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Number of minor faults

  • None

    Votes: 34 33.3%
  • Less than 5

    Votes: 41 40.2%
  • Less than 10

    Votes: 8 7.8%
  • More than 10

    Votes: 19 18.6%

Is the BA well assembled?

9K views 82 replies 42 participants last post by  GTPChris 
#1 ·
For BA owners/drivers comment, I need to know if only a handful of BAs have been assembled by the local incompetent, or do they all have issues with consistency?

If my BA is a typical example, then the (excellent) engineering for vehicle dynamics and basic ergonomics have been shot in the foot by all of the bits that either fall off or don’t fit.

If you design it so that idiots can put it together properly, will you then employ a new breed of idiot to challenge your abilities?

How many minor faults does/has your car have?
 
#3 ·
my only fault was, a blemish the size of a 20 cent piece in the windscreen top right hand side.... windscreen makers fault had it changed striaght away ok now
 
#4 ·
I've found only 2 faults so far (picked up the car only about 6 days ago). A minor paint blemish on the driver door, above the window. Real minor and only noticable when looking very closely (and it has some texture too it). The other is my Petrol lid. One edge of it isn't painted properly, but I'll get it sorted under warrenty. Everything else is damn good though. Very impressed so far and no other problems to speak of (touch wood).
 
#6 ·
I had a think about this to try and remember what I’ve complained about.

Brakes were biggest issue – machined once then fixed after I put on DBA front slotted rotors.
Handbrake was also dragging on rear brake rotor.
Horn didn’t work – needed new horn pad for wheel.
BEM module needed replacing – crazy alarm / power window faults.
XR scuff insert on drivers door was incorrectly installed (dealers fault).
Greasy fingerprint marks on A pillar.
Clips missing from drivers floor mat (a supplier mistake).

Currently;
Steering rack clicking.
Handbrake dragging again, rear rotors possibly warped.
Slight whine from auto in 3rd gear when in performance mode (not sure if this was always there or not).
Plastic piece on base of front passenger headrest broken (I have no idea how long this has been busted for – only spotted 2 weeks ago).


This may seem a lot, but it’s not that these little faults are there that I find frustrating, it’s that you have to go back to the dealer on average at least twice with each of them.

My car was an early build example and I am VERY impressed with the overall quality and feel of the car. I can’t really look down my nose at the build quality as I’ve never owned a high performance exotic or luxury Euro, just Korean 4 cylinder POS cars, so I think it’s great on the whole.
 
#7 ·
only probs i have had is brake shudder, no paint under doors and an o-ring worn causing a small coolant leak. Overall I am really happy with the car. I expected small issues and really the ones i have encountered you couldn't say are really serious....
 
#8 ·
hey JR, take your car to your Ford dealer and tell them about the clicking, mine did that, the steering rack was just hitting a piece of the aluminium heat sheild. They fixed it in 5 minutes.

My only other problem is a spot on the screen of my premium sound display, but a new one is on the way from Ford under warranty.

But hey, these are just teething problems for a new model, a fantastic new model, i might ad.
 
#9 ·
As Mr Dundee might have said;

That's not a lot, this is a lot!

I can't be bothered preparing a full list, it goes well beyond 10 items and does include a number of minor issues. As I have told the dealer, I'll stop being pedantic about things they and Ford stuff up when they stop stuffing them up.

Frustrating I agree, I wish I could say the average was only going back twice. Generally the only things that were fixed the first time have been those I hadn't even noticed (like the weeping axle oil seal).

JR said:
This may seem a lot, but it’s not that these little faults are there that I find frustrating, it’s that you have to go back to the dealer on average at least twice with each of them.
 
#10 ·
Well we've had to have the left engine mount replaced twice since April, it's been about 6 weeks since the last time, fingers crossed it doesn't happen again, if so I'm gonna get them to see if something else is causing the problem.
 
G
#11 ·
hi
I have an xr8 which has done 4000kms and it has been back to the dealer 4 times with a major oil leak the last time they had it for 4 days and it is still leaking, it also has a vibration problem, paint missing from the front spoiler and broken fuse box cover, so as far as I am concerned they are not well assembled.
 
