I think you are wasting your time with the dealer. In a way he is legally correct that it was still his truck when he drilled it. No doubt they got tired of seeing their vehicles the day after the sale have the emblems gone so they started drilling and bolting.

I think the correct route is Ford Motor Company...only they can change this prictice by mandating that dealers don't drill.

Frankly, at this point I doubt you will get new fenders...and I'm not sure I'd want them either. At least now you have good color match.

 

Time for action! Give us their e-mail address! I believe a few thousand e-mails will change their minds about drilling holes in the fenders of brand new vehicles. A question you can pose to him is this. Why is their NO other dealer that has done this??(at least since the 70's?!?!?) It is an ancient form
of dealer advertising that WILL cause corrosion. You have seen it yourselves on cars time after time. Go to a junkyard and take pictures of a few decklids as proof. The other member had a great idea,too. Go around to parking lots and find some from that dealer that have corroded,and shove them under this idiots nose. Sorry to rant,but I would be furious(and so would anyone) if I found non-factory related holes in my truck.,,,,,,,98

 

call ford and open a MORS contact on them. Then their rep. will come to them asking what is up, and if they are worried about their qcp scores, they wil do something.

 

You could also argue that you would experience lower value if you tried to turn your truck in to a competitor. After all, what dealer would sell a truck with a competitor's name on it?

 

RockOFFROAD,

Researching an unrelated case here in MN tonight I found something that may be helpful to you.

I don't have the time to research Alaska Statutes related to new vehicle purchases but here in MN, if you purchase a new vehicle the dealer must disclose in writing damages that excede 4% of the total value of the vehicle as well as damage to specific vehicle parts with a retail value greater than $500.00

These fenders aren't cheap

 

lariat4by4,
What is an MORS contact and how do you go about it? Appreciate the help.

AjRagno,
Good suggestion, but I'm hoping to resolve this with FoMoCo without getting courts involved. Could be good ammo prior to getting there though..

98Screamer,
well, their e-mail is ford@nyefrontier.com. After telling me "there have been very few complaints about the practice" I thought of all you guys and said, "well I know some others who would be as upset as me..perhaps other consumers were upset, but never complained.."

Dennis,
Resale value...EXCELLENT POINT! I wish I would have thought of that when I had him on the phone.. Geez, I shoulda asked you all for ammo prior to calling this guy.

Logical,
Agreed on the color match..I also recieved a door ding on this brand new truck while it was in the body shop getting the spray-in bedliner prior to acceptance... Salesman was extremely upset and said they would take care of it. Sooo..I drove 3 hrs one weekend, dropped the truck off. Long story short, the bodyshop called and said they could not have the truck done by the day I asked (3 days after dropping it off). When I asked why, he said he had to pull the inner door panel and they couldn't have the paint done by then..I never thought the ding would require putty and paint work. I elected NOT to have the ding removed. I'd rather have a ding and good paint than no ding and paint that fades in 2-3 years..

I'm thinking now that I never should have accepted the truck with the ding in it, but I was sooo excited when it finally came in, I wasn't thinking straight. Those 2 months on order musta made mush out of my brain...
I do love the hell out of it though..I'm still proud of it, just am a little disappointed in these things (ding and badges) My '97 I traded had zero defects other than a few minor scratches that only I noticed...

To the rest of you, thanks for the support...

Rock

 

MORS contact is what our end (at the dealership) gets when someone calls ford and puts in a complaint. I guess as far as the customer is concerned, if you call the 1800 no thats in all the owners manuals and stuff, that will come through to the dealer as a MORS contact, and they will know about it, and their district rep. will expect them to do something about it.

 

Rock, I just sent an e-mail to the address you listed telling them politely what I think of their hole-drilling practice. Hope it helps. Good luck.

 

Not only did they deface YOUR truck . Where they drilled 3 holes will surely rust in time , then paint peeling off .
I would demand a new truck or my money back .
If they replace the fenders , the paint will not match . nor should you have a new truck that had to be reworked .You might try to locate other customers with the same problem " CLASS ACTION SUIT " I have been in the car business in the past and I know how shady these places are ran . Make them pay !
Good Luck !

 

Oops,saw the e-mail address after the fact I let him know my feelings in an
e-mail I just sent off a few seconds ago. Lets hope they not only stop this ignorant practice,but that they replace any fenders of persons who complained. (Namely yours Good Luck,,,,,,98