Ford Fusion Accident repair - Advise please!

[Challenger70]

Hi,

 

I don't post much or at all, more of a lurker.  My 2020 Fusion was damaged on the drivers side and I took it to the purchasing dealer for repairs.  I feel like they did a terrible job.  I made a video of the resulting repairs.  I was told by the body shop Manager and the head of the bodyshop that "looks beautiful" I am being "too picky because it's a Ford and they are all like that".  Any advise is appreciated,  I am a Mopar guy at heart but I have daily driven fords for the last 15 years and absolutely love my Fusion.

 

If this is the wrong area to post, please move it.

 

 

 

 

[bbf2530]

Hi Challenger and welcome to the Ford Fusion Forum (or at least to your first post)?. In my opinion from the video, you certainly seem to have legitimate concerns. Especially the poor paint quality where they painted, scratches, misaligned body panels, loose/misaligned trim they removed and replaced etc etc.

 

Replying to your concerns that you are being "too picky because it's a Ford and they are all like that" is BS. Ask them to show you poor paint quality, un-sanded splotches, misaligned trim etc. where they did not perform work.

 

If they were paid directly by your insurance company and/or are a certified repair shop for your insurance company, enlist the help of your insurance company to get them to correct any defects in their workmanship.

 

And let them know you are not being too picky, that the work was not performed correctly, and you want these issues corrected.

 

Let us know how you make out and good luck.

Edited February 25, 2022 by bbf2530

[Challenger70]

Thanks BBF, I chose the shop unfortunately.  I was figuring they were where I bought the car new and should know how to repair Fords properly and one stop shopping down the road if I ever have warranty repairs down the road. 

 

Honestly the Sales people there are awesome, same with the parts and service folks.  These bodyshop guys are something else though.  I drive past 20 ford dealers closer to me to go there because of how great most of the departments there are.   

[Challenger70]

I have a small update, went to the dealer again ans it sounds like the Owner thinks the repairs look good, I am at a loss for words on that one.  I am thinking more and more I need to get out of this car and into a comparable non accident car.

 

Are there better places than other to search for Fusions online?  Not giving up just yet on this but this seems like the easiest route without going into battle with the bodyshop/dealer (not ruling that out though).  

[bbf2530]

1 hour ago, Challenger70 said:

I have a small update, went to the dealer again ans it sounds like the Owner thinks the repairs look good, I am at a loss for words on that one.  I am thinking more and more I need to get out of this car and into a comparable non accident car.

 

Are there better places than other to search for Fusions online?  Not giving up just yet on this but this seems like the easiest route without going into battle with the bodyshop/dealer (not ruling that out though).  

 

Hi Challenger. Wow...sorry to hear that the Owner is not willing to work with you on this.  As discussed earlier...Even though it can sometimes be difficult to see things in videos, it certainly seems you have some legitimate concerns with the work performed.

 

Personally, I would not give it up easily if it were my car. Did it seem this was a case-closed type of reply by the owner?

 

I'm not familiar with any particular places to purchase a used car/Fusion. Only the obvious ones we hear about nowadays, such as Carmax, Vroom etc. Perhaps another forum member will be able to give you additional guidance on where to look/buy.

 

Let us know how you make out and good luck.

[Beachview]

Hello Challenger.  I found my Fusion on cargurus.com.  Then drove to the dealer to buy.  It is easy to use

and you can find both new and used cars.

[Challenger70]

I didn't talk directly to him but it sounded like he wouldn't be much help talking to my sales guy.  I will try and pursue/work with the shop as much as I can, but it seems they have no pride in their work at all, and throw their hands up in the air when I asked about issues with the glass.  They say it's not their fault it was the 3rd party who THEY hired to R&R the glass.  I was speechless.  

 

One way is the easy (if the used market wasn't nuts) way out in just replacing the car, the other is getting it re-repaired by a competent shop and suing them/BBB/States Attorney, good thing is IL is VERY consumer friendly.  Best case would be if the dealership working on my car can track down a comparable car and just swap it out and transfer my 8 year 150k warranty.

 

 

[bbf2530]

1 hour ago, Challenger70 said:

I didn't talk directly to him but it sounded like he wouldn't be much help talking to my sales guy.  I will try and pursue/work with the shop as much as I can, but it seems they have no pride in their work at all, and throw their hands up in the air when I asked about issues with the glass.  They say it's not their fault it was the 3rd party who THEY hired to R&R the glass.  I was speechless.  

 

One way is the easy (if the used market wasn't nuts) way out in just replacing the car, the other is getting it re-repaired by a competent shop and suing them/BBB/States Attorney, good thing is IL is VERY consumer friendly.  Best case would be if the dealership working on my car can track down a comparable car and just swap it out and transfer my 8 year 150k warranty.

 

 

 

Hi Challenger. A few recommendations regarding the information you just provided: First, unless they are a personal friend of yours you know you can trust, don't ever bother asking Sales Department staff for any information or any questions about anything other than buying a new vehicle. If you have a Service Department question, go ask the Sales Manager or a Service Advisor. For parts information, ask the Parts Department staff.

And in this case, for Body Shop questions, go to the Body Shop and speak to the manager.

Sales staff are good at one thing, and that is selling you something. And some are not even very good at knowing what they should know about that.

