Ford Service Dept. Damaged My Mustang BIGTIME!

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.
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make sure you talk to the guy who runs the service department and if that doesn't work, go higher up in the chain of command. if they are stalling or anything like that, file a complaint with your local better business bureau. be persistent and firm but not a raging idiot.
make sure they don't try to pull any socialist crap with you

But what about the repairs? Can the bent/damaged seams be repaired or are they unrepairable? If so, then HOW can this damage be repaired? Can the bent/damaged seams be repaired properly to look like they did before the damage occurred? Is there a special tool which the Ford service department can use to bend the seams back into their original position and shape without doing any further damage to them? Will there have to be any paint work done to the car if the seams are repaired? From looking at my car with the current damage, I see that the paint has already chipped off in the areas where the seams are bent and crushed. I am worried about rust/corrosion. I live in New England and I drive in the snow and salt. I don't want the seams and the rocker panel to rust out from this damage. These are the things which I don't know which I need to find out about in here.

My Mustang was a virgin vehicle before Ford Service damaged it. I take extremely good care of my Mustang and I want to keep this car for quite a few more years so I want it to be fixed the correct way.

I would say the only way to fix it properly is to have the damaged pieces replaced. Once metal has been bent like that, it will never be the same even if it can be bent back.

if i am thinking of what you're talking about, the metal can be bent back to shape...i think..

The metal seams which are bent and crushed are located directly underneath along the rocker panel. I am not sure, but I think that the seams are welded to the floor pans as well as to the rocker panel. When I inspected the seams, I realized that they were welded. This is why I am so worried here. If they are welded to the floor pans and to the rocker panels, how can they be fixed the correct way? I am so afraid that they can never be bent back into shape. I am also very afraid that the 1" inch wide seams will never look good again if Ford fixes them and if the fix doesn't look good. Plus, I think that if they can be repaired that there has to be substantial paintwork done to the seams. The seams are currently painted the color of the car. The bent and crushed seams on my car currently have paint damage to them. The paint has peeled off the seams from the stress from the bending of the seam. What also worries me here is HOW the seams will be repainted after they are bent back into shape? I am afraid of overspray all over the place under my car and on the side of my car. There are cables, an exhaust system, and some other metal and rubber parts under the car ( like rubber floorpan grommets, metal cables and rubber hoses). I don't want them to get oversprayed with paint and look bad. If there will be any paintwork done to the undercarraige, it must be done correctly and neatly. The current damage is VERY NOTICEABLE and a VERY BIG EYESORE. I am also very worried that further damage might be done to the already bent and damaged seams if they are repaired. This is driving me crazy. I don't know what to expect here with this type of damage that's been done to my Mustang. I am really worried about all these things.

maybe you could have an independent shop look at the damage...but make sure you tell the service boss that you are doing it and that they are going to pay for it..

I will be scheduling an oil change within the next few weeks. This is when I am going to take my Mustang in for Ford Service to look at the seam damage. I am very afraid that Ford will tell me that the damage is VERY COMMON and that it's NORMAL to have this type of thing happen to all cars and that I will have TO LIVE WITH IT. I also don't want ford Service to blame me and tell me that I did the damage. I didn't do it. Wouldn't you think that Ford Service will know when they see the damage that it was done on a lift? I don't want to have to hear all this BS from Ford Service.

I never thought of going to a private shop. I am not sure whether Ford service will allow me to go to a private shop and to have a private shop fix this type of damage. Can Ford deny and tell me that I cannot go to a private shop?

Also, to be able to fix this type of damage, will they have to tear apart the entire undercarraige of the car? I am afraid that if they have to do a teardown that the car will not be the same when I get it back. I am very concerned about things not being properly installed back the way they were that were taken apart under the car. I don't have the time to keep bringing my car back to the shop because of poor workmanship. I don't want to experience this nightmare. I beleive that the repairs and work must be done right the first time around.

No way. If you are absolutely positive which I'm sure you are that the damage occured there then take the car back immediately. Screw an appointment man. Thats absolute bull****. I hate that crap when the person offering or selling some type of service or repair does a shadetree job and messes it up even though they are trained to do it. Drive right up there and pull it in the service bay and speak with the service manager, or even the dealership manager!!! Then they tried to cover it up that's even worse. That could lead to some serious problems down the road like handling or alignment not to mention the structural integrity of the car is comprimised. Does it seem as though the frame of the car is damaged too because that is a serious repair. They will probably try to jimmie rig it back to normal. It's time for 1-800 Lawyer Light-em up!!!!!! I would make them aware of that too if they try to give you the shaft. That makes me HOT HOT HOT and it's not my car!!!!!!!!

Those SOBs

I would go to a private shop or two and get a consult with estimate first. Don't even tell the Ford dealership about going get a private consult and estimate. That way they can't make it seem as though it's not that bad and you will know ahead of time whats up. They will try to make you seem like the idiot. Don't let them railroad you. Then ask the guy giving you the private consult what he thinks the damage was caused form.

