Floor mats 1998svt - CEG Archives

Ok everyone, I think I have all the costs worked out. If you want mats and you're on the list or you just asked to get in on this then here is the payment plan.

If you live in the lower 48 states:

1 set = $82.00
2 sets = $147.00

If you live in Canada:

1 set = $97.00 USD = $153.26 CAD
2 sets = $167.00 USD = $263.86 CAD

Here's the way I calculated the costs:

Mats = $60 per set
S&H (Falcon to Me) = $8 per person
Cost of Box = $4.00 (I was shocked to find that 1 card board box costs this much in DC but such is the case.)
S&H (Me to You) = $10 for 1 set, in lower 48 via FedEx
= $15 for 2 sets, in lower 48 via FedEx
= $25 for 1 set, in Canada via USPS
= $35 for 2 sets, in Canada via USPS

For those of you living in the lower 48 US States, mats will be shipped via FedEx ground service with delivery in up to 5 business days. For our Canadian brethren I will ship the mats via USPS Airmail Parcel Post with delivery in 4-10 business days.

For some people the shipping costs may seem a little high, for others though, it is actually slightly less than what the actual shipping costs will be- it all depends on where you live and how far you are from DC. I wanted to give one rate to everyone so I averaged on the high side of what the shipping rates are likely to be. I think it is small price to pay for the work that is going in to getting these things shipped out to you all. The price is also still way cheaper than what you would normally pay for a set of 4 customized mats. (Just look in the back of your Road & Track or Automobile mag for some price comparison.)

The way payment will work is that everybody who is still interested will need to send me either a personal check or a money order. Call me paranoid

, but I am not particularly interested in advertising my name and home address over the internet for everyone in the world to see, so I am thinking that we should start an email list.

So, as soon as everyone who is still interested will either send me a PM or an email to Hoplite430@aol.com with the info below, then I will send you all an email with my home mailing address and cell number.

Here's the info I need from you:

-CEG Name
-Real Name
-Email address
-Shipping Address for the mats
-Phone number (optional, but the FedEx packing slips ask for it and if they have a problem with delivery for whatever reason they'll have a number to call.)

Does this sound reasonable to everyone? I know setting up an email list is adding an extra step to the process but I am just much more comfortable going this route.

Assuming it takes 1-2 weeks to get everybodies payment to me and 2-3 weeks to get these mats manufactured, I foresee these things being ready for shipment out to you all by the 3rd week in December. Sound about right to you all?

Originally posted by Shaggy:

Originally posted by Kevdogg410:
If anyone does have any for sale could you let me know?

Thanks

I have an extra set from the last GB. Drop me a PM if you're interested.

I'm also interested in a set but Kevdogg410 asked first, so if someone else out there has an extra set I'm interested!!

Any updates??

Originally posted by miller542:
Any updates??

I was out of town on vacation for the last 5 days

so I don't have too much to update except that today I sent Falcon the email pasted below. Hopefully I'll hear back from them in the next day or so and when I do I'll be sure to let everybody know.

"Grant,

Sorry about the delay but I was out of town for the last 5 days. Attached is the Buyer's List I compiled for the purchase of the Contour SVT floor mats. Please let me know if Falcon can arrange the shipping to each individual purchaser. If you can this will surely effect the final cost and the manufacture and delivery time. Whenever you make a decision about the shipping please let me know the estimates for cost and the timing of manufacture & delivery.

Thanks,

Josh"

I did not order any extra sets of mats- but if you're really interested you can try to do what we did... start another Group Buy!! Falcon is the name of the company that manufactures the mats and I can give you their contact info if you PM me. They require a minimum order of 10 sets of mats.

If you want to start a GB I would recommend waiting a few months. After winter is over there may be a another group of CEGers ready to replace their mats.

Happy Floor Mat Hunting!!

I got a response from Falcon and it seems that it will not be a problem for them to directly ship the mats out to everybody. This should speed the process up by at least 2 weeks!!

