I bought a Mondeo 2.0 TDCi Titanium X, reg 13/09/2006, in July last year from Ford Direct with 8989 miles on her. In April with 14,900 miles I noticed my rear offside wheel was starting to show signs of some sort of corrosion. I have been in contact with Ford CRC finally ending up in getting a written response from them detailing, "water has seeped under the lacquer causing the alloys to corrode" and "alloys need to be replaced as refurbishment is not an option is in this instance due to the material that the alloys are made from" (Exact quotes).
They have offered 50% of the usual refurbishment cost of £75 against a replacement cost of £175 each. I need at least 2 wheels replaced.
I took the letter to my dealership today (who couldn't be more helpful) & he asked why the offer wasn't based on the replacement cost not refurbishment cost. He was appalled at the response. He also has 5 other customers with the same problem 1 of whom needs 4 wheels.
I was very calm until he said after the phone call that the chap at CRC had said "I should consider myself lucky to have been offered anything".
I have just alerted Ford Press Office to this & my local paper are sending a reporter round.
Has anyone else got this problem so I can co-ordinate a National response as my dealer feels a recall might be needed if there is a wider problem.
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Tuggy,
This is also a major issue on the 18" 16 spoke ST alloys, and has been discussed at great length on the ST drivers forum www.stdrivers.co.uk. More than enugh info for you on there.
After the initial 1 year warranty runs out Ford do not want to know
Carse
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I have found that the quality of Ford's alloys is very poor, when compared with other manufacturers' offerings; the lacquer coating is much thinner.
When I had my Mondeo I kept the (16", standard Zetec spec) alloys clean and polished with Autoglym Wheel Seal in the same way as I have done with every other alloy-wheeled car I've ever had - but the alloys started flaking around the inner edges of the spokes and no amount of preventative polishing would stop this. Never had this on any other car, not even the Italian ones ;-)
It does seem singularly inappropriate to base a goodwill offer on refurb cost when they themselves claim that refurb isn't an option.
It's a shame this problem didn't crop up before the car was a year old - you would probably have got new wheels under the 1st-year "we'll fix anything" warranty. Years 2 and 3 are nothing like as generous, as Mondeo TDCi owners with ailing injection systems and DMFs have found to their cost.
Best of luck taking them on over this - you'll need it...
Edited by paulb {P} on 26/06/2008 at 15:20
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If this has happened a lot then someone must have taken Ford on?
It's a little more awkward with a used car, but write to the supplier (do you actually buy from Ford Direct, or is it through a dealer) and ask them to pay, citing the Sale of Goods act and saying the wheels are not of merchantable quality.
If they refuse to pay up, then sue them for the cost using www.moneyclaim.gov.uk
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Thanks for the input guys.
I've been in touch with Trading Standards but the issue here is just how many people have been affected by these problems.
In these tough economic times the 'policy' Ford adopt should be reconsidered; ie - based on refurbishment where that's indicated or based on replacement where that's required. An equitable response is all that's required.
My dealer is looking allot of lost business now not just from me due to this.
I for one was going for another Mondeo in 2 yrs time, a Focus for my wife for her new job in August & a Fiesta/Focus for my son who's doing his test. None of which will be happening now.
Ford really need to re-evaluate their 'customer' focus given the 'st' issues highlighted above as well. And check their alloy suppliers.
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Ford guarantee is for one year;second and third are dealer's responsibility.
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Ford guarantee is for one year;second and third are dealer's responsibility.
I don't know how they work it, but I bought my 16-month old Focus from one Ford dealer and had work done under warranty in the following 20 months at another (unconnected) Ford dealer.
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No problem-read the warranty book.If you bought it seconhand,it would be dealer warranty anyway after 12 months.
Edited by jc2 on 26/06/2008 at 20:15
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ask them to pay citing the Sale of Goods act and saying the wheels are not of merchantable quality. If they refuse to pay up then sue them for the cost using www.moneyclaim.gov.uk
You're on to a loser there IMO, Merchantable quality only applies to new items AFAIK. If the car was second hand then fitness for purpose will be considered and alloys with a bit of corrosion on would still be considered fit for pupose, unless the corrosion was so bad that it weakened the structure of the wheel. Even then there is a time limit on when you can make a claim (6 months IIRC).
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I have found that the quality of Ford's alloys is very poor when compared with other manufacturers' offerings; ........
Well, all I can say is that my Focus alloys are still perfect after 5 years. And for the last 3.5 years the car has lived within 0.5 miles of the sea. The alloys on my previous Focus were perfect when I sold it at 5 years old and 90,000 miles. Neither set of wheels have had any special treatment ~ just washed with Turtle Zip Wax every once in a while.
Perhaps alloys don't take kindly to Autoglym Wheel Seal.
Edited by L'escargot on 26/06/2008 at 17:48
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L'escargot: you've obviously been very fortunate, then. The quality of the alloys on my Mondeo was, as I have said, shockingly bad. One of the areas where Ford's "run by accountants" image lives on, imo.