#12 ·
Guys,
Need to remember the Falcon is an Australian built Ford, not your precision built German or Jap cars.
Were at least 5-10 years behind the world's best in terms of quality; not technology or design, and no-one can deny that fact.

The fact that Ford Aus is selling more Falcons than they can produce doesn't help the quality situation, as their focus is on volume rather than quality.

Car manufacturers can position their products using either cost(price), quality, technology, safety, performance, or a combination of these factors to give end users like us a particular perception.
The Falcon is based on-
*Low cost (price) - based on high volumes, economies of scale (ie..the more you produce, the cheaper each unit is..)
*Reasonable (more towards low-end) quality.
*Reasonable technology - catchup compared with European and Japanese manufactorers.
* Reasonable safety levels.
*Good to high performance - how many other cars can leave a Falcon XT behind at the lights, even an XT model

Consumers like us need to be more weary, and vote with our wallets. From what I hear on this forum, and from dealers and other friends, people would be wiser in waiting for things settle down further with the BA Falcon, which may force Ford to look at 'upping' their quality and releasing a series 2 or maybe 3, or even a new Falcon (2005...).

As long as Australians keep buying Falcons with these inherent faults, Ford will keep selling them to 'us'. :doh: ...and I call them inherent, because I keep hearing about the same damn faults !

If these faults filter down into the new Territory, and considering the competition in the light/compact 4WD market, Ford may get some good initial sales, but watch the slow-down afterwards - as well as their resale value !
As the BA's body is mainly based on the AU (with a new suspension, engine and interior - that looks better, but with cheaper materials), and this many inherent faults have arisen, imagine the 'workmanship' on a totally new 'project' like the Territory. :doh:
 
#13 ·
Don't even start me on the faults.

leaks leaks and more leaks, power steering, coolant, rain water into the cabin, steering rack clicking, hand brake sticking (been fixed 4 times!!!!), broken gear knob (this 1st was repaired by dealer by stuffing the knob with cardboard) has been replaced with a new one now. Fan belt problems, rough idle, faulty electonic throttle system, this took 6 attempts to fix and it ended up with leaving me stuck on the side of the freeway.....the list goes on and on.

My wife drive a VYII commodore S as a company car. Engine is underpowered compared to falcon, however there's no competition when it comes to build quality, commodore comes up number 1.

I know there is always a bad example, however i've had 5 falcons, and 1 commodore, the commodore beats all 5 falcons hands down for quality.
 
#16 ·
dk_falconXR6 said:
Don't even start me on the faults.

leaks leaks and more leaks, power steering, coolant, rain water into the cabin, steering rack clicking, hand brake sticking (been fixed 4 times!!!!), broken gear knob (this 1st was repaired by dealer by stuffing the knob with cardboard) has been replaced with a new one now. Fan belt problems, rough idle, faulty electonic throttle system, this took 6 attempts to fix and it ended up with leaving me stuck on the side of the freeway.....the list goes on and on.

My wife drive a VYII commodore S as a company car. Engine is underpowered compared to falcon, however there's no competition when it comes to build quality, commodore comes up number 1.

I know there is always a bad example, however i've had 5 falcons, and 1 commodore, the commodore beats all 5 falcons hands down for quality.
Got to argee with you on this. It the reason why I bought a VY as well. I was sick or replacing items that failed on my EL because Ford decided to cut a few corners on quality to save a dollar. I personally would have loved to have bought a Barra, but the lack of build quality on my previous EL really got me wondering if it was worth the risk of another Ford. In the end I decided to take a punt on the Holden & couldn't be happier with the build quality of it.

Hopefully Ford will get it act together soon as I would have really loved to have bought a Ford, but the continual problems & the Ford dearlers (that I visited to try & sort out the problems) lack of interest to do anything about them have forced me look elsewhere.

I hope in time Ford can build a car build as well as the Commodore & then I will be able to happily buy & drive another Ford again.

cheers.
 
#17 ·
sorry guys i like the Wheels car of the year BA. The VY has had nothing more than a few cosmetic, makeover changes in the last 5 years, thats why the Wheels magazine didn't considered to be even judged to make the class for this award.... i like new technology and engineering thats why i bought the car of the year.
PS. surely all the motoring journalist didn’t get it wrong about the BA..??
 