It is going to take them a couple days to work up all the cost and production timing information but I'll let you all know as soon as I hear from them.

Originally posted by Thinkmoto:

Originally posted by Shaggy:

Originally posted by Kevdogg410:
If anyone does have any for sale could you let me know?

Thanks

I have an extra set from the last GB. Drop me a PM if you're interested.

I'm also interested in a set but Kevdogg410 asked first, so if someone else out there has an extra set I'm interested!!

Still available, drop me a PM.

Good news everybody!!!

I talked to Falcon and the mats will be ready for delivery in 2 weeks (on about January 21st)!!

I still need to deposit all your checks and money orders but once they have all (or atleast most) have cleared I will write a check for the whole lot and send it to them.

WooHoo!!!

u r the man..... hey if anyone wants to help out... the Bm short shifter GB need 8 more buyers for 140.00 a piece... just thought i would be a whore... sorry...<---- excited for recieving items.

Hey, that's great news. I can't wait to get them!!!

Originally posted by svtdc:
Good news everybody!!!

I talked to Falcon and the mats will be ready for delivery in 2 weeks (on about January 21st)!!

I still need to deposit all your checks and money orders but once they have all (or atleast most) have cleared I will write a check for the whole lot and send it to them.

WooHoo!!!

Cool. Can't wait!

Are we still on for the 21st?

Originally posted by Bridge:
Are we still on for the 21st?

I think so. I haven't heard anything from Falcon but I am planning to mail them the payment tomorrow. I will email them tomorrow as well to let them know the payment is coming and will ask for an update at the same time.

Good news- We're ahead of schedule!

See the message below from Falcon:

"Hi Josh,

Just want to let you know that production is actually ahead of schedule for a change. Your mats will be packaged and ready for shipment by the end of the week. As soon as your check arrives they will be on their way.

Thanks,
Grant"

I dropped the check in the mail today so they should receive payment at about the same time the mats are ready to be shipped out to you all. This things is running like clockwork!

Sweet!
Too bad it's winter!!lol
But I'm sure they'll look just as good in the spring!!

this should go down in CEG history as the most efficient, fastest, and easiest GB . . . other ones I've been on have been painful, long, and drawnout. . .this one has been drama free, thanks for arranging it!!!

Hey,

Any further updates for us?
Is Falcon going to send them directly to each of us?

No updates at the moment. I'm going to send them email tomorrow to see if they've received the check and where they are in the manufacturing process.

And yes, they are going to be shipping the mats directly to each of us.

This just in from Falcon!

"The check arrived in this afternoons mail. We will ship the mats tomorrow."

WooHoo!

Can't wait.
Thanks for everything.

Originally posted by svtdc:

We will ship the mats tomorrow."

WooHoo!

WooHoo is right!! That's great news, I'll be looking for them!

I just received the mats
it is nice
thanks for doing this

How did you get them? UPS Fed Ex?

Originally posted by svtcont00:
I just received the mats
it is nice
thanks for doing this

You got the mats!? Awesome!

How do they look? And, yeah, how were they sent?

I got them by UPS
For me it is pretty good job done by falcon
I am happy with the mats

Anyone got a set they want to sell?

Gottem!!!

Look kinda grey, like the ones that Bill Jenkins sent back to get better matching ones last gb, but I'm not gonna complain cause my carpet and the rest of my interior has faded anyways and I think it contrasts pretty nicely.

SVT on both front mats ... thats awesome!

Jared

I hope they don't look that grey!

I have some of the miscolored ones from the original Bill Jenkins group and they don't look anything like the color sample Falcon sent me. The original batch Bill had made looked grey (no where near dark blue), but the carpet sample that Falcon sent was definitely a dark blue with a tinge of dark grey.

According to Falcon, dark blue is one of the hardest colors to replicate accurately. Don't ask me why...

I'll compare the mats when I get them to the color sample they gave me. If there is any difference then Falcon is definitely gonna here it from me!

