Front splitter repaired...still not sure it's 100% right...

[Darth Boss]

Driving my newly purchased GT350 home from the dealer last weekend, the front splitter was not properly installed dropped and tore apart on the highway. Dealership has been great, never caught any grief, they picked up the car and picked us up today to get the car. The dealership is two hours from where we live.

It's been a long week waiting for my car. The replaced the spoiler and repaired two small paint chips from the debris flying when I had to pull over on the shoulder.

There is about an 1/8" gap between the top of the center splitter and bottom edge of the bumper. When standing you can't see the gap. When you bend down, you can see the gap and the slots within the bumper where the splitter engages. They said that's how it's supposed to be.

There is about a 1/4"-1/2" gap between the left and right corner splitters and the outer edges of the center splitter. I will post pics tomorrow.

Was curious if this is how it's supposed to be. If anyone can post pics that would be great.

Also the fitment of my rear bumper is not great. You can really see inside when you look straight into the seams. Plus the edges of the bumpers appear to have bad parting lines from the mold that look like they should have been sanded down before assembly in paint. Is this the typical quality?

I looked at the Red one they had and the splitter and bumpers had the same issues. My Boss didn't have these quality issues. Am I just being overly critical and anal?

 

[ArizonaBOSS]

There is a known "issue" where the installation is very easy to screw up on those. There is an alignment tab in the center of the splitter that locks into the underside front of the fascia. It's highly likely this was missed on your install. If so, the center of the splitter would not fit flush against the fascia like what is shown in the forum banner above w/ AMPowerJ's car.

It will be easier to tell once you get the pics up; but if there are others that look the same at that dealer, they probably don't know how to install them.

 

[VoodooBoss]

There are 8 tabs (or was it 6?) that need to lock in place across the front. They are a PITA to get in. There will be a small gap between the top of the splitter and bottom of the bumper. If you push down on the splitter you'll be able to locate the tabs and you should be able to determine if they are all the way in. If you push down on the splitter and you see the tabs pulling out they are not in.

 

[Darth Boss]

There are 8 tabs (or was it 6?) that need to lock in place across the front. They are a PITA to get in. There will be a small gap between the top of the splitter and bottom of the bumper. If you push down on the splitter you'll be able to locate the tabs and you should be able to determine if they are all the way in. If you push down on the splitter and you see the tabs pulling out they are not in.

Thanks. It looks like they are in but the alignment on the passenger side to the side splitter is off. Here are some pics and the bumper too.




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[VoodooBoss]

That passenger side is not in all the way. Also the fender to bumper gap is not right. There's a bolt in there that pulls the two pieces together. It's a major PITA to get at and loosen/tighten. I have a S&K 1/4" ratchet that has much finer clicks than my Craftsman 1/4" ratchet and it took a long time to remove and reinstall. Sorry to say but take it back as it's not right.

This really highlights what a poor design Ford did on the splitter. When their dealers have trouble installing the splitters it's time to go back to the drawing board. More bolts and less clips would have been better. I'm sure the engineer in charge of this piece will never have to install and remove one. Let's hope they do a better job with the upcoming GT500.

 

[Darth Boss]

That passenger side is not in all the way. Also the fender to bumper gap is not right. There's a bolt in there that pulls the two pieces together. It's a major PITA to get at and loosen/tighten. I have a S&K 1/4" ratchet that has much finer clicks than my Craftsman 1/4" ratchet and it took a long time to remove and reinstall. Sorry to say but take it back as it's not right.

This really highlights what a poor design Ford did on the splitter. When their dealers have trouble installing the splitters it's time to go back to the drawing board. More bolts and less clips would have been better. I'm sure the engineer in charge of this piece will never have to install and remove one. Let's hope they do a better job with the upcoming GT500.

Just frustrating. The dealer is 2hrs away. I didn't think it was right. They said it was. I told my sales guy I would look into it. Afraid to take it to another dealership and that I did not buy it from for the spoiler and bumper.

You think they can adjust the bumper to fender gap without hosing it up? Can you post a pic of yours when you have a chance?

It's not just the gap either, it's the edge quality. I don't want to repaint so don't think there is anything I can do there.

 

[Darth Boss]

That passenger side is not in all the way. Also the fender to bumper gap is not right. There's a bolt in there that pulls the two pieces together. It's a major PITA to get at and loosen/tighten. I have a S&K 1/4" ratchet that has much finer clicks than my Craftsman 1/4" ratchet and it took a long time to remove and reinstall. Sorry to say but take it back as it's not right.

This really highlights what a poor design Ford did on the splitter. When their dealers have trouble installing the splitters it's time to go back to the drawing board. More bolts and less clips would have been better. I'm sure the engineer in charge of this piece will never have to install and remove one. Let's hope they do a better job with the upcoming GT500.

Just frustrating. The dealer is 2hrs away. I didn't think it was right. They said it was. I told my sales guy I would look into it. Afraid to take it to another dealership and that I did not buy it from for the spoiler and bumper.

