paint underneath the roof rails

[harlenm]

Did Ford forget to pay any attention to the details with this? Its all bubbled and gives if ypu press on it, and one spot looks like its starting to crack. I find it very disturbing that I'm constantly finding things that bother me with this car. Most of them are minor, but this one doesn't seem minor at all.

[peterk9]

Originally Posted by harlenm

Did Ford forget to pay any attention to the details with this? Its all bubbled and gives if ypu press on it, and one spot looks like its starting to crack. I find it very disturbing that I'm constantly finding things that bother me with this car. Most of them are minor, but this one doesn't seem minor at all.

I assume you are talking about the rain gutter under the rail? I looked at mine and I don't have any paint 'bubbles'. When looking at it, it does appear as though there are, but they are not 'bubbles'. They are solid bumps and some look like they may be covered pins or something similar. The gutter is by no means smooth.

Peter

[harlenm]

Yeah, that is it. I pressed on some of the spots and there was give. Something doesn't seem right with it.

[VinceL]

Originally Posted by peterk9

I assume you are talking about the rain gutter under the rail? I looked at mine and I don't have any paint 'bubbles'. When looking at it, it does appear as though there are, but they are not 'bubbles'. They are solid bumps and some look like they may be covered pins or something similar. The gutter is by no means smooth.

Peter

Those look like spot welds to me, which I would expect.

[VinceL]

Originally Posted by harlenm

Yeah, that is it. I pressed on some of the spots and there was give. Something doesn't seem right with it.

That does look odd. They look like water spots on the surface. Strange...

[rmp301]

All and all, not very impressive ........ Mine has the same "flaws" ........ Ford really did a bang up job on this truck.

[zed512]

Looks like a plastic cover was expected to be put over that area.

[suzook]

Here's an idea. Sell the pos if your so unhappy with it.

[harlenm]

Originally Posted by suzook

Here's an idea. Sell the pos if your so unhappy with it.

And take a huge loss? I've invested a lot of money already. Gonna have a talk with the service manager when I bring it in 2 weeks from now.

[dco43054]

OK, if I stand on my tip toes I can get high enough to see in the channel, and there are spot welds and a seam that have been covered with some sealant looking stuff.

Never knew it was there before, and honestly, it doesn't bother me now.

I guess they could have put some cheap piece of plastic trim in there that would collect water and provide an opportunity for rusting in the future. THAT would make me seriously angry.

[JDraper]

It's the seam where two panels meet. Go look at a lot of other vehicles. They will have a similar seam up there. Most of the trucks/suv's I've owned have had a similar area.

[OffTrac]

Seems like some new Explorer owners are starting to go over these vehicles with magnifying glasses trying to find more reasons not to like them. This one is almost as ridiculous as the cup holder disaster from a while back.

I doubt many new Explorer owners would know what they're doing underneath, but I bet if some crawl under there, they'd find all kinds of funny looking things. There's probably some bubbly metal lines, cheap rubber looking thingamajigs and it's probably even prone to collecting dirt and grease! Piece of junk!

[peterk9]

Originally Posted by VinceL

Those look like spot welds to me, which I would expect.

That's the wording I should have used Vince. I guess the old brain cells were snoozing early.
I don't see the gutter issue as being a problem. That is just the way it is. I have had the EXplorer for almost a year and if it wasn't for that post I likely wouldn't ever have noticed it.

Peter

[rmp301]

Originally Posted by OffTrac

Seems like some new Explorer owners are starting to go over these vehicles with magnifying glasses trying to find more reasons not to like them. This one is almost as ridiculous as the cup holder disaster from a while back.

I doubt many new Explorer owners would know what they're doing underneath, but I bet if some crawl under there, they'd find all kinds of funny looking things. There's probably some bubbly metal lines, cheap rubber looking thingamajigs and it's probably even prone to collecting dirt and grease! Piece of junk!

Well Ford created their own problems ....... If it weren't for the MANY quirks that I find with this truck, maybe I wouldn't notice, but it's one thing after the other with mine and I'm not happy. Glad yours meets all expectations, for me it doesn't and you can't convince me otherwise. And it's going in for service AGAIN ....... Sirius and navigation faults that need service ......... Or am I asking to much to expect these to work normally?

[suzook]

Originally Posted by OffTrac

Seems like some new Explorer owners are starting to go over these vehicles with magnifying glasses trying to find more reasons not to like them. This one is almost as ridiculous as the cup holder disaster from a while back.

I doubt many new Explorer owners would know what they're doing underneath, but I bet if some crawl under there, they'd find all kinds of funny looking things. There's probably some bubbly metal lines, cheap rubber looking thingamajigs and it's probably even prone to collecting dirt and grease! Piece of junk!

+1...Some of the complaints are unbelievable.

[VinceL]

The OP's comment does not seem to be referring to what I would expect on a car. Spot weld bumps, yes. Squishy bubbles in the finish, which appear to be cracking, no. People in this thread seem to be talking about things other than the OP's original concern.

harlenm, take it to the dealer and see what they say. Also, a couple of better pics would give us a better idea of what is going on here.

[suzook]

Originally Posted by VinceL

The OP's comment does not seem to be referring to what I would expect on a car. Spot weld bumps, yes. Squishy bubbles in the finish, which appear to be cracking, no. People in this thread seem to be talking about things other than the OP's original concern.

harlenm, take it to the dealer and see what they say. Also, a couple of better pics would give us a better idea of what is going on here.

It looks like the sealant on top of the spot welds...and yes..it would be squishy. Better pics would be nice also.

[hosedagain]

Originally Posted by zed512

Looks like a plastic cover was expected to be put over that area.

I had a rust bucket of a 2005 Mazda 3, even that ecno box had plastic roof covers over the joint, no rust at all on the roof at those plastic cover areas, the rest of the car is a different story, Google rusty Mazda 3, ops Ford did own a part of Mazda...My wife's 2010 Edge has plastic covers between the big a*s moon roof (BAMR) and the body that meets the doors. Not hi jacking this thread...just sayin

[Tavin]

Apparently if you are looking for flaws with a magnifying glass, if you look past the roof rails to the windshield is covered with plastic, well back until the tail fin, for some reason did not put protection under the rails, perhaps accumulation of water and oxidation late, my explorer is black in color and barely noticeable, magnifiers keep in the toolbox, a joke, greetings

[vig1116]

Originally Posted by OffTrac

Seems like some new Explorer owners are starting to go over these vehicles with magnifying glasses trying to find more reasons not to like them. This one is almost as ridiculous as the cup holder disaster from a while back.

I doubt many new Explorer owners would know what they're doing underneath, but I bet if some crawl under there, they'd find all kinds of funny looking things. There's probably some bubbly metal lines, cheap rubber looking thingamajigs and it's probably even prone to collecting dirt and grease! Piece of junk!

If you and suzook bought a ML350 Mercedes Benz, would you expect it to be perfect, yes cause it's a Mercedes and that stands for quality and luxury! Well the ML350 starts at what some of us paid for our limited's, so yes some of us are going over this sub-par quality truck with a fine tooth comb to uncover the CHEAP parts that were not realized when we bought the vehicle. For instance the cheap black sticker that bubbles in the hot sun near the a pillars, or rivets that are visible insted of making it better..... So the high horse that you are on to chastise others is really a miniature pony with a jackass on top of it.... If money was no object to waste how come you didn't buy a MB or better? For some of us that aren't as fortunate as you guys this was a large investment....