Front inner wheel well issues

[RLE55]

I would second that having 4 foam blocks in the DIYvan kit would be nice. I used some foam sanding blocks so I could do both sides at once. Took an hour for the JBbweld to really set up so doing one at a time would have been a pain. Other than that the kit is great and fit was perfect.

I had used Gorrilla tape to begin with but it was already falling off after 1,000 miles.

So would the blocks be in addition to the covering of the hole either by rubber sheeting cut to dimensions or the Kydex?

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[Sofa King]

So would the blocks be in addition to the covering of the hole either by rubber sheeting cut to dimensions or the Kydex?

The foam blocks are a fixture to hold everything in place until the JB sets up... they are then removed and thrown away.

 

[Bob M.]

Just covered the holes today with Gorrila Black Water Proof tape and did a 400km ride. The tape is holding up well.
It's a shame to have to do this type of repair on a brand new $80K(CND) car.

I have reported the issue with the dealer and opened a case number with Ford. This issue has come up on multiple forums since late last September. It doesn't look like there is any fix coming soon.

I feel bad for the owners who have driven over the winter with the Inner fender holes open.

 

[Bob M.]

Good day everyone, just read all 36 pages of readers posts regarding the holes in the inner front fenders wheel well liners. What f***king joke. I also just duct taped mine over. As someone previously mentioned, we all spent a lot of money and half to repair a factory defect with duct tape.
Suely to goodness, all these readers with their vast connections in the automotive field regarding Ford vehicles somebody has to know someone for the "real story" and if there is any feedback on a fix for this ridiculous problem.

 

[jimbo67]

There is better info in this post at least more recent.

https://www.mustang7g.com/forums/threads/ford-aerodynamics.161207/post-3276988

 

[roadpilot]

Good day everyone, just read all 36 pages of readers posts regarding the holes in the inner front fenders wheel well liners. What f***king joke. I also just duct taped mine over. As someone previously mentioned, we all spent a lot of money and half to repair a factory defect with duct tape.
Suely to goodness, all these readers with their vast connections in the automotive field regarding Ford vehicles somebody has to know someone for the "real story" and if there is any feedback on a fix for this ridiculous problem.

1. It's not a factory defect. It's designed to facilitate the installation of a component.

2. I already had something speak directly to two engineers @ Ford about this. Perhaps you missed those posts. Here you go:

https://www.mustang7g.com/forums/threads/ford-aerodynamics.161207/page-3#post-3278269

 

[Carter1776]

So, this past weekend I attended a car show, where to my surprise I met an older gentleman we will call Bob, so he doesn't get in trouble. Bob was hardcore checking out my car after I pulled up and parked, as in looking at panel gaps, the rear bumper, engine bay and even the door weather strips (windows down). After a while, he approached me and said, "that's my favorite color WE produce", which then I asked if he works for Ford. He told me that he has worked for Ford, specifically FRAP for 36 years! He is a Purdue Graduate with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. He said he has worked in every area of that plant and is currently the head of a group of his own mechanical engineers. That started an hour and a half conversation on what I like and dislike about the car, about what cars he has owned, about what he has seen and heard about in the production of our S650s, etc. He told me about how much "bullshit", his words, not mine lol, that FRAP is shipping and letting go with this launch, saying that they rushed it and that his team was told to cut their project times down a decent amount during pre-production. He pointed out how my rear bumper is one of few that doesn't look like it has the weird gap that requires a dealer to fix and how the fender gaps are really good on my car, where they ship a massive amount of them with bad gaps, which we know to be true.

Anyways, I ended up bringing this topic up, the weird holes in the wheel well liner, in which he didn't know they were even there. So, I pointed them out and told him about the outrage it is causing because of the damage being caused with the holes being there. How the paint on mine, in the hole, is already eaten through and has slight rust forming already. I do plan on installing this kit soon btw. He was shocked to learn of them and actually seemed mad that they are there, that someone ok'd that by design. He said most of the engineers and designers don't drive these cars, so they have 0 clue what is practical or not, which is very true. He told me that when he gets back to FRAP, which would have been 2 days ago, he was going to go lineside and see if there are any manufacturing related reasons for the holes, and if not, try to find the right tree to bark up for an answer/explanation. So, fingers crossed maybe future cars will have this fixed? I'm not sure if his barking will result in much of anything, but it was nice to finally talk to someone that means something at Ford, that actually works with and sees our cars being made, every single day.

