Hello. I have a dispute with a local dealer and not sure the proper way to get resolution.
We had a 2008 Ford Expedition bought used with approx. 54k miles. When bought, the dealer had just installed a new Ford longblock and I was told we had a 3 year warranty (I have all of the documentation). We recently had a severe misfire diagnosed as a variable cam timing solenoid. I towed the Expedition to the closest dealer to have it repaired. Initially they told me it was not a warrantable part and I was to pay for the repair as well as a new cam phaser and oil change. I disputed it twice with the service manager bringing to light the motor warranty. He claims Ford would not warranty the part and that the dealer that replaced the engine "must have used the old part". I instructed them to only change the VCT solenoid as we needed the vehicle. I contacted the service manager from the dealership that installed the motor and he assured me Ford sent the new long block with new VCT solenoids-and said it was under warranty. I then contacted the repairing dealer and they again said it wasn't covered. I contacted a friend that is a Ford Tech at a third dealer and he cited language from the Ford database stating this should be warrantied. At this point the vehicle was finished and I went to pick up the vehicle with this information. A second service writer said he felt it should be warrantied and would have to speak to the manager. I went to pay the bill (wife needed the vehicle) and discovered this dealer tried to charge $555 labor. I asked for the service writer and he quickly acknowledged they "charged the wrong labor". He "fixed" the bill and the total was now a little over $344. He told me he would contact me the next day. Well, I ended up making the call around 4:30 the next day and the service writer said Ford agreed to warranty the part and I was to bring the bill and credit card back for reimbursement. I did. The new story is Ford again denied the claim stating it is an electrical component and only has a 12 month warranty. I left angry for the runaround after being told it was covered (finally) only to get a different story when I showed up.
I am a reasonable person. I only drive Ford vehicles and in fact traded the Expedition on a new Explorer Sport. If I am supposed to pay for this I do not have any issue. Parts go bad. However, I cannot seem to get resolution from the dealer justifying this is not warrantable. The motor had approximately 25-30K miles since replacement and all oil changes were kept on schedule. This component is critical for cam timing and I do not understand why it would not be warrantied. I need help. Sorry for the long post but I am not sure the best way to get in contact with the reps on here.

 

Ford won't read any of these. I would send this to their Facebook page, twitter, etc. You will get a response.

 

Thank you. I thought Crystal looked through the forums.

 

You have left out a key part of what's important here. WHAT DOES THE ACTUAL WARRANTY PAPERWORK SAY? If you bothered to not get these details at sale time there isn't much hope for recouping your $$$$. Somewhere in the paperwork provided there is detailed info about what is covered and what is not covered by the warranty, IE, oil pump, bearings, camshafts, etc.

 

The paperwork does not call out specific items. It states "for 36 months from warranty start date, Ford will cover100% of all parts and labor at approved warranty reimbursement rates" This is under the long block portion on the warranty page. I didn't post all of the information in this post as I was trying to get in touch with Crystal to share the pertinent information. Warranty start date was June 2012. Motor had 29,000 miles when the solenoid failed. The dealer is my issue. They have no clue what the warranty is. The main beef I have is the installing dealer is adamant this is a warranty item and I have a second dealer saying the same. The repairing dealer CALLED ME AND SAID IT WAS NOW COVERED after 3 attempts and to bring the bill back to them for reimbursement. When I did, they then said it was not covered. I have been working with this dealer for 15 years. Bought 2 new Fords from them. They recently added a GM and RAM franchise and their service dept is full of new people as they have moved their original crew to those dealerships. All I asked them for was documentation and clarification that is was not covered. They cannot provide it in writing. I am being reasonable I think. I bought the Expy under the premise I had a 3 year warranty on the motor. I don't blame Ford. Parts fail. I am not an entitlement junkie. Far from it. I simply want my warranty honored and the dealer cannot seem to find the answer if it is covered.

 

I sure do, dave91gt; you have a PM waiting for you in your inbox.

Crystal

 

Well done!

 

So a few things are going on here.

1. your selling dealer sucks. If it was a true warrantable part they would pay the repairing dealer and handle it internally. We've had this happen many times when our trucks fail outside our normal fleet operations zone.

2. YOU have yet to prove that the failed part (Solenoid) is warrantable. In court and in life that doesn't cut the mustard. You need to dig down and see what parts came with the long block. From what I can tell the solenoid does not come with the long block and that was the failed part NOT the phaser. My guess as someone who deals with warranties on a daily basis (both with Ford and other equipment manufacturers) is that had you elected to do the entire repair properly they would have pushed through in warranty saying the cam phaser, where is part of a long block from what I read failed and caused the resulting repairs.



Warranty Data here:
http://www.fordparts.com/FileUploads...May%202013.pdf