#19 ·
The Motoring Journalist only really gets to see the driveability and engineering aspects of the car. I'm sure we all agree the BA is a great car to look at and drive, but even these great features wear a little thin when you need to return the car up to 6 times to have the same thing fixed......
What would a journo say if he had the car for a 6 month test, I'd be willing to bet that the BA doesn't win any awards let alone "Car of the Year"
 
#20 ·
It is very easy to be lead astray by COTY awards. remember the P-76 won it too, it comes down to engineering excellence, assembly incompetence.
I have a BA xr6 and love the way it drives and functions, couldn't be happier, but just look at a BA overall, firstly the underbonnet sticker will be peeling off, due to poor application; second, rust streaks coming from strut towers, third, bonnet release mechanism not located in fuse holder correctly so it will break off; Fourth, dash pad finish above pass airbag distorted, fifth, general misalignement of trim, flimsy centre console lid; Sixth, drivetrain clunk; Seventh, Brakes, WTF were they thinking, Eighth, Paint durability, already rust in rear door.
The two Vx's 2's and the Vy s packs here on the other hand no dramas, basic alignment isuues and BEM problems but fine to drive.
On this independant observation, of 5 vehicles all delivered withing 3 months of each other, the GM product has better quality control.
The saving grace for me is the Nova Ford service department is top notch on service and customer satisfaction, the Holden dealer is just and utter arrogant prick, so I guess if the service roles were reversed I would be mighty peeved at Ford by now.
 
#21 · (Edited)
Holden have been building pretty much the same car for a while now so they have had plenty of time to work through any problems whereas Ford hasn't even had a year to. Quality is improving I believe as the Things Gone Wrong per 1000 vehicles has nearly halved over the last few months and quality issues are still being worked through so this will continue to fall. I have had my XR8 for 4 months now and I have not had a single problem with it. It is tight as a drum, no rattles, creaks or any other noises and the panel fit is spot on inside and out so don't paint all BA's with the same brush by saying the quality is bad on all vehicles. As for the P-76, the cars tested by the media were hand built and thouroughly tested by Leyland before they were sent out to be road tested so it was no suprise that the journalists raved about them after they drove them. The cars that actually went down the assembly line were mostly absolute garbage and overheated and fell apart after a few weeks on the road.
 
#22 ·
Yep pretty well spot on, not many new surprises or suppliers in the GM camp, for a new model the BA is doing great, not like the EA ever was.
Everyone bags the P-76 and yes I was one of them for years until I met a bloke out in western queensland who had a fleet of the bastards for property work, his rule was, don't pay more than $100, retourque the cylinder heads, heaps of carby cleaner, tighten every nut and bolt, solder up the fuse panel, punch out the windscreen, off with the bootlid, CIG locker the diff and no exhaust, what a shooting truck, couldn't kill them and went nearly everywhere the cruiser utes went. He also had an absolute mint "targa florio" V8 manual, sat better than his fairlane on the road at 160+, heaps of guts, they were well ahead of their time when you think HJ premier and XB fairmont.
 
#23 ·
Yeah the Leyland was a case of a good design, and engineering ideas let down by a factory with no money to build it right! If they'd have got the quality up who knows what may have happened?

The BAs seem to do alright - there's no more complaints here than I've seen in Chrysler forums about Chryslers, in Renault forums about Renaults or Mazda forums about Mazdas....
 
#24 ·
Keep in mind it is not just the overall quality I wanted to poll, but also the consistency of assembly. Then we would know dealers speak the truth when they say "they're all like that".
I also think that we should not have to consider who built the car, if it is marketed at a certain level, then the finish and consistency should be appropriate. In my case I am talking about a BA Fairmont Ghia, the luxury model in the Falcon range.
Ford pitch this car directly at people who are also looking at precision built German (ie Volkswagon Passat) and Japanese (ie Honda Accord) vehicles.
It must easily be the most profitable car for Ford in the Falcon line up as you pay bucketloads extra for the extras that cost Ford very little more.

JamesA said:
Guys,
Need to remember the Falcon is an Australian built Ford, not your precision built German or Jap cars.
Were at least 5-10 years behind the world's best in terms of quality; not technology or design, and no-one can deny that fact.
 