For now though, I'm still waiting...

Thheeerreeee hhheeeeeerrrrrreeeee!!!

They do look pretty good, although the SVT logo looks a tad bit funny (I just can't put my finger on what...)

All bitching aside, They look great. Thanks again for your time and efforts in getting this thing rolling.

Originally posted by svtdc:
I hope they don't look that grey! I have some of the miscolored ones from the original Bill Jenkins group and they don't look anything like the color sample Falcon sent me. The original batch Bill had made looked grey (no where near dark blue), but the carpet sample that Falcon sent was definitely a dark blue with a tinge of dark grey.

According to Falcon, dark blue is one of the hardest colors to replicate accurately. Don't ask me why...

I'll compare the mats when I get them to the color sample they gave me. If there is any difference then Falcon is definitely gonna here it from me!

For now though, I'm still waiting...

I got my set today too! They are kind of grey but it's not that bad. Thanks for your hard work SVTDC!

Got 'Em!! Got 'Em!! Got 'Em!! Got 'Em!!

They look really good, about the best we're gonna get unless we jump back to 2000 and get some from Ford. I'm very pleased.

Thanks a million to svtdc for doing this.

hehe, GOT MINE TOO!!!! ANd I took pics. . .thanks!!! My interior looks so new again! THey're pretty grey, but I like that anyways, and the carpet is so much more plusher (GOD do I sound like a ghey ad). . .

SVTdc ROX! Thanks for organizing the GB!

old mat on the left for comparison, see how fluffy the new ones are (don't question my manhood with these descriptions)

Suneil

hey wait a second now.....i ordered midnight blue floormats, NOT gray ones....that is fine and dandy that you guys are ok with yours......but that doesnt mean that everyone is gonna be cool with having off-colored floor mats.....i dont want off colored floor mats......one thing that makes me mad about this is that this happened once before, and they corrected the problem and those people got midnight blue mats. now we try a second group buy with these and they give us off colored floor mats again!? am i seriously the only person that is bothered by this.....i mean those pictures, the mats dont match at all, especially if you have a custom silver/blue interior with NO gray in it anywhere......

i kinda agree man... i have two sets of greyish mats now.... but if there is nothing i can do about it... then what can i say....

I still haven't gotten mine yet, but like I said earlier, when I do I will compare them to the carpet sample they sent me and if there is a difference I will contact Falcon and insist that they replace our mats.

For the time being, please make sure you save your boxes and any documentation that came with the mats.

Thanks.

Originally posted by svtdc:
I still haven't gotten mine yet, but like I said earlier, when I do I will compare them to the carpet sample they sent me and if there is a difference I will contact Falcon and insist that they replace our mats.

For the time being, please make sure you save your boxes and any documentation that came with the mats.

Thanks.

so for now, should I keep the stuff in the box. . .I think I threw one of them away. . .crap. I don't know, they're grey, but I didn't think we had any recourse. . .

Got mine today! Thanks again.
They really look gray to me also.
I don't have a huge problem w/ that, but
if you can get us correct ones that is great.

Originally posted by csc99svt:
hey wait a second now.....i ordered midnight blue floormats, NOT gray ones....that is fine and dandy that you guys are ok with yours......but that doesnt mean that everyone is gonna be cool with having off-colored floor mats.....i dont want off colored floor mats......one thing that makes me mad about this is that this happened once before, and they corrected the problem and those people got midnight blue mats. now we try a second group buy with these and they give us off colored floor mats again!? am i seriously the only person that is bothered by this.....i mean those pictures, the mats dont match at all, especially if you have a custom silver/blue interior with NO gray in it anywhere......

Yeah I'm not liking the grey at all

yep got mine today.....this aint cuttin it......they are in the box ready to go back....just let me know when and where.......

Well I received my mats finally and I compared them to the color sample that Falcon sent me a couple months ago and which I approved. There is not a huge difference but there is definitely a difference. It's as if they took out the blue and left the dark grey in.