 

Second...If the Body Shop subcontracted glass work to a "3rd party", it is still the Body Shop's issue to fix/straighten out. Not yours. They hired the "3rd party" company, not you. Your contract is with the Body Shop, not the 3rd party glass company.

Out of curiosity, who told you they are not responsible? The Salesperson or someone in the Body Shop?

 

Third, once you get this straightened out, never go back to them for body work again. But don't tell them now that you will never go back.

 

Keep us updated and good luck.

[alcohenusa]

On 3/11/2022 at 8:58 AM, Challenger70 said:

I have a small update, went to the dealer again ans it sounds like the Owner thinks the repairs look good, I am at a loss for words on that one.  I am thinking more and more I need to get out of this car and into a comparable non accident car.

 

Are there better places than other to search for Fusions online?  Not giving up just yet on this but this seems like the easiest route without going into battle with the bodyshop/dealer (not ruling that out though).  

I have a 2018 Fusion with 14K miles that I am probably selling in the next month or so. It is a fully loaded Platinum trim in White Platinum paint with Ceramic leather interior. 2.0 Ecoboost.
 

Arizona car, no accidents, no issues.  It has a no deductible, Premium Care Ford Protect plan for 8 years/85K miles including lighting and key fobs that should be transferable.  It expires in March of 2026.

 

Let me know if you end up deciding to replace yours and if you are interested in this one.

[Challenger70]

On 3/11/2022 at 5:39 PM, bbf2530 said:

 

Hi Challenger. A few recommendations regarding the information you just provided: First, unless they are a personal friend of yours you know you can trust, don't ever bother asking Sales Department staff for any information or any questions about anything other than buying a new vehicle. If you have a Service Department question, go ask the Sales Manager or a Service Advisor. For parts information, ask the Parts Department staff.

And in this case, for Body Shop questions, go to the Body Shop and speak to the manager.

Sales staff are good at one thing, and that is selling you something. And some are not even very good at knowing what they should know about that.

 

Second...If the Body Shop subcontracted glass work to a "3rd party", it is still the Body Shop's issue to fix/straighten out. Not yours. They hired the "3rd party" company, not you. Your contract is with the Body Shop, not the 3rd party glass company.

Out of curiosity, who told you they are not responsible? The Salesperson or someone in the Body Shop?

 

Third, once you get this straightened out, never go back to them for body work again. But don't tell them now that you will never go back.

 

Keep us updated and good luck.

Yeah I know, salesman gonna sell, I am more so using him to track down a comparable car.  I told him I am open to a MKZ (I think that the Fusion equivalent) although I prefer the Fusion looks.  

 

That 3rd party comment about the glass issues was straight from the Body Shop Manager, I had no words for him at that point.  

 

I ordered some body gap gauges so I can get some actual data on how bad it is at the recomendation of a reputable shop.  I stopped by another shop I know does good work and they wanted no part in refixing my car, sucks...

[Challenger70]

On 3/13/2022 at 7:21 PM, alcohenusa said:

I have a 2018 Fusion with 14K miles that I am probably selling in the next month or so. It is a fully loaded Platinum trim in White Platinum paint with Ceramic leather interior. 2.0 Ecoboost.
 

Arizona car, no accidents, no issues.  It has a no deductible, Premium Care Ford Protect plan for 8 years/85K miles including lighting and key fobs that should be transferable.  It expires in March of 2026.

 

Let me know if you end up deciding to replace yours and if you are interested in this one.

I appreciate it and will think about it.  I have the 8 year 150k on mine, so I'd like to find a nice low mile 2020 and transfer it to that.  

[bbf2530]

3 hours ago, Challenger70 said:

I appreciate it and will think about it.  I have the 8 year 150k on mine, so I'd like to find a nice low mile 2020 and transfer it to that.  

 

Hi Challenger. Good luck with your body work and possible new car search.  Two bits of information though:

 

First...Yes, the MKZ is the cousin of the Fusion. However, it is a much more refined and better equipped vehicle than the Fusion. And a bit more expensive.

 

Second...If your extended warranty is a Ford factory ESP warranty, (i.e. FordProtect PremiumCare etc.), it can not be transferred from one vehicle to another.  You can either use it as a selling point if you sell your Fusion to another private party, or cancel it and get a pro-rated refund from Ford. But it can not be transferred to another vehicle.

 

Let us know how you make out and good luck.

Edited March 15, 2022 by bbf2530

[Challenger70]

So my Sales guy at the dealer (who is awesome) has a 6-7K mile identical car on the way to the dealer.  If it's in good shape (mint) I will swap em out and put this nightmare behind me.  I was able to swap out my rental for a AWD Platinum like mine and even that made me feel better?.  I really did miss my Fusion.  So fingers crossed this one they are getting in is in good shape.

 

I appreciate all the help and advise here. ?

[Challenger70]

So I ended up picking up the new to me car, it is pretty mint, some very minor damage on the lower right trunk/upper bumper area (will get fixed at a reputable shop), and tiny things like the trim on the inside rearview mirror has some little deformations (need to figure out how that comes off). 

 

Sad part is I ended up having to pay 10k out of pocket since the used car market is so nuts but I at least am happy again an this car has 7kish miles so I am 4k or so ahead on mileage.  I will try to get that $ out of the insurance company of the truck that hit my car.