Most horrifying video ever? You decide...

[Bunky]

Re: Most horrifying video ever? You decide...

I think it is an interesting comparison. If you put the two cars out all newly polished, I think the Lexus will win hands down for best paint.

My Ford product is full of orange peel and cannot ever get the crisp reflections you see in the Euro cars. It may be functional but depends on what you want. There are beauty queens and there are real work horse vehicles. I am not saying I like all that orange peel either. The funny thing (quality?) it is uneven in different sections. My car has not been trouble free but I still consider it reliable (I have owned many Chrysler products so I know).

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Most horrifying video ever? You decide...

Let's just make sure we don't allow this "quality debate" to turn sour in this thread. Many of us are fiercely brand loyal and that can sometimes cause us to respond in a way different than we normally would.

We should all be focusing (no Ford pun intended) on the differences in paint technology and the advancement thereof. How about this - did the paint on the Ford sustain fewer chips because it's harder (resists chipping with brute force), or more elastic (resists chips by cushioning the blow and deflecting the stone)? Thoughts?

[Markus Kleis]

Re: Most horrifying video ever? You decide...

Let's just make sure we don't allow this "quality debate" to turn sour in this thread. Many of us are fiercely brand loyal and that can sometimes cause us to respond in a way different than we normally would.

We should all be focusing (no Ford pun intended) on the differences in paint technology and the advancement thereof. How about this - did the paint on the Ford sustain fewer chips because it's harder (resists chipping with brute force), or more elastic (resists chips by cushioning the blow and deflecting the stone)? Thoughts?

I wouldn't even go as far as calling it a debate, more of a fact-filled friendly discussion

But very good point, it has been 100% friendly so far, and let's keep it that way!

As for the paint, I doubt it was because the paint is harder, because *usually* Ford paint is quite detailer friendly (although I ran into a tough as diamond Ford F150 paint job last weekend! Ugh!), so I would say it is just tougher, thicker, and possibly more elastic. That's my guess anyway...

PS, just found some cool videos for the F150, too.

http://www.fordvehicles.com/2009f150/

[HealthyCivic]

Re: Most horrifying video ever? You decide...

Oh come on Mike, you should have capitalized that "Focusing" lol. As far as the paint goes, I'm not gonna lie, Ford does seem to be stepping up their game lately. I'd like to see some other comparisons though. I never had the impression that Lexus was the industry leader in paint anyway.

[Andrew C.]

Re: Most horrifying video ever? You decide...

If paint is more elastic, would it make it softer? It seems like a harder paint would not want to have as much flexibility?

[Megafast13]

Re: Most horrifying video ever? You decide...

Paint? What good is a "quality" paint job if the car itself is always in the shop? I'd rather have the "poorer quality" paint job if the car runs with minimal maintenance and doesn't need transmissions, radiators, head gaskets, etc.

Incidentally, who in their right mind would drive a Lexus in those conditions when one spends that kind of money. That is a marketing exaggeration. OK, buy the Taurus as the winter car, keep the Lexus as the "show" car.

I owned a Sable and a Taurus. Both were junk, and for what I paid in repairs and cost of both vehicles, I could be driving a NEW Lexus today. Shame on me. I'll take the Lexus any day.

Ouch...Nicely said

Mark, why aren't they making this the new Five Hundred?
It does seem WAY too nice for the Taurus line in my opinion.
I think some people may actually avoid it because of the name "Taurus."

They SHO model looks nice though.

I never like when any company compares their cars to others.
Ford has been doing this for a few years, saying their quality is now as good as imports.

I know WAY more people that have broken down Ford's than imports. My Dad's 2001 Honda Civic has over 300,000 miles on it, and it still runs like new. I see dead American cars in general, not just Ford. My 2001 GMC Van is on it's last leg. But at the same time, my neighbor has a early 90's Aerostar that has 200,000+ Miles and it's still running, so I guess it just depends...

I also hear many people say, Lexus is rebranded Toyota. It's not at all. Although they share similar design concepts they are different. Lexus is higher quality. They have way more features, safety, innovation, etc. The cars are just so solid, they just feel like quality products.

I recently detailed a Mercury Sable and it felt terrible. But I also detailed a newer Ford Five Hundred and it felt great!

But at the end of the day, I am Lexus Biased and you (Mark) are Ford biased lol. So we all have our own opinions.

I woudn't mind owning that Ford, but again, I think they should have given it a different name, or called it the Five Hundred...

It does seem like it's too advanced for the low end economy compact car line.

[Andrew C.]

Re: Most horrifying video ever? You decide...

It does seem WAY too nice for the Taurus line in my opinion.
I think some people may actually avoid it because of the name "Taurus."

I woudn't mind owning that Ford, but again, I think they should have given it a different name, or called it the Five Hundred...

It does seem like it's too advanced for the low end economy compact car line.

I think that you have a point with the name being a possible deterent, but I think what Ford is trying to do is what Mark said right here:

Now, as history in business repeats itself, innovation is coming from the #3 guy, not the #1 or #2 guys, and Ford is being projected by Wall Street Journal and others to become the unchallenged number one automaker in North America within 2 years and beyond. I would be willing to bet my life that Ford is going to be taking over...I am in one of their upcoming products, I know what Ford is capable of when they truly try, and once the rest of the country realizes that there will be no stopping Ford.

Mark my words

It is going to take a few years, but with a quality taurus on the roads like this, it will change the view of the taurus to being a good car. It obviously won't have that connotation at first, but with a few years, that isn't going to be a name that has any sort of negative connotation just because of the way this new taurus is built.

