[Closed] Franklin Mint should be accountable for the recent '55 Pontiac rash and warping problem.

Except it's been too many years since they were released.

Just how long do you think the warranty should be?

They were released in 2009, that's only 7 years. Since many of us have FM and DM cars that 20 plus years and older, I think we should be able to expect that those FM Pontiac's should be able to be expected to be around that long as well.

Some folks here have said that FM was aware of the paint and material defects and/or the cars were bad from the beginning.

So to answer your question, I think FM should be held accountable and to offer refunds to those of us that are now not able to enjoy those cars. I'll gladly return the mess of a car for that refund.

FM 55 Pontiac 550 Edition Auction Sales

It is interesting to note that either of the Black/Red or Red/Black cars (550 edition) was last sold in the D4C auction in June 2015 as mint in box for $92. So someone must have still had an unaffected example as recent as last summer.
Poor descriptions start showing up in 2011 and sell for $25-$45, for example. Of course it is not known why the cars were listed as poor - was it due to rash or missing parts?
Sales continue into 2014 as excellent and the cars change hands usually in the $90-$100 range with a high of $171 on 9/6/14. So it looks like not all cars in the edition were in damaged condition as of a year and a half ago.
My question is: what kind of condition are those cars in now?

David Harvey...my two '55 Pontiac's were in mint condition last year at this time. So in this past year, the black over red one went from okay to a warped mess. That tells me it is a fast acting cancer.

After reading Marlowe Johnson's excellent comments elsewhere about the unrealistic expectations of any of us having any legal recourse, and he is right, I guess I'll just offer this thought. It would be a nice customer service gesture on Franklin Mint's part to openly except the return of the badly affected Pontiac's and offer us a partial or full refund. The latter would be the best scenario, but even partial would be good will offering on their part.

I'd highly doubt we will ever see such an offer, but it really would be the right thing for them to do.

Using that argument, I think I want a refund on my red '35 Mercedes.

The original foil is peeling off slightly and a little discolored. While I'm at it, how about the black '57 Eldorado Brougham with the peeling paint on the doors. It is ONLY about 20 years old. Oh, and the Blue '35 Mercedes with the peeling paint on the inside of the doors. Shall I go on?

What about my washing machine? It is only 6 years old but needs a new belt. I think I'll call Westinghouse and demand a new one or a refund.

There is no way you are going to get retribution on these or any other models from the now defunct Mints. Their suppliers are out of business as well. Maybe your best chance is to go after the Chinese government who now hold the original molds hostage.

The original foil is peeling off slightly and a little discolored. While I'm at it, how about the black '57 Eldorado Brougham with the peeling paint on the doors. It is ONLY about 20 years old. Oh, and the Blue '35 Mercedes with the peeling paint on the inside of the doors. Shall I go on?

What about my washing machine? It is only 6 years old but needs a new belt. I think I'll call Westinghouse and demand a new one or a refund.

There is no way you are going to get retribution on these or any other models from the now defunct Mints. Their suppliers are out of business as well. Maybe your best chance is to go after the Chinese government who now hold the original molds hostage.

Caveat emptor

That is scary that yours fell apart that fast........

after six years of being OK. I would have thought that most damage due to metal impairment would happen early in the car's life. But I guess the degradation can vary with different factors involved.
As for manufacturers making any allowances, I don't think that any current management believes they are responsible for events that occurred that long ago.
The one manufacturer that has produced cars that had metal failure and is still in the diecast car business is CMC. But I don't know if they ever dealt with any complaints from customers that had cars with those problems.

George...are you a gambler?

Since you're probably going to throw the thing in the trash, why don't you package it up and send it to FM customer service with the receipt and a letter explaining your position. Worse thing is they throw it in the trash or send it back to you. Or maybe they'll send a gift card toward another item of theirs? It will cost you the postage to find out!

David Angeloni...if you've read any of my posts over the years, you'll recall that I was a banker before I retired 8 years ago, and bankers DON'T gamble. At least this one doesn't.

And contrary to your thinking, I will NOT toss the car in the trash. When it finally becomes completely gross to look at, I'll put it in my lower cabinet beneath my shelves as a reminder of the car that ended my die-cast buying.

With regard to getting a coupon or something from Franklin Mint for some other merchandise, sorry, but they have nothing that I'm interested in, nor have I ever been, other than their cars back in the day.

I may however make an attempt to get in touch with FM, which will probably be a joke in itself. They never did have a customer service department that was worth a hill of beans.

LOL David Applebaum...do you always repeat yourself?

Except FM doesn't exist anymore...

I have a very sad AMT 1950 Studebaker on my lower shelf.

It has one of the worst cases of plastic rot I have ever seen. Its not warpage, its cracked, distorted, a mess. I have about 8 50's Studebakers, and two are totally destroyed. One other has sunken area by the headlights, and the others are fine.

ts hit and miss with warpage and plastic rot. Seems to be hit and miss too with diecast. Of the three Eders Bugatti's I have, only one crumbled. Number two car is a is great except for being dropped and suspension destroyed. Its hood is set for transplant to the one with hood rot.