Getting the warranty runaround

[HemiMopar]

Re: Getting the warranty runaround

I have never driven a Ford or even owned one. I have owned GM and have gotten good service from their service departments and on the Dodge I own now the service department couldn't be any better. We have only had it in for typical service and once to get something replaced that took about 4-5 hours and my wife was given a loaner car right off the lot. She took it back the next day and picked up her car when it was done. We know our service manager by name as he does ours. I couldn't be any happier. I can't tell you how many free oil changes we have gotten.

[ZoranC]

Re: Getting the warranty runaround

That said, that dealership STINKS and I suggest calling Ford corporate and politely tell your story. They will likely take care of you.

... hopefully better than they "took care" of me.

[ZoranC]

Re: Getting the warranty runaround

If the problem truly is they're waiting for delivery of parts, then it truly is out of their hands. How to know this for sure is anyone's guess.

Almost any part of vehicles in production can be had from nationwide distribution warehouses shipped and received in approximately a week, not well over a month. Especially on something as common as cat converters.

Chris, here is a simple way to know: Call different dealership. Ask for quote on parts and delivery estimate.

[ZoranC]

Re: Getting the warranty runaround

That being said, I'm looking at getting a Lightning or F-250 diesel next summer.

A Lightning? You already have it this bad and you want more of it?

[Mort Corey]

Re: Getting the warranty runaround

Yes I can. That car left me stranded more times than I'd like to count. I bought a brand new car for reliability, and Ford failed. Not to mention the rudeness I was subjected to from the dealer, and the fact that I had to provide my own rental car everytime it was in the shop. Those months that my car was in the shop, I was still having to make the payments, plus paying for a rental car. Basically my payments doubled while that BRAND NEW car was being repaired. Is it my fault Ford build and sold me a lemon? No it wasn't, but I sure had to pay($$$) for it.

I'll never forget it.

Ah, come on Nick...don't hold back....tell us how your REALLY feel

Mort

[Sal329]

Re: Getting the warranty runaround

I work for a dealer (not Ford) and we give out loaners like cups of water. If we do nto have a loaner the customer will get a rental car. Sorry bout the run around. I had a 2000 Mustang for 5 years and thank God I only had 1 issue I took it to the dealer for and they said no problem found. I had to look and find the problem went back to the dealer and had to show them. My cam sensor was leakin oil, they tried to BS me tellin me engines sweat just like people. I told them I have been workin in the auto business for the last 4 years (back then) and never have I heard a statement so dumb. Any sorry for my rant. I would ask to speak to the GM. If nothing call FORD.

[roushstage2]

Re: Getting the warranty runaround

For those knocking Ford because of a problem, major or minor, here and there (which can and does happen with every brand)...

My friend bought a brand new Cobalt SS (GM/Chevy of course), 4,000 miles the cat clogged up and caused the entire supercharger and intake to blow. 4,000 miles and the GM took a ****. He didn't get a rental car either and had to wait a week (was pretty quick IMO though) to get his car back.

Sister got a brand new Jetta. At 10,000 miles she had to take it in because the rear braked were toast. Apparently a "design" flaw by VW. VW knows about it but it is apparently "normal" to go through 2-3 sets of rear brakes before having to change the fronts. Other than some other minor problems, it has been alright. No rental.

My mom had a lemon Expedition. Law story and process short, she got a brand new one. Been in for some smaller and bigger problems. Fixed ASAP and she has ALWAYS received a rental car whenever she has taken it in, or her old one.

The 2001 F150 has NEVER been into the shop for anything.

My Mustang had the rack and pinion go out in my driveway. I had my car back in 3 days and that was waiting for the warranty company to pay whoever to get the parts, have them delivered, and installed. I didn't take a rental, but I didn't need it either.

My Neon has already had to have the engine mounts replaced because of their design. They tend to wear out pretty quickly compared to others. There is also a known problem with leaks from the head and the tranny isn't so great. Does that mean no one should buy another Dodge? No.

To give up on a company, etc. because of 1 bad experience is ridiculous. Out of the 5 Fords my family has bought in the past 8 years, 1 was a problem and the entire vehicle was replaced. Pretty dang good IMO.

[mcox]

Re: getting the warrenty runaround

Mark mentioned that Ford had recently tied Toyota and Honda for initial quality. What he didn't mention is that initial quality is a period of time that is I believe in that 60-90 days area. Having said that I would hope that any auto company could make a vehicle that lasted at least 90 days. Bad part is that Dr. Demings first US "client" was Ford Motor Company. To come from where Ford was in terms of quality is astonishing. My experience with Ford hasn't been the most pleasant and it involved a new and improved '02 Explorer and a incorrectly geared tranny from the Louisville plant. I must say that I had been a Ford guy since learning to drive in a '69 F150. My customer experience even included driving to the Detroit area in hopes of resolving the issue. No, I didn't drive from Texas, I was living in Michigan at the time. The end result of numerous phone calls and 2 trips to Detroit, they lost a life long customer and I now drive a Titan truck and a Camry.

[Markus Kleis]

Re: Getting the warranty runaround

Yes I can. That car left me stranded more times than I'd like to count. I bought a brand new car for reliability, and Ford failed. Not to mention the rudeness I was subjected to from the dealer, and the fact that I had to provide my own rental car everytime it was in the shop. Those months that my car was in the shop, I was still having to make the payments, plus paying for a rental car. Basically my payments doubled while that BRAND NEW car was being repaired. Is it my fault Ford build and sold me a lemon? No it wasn't, but I sure had to pay($$$) for it.

