Ford GT and Viper "service" at dealerships --- Really ???

I think Ford has the Money and Materials to handle it, at least I would think. Not sure though.

 

Excellent question indeed.

I have a feeling it will be something like Chevy did for the ZR1. Only certified techs, not a dealership, could touch the car. If you brought it into a dealership, and there wasn't a certified tech on it, well... they'd have to get one over from another shop, even if it entailed flying someone in from out of town. This isn't from my own experience, but only from what I've heard and read.

When it comes to servicing the GT, I don't think there will be much at all to service, nor anything that complex. I would probably be safe to assume (eh, I know the word yea yea) that the GT will be easily servicable, more so than a 308 or any Ferrari for that matter.

The thing to worry about here are the joyriders. It happens with every sportscar. A typical Ford dealership has some guys that snag your car and off to a joy ride they go. So, I would assume with this kind of car and bringing it into a typical dealership, there would be a contract from your side (the consumer) along with their side. Something to state they will not drive it and if it is abused in any way shape or form or even taken out for a joyride ... blah... fill in the blank. This should be an absolute must.

Heck, I might drive a $33K S2000, but the fact is, most of the Hondas aren't that expensive at all. So people in service are used to seeing $15K Civics day in and day out. When an S shows up, it's party time. With several pieces of documentation from various individuals - people in the service department have been fired. (videos / audio / visual inspection of damages from joyrides, etc.) Think of this extreme... and then multiply it. Because the GT is so much more valuable than an F150.

/my two cents.

 

Are you starting to get the shakes, Dude Man? Thinking about wearing some cheap sunglasses so nobody will see you as you sneak in the back of a, gasp, FORD dealership?

Don't worry, be happy...

BTW, my bidness partner and I have got our names down at several local dealerships. We got a call today from one who said that because the number one slot has been filed that, as number 2 on da list, a Ford GT could be ours, for a mere $300k.

After we stopped laughing we told that we didn't want to deprive the true Ford guys. Thus, we'd pass on this one and wait for the next go round...

Dr "Cheap Sunglasses" Tax

 

Doody, I'm speculating here but I would ASSume that not all Ford dealers will be qualified to service the GT. There will probably be select dealers (your larger ones) who have GT-certified techs. Special dealerships will probably get allocation and be certified to sell and service GT's (similar to Saleen Mustangs perhaps).

Ford techs do not make $110/hr, that I can guarantee. I know some.

 

its still a ford car with ford parts, i would want a top ford mechanic on it. honestly i think thye are using the same engine as the lightening truck, so i wouldn't worry about it

 

hello, and welcome to 'doody talk'... since i'm feeling a little verklempt, let's talk about patrick swayze's ass (circa dirty dancing) in acidwashed ripped jeans, while driving doody's GT.

doody: if you're already willing to buy a ford, you're half way in the hole anyway --why worry? (just kidding.)
The car will have a warranty, and while the engine/drivetrain has been redesigned, it's still a production based powerplant (found in other ford's) with a blower. There will be, no doubt, a select populous of specially trained techs to service the most discerning ford customers; it's the lot boy I'd worry about.

 

Its a tweaked Ford Lightning engine, however, keep in mind they are SERVICING it not rebuilding it.

The engine has real no major design flaws or major problems. Under the higher stress something might happen but they are not going to be dropping the engine or tearing into it anytime soon.

Dr. G says he can drop his in under an hour (I think), it might be a little bit longer in the road going GT. If they can take care of SVT cars, they are more then competent enough to SERVICE a Ford GT with a Lightning engine.

The purpose of the Ford GT is to k.i.s.s. Keep it simple stupid. Displacement, blower, cams, head and manifold work, and a suspension and we have the Ford GT. People have been tooling around in modified Cobras for years with more stress and higher output.

If your this worried about simple service, then do it yourself. I have my oil changed at Jiffy Lube and my drain plug hasn't fell out yet and hasn't leaked a drop. So what? If a Ford GT goes in for minor servicing at a Ford dealership, there should be no major cause for concern. Worry about how they are going to treat you as a customer, not your car.

Get used to the fact that its a simple back to basics approach for horsepower with a shape we recognize and a trick suspension. Thats it. You do not need to perform a several thousand dollar major service interval every 15k miles requiring an engine out. I know its tough to grasp but put in into perspective here...

