I purchased a black 2008 Ford expedition 14 months ago from courtesy Ford in Altoona PA for 40,000 cash. I recently relocated to clermont fl.and noticed what seemed like sandy grit under my black paint.I thought it was a xzilon paint protection issue and on oct.10 Paul Kiste accessory mngr. for jarrett Ford Davenport gave me a signed letter with his name and title at the bottom That stated "upon inspection of mr. conte's vehicle it is my opinion that the paint problem is a factory defect and not due to the xzilon paint protection application" it went on to say I am referring mr. conte to our plant city store(45miles away)to have our paint and body specialist recommend the proper route to take reguarding the fixing of this issue. Upon arrival my vehicle was inspected by Carl DeMuth body shop mngr,Steve Flack,and a painter named mike.They acknowledged the problem,told me the sand looking substance was air bubbles under all the paint and pointed out even more defects that I was not aware of such as,"dimples",tiny crater like holes,blemishes exposed by the sunlight,and a few other bodyman terms that i am not familiar with.When I asked what would cause that,carl said "when the vehicles leave the factory the mill spec on the paint should be 3 to 3.5 mills.Carl went into the office and returned with a hand held machine that measured the mills of paint on a vehicle.He started at the drivers side front quarter panel and worked his way around the vehicle stopping at the passenger side front quarter panel.The first reading was 11 mills,then 12.5 mills,thn 12 mills,then 13 mills and finally 14.5 mills.He said that it was clear to him that at the factory they painted my vehicle saw flaws then repainted and so on and so on. He estimated I had 4 to 5 coats of paint on my vehicle and that if not fixed that my problems will only get worse.He said that he was surprised that it hasnt started cracking and staring yet.He told me a ford rep. named theresa would have to look at it and decide wheather she would want them to sand and repaint it,or it would be more likely that ford would just buy the vehicle back and put me in another vehicle.I stated I was worried that since Ford already had my 40 grand they were not going to help me at all. He assurred me one way or the other something would be done because there was no way she could deny such blatant visible defects.So after my vehicle was up and back 2 times at roughly 100 miles each round trip,(The second trip was arranged by the first Ford dealer I went to because I was not allowed to be there when the rep was present) i recieved a phone call from Carl and he informed me Ford was not going to take responsibility because according to her that was normal for a Black paint job.When I reminded him of what he said to me and asked him about all the defects and flaws he told me he never promised me anything,and said the flaws were not flaws after all but it was normal for my truck to look like that.He went on to say they tested an identical black 2008 ford expedition that they happened to have on their lot and it tested at the same mills and had the exact same appearance as mine.I said "so that other ford has blemishes,pitting,air bubbles,and dimples to? He said they are not flaws, and not to worry because if it gets worse Im still covered for 3yrs 36000 miles.When I said how could it get worse you said there is nothing wrong with it, he said you know what I mean. When I said no I dont know what you mean can you explain it to me? He said Im sorry I went to bat for you and I did all I could.He told me to contact xzilon and see what they could do,He said Im sorry and hung up.Any advise?....chuck

 

go take pictures of other black expeditions on the lot. Get a lawyer to send a letter to Ford giving them so many days to resolve the issue, if they don't, file papers and take them to court. I am pretty sure in our owners manual under warranty it states the paint is warrantied against defects for so many miles and years, attach a copy of this (highlighted sections) to the letter to Ford, you may also want to cc: the dealership and the other guy that was trying to help. Send it certified.

 

Thanks, the only problem is the pics wont turn out because of the black paint.i did contact bbb and they got back to me right after i posted this....im now getting all my documents in order...thank god i have a letter from the one mngr. stating the paint is defective... ill keep posting as soon as i hear anything....after bbb gets all my papers they said they could solve it in 40 days,but wont help if i get or have an atty. thank you ...chuck

 

If you take a pic in a garage with low level florescent lights, it will come out somewhat.

Have you looked at other black cars on the lot? Do they look like yours?

 

First, yes i did look at 2 ford lots berry, no they dont. I looked at wal mart, disney, epcot, publics ect..
they were smooth as a babys a ss. I just recieved a phone call today from bbb and they had me on 3 way with the lady who denied the problem, ford is going to contact me shortly and they want me to take it back to jarrett ford and have fords paint specialst look at it.She also told me i could have a loaner if they are going to repaint it.Im at a loss for words,because i just gathered all my paperwork and was going to mail it to bbb when the phone rang. Talk about quick response time .I hope ford does the right thing although i suspect if i hadnt contacted bbb they would of just blew it off and that kinda sucks........within 3 days i spent close to 90 grand on that new f350 and my wifes new expy, not to mention my 97 lifted expy mud toy. thanks for the photo tip berry Ill keep you posted...................chuck

 

Looks like they want to fix it. I would argue to get an extended warranty on the paint work.

 

You mean if they re paint it have my 3-36 on the paint start over as of day they paint it?.chuck

 

Well, just start some dialogue about a new truck needing to be repainted and your concern it won't be as strong as the factory paint.

 

Lemon Laws vary from state to state but I would think that you need to give them 3-4 attempts to cure the problem. They'll deny there is anything wrong. Document every conversation, with time and date, etc. Then go to arbitration.

They'll probably try to settle since it is binding on them but not you. I did this with Jeep. The best I could do was a $5,000 certificate to buy another Chrysler product so I wound up selling the vehicle and buying another.

Not the best remedy but it worked. Don't back down, you are the consumer and a repeat customer. The shares of the company are so cheap right now, you should buy some and then you are part owner of the company too.

If they won't help current customers, how do they plan on attracting new ones? Good luck.

 

Try to get a better camera and shoot with indirect lighting (NOT direct sunlight) using a tripod. Shining bright light onto white cardboard can reflect light onto the paint without glare. Use a professional photographer if possible.

I'd plaster every place I could on the internet with good clear photos and complete information. If it happened to you it happened to others.

 

What did Rolling Hills Ford tell you. I have a Black Expy and live in the Clermont area. Maybe you could look at mine for comparison. I have some roof issues that I have not addressed yet. I just noticed it when I waxed the truck a couple of weeks ago.

 

Its was jarrett scott ford. i just got off the phone with a lady named terry and she wants me to bring it tomarrow to be inspected by an engineer, i asked her if my 3 36 warranty would start over on the paint she said no i said what about my 500 bucks i paid for xzilon paint protection, she said nope it was not on there when it left the factory i said but ford installed it. still nope so i said im not eating 500 over defective paint so im not bringing it tomarrow,im going to pursue this further then she said let me talk to the guy whos going to inspect it and ill call you back...i really dont know what to do now....blowin smoke send me a private message and give me your number,,or tell me how to pm you and ill give you mine...id love to look at yours.....chuck

 

Red Dog,

PM sent.

 

Ths situation may be like this one:

cbs5.com - Document Reveals Ford Knew About Paint Problems
More problems for Ford–Paint Defects in 2000-2005 models | Lemon Law Blog

If you can find evidence Ford is deliberately covering up paint problems like yours, it could help your situation.