Ford Australia and quality?

[Franco Cozzo]

I dropped into work at Honda today to tell my boss that I'm coming up for some surgery on my foot next week. Anyways I went across the road to Ford and I jumped in an FG XR6, I saw the bonnet opening latch thing inside the drivers footwell, just under the dash and I pulled on it, not very hard thinking thats how you open the bonnet (like how you do on my Fiesta and Honda's) and the latch snapped off in my hand.

Is the FG plagued with problems like this or is it just a once off thing?

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

Is the FG plagued with problems like this or is it just a once off thing?

Of course it's you Damo....

[geckoGT]

You broke it you bought it! :

[Auslandau]

Did you do the old "Quick look to the left, then right, no one looking so a I will quietly have a look at the other car like nothing happened" trick?



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[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by Auslandau

Did you do the old "Quick look to the left, then right, no one looking so a I will quietly have a look at the other car like nothing happened" trick?

Hell yes.

I Evac'd quick.

[Burnout]

Sadly it's always been an issue with fit n' finish for FoA.

[CFOUR]

ba's had a serious problem with this.

[ReVd_uP]

to be honest ive never seen an update bonnet latch (fitted from BF onwards and available as a replacement for the dodgy BA one) break... so either you found a rare dodgy one or you're just a little heavy handed

[Franco Cozzo]

The ones on Hondas are pretty stiff, so you have to pull fairly hard and you pull the whole thing towards you. I think I might have grabbed it the wrong way, instead of flipping the latch towards me I pulled on it and it snapped off.

[kezzer]

Nothing wrong with mine, how hard -did- you pull????

[Franco Cozzo]

I didn't rip it really hard, I grabbed it and pulled it towards me and it come off and fell out into my hand.

[jpd80]

That's OK, it'll probably get sold to a sales rep who doesn't believe in maintenance....

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by jpd80

That's OK, it'll probably get sold to a sales rep who doesn't believe in maintenance....

Wouldn't surprise me haha, I went inside the dealership to buy some parts from spares a few weeks ago and there was a yelling fight going on between two mechanics and the spare parts guys getting involved, and everyone in there dresses like bogans.

[Kryton]

I think it may have broke due to you not using it correctly.
As you've found out, you dont just reach in and pull, you need to grab the lever and kind of pull it towards the floor (if that made sense?).

i have almost 200000km on my BA and i pop the bonnet at least once a week - to this point, i have not broke the bonnet release a single time.

Maybe, the times they do brake is simply due to people that think its the old pull the handle type release instead of pulling the lever towards the floor - could it be that simple?

I know when i bought the AU (some 9 years ago now), i went to pop the bonnet when i first got it home and ripped the lever straight out of its mounts.
Being used to old cars, i just assumed it was the pull towards yourself type and it broke - luckily though, i managed to clip it back in place and never had a problem with it again.

[Bossxr8]

FG TGW ratings are a massive improvement over previous models, as are the number of warranty claims. They are best in class, even better than Aurion.

[Redrum]

My FG has been pretty good. The bumper wasn't fitted correctly and paint was rubbing off, the climate control failed, but was fixed, otherwise has been a beaut car.

[last fairlane]

Ive got an AU Fairmont and have never had a problem with the catch in seven years
I bought the Mrs a BA Ghia and the first time I opened the bonnet the catch broke off in my hand
I had a look how it worked and used some pliers to get it open
the cable runs through the engine bay and then through the mud guard
and out of sight
so I went to the wreckers and for $15 I got another cable but I found it easier to dismantle the handle part by pulling out the pin and replacing the handle not the whole lot
thanks John

[f1tzy]

I bloody hope their quality is better now than the ba as i swear mine was put together by a 2yr old

[mik]

one thing i`ve noticed these days , no one seems to bother lubeing door hinges bonnet catches these days, once upon a time these items would be even part of a basic service, it takes a lot of load off cables.

[Falcon_Crazy]

Originally Posted by davway

I think it may have broke due to you not using it correctly.
As you've found out, you dont just reach in and pull, you need to grab the lever and kind of pull it towards the floor (if that made sense?).

i have almost 200000km on my BA and i pop the bonnet at least once a week - to this point, i have not broke the bonnet release a single time.

Maybe, the times they do brake is simply due to people that think its the old pull the handle type release instead of pulling the lever towards the floor - could it be that simple?

I know when i bought the AU (some 9 years ago now), i went to pop the bonnet when i first got it home and ripped the lever straight out of its mounts.
Being used to old cars, i just assumed it was the pull towards yourself type and it broke - luckily though, i managed to clip it back in place and never had a problem with it again.

