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Build Quality seems to have slipped a little

2429 Views 10 Replies 6 Participants Last post by  Cligedy
While I like much about my new ST it doesn't appear to be put together as well as my 2011 SES was. Panel gaps are wider, the paint has orange peel and something is caught in the door jam paint and the molding at the bottom of the greenhouse isn't straight. Not that the SES was perfect either, I had two tranny leaks, slightly peeling appliqué around the passenger front door and a bad window channel but the difference is it appeared right out of the box unlike the ST. Hopefully the dealer will take care of everything, I'm putting a squawk list together now.
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I have yet to see one example of a vehicle without orange peel on any new car in the last couple years.... I think manufacturers are cutting too many corners in regards to paint period. Fortunately, a good detail/wax/polish can help. But still...

I can't comment on the build quality as I don't have mine yet... And I haven't had a previous generation Fiesta... But it is an economy vehicle. I'm pretty happy with my last couple Fords quality wise.. But this will be my cheapest vehicle to date... soooo I am bracing for at least somewhat of a reduction in quality.

But every new vehicle I've experienced... There was little things here and there... Just gotta bug the dealer to have em remedied as best you can.

I do notice though , and I am no exception to this... It seems that forums like these seem to manifest this hyper vigilance in car buyers... that has us really looking for flaws a lot harder... (I think so anyway.)

Not saying your issues aren't valid. Definitely bring it up with the dealer sooner than later. The more you have your issues on record, the better for your sake.

Hope everything gets sorted out to your liking, so you can get back to enjoying the ST !
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Alan was your ST bought from the dealer lot or did you order it? Man im seriously debating if I should pull my deposit and not trade my 06 TL because of build quality huge difference.

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Not purchasing a car because of a forum post, seems a bit extreme. If you are that concerned about build quality, your best option is to purchase off of a dealer lot. That way you can see for yourself before you purchase.
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Alan was your ST bought from the dealer lot or did you order it? Man im seriously debating if I should pull my deposit and not trade my 06 TL because of build quality huge difference.
My Fiesta was ordered. BTW I forgot to mention that there was a big chip out of the drivers door handle that required repainting bit that could have happened anywhere along the line do it's hard to call that a build issue.

I'd say you shouldn't cancel your order, it's not as bad as all that, mainly it's a pain because my dealer is 40 minutes away in the opposite direction as work. I have another closer dealer I use for mechanical issues but for cosmetic issues I feel I need to stick with the dealer I purchased the car from.
Sounds like a early build car maybe? (Edit :Just saw your new post!)

Im VERY impressed with the quality of mine that I ordered in.

I work at a 5 diamond property and am in and out of every car you can imagine every day. From Ferarri's, Astin's, bently, audi porsce bmw to lowly Chevy sonic's. And the build quality on mine and materials far exceed that of a good quantity of "better" cars.

For our price point, Ford really jammed alot into the FiST
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Its the texture of the paint job. Instead of being smooth if you look closely its bumpy like the surface of an orange
Its the texture of the paint job. Instead of being smooth if you look closely its bumpy like the surface of an orange
You know I noticed that on a Red one they had just got in today when I was signing papers for my silver...
I heard some time ago that paint quality peaked in the early 90s, since then environmental regulations have outpaced quality improvements. I don't know whether that is completely true, but it sounds reasonable.
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