Now like I said earlier, the mats were not going to be a perfect match. The color sample they sent me, which is supposedly what they used on the last batch for Bill Jenkins, was slightly greyer than the OEM midnight blue but it was definitely bluer than the mats they sent us.

All that being said, I am going to get in touch with Falcon and see how we can remedy this situation. One thing that will be an issue in all this is that I have to take a business trip to the Balkans for a week beginning Sunday and I will thus be unable to keep up with communications.

This means that I may need somoene to step in (at least temporarily) to stay in touch with Falcon while I am out of the country and unavailable. Does anybody want to volunteer? I want someone who will be firm but not an [censored]; it does no good to piss people off.

Alright folks, here's the email I sent Falcon. If I don't here from them by tomorrow I will call. MarkusSVT has graciously voluteered to be the point man while I'm out. We'll keep you posted.

"Grant,

I and many of the others have received the mats and there is a general consensus that the mats are not dark blue, but dark grey. I compared the mats you shipped with the color sample you sent me and there is a discernable difference. The mats you shipped seem to lack the blue quality that was in the color sample.

I know you indicated that it was very hard to get a good match with dark blue, and I would certainly not be complaining if the color sample did not differ from the mats, but the fact is, a number of the buyers are dissatisfied with their purchase and the mats do differ from the color sample.

What can we do to rectify the situation. I know some of the buyers (including myself) would like to return their mats to be replaced by a set(s) that match the color sample.

Also, I am going to be out of town from Feb 2-9 so I have enlisted one of the buyers, Markus, to deal with this while I am out. He has been copied on this email so please copy him on your reply.

Thanks,

Josh"

Sounds good
I just don't want to get raped on shipping costs on this one.

I agree the mats are not dark blue and i would send mine back if there is a possablity of that happening. Still they are good quality and they do look nice but i think dark blue would be alot better.

Well Grant at Falcon just called me (good sign) and the next step is that I am going to send him one of my rear mats and a portion of the color sample so that he can see the difference and check to see if the production folks made a mistake.

MarkusSVT and I will keep you posted but it looks like there won't be any new information until they get the return shipment from me (which could take a week or so).

Once again I'll have to ask for you all to hold tight. This is a major PIA and the timing couldn't be worse for me but such is life.

I agree, once I put them in the car, they don't match at all. Unfortunately, I too will be sending mine back for replacement.
The downside is that they will probably never do mats for us again.

Any news on the situation?

i havent heard anything yet... i will go ahead and call again tomorrow, \ i will post with any info that i get then....

I call off my dibs on the floormats Markus, don't want gray mats... thanks though

ttt.....so what am i supposed to do with my grey mats?

Hey everyone, I happen to have a free moment here. I'm sitting in an internet cafe in Podgorica, Montenegro and thought I'd check in with the CEG.

While out here I received the following email from Falcon:

"Josh,

This is in reply to your concern about the carpet color of your SVT Contour floor mats. We checked our production records and can confirm that the carpet used for this order is from the same carpet roll and dye lot as the previous SVT order placed by Bill Jenkins at Sentry South Lincoln Mercury.

The reason some owners are questioning the floor mat carpet color can be answered by the following situations.

1. Our experience in matching carpet colors has revealed quite noticeable inconsistencies in OEM carpet color shades from one vehicle to the next. For various programs we receive master OEM carpet samples from the car manufacturers (Ford, GM, etc.) and match our carpet to their master. When we go to the real world of actual carpet installed in the vehicles we find that very seldom does the OEM carpet match the vehicles carpet exactly. We find the greatest variances occurring in Ford Motor Company vehicles. For example, I recently went to a local Lincoln dealer to check the color and pattern for a Lincoln LS program we are working on. There were three LS vehicles in a row, all with the same color interior. Each vehicle had a different shade of carpet and none of them exactly matched the OEM master sample we were given.

