After seeing this thread, I decided to take a closer look at my side skirt and found the drives side to be failing as well. Also found another problem area. The skirt section close to the rear tire is separating.
Looking underneath the skirt I found 2 supporting fasteners had blown threw the skirt. I believe what happened here was due to it not being supported from the top. Driving down the road, I'm assuming the side skirt would bounce up and down, constantly flexing the material around the fastener until it failed.
Bought it Feb 2005, has about 7k miles on it. Took it to the dealership today and I have to bring it back tomorrow so there mechanic can put it up on the lift. They want to look under it so they can make sure they order all the damaged parts. I think while its at the dealership I am going to have the gas tank filler fixed. They also mentioned a Brake Recall, but I think they are referring to the Saleen brakes, which I do not have. Wasn't that a brake line issue?
I just hope Saleen has a proper fix for the side skirt. The dealership I'm going to is fortunately right down the street from me. They just became a Saleen dealership the beginning of this year. So I hope they are familiar with dealing with Saleen.
In the mean time .. Don't be looking at my driver side skirt till I get it fixed.
Thanks for the responses guys. I'll for sure talk to Saleen about it and post here with what happens. Had a midterm on monday and a test today so haven't had much time to deal with the car =)
Bob it's #839, let's hear your theory!
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2006 Saleen S281 #839 Saleen S/C @ 10 PSI (JDM)
SCT, C&L, ARH, Centerforce, Fidanza, Driveshaft Shop, CHE, BMR, LPW, Meziere, MGW, Speed of Sound, Innovate, AutoMeter, Raptor,
I went by the dealership today to confirm what parts they need to order and while I was there, I took a look at a 2006 Saleen they had on the floor. It looks like they did make a small change to the side skirt. The end piece is now molded into the side skirt. It also has a bit better tolerances. Meaning, what hangs over past the wheel well is not as much front or rear.
By the way, dealer patched me up until untill the parts show up.
Sounds like you'll end up with better pieces then assuming the older model isn't being manufactured. Glad it is coming along and they patched you in the meantime.
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1968 GT/CS Sold 2006 S281 SC #469
475 HP kit (more like 465), 3.73 Gears, "E" Panhard & Lower Control Arms
Thanks for the responses guys. I'll for sure talk to Saleen about it and post here with what happens. Bob it's #839, let's hear your theory!
OK, here is my theory. I was told by personnel at Saleen Special Vehicles--Troy, e.g. the Saleen production facility in Troy, MI that cars with bumper numbers that begin with an odd number are generally built in Troy, and that those that begin with an even number are built in CA. For example, my car, #926, was built in Troy, and your car, #839, was built in CA. This info was shared in casual conversation as we joked about my car "coming home" to the facility for the installation of added equipment; I'm sure others know more details.
I spent almost three days in Troy having my supercharger, light and brake upgrades installed, and got a full tour of all the Mustang and Ford GT production areas there. Unless there was a giant and prolonged conspiracy among all the folks that worked there, from the guy who swept the floor to the Manager, the attitude and work ethic there were really impressive. People worked at careful and individual paces, did almost everything by hand, and really seemed to enjoy what they were doing. The paint finish guys that I saw were *definitely* taking pride in their work. The impression was way more one of careful craftsmanship than slap-it-on-and-when-is-my-next-break.
The reason this all particularly stuck in my head is that before I bought my car, a gearhead buddy of mine told me to try to buy a MI-built Saleen, as the build quality was better than those built elsewhere. At that time I paid little attention to his comment as I had no idea 1.) if/how you could tell where they were assembled; 2.) if there was any truth to what he said.
But now, putting together what my friend said, + your less than stellar experience with an even-numbered car + what I saw at Troy and see in the great build quality of my own car, my theory is that some MI-built Saleens may have a better build quality than some CA-built ones.
Whew, if anyone is still awake, that's my theory and I'm stickin' to it. But in the end it's just a theory, just my $.02, and that may be all it's worth.
I love how far the side skirts go past the side of the car into the wheel well. Guys, look at the other side. It will fit different again. take a tape measure and measure the length of your skirt on the passenger side. Then measure the skirt on the other. The 06's are a little better but come on.
Saleen jumped the shark after the 04 year. The min. they started building more than 1000 cars per year people didn't care anymore. Oh and the pride in the job at Troy. That's great but there are hardly any guys in Michigan who work there that even knew what a Saleen Mustang was before 2004. I know for a fact a lot of those employees were sweeping the floor and replacing lightbulbs and went straight to the assemblyline. A shame really. They slack in California and Mi. How can anyone possible explain all of these User ( buyer ) fixes that they have had to perform themselves from the logo falling off the wheel to the exhaust bypass rattle. Really disappointing.
To the original poster..... sorry to hear all of the problems you have been having. Good luck with it. Don't worry though. Saleen has been building cars with zip ties and doubleback tape for years. Nothing new. And by the way, I own 3. Guess I'm some large type hypocrite.
No, just means you like the performanc ebut wish the finish product is better. As for the even and odd numbers I thought the extreme's were only being built in Irvine so an odd or even number wouldn't matter in that case.
Well, my car is #1208 '05 and the only shoddy workmanship I can point to is the logo on steering wheel (big deal) and the side skirts having that 1/4" overhang in the back. Front fits great, but 1/4" in the back and they havent fixed it yet? is the overhang suppose to funnel the air from that little scoop to the brakes? I dont know but that's the only thing that annoys me about the car. The exhaust I could care less about because they replaced the whole thing no questions asked.
I test drove 2 Saleens, one low number car and the 1208 which was manufactured in June of 05 (late 05 model) and the earlier built one had wheels out of balance, the door wasnt aligned (POS). Needless to say I think the later half of the 05 model year has less Ford problems in general.
