It's really not that many Mr. Duramax HD. The vast majority of these trucks perform flawlessly . Also remember we are only hearing one very impassioned side of the story. Since some are getting buybacks and replacements, there must be something to some of these stories. On the other hand there is one guy who posts on this forum who is currently working on his third buyback. Hmmm - Go figure.

I really question what benefit these folks get from the buybacks however. The deals I have seen look like nothing more than trading in the problem vehicle for a new truck. Same deal I could get for trading in mine. I am of the opinion that the problem with the vast majority of these vehicels is not Ford but poorly trained mechanics/technicians. Another problem could be what deal Ford has in place to compensate the dealer for troubleshooting these repairs. Could it be that these guys are only going to get paid 3 hours for an 8 hour job and and thus have a big disincentive to get them fixed? Maybe, maybe not. It's only a theory and it's only my theory. I could be wrong but when trying to get to the bottom of anything. I always try to follow the money. It usually leads me to an answer.

 

Texan,
Let me see if I can enlighten you on the benefit. If I went to the dealer and traded mine in right now I would get no where near enough to replace it. If I do the buyback they match MSRP to MSRP so I get a new truck without having to payout anything.

Now, since you say that a vast majority of these trucks perform flawlessly (and you may be right) then the odds are I should get a good one the next time right? So following this logic why wouldn't I pursue a buyback? I get rid of a problem truck that they can't/won't fix and join the vast majority of owners which is all I have ever asked for to begin with.

As for the mechs, I had this conversation with someone today and it turns out that no, they are not being compensated well enough on warranty items so if it is not REALLY appearant what is wrong they are sending out with the fatal "could not duplicate". There are several vehicles coming back 4-5-6 times for the same thing due to the above.
So, how do we fix this? Do we keep going from dealer to dealer and hope a hungry enough tech decides to do the right thing? I think pressure needs to be applied where the money goes....to FORD. They are the ones in control of the situation, not the techs and certainly not us!

 

What are these milage charges I have seen folks discussing. $0.40/mile x 15000 miles = $6,000.00 then MSRP to MSRP. Does this differ per state or per instance. Enlighten me some more.

Your statement above regarding the techs would not surprise me if this is indeed what is taking place. I certainly hope not but it would definitely explain some of the dealers' behavior that many have had issues with.

 

Well, from what I have seen so far everybody has had that waived. In my case they will be operating from about 770 miles since it is calculated from mileage at the first service for the issue. Also, there is the little issue of them making my family and me breathe exhaust for the last several months.
As for the tech thing, I have thought this was the case for months, since talking with my first dealer and it was pretty much confirmed to me recently. So I don't see a down side, does anyone else?