listen to what I said and check it out for themselves. So they call later on and say it needs Ball Joints, and new rear leaf springs (48k miles) along with some sway bar bushings. So being under the extended warranty they do all that work and when I come to pick it up it still clunks! So they bring it up on the lift and I tell the tech about the greasing of the slip joint, he mutters under his breath and drops the shaft. 10 minutes later a handful of blue grease and it is all quiet, I laugh the whole way home with my new Ball Joints, Bushings and Leaf Springs.
Rc
Can you send this TSB. I think I need this done. I have been thinking it is bad something, but service said the front end is all good.
Will Ford complete a TSB for free if I have the extended warranty?
Here's my two cents. I work in the ad biz in PA. IF we make and ad or commercial showing a used vehicle that was previously a taxi, rental, etc..we must disclose this.
Also... a bit of overspray could indeed be evidence of a "field" repair. It also could have been a repair on the assembly line. Sometimes a vehicle is pulled off the line for some issue...repaired and sent on it's way. Possibly there was a paint run, defect in the sheet metal, etc that caused this. I'm not saying that's the case...but it's possible. Same thing with the doors...they could have been adjusted at the factory.
Good luck
__________________
2005 Ford Excursion...Last Year for Ford's Gentle Giant
Mine has overspray where it was not repainted. The prevous soccer parent drove the front bumer into something and had to have it replaced. They did not replace the fog lights of tow hooks so I was not too concerned about additional damage. The front bumper is about 3/16" off kilter.
The engine on mine is that clean every spring. Simple green and water is all it takes. If an engine steam clean is accessible it will really clean up. That would not be a worry. Also if all of those parts are new, you are a few services ahead of me that you no longer have to worry about. If it drives good you are probably OK.
I had a 99 Frontier that had $9K in work done after I messed it up. It drove better afterwards and never had a issue after the repair. My current Acura Legend with 148K miles (maybe), salavage title and both the front and rear clips have been replaced and some bondo here and there drives great and has been a good city car for the last year.
overspray on a new vehicle could be from repairs made after transport. Normally rock chips. Just because a panel has been repainted doesnt mean the thing has been in an accident. There are many ways to get damage on a new vehicle. I am sure if they put it on the lot with a bunch of chips on the hood and fenders it wouldnt sell too well.
Again, my own Ford Excursion, built in the last days of Excursion production, has NO signs of over-spray. During production of a motor vehicle, the bodies are painted FIRST before ANYTHING is attached to them.
Over-spray is typically the sign of a quick cheapo "collision damage" repair. Which is why it should be the FIRST thing you look carefully for, around rubber mouldings, windshield trim, etc.
The EXCEPTION to the above, is what is noted by other chatters in this "thread". And that is the result of the incredibly lousy "build quality" that Ford has always been noted for. I would not reject a vehicle SOLEY because of a little over-spray, especially in a Ford product, simply because we know that they do such a terrible job of painting at the factory, it is frequently necessary to do a fast "touch up" to get the vehicle out the door.
The fact remains that even the Ford organization, with its long history of disregarding quality, appears to be doing a pretty good job in limiting its "stamp of approval" on used cars sold thru its dealer network as 'CERTIFIED USED CARS". As I noted in my earlier "post" in this thread, I personally have no idea how they administer this, or who supervises who. The fact is, I did look at several "CERTIFIED USED CAR" Excursions, and found in EVERY case that particular vehicle had good "build quality", had clean engine and transmission oil, and other signs of being treated properly. And, of course, each was priced accordingly, at or above full "blue book/retail" value.
I would make a rough guess that I paid at least a five thousand dollar premium on my 2005, to get a low mileage "cream puff" Excursion. Was it worth it ? Good question. Really depends on what your needs and use are.
In my own case, I keep vehicles forever, applying standard common sense service techniques. My 1938 Packard V-12, purchased when I was 15 back in 1955, was "mint" when I bought it, and remains so, still in service as a second car when I feel like showing off. My Excursion, like my other vehicles, stays indoors when not in use, and, lucky me, I do NOT live in the "salt belt".
Given the durability of modern drive-line components, if I could have found a nice, super-clean higher mileage Excursion, I would not have been the least bit reluctant to buy it, PROVIDED it came with that 'CERTIFIED USED CAR" Ford warranty.
But - that's the problem we have with these Excursions - basically they ARE damn good vehicles, that get DRIVEN and USED. And some are getting USED UP thru lack of proper maintainence. If we are going to buy an Excursion, it is going to be "used". Trick is...get one that is NOT "used up"....!
Bottom line - again...YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR !
You keep on saying "YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR !", which leads me to believe that you think I got this truck from some rinky dink place and paid a dollar for it. No sir, I got if from a reputable Ford dealership and the truck was also a certified used vehicle by Ford. I paid close to $24K for it. So are you saying that I paid too little to expect a good car?
The question really was whether the dealership had some sort of responsibility in answering my questions honestly.
My questions were whether the car was a rental and whether it has been in an accident. As professionals, when they do their inspection before the truck hits the lot, they should be able to tell whether the truck has been in an accident or not. Very simple. Nothing more. I am just looking for that little peace of mind that the certified used vehicle has a straight frame etc.
I don't think that's too much to ask for $24K, is it?
I dont like the slogan "you get what you pay for" either. It is not always true, especially in used vehicles. Some places sell fewer vehicles monthly or annually so they charge more per vehicle. That does not make them better. There have been plenty certified vehicles with problems as well, but most of the $ are paid for by warranty but still are problems.
I nearly stole a jeep wrangler, lifted with only 11k miles over 2 years ago and it is still worth more than I paid for it without factoring in the lift. In that instance, I have more than I paid for. I purchased a new Pontiac and never had what I paid for but then again, I never thought I would. It is a nice convertible and we like it, but still not worth near what I paid and I paid 6K under MSRP. It has had its share of issues like blown rack and pinion at 1100 miles.
You get what you get and don't throw a fit. That is my son's motto; he's 4.
Time will tell, hope you have a good one and shake out any issues with the warranty.
__________________ 03 V10 Excursion Limited 2WD
3.73LS, 6" Fabtech Lift, 35" PC Xtreme ATs
Line X'd Brush Guard and running boards
FM Super 40 w/dual 3" pipes, RAS
11.5+ mpg in town, 13.5+ on the highway
Still miss my 96 Bronco
based on what little i have seen i would think your X has had some paint work done...
i just looked at mine a 2000 and there is no overspray, and the gaskets under the door hinges are not painted... mine is dark green, two doors away from me is a blue 2000 and it has no OS either and the gaskets are not painted...
behind me is a white one that is newer than mine, but i don't know them and no one is around... if i see them i will look at it to...
the clean motor wouldn't concern me at all... mine is almost as clean at 7 years... i am the third owner, but know both previous owners and my motor hasn't been cleaned...
i did have to do some work on the motor after buying it and i have some pic i posted before the work... if i can get it to post on here...
while this isn't a good pic because it was to show a long time water leak at the rad hose and not the motor... you can see the rust stain below the hose and some signs of rust on the fuel rail... but this is at 7 years... i have other pictures also but they to were not taken to show the motor...
example...
the bottom of the motor and tranny is dry and just as clean as the top...
if only ford would have used better paint for things like the frame...
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