You think they can adjust the bumper to fender gap without hosing it up? Can you post a pic of yours when you have a chance?

It's not just the gap either, it's the edge quality. I don't want to repaint so don't think there is anything I can do there.

 

[VoodooBoss]

Just frustrating. The dealer is 2hrs away. I didn't think it was right. They said it was. I told my sales guy I would look into it. Afraid to take it to another dealership and that I did not buy it from for the spoiler and bumper.

You think they can adjust the bumper to fender gap without hosing it up? Can you post a pic of yours when you have a chance?

It's not just the gap either, it's the edge quality. I don't want to repaint so don't think there is anything I can do there.

There should be no fender gap. My bet is they either didn't install the bolt of didn't tighten it down. It's not difficult to remove the front bumper-splitter-belly pan but it takes time and patience. Hopefully they will do it correctly this time around.

 

[Darth Boss]

There should be no fender gap. My bet is they either didn't install the bolt of didn't tighten it down. It's not difficult to remove the front bumper-splitter-belly pan but it takes time and patience. Hopefully they will do it correctly this time around.

Just realized I referred to the bumper gap in relation to the fender. That pic is actually of the rear bumper as it mates to the rear quarters. Is this gap still excessive in your opinion? I think it is but I know how dealerships react to these subjective issues. Not every car is the same, gaps are never perfect...blah blah blah.

I'm going to have them look at it when I take it back to try and adjust the spoiler. I'm going to try and adjust the spoiler myself when I can find some time.

They have to buff a small spot on the rear bumper where someone rubbed against it while they were repairing the spoiler. No one was there that could do it when I locked up the car. He said no one could have rubbed it because they kept the car separate. I said why couldn't someone have rubbed it when they were working on it? It wasn't there when they picked my car up. I detailed it the day before.

 

[Darth Boss]

Here's the pic of the rub...


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[Darth Boss]

Better pic.


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[byronj]

Find another dealer. Sorry to see you're dealing with that BS

 

[VoodooBoss]

Here's the pic of the rub...


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My rear bumper gap looks just like that so there won't be much you can do. The poor quality of panel fitment on the S550 is already well documented. My wife drives a 2013 Fusion Titanium and the panel fitment is as good as any car I've owned including a few German cars. My GT350 is the worst of any car I've ever owned.

 

[Darth Boss]

My rear bumper gap looks just like that so there won't be much you can do. The poor quality of panel fitment on the S550 is already well documented. My wife drives a 2013 Fusion Titanium and the panel fitment is as good as any car I've owned including a few German cars. My GT350 is the worst of any car I've ever owned.

Thanks VoodooBOSS...it is very unfortunate that Ford would drop the ball on such an important vehicle in their history. To focus on the guts and ignore the shell do sent make much sense. It's usually the other way around...

 

[Darth Boss]

Find another dealer. Sorry to see you're dealing with that BS

Thanks...I've gotten used to the dealership game. They have been great outside of whomever installed the splitter incorrectly and as long as they buff out the scuff I'll be happy.

They made the purchase process a lot of fun. Treated me with respect. Let me test drive the car before committing which a lot of dealers won't. Answered every question and reviewed every scenario I inquired about.

They reassured me that they would fix the splitter and anything else caused by the issue, no questions asked. Talked me down when I was freaked out and pissed that this happened. They drove 4-hrs combined twice. Once to pick the car up the day after since I had to travel, and then they sent a driver to pick me and my wife up so my wife didn't have drive 4-hrs.

So all in all I'm more upset with Ford for a crappy splitter design and the poor standard in quality the set with their fitment and finish quality. The car was missing the bumper stripes for pete's sake.

In the end, I'd rather have a dealership who respects me as a customer and provides me with good service when needed. They will learn from their mistake. It's a long drive there so I want a place that is worth while to deal with. My last dealership where I leased a Nismo Nissan from was a nightmare and could care less about me and my wife after we left their lot. Long story that I won't get into.

I never found a local dealer I was comfortable taking my Boss to. They didn't care about me since I wasn't buying a car from them and as not a customer of theirs before. Not saying all dealerships are that way, just had a lot of negative experiences.

 

[tuckersmg]

My rear bumper cover has same issues as yours. Fit and finish leaves a bit to be desired.

 

[Darth Boss]

My rear bumper cover has same issues as yours. Fit and finish leaves a bit to be desired.

Pretty awful. I wonder if any really fit correctly and if they cleaned up the parting line.


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[tuckersmg]

It seems to be hit or miss, some look fine and some look like crap. A friend who owns a body shop thinks a clip might be missing causing it to have such a large gap.

 

[RaiderJatt02]

My rear bumper cover has same issues as yours. Fit and finish leaves a bit to be desired.

Mine looks exactly the same. The front part of it chipped two days ago where it starts to bind. Pissed me off and ruined my week. I absolutely love the car but damn...

 

[VoodooBoss]

My rear bumper cover has same issues as yours. Fit and finish leaves a bit to be desired.

My gap is not that bad but is far from perfect. You can see the slight gap in my signature photo.