Ditto - its the way you use it, its like a belt buckle...my AUII was fine, BA still fine and FG super fine.

None of my 'Coons have had warranty issues..2* AU, 1 x BA and FG...thats over 500,000km and still going strong

[Franco Cozzo]

Yeah, I'd put it down to me being at fault, but I think its a pretty weird design, never come across a car with the little catch thing like that, its exactly like a belt buckle. The one on my Fiesta is mounted in the dash in the driver footwell and it feels like you break it every time you go to open it because how the flap stays open.

Though, I've never worked on Falcons or owned one.

If I was going to buy another new car, It'd be an FG XR6 in manual or a new Honda Accord Euro, also in manual, they're both sweet cars.

[seedywagon]

You get what you pay for I reckon,
Don't get me wrong, the Falcon is a good, reliable, cheap car, hence, why I own one, but it's no Mercedes Benz!
I think a few people on these forums have a real chip on their shoulder about expensive euros and imports, but if you've ever actually sat and driven a nice Merc or Audi/BMW, you'll notice that the fit and finish of the car is superior to that of the locally built Falcon.
Yes, you're right, they are very pricey and not that cost effective but, you get a car that's been engineered to a very high standard, with a lot of r&d gone into it. Also, you get parts that aren't manufactured by the lowest bidder.

That said, I think the Falcon does damn well in terms of quality for the money, the little annoyances like dodgy handbrakes and dodgy bonnet releases don't really taint an otherwise good car.

Anyway, you buy what you can afford right?

[bunna]

Originally Posted by Burnout

Sadly it's always been an issue with fit n' finish for FoA.

Sadly its also obvious when utterly non-factual sweeping generalisations are made.

The bonnet latches work perfectly if used as intended - pull down rather than out.

As has been mentioned - the Orion has been consistently better than the Aurion (the commodore isn't even worth mentioning in the same discussion) for some time now in the customer surveys (NVQS/GQRS). TGW is at an all time low.

[Stoney!]

Originally Posted by seedywagon

I think a few people on these forums have a real chip on their shoulder about expensive euros and imports, but if you've ever actually sat and driven a nice Merc or Audi/BMW, you'll notice that the fit and finish of the car is superior to that of the locally built Falcon.

You can add VW to that, even my golf has better fit and finish than the locals

Stoney!

[03wrx]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

I dropped into work at Honda today to tell my boss that I'm coming up for some surgery on my foot next week

On a completely different subject. What happened to your foot and what surgery are you having done ? Before you think :, I'm a foot/ ankle surgeon

[GASWAGON]

FG's might be fine but the recent problem of the Territory ball joint failure is a VERY serious one that FoMoCo could have handled alot better...... Brakes and or steering should NEVER fail and these are exactly the types of build issues Ford have built ther 'unreliable/poor quality' reputation from..... And then they turn a blind eye at warranty time also....... Not good....And just more ammo for the opposition... :

[DJM83]

Before i bought my TE i looked at a couple of BA/F's and i found a lot of broken latches. Some completely missing others just hanging down on the floor. Have never had any trouble in either of my AU's

[Powdered Toast Man]

Originally Posted by davway

i have almost 200000km on my BA and i pop the bonnet at least once a week - to this point, i have not broke the bonnet release a single time.

Same here, not the kays part, but I have had my BA for nearly 4 years and sometimes open the bonnet 3-4 times a week to fill the washer bottle and have never has an issue with the latch or lever. I think some people need to stop trying to use brute force to do things and use a little finess instead

[Fairlane]

Yeah the fit aint the greatest in the Falcons. Sit in a good 15 year old Japanese car and you realise Aussie cars arent screwed together all that well, but I guess weve gotten used to it, given our limited resources of the Aussie manufacturers something has gotta give.

And yep Ive broken a latch in my BA. And no i dont cop the argument thats its user abuse, never broken a latch in any other car. Its a pretty crummy design, whats wrong with the old skool latch style, impossible to break.

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by 03wrx

On a completely different subject. What happened to your foot and what surgery are you having done ? Before you think :, I'm a foot/ ankle surgeon

I've got some pretty bad soft tissue infection in my right foot and getting my big toenail completely removed, cutting out skin on my big toe and stretching it back to stop ingrown toenails from occuring. My whole right foot is swollen up and my big toe bleeds and puss comes out of it all the time. My 4th operation, one on my left foot for ingrown toenail which has healed up perfectly fine, this is going to be my 3rd on my right foot.