So are Ford dealerships (well car dealerships in general) preprogrammed to say that a part on a car that originally didn't come on a car wouldn't fit? I was at a local Ford dealership today trying to order the GT/CS rear fascia for my v6 Mustang and the parts guy just kept me hanging for about 15 minutes because he wouldn't order the part because "it wouldn't fit," and that my car has to be a GT in order for it to work. I understand some parts are not interchangeable between trims but I do now for a fact this bumper will work as as complete replacement because I've seen it on both v6s and GTs.
So I have to ask, are the dealers instructed to say this to be a pain, to protect themselves from liability or are they really that uninformed about the product they sale?
Oh I had this same problem when I went down to the Ford bodyshop to ensure they would be able to install the GT500 front fascia. "GT500 fascia will only work with a GT500 car. The fascia won't install on the v6 or a GT." The guy said this blatantly to me, despite the fact I told him the kit would come with everything he would need to do a successful front end conversion. I'm not upset or anything, just kind of frustrated that some dealers/salesman/or what have you are not that tapped into the products they sale of the aftermarket trend with those products.
I don't think there would be any problem with a GT rear bumper, except if they placed any sort of connections to the fram in different locations, but that has rarely been the case in Ford's cheap antics.
However the Cobra front fascia may not fit, because it really is a different hood, fenders and such, that just may not line up properly. but yeah a kit would help if that's what it was designed for.
Regardless you can prolly find a rear bumper or a fascia somewhere else for cheaper, why go through ford, they'll charge you an arm, a leg, and maybe 1 testie to order it and paint it and god forbid install it.
try like classicdesignconcepts.com or I don't even know if that site is still up or other sites that sell body parts. There was this really good one out of Jersey Cerv... something I'll have to find it. prolly can find kits bumpers and fascias to your hearts desire. GOod luck!
and to stay on topic I asked for some tips on removing the bolt behind the accelerator pedal to intall a bullit one, and they simply said they can't do it and it can't be done... and later tht week i just belted the pedal off and installed the new in like 5 minutes.
so they're prolly just straying from bullshit work, lord knows why, ford needs money more than ever. or just protecting their liability and or warranties.
Well the GT500 front end is a complete replacement. The idea that I got from KC is that nothing on the v6 front end would be used and that all the brackets, bolts, etc., to hook the GT500 front to the v6 would be included in the packaging for the GT500 front kit. Matter of fact, the only thing out of the crash list of parts I had to order for my front would be the right fender, side tape and wiper hose. The stock hood works completely fine (and in my opinion looks better) with the GT500 front. According to others I talk to any competant shop should be able to do the swap with no problem.
The reason I went through Ford for the GT/CS rear fascia is that no one is selling them on the Internet yet and for the GT500 rear most online places are asking $400 - $500 or they are completely out of stock. The GT/CS rear fascia is only $355 and since they are ordering it with the parts they need to repair my car, shipping/freight or whatever appears to be free, so I can't beat that deal.
. . . so they're prolly just straying from bullshit work, lord knows why, ford needs money more than ever. or just protecting their liability and or warranties.
Unless it is a Ford Racing part you can special order for your make and model, Ford parts departments will almost always refuse to order exterior panels or mechanical parts not listed for your car. And your right, its mostly liability, and the risk of returns. In fact they are so paranoid that if you take you car in for work out of warranty many service department will not move anything power (seats, windows, adjustable pedals, etc) because if it breaks they bought it.
Unless it is a Ford Racing part you can special order for your make and model, Ford parts departments will almost always refuse to order exterior panels or mechanical parts not listed for your car. And your right, its mostly liability, and the risk of returns. In fact they are so paranoid that if you take you car in for work out of warranty many service department will not move anything power (seats, windows, adjustable pedals, etc) because if it breaks they bought it.
well where i work, we dont touch anything but the driver window when pulling in cars, unless its physically impossible for the person to drive liek that (sohrt guy driving a stick that belongs to a really tall guy) for the customer convienence, not liability.
well where i work, we dont touch anything but the driver window when pulling in cars, unless its physically impossible for the person to drive liek that (sohrt guy driving a stick that belongs to a really tall guy) for the customer convienence, not liability.
I'll have to tell that to the Pruitt dealership in North Texas next time they recite the liability jingle to me. LOL.
Everytime I take the 93 Crown Vic in for service nothing power controlled is touched but when I take the Pony in for service the manual seat is moved forward or back, the seatback is reclined like someone took a nap, and the stearing column is shoved as far up as possible.
For body parts, you want to be dealing with OE or "first tier" suppliers.
CDC, Cervini and now 3D Carbon qualify on that count. It shows with the quality of their parts and the fit.