It's bad enough that you had to find the damage and that they wouldn't fess up to it. You need to bring the car back in soon as possible and talk to the shop manager, if this doesn't work talk to the dealership manager. I f still no sucess, look in your owner's manual, they have phone #'s for problems like these if the dealership isn't willing to deal with you. If i were you don't settle for having you car repaired, it won't be the same, i would most likely ask them to replace my car. If you push and push and talk to the right people, you'll get results, don't let them push you around, but don't be an ahole either. I would tell them no matter how much they atempt to renbend the metal it'll never be to factory spects, plus you'll know all the time what lies under you car twisted metal here and there. I f you push this issue far enough you could mabey get a car like yours used for free,you never know, they'll do anything somtimes to shut you up, so you'll come back and buy another car. Good luck.

Why is it that everyone is blaming Ford service for this. Car is 2 years old. Can you honestly say it was Ford?

Ron are you talking about the 1 inch piece that come straight down off of the car where your side skirts are connected to?

If you are and ford wont fix it dont worry it is common for that piece to get bent if someone puts a floor jack on the wrong spot. Just use a hammer and maybe some pliers and get it as straight as you can then take some sand paper and clean the bare metal up and primer it then paint it. Since it is under the car where it cant be seen you dont have to have it perfect and with the right primer and paint rust will not be an issue.

I hope you are being sarcastic about this because no dealership in the world would listen to someone telling them that crap.

Ask for a new car if a piece of metal UNDER THE CAR is bent stop giving advice if you dont know what you are talking about.

BTW ron I had a crown vic that was bent in the same place and i straightened it and painted it. When I sold the car at 250000 miles it was the only spot that wasnt rusted.

I hate to be the cinical a-hole here, especially cause i am new, but i used to work at a shop and it happens all the time. that is actually what that piece of metal is for. its called the pinch weld. pull out your owners manual or jacking instuctions and it will tell you to put your scissor jack right on it. It will not affect the structural integrity, pose any saftey issues or affect your driving at all. go look under 98% of cars on the road and their pinch weld will be bent in one form or another. Prime and paint the bare metal and move on. they will laugh you out of their shop if you go back pissed off. Sorry to be the bearer off bad news, but that is the reality of the situation.

Exactly it is really no big deal.

Yeah, actually thats where most shop will lift the car. beside it's so easy to fix. when i bought my car used it was even missing the side skirt due to accident, and i just used plyers and a hammer and steel block and fixed it. no biggy. i personally dont think they will do anything more then just fixing it the same way i said if they do anything at all... they broke my door bezel and they just fix the piece with glue damnit (wich i replaced for cheap from a scrap yard)

This is a current update on the situation:

I visited my local Ford dealer today where I originally bought my Mustang. This dealer knows that I get my Mustang serviced ONLY at their dealership and nowwhere else so they cannot say to me that the damage to my Mustang happened anywhere else. While I was there, I met with the service guy and with my personal Ford mechanic which I use every time that I bring in my car for service there. He is an excellent mechanic and is very meticulous. He also knows that I am meticulous. So, I haven't had any problems with this mechanic for the last 3 years that I have been using him. My mechanic knows my car very well, but he did not work on the car the last time when I visited the dealership over a month an a half ago. I had to get a nail taken out of my right rear tire and the service department had someone else take the nail out instead of my own mechanic. So, the different mechanic that worked on my car the last time was the one who did the damage to the rocker panel seams. My own personal Ford mechanic even told me point blank today that the other mechanic wasn't careful when he put my Mustang up on the lift. The other mechanic never checked to see if he had the car correctly on the lift before he lifted the car up in the air to fixed my tire. So, I think that this Ford dealership knows that they are the blame for the damage. My personal mechanic told me that they only way to fix the damage that's been done to my car is to send it out to a bodyshop.

SO, my next step now is to bring in my Mustang on Monday to the Ford service department and to have them take a look at the extent of the damage that they did to my car. I think that they will send me to a private body shop which they use that's located here in my local area. I wasn't able to take my Mustang to Ford service and have them look at it today because we had a snowstorm up here and the roads were really bad.

I am hoping that Ford will be able to fix my car correctly. I told the service guy today that I have my own body shop to take my Mustang to for the repairs. He told me that the Ford service department will not allow me take it to my own body shop. I am not sure if the Ford service department can do this. I know for a fact that the dealership does not have their in-house bodyshop. They send all their cars out to a private bodyshop here in my local area for all the bodywork. And that's where they want to send me too. When I will bring my Mustang into Ford service on Monday, I will speak to the service manager there and tell him that I have my own body shop and I will see what he says. The guy who told me that I couldn't bring my car to my own body shop today was not the service manager. I don't mind bringing my Mustang into their own private bodyshop if that bodyshop does a quality job fixing the damage to my car. I don't know how I can ask around to find out if the private bodyshop that they use is reliable and if they do quality work. That's what worries me.

Also, I myself don't have my own body shop either. I lied to the Ford dealer today when I told them that I have my own bodyshop. I said this to them so I could see what they were going to say to me. Anyways, I looked in the phonebook today to try to pick a bodyshop and there are 4 pages worth of bodyshops all around here within a 10 mile radius. I don't know which one to go to. I am hoping that the one that the Ford dealer uses does good work and won't take shortcuts. I will be BS if they don't fix my Mustang properly.

Ron I wouldnt worry much it is good that they are going to take care of it but all that is going to happen is about 30min of using a hammer and a block and then they will primer and paint it. Just let them have it fixed and dont sweat it sounds like you have a good relationship with your dealer so I wouldnt get too worked up about it.