Very Sad Delivery Experience

[calb]

I need to stop reading this forum.

My delivery is two weeks away and I'm already terrified about scratched and rattling A pillars, misaligned hatches, paint swirls, MFT errors, water leaks and other assorted gremlins. After 24 years of very happy foreign car ownership, I'm giving a domestic brand another chance. GM lost a customer for life in 1987 and I hope Ford does not do the same in 2011.

I share your concern. This is my first time to Ford, and I'd like it to be successful. Just hope that they are constantly improving and have it nailed by the time ours arrive. I'd much prefer to be on this forum and others cheering Ford, than disparaging their products.

 

[Spengracin]

Well Johnnydop we picked our x up again at the dealer, I'm thinking yeah new a-post right side, great looks good rubber nice and tight, give it a little press, nice and tight. What's this, at the bottom of the new pillar cap rippled paint, reallllllllllly! Give me a break now, they had to reorder another cap. Sub-contracting for parts I think a Hugh issue, to maintain a good quality control.

I stopped by another very good body shop,they specialize in high end bemtly's and rolls repair, he looked at the plastic pillars, and said it would be a waste of time trying to buff, rub or anything to the panel, replace it period. The same goes for the b and c post black caps.

 

[RandyH2]

I share your concern. This is my first time to Ford, and I'd like it to be successful. Just hope that they are constantly improving and have it nailed by the time ours arrive. I'd much prefer to be on this forum and others cheering Ford, than disparaging their products.

I, too, am a long-time import owner giving the domestic brands a chance for the first time since my very first car. As I've said in other posts, it is a big compliment to Ford that I compare them to BMW even if they frequently miss the mark. The disappointment is how they miss the mark- things like MFT, rain noise, random vibrations, overheating, A-Pillar rattles, etc. and particularly the entire dealer experience.

While BMW seems to get everything right the first time around (yes, they did get slammed for iDrive. Personally, I find the iDrive on our 2010 very intuitive and easy to use- probably more of a statement that my brain functions the way their designers anticipated and not the way the Ford designers anticipated). Ford missed some things on the Explorer and will hopefully fix them in MY2013. A bit of disappointment that things like the rain noise were not addressed in MY2012. High hopes for the MFT re-write!

The Explorer has been an interesting experience. I wish it had been more positive to date. The customer service here on the forum has been impressive, many thanks to Cory and Rebecca. I'll end this on that positive note.

 

[RandyH2]

Well Johnnydop we picked our x up again at the dealer, I'm thinking yeah new a-post right side, great looks good rubber nice and tight, give it a little press, nice and tight. What's this, at the bottom of the new pillar cap rippled paint, reallllllllllly! Give me a break now, they had to reorder another cap. Sub-contracting for parts I think a Hugh issue, to maintain a good quality control.

Agreed! Sub-contracting works if you have tight quality control. This seems to be an example of QC slipping.

I stopped by another very good body shop,they specialize in high end bemtly's and rolls repair, he looked at the plastic pillars, and said it would be a waste of time trying to buff, rub or anything to the panel, replace it period. The same goes for the b and c post black caps.

That's interesting info. My one thought is that they probably don't have much experience working with plastics... And they deal with a clientele who expect perfection.

 

[VinceL]

yes, they did get slammed for iDrive. Personally, I find the iDrive on our 2010 very intuitive and easy to use- probably more of a statement that my brain functions the way their designers anticipated and not the way the Ford designers anticipated

Considering that iDrive came out in 2001, with a major overhaul in 2008, I would hope that it was working well in your 2010! They had enough time to fix it.

I don't think people are going to give Ford seven years to get MFT right. And considering they could have learned lessons from those who came before, but still made the choices they did, I find that disappointing.

They'll get it right eventually, but it's the waiting for them to do so that is a pain.

We were thinking on getting a 2012, but maybe we will put if off a little longer and see what 2013 has in store. It'll just give us more time to save up for the big purchase

Happy Driving.

 

[RandyH2]

I agree completely! To me, the big difference between iDrive and MFT is that iDrive is much more of an optional interface, with "primary" controls for climate, etc. still available as knobs and buttons. MFT was an attempt to replace the majority of knobs and buttons with voice and touch screen control. They had time to work with Sync (and I think folks are mostly happy with the Sync system, though I have no basis for that other than the Vehicle Satisfaction survey drop with MFT) before moving to MFT- and grossly underestimated the time required to get MFT "right".

Let's all make a birthday wish for the next gen. to be great.

 

[VinceL]

I agree completely! To me, the big difference between iDrive and MFT is that iDrive is much more of an optional interface, with "primary" controls for climate, etc. still available as knobs and buttons. MFT was an attempt to replace the majority of knobs and buttons with voice and touch screen control. They had time to work with Sync (and I think folks are mostly happy with the Sync system, though I have no basis for that other than the Vehicle Satisfaction survey drop with MFT) before moving to MFT- and grossly underestimated the time required to get MFT "right".

