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GT500 Usage And Warranty


bpmurr

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I'm interested in owners opinions on what they think is fair in terms of usage and warranty support for the GT500 from Ford. Ford advertises these cars at press days drag and road racing yet void warranty support if the owner does. I find this very misleading and would think that Ford would rather you use the power of this car safely at the track then on the street. I can understand repeated heavy use over time but for those of us who might do one or two events a year at most getting some support. Why bother offering a warranty that pretty much makes you have to drive it as a grocery getter. Just drop the price of the car and only provide support if it’s a blatant defect.

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I'm interested in owners opinions on what they think is fair in terms of usage and warranty support for the GT500 from Ford. Ford advertises these cars at press days drag and road racing yet void warranty support if the owner does. I find this very misleading and would think that Ford would rather you use the power of this car safely at the track then on the street. I can understand repeated heavy use over time but for those of us who might do one or two events a year at most getting some support. Why bother offering a warranty that pretty much makes you have to drive it as a grocery getter. Just drop the price of the car and only provide support if it’s a blatant defect.

 

 

 

You had a bad experience, it doesn't necessarily mirror the experience of other owners. I've personally never had a problem with Ford or had any warranty problems with any of my vehicles, SVT or otherwhise. Ford has always come to bat and even gone over and above what they've had to do in order to keep me happy. I ended up getting a convertible roof replacement under warranty after they couldn't fix a small leak on the passenger side of a cobra I owned.

 

Is this all really still stemming from the clutch or did something else happen? I haven't been very active on the boards lately.

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I have to side with Ford on this. A warranty and a sports car doesn't mean you have free reign to do whatever you want with it...and it'll be covered. I haven't looked and read the warranty, but I would think that it outlines what would void the warranty. I would just use common sense...if were to throw on some blower upgrade, gears, etc...I would pretty much KNOW that I'm voiding the warranty. That's why I always keep my cars stock.

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You had a bad experience, it doesn't necessarily mirror the experience of other owners. I've personally never had a problem with Ford or had any warranty problems with any of my vehicles, SVT or otherwhise. Ford has always come to bat and even gone over and above what they've had to do in order to keep me happy. I ended up getting a convertible roof replacement under warranty after they couldn't fix a small leak on the passenger side of a cobra I owned.

 

Is this all really still stemming from the clutch or did something else happen? I haven't been very active on the boards lately.

 

 

Yes, I've had issues getting proper resolution to issues with my Fiesta as well. Not to the level of the clutch but things that should be addressed and unacceptable in a modern car. That's why Ford's offer of an extended warranty didn't mean much to be. If everything is a hassle to get fixed then it's not worth the paper it's written on.

 

I have to side with Ford on this. A warranty and a sports car doesn't mean you have free reign to do whatever you want with it...and it'll be covered. I haven't looked and read the warranty, but I would think that it outlines what would void the warranty. I would just use common sense...if were to throw on some blower upgrade, gears, etc...I would pretty much KNOW that I'm voiding the warranty. That's why I always keep my cars stock.

 

 

No you can't do anything you want with it. However, they should expect it to be used differently then say a Fusion. These cars are built to run. I agree mods do come into play if they are proven to cause the failures. I know it my case at the end of the day it was because I took my car to the track. Not that I had the pulley because the OEM clutch could handle the power levels my car made and Ford admitted to that. Basically there argument when all was said and done was that I burnt up my clutch during my one trip to the drag strip. I know the cars at the press event probably were abused way more then my car ever saw in one day.

 

Anyways I appreciate the feedback; it's good to know what people think. I know I expect more out of my Mustang then I do my Fiesta given the type of car it is and drive it accordingly. However, in Fords eyes I should really be driving them the same.

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I'm sorry to hear that you are having warranty issues with your fiesta as well. I don't really know what to say.

 

Even through Ford's really "shitty" years they've treated me like gold and always made things right so I've stayed with them. If they had screwed me once I might be waiting for a Z28 right now or driving a Gallardo or Corvette but that's just not been the case. I can't blame you for being pissed.

 

Your clutch issue was a hard one for me because I could personally burn up a clutch in a few miles if I wanted to. I can kind of understand their stance on it since it is a wear and tear item and someone can cause a huge amount of wear on a clutch by driving a certain way. At the same time I don't think a pulley should automatically exclude you from a replacement clutch if there was some other problem. This is a real toss up and frankly I don't know enough about both sides of the story to make a call on it.

 

Warranty is a tough issue. How much can you let someone abuse something beyond reasonable use before you have to put your foot down and refuse to waranty it. I mean the other side of the equation is someone could dump the clutch at every red light and stop sign, constantly run the car at the rev limiter, do a few money shifts and hammer on the brakes every half a block. Eventually stuff would give out...so should you warranty that? Not if you want to stay in business.

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I'm sorry to hear that you are having warranty issues with your fiesta as well. I don't really know what to say.

 

Even through Ford's really "shitty" years they've treated me like gold and always made things right so I've stayed with them. If they had screwed me once I might be waiting for a Z28 right now or driving a Gallardo or Corvette but that's just not been the case. I can't blame you for being pissed.

 

Your clutch issue was a hard one for me because I could personally burn up a clutch in a few miles if I wanted to. I can kind of understand their stance on it since it is a wear and tear item and someone can cause a huge amount of wear on a clutch by driving a certain way. At the same time I don't think a pulley should automatically exclude you from a replacement clutch if there was some other problem. This is a real toss up and frankly I don't know enough about both sides of the story to make a call on it.

 

Warranty is a tough issue. How much can you let someone abuse something beyond reasonable use before you have to put your foot down and refuse to waranty it. I mean the other side of the equation is someone could dump the clutch at every red light and stop sign, constantly run the car at the rev limiter, do a few money shifts and hammer on the brakes every half a block. Eventually stuff would give out...so should you warranty that? Not if you want to stay in business.

 

 

Yup until this last year my experience has been good as well. Maybe because I'm dealing with a smaller dealer in a bad economy they are not willing to go as far in risk of not getting warranty work payment from Ford. I do agree that you can't just beat the piss out of your car and expect it to be warrantied. However, these cars are designed to be more then the grocery getter and driving it as such from time to time shouldn't be a big deal.

 

As for the clutch I can understand how it can be a tricky situation. I know they've done at least two I'm aware of for free on a 2010 and 2011 GT500 with under 12K and 12 months. What I found frustrating is that why they weren't going to do it changed after multiple conversations. After I broke down one lie then came another. It just wasn't good customer service from corporate. Now I'm back in a similar situation of inaction with the Fiesta. Fun times with Ford.

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