Mach 1 Buyer's Remorse

[stonespony]

No major problems with my '04...yet but, I'm just waiting. Based on all the problems reported in this forum and others, though, holy cripes, I'm having simultaneous attacks of paranoia and 'buyers remorse' this morning...

This is ridiculous! Shaker rattles, grinding gears, moans from the rear-end, paint issues, rear axles and housings completely rusting on the outside after 250 miles (like mine)...I'm beginning to wonder what the hell I've got myself into with a Mach 1?

I really don't have the time (or the patience) to argue with dealership personnel about these problems? In fact, I just won't do it. Been there, done that. Ford can kiss my a*s if they want to start either the, "we don't know what you're talking about" or the "that's normal" garbage? I was a Ford/L-M Service Advisor from 1994-1997 so, I'm well-aware of the penchant for shirking responsibility for flaws in the manufacturing process - their initial reaction being to blow-off customers reporting these types of problems as 'kooks' and/or overly-nitpicky.

I say that spending $24k+ for a product entitles the purchaser to a certain expectation of 'satisfaction' from the manufacturer. Any manufacturer that allows a product on the market with so many inherent problems from day-one (like Ford has obviously done), and does NOTHING to address these problems after they show up, is negligent - but still liable to make things right. It's just a matter of your threshold for BS and getting jerked-around, I suppose? Mine is pretty low right now!

Bottom-line: I didn't buy a Mach 1 to spend all of my free time watching it be torn-apart by a bunch of jack-legs to fix things that Ford should have already taken care of a long time ago...and you know what? I won't.

 

[CatmanJJ]

I love my MACh which I traded in a perfectly good GT with 23k miles for, I have no problems so far (knock on wood). I say just relax and enjoy your car.

 

[ttown]

Keep in mind your going to hear problems on these sites that aren't typical of every owner. A lot of issues are how you treat your car.

1. The sharker rattle is a plastic groument that came off a simple one time fix.

2. The 3650 isn't the best tranny for drag racing but you just romp on it on the streets and take it to the track every once in a while no biggie. If you power shift it could lock you out above 6k but a lot of us don't.

3. The axle is very solid if you don't put on DR's. The stock tires or a tire that spins a little and you'll never have issues. If your going to do high RPM launchs on DR's better upgrade.

Keep in mind the problems you are hearing are from hard core drag racers beating the crap out of there cars. Any car you run hard is going to have issues, you have to pay to play just like it's been forever.

 

[oogtdude]

I love my MACh which I traded in a perfectly good GT with 23k miles for, I have no problems so far (knock on wood). I say just relax and enjoy your car.

i did the same..mine had just hit 30k...boy do i miss her!....but i love my mach..if you owned stangs before you realize they will have there tiny issues


rusted axles?? dude thats gonna happen no matter what

 

[351c.i.d]

I'm hoping that you heard of all these problems AFTER you bought the car, otherwise you don't make a lot of sense.
It sounds like you have some anger issues man. If you've worked for ford before and knew about "their penchant for shirking responsibility for flaws in the manufacturing process" why in the hell did you buy the car in the first place? Did you not do any research on the mach before hand? Every manufacturer has problems with their cars, everyone from Ferrari to Kia. I'm not trying to flame you man, but if you've had this perception of FORD all this time, I can't understand why you went and bought one of their products and then came hear to bitch about it.
Relax and enjoy your car. I love my Mach, and while it has it's share of minor minor issues, they are all fixable by a dealership. Find one that gives a rats ass and they will take care of you.

 

[stonespony]

This is my 3rd Mustang ('02 GT, '88 GT) and the 5th Ford I've owned in the last 20 years (Ranger 4X4, Explorer).

Bottom-line: I bought the Mach 1 to drive - not to have factory defects serviced.

Anger issues? You betcha.

 

[Golions]

That is the problem with message forums. They are great informational tools, but technical problems people are having can be overwhelming. I was trying to decide between an 03 Cobra or an 03 Mach. I went to the SVT websites and started reading the technial problem forums. Scared the heck out of me. Problems everywhere I thought. Any forums you look at Mach, SVT, SRT, LS1 all have tons of technical issue posts. I have learned one thing in this respect, don't spend too much time looking at them. I usually only go to them to search for info on an issue I think I might have. They are a great tool for that.

Oh by the way I love my Mach. I have the tick and my trans is a little notchy going in and out of 2nd. Passenger seat squeeked and guess what, I sucked it up and fixed it. If the trans or engine goes, it will be replaced under warrenty.

Guess what I am saying is we take the good with the bad. If people want a perfect car they get an $80000 german car. I wouldn't consider a 24000$ car expensive enough for Ford to make all 150,000 cars problem free.

GiddyUp!