Perhaps alloys don't take kindly to Autoglym Wheel Seal.
I think not, as it's designed specifically for alloy wheels (I should have given its full name, which is Alloy Wheel Seal), to protect the lacquer from the effects of brake dust, road salt and so on.
On every other car on which I have used it (Fiat Bravo, Fiat Punto mk II, Seat Leon, Seat Ibiza, Honda Civic; have just started with it on the Panda), it has worked very well, to the extent that, once applied, the wheels never needed washing with anything other than plain water and a sponge, even in the depths of winter.
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L'escargot: you've obviously been very fortunate then.
paulb, perhaps my experience is normal and you've been unfortunate.
In addition to the two alloy-wheeled Foci, I had a Fiesta XR2 with pepperpot alloys and an Escort XR3i with multi-spoke "Sierra Cosworth" style alloys. I had no problems with the wheels on those two cars either. The only precautions I observe are (a) to never ever kerb the wheels, (b) to have self-adhesive balance weights on the inside of the wheel, (c) to never put the car through a car wash, (d) to never let anyone else wash it, and (e) to never clean the alloys with an acid-based cleaner. In other words, I always make sure the visible surface of the wheels doesn't get damaged.
Edited by L'escargot on 26/06/2008 at 18:43
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I think the alloys the OP refers to are of the "polished" or "machined" variety seen on higher end, recent Fords. Indeed, we have a set of polished alloys on our 05 Galaxy Ghia but they are in good order (I've seen plenty of other ShalaGalaxy's with flaky alloys however) I just use washing up liquid and water regularly to clean our alloys. I do think these acid based wheel cleaners have something to do with these problems...
I seem to recall Lexus having a similar issue with peeling lacquer on IS200 alloys. IIRC they just replaced the wheels FOC. A bit different to Ford's attitude in this thread.
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paulb perhaps my experience is normal and you've been unfortunate. In addition to the two alloy-wheeled Foci...
Interesting. Did you have all of those from new?
Reason I ask is that the vast majority of the Ford Direct cars (mine wasn't Ford Direct per se, but came from the same source) seem to be ex-rental. Mine (ex-Hertz) had no kerb damage on any of the wheels but the alloys were nevertheless starting to flake badly by 25k miles.
This would certainly suggest (among other things) use by the hire companies of a particularly aggressive acid cleaner.
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>>Well, all I can say is that my Focus alloys are still perfect after 5 years
>>
The alloys on my 10 year old Mondeo are in pretty good state on the outside.
On the inside there is some bubbles .
I have had it four years and the wheels do not see any of those fancy wheel cleaners.
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Slightly off topic but I hope none of you buy motorbikes and use them through the winter because one winter is enough to reduce them to a pile of rusty, seized bolts!
And bikers (me included) let them get away with it! That's why you see bikes advertised as 'dry use only' having covered 3,000 miles in 5 years.
Anyway, back to the topic.....
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A lively discussion.
I'd like to know just how many people have had problems with Ford alloys overall. Is it in the tens, hundreads, thousands? Being an individual it is easy for Ford to brush this issue aside.
I know it depends what make/model and what batch of wheels have been put on different cars but is there a higher than expected number of issues of poor quality that Ford can ignore because it's outside the one year period?
Surely unless subject to an outside influence the wheel on a car should last for a good few years before flaking or showing signs of corrosion in any form.
Only by collecting numbers can this issue be highlighted and the public can then vote with their wallets.
I don't mind collecting numbers unless there's any easier way of collecting data.
I shall ring a few refurbishment companies and see if it's possible to gauge what's what as they should have an idea of the frequency of Ford to other manufacturers.
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I'd like to know just how many people have had problems with Ford alloys ......
Just ask the Service Manager at as many Ford dealers as is practicable. There's no reason to think they won't answer truthfully.
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Had the same issue on my 16" 5-spoke MK2 Galaxy Ghia alloys. Ford CRC offered 50% reduction on REPLACEMENT wheels but insisted on old wheels being returned to them!!
Ford denied this alloy wheel problem was widespread, in fact was the first such issue they had heard of. Yeah right!!
Told them they could shove the offer where the sun don't shine and soon after sold the car reminding myself never to buy a car again with machined only alloy wheels and to get ones that are painted as well.
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Told them they could shove the offer where the sun don't shine ...
Yep, that's the way to get co-operation and satisfaction from someone!
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I think L'escargot may have hit the 'Nail' on the head. I don't have time on a Sunday to have a lazy day washing the car. I usually dash into a washer inbetween doing things.
Could this be caused by the stuff that is sprayed onto the wheel before going into the wash? I've never asked what it is.
Perhaps Ford's wheel men can take a look & issue a blanket 'refrain from use' if that's what's causing these problems.
Might upset the cleaning fraternity but I'd just like to get to the bottom of the cause of this for everyone involved.
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SUCCESS!!!!
To a point.
Ford have just rung me to offer 100% of their £75. £150 is double their first effort.