I guess Say when is on to something. I had an 89 saleen (back in the day) and all the paint started coming off the ground effects, the wheel center cap logos all fell off, and the dash plaque peeled off (i had a temporary and they failed to send the final one).
So I guess we love our Saleens like British sports cars lovers, and you put up with the little annoyances because you just love the car.
< Message edited by demarcom -- 7/26/2006 9:46:52 AM >
Posts: 3897
Joined: 3/31/2005 From: Indianapolis, IN Status: offline
Does the FINAL ASSEMBLY point on the window sticker mean where the Ford Mustang was assembled, or where the Saleen work happened? My car is #92 and sticker shows Troy, MI
ORIGINAL: demarcom Front fits great, but 1/4" in the back and they havent fixed it yet? is the overhang suppose to funnel the air from that little scoop to the brakes?
Not certain about the reason but their animation on their website shows the air enter the front, routed around the sides, and then pushed back behind the wheels out the rear. Who knows how accurate that is or if they just made it to look cool.
I do kind of doubt that this 1/4" overhang in the back was an oversight or a mistake. There is probably a reason for it or it would have been corrected by now. Maybe it has to do with flexing/expansion tolerances of the different materials?? Or could it be that Ford has a total of 1/4" tolerances in their side panels?
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1968 GT/CS Sold 2006 S281 SC #469
475 HP kit (more like 465), 3.73 Gears, "E" Panhard & Lower Control Arms
Ford has a tolernce range of almost 3/8 of an inch on there bodys so there has to be room to for them, the reason the 06 seems to fit better is the cars have all got alittle to the + side of the tolernce out of the jigs, ( some of the cars fit tight )
quote:
ORIGINAL: dotbomb
quote:
ORIGINAL: demarcom Front fits great, but 1/4" in the back and they havent fixed it yet? is the overhang suppose to funnel the air from that little scoop to the brakes?
Not certain about the reason but their animation on their website shows the air enter the front, routed around the sides, and then pushed back behind the wheels out the rear. Who knows how accurate that is or if they just made it to look cool.
I do kind of doubt that this 1/4" overhang in the back was an oversight or a mistake. There is probably a reason for it or it would have been corrected by now. Maybe it has to do with flexing/expansion tolerances of the different materials?? Or could it be that Ford has a total of 1/4" tolerances in their side panels?
I'm pretty disapointed in my new S281. I've owned it for about three months and there have already been so many problems with it I can barely keep up with them all, but heres a few examples:
- The pins that hold on the right side body kit started falling off just days after I bought the car and had to be replaced - The screws that hold on the spoiler were overtorqued because you can see three bumps in the spoiler (this is consistant on every new saleen I have seen) - The left side door cladding started falling off and had to be re-set - The Saleen badge on the steering wheel started peeling off and had to be re-glued, twice. - My front left headlight has un-sealed from the front fascia and is recessed into the bumper - The the front and rear blinker (turn signal) lights in the front and rear fascias are loose and not secured well at all - The grills in the fascias are very loose, only secured in one or two points. One of them was cut too short or something, because there is at least a 1 inch gap between the grille and the fascia - And the last straw, a few days ago I was driving along and the door cladding on the right side just flies off the car onto the highway. - Oh and also, the gears went out and had to be replaced (at like 1200 miles)
I could go on and on.... Basically every aesthetic thing that Saleen did to this car seems to be half assed. Has anyone else had experiences like these? I've had to take the damn car back to the dealer for minor repairs so many times I lost count. I'm really getting frustrated with this.
That's too bad. You certainly deserve more quality for your money...and its a nice looking car.
Thanks for the reply. That 1/4 space have been driving me nuts on the car that I keep "perfect". SAR, are there any options to fix? like a Different size scoop? Other than that issue, the car is darn near perfect fit and finish except for the horn sticker...............
Well guys; I had my local dealership do the brake line replacement today in accordance with the recall. It was my first opportunity to get a good look under the car. I noticed a few things that are less then desirable. The fasteners that hold the side skirts on are pretty cheap, and as the technician pointed out installed very loosely. There should be some flex in them to adjust for the thermal changes in the environment. However with the rounded bottom end of the side skirt, alot of us will see cracking around the attachment points because of the incurred flexing of the body. Its not just a Saleen problem, as the techncian told me he has seen a number of 05/06 GTs having issues with the fasteners and the side skirts. Basically the Saleen side skirt is bigger and heavier then the stock one so the issue is more pronounced. If the fasteners are to tight you run the risk of warping the side skirts, thats why some flexibiltiy is built in. I don't think there will be a quick fix here, as the acutal side skirt does not have any interior bracing besides the external fastener to keep it connected. I believe an interior brace on the top side of the fastener would be a fix, but it would be pricey to reengineer that now. I wrote the Tech Line today, I will keep everyone posted if I get a response, I am no technical genius, but over time I can see things eventually departing the vehicle, and doing some damage somewhere down the line. Just for those of you tracking, the car was built in October of 2005, it has 2,300 miles on it. Oh yeah the steering whell emblem, mine popped off too. I am in the process of working with some EXPOXY to keep that puppy on for good. I will let you know, because the stock Saleen glue is no match for the summer extreme midwest heat.
Printable Version
RE: New 06 Saleen falling apart!! WTF! - 
I was told by personnel at Saleen Special Vehicles--Troy, e.g. the Saleen production facility in Troy, MI that cars with bumper numbers that begin with an odd number are generally built in Troy, and that those that begin with an even number are built in CA. For example, my car, #926, was built in Troy, and your car, #839, was built in CA. This info was shared in casual conversation as we joked about my car "coming home" to the facility for the installation of added equipment; I'm sure others know more details. 