Let's all make a birthday wish for the next gen. to be great.

I only wish Ford had kept the buttons and knobs. I haven't had the opportunity to work with iDrive, but from what you say, it sounds like they have it right.

Here is to hoping that Ford comes around

 

[JohnnyDop]

I know all about the velcro, scary.

Anyway, just spoke to the dealer. They are ordering a new A Pillar. He said it was like that when they pulled the plastic off it. He said, she said is pointless as this point. It'll get fixed either way.

As for the faulty SD card, he said its fine now. From what i gathered it sounds like they had to re-install the software. Weird

I should be a happy new (with a soon to be replaced A pillar) Ex owner tonight

THE GOOD NEWS:

NAV SD Card Fault

Nav worked fine the night I picked it up. The next morning when my wife was about to drive it for the first time I noticed the SD card fault message again. I turned the ignition off and started it again and the error was gone and have not seen it since.

MFT

Overall I must say I'm happy with MFT. I was expecting the layout of the GUI to be cluttered and hard to use but I found it surpassingly easy to use. If the icons or text were any bigger you would need multiple pages for every section (phone, nav, radio, climate). I think a slight bolding of the fonts would help overall but nothing major needs to be changed with the layout.

When giving my brother (a super tech freak like me) a tour of the Ex I was praying the system would work as designed. It did. He was very impressed with all the features (sirius sports scores, weather, movie listings etc) and the GUI itself.

Only GUI issue I had was when it couldn't find a local restaurant, however I might have to put some blame on myself since it was the first time I was searching for a POI and my wife was doing some of the entries which might have made it more confusing for both of us. On the way home we programmed our home address and it worked great to get us home and re-routed quickly when I went off course.

I can't tell how much I love the two small lcds on either side of the speedometer. The look and functionality of them just screams 2012 technology for me. They are gorgeous and very intuitive.

BLIS and cross traffic alert

Awesome. So glad I got it. Without it I could see it being difficult to spot a small car in your blind spot since a look over the should doesn't help if youre next to a real small car.

The not so good:

Center Stack

I really don't like the storage area where the SD card is located. IMO they should have made it a roll up door because the current door they have is awkward when left open especially when the the shifter is in the Park position. If you want to charge your phone via USB and still be able to access it there isn't anywhere to rest it as there isn't much space around the shifter. For a quick trip it's not a big deal since the phone can stay in my pocket but on long trips I know at some point I'll want to glance at a text message (iPhone text not supported) so the phone needs to be within easy reach.

Defrost vent always on?

Seems like air always comes out of the defrost vent (noticed it because condesation was forming on the outside) even when I have the vents set to floor and/or panel. Anyone else experiencing this?

Rain Noise

It was raining real hard when my bro and I were looking at all the MFT features. Seemed loud to me but I'm not 100% sure if it was loud because it really was loud or because I've been reading this forum and its in my neurotic head. Either way my brother never mentioned it and neither did I to see if he would genuinely notice it.

Transmission Roll

If I shift from Park to Reverse and back to Park with my foot on the brake the whole time my Ex rolls a few inches after removing my foot from the brake when back in Park. Is that normal?

Overall I'm very happy and I'll update my likes and gripes (and pics ) once I drive her some more.

 

[RandyH2]

Transmission roll- mine does that as well. Our driveway has an incline to it and I have developed the habit of putting the car in Park and applying the Parking Brake before taking my foot off of the brake pedal. I don't know, but it seems like that roll back and abrupt jerky stop could be stressing something in a way that could be a problem in 5 years.

 

[JohnnyDop]

Here she is. This is the view from my living room window when i first woke up and saw her during the day for the first time

 

[FordService]

...After 24 years of very happy foreign car ownership, I'm giving a domestic brand another chance. GM lost a customer for life in 1987 and I hope Ford does not do the same in 2011.

sangiovese,
I’m sure you will love the quality that’s put into your new car and your mind will be put at ease.

...The customer service here on the forum has been impressive, many thanks to Cory and Rebecca. I'll end this on that positive note.

Thanks a lot, RandyH2! It’s a pleasure to be part of a great community such as this.

Here she is. This is the view from my living room window when i first woke up and saw her during the day for the first time

JohnnyDop,

That’s one gorgeous Explorer! I’m here to make sure you’re happy with your purchase, so be sure to let me know via PM if you’d like help with any concerns with your new ride. I already have your VIN, so be sure to include your contact info, mileage, and dealer information.

Also, I really appreciate everyone’s suggestions in this thread.

Cory

 

[jrmexplorer]

Here she is. This is the view from my living room window when i first woke up and saw her during the day for the first time

Nice.

Despite the warts, even at 6,000 miles, I still enjoy driving it every day!

 

[FordService]

Nice.

Despite the warts, even at 6,000 miles, I still enjoy driving it every day!

It’s great you’re enjoying your Explorer. I’m here to make sure you’re still happy with your purchase, so let me know if you every need help with anything.

Cory