I had my (faultless) car in the dealers today for a software update to the PHEV system that couldn’t be done over the air. While I was waiting for the driver who was assigned to take me home I got chatting to a couple who were also waiting. Turns out that they didn’t own either a BMW or a Mini but a 2019 Ford Mustang 5.0 S/C. It turned out to be their 3rd replacement car in 18 months......... the previous two they rejected, the first at 1 day old because the car was delivered with an inoperative parking brake (and it is an old fashioned pull up lever not an EPB) that their FORD dealer told them they couldn’t fix for 28 days. They were given a replacement vehicle after other defects were found.........
Now you are asking why were they in a BMW dealership to get a Ford Mustang fixed......... well it turns out that Mustang No3 is corroding badly after only 3 months and the BMW dealers has the only body shop in the region approved by FORD’s Mustang divisionto do body repairs and fix paint defects! The Ford dealership 300m down the road doesn’t have a Ford USA approved paint shop! This was the 2nd time that they had been in to get corrosion looked at, first time it transpired that the Mustang had left the factory with no under sealing on it (how can Ford put out a car that is supposed to be under sealed without under seal applied?) I felt really sorry for this couple asked what the issues were with No2 Mustang and why did they stay with the brand. No2 Mustang had terrible water leaks and the carpet in the front and the rear foot wells was always wet after rain. It turns out that Mustangs get imported to the UK in LHD form and get converted to RHD after they arrive in the UK and the conversion company had “forgotten” to put any seals into the holes on the firewall at conversion time. Why did they stay with Mustangs? Well it transpired that each time they rejected the car not only was a new one supplied within a week but despite adding a lot of miles to them, they got a direct swap with a car from stock at the import storage but they were getting frustrated. They were totally disillusioned at the supposed quality of USA built Ford cars and if their current heap of junk isn’t fixed properly this time then its the last one they will be taking off Ford. What did I think of Mini? I told that this was my first Countryman after 30 years owning assorted almost faultless Land Rover Products but I decided to change because QC at JLR has fallen drastically and prices have risen in inverse proportion to the quality control at the factory, dealers are often less than helpful and when you complain to JLR HQ they don’t want to know.
I got home and at lunchtime my mobile had an email arrive from the dealers - it was sent by the technician in charge of work on my car - a video of the condition of the underside while it was on the ramp, a section showing the guys working on the car checking the tyre tread depths at several places on each wheel (I was not expecting to have a service video at a software update!) then they showed me the brake disk wear down and a section showing the em taking a small sample of engine oil and showing me how clean it is......... Now my car is 10 months old, has covered 3600 miles in that time (mostly in EV mode rather than ICE powered) and it isn’t due for a service for another 19000 miles, which at current rate is going to take a long time to rack up! Faults to date........ NIL tyre and brake disk wear - NIL, Oil consumption NIL (the Mini has an electronic “dipstick~” like the RRS but the way to read it way more awkward than in the RRS being about 5 steps down the the tree that is the Service Menu - it is easier to check the tyre pressures than it is to check the oil level!!

BTW I Know that BMW X3 and X5 cars are built at Spartanberg, South Carolina in the USA, like M Class Mercedes cars.- built by American hands but QC is done by Germans unlike Ford who employs American QC guys in Dearborn.

Donald J,why would we want to buy an (admittedly cheaper to buy than any Land Rover) American built Ford in the UK? 2020 Pangea Green 1st Edition D240 New Defender 110 is here and loving it
2018 Melting Silver Mini Countryman PHEV - soon to be replaced
2015MY Corris Grey SDv6 HSE Dynamic, the best car I have ever owned, totally reliable only a cou0le of rattles in 3 years, now no longer in my care
Also in my garage is a 1996 TDi300 Defender 90 County HT made into a fake CSW

Last edited by Tim in Scotland on Fri Apr 19 2019 8:09pm. Edited 4 times in total

Didn’t most of the US manufacturers retreat into building oversized 4 door pick ups, as a way of sidestepping emissions and consumption regulations and appealing to drivers with no tax to pay on their fuel? Neither these, nor the retro muscle cars, seems to have much relevance outside the US. Good luck in exporting that lot! A Fatty owner, just dropping by

Slightly puzzled with this as a 2019 Mustang is a 6th generation car which is available as a factory built R/H/D version as I considered one here and could get three lower spec. one's for the price of a S/C sport, unless the UK is so far behind it's not got there yet.

Cheers
Col

"Slightly puzzled with this as a 2019 Mustang is a 6th generation car which is available as a factory built R/H/D version"

RHD from the Factory in Australia.

Are you saying the RHD version is built in OZ, as I thought they were built in Michigan in the USA.

Cheers
Col

Quote from USAToday

“Much of the credit goes to the right-hand drive version, which opened Mustang to 25 new markets. They include the United Kingdom, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Cyprus, Malta and some Caribbean islands. Like the Mustang for American customers, the right-hand drive version is made in Flat Rock, Mich”. 2019 5.0 SC SVA (Current)
2012 5.0 SC AB. Sadly written off by a campervan
23 plate Focus ST (Current)
1942 VEP Ford GPW Jeep (Willys) (Current)
1943 Whites M16 Halftrack (Current)
16 plate Eurofighter Typhoon, 2 x Eurojet engines with 20,000lbs thrust each. 1380mph

I own my Mustang 12 years, since I bought it new. In those years I drove 50.000 mls without any issue.
Only oil changes, nothing more. Not even a light bulb. The Motocraft battery lasted for more than 10 years!
The best car I ever owned and a pleasure to drive.
I think I know some of Britisch vision on US cars, like influenced by the "objective" opinions of Top gear clown Jerremy Clark.
But they are wrong. It is like putting a Harley against an Japanese Yamaha or Kawa racer. Real American cars (or Motercycles) follow a totally different concept. Simplicity, durability, after market parts and most of all a whole lot of fun and a high chill factor.
In Germany the Mustang 5.0 GT is the best selling sports car! Not the Porsche.
So maybe something is wrong with the RH in the UK. How about starting to drive the right side of the road  RRS 3.0 SDV6 HSE Lux
RRS 3.0 TDV6 gone
LR 3 HSE V8 gone
DiscoveryII V8 Gone
Discovery 1 V8 Gone
Mustang Shelby
Alfa Guilia (classic)

And btw. I love my RRS, notwithstanding all its technical and reliability deficiencies. I kind of learn to live with them. But if you (Tim) talk about junk, it is definitly not the Mustang. RRS 3.0 SDV6 HSE Lux
RRS 3.0 TDV6 gone
LR 3 HSE V8 gone
DiscoveryII V8 Gone
Discovery 1 V8 Gone
Mustang Shelby
Alfa Guilia (classic)

I love the mustang, have one every time I go to the States. It’s possible that a batch ended up over here that originally weren’t supposed to. My Sport looks to have been originally destined for Japan as the CCF shows many Japanese files whereas all the U.K. sports I’ve looked at show only a few Japanese files and ROW.

If I could keep 500bhp going through 2 wheels I’d buy one but as I can’t, 500bhp through 4 wheels is what I’ll have to stick to. 2019 5.0 SC SVA (Current)
2012 5.0 SC AB. Sadly written off by a campervan
23 plate Focus ST (Current)
1942 VEP Ford GPW Jeep (Willys) (Current)
1943 Whites M16 Halftrack (Current)
16 plate Eurofighter Typhoon, 2 x Eurojet engines with 20,000lbs thrust each. 1380mph