I also asked where the hell my Strut Tower brace badge was, and he said they were told when the S650 development began that each group needed to find ways to cut costs, and apparently the group over the engine bay decided that $2.50 in plastic would save some big bucks, he mutually agreed that was just dumb of them to cut out of the final build lol.

I also told him that if he ever wants real, genuine feedback from the people that drive these machines day in and day out to visit our Mustang7G forum. I feel like this group does a great job of expressing all concerns and issues pretty well.

End of the story.

 

[roadpilot]

He told me that when he gets back to FRAP, which would have been 2 days ago, he was going to go lineside and see if there are any manufacturing related reasons for the holes, and if not, try to find the right tree to bark up for an answer/explanation.

You must have missed my posts in the other thread. I already communicated with the Ford aerodynamics engineer responsible for the S650, and with his boss. The former stated it was safe to plug the hole, and the latter explained what the purpose of these openings were. Here you go:

(8) Ford Aerodynamics | Page 3 | Mustang7G - 2024+ S650 Mustang Forum (Dark Horse, GT, EcoBoost, GT500, GT350, Mach 1)

So, fingers crossed maybe future cars will have this fixed?

Same post above, I explained that there were no current plans to change this or "plug" the opening.

 

[Eurasianman]

So... with all that being said... if the vehicle starts rusting out in this area, Ford should cover it under warranty, correct? Possibly reliving the era where Toyota Tacomas were notorious for rusting frames back in the day?

 

[SSuperDave]

Cut and pasted from your warranty coverage manual...

" Your vehicle’s body sheet metal panels are covered for an extended Corrosion Coverage Period, which lasts for five years, regardless of miles driven. The extended warranty coverage only applies if a body sheet metal panel becomes perforated due to corrosion during normal use due to a manufacturing defect in factory-supplied materials or factory workmanship. If aluminum body panels have corrosion or rust damage, and the damage is not the result of abnormal usage, vehicle accident, customer actions and/or extreme environmental conditions, the corrosion or rust damage repairs are covered for 5 years, unlimited miles. For damage caused by airborne material (environmental fallout) where there is no factory-related defect involved and therefore no warranty − our policy is to provide free repair of paint damage due to the airborne material for 12 months or 12,000 miles, whichever occurs first.

Note their use of the word "perforated", meaning holes.

 

[roadpilot]

So... with all that being said... if the vehicle starts rusting out in this area, Ford should cover it under warranty, correct? Possibly reliving the era where Toyota Tacomas were notorious for rusting frames back in the day?

That's a question you'd have to ask Ford Motor Company.

FWIW: What is the warranty on corrosion? (ford.com)

 

[Sf22giants]

I want to re-iterate the quality and fit of the DIYVan kit. I installed the kit last week; it's outstanding.

Yes, I know, "why should we have to pay..." I understand. But if you already own the car and you're browsing this thread, just buy and install the DIYVan kit.

 

[roadpilot]

I want to re-iterate the quality and fit of the DIYVan kit. I installed the kit last week; it's outstanding.

Yes, I know, "why should we have to pay..." I understand. But if you already own the car and you're browsing this thread, just buy and install the DIYVan kit.

Good to hear. I bought the kit, but need to find time to install it. No harm, though, as I'm not really driving the DH much right now.

 

[Carter1776]

You must have missed my posts in the other thread. I already communicated with the Ford aerodynamics engineer responsible for the S650, and with his boss. The former stated it was safe to plug the hole, and the latter explained what the purpose of these openings were. Here you go:

(8) Ford Aerodynamics | Page 3 | Mustang7G - 2024+ S650 Mustang Forum (Dark Horse, GT, EcoBoost, GT500, GT350, Mach 1)

Same post above, I explained that there were no current plans to change this or "plug" the opening.

I definitely did miss that, thanks for linking it!

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