 

[lamach1]

The Mach is one heck of a car for 24k.... The only enginering issues I know of are the shaker rattle and seat squeek. The other problems are quality control issues and sure, ford could make every car perfectly if you are willing to pay another 10k for increased quality control. Overall, most people have few if any problems except for the people who beat them on a daily basis.

 

[34Ford]

rusted axles?? dude thats gonna happen no matter what

Not on mine.Hehe,

I sprayed my axle tubes and everthing I could see that had no paint on it with clear polyurathane right after I bought it.

Dennis

 

[stonespony]

I really appreciate everyone's patience and understanding in this matter. The good news is that I'm enjoying the new Mach a lot more now (and missing my '02 GT a little bit less) than I was the other day, when I first came on here ranting.

Thanks again.

 

[marcus95]

I hear ya Stone.
I am glad to hear that you are enjoying your car a little more now. What a great value the Mach is! Really. You have a Cobra motor sans blower and a straight axle!
Did you pick up the latest Muscle Mustangs and Fast Fords? Or was it 5.0 mag? Anyway, one of them had a great article on a guy who added a blower and kept the shaker. Nice sleeper. And most importantly, a lot less than a Cobra.
I have a soft spot for Saleen mustangs so if you want to feel good about yourself, come over and take a look at our threads. It'll make you feel GREAT!
We have all of the little Ford quirks as well as all of the Saleen quirks as an added bonus. Isn't that fantastic!

"The only enginering issues I know of are the shaker rattle and seat squeek."

I thought you guys bought the car for that rattle shaker anyway???

Have fun and enjoy your Mach. It is one of few.

You know we should have a section on the messageboards where all we do is praise all of the great things our cars bring us. No problem talk.

 

[stonespony]

Yes, I bought the latest MMFF yesterday with the featured article comparing the Cobra, Mach, and GT - really good stuff! It's too bad they couldn't have got a Cobra coupe - versus a banana yellow convertible - for the review but it was still interesting to read how the three stacked-up against each other. I'm not surprised the Mach 1 turned-out to be their favorite!

I had the chance to buy a used '03 Cobra (8k miles) a few months ago. While I was impressed with its capabilities - I couldn't believe all the noise coming from the Eaton-Roots Supercharger? I ended-up passing on the opportunity because I am reluctant to buy used muscle cars from owners I don't know personally...but, man-oh-man, that thing was crazy-fast!

Saleen Mustangs are a 'non-entity' in this part of the country - you might see a 'real' Saleen around here once in a blue moon? Most of the time, it's someone that's just stuck a 'Saleen' decal on their windshield!

 

[Angus]

No major problems with my '04...yet but, I'm just waiting. Based on all the problems reported in this forum and others, though, holy cripes, I'm having simultaneous attacks of paranoia and 'buyers remorse' this morning...

This is ridiculous! Shaker rattles, grinding gears, moans from the rear-end, paint issues, rear axles and housings completely rusting on the outside after 250 miles (like mine)...I'm beginning to wonder what the hell I've got myself into with a Mach 1?

I really don't have the time (or the patience) to argue with dealership personnel about these problems? In fact, I just won't do it. Been there, done that. Ford can kiss my a*s if they want to start either the, "we don't know what you're talking about" or the "that's normal" garbage? I was a Ford/L-M Service Advisor from 1994-1997 so, I'm well-aware of the penchant for shirking responsibility for flaws in the manufacturing process - their initial reaction being to blow-off customers reporting these types of problems as 'kooks' and/or overly-nitpicky.

I say that spending $24k+ for a product entitles the purchaser to a certain expectation of 'satisfaction' from the manufacturer. Any manufacturer that allows a product on the market with so many inherent problems from day-one (like Ford has obviously done), and does NOTHING to address these problems after they show up, is negligent - but still liable to make things right. It's just a matter of your threshold for BS and getting jerked-around, I suppose? Mine is pretty low right now!

Bottom-line: I didn't buy a Mach 1 to spend all of my free time watching it be torn-apart by a bunch of jack-legs to fix things that Ford should have already taken care of a long time ago...and you know what? I won't.

The only issue you mentioned that Ford won't fix is the rusty 8.8 housing. They don't paint it from the factory (GT's don't get painted housings either), so it's going to rust quickly.

There's a TSB for the shaker rattle (mine doesn't even have the problem), there's now parts to fix the grinding tranny (made by Tremec BTW - not Ford), and the rear axles only snap if you drive the car hard with sticky (non-Factory) tires installed.

Why don't you just enjoy your car for what it is - the fastest (with the exception of the '03'04 Cobra) and meanest Ford currently produced.

