Yes, I made the mistake again in believing that people care about quality, honor, and the customer... I purchased a 2005 F350 4x4 5.4L Regular Cab truck back in April with the truck only having 23,600 miles on the clock. The dealership recommended that I speak with the original owner who had just traded it in for a 2008 F150 Crew Cab. I called the previous owner and he said that there was nothing wrong with the truck. The truck looked like it was in near perfect condition and I purchased it on the cheap ($4k below retail KBB). Although I looked it over well before making an offer, I didn’t realize that the truck had been painted until I owned the truck for more than three weeks. Neither the dealership nor the previous owner disclosed that information...

Well, my warranty runs out on 7/6/08 so I've been driving the truck every day to see if I could detect any issues. I had several issues (many realized by viewing this forum) that I wanted addressed but I didn’t have a local dealership that I could trust in the Charlotte, NC area. I had purchased two vehicles from a dealership in Morganton, NC where I used to live and had 100% satisfactions from their service department. So, I called them and asked if they would look at my truck and address the issues. They said "Sure, we can do that for you." So I made arrangement for my parents to following me to the dealership (2.5 hours away) and bring me home. That was on Saturday...

Today the dealership calls to tell me that the only issue that they could address was the rattle in the driver door. All of the high $$$ issues were "normal" for the 5.4L or other areas of the truck. I'm talking about ticking in the engine, rough transmission engagement into reverse, sagging rear driver's side spring, and a few other issues. I asked the service manager that if I took my truck to a local dealership in three weeks, would they say that everything was ok or would they say that $4,000 of repairs were needed? He stated that as of right now, nothing was warranted but that may not be true in three weeks. The dealership is Crossroads Ford Lincoln Mercury. He also told me that the "Martin Family" that owned the dealership when I made my purchases was no longer affiliated with the dealership

I currently own three Ford vehicles (1997 F250 4x4, 1998 Mustang GT, and 2005 F350 4x4) and I am seriously thinking of selling them all and switching over to Toyota. I have had just about all that I can take from these greedy American car manufacturers and these lame duck dealerships who are only looking at the current QTR earnings. I'm pissed and I'll admit it... but where is Ford's loyalty to me

 

I can understand your frustration, but the dealers get paid by Ford to do warranty work, so if there was work that could have passed as warranty repairs I think that dealership would have done it. Especially since you live 2.5 hours away and are not likely to return after the warranty expires for out of pocket repairs.

With that being said, it won't hurt to check a couple of other dealerships to get their opinion. Sometimes these things are subjective in nature, and maybe you'll find a mechanic that thinks there is warranty work.

On another note, what makes you think a Toyota dealer will be any more helpful?

 

The recent thread on the Toyota Tacoma frame rust recall is what makes me think that Toyota cares more than Ford...

 

what good is a rust recall if your truck falls apart and you die while driving it?

 

Once a recall goes out, not many manufacturers shy away from taking care of it. Recall repairs are different than the stuff you're talking about.

 

Whether it is warranty work or a recall, it means the same thing to me... do you stand behind your product?

 

Comparing a recall from Toyota to a warranty repair from a dealership is apples and oranges. One scenario is a manufacturer, the other is an independent dealer that pays Ford for the franchise name. I completely understand your frustration but why would you sell good products because of a dealer. If you bought moldy bread at a store would you shop a different store or would you quit eating bread and start buying bagels instead?

Warranty work is subjective. The wife had a Taurus with an exhaust rattle. 1st dealer said too bad, not warranted. Took it to a 2nd shop and they replaced the whole fricking exhaust system without blinking an eye. All it needed was a tack weld on the converter shield but this demonstrates how 2 dealers can/will treat the same product from one extreme to the other.

 

If you are still under warranty, there was no reason they shouldn't have addressed the TSB (technical service bulletin) for cam phaser gears if that is what is causing the ticking (what is the build date of your truck?) If before May, 2005, you likely have the cam phaser gear issue and the dealer should have done the work and been paid by Ford. Sounds like they are lazy and too busy to do the work as Ford pays a small number of hours for the work if you don't have a fast mechanic - very little chance the dealer makes any real money on these but is certainly an obvious sign of poor customer service for them not doing anything.

And if it wasn't the cam phaser gears (due to build date) then it is definitely an exhaust donut that requires replacing - these 3V engines are quiet as a mouse when those two things are taken care of. Both items qualify under warranty work if you push the dealer. I bought my truck off of warranty and had the dealer take care of them both as part of the deal and that comes out of their pocket, not FoMoCos. 60,000 miles on my truck now and still quiet as a mouse.

Also, are your windows scratched?? Another TSB to replace the beltline mouldings on both front doors and if bad enough they should be replacing your window glass for free.

All I can say is most dealers up here in Canada seem to be a little better on their customer service than down there - although they better be since we pay about 25% more for our vehicles than you do considering our dollar is at par with the US dollar right now. Sorry to hear about your troubles and I hope you can get some satisfaction.

 

The build date for the 5.4L engine was April, 2005. The service manager said that the cam phaser was ok and the "ticking" was caused by the fuel injectors. I asked if that was normal and he said yes.

 

I plan to do what you've recommended and immediately take the truck to another Ford dealership. Maybe I will have the same success as yourself.

 

It's not normal to have a continuous ticking even from the injectors. There is also an extended warranty out right now on the injectors in our trucks. I think six or eight years and at least 100,000 miles IIRC.

If it is continuous, it's either cam phaser gears or exhaust donut and it's only going to get worse. Get it fixed. The cam phaser gears is a known problem on the 5.4L 3V prior to May '05 and there is no reason not to have the upgrade done under warranty. Sorry, but the service manager at that dealership is a lazy *** or maybe just plain ignorant. These engines don't tick continuously. I certainly would feel your frustration by now with this problem if it wasn't handled to my satisfaction.

By the way, IMO if you hear the ticking inside the cab when idling AND while driving, it's not likely the injectors.

 

Just be sure to not jam up this new dealer- they have NOTHING to do with the history, you want them on your side, so partner with them, get them to be your advocate.

 

The rough reverse engagement might be another TSB that requires a reflash, if I remember correctly.

 

Your attitude towards the dealer will go a long way. Not that you want to see the service department daily because of repairs, but if you can establish a relationship of some kind it really helps if they recognize your face. Remember you need them to be your friend. Any time I stop by the local dealer I make my rounds. I might only be there because that GT500 on the corner caught my eye but I make sure to say hello. Im not saying you have to take the service writers family to dinner but say hello and strike up a 3 minute conversation. If you come across as another butthole that is only here because the other guy wouldnt do it for you, and they sense you will never be back again, then dont expect much in return. I know you are frustrated with the other dealers but remember you have NO reason to be frustrated with this new/different dealer.

 

Yes you are correct. I printed the TSB's (if available) for everything issue I wanted addressed.