New owner, questions about build quality/road noise

[rockytj]

Hey all, I'd been looking to get back into and EV after being and ICE driver for a while and having previously had Kia/Hyundai EVs, not wanting a Tesla, and not loving the Mach-e I drove a used F-150 (2023 XLT ER with tow package) lightning and loved it. Dealer was fair and the carfax was clean (checked a couple other reports as well and they were also clean), they even let me take it over to the Ford dealership and put it on a lift and have their techs go over it, they let me walk underneath it and told me everything looked great. Still loving the car, but after having it for a bit, I've noticed a few things and wondered if they're consistent with what others experience.

1. Road noise above 70 is fairly pronounced, not terrible, I owned a rav4 previously and would say it's about on par with that, around town it's very quite. Also I feel like I get more feedback from the road than in other vehicles I've had, maybe due to the larger tires?

2. There are what I hope are just a few fit/qc issues. The rubber frunk post on the drivers side is painted, while it's not on the passenger side. The anchor piece on both sides that the stopper screws onto is painted on both sides, it's just the rubber stopper is painted on the drivers side. I though maybe that meant there had been a repair done, but after removing the trim and checking for overspray and comparing paint texture on both sides, I don't see any evidence of repair work. The fender on the drivers side near the frunk post has a 10/23 date/time stamped on it which is consistent with the manufacture date of the vehicle. The drivers front fender protrudes ever so slightly compared to the passenger side, but I've seen complaints of this on other F150 forums. All of the parts with dates on them on that side of the car also have 10/23 dates on them and the car drives great. I'm hoping I'm just over thinking this and someone forgot to take it off before painting during assembly. Anyone seen anything like this?

Loving the car overall, it replaced an old van that was my utility/dog car, with the seats flipped up in the back I think it's going to be super comfy for my dogs.

Here are the pictures of the pained frunk posts with the trim removed.

Painted Drivers side:

Unpainted passenger side:

 

[Scorpio3d]

Hey all, I'd been looking to get back into and EV after being and ICE driver for a while and having previously had Kia/Hyundai EVs, not wanting a Tesla, and not loving the Mach-e I drove a used F-150 (2023 XLT ER with tow package) lightning and loved it. Dealer was fair and the carfax was clean (checked a couple other reports as well and they were also clean), they even let me take it over to the Ford dealership and put it on a lift and have their techs go over it, they let me walk underneath it and told me everything looked great. Still loving the car, but after having it for a bit, I've noticed a few things and wondered if they're consistent with what others experience.

1. Road noise above 70 is fairly pronounced, not terrible, I owned a rav4 previously and would say it's about on par with that, around town it's very quite. Also I feel like I get more feedback from the road than in other vehicles I've had, maybe due to the larger tires?

2. There are what I hope are just a few fit/qc issues. The rubber frunk post on the drivers side is painted, while it's not on the passenger side. The anchor piece on both sides that the stopper screws onto is painted on both sides, it's just the rubber stopper is painted on the drivers side. I though maybe that meant there had been a repair done, but after removing the trim and checking for overspray and comparing paint texture on both sides, I don't see any evidence of repair work. The fender on the drivers side near the frunk post has a 10/23 date/time stamped on it which is consistent with the manufacture date of the vehicle. The drivers front fender protrudes ever so slightly compared to the passenger side, but I've seen complaints of this on other F150 forums. All of the parts with dates on them on that side of the car also have 10/23 dates on them and the car drives great. I'm hoping I'm just over thinking this and someone forgot to take it off before painting during assembly. Anyone seen anything like this?

Loving the car overall, it replaced an old van that was my utility/dog car, with the seats flipped up in the back I think it's going to be super comfy for my dogs.

Here are the pictures of the pained frunk posts with the trim removed.

Painted Drivers side:

Unpainted passenger side:

Looks like it has been repainted because the threads are painted in addition to the rubber on the one side.
Not sure if your feedback comment has anything to do with the weight of the vehicle as I am sure it is much heavier than anything else you’ve driven??
Mine is pretty quiet driving on the highway. I have the Lariat with the massive sunroof so I would expect it would be a bit louder than one without not sure what yours has?

 

[Pioneer74]

I'm hoping I'm just over thinking this and someone forgot to take it off before painting during assembly.

Those parts are in a different building when the truck is painted at the factory. That truck has had work done to it.

 

[rockytj]

Those parts are in a different building when the truck is painted at the factory. That truck has had work done to it.

Dang, does that mean that it's likely been resprayed?

 

[Pioneer74]

Dang, does that mean that it's likely been resprayed?

It absolutely has.

 

[rockytj]

It absolutely has.

Well shoot, not sure how concerned I should be, it drives great, and the techs said it looks good, but could that mean it was involved in a front end collision?

 

[Pioneer74]

Well shoot, not sure how concerned I should be, it drives great, and the techs said it looks good, but could that mean it was involved in a front end collision?

I can't speculate as to why it was painted. I can just tell that it was.

 

[rockytj]

Thanks all, lots to think about! Will be following up with the dealer, I try to avoid vehicles with previous damage, so not sure how to feel about this one. Kind of a bummer to hear after doing the due diligence on it.

 

[rockytj]

I think I’ll probably also swing by a body shop and see if they see anything major. Everything I can see looks original, hoping it was just a touch up after at some point

 

[Pioneer74]

Thanks all, lots to think about! Will be following up with the dealer, I try to avoid vehicles with previous damage, so not sure how to feel about this one. Kind of a bummer to hear after doing the due diligence on it.

Did you take the plastic access covers off to take your pictures, or are you missing them?

 

[MillieChliette]

Are you missing the trim pieces in the frunk?

Sometimes vehicles are slightly damaged in transit and are repaired before they're sold as new. Could be one of those?

 

[rockytj]

Did you take the plastic access covers off to take your pictures, or are you missing them?

I have them, I took them off to look at the paint underneath when I saw that the one was painted. Spray pattern is the same on both sides, same texture, both on the the fender and the metal near the stopper.

 

[rockytj]

Are you missing the trim pieces in the frunk?

Sometimes vehicles are slightly damaged in transit and are repaired before they're sold as new. Could be one of those?

Definitely, no need for it to be a worst case scenario situation. Everything I can see underneath looks good and matches the original build date. Even the fender right next to it has a 10/23 stamp on it.

 

[Pioneer74]

I have them, I took them off to look at the paint underneath when I saw that the one was painted. Spray pattern is the same on both sides, same texture, both on the the fender and the metal near the stopper.

The part where the bumper screws in isn't supposed to have paint on them. Here are a picture of mine.

 

[rockytj]

The part where the bumper screws in isn't supposed to have paint on them. Here are a picture of mine.

Hmmm that is interesting, is the piece that that brace attaches too (that’s not the fender) usually painted body color, or is it usually black like yours?