Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General General Message to all SVT owners

Troy, have you heard about the bumper sag many SVT's have? I don't think anyone has found a fix. I took mine in just after i bought it and was told it was sitting right on all the mounting points and there was nothing else to do. So I was left with a 3/4 inch gap around the rear of my car.

Troy, the Silverfrost paint on my car is really not wearing very well. It looks thin, hard to explain but not a pretty site. I know Ford was looking into the paint issue, but what do we do in the meantime?
bwampler@home.com

1314 - someone posted on how to fix the bumpersag - I believe you have to loosen the rear bumper bolts - push up the sag and retighten....

do a search...

good luck

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Toadster - Todd Christ
toadster_ca@hotmail.com
1998 Silver Frost Contour SVT
#1037 of 6535 built, Built May 16, 1997
Moderator: CEG Northern CA Forum
Toadster's SVT Roundup - home of the Contour SVT Owner's List
MODS: KKM Intake , TH-Fix , Synthetic Oil , 18% Llumar tint , 9006CB Headlamps , TBD....

Troy,

You asked what we want in your magazine... How about some real tech issues being addressed? I would pay $40/year for a mag that was both informative and fun to read. Maybe some customer examples and some cool tech tips? Do's and Don'ts (sp?) things of that nature. I am sure you guys have taken the contour to the extreme in more ways then one... why not share the knowledge gained from that with us? Ways to eliminate wheel hop? Explain key concepts that most individuals don't understand... Give tips on what works and what doesn't work on the strip and on the track... which tires to run in which situations... parts reviews (ford or foreign design) We all have discussions that go on for days that could have been solved with a simple tech document explaining what a part does, if there was a way for svt to help us gather some more information about the cdw27 platform that would be great. I know my post is a little un-organized, but it's hard to express all the thoughts that have been pent-up for sooo long.

A couple things I do not agree with...

1) Why does ford sell svt parts to non-svt consumers? Shouldn't dealerships require a VIN/name to obtain svt parts? Sure that is not bullet-proof but i believe it is a general concern of all svt owners alike (chime in if you agree/disagree)

2) wouldn't you know it... my mind went blank, i will post my other thoughts once i gather them...

i think i have given you a large enough piece to chew on for right now anyway...

please do not take my post out of context, i am in noway angry with svt, just more dissapointed at the lack of effort a specail vehicle team has made to really make my vehicle special.

one more thing... i think we are lacking a contour that we can be proud of... something we can all look up to... i know those boys in dearborn could put together a bad ass little contour that would wax the floor with most of those rice burners... over in europe there are all kinds of mondeos running around that we certainly would be proud of, why not show us what our cars can really do? i feel "Puff" was a weak attempt at best... Nothing special there... we have a couple of member's cars that would eat that thing for lunch... how about building us (or at least showing us) something to be proud of?

I have to agree on the silver paint issue. I noticed where it is thicker on the bottom of the doors there are spots were it was peeled off. What can I do about this?? Anything?


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Ryan
98.5 Silver Frost Contour SVT 5979/6535
Born: May 15, 1998
~Tweaked Airbox, SRP Racing Pedals w/SVT engraved, Saleen Dead Pedal, Fog Light Mod,B&M Shifter, Ford Door Sill Protectors~
**Mustang Dead Pedal on the Way!!**
84 Thunderbird 5.0
ex 93 Modded SHO

SVT Performance.Com

heh, one of my infamous follow up posts.. i never seem to get everything out in one post...

anyway... on your, svt, ford's behalf, i do believe the tranny issue to be a end-user created problem and not a factory created problem... i think a little information would go a long way on this one... maybe explain the limitations of this (and really any transmission). Some of the people have ligitimate complaints, but i feel if you explained to people that no transmission is going to handle 4000 rpm clutch drops (espcially one that wheel hops like a b!tch), would really help people out...

again, if you guys know of a way to help us eliminate wheel-hop, that would be extremely usefull...

I appologize Troy,I am now a beliver!!
Thanks and welcome!!!!!