I'll never forget it.

Of course YOU can, but from a statistical and scientific point of view, no you can't.

I just finished a course on business statistics and we covered topics just like this. A sample size of one = NOT worthy of anything in the world of mathematical statistics.

Someone I know had a 1 year old Civic blow the engine, should he then never buy a Honda again?

Or what about Toyota releasing the new Tundra 5.7 and over 50 engines had complete catastrophic engine failure within the first couple months....should all Toyotas be avoided now too?

I think you get what I am getting at...

I fully understand that your personal experience put a bad taste in your mouth, but you would be very irresponsible and plain incorrect to think that you can use a single instance to determine the quality of an entire brand.

[Markus Kleis]

Re: getting the warrenty runaround

Mark mentioned that Ford had recently tied Toyota and Honda for initial quality. What he didn't mention is that initial quality is a period of time that is I believe in that 60-90 days area. Having said that I would hope that any auto company could make a vehicle that lasted at least 90 days. Bad part is that Dr. Demings first US "client" was Ford Motor Company. To come from where Ford was in terms of quality is astonishing. My experience with Ford hasn't been the most pleasant and it involved a new and improved '02 Explorer and a incorrectly geared tranny from the Louisville plant. I must say that I had been a Ford guy since learning to drive in a '69 F150. My customer experience even included driving to the Detroit area in hopes of resolving the issue. No, I didn't drive from Texas, I was living in Michigan at the time. The end result of numerous phone calls and 2 trips to Detroit, they lost a life long customer and I now drive a Titan truck and a Camry.

It's 90 days, and it's a HUGE area for automakers that doesn't just determine if "the car can last 90 days." It is an indicator of the quality of work and engineering of the ENTIRE vehicle, and one of the best indicators of long term longevity.

As for your anecdotal story, again, see my above post...

(I could likewise give you countless stories of the Fords in my family that were flawless to us and our many cross country trips, but it's virtually worthless information)

[Ryan L.]

Re: getting the warrenty runaround

We just got our Jeep back on Thursday, it was in the shop for 5 weeks. We also got new stories every time we called. At one point they didn't even have records of the car being there. I know how you feel, they wouldn't give us a loaner car either because it was power train work, not extended warranty work. We had to fight with them to get parts replaced instead of just "looked at", when the admited that the transmission was fried.

Dealerships are hard to work worth but in the end we got about $8,000 of work for $900, which is very favorable.

Hang in there!

Ryan

[J. A. Michaels]

Re: Getting the warranty runaround

I was brought up in a GM family. When I was giving a company car in the early 80's. They were Buick. Never had a problem. Our company was sold to a company that loved Fords. Long story short, The fords were great cars, roomy, good gas mileage and reliable. I had 7 fords while I was there. Only one problem in all that time. A defective heater hose. Pretty good as far as reliability in my book.

[mcox]

"It's 90 days, and it's a HUGE area for automakers that doesn't just determine if "the car can last 90 days." It is an indicator of the quality of work and engineering of the ENTIRE vehicle, and one of the best indicators of long term longevity."

Mark,

I completely agree with you about what it indicates so if I ruffled some feathers that was not my intent. For the sake of brevity I did not go into detail of the circumstances of the Explorer. The car can last 90 days statement was not meant to imply certainty only a general statement. I do understand the significance of the JD Power intial quality rating as it relates to how well a vehicle is built as well as PPM's CI, and 6 Sigma having been in the industry since '93. I certainly do not take anything away from Ford for the level of quality the have reached. I mentioned that I learned to drive on a '69 F150 and it wasn't until 2005 that I became dissatisfied with Ford Motor Company. I think that you would agree that 90 days of data points are not as good as say 36 months worth but who wants to discuss statistics on a car detailling forum. If you would care to hear more about me and Ford send me a PM and we can discuss it. Thanks for your input.

[Markus Kleis]

Re: Getting the warranty runaround

"It's 90 days, and it's a HUGE area for automakers that doesn't just determine if "the car can last 90 days." It is an indicator of the quality of work and engineering of the ENTIRE vehicle, and one of the best indicators of long term longevity."

Mark,

I completely agree with you about what it indicates so if I ruffled some feathers that was not my intent. For the sake of brevity I did not go into detail of the circumstances of the Explorer. The car can last 90 days statement was not meant to imply certainty only a general statement. I do understand the significance of the JD Power intial quality rating as it relates to how well a vehicle is built as well as PPM's CI, and 6 Sigma having been in the industry since '93. I certainly do not take anything away from Ford for the level of quality the have reached. I mentioned that I learned to drive on a '69 F150 and it wasn't until 2005 that I became dissatisfied with Ford Motor Company. I think that you would agree that 90 days of data points are not as good as say 36 months worth but who wants to discuss statistics on a car detailling forum. If you would care to here more about me and Ford send me a PM and we can discuss it. Thanks for your input.

Thanks for the clarification, and I went back and re-read my post and realized it might have sounded a bit harsh. I was in a hurry and didn't tale the time to make sure it "came off right" before I posted.

No hard feelings here!

I'm just trying to do my part to make sure people realize the full spectrum of information on the subject, as often times rants are one-sided and lack the full story.

[mcox]