2. The carpet color in any vehicle will change as the vehicle ages. Sunlight, cleaning, even just normal exposure to air will alter the shade of any carpet. Since Ford Contours are a minimum of three years old these natural shading changes are sure to have taken place.

Our 22oz. carpet, full binding, direct embroidery and aggressive nibbed backing combine to produce what we believe is the highest quality floor mat available. The carpet used for your order had been matched to a master sample but with the combination of factors noted above (varying original carpet shading and the age of the vehicles), we would be unable to guarantee an exact floor mat color match to any particular vehicles carpet.

Regards,

Grant McCormick
Falcon Enterprises"

I have to say, as the days passed and right before I left for my trip the mats they shipped seemed to change color slightly and look more and more like the color sample. As you can see from the email from Falcon, it doesn't look like we can get a refund or have them remanufactured because they used the correct pre-approved carpet color based on the sample they sent.

Now you can all blame me for this, but in my own defense I have to say that at the time the sample (which was a 6"x4" piece of carpet)looked like a very good, though not perfect, match to the carpet in my car. On top of that, the comments from the previous purchasers of these mats all stated that they were very satisfied with their purchase and this led me to believe that these were indeed a good match.

I am bummed that this is the way this all fell out- it makes me look like an a-hole who screwed up, but there isn't much I can do and I don't know what I could have done differently. (And to boot, my mats don't match closely either and like some of you I spent the money for 2 sets.)

Despite the difficulty in getting a close match in the color for these mats, Falcon and their rep, Grant McCormick, have been very professional and understanding throughout the process. I would still recommend doing business with them.

I know you are all probably some where between bummed and pissed about this so feel free to vent your frustrations with me over PM or the thread.

so miracoulously all the interior in my car has faded to exact same damn shade, so my 80 bucks is down the drain....man please.

i am just gonna leave it at this, before i say something that gets me in trouble with lance or somebody...

i would rather have mats period then matsd with giant holes in them.... thanks for the GB SVTdc, i can live with them....

When I first got mine via UPS, I thought they looked pretty grey. After I placed them in the car for a test, they really don't look that bad. There is a subtle difference between the actual carpet and the mats, but it is acceptable to me. And like said above, they are 1000% better than mats with a hole in them from working the clutch all the time.

All in all, I am satisfied with the Group Buy and thank you for putting this together.

SVTDC, my mats fit the retainer pin and don't slip around under my feet. That alone would have been enough for me, but also considering the fact that I had no SVT mats (the seller threw in cheap gray ones, literally). The dark denim blue ones from ford parts online weren't SVT and didn't hook on to the floor pin or really match the interior. So for what I have now compared to what I had I'm cool with them. Plus not having had any originals for comparison definitely makes them easy to accept. Also, Grant makes a good point about the carpet and backing quality of these mats they're much higher quality than the mats I mention in this post.

Thank you for your time and effort.

Blest92.5

I'm going to put it like this...the color of the mats suck. BUT, they are of high build quality. AND svtdc did bend over backwards to try to get this thing rolling, keep it rolling, and scratch everyone's ass at the same time. Nothing's ever perfect in this world, including these mats. I can live with 'em. No hard feelings...

Thanks for all of your time and effort.

hey, the mats look nice, great quality, and fit and finish is superb. They may not match, but I like the look, like I said before everybody wanted a refund. Don't feel bad SVTDC, I like 'em, and compared to what most of us had before, this a 1000% better.

Suneil

I like the mats a lot
and actually I prefer this than my original mats
but every people have different taste

Hey if anyone has a set they want to unload, I would definately be interested.

