I just got back from my Ford dealer after leaving the car for a Ford engineer to test drive. (See first post above).Unfortunately, I was unable to talk to the engineer personally but did talk to the shop foreman who also went on the test drive. They found that one cross-member bolt was very slightly loose but felt that the vibrations were normal for this type of car. The foreman and I took an '03 out for comparison which seemed tighter to me, but to them, my car was the same as the '03. I guess the bolts need to be checked from time to time. On my ride home (with the tightened bolt), I thought the ride was a bit tighter over rough spots in the road.
Because I left the
hard top off to show them the paint abrasions on the rear deck, they couldn't comment on the excessive creaking and groaning of the
hard top. The engineer recommended that they install a "squeak and rattle kit" next time I bring the car in with the
hard top on. As I understand it, this is some kind of peel and stick type of material that attaches to the rubber gasket of the
hard top itself, not on the deck. They said it does not have to be replaced every time like the clear tape. When I asked if the clear tape would still be necessary, there was some hemming and hawing. Finally, they said that the tape would be a good idea, too. I guess I'll try the squeak and rattle kit, because they said that it can be removed if necessary.
Side note: they had a 007 bird in the showroom. I didn't like it at all. Maybe it looks better with Haily Berry driving it.
