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

Speaking of turns..
2000 black SVT
VIN # 1FAFP68G5YK104807

bumper sag yep got it.

Watched my dealer do the oil change. For one he's not filling up my oil.. it's always 1 quart low. Last time he's doing that, he also threatened to not warranty my car if I put in synthetics.. Warranty says I have to meet or exceed your specs. I think that would be the case.. wouldn't you.

Now to repost what I put up on the SVTOA website because I want SVT to know I mean it. and that I own a contour and am more like these people than the ones who buy two door ground pounders that are highly impractical.

Woohoo B@$TH space. hmm where to start...
Local SVT dealer.. SUCKS its small dingy and has a reputation of scr#@$ing the customer. I walked in there to buy a used Contour SVT I saw on the lot and was directed to a mazda millenium????????? WTF??? That one still burns me up 8 months later. So then I call all over the state looking for an SVT dealer. Not many of them, that's for sure. I even wrote SVT about what I was looking for, never did get a reply about that letter. I wanted a new SVT contour, silver, blue interior.. no wing and a sunroof. What I found one at a dealer over 50 miles away (In jersey this is the equivalent of 400 miles or more in texas) it was black with tan.. had a wing and no sunroof. Well I had finally found one and a friend of mine had done business with them.. They are ok, not great mostly just too damn far to go for service. Now I go to a local dealer not the SVT dealer and my service is ok, not world class but not too bad. Still, dealing with these people is like dealing with the devil, you have to do it.. you just don't feel good about it when your done. They've already mentioned something about voiding my warranty if I put synthetics in without a ford oil filter. Ohh I can't wait because I'm moving to synthetics, there are just too many good real reasons to move to it and not enough bad ones. I can't wait for that battle. Ohh one other thing.. while i was looking for cars I wandered into a few other dealerships of other manufacturers, GM pulled out a computer to see if they could find what I wanted and where to go get it(nice guys, even 5 years worth of oil changes). (why can't ford do that??) Infinity(3 different dealers) offered me loaner cars and service with a white glove and great salesmen. All I can say for sure is that overall the experience at ford is one of SCR@#$ you and gimme your money. Kinda like the local Volkswagon dealer and also the toyota dealer. I'll say this much, I love SVT and the vehicles they produce, but if I have to deal with Ford dealers like the ones I have, I'll probably not buy another one. Sorry guys, love the Contour SVT and the Cobra and the Lightning, but bad experiences affect me as much as any consumer and I'll vote with my wallet. Remember cars are the second highest priced item next to a home that we purchase in our lives. If I don't feel good about it all the way around, why would I repeat it?

Kinda sums up. The experience from ford has been horrible and we are all pissed that a F$#kin Focus gets a loaner car but those of us with a slightly more upscale car don't.

After going through all these posts, I bought my car so that I could Autocross it and take it back and forth to work. If I have to deal with all those parts breaking I'm starting to think I should go sell it now, take the hit to my bank account and go get a Subura WRX, at least I know that will last. I'm really scared here for my car because I know that I am a 'enthusiastic' driver. I've already noticed that second gear doesn't seem to be right, what else I wonder do I have to look forward too? Btw, I've started to notice a 'clunk' from my rear suspension, any ideas people?

I'm more worried than ever, and I think that LSD should have been done from the start regardless of cost. Ohh I got something else from someone from SVT, did you know that ford took out 8lbs of sound insulation because "Americans are more tolerant of road noise than europeans" EXCUSE ME???????????? No, it's just something I have to live with to get the driving pleasure.. It's things like this that have me looking to BMW or some other brand for my next car. Most of us who buy SVT's are young professionals, we're a different generation and Ford better take notice or we are gone,, and gone for good.

Sorry Troy, just my personal feelings about it. BTW, why am I only hearing now about this poster???

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Dave Andrews
Black&Tan 2000 SVT

Damn forgot one thing. When the dealer put the car up on the lift, my side skirts were crushed to hell. You'd think technicians would notice things like that..

Troy,

Without restating everyone elses reply, I agree with all of them, they are all on the mark.

My beef is this - You treat the Contour SVT as if it never existed, therefore you devalue me as a customer. You think you're performance minded at Ford? Take a look at Subaru, I have. I love my SVT Contour, it's exceeded my expectations, however, again you dumped me! PS I see you're still selling Mondeo's in Europe.

David Ford
1999 Svt Contour

I see a number of owners filing complaints in this thread about their SVT dealer. I'd like to add my name to that particular list.

Twice, I have retrieved my '99 SVT from the only SVT dealer within a 150 miles to find one of the sideskirts had been damaged. In both cases, the dealer repaired the damage, but not without giving me the hairy eyeball and asking "are you sure it wasn't like that when you brought it in?"

