I was doing some touch up work this afternoon underneath the passenger door of my 2001 V6 Mustang. While doing this, I took some time to inspect the undercarraige of my Mustang.
During the inspection, I realized that over a one foot+ length of the underneath right side steel seam under the rocker panel (on the passeger side) is badly bent outwards 45' degrees. The paint was also chipped off various areas on the outwards bent seam. There is also a plastic painted moulding attached to the seam. It is attached to the steel rocker panel seam by black plastic clips that look like black tacks. The plastic painted rocker panel moulding is also bent outwards at the same location where the steel seam is bent outwards. I touched up some of the paint chips on the bent steel seam on the passenger side to prevent rust from occurring there.
I also inspected the left hand side rocker panel seams underneath the left hand side rocker panel (on the driver's side) and the steel seams just behind where the left front tire tread is located are completely crushed upwards. They are crushed upwards on to the rocker panel. There is a lot more paint chipped off from the steel seam on this side of the car too (on driver's side). There was too much salt baked on to the driver's side steel seam and I couldn't clean it well in order to touch it up. So, I was unable to touch up the bare metal chipped area.
Are the badly bent steel seams ruined now? This was a VIRGIN Mustang before this damage occurred. I would like to know if there is any way which the bent and crushed seams underneath the rocker panels can be fixed? Can these seams (which are about 1" inch wide) be bent back into their normal position? How about the seam which is crushed upwards? How can it be repaired? I am really angry at the idiot at Ford who did the service on my car who bent/crushed up the seams under the rocker panels.
About a month and a half ago, I got my Mustang serviced at the local Ford dealership and they put my car up on the lift. Anyways, I am pretty sure that they didn't put my car properly up on the lift. They must have put the lift arms under the rocker panel seams causing them to bend when the weight of my car pushed down on the lift when they lifted my car up in the air. I would have never known that there existed any seam damage under the rocker panel seams if I hadn't had to touch up the underneath part of the passanger side door. I would have never looked underneath my car like I did to inspect the undercarraige. I'm glad that I did.
Is there a special tool which is like a very long clamp with very long clamp teeth which can grab hold of the bent seam and bend it back to its original position? How can damage like this be fixed? I called the Ford service department today and made them aware of the damage that they did and they told me to bring the car in so they can take a look at it. I will be bringing it in for my next service within the next 4 weeks so they can also take a look at it. I hope that they will fix it for free. I don't want Ford to give me Bull$hit and blame me that I did the damage because I didn't. If you look at the of damage underneath my Mustang, it is obvious that it was done while the car was on a lift. Also, I don't use any other place to service my Mustang. I have been using the same local Ford dealer all the time ever since I bought my car brand new over 2 years ago.
Please give me your input on how you think that this type of damage can be repaired properly and if you think that the repairs will look like it did when the car came out of the factory. I am not sure that this type of damage can be repaired. I feel that my Mustang is HELPLESS and IRREPAIRABLE now with this type of damage done to it. Please help me out here. Thanks.
During the inspection, I realized that over a one foot+ length of the underneath right side steel seam under the rocker panel (on the passeger side) is badly bent outwards 45' degrees. The paint was also chipped off various areas on the outwards bent seam. There is also a plastic painted moulding attached to the seam. It is attached to the steel rocker panel seam by black plastic clips that look like black tacks. The plastic painted rocker panel moulding is also bent outwards at the same location where the steel seam is bent outwards. I touched up some of the paint chips on the bent steel seam on the passenger side to prevent rust from occurring there.
I also inspected the left hand side rocker panel seams underneath the left hand side rocker panel (on the driver's side) and the steel seams just behind where the left front tire tread is located are completely crushed upwards. They are crushed upwards on to the rocker panel. There is a lot more paint chipped off from the steel seam on this side of the car too (on driver's side). There was too much salt baked on to the driver's side steel seam and I couldn't clean it well in order to touch it up. So, I was unable to touch up the bare metal chipped area.
Are the badly bent steel seams ruined now? This was a VIRGIN Mustang before this damage occurred. I would like to know if there is any way which the bent and crushed seams underneath the rocker panels can be fixed? Can these seams (which are about 1" inch wide) be bent back into their normal position? How about the seam which is crushed upwards? How can it be repaired? I am really angry at the idiot at Ford who did the service on my car who bent/crushed up the seams under the rocker panels.
About a month and a half ago, I got my Mustang serviced at the local Ford dealership and they put my car up on the lift. Anyways, I am pretty sure that they didn't put my car properly up on the lift. They must have put the lift arms under the rocker panel seams causing them to bend when the weight of my car pushed down on the lift when they lifted my car up in the air. I would have never known that there existed any seam damage under the rocker panel seams if I hadn't had to touch up the underneath part of the passanger side door. I would have never looked underneath my car like I did to inspect the undercarraige. I'm glad that I did.
Is there a special tool which is like a very long clamp with very long clamp teeth which can grab hold of the bent seam and bend it back to its original position? How can damage like this be fixed? I called the Ford service department today and made them aware of the damage that they did and they told me to bring the car in so they can take a look at it. I will be bringing it in for my next service within the next 4 weeks so they can also take a look at it. I hope that they will fix it for free. I don't want Ford to give me Bull$hit and blame me that I did the damage because I didn't. If you look at the of damage underneath my Mustang, it is obvious that it was done while the car was on a lift. Also, I don't use any other place to service my Mustang. I have been using the same local Ford dealer all the time ever since I bought my car brand new over 2 years ago.
Please give me your input on how you think that this type of damage can be repaired properly and if you think that the repairs will look like it did when the car came out of the factory. I am not sure that this type of damage can be repaired. I feel that my Mustang is HELPLESS and IRREPAIRABLE now with this type of damage done to it. Please help me out here. Thanks.