I didn't read this whole thread, but I give you credit svt for even going through the headache of trying to arrange a group buy! I did it once when I belonged to another site and it was a PITA!! It seemed like there was always someone who wanted to [censored] and moan, even when things went well.

ya no doubt svtdc this was awsome and i love my mats

A few comments on Fabric color:
WARNIG _ LONG BORING POST:

OEM's view color as very subjective. For this reason, Shade Ranges are almost always established. Shifts in production are recognized, understood and accepted. However, the shift must gradual. Because of this, the matching/evaluation process is always done with a McBeth light and the naked eye. However, most Suppliers and OEM's will utilize a Color PhotoSpectrometer to understand which direction a color may be off. There are two primary measurements used, Delta E and Delta E cmc. A Delta E of less than 1.0 is usually acceptable to most OEM's for further evaluation. Anything outside that range is unacceptable.

I take exception to Falcons comment that Blue is the hardest color to replicate. Reds are by far the most difficult, followed by tan/beige/sand colors. It would be intersesting to know what fibers (yarn) are used. Nylon will have very robust colorfastness - it is typically piece dyed in pre-metalized acid dyes. As SVT's are at the most 5 years old, only a convertible SVT parked in Arizona should have significant fade issues. If the yarn is Polyester, then the dispersed dystuffs are more challenging to attain colorfastness. Either way, I assume the carpet is piece dyed in a beam or a jet. If it was the same roll, and more importantly, the same Dye Lot, the the carpet you recently recieved should be VERY close to the original Bill Jenkins group buy. Perhaps two CEGer's who live near each other could compare the 2 different group buys. This would tell a lot.

I don't believe for one minute that the mats would be anywhere close to the official Ford Master. Even through my uncalibrated monitor, the pictures above would suggest a Delta E from the Master greater than 2.0. The Quote from Falcon, "we would be unable to guarantee an exact floor mat color match to any particular vehicles carpet.
", is misleading. Falcon should not match a vehicle, they should match the Ford master. That would put their color in the middle of any production shade range variance.

Hypothetical scenario:
If the CEG buyers were a tier 1 company supplying Ford Motor Company, I would expect a rejection at the plant level, or better yet internal quality to reject back to the tier 2 (Falcon). If Tier 1 and Tier 2 can't agree, the a trip to Dearborn would be arranged for Ford Design Craftsmanship or Color Mastering to decide. My experience tells me that Falcon would be rejected.

I'm not posting to rain on anyones parade - awesome job on pulling a GB together. But I don't think you got what you paid for.

Mark

Count me in for new mats. Midnight Blue. My mats are getting old and I want new ones.

dude, this GB is over.

Originally posted by Trapps:
I don't think you got what you paid for.

Thank You. At least SOMEONE agrees with me.

Again, Thanks for the GB effort, but the finished product is sh!t.

I am glad most of you are relatively satisfied with your mats. The quality of the mats is definitely A1

, but the color is definitely off.

As it turns out, I just realized that the only way we could have ordered a different carpet color would have been if we ordered a minumum of something like 100-150 sets. There is a very high minimum order when you are ordering a new carpet color and we were in no position to order that many sets.

We were really only able to order as few mats as we did because they had the left over carpet from the previous GB that Bill Jenkins set up. So it probably would have either been these mats or no mats at all!

I will tell you all that organizing a GB is no walk in the park- this one was a PIA but it still must have been easier than most. I didn't have to send the manufacture anything because they already had the floor mat template from the previous GB and I didn't have to directly ship them to each of you- the manufacturer did that. Really the hardest part is balancing the GB with your day-to-day job. If all you had to do was organize GBs for a living it would be cake!

For anybody who wants the same mats we received you can contact Falcon directly. Last I knew they thought they could accomodate a few individual orders. (Of course, at this point they only have a very limited supply of the carpet left.)

Here's the contact info:

Grant McCormick
Falcon Enterprises
1305 E. Wakeham Ave.
Santa Ana, CA 92705
714-569-1085, (Fax) 714-569-0793
grant-falcon@pacbell.net

well, since I seem to be in the minority here about liking them, just wanted to say that as they wear and get dirty, they start to match a bit better. . .i'm serious, the black/brown schmutz all over houston with this horrible weather (that I drag into the car) really does darken it to MNB. . .