They still maintain 'Senior Executive' have set their offer in stone, I pointed out that at an AGM shareholders can have that changed!. Fair point she said.
If anyone else is having a problem chase them up & speak to Sunny Kaur a very nice lady who appears to be able to address these concerns in a more equitable manner. Lets hope Ford's management start to do the same.
Good luck to you all.
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Just as an aside. The wheels on my 05 Focus were showing signs of corrosion after the car's first winter at about 11 months old.
All four were replaced under warranty. The replacements now approaching 3 years old are all pretty poor.
The wheels are the 17" option with a machined rim. The corrosion starts at the edge of the machined area where the lacquar thins.
In the future I will not be having this design of wheel again.
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An update.
I have just been contacted by Ford's 'Chief' Press officer. I shall let you all know how this goes.
Although my problem has been resolved I am now trying to get Ford to look at their customer service for everyone else.
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I have the 18" 16 spoke alloys on my Mondeo. I took the wheels off 2 weekends ago to give them a good clean and noticed a little bit if corrosion on the inside. The outside machined part still looks ok at the moment. It is a shame because the machined look is superb.
There are companies that diamond cut them but they want around 300 quid for 4!
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SUCESS!!!
I was contacted by Ford's senior management yesterday & have been offered 2 new wheels. So from £38 each initially to a full £175 each offer.
They have also stated that they'll be having a review of their customer service & look into the 'quality' of their wheels with the relevant departments.
I'm sure I won't be on their Xmas card list but hopefully others may now get a better experience.
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Tuggy
Do you have any of the contacts you used at Ford to get your wheels replaced? I have a 2008 Focus which 17in machined alloys and one of them has developed 2 large areas of corrosion, only on the machined part. Ford Customer Services have suggested the usual maximum of £75 per wheel. Having to pay to correct corrosion on a 16 month old car just plain sticks in my throat so I want to push them to replace it at their cost.
Thanks
Mike
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Mike, I know this doesn't help you, however,
in my third year of having a Skoda Fabia vrS skoda replaced an alloy FOC under warranty for corrosion.
In my second year of the Altea, SEAT replaced an alloy with corrosion FOC under warranty.
Just yesterday (into my third year now) I went to dealer with another corroded wheel. When I say corroded I mean its just slightly bubbling under the lacquer. Dealer took photos and emailed away. Contacted me yesterday afternoon to say it had been approved and to bring car in next week for wheel to be changed.
Their aftersales service is second to none, pity that their original quality might not be that great though!
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Tuggy
Last visited forum: Wed 2 Jul 2008
I'll drop him an email - no guarantee that it will be still valid, nor get a reply from him.
DD. BR Moderator.
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I'll drop him an email - no guarantee that it will be still valid nor get a reply from him.
You're in luck. Here is Tuggy's reply to my email:-
"Dave,
Thanks for your email.
This was a bit of a saga which resulted in me telling Ford I'd be going to the press. The result was a Mr xxxxxx (if I remember correctly) from Ford's CRC contacted me & resolved my issue over the phone & two new alloys are now in pride of place."
Not sure if that helps you at all?
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 05/06/2009 at 01:48
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Thanks for getting in touch with him.
They contacted me this morning to offer me 75% of the £75 and I promptly refused that one. She said even if I write in to complain, my complaint will be routed back to her and she will make the same decision on it.
Looks like I need to try to get on to a senior manager and see if they have more common sense, before I resort to writing letters.
It is a rear wheel that is corroding, and have drums on the back so they are immaculately clean and undamaged.
If I plan to complain under the Sale of Goods Act (fit for purpose, satisfactory quality) does anyone know if this complaint should be with the dealer who sold me the car, or Ford themselves?
I think it is reasonable to expect an alloy wheel to last more than 16 months from new before corroding. Ford technicians at me dealer have already taken photos and ruled out damage.
What gets me is that I am a Ford Privilege customer (my father-in-law is an employee), a 2 Ford car household, and I am currently talking to my dealer about replacing this car with a new one at a cost of around 20k, yet for seem happy to piddle around over a single wheel..... I am thinking twice now....
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Going back a good few years now, 2004,I purchased a Mondeo Ghia X with a smart set of 17" highly polished alloys. It was from Ford Direct and 7 months old at purchase. I had a troublesome first few months with many visits to the dealer for various repairs and faults to be corrected. Just outside a year old, I noticed the alloys were corroding around the valve seat. Somehow, I managed to persuade Ford to replace the alloys free of charge and to be honest it did not take that much effort to get the right result. Maybe policy has changed now, or they have simply had to replace too many and thought, enough. Who knows. Today I have a 6 year old Mondeo with a pretty shabby set of alloys as the replacement set have pretty much gone the same way but I would not expect them to replace a set of older wheels. Obviously Ford have a problem with the quality control of alloy wheel manufacture.
The lesson I have learned from this particular Ford is loyalty counts for nothing and given that this has been the most troublesome Ford I have owned, it has even been worse than an ALFA 155 I owned,then I will not be buying another Ford.
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