Super crazy idea. Take a can of high heat resistant spray paint and go down close to that machined area and press down on that white thingy on top...
Provide a link to a competitor product that has similar truck capabilities & amenities as a Maverick Lariat AWD Lux, 4k, FX4, at a better/equal price point.
We all have our opinion, eh?
I'm a retired engineer and do metalwork as a hobby. The control arm surface looks fairly smooth but the facing cuts on the knuckle casting where it bolts to the strut look pretty rough. The visible distance between each successive cut indicates a very high feed rate, as if it was done in a huge rush to fix a previous oversight in production. I'm definitely nit-picking about "fit & finish" here; it's just fine if you consider only the functionality of the part. Even if Ford engineers wanted to avoid a layer of paint where the strut bolts to the knuckle, this is ugly. I would hope 
issues like this would not exist in the 2023 MY and beyond. Note that in past years, outfits like Ford & GM have shipped a LOT of vehicles with unpainted steel or cast iron underneath (like differential housings). The Japanese brands have done better in this area.
Well, I think thats the point. There isn't another option because to get at that starting price point, Ford went above and beyond in cost cutting measures. Perhaps a lot of car companies didn't want to take that gamble. If you take the Santa Cruz, as ugly as it may be, it is a more expensive vehicle for sure. But, after owning a hybrid Maverick for 5k miles now, it just gives me that sense that this truck is just not going to last that long. I've never driven a Santa Cruz but I would put my money on which one will last longer. Is a good deal a good deal if you're dumping money into this thing to get it to 100k miles? These aren't cheap Toyotas from the 90's. They're just, well cheap.
I've had/know of, plenty of "cheap tin cans" that have gone well over 100K miles with nothing but proper maintenance. What cost-cutting measures did Ford take on the Maverick that might impact performance life?
If the intended finish was not a smooth finished surface though, it doesnt by itself indicate poor QC. Its a production facility. They arent putting these arms one by one in vice on a human operated mill lol the cnc is doing its job. Why slow the cutting head down if its only purpose is to create a mating surface for a wiz nut lol anywho. Each to their own. We can throw our professions past and present back and forth all we want as evidence, but alas, Were on the internet lol when i swap my winters on in the fall, this will not be a primary inspection point for me lol but each person can spend their time and their worrying where theyd like i suppose. Horrah for free countries! LolWe all have our opinion, eh?
Looks like loose tape or something behind the tie-rod?So after almost 10 months I figured I'd have a truck that was 100%. I had to imagine that Ford did whatever it takes to get trucks out for 2022 and by "whatever it takes" I was hoping it wasn't literally. I wanted to change my wheels out. And low and behold, corners were cut, well not corners but my spindles. Tops trimmed to mount the shocks and as you can see the really hacked the area to mount the tie-rod. Not real happy with my first ever Ford. Has anyone else had this issue? XL Hybrid 230 miles. Who can I contact at Ford? Dealer is aware of my issue.
Yes. There was loose tape on both sides. Not sure what was supposed to be taped so I just removed it.
