1st Impressions of '03 Tbird

[jimjet]

The dealership passed on an informal poll of the saddle interior. They described it as "lacking" with seat color close to peanut butter. I will be buying an interior wood kit to try to tie the color scheme together.

Had Dealer do a top demo;It turned out I knew more than them.There were two sets of tape for the sail panel; but the cushion on the bottom of the removable top seems to be substanstial. There is nothing in the manual or Top removal CD that discusses implementing the tape. The detail guy said the '03 tonneau cover was different than '02s

I noticed after I left the dealer that the courtesey lights built into the bottom corners of the interior doors did not light up at night. Further, I found no data in manual for lamp or fuse replacement; so they must be reflective?

This vehicle has a lot of power, I mean it really moves with the extra 28 Horses.

I was surprised at the ergonomics of night interior lighting scheme. Pretty well thought out.

My vehicle came from the factory with 80 miles already on the odometer

Is the vehicle supposed to come with a free leather cleaning kit?

Finally, America loves this vehicle; having a grey one even catches the eye of those that have seen the '02s on the road

This page contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated. As an eBay Partner, and Amazon Associate I may be compensated if you make a purchase at no cost to you.

 

[Terry]

Jimjet and all. I had the same top demo for my '03 and we put up the soft top,too. Soft top was difficult as the fabric was so tight the pins were 3/4 inch open and off to the right at full up. Really took some force to align and latch but I understand that will improve with stretching. We'll see. The instructions for the tops and the tape are not in the manual, I dont know why, but they are in the handy foldup quick reference guide. I tried the tape yesterday at home. Hard to align well, I thought. There were 4 sets in my 'box' but I didnt find the second set at first due to reversed position in box.
Did notice the substantial power. Really pulls. Better even than my previous '90 Nissan 300ZX and it was designed as a sports car. Much more comfortable, too.
I just love this thing.
RE the boot. I guess the old Boot was stiffer and only folded in half. A real storage problem. This one is pretty handy and fits (mostly)into the hole in the front of the trunk.

-

 

[jimjet]

Terry, Do the red plastic lenses located at the interior bottom door corners illuminate when you open the car doors during the day or night?

I noticed the trim baracket on bottom of driver's seat was not connected; I fixed.
Today I noticed that the pax seat has not been assembled correctly; I will have to take back to dealer

 

[RACERROGER]

I am happy that you got your new Bird. Happy flying! My question is; how is the the boot cover different? Is it just that it folds easier or what? Is the material different? Do you think it would fit an '02?

Merry Christmas (Sounds like you got a great Xmas gift)

 

[jimjet]

'03 Boot Cover
Unfortunately we '03 guys don't have your 02'perspective as to what will work, but here goes:
The '03 Boot is soft and fold s into a 24" Long x 12" wide x 9" high bundle that easily fits into a plastic bag. Further, there is a strap that has hook and loop to keep the boot closed when folded up. There are six snaps. One starts at forward end corner, next is located approximately 11" at the shortest point from the end snap and the last one is 6" inches inboard from the the second snap. The pattern repeats itself on the opposite side, with there being no snaps in the inboard center section. The back section torwards the sail panel ? simply tucks under. By the way, each forward side has a vertical tab that I guess is suppose to help guide the ends in. You can easily punch new snaps in if you had to add some for the '02. send me your email and I will shoot and send a digital shot

 

[tleslie]

We need this 03 boot part number...anybody have it handy so I can order it to see if it fits an 02?

 

[RACERROGER]

jimjet, I knew I was asking alot. It sounds like it might work. I'll send you my address but, I think alot of us might be interested, how about a picture on this site?

 

[Terry]

Part#: 2W6Z7654400AAA

COST: ARE YOU SITTING DOWN????
$530.43

 

[RACERROGER]

Ouch!

 

[Terry]

Oh,BTW, The red reflectors on the doors don't light as far as i can tell,jimjet

 

[A]

Jim:
Would you PLEASE post more pictures of your Grey/Saddle T-Bird or send the pictures directly to me? I am trying to get as much visual effect of this color combination I can so I can decide if I want to order the color or not! Help!!!
Thanks
David

 

[jimjet]

Terry, thanks for the "good" news. Even my Ford `F-150 has door markers. I will post digitals of the boot if someone tells me how..

A, There is a picture of the exterior and interior of my car posted on the "Anyone taken Delivery" Topic near the end of the string.
I will take top off and shoot interior when I gety back from dealer. We had a storm with 80 mph winds come through night before last. I thought that would be a perfect time to get the pax seat fixed. Anybody know why Wixom would put 80 miles on a car as a test?

 

[Terry]

The 30-80 mile test drives according to my dealer are for random quality control and required EPA testing.

 

[mike02redbird]

My tbird came with a sticker applyed to the window that said it had been randomly pulled from the line and additional test friving had been done for a total of 56 miles. maybe we have a better tested one.

Mike
02 red/full red
27080

 

[LON O'CONNELL]

My T-Bird being one of the first ones actually went through two factory quality road tests. The car arrived in Amarillo on August 16th with a sticker showing 36 quality control test miles. The car was placed on hold, went back to Wixom on September 3rd for the cooling fan hydraulic pump fix and was driven again. When the car arrived in Amarillo the second time on October 9th it now had a new sticker showing test miles of 54, so it was driven an additional 18 test miles.

------------------
Yellow/Yellow Prem. 02 Bird w/full accent
1999 F150 Super Cab 4x4 Off Road
1998 Taurus SE Sport 24V

 

[MIDAS]

Originally posted by LON O'CONNELL:
My T-Bird being one of the first ones actually went through two factory quality road tests. The car arrived in Amarillo on August 16th with a sticker showing 36 quality control test miles. The car was placed on hold, went back to Wixom on September 3rd for the cooling fan hydraulic pump fix and was driven again. When the car arrived in Amarillo the second time on October 9th it now had a new sticker showing test miles of 54, so it was driven an additional 18 test miles.

 

[guysfun]

Originally posted by jimjet:
'03 Boot Cover
You can easily punch new snaps in if you had to add some for the '02. send me your email and I will shoot and send a digital shot

Jimjet: Do you think an 03 top cover will fit an 03 car? Do you know the 02 cover takes up darn near the whole trunk. Can't put anything in the trunk if you think it might rain. There would be no place for the 02 top cover. Thanks, Guy Giordano

 

[guysfun]

[CORRECTION]Originally posted by guysfun:
Jimjet: Do you think an 03 top boot will fit an 02 (2002) car? Thanks, Guy Giordano[/QUOTE]

 

[jimjet]

I just went to a meeting of the Houston Tbird Club and they examined my '03 boot cover. I saw where the '02 boot has hidden snaps. They meet again next Saturday. we will examine in detail and get back to you on the viability. I can take the top down; remove the boot from the trunk and have it installed in under three minutes (I practiced..)There's is no stretching or pulling to align the snaps on the '03 boot. The only problem I see is that they could have added about 1/2 inch more material to the back section where it tucks under the sail panel.