#25 ·
supermono said:
Keep in mind it is not just the overall quality I wanted to poll, but also the consistency of assembly. Then we would know dealers speak the truth when they say "they're all like that".
I also think that we should not have to consider who built the car, if it is marketed at a certain level, then the finish and consistency should be appropriate. In my case I am talking about a BA Fairmont Ghia, the luxury model in the Falcon range.
Ford pitch this car directly at people who are also looking at precision built German (ie Volkswagon Passat) and Japanese (ie Honda Accord) vehicles.
It must easily be the most profitable car for Ford in the Falcon line up as you pay bucketloads extra for the extras that cost Ford very little more.
Having driven an XT, Futura, Fairmont and Fairmont Ghia, I have found little or no difference in the build quality between them, only the additions like climate control, slightly different seating materials, different instrument cluster colours, traction control, alloys ..etc. The dashboard was made of the same "dog-nose" textured plastic in all models, and the cars build and ride felt pretty much the same in terms of tightness and feel. (slightly harder/stiffer suspension on the Ghia which I dont particularly like..). Paint jobs were the same - typical two coat enamel. Take a Merc, BWM or Porcshe which gets 4-5 coats....

Ford makes a bucket load of $'s on the upper models, and try to justify the extra cost via the features like climate control, different instrument cluster colour, traction control, 4 x alloys and a Fairmont badge. Is anyone going to seriously tell me that those extra's cost an additional $10k ???? Ford would probably try to justify it by saying that different materials (quality!?!?), and manufacturing processes are in place to build the upper models, and adds to the unit cost. Paying more for something 'different' is at the heart of marketing ethos, and thats why people get ripped-off.

I remember reading an article in a BRW magazine about 3 years ago that made an estimate at the unit pricing for the average Australian car (Falcon & Commodore), which was put at between $10-12,000 each (base models ). The article was just before the introduction of the GST, and was based on how new car buyers would save, but how these savings would be 'eaten up' by the car company's within 6-12 months - which happened ..funny that - what happened to our GST savings ??? (thats for another story..).
My estimate is that Ford is making at least a 50% margin on its base models, and even more on the upper models. This doesn't include the bullshit "on-roads" you end up paying the dealer to take the plastic off the seats, fold out the mirrors and give it a wash.

Anyway, the point I am trying to make is that consumers are being "taken for a ride" when it comes to the upper model spec cars if they are expecting higher build quality, because I KNOW its not there......not the ones I've driven anyway. The falicy is even deeper in resale value, as the upper models hold their value better, because the 'perception' exists that they are better cars by virtue of their features, and probably quality. Although the fact remains that their quality is the same as the base models.

Its also based on what your definition of "quality" is. My definition is "how well something is designed, manufactured, sold/supported and performs in undertaking a certain function.
The Falcon does the job very well, but could be better. eg ..the 2 or 3 recalls doesn't help, cheap internal materials, the 'good-enough' paint job, 4-speed auto (should be 5 or Continuously variable by now..), steering wheel rattle/shudder, brake shudder, window glass rattling when door closed with windows down..etc..etc (just read the problems people are having on this forum..).

At the end of the day, a Ford is a Ford. And whether I bought an XT or a Fairmont Ghia, I'd expect (& get) the same 'quality'.

...And damit, I'd miss the above problems if I went and bought a Merc or BMW!
 
#26 ·
Similar to that - there's a statistic floating around somewhere that pretty much looks att he base cost of building a car in every country that sells a volume of them.

The interesting things was that uniformly cars cost about the same to make anywhere in the world if you count labour time, plant costs and materials. That is a Benz doesn't cost appreciably more to build than equivalent Chrysler, or an Equivalent Aussie car. Sure the cost fo the labour is different though and factors like that - but att he end of the the day there's not a huge amount in it.

The difference apparently comes back to production rates, labour costs (pay more for better quality) and design/supplier quality...

You'd be surpirsed to read some of the Daimler Chrysler releases about hwo they've improving quality of the US built Chrysler simply through screwing the supplier chain for lower cost and better quality parts. In other words often it's not the production line at fault but a outside contract component builder that builds a component from a design using the cheapest and nastiest method to make themselves the most profit.

You have to wonder why brake rotors are such a problem for both Holden and Ford............
 
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