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Rear Diff Cooler Lines popped off on 3rd track lap

czaustin

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I tracked my R for the first time last weekend. On my first run after 3 laps I saw smoke and pulled into pit lane. Sure enough, diff oil all over the back of the car and dripping all underneath the back. Went to a shop at the track and they dropped the rear belly pan. I was shocked to see that both in/out cooler lines had popped off! These are held on by simple c clamp keepers. Clearly these were not seated properly at the factory. The shop reseated and zip tied the clamps, cleaned up most of the mess and filled the diff with new synthetic fluid. I had no problems the rest of the weekend.

The real problem started today when I visited my local dealer (COVERT FORD) and the service manager told me they would look at it but it is probably not covered because I was "racing". I called Ford Service and lodged my complaint only to be disconnected during my conversation. I called the dealer I bought the car from (RANDALL REEDS PRESTIGE FORD - 3 hours away) and my salesman, after speaking with the service manager, told me they cant help because the supplemental information says they won't cover it because I was "racing".

It will cost me couple bills for COVERT just to look at it. My only requests of the dealer were make sure all is well, clean it up and reimburse me for the money spent at the track getting it cleaned and filled with new fluid ($150). Both dealers pushed back hard on my requests.

I am amazed that the dealers are 1) not apologizing profusely by the embarrassing QC issues and 2) bending over backward to rectify the problem I experienced.

Makes me sad that I bought an American car over many other possible foreign cars because I was proud of an American manufacturer who was willing to build such a track capable vehicle. Whats also too bad is that Ford markets and advertises this car for track use but then fails to offer an minute amount of support when it fails in such a simple manner.

The bottom line for me is that I will never purchase any Ford vehicle again (even though the 350 was amazing on the track).
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swish77

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Wow! Rough deal.

So, let me get this straight: Ford pushes the GT350 and GT350R as its most track capable cars ever, encourages tracking the cars through advertising and features/equipment on the cars, and invites all new owners to learn how to race the cars on a track at "Track Attack," BUT if anything mechanical goes wrong on the track, we're not covered under the factory warranty?

Surely, that can't be right!
 
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rushca01

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Further..page 34 even gives driving tips via break in. “Your vehicle requires a break-in period. Drive your new vehicle at least 100 mi (160 km) before performing extended wide open throttle maneuvers and at least 1,000 mi (1,600 km) before performance or competition conditions”
 

Austinj427

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Did you tell the dealers you were racing the car?

Racing is specifically excluded from warranty coverage but if you aren't in a timed competition, you are not racing.

I would not let the dealer bully you, because that's what they are doing. Remember when that guy lost that oil line on track which caused his car to catch on fire and Ford bought him a new car?

If my car ever goes in for warranty work I'm not going to say anything. If they ask me, I won't say anything, if they somehow say "we found pictures of your car on track on the internet, your warranty doesn't cover this." I'll politely remind them that the warranty does cover it, because it's not a timed competition, there is no money on the line, and there is nothing to win.

If it said track driving isn't covered I could understand it but they don't exclude that.
 

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rushca01

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We do not recommend modifying or racing (for competition or time) Ford Performance vehicles, as they are designed and built to be driven as delivered from the factory. The warranty information discusses vehicle usage and the installation of aftermarket parts and their effect on warranty coverage. From the supplemental.
 

Tomster

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You weren't racing. You were participating in an HPDE (high performance driving event). Ford encourages that you track the car. Racing is another story.
 

scannon

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Go up the Ford Performance food chain until you find someone who doesn't automatically say no. It will require some time on the phone but you should be able to get reimbursement at least for what the dealer did.
 

Norton961

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I tracked my R for the first time last weekend. On my first run after 3 laps I saw smoke and pulled into pit lane. Sure enough, diff oil all over the back of the car and dripping all underneath the back. Went to a shop at the track and they dropped the rear belly pan. I was shocked to see that both in/out cooler lines had popped off! These are held on by simple c clamp keepers. Clearly these were not seated properly at the factory. The shop reseated and zip tied the clamps, cleaned up most of the mess and filled the diff with new synthetic fluid. I had no problems the rest of the weekend.

The real problem started today when I visited my local dealer (COVERT FORD) and the service manager told me they would look at it but it is probably not covered because I was "racing". I called Ford Service and lodged my complaint only to be disconnected during my conversation. I called the dealer I bought the car from (RANDALL REEDS PRESTIGE FORD - 3 hours away) and my salesman, after speaking with the service manager, told me they cant help because the supplemental information says they won't cover it because I was "racing".

It will cost me couple bills for COVERT just to look at it. My only requests of the dealer were make sure all is well, clean it up and reimburse me for the money spent at the track getting it cleaned and filled with new fluid ($150). Both dealers pushed back hard on my requests.

I am amazed that the dealers are 1) not apologizing profusely by the embarrassing QC issues and 2) bending over backward to rectify the problem I experienced.

Makes me sad that I bought an American car over many other possible foreign cars because I was proud of an American manufacturer who was willing to build such a track capable vehicle. Whats also too bad is that Ford markets and advertises this car for track use but then fails to offer an minute amount of support when it fails in such a simple manner.

The bottom line for me is that I will never purchase any Ford vehicle again (even though the 350 was amazing on the track).
Wow seriously?
What year is your car?
How many miles is on your car?
That’s a bold statement to say about an American made car.
 
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czaustin

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I totally agree with what all you guys are saying. The dealer handed me a "Warranty & Policy Manual (section 3 - warranty coverages) printout. The top category is Racing. The only verbiage that could be used talks about racing, timed trials, etc and adds "or any similar situation in which abnormal stress is placed on the vehicle or its components"

For me, it was the 3rd lap and not "abnormal" given all the reasons you guys said.

I wish I had the energy and time to battle this but its $150 and my time is worth MUCH more than this. So Im going to forget about Ford and their products for my next track tool and take my business back to BMW or Porsche. I absolutely know either would have treated me completely different because I have dealt with both with very minor issues in the past and they went far beyond to insure my happiness with their products.

I already called the dealer and told them not to touch the car and I'll pick it up tomorrow.

Thanks for yalls words and understanding.
 

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czaustin

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Wow seriously?
What year is your car?
How many miles is on your car?
That’s a bold statement to say about an American made car.
2017

I followed the break in period as specified in the manual. Car had 1025 miles when I unloaded it off the trailer at the track.

Which statement are you referring to?
 

BmacIL

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Call Ford performance. Bypass the dealer.
 
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petstang

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Contact Ford Customer Service. If you were participating in a Track Day or HPDE it must be covered. My car broke down on the track at NJMP Thunderbolt. Car was towed from the track to the dealer of my choice ( there was a distance limit), car was repared in no time and all transportation costs ( two Ubers for a total of 150$ ) track > home > dealer was paid for. I can't see why Ford would deny your case ? Only remark that the service manager made was that they would not cover the repair if the car would have been "tuned". Give it a try.
 

FogcitySF

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HDPE, so long as the car is not modified, is covered.
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