Anyone else have weird paint like this? Also, how would I secure a loose mirror blinker?

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ManUpOrShutUp

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Well, what kind of wreck would involve having the hood and fenders replaced, but not the front? Cause the bumper and grille and all that do match the rest of the car... I suppose it having been in a wreck isn't the worst thing if it really was, especially if it was okay enough to drive away...

If it's just the fender on 1 side and the hood, that would be indicative of a sideswipe. The fender gets pushed up into the hood and often those are the only 2 body panels that need repair. It could have just been repainted though. Maybe someone repainted the hood and tried to blend the job by doing the fenders also. It's all speculation. The point was just that that portion of the car definitely looks repainted.

In any case, I don't think a wreck is necessarily anything to be concerned about anyway. The Mrs. has put on 75K miles since she totaled her car and I wouldn't hesitate to drive it across the country. As long as everything is running as it should now, don't lose any sleep on it. If you come across some issues later, just keep it in the back of your mind when trying to nail down any problems.

Is that what happens when you see an old car where the paint looks okay, not rusty or bubbled, but it's like.... just messed up and blotchy?

Aside from my back AC, there's no problems that I can't somewhat easily fix, like the mirror lights and the headunit and the mirror switch (which I already fixed) so I sure hope it's okay. The engine does sound like it ticks somewhat, but that's probably just me worrying way too much, heck, our family van sounds like it's saying "Grerh Grerh Grerh" when it's idling!

That's what every Ford modular engine sounds like. I'm not thrilled with it, but I've come to accept it as normal and just keep an ear out for any change/worsening in the sound.
 

Jb14

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Ford did have paint issue with these 2nd gen so it would not surprise me if they missed something, but it does seem odd that the front clip did not fade with the rest of the truck, which may indicate a prior accident. Note the rear A/C is a completely separate self-contained unit, any good A/C shop will check both and service accordingly. You have two actuators as shown in the video shared with you, one controls air flow from floor to roof, the other controls temperature. If you put on the rear A/C and is blowing heat then the temperature actuator may be the culprit (easy fix you do not need to take off entire panel) if blowing room temp as if you were just using vent then your unit most likely needs service.
 
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Prince_Polaris

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Ford did have paint issue with these 2nd gen so it would not surprise me if they missed something, but it does seem odd that the front clip did not fade with the rest of the truck, which may indicate a prior accident. Note the rear A/C is a completely separate self-contained unit, any good A/C shop will check both and service accordingly. You have two actuators as shown in the video shared with you, one controls air flow from floor to roof, the other controls temperature. If you put on the rear A/C and is blowing heat then the temperature actuator may be the culprit (easy fix you do not need to take off entire panel) if blowing room temp as if you were just using vent then your unit most likely needs service.

Yep, it's the second one, when AC is on it doesn't blow heat, just not-cold air. And I can swap between the floor and ceiling vents! Though, one single vent that blows onto the back of the second row seats is a sad excuse for floor vents....

That's what every Ford modular engine sounds like. I'm not thrilled with it, but I've come to accept it as normal and just keep an ear out for any change/worsening in the sound.

Good! The whole reason I have this thing is because of the timing chains on my 98 explorer, so I worry a lot about engine noises now....


Here, I took some more pictures of it, right after a carwash, but... the sun was going down, so it's hard to see anything:

IMG_20180720_1931067.jpg
IMG_20180720_1931183.jpg


And yes, the giant shadow in the second one is me lol
 
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Prince_Polaris

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Also, you can sort of see it in the second picture- why does my passenger headlight have "cracks" in it? Heck, that reminds me, I have some water in the taillights too...
 

1955moose

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The headlights are plastic. Order up a nice set of clear coated ones. The rear tail light has a crack letting water in. Their still available from Ford for around $40.00 to $50.00 depending on what shop your Ford dealer will put them under. Always get a discount at dealer. Mine was still available back in 2014. Yours is 3 years newer, shouldn't be a problem. Water will short out your bulbs, don't need to get pulled over by your local constable! Fix it now, winters around the corner.

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Prince_Polaris

Prince_Polaris

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The headlights are plastic. Order up a nice set of clear coated ones. The rear tail light has a crack letting water in. Their still available from Ford for around $40.00 to $50.00 depending on what shop your Ford dealer will put them under. Always get a discount at dealer. Mine was still available back in 2014. Yours is 3 years newer, shouldn't be a problem. Water will short out your bulbs, don't need to get pulled over by your local constable! Fix it now, winters around the corner.

Sent from my N9131 using Tapatalk

I should! One of my reverse lights was out when I got it, and the dealer got me a new bulb, but those wires had a bit 'o rust on em when I went to put the new one in
 

1955moose

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Of course they do, water has been leaking in.

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Cdunn08

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A good way to see if they are replacement parts is checking the inside of them sometimes they put a blue marker with a part number. Not all accidents are reported some people choose to replace themselves then report. Checking inside door jams seeing if the vin sticker has any paint over them or they are missing.
 
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