Do you want 2 liters more in displacement with a 7,000-8,000 redline and lower stresses or an Italian time bomb that requires a close watch, some of the most expensive servicing, or a muscle car with today's suspension technology and aero/exotic shape?

Sunny

 

LMAO...!!!


Doody, this question has been raised before; not just here, either, i'm sure... Any chance you've asked the Ford dealer about this, already...? Maybe they'd just say whatever to assure you, i don't know... but have you asked...?

Go ask, we'll wait... While we wait, we'll discuss amongst ourselves, the Roman Empire, which was neither Roman nor an Empire.

 

Already is with SVT certified mechanics and I agree. Keep watch on the personnel and how they treat you when you come in rather then what torque they will put on your lug nuts at...

My brain tells me you should be checking things yourself anyway. What makes a car unreliable is not so much the mechanics, but the owners too.

Sunny

 

I was going to say something like this. With cars at "this level" it really is a good idea to crawl under it, and dick around down there (no intimations here...); ie, change the oil yourself, check the specs on all the bolts, buy the service manual and read/study it. Know your car. Also, if you begin to track it seriously (which by the super bowl comercial it's meant for) you'll want to hook up with a more specialized group of "in the knows" to aid you in setup/alignment/etc, and this will also get you much more familiar with the car; in essence, if you're worried about any aspect of dealer service competence, then take it upon yourself.

 

In regars to the joy ride thing..yes it does happen. It happend to me last week in fact. I brought an 04 Z06 to the dealer to do a Canadian spec change (car was bought in the U.S). All they had to do was activate the day time running lights and check to see if the rear bumper was of the right classification. They had know reason to test drive that car at all.

I arrived after lunch to pick up the car. I look around the interior and there were boot marks on the passenger side of the dash,and an extra 10km on the odo. I flipped. I said what gives you the right to put 10km on a car that does not even need to be road tested? This car does not belong to you!! And to top it all off you messed up the interior of the car WTF do you have to say for you're self? He had no ansewer but to say he was sorry..and did not charge me anything for the work performed.

This was just a Corvette,can you imagine the GT going into a Ford dealer? I know first hand what happens to fast cars that go into "normal" car dealers shops. Every senior tech has a go at it,and many times the car gets damaged. The jag dealer next to us has had 4 writeoffs in the last year becuase of tech "road testing" cars.

You must be very careful..and if possiable stand there in the shop when it is being worked on and go with the tech afterwords for the road test.

Tom

 

I'm surprised Ford isn't selling them through Lincoln dealerships where there's a little more attention to the higher-end customer. That way you could take it in with all the other GT's (gray tops).

 

I can just see it now. Owner of a concrete construction company sends his purchasing agent in to buy a fleet of f250 and F350 trucks for the business.
"Oh, and while you are in there, pick me up one of those new GT sports car things, too. And remember to tell them we are on a fleet discount pricing plan". Yea, right!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Mr. Doody, we're just looking out for ya! If you find a quality SVT dealership and take it there, hopefully there are some in your area, lurking on a Mustang or Lightning forum should turn up some positive reviews. Thankfully, you can find Ford and SVT dealers a lot easier then F-car ones!

Nah, Jamaica is too far. There's some good stuff grown right out of our own Santa Paula here in CA. Or, uhhh so I hear.

Sunny

 

Actually, turning serious, I wouldn't worry about the service part. Most techs now-a-days are plug and play guys. Hook it up to the computer. Figure out the code, yank this, plug that, and away you go. I'm not putting these guys down, it's just the nature of the bidness, my man.

Does this apply to Ferrari techs? To an extent, but Ferraris accross the board are much more complicated cars. This means that the average Ferrari tech has a lot more training. Plus, and I hope that Alan Lambo is not reading this, Ferraris are still kit cars. The production runs are so small that there is no way that everything can be fully sorted before a car is pushed out the door.

To give just one analogy, several years ago I almost opened up a BMW motorcycle dealership. For a tech, BMW is serious stuff, in part because the typical customer knows more about the bike than the typical dealer. While searching for another Euro line to go with BMW, I talked to several Ducati dealers around the country. To a person, they loved the bike, but hated the company. Every dealer said that the bikes came only 90% assembled and the prep time was horrendous.