There was one other thing that I forgot to touch on in my previous post, and that is good customer service by SVT. I have called SVT maybe 5 or 6 times for different things, and maybe twice I got someone that really seemed to care and interested in helping me. I called a couple times about (not) receiving SVT Enthusiast, and never got an isssue mailed to me until this week (which will be my last issue, I'm told). After seing a post on here that there were some of the cutaway SVT Contour posters available for those who called, I called. I was told that there were none left, sorry. Two weeks later, more people posted here saying they had just called and were getting posters mailed to them. I called again, and sorry, there were no posters. Another couple weeks had passed, and lo and behold, somebody else posted here, saying they called and got one, and that there were like 26 left. I called again, and wad told (by the one guy that really seemed to care, and took the time to actually go and check on it) that the post had causes a flood of calls, and they were all gone. This really peed me off, having called twice before, and told there were none. These guys apparantly didn't even check to see if there were any. Wanna make me happy and show SVT cares? Take one off somebody's wall there and send it to me....

I'm not alone here, either... There have been numerous posts on this board from people that have called SVT and felt like they just didn't care. We have guys that haven't gotten the certificate for their 99 cSVT, despite repeate calls. There are guys with 98's who have never received a single copy of SVT Enthusiast, despite repeated calls. This is slipshod customer service, and adds to our frustrations and anger with SVT.

I appreciate you coming here to address our concerns and your replies. But you (so far) have not been addressing the SVTOA/Promises Broken issue.... And this is one that has a lot of people here hopping mad!

Mark Kissel
zilla@penn.com
2000 SVT Contour
#1441/2150


[This message has been edited by Zilla (edited March 31, 2001).]

A couple things I do not agree with...

1) Why does ford sell svt parts to non-svt consumers? Shouldn't dealerships require a VIN/name to obtain svt parts? Sure that is not bullet-proof but i believe it is a general concern of all svt owners alike (chime in if you agree/disagree)

Why would you have Ford deny me parts? Is my 99 SE somehow unworthy of SVT motor mounts or
exhaust? Why would any SVT part that imparts a performance/durability improvement be off limits to me?
I have zero desire to make my SE look like an SVT ( that's why I bought an SE )but if Ford offers an SVT part that does a better job....I ain't sittin' at the back of the bus!

Troy,

I think it is mighty brave of you to wade into these pirhana infested waters! A little damage control, even if it is on an unofficial and personal level, is clearly needed. You'll have to stick it out here for a while though, if any good is to come of it. Another hit-and-run will only make matters worse.

As you can see, many SVT owners feel like they have been been given the heave-ho without even so much as a kiss goodbye. It isn't JUST that there are few Ford authorized
performance parts or trinkets available. Or even the magazine which, for many, was the coup de gras. Rather, they feel that the whole market segment has been found unworthy and abandoned. They now drive orphans and have been swept under the rug.
With the sole exception of the Contour, SVT has concentrated on vehicles that are impractical for us. The Lightning has the small cab, Focus has only 2 doors, and the Mustang, for most of us, isn't even a blip on our functional-oriented radar screens.

We all understand that when it comes to vehicle offerings that your voice ( and ours, for that matter) is but one of many. Likewise, we understand that the Focus was the obvious choice for SVT's next mission. Make no mistake, many here feel the SVT Focus is brilliant. I suspect that quite a number of us would pony up for one if we had a choice of body styles.
Which begs the question: where is Ford's
( and more specifically SVT's ) sport sedan? Where will the current CSVT owner go for a follow-up vehicle? I doubt that there is a member here who eyes don't get all misty and glazed over at the thought of the new Mondeo being offered here, especially in SVT form.
Volkswagen is feasting on the sport sedan market, now Subaru (!) has joined the table in a big way and we suspect that Mitsubishi is next. All you have to do is read a few of the posts here to understand the impact that the WRX has made here.
I understand that you are not a marketing honcho and again, I understand that you are here on your own. But please, if you have any voice at all, let it be known that CSVT owners desperately want to feel that they were not just an SVT experiment that didn't go much of anywhere and that SVT understands that those of with 4 door needs do not want to be left sitting on the bench. Or worse, shopping elsewhere.

Unfortunately, in a moment of weakness I chickened out and opted for the less visually arresting route and chose an SE.
In the eyes of many, this will make me unqualified to post on this thread. To those that feel that way, I apologize and beg forgiveness.
That said, build me a true sport sedan, support it, nourish it and I'll step up to the plate.