Also, stick with parts that are primed and ready to paint. This helps a lot, and will yield a better job. Unprimed parts require a long curing routine that most body shops will skimp on (or skip altogether), and then blame the resulting paint problems on "aftermarket parts".
Best of luck.
__________________
tripleblack
"You can never be free until you let yourself go."
Thanks for the comments guys. The body shop at the Ford dealership has already told me they will do the conversion. They were a little apprehensive at first because my car is a v6 and they said parts wouldn't fit. Like I said, I explained to the head of the body shop in charge that the kit will include everything they need to do the conversion and they said as long as it includes everything they have no problem doing it.
I don't see how putting a different Ford product on my car will void the warranty (heck I rather put on a new GT500 front than a used v6 that my insurance company has tried to pass off on me), but I'm not worried about warranties doing the front end swap. Since these are genuine Ford products, I'm of the belief they are already prepped for paint, but I could be wrong. I've never ordered dealer parts before but I would assume that they are.
Like I said, just got a little frustrated with the dealer giving me the "It Won't Fit" lingo.
yeah that's quite understandable, dealerships are hard to deal with.
In any case, be careful, it may be another Ford product, but they can make BS escuses like, 'the suspension was not designed for the added weight' and what garbage, but that's just some places, good luck with you new gear, Can't wait till i get enough to get a new Mustang, Im gonna add that Cervini kit to it, gonna look really nice.
I'm surprised that your local Ford dealer has so little experience with swapping body parts on the new Mustangs. I realize that Lexington probably only has one Ford dealer...
Gene Evans Ford (Georgia) sells their own body kits for Mustangs, and has installed hundreds of kits and swaps - although that is their specialty of course (they advertise in MM-FF). Like any dealership, you will find they have enemies and friends among the Ford faithful, but still if you run into problems with the local boys, maybe they could call their counterparts at GEF and get some tips.
The OE Ford parts usually come primed and ready to go - an advantage that comes from using OE parts over some after-market.
Cervini USED to not prime their parts, though I understand this has changed since last year. (One of the reasons their costs have gone up). I like their parts - hate their customer service.
CDC is the old standby first tier supplier - and still one of the best.
3D Carbon has just inked a direct deal with Ford to supply parts, including sets for the odd SUV and small van. This is as "first tier" as it gets.
Best of luck. One other thing to discuss with the shop would be the paint. Many times, the shop's paint job will be superior to the factory in one key respect: Less Orange Peal. If they aren't painting the whole car, this can be an issue if you're picky. They can paint it to "match" (ie, have more orange peal than they are capable of) or the remaining components that have orange peal can be color sanded and buffed out.
Or you can have the new parts be subtly different from the factory parts.
Quote:
Originally Posted by 06 Slvr Bullitt
Thanks for the comments guys. The body shop at the Ford dealership has already told me they will do the conversion. They were a little apprehensive at first because my car is a v6 and they said parts wouldn't fit. Like I said, I explained to the head of the body shop in charge that the kit will include everything they need to do the conversion and they said as long as it includes everything they have no problem doing it.
I don't see how putting a different Ford product on my car will void the warranty (heck I rather put on a new GT500 front than a used v6 that my insurance company has tried to pass off on me), but I'm not worried about warranties doing the front end swap. Since these are genuine Ford products, I'm of the belief they are already prepped for paint, but I could be wrong. I've never ordered dealer parts before but I would assume that they are.
Like I said, just got a little frustrated with the dealer giving me the "It Won't Fit" lingo.
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tripleblack
"You can never be free until you let yourself go."
That'd be cool if you can supply me the number to GEF. I have a feeling I will be getting a phone call from the dealership telling me they got a problem because this part won't fit or that part won't fit. I realize it would probably be best to go to a tuner shop that specializes in body kit applications but I just wouldn't feel comfortable leaving my car in the hands of those. I'm hoping that I can preassemble some parts before I bring them, but I guess I'll see when the parts get here.
Try www.gefracing.com or 1-800-992-9802 (if making a purchase) or 770-984-8604 to get their main line.
Preassembly? I can't think of anything you would want to assemble before paint...
Quote:
Originally Posted by 06 Slvr Bullitt
That'd be cool if you can supply me the number to GEF. I have a feeling I will be getting a phone call from the dealership telling me they got a problem because this part won't fit or that part won't fit. I realize it would probably be best to go to a tuner shop that specializes in body kit applications but I just wouldn't feel comfortable leaving my car in the hands of those. I'm hoping that I can preassemble some parts before I bring them, but I guess I'll see when the parts get here.
__________________
tripleblack
"You can never be free until you let yourself go."
"It Won't Fit..." 
