Who has advice on this please,

I took my 03 ranger in for its first 6k service check. Dealer said they would change oil, rotate tires and do several other service
checks. I took delivery of the truck after paying $49.05, drove out
to the front lot, stopped for a while to look at new cars while still
idling. I noticed a tapping, rattling sound, suddenly the mechanic
ran up and said "kill the engine quick, i forgot to put on an oil filter. I insisted on a letter from the service mgr stating what had
happened, which he reluctantly gave me. Now my question, should i want to continue to pay for a truck with possible damage to the engine? What should i do at this point. Thanks to anyone who can help me out on this. My ranger was new, and now i have
to deal with this crap.

mag12

 

WOW.... thats insane...

personally... i do all my own work for reasons like that.... but if i was financing a NEW truck and it only had 6k miles on it and i just ran the motor with no oil and it was ford's fault.... id want a new truck.... AT THE LEAST i would get a few months paid for..... my buddy has a 99 contour svt and they had his car for 2 months for tranny work and he was goona take it but i got involved and got those 2 months and 1 more paid for by ford....

the problem is that you just ran the motor without oil.... how long? i dont know......... it might be fine now but you might have just killed 20k +/- miles off of the overall life of the motor.

id raise a fuss..... get a grill, bed cover..... SOMETHING out of it... at least get them to refund your money..... i personally wouldnt be happy unless something was paid for by the dealer.... payment, upgrades, something... good luck

Joe

 

Thanks Joe,

Thats just what happened to my truck. Now i am more concerned since you said that i may be looking at 20k less miles than i would
have gotten normally. I have an invoice that says the following:
"customer took delivery of his truck and it ran completely out of oil before he left the dealerchip lot" Now how incriminating can
you get on this matter. Should i contact my lawyer or try to deal
with the dealer. At this point, i want a new truck for myself and
let the ford dealer pay for a new truck that they ran dry of oil.
Has anyone experienced this exact incident ? or something
similar. Someone let me know if possible...........
thx again Joe

mag12

 

It all depends on how long the engine ran like that. Personally, if you didn't even make it out of the parking lot I seriously doubt there is ANY permanent damage done to the engine. Today's oils are so advanced that there was still some left in the cylinders even with the oil pan empty. I think if you make sure it never happens again, your engine will be just fine. Hang onto your note just in case you need it later.

 

I have never had a similar experience but here is the approach I would take. First let me say that I would be concerned about internal engine damage since the truck obviously ran low enough on lubricate to begin to make noise. Secondly, since you have a letter stating it is the mechanics fault you have proof of negligence.

Here is what I would do. I would ask to meet with the drealership owner or general manager and very tactfully explain that you purchased your truck new and have them service it therefore insuring that you keep the warranty up to date and keep the vehicle in good shape. The very dealership that you trust with your largest investment (other than a house) has let you down. Since you are suspect of internal engine damage (and who wouldn't be) you are willing to allow the dealer to make the mistake right. Tell them you expect a new crate engine installed to replace the possibly damaged original engine and that you expect a full warranty on the new engine and labor. If they are unwilling to accomodate you I would contact an attorney and discuss the possibility of a law suit. I would let the dealer know that you plan this as a next move.

I think it is unreasonable to expect a new truck but certainly a new engine is appropriate since that is what was likely damaged. If the dealer is not willing to go a crate engine, at a minimum I would expect the dealer to give you an extented warranty on the current engine, in writing, covering all parts and labor to ensure that if you have problems in the future they are covered. But I would really push for a crate engine. Just mu $.02 worth!

 

At a minimum I would demand the the dealership pay for the longest/best extended warranty offerred by Ford. I would also contact Ford directly and see what they have to say about this - they may be able to offer some sort of assistance.

Bill

 

I agree with johare. I would go the crate engine route. The rest of the truck is fine. A vehicle nowadays is a major investment. I would hate to make that payment every month knowing that something could be wrong, even if it doesn't show itself for a few years. You didn't buy it originally in that condition. Good luck....

 

If you didn't make it out of the lot, then I think you're OK. I would however, DEMAND an extended warranty at no charge. If they give you any trouble, call Ford immediately!

 

Just remember how many vehicles ford sells and how much money they make, incase they tell you they can not give you a new engine. What kind of noise was it making? Does it still make the noise anymore? Who knows exactly what happened, Maybe it'll be fine, and you'll drive it for another 250k, or maybe around 100k it'll give you trouble starting, gas mileage will drop, and it will have no power cause of what happened. Unless they can prove that wont, and give you an extended warrenty on the engine, i'd ask for a new one.

 

I'd say a new long block/crate engine would be appropriate or the extended warrenty (engine only). However, I really doubt there is any damage done due to the short amount of time on it. The problem you will most likely face will be that to get them to do anything I'd expect there will have to be demonstrated damage. At this point, I'd expect that to be very difficult to do.

 

I agree, its just the fact that no one can tell for sure if there was any damage done. If the engine was making noises, that arent there when the oil was present, that means that 2 surfaces were touching each other, (I.E. there was no oil to create its layer of film between 2 moving metal parts), and when somthing is spinning/reicprocation 700 times in 1 minuet and its touching another piece of metal, its not a good thing. But like CowboyBilly9Mile said, you're probably going to have to prove that there is a problem with your engine now. Good luck doing that.

 

It's hard to say without being there, but the tapping sound was most likely the hydraulic lifters after they had blead down. In itself, and for a very short time, even that doesn't prove damage.

 

Thx peter,bill,pwo,sabre,joe,roost,wx and All

I am in full pursuit of restitution for the unfortunate service on my truck. I agree
with you all that something needs to be done. I have contacted Ford Motors and
they have acknowledeged my first letter. They are checking out my story with
the dealer. I decided to contact Ford Motor Company first, rather than confront
the dealer. I will go back to the dealer, letter in hand, after i get a second response
from Ford Motors. I am not trying to get something for nothing, but i think that some
one other than me should pay for a truck that has been run dry of oil. Should the
dealer buy this truck and let me purchase another "new" truck just like the "new",
truck that i purchased in the first place. What do you think?
thanks all.........

 

good luck with it..... the only thing that gets to me is...

if you DO get a new truck.... what are they gonna do with your old one? i'll put money on it that if it all goes through they will stick your truck you have now on the used lot. and that sux for the next owner....

i highly doubt that if they give you a new one and they take you old one that they will put a new motor or anything of the sort before they throw it on the used lot.

bummer

goodluck

JOe

 

i like the idea about you being allowed to get a new truck for the problem they caused by running yours out of oil but im sure you will just get a jar of vaseline so when they tell you youre out of luck it wont hurt so bad. I had a similar situation with when the dealer tore of part of the side of my truck with 3000 miles on it. i wanted a new truck as i didnt want any kind of filler on it now this was a chevy dealer with a brand new venture my wife drove.... we wound up selling it right after for a ford escape