Great news Ford extended the warranty----that'd give me a huge confidence boost!

 

Took the van in yesterday for two recalls and to get the rain sensor replaced. Got a call in the afternoon, the parts for the seatbelt recall are available, and they wanted to keep it overnight so they could get the parts in and installed this morning. No biggie, we had nothing we needed it for today, so I told them to go for it.

This morning I get another call...apparently the clip for the rain sensor broke when they were removing the old one. The clip is part of the windshield...the only fix is to replace it. She sits at the dealer for the second night in a row...they have a glass installer coming tomorrow to put in a new windshield.

Stuff happens, I'm not upset about it, but this is starting to seem like a badly written comedy.

 

Good evening everyone. Picked up the van, my mind is blown.

I walked in and he explained that this wasn't warrantable and that they were eating the cost. He explained all the evidence of damage, showed me a photo, and pointed out the visible spots where they had to seal the scraped up paint. Windshield is brand-new OEM glass. I didn't pay for it, and with this on the work order Ford didn't either:



In its past life this van was a rental, so it stands to reason that quality of work wasn't the primary concern.

 

Even though they cost more, I find comfort in buying brand new vehicles.

It seems like only sign of replaced glass *might* be a different brand name on the windshield or something and in your case it's not, but the rain sensor being missing is really annoying. Good luck in getting it fixed. Dunno if the vehicle was represented as "certified" but if it was, it seems like the dealer would be responsible for stuff like this. If not, they are probably just making a good will gesture. Still, replaced windshields are really common and would not be a deal killer for me because stuff happens.

Good luck,
George

 

I've historically been the same way, but some vehicles depreciate faster than others. I paid $15,000 under MSRP buying it one year old with 24,000 miles. A great deal on that same van new would have been more than $10K more.

It's funny, I never even looked at the markings on the windshield. Wouldn't have bothered me in the least that it had been replaced though, I've never heard of a glass job screwed up like this. I bought it from a completely different Ford dealer, and it wasn't certified, which is why this all surprised me. I've never bought a thing from Hayford Ford, and only given them warranty work. I suspect that'll change.

 

Hayford Ford has gone above and beyond to earn future business. Kudos to them for a job well done!

The last used car that I bought was a 1991 T-Bird 3.8L in 1993. It was a Hertz rental car and I ASSumed that it was well cared for, the odo was at 31K

The aftermarket windshield had to be replaced because it leaked like a sieve causing the replacement of the carpet and padding, my wife's purse and the driver's seat motor, all under warranty.

Then a planetary gear in the transmission was making a noise, turned out to be a Ford recall. We had it fixed, the tech screwed up and we fried the transmission. A new tranny was installed, under warranty.

At 45K i found myself replacing plugs, wires, belts, two hoses, a coolant flush and all brakes.

At 50K the a/c compressor crapped out.

At 60K I couldn't take it anymore and I've never bought a used car since.

 

I do understand that too, Tom. When I was looking at Expeditions, I was definitely looking used only (and they were fleet vehicles) because the new prices were insane. Ended up with a new Grand Caravan instead and got a spectacular deal.

In the past, I have bought used off-lease vehicles when they were big-depreciation cars. (In 2000, bought my wife a '98 Sable with 27k miles, $13k on a sticker price of $21k.)

Good luck, and you definitely have found a dealer that deserves your business. I hope you don't find any more surprises.

George

 

This freaking van...

Towed once last week for no-start, and they replaced the fuel pump driver module. I'm out of town for work for the next three weeks, and wouldn't you know...got a call from the wife saying it wouldn't start yet again. This time stranding my daughter and nurse at her school.

I wonder if Ford roadside has a limit to how many times they'll tow a particular vehicle?

 

Still no answer on the Transit. Called over lunch yesterday and they were stumped. The air filter was moldy, so they replaced that. Hotline told them to replace the throttle body, and afterward it still failed to start. As of yesterday at noon they were waiting to hear back from the hotline on what to replace.

I called Ford customer service in the morning and started a case. Hope to have something back from them and the dealer today.

 

Bummer, Tom. I hope they get you sorted out.

My Dodge Grand Caravan is almost a year old from when I bought it new and the nav unit puked. Dealer has to order a new radio. (Heard they cost 2 grand!?) Still under warranty, and since I bought a lifetime warranty on the darn thing, it will be under warranty for a long time. Decent vehicle for my needs....loaded to the gills with electrical gizmos that I suspect will start giving problems down the road.

I am seeing Transits all over the place, so hopefully the experience base in diagnosing and servicing them will become better as time goes on.

Best of luck to you,
George

 

Thanks, George. This isn't a common thing to go wrong, I can't find anyone with similar issues on the Transit forums. Throttle bodies have been known to fail, but apparently that wasn't the issue.

This has the exact same 3.7L engine used in the F150 and Mustang for a few years now. We're frustrated, but understand the troubles tracking down an intermittent problem.

ON edit: Just got off the phone with them. They're replacing the fuel pump, which won't be in until Monday. This seems to be temperature related, so maybe this will do it?

 

Good luck, Tom. My 1996 GMC Savana van from hell, bought new, got 7 valve bodies and 3 new transmissions in 66k miles at which point I sold it, and the trans was a common 4L60E which was potentially a bulletproof trans in drag racing Camaros and the like...

That van also went thru 2 fuel pumps, a starter, an alternator, 4 oxy sensors, dissolved intake manifold gaskets (from Dexcool), and numerous other problems. So any other vehicle I could ever own looks wonderfully reliable in comparison. One of the fuel pumps stranded my wife and infant son in the Detroit ghetto (visiting my late stepdad on his deathbed in the hospital) in a heavy snowstorm.... NOT a good memory. Dead on the road problems are the worst.

Good luck,
George

 

Dead in the road with a person in a wheelchair makes it about as bad as it can get! Been there a few times. Fortunately, I wasn't too far from home, and I had a buddy (who has passed) with a towing company. Both times he hauled my van, with me in it, on his flatbed, home.

 

Definitely hope this thing turns out better than that! I'm hoping they'll offer me an extended warranty of some sort for all the trouble we've been having. It's tough to have confidence in this thing, but it's not easy to get rid of it with the wheelchair mods. A MN state program covered the lift, and it doesn't seem fair asking taxpayers for another $12K because this stupid thing won't start.

You're not kidding, Hannah has some serious issues that could become a real problem if we can't get her to a hospital when the time comes. She's about to have another surgery on her medulla to hopefully resolve some of her headaches and breathing issues. I guess there's always 911 if we get stranded...hardly an option that should be needed with a 2-year-old van.

 

My wife picked the van up yesterday. New fuel pump and throttle body, hope she stays running. The only charge was $10 for gas. Attached is the invoice with part numbers if anyone is interested.