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Chrome peeling on tail lights again, Ford refuses to replace them


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At 35k miles I had Ford replace all the tail lights due to the chrome-peeling issue. My car now has just over 50k miles and the replacement lights have peeled also. I have the Ford extended warranty (bumper to bumper, full warranty) that I paid $2k for that's in effect until 75k miles, but Ford says peeling tail lights are cosmetic and are not covered by the extended b-to-b warranty. I've taken it to two dealers so far, and they both say the same thing.

 

Since you have to replace the ENTIRE tail-light assemblies to fix this "cosmetic" issue, which is pretty expensive, is there some recourse I can take? I know this is a very common issue and is certainly a manufacturer material defect, so it seems as consumers we should have some recourse for this, right?

 

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Bad news, there really is no recourse. I have a set of tail lights that I have been trying to figure out a solution for the peeling chrome...still working on a fix. I believe that the problem isn't with the vendor, but the plastic that is chrome plated. Underneath the chrome the plastic is very, very slick, there is nothing for the chrome to adhere to when they are plated, and I believe this is causing the peeling. I have tried chrome tape, but the tape won't do the curves of the tails without some wrinkles, so I am still looking for a solution. Will let you know if I come up with a solution that works and looks good.

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Bad news' date=' there really is no recourse. I have a set of tail lights that I have been trying to figure out a solution for the peeling chrome...still working on a fix. I believe that the problem isn't with the vendor, but the plastic that is chrome plated. Underneath the chrome the plastic is very, very slick, there is nothing for the chrome to adhere to when they are plated, and I believe this is causing the peeling. I have tried chrome tape, but the tape won't do the curves of the tails without some wrinkles, so I am still looking for a solution. Will let you know if I come up with a solution that works and looks good. [/quote']

 

Many of us, myself included, have used Plastidip to cover the peeling area. Easy to apply and long lasting. Mine have gone through 3 winters and still look great. My car is Cinnamon and I used black Plastidip.

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Yeah, Ford messed up with the chrome taillights, still think a lot of the problem is the fact that the plastic under the chrome is so slippery that the chrome just doesn't adhere correctly to it. Will let you know how the Plastidip looks and works once it arrives.

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My first attempt at fixing was to use chrome tape in place of the chrome...wasn't pleased with the results, it took too many cuts to make the curves and didn't look right. Next attempt was to just use a small piece of the chrome tape to cover the area where the peeling was occurring...not bad, but not great because the chrome tape looks different from the shine of the chrome on the tail lights. Now waiting for the Plastidip to arrive and will attempt that. If I am pleased with that result I will tint the tails and replace mine.

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I've thought about that but with the seam between the chrome and the red part of the tail, it's very difficult to get the film to adhere. Also, the plastic would have to be completely removed to get a uniform look under the film....it's worth a try, but I'm finding that in certain spots the chrome is very difficult to get tiny particles off of the plastic, yet in other places in almost falls off...this is a challenging project...also, I discovered today that the Plasticdip I ordered is to be used on top of another color...so I ordered an aluminum color....I hope I can get a finish that looks good. But according to Plastidip, it only has about a 3 year life....

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