i dont think the ford 'stealers' here in the UK are all that. i have been waiting for 6 months now for the wiper motor recall thingy for my Excursion.
My Father who has an Explorer like you seems to be having trouble sourcing parts,when he goes to the dealer they refer him elsewhere ? and its an official UK car ?
so problem solved now , when i last went out to florida with the family , we took 5 suitcases out. 18 came back most full with clothes but i reckon at least 3 were full of Brake Discs, Pads, headlights etc , we just take the VIN numbers down to the local dealer & get them with no problems, and if the local dealer dont have them in stock, they are normally there within the week.
saves us wasting out time & money at the dealers here in the UK. . .
& we can get a little sun too