Heck, is there ANY Ford produced in the last 30 years that can beat a well-driven Mach 1 besides the '00 Cobra R or the recent Eaton-Equipped Cobra's???

LIFE IS GOOD - ENJOY IT!!!

 

[GTBEE]

Hang On

Stone, good to here it is going better. My family has a zen approach to mustangs: no such thing as a bad one, some have a little more character than others. We buy, we tinker, we have some successes, we screw up, we have fun. The forums have been great to identify tech issues to watch for, and to use to identify improvements. Our '04 Mach has it's share of noises and kinks, but I figure we are still ahead of the game: The Mach replaced my wife's 2002 Mercedes CLK 320 that was destined to give me a cardiac. The Mercedes ate a set of tires in 5,000 miles, burned up 2 seat motors, had a warped drive shaft after 8,000 miles, had the heater/AC motor replaced at 10,000 miles, had a complete electronic systems failure at 11,000 miles, and on and on and on. After 2 years of the Mercedes kicking my wallet and my patience, my wife said "had enuff - I want a Mach 1 so I can kick your GT butt". Which she gladly does about once a week.

The Bee
2004 Mach 1
2002 S281 #382

 

[stonespony]

Bee,

I'm inclined to agree with you! Some of my Ford's have been 'quirky' at times. My company-vehicle is a '99 Ranger 4x4 with right at 75k miles on it and every now and then, it'll do some weird things...like die-out when I cut the wheels all the way to the right and accelerate?

For some reason, my '02 GT never developed a personality? Granted, I only put about 14k miles on it before trading it for the Mach. Perhaps it would have in-time?

My 'egg-beater' is a '96 Subaru Outback with darn-near 190k miles...and talk about personality...my friends have affectionately nicknamed it, "The Mudshark" because it'll go just about anywhere and not get stuck - but, boy is it ugly!

Let me tell you how this thread started: I took delivery of the Mach and after I got it home, I noticed that the front chin-spoiler was slightly 'nicked' on the passenger-side. I called the service advisor the next morning who told me they would order a new one for it. A couple of days later, I took the Mach back to have the new one installed...and when they put it up on the lift, I noticed the rust on the rear axle and axle housing. When I asked the service advisor if Ford had a 'fix' for that, he told me they considered it "normal" and wouldn't pay a warranty claim to have it sandblasted and re-painted. He was kinda crappy about it so, I got crappy right back with him and said there was no-friggin-way a brand-new car should be rusted like that...I called Ford's consumer 'hotline' (read, "blow-off line") and they said they would pass my complaint on to the appropriate department. Yeah, right. That's when I got pissed-off and came on here ranting...for which I do humbly apologize to all the esteemed members of this forum, BTW. This is by-far the strongest, most awesome Mustang I've ever owned and every bit worthy of the name, 'Mach 1' IMHO.

Other than the rust problem, the only thing I've noticed is that I get an intermittent (whistling?) noise from the Shaker when power-shifting from 2nd-3rd gear and 3rd-4th gear during acceleration...other than that, it's almost 'perfect' (knock on wood).

Thanks.

 

[Mach428]

Grinding gears???? Is that the winding I hear when I shift to first???? Don't all Mach's sound like $H!+( haha i beat the system) when they don't have the gas pinned? I have to say, after i got used to my Mach everything else sounds weird. lol I hear funny noises in my hoodscoop on idle, oh well, its still fast.

 

[WaltA]

Grinding gears???? Is that the winding I hear when I shift to first????

A lot of people with the 5sp (Mach 1 and GT) find that the shifter is a bit stiff when shifting from 1st to 2nd. If you don't get it fully into 2nd, the gears will embarrassingly grind.

Basically, you pulled the shift all the way back into it "stopped" thinking you are in 2nd, and release the clutch. GRIND! The "fix" was to make sure you gave the shifter a second, firm, tug when getting into 2nd.

My '03 doesn't seem to be doing it any more. I don't know if it is that I have just gotten use to giving it that second tug unconsciously, or that the transmission just broken-in and stopped needing it.

 

[Car Nut]

Second gear definitely has a funny vibrating feeling just as it's going into place, but I just push it back into place and disregard the vibe. No problem at all.

I'm still borrowing an 03 Mach 1 and it has zero problems. No squeaks from the shaker or seats. Paint is beautiful. I still can't believe a Mustang can handle this well and make me feel so confident. This car has power-a-plenty in any gear and the ride is downright comfortable. The power just keeps on coming in upper rpm's. What's not to like?

The funny thing is, I love the power and overall quickness this car displays next to most any car that's had the misfortune of crossing my path. BUT, even though the power is great, I still can't get over the suspension and brakes.....simply awesome! Shifting is perfect and the exhaust is dead on. Staring over that big bulky shaker just makes it even better.