Ford isn't making new models (well they actually are doing that too), but they are taking their older ones and making them better. The Taurus and the Fiesta are completely different now than they were in the past. (and even though the F150 isn't all too different from the previous model, it is still kicking butt) When a new model comes out people pay attention to it more so than a re-vamped model. It's a brilliant move on Ford's part, because as Mark said, in a few years, these re-vamped cars will be on top of any sort of competition they have when the competition had no idea they were rising.

[3Fitty]

Re: Most horrifying video ever? You decide...

I actually think it is a great piece of marketing but not much beyond that.

Simply put, two different market segments. No Lexus customer is going to buy a "regular" Ford. Lincoln perhaps, but certainly not a Taurus.

As for the paint... my IS350 has some of the nicest paint I've ever worked on, it is my daily driver and thus far I don't have a single rock chip, so I'm not too concerned. At the end of the day, I know Mark is a loyal Ford guy, but it will take 20 years of Ford's continued improvement to change perceptions.

The reality is, if you were to go into most urban areas, there is just no comparison as far as perception goes.

[zigzagg321]

Re: Most horrifying video ever? You decide...

I dont even have the "detail bug" and that made me cringe... IT also looked like the kind of vid than a year from now, Ill see and think $$$dollars.

[Reg]

Re: Most horrifying video ever? You decide...

Doesn't Infinity use a special kind of paint now that is somewhat resistant to scratching?

[chris328]

Re: Most horrifying video ever? You decide...

wow that video is what i feel like during the 7 mile highway stretch on my morning commute ... =/

[CieraSL]

Re: Most horrifying video ever? You decide...

Interesting bit of info for anyone who is interested:

NISSAN DEVELOPS WORLD'S FIRST CLEAR PAINT THAT REPAIRS SCRATCHES ON CAR SURFACES

TOKYO (Dec. 2, 2005)-- Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., has developed the world’s first clear paint that repairs scratches on painted car surfaces, including scratches from car-washing machines, off-road driving and fingernails.

“Scratch Guard Coat” contains a newly developed high elastic resin that helps prevent scratches from affecting the inner layers of a car’s painted surface. With “Scratch Guard Coat” a car’s scratched surface will return to its original state anywhere from one day to a week, depending on temperature and the depth of the scratch.

The water-repellant paint also has a higher resistance to scratches compared with conventional clear paints. A vehicle painted with “Scratch Guard Coat” will have only one-fifth the abrasions caused by a car-washing machine compared with a car covered with conventional clear paint. Scratches from car-washing machines account for the majority of scratches to painted car surfaces.

“Scratch Guard Coat” is effective for about three years.

“Scratch Guard Coat” will be applied for the first time on an SUV model that is scheduled for a partial makeover in the near future. The paint will be applied to the car’s chassis, bumpers, door mirrors, among other parts.

Car painted with “Scratch Guard Coat”

New scratches

One week later

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Source: http://www.nissan-global.com/EN/NEWS/2005/_STORY/051202-01-e.html

MSNBC article: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10333350/

Hopefully they can tweak it so it lasts longer than 3 years.

[the_invisible]

Re: Most horrifying video ever? You decide...

Now, as history in business repeats itself, innovation is coming from the #3 guy, not the #1 or #2 guys, and Ford is being projected by Wall Street Journal and others to become the unchallenged number one automaker in North America within 2 years and beyond. I would be willing to bet my life that Ford is going to be taking over...I am in one of their upcoming products, I know what Ford is capable of when they truly try, and once the rest of the country realizes that there will be no stopping Ford.

Mark my words

You are correct. Ford is, and has always been in the last ten years, leading the way in quality among American cars. I cannot say if that is true in the ninty's.

Anyhow, here is an excerpt from a business magazine:

Warren Buffett quips that when the tide goes out, you can see who's not wearing a bathing suit. And he's right: Recessions separate weak companies from strong ones.

The companies that handle a downturn best, particularly in the hardest-hit industries, are likely to lead when the economy rebounds.

Few sectors have been hit harder than the U.S. auto industry, making Ford Motor -- so far -- one of today's most obvious odds beaters.

Ford is the only major U.S. automaker that hasn't needed a bailout or gone into bankruptcy, because it was smart enough to raise a lot of cash a few years back. And there's another key factor: "Over the past couple of years, Ford has made a lot of improvements

Lest we forget the bailout loans. All Americans know about GM's request for money from the American Federal Government. Little do they know that they've also borrowed one billion dollar from the Canadian government to keep their Canadian factories going. This news has been covered relatively little in America due to the issue of dignity.

More F150 has been sold than any other pickup trucks in America since the start of the release of the 2009 models. That's gotta mean something. I am not a big supporter of any company in particular, I only support quality and performance. So far Ford seems to be on the right track, although they are going to have to work really hard to get there.

[Tuck91]

Re: Most horrifying video ever? You decide...

More F150 has been sold than any other pickup trucks in America since the start of the release of the 2009 models.

I hear the Chevy SIlverado and GMC Sierra when combined together outsell the F-150. The Silverado and Sierra are almolst identical.

But I guess its not a fair test when you combine them.

[Andrew C.]

Re: Most horrifying video ever? You decide...

I hear the Chevy SIlverado and GMC Sierra when combined together outsell the F-150. The Silverado and Sierra are almolst identical.

But I guess its not a fair test when you combine them.

Just a guess, I have no idea for sure, but that maybe was before the new model 2009 F150 came out, which I believe hasn't been out for a year yet, but maybe it's just so far in the time period that the 09 F150 has been out, it has outsold them.