Now, I'm not saying that Ferrari is this bad, but imagine preping an Enzo for the first time. Do I really need this level of compentence on my Mary-yellow? Probably not. Do I need to have a tech who works on Mr. Risi's race cars? Probably not. But am I willing to pay a premium anyway? You betcha.

From what I have heard, though. There is nothing particularly high tech about the Ford GT. Back in the my day, you know, when hemis went into cars instead of trucks, we had a saying -- There's no subsitute for cubic inches. If it worked at Lemans, I think that it will work here.

Me, I'm not worried. If I fit, and Napolis said that he'd work out a Gurney bubble if necessary I'm one gone Texan.

Dr "Squinting Like Steve McQueen" Tax

ps But I ain't paying twice sticker. Momma didn't raise no fool.

 

When you take the car in for sevice, try giving the service writer and the assigned tech $50 each "to take good care". It usually works wonders.

 

I knew a guy (used to be a classmate and a friend) who worked part-time at a Chrysler/Dodge/Plymouth dealer. One day, a Viper pulls in for something. He takes it out for a spin... Didn't crash it, but did some stupid things with it (burnouts, 180's, etc...)

Now, this story could be B.S. to show off (likely), or true. Either case, not a comforting thought.

 

Doody,

Speaking from experience on Vipers, the dealership must have a tech "qualified" (taken Viper training) to work on the car. I believe only SVT dealers can sell and service Cobra Mustangs, so I would have to think their even-higher-end car will have at least that requirement, if not more. However that is no guarantee the other guys won't be allowed to "try out" your baby.

I honestly don't think Ford is *that* much different from Ferrari though. Hear me out... the manufacturer pays the dealer based on the book time a repair is supposed to take. Usually the book time is dramatically lower than the time required to do an honest good job on the vehicle. So unless the tech is willing to take a lower salary, he's going to rush it. As with Ferrari, Lambo, or any car, you just need to find one GOOD tech who has pride in his work, and if you want to show your appreciation, tip the tech, knowing the service guy is going to get less $$$ for doing a GOOD job on your car. A dealer willing to work with you will likely understand your rules about not letting anyone drive the car, and will let you have a single point of contact (tech) at the dealer you trust. A good dealer will do this for you knowing that someone that can drop 200 large on a GT can probably buy 4 of any Ford product at the same time, and wants to keep you happy. They also like to have the high-end cars coming in for service - it does the same IMO that writing a book does for a consultant, makes you an authority on a subject.

My .02

Bottom line - find a good tech at a good dealer, let them know your requirements and expectations, work with them exclusively, and make it worth their time.

 

Doody, I can understand your concern, and I would be, too.

I have Excursion so I often visit the dealer for repair (under warranty), and their service depot is different from F car dealer or F car service mechanic.

I never even thought about this, but what happens if a car got some minor damage like dings & scratch while it was there. There's no proof, of course, but as the owner of a car, you will probably notice.

Can GT be bought at any Ford dealer? When I was looking for Viper few years ago, one Dodge dealer I visited told me that they don't get Viper, and I need to go to this different dealer to buy. So Ford may do the same for buying & service, too.

Yoshi Ace

 

Doody
Just contacted VP of Ford's Service programms waiting on reply for you

 

It'll cost you.... ;o)

 

Dr.T: 300k? Another dealer here asked me "if I was prepared to spend north of 300k for such a low production car?" I asked how many, he said only 2300. I, of course, said 2300 is a HUGE production run. Cmon, that's twice the number of Z8s out there. 4x the number of 360 CSs. Thank you for the offer, but I'll pass.

It seems that most of these dealers are looking at "market value" and one dealer owner is keeping the car himself. My guess: these things will depreciate like Maranellos. Expect to find an '04 in Jan .05 for 75-85% value.

I'm totally interested, just not holdin gmy breath. Doody, however, has even changed his avatar. (white over red? Cmn now! Blue baby, blue!).

One silly idea that's spun off of Edward's post: give him a bill, cut it in half, tell him that he gets the other half when the service is over and you're satisfied.

--Dan