Perhaps SVT should send an e-mail to all their dealers, a TSB kind of thing, reminding them of the proper procedure for putting one of these cars on a hoist.

As for the "are you sure it wasn't like this?" questions: I've decided from now on, when I take my car in for service, I'll take the rental car approach, and go around the car with the service advisor and have him or her mark any existing scratches, dents or hanging sideskirts on a little diagram to be attached to the work order.

Troy and others have stated that this beef has nothing to do with SVT. Ford dropped the Contour from its line in 2001. SVT cannot support a defunct car, let alone a redesign 2001 Mondeo that would have added more R&D just for use US people. SVT vehicles are limited production. Does anyone really expect SVT to always market a 4-door sports sedan? Always the Lightning? Always the Focus? I certainly don't and it makes my car one of a lot fewer. I realize it translates into squat at resale, but I knew that going in and don't plan to sell my SVT - ever.

SVT has is doing quite a bit pursuing the Contour owners after the sale. Not once has Troy said, if you have a problem, tough luck. I believe he has said more than once feel free to call 1-800-FORD-SVT if having problems dealing with Ford/dealers on a case by case issue.

Aaron

If you get a chance, watch the SVT training video (I got a copy from SVTMAG here)

Yeah, the tech stuff is pretty neat, we probably all already know it.

But the last 30 minutes of the tape is about general sports sedan expectations.

Troy, and others, after you watch that, tell me that Ford and it's dealer partners actually lived up to those expectations.

IMHO, the car pretty much does, but the experience at the "touch points" with the dealer and car maker don't seem to live up what Ford appears to know about the sports sedan buyer.

HTH

Tony

YES, I do. (well, maybe Ford itself if not SVT)

Let's face it, the entry mid-size sports/sporty sedan is a core automotive class, which Ford has chosen to ignore. They have left an enormous gap between the Focus and the Taurus which hundreds of thousands of Grand Am/Stratus/Altima/Galant... buyers can slip right through.

Right now they have nothing to offer 25-34 singles and young couples that don't have families. They want something more than the small cars they're trading in (18-24 group), and don't want mom's Taurus. The Contour fit perfectly, and is a necessary part of any complete car lineup.

How can you say that SVT cannot support a defunct car? Ford doesn't make the Thunderbird any more (save the new limited production version), but they still make parts for the existing cars.

I don't expect Ford to market the same model automobile (except the Mustang) forever. However, I do expect Ford (and SVT) to live up to its end of the bargain and support the enthusiastic consumers of its limited production Special Vehicles. After all, aren't we the people helping Ford to put its best foot forward?

'Nuff said...

SVT is a branch of Ford Motor Company. They should have the same level of support for CSVTs as any other FoMoCo product. More even. Ford sanctioned the limited production of this Special Vehicle and ought to empower the SVT branch to fully support their creation to the reasonable satisfaction of their customers.

As I see it, there is nothing that competes with the void left after the SVT Contour. Not Ford, not Honda, not VW. Certainly not the listed above. None of those are as sporty as the Contiques were. None offer V6 manual trans sedans in a midsize chasis.

It was a niche. Demand for what you want is still there, but I doubt Contour enthusiasts will flock to Grand Ams. Personally, I plan to outgrow the Contour. I hope I don't fall into a rutt of owning the same iteration of a car every 4-5 years. While no one expects the Contour (or any other 15-20K car) to be their dream ride for 40+ years, I hope to never buy another new one. Maybe as cheap transportation used some day, but I have no desire to purchase one for more than $5000. I want a BMW. Which one I'm still deciding, but that is my next goal. I can accomplish that without question, before I turn 28. Will I use it as daily transportation, or maybe a cheap used Contour for that, I don't know.

My point is, the Contour is/was a stepping stone car. As good as it is to a lot of people (myself included), even the SVT wouldn't be on my shopping list for more than a 5 years.

I meant than I wouldn't expect SVT to spend R&D on a 2001 model which was a redesign for the platform) and beyond US SVT Contour (or Mondeo) without there being a regular model.



I agree that they should do this as well. Whether or not they are living up to this part each person has their own feelings. I think SVT is doing okay, although I am not seeking a lot of support from them personally. I do know that both the SVT hot line and Troy are easily accessible. I haven't asked for anything so I don't know if they have followed through. Wait, I moved so I asked Troy via e-mail to update my address which he did for me. But seriously, I know where to go if I encounter similar problems that others have experienced.

Aaron

P.S. see http://contour.org/cgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=1&t=007491