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2015 ST problems

23K views 20 replies 14 participants last post by  FordService 
#1 ·
I just bought my ST around October of 2015. It only has 520 miles on it and I've already noticed a handful of problems. It's an ST3 so for 30k I don't think this is very fair to have these issues.

1. Build quality. I took my ST to one of my friends at a body shop to fix something (Not related to this) and when I went to pick it up he voiced his opinion on how the panels are completely out of line. Huge hood gap, Panel by the bottom of the front window has a huge gap, and just about everywhere you can see them. I know this is a common problem, but seriously? Some other quality issues are the front grill popping out (common) and a corner of my shift boot is sticking out past the metal surrounding it.

2. This is the biggest one yet. PAINT. I work at a detail shop and this is disgusting. I took a look at my hood and roof yesterday and saw TONS of scratches everywhere. Weak paint? I polished and waxed them yesterday and they're still visible. I wouldn't do something like this to my car considering I work at a detailing business. When I first got it, I didn't notice it but after seeing all the scratches everywhere I decided to look around more. I noticed the front bumper doesn't match color with the rest of the car. Its a good shade darker. There appears to be a bubble under the paint on the hatch next to the light, as well as the edges of the different panels seem to be almost faded. This is disgusting. I know it's not a Maserati but this looks like a job done by someone in 15 minutes.

3. Not really a problem, but again, WTF. The exhaust. My 13' Titianium had a louder exhaust I think. I shouldn't have to spend 500+ for a new exhaust.

These are just some things I've noticed in the first 1k miles. I want to see if anyone else had these issues and what you did to fix them. Despite all these problems I still love the ST. If i sold this one, the only thing I'd get is another ST. :)
 
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#3 ·
I don't think the grill popping out is an issue for the 13s and 14s, it seems to be more of a 15/16 thing. The hood gap complaint is as old as the car...it's supposedly intentional to improve air flow and can be reduced by adjusting the stops. Are you sure the car wasn't repaired after an accident?

Paint is definitely an issue...it's crap. Whether it's due to the EPA requirements or just poor quality is irrelevant...it's crap.

The exhaust is intentionally quiet. That's why we have the wonderful sound symposer, so the engine sound comes into the cabin but the car remains quiet outside. It is what it is...if you want more sound then yeah you're gonna have to pay for it.
 
#5 ·
And another thread like this that many of the things mentioned should have been noticed before delivery of the vehicle was taken...I am not without sympathy, but it seems many don't even check the car out thoroughly before hand and then after awhile come to the forums and complain about it.....I seem to be one of the luicky ones as my early build 13 has none of these issues and after 19,000 miles my paint is flawless and I still have no chips in my hood (a very common complaint). I would take it back to the dealer with this list of complaints and take them around the vehicle and show them all to them personally, good luck!
 
#7 ·
Hind sight is 20/20; with that in mind, and not trying to be a d!ck, did you inspect the car prior to purchase? Myself, I took over an hour in the show room with a flashlight going over every inch of mine prior to accepting it. I think your only option is to take it in and see if your dealer will warranty any of your problems. $30,000.00 is a lot to pay for a Focus, but keep in mind that the ST comes off of the same assembly line as every other Focus; fit and finish are not necessarily first and foremost.
 
#9 ·
I was hoping for that too, fortunately the only issue with mine was that they scraped the under side of the front end taking it off of the truck and it was minor. Considering that I pre ordered in June 2012 and was a very early build, I was quite lucky.
 
#10 ·
If you work at a detail shop, you should know that the dealer has no clue how to properly detail a car for delivery. They probably swirled the paint; it's not a factory issue. Yes, the paint is thin. Yes the panel gaps suck on some cars.

I took a good twenty minutes going over my car before signing. I checked body panels, gaps, paint quality. It wasn't test driven but I still checked for dings, scratches, chips. I would do this on a $50,000 Audi. But on a Ford, you best damn make sure that it's right because there are definitely cars that aren't up to snuff.

And after I was satisfied, I told them that it the car even comes close to going through the detail shop, the sale is off. I drove off with the plastic still on the seats.
 
#20 ·
There's some truth in that.

The last car I bought new was my 1991 Eclipse GS Turbo (the new cars in my family go to my wife). I paid $14,800 which was the equivalent to about $26,900 when I got my 2013 ST3. So in essence I paid less for my ST3, which has 33% more power, full power seats, electronic ignition, a much better stereo system, tons of technology, yada yada yada.

The Eclipse was a very inexpensive car at the time and I got it for over 10% under sticker. A new ST1 at $21K is less than $12K back then, for which you would have gotten a Nissan Sentra or Ford Escort (not even a Civic).

It is a bit frustrating to have quality issues on a maxed out ST3 that lists for $30K, but people have to remember that it's essentially a $16K car with a lot of go-fast and technology parts.
 
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