I am the original owner of a 2003 Expedition (build date 09/02), with the Medium Wedgewood Blue paint. I purchased it on May 23, 2003. I was getting ready to put a coat of wax on it, as it finally stopped raining here in SoCal. The "channels" that run the length of the truck on the roof, on the outside of the luggage rack rails, have paint that is "cracking and spitting apart" (not to the point of peeling yet) in the bottom of the channels. In additon, the area on the roof, just in front of the factory moonroof and just behind the front windshield, has an area where the paint looks "worn out" and "faded" (very obvious). It is about 10-12 inches in diameter. Has anyone else had this problem and what do you think the dealer is going to say? It is still just barely under the 3yr/36K warranty, as it only has 30,000 miles on it and always garaged. I have never noticed it before and it get's two coats of wax per year, hand-applied by myself. This vehicle is paid off and we plan on keeping it until it dies and do not want to have serious paint issues in a couple of years. I owned two Chevy Camaro's (1989 and 1991) when I was younger and the paint just about washed off of them. I have since seen the light and bought Mustang's. I sure do not want to go through that again. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

Still under warranty. I would take it back to the dealer and have it repaired under warranty, just incase the problem returns, gets worse, or happens at another area, it has already been documented.
We pay a whole lot of money for these vehicles, I for one used the warranty down to the last day. I even had the dealer repair my driver seat, at no cost to me, after the Expy was out of warranty (38K) because it had been reapired twice during warranty. (documentation)

 

If you have the basic warranty, your warranty ends 3 years after the manufacture date. In your case it would end 09/05. A really good dealer might try and cover it under warranty anyway.

 

Actually the warranty starts as soon as the vehicle is purchased for the first time, you have 3/36k from that point in time which ever come first. So, your warranty runs out May 23 '06 the lastest.

 

Oops, that's right sorry for the confusion. Mixed it up with something else

 

actually on the newer trucks and cars ford warranties the paint for five years unlimitied mileage or at least that is what my warranty book says

 

Welcome to the site. I think you are referring to the corrosion coverage. The below is from the Ford Website:

"Under the New Vehicle Limited Warranty, Corrosion Coverage begins at the warranty start date and covers body sheet metal panels against corrosion due to a defect in factory-supplied materials and workmanship. Corrosion coverage (which lasts for 5 years, regardless of miles driven, and features no-deductibles) only applies if the corrosion causes perforation (holes) in the body sheet metal panels.

If corrosion does not cause perforation (holes), and is not the result of usage and/or environmental conditions, paint damage is covered under the terms of the Bumper-to-Bumper Warranty (3 years/36,000 miles, whichever occurs first). "

Unfortunatly, It looks like paint issues are only covered 3/36 unless it's so bad the metal gets perfed. Figures.

I'd almost expect the original posters problems with blue paint. Blues and reds are more succeptable to oxidation and sun fade than other colors. It's a shame these cars don't get a few clearcoat coats.

 

ah i c well hmmm good and bad eh? LOL luckily i have no problems with my 03 eb...

 

I know this is an old post but I recently discovered the same problem on my 03. The paint is cracking on both roof channels the length of the of roof. Unfortunately, my warranty has expired. Has anyone experience this problem recently and does anyone know how much a repair like this would cost? If it's simple, I'll take care of it myself but I don't want to bite off more than I can chew.

 

Mine is doing the same thing. Seems like a lot of us have this problem. Mine is the Medium wedgewood blue also.

 

Aspen Green 03, roof channels cracking also. Looks to me there is a "putty" in there to seal it and the paint is cracking from the years of expansion and contraction of the putty. No leaks + no signs of rust = no worries in my book.

 

I have the 03 silver birch. I also don't have any leaks or rust but would like to prevent that from happening. I'll see if I can get a quote from the dealer.

 

My 03 Az. Beige has the same problem, mine are hair line cracks on the paint, no splitting yet. I concider it minor for now, but I might look into what type of sealant is used in the channel.

 

my 05 estate green has the cracking paint inside the rain channels. been like this for 2 years now. it stays in the garage while home so hopefully it will not pose a problem in the long term.

 

Paint durability data associated with the Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator is documented in the research publication:
MAKING IT RIGHT
Why your Car Payments are lasting longer than your
FACTORY PAINT JOB

There has also been an independent review done of this publication by
"ForeWord".

Automotive paint durability research publication documents vehicles released to dealer and consumer below automaker's minimum paint thickness specifications.

Refer to link for details.

Link: http://www.forewordreviews.com/reviews/making-it-right-why-your-car-payments-are-lasting-longer-than-your-factory-paint-job-basic-guide/