blackyote_317
Well-Known Member
- Thread starter
- #1
Warning: This is a long synopsis of the nearly 2 month saga that ended in a brand new long block for my 2017 GT.
I bought my 2017 Mustang GT base 6 speed in September of 2017. Starting sometime in spring 2018 I started noticing a rattling type noise at low RPM. Usually 1800-2000 RPM. It would die down a bit after the car had been running for a while and was fully warmed up but wouldn't go away completely. The car seemed to run perfectly other than the noise but I brought it to the dealer anyways because warranty. I brought the car in on May 8th with ~12k miles.
I thought the rattling noise was in the clutch because it often happened during shifts (hell, I even posted about it in the transmission section on here) or maybe a heat shield even. I definitely had no idea what I was getting into though I had heard of piston slap and figured that was a possibility. I even mentioned it when I dropped it off. Well, turns out that was part of the issue but the noise sounded lower to me. Like, in the transmission area but my exhaust is loud so it is hard to pinpoint.
After a day or two of them having it, I was told they had tracked a noise to the passenger side valve cover so they pulled that. They eventually found some scoring on the cam caps. We were now to the point that Ford was going to do a cost cap analysis on what should be fixed. Thankfully, the dealer kept digging into the engine because they didn't like the idea of what was essentially a brand new engine being rebuilt on the bench.
At some point along the way they pulled the pistons and saw scoring along the cylinder walls indicating piston slap. On June 1st (about 3 weeks in), a short block was approved. Ford said no metal had been transferred so it didn't affect the life or integrity of the engine. They were waiting on a head gasket which was on backorder so they put in an emergency request for that. No ETA could be given.
I started calling Ford corporate at this point and trying to push for a long block. I really didn't get anywhere with that. They kept pointing me back to the dealer. I was beyond frustrated because no one could give me a timeline on the head gasket and I wasn't even happy with the short block as a solution at this point. I really thought I deserved to have a long block on such a new engine with this many problems. I didn't buy this car to have a rebuilt engine within a year...
I kept getting the runaround on a timeline. Finally, I was told the part(s) they were waiting on were backordered for at least another month. When the dealer told me this, I told them that was unacceptable. They were pulling my leg a little bit at this point and then informed me that they had in fact pushed back on Ford about this and a long block had been approved. This was about June 12th so almost 5 weeks in. The long block was to be in the next week. It made it, but it was of course the next Saturday
Anyways, they ended up getting the engine in the car and I was slated to pick it up the following Friday (June 29th). The day I was supposed to pick it up, my buddy calls me and tells me they replaced the windshield because it had a crack in it. I told him that it sure as hell didn't when I dropped it off. They told me it was likely due to the extreme heat we've been having. They apologized profusely but had it repaired without a fuss and on their own dime so I didn't have too much to complain about. It did push pickup back to the next morning to let the glue settle. I drove it about an hour from the dealer back to my place on Saturday with no issues that day and took it for a drive later too. Everything seemed to be perfect.
On Sunday, the day after picking it up, I had a 'service charging system' light pop up on me several times and then immediately go away. The voltage seemed normal - bouncing between 12 and 14 volts as the alternator kicked on and off. I took it back home and pulled the battery cables and then re-attached. Haven't had that message pop up again. I told the dealer this happened and that if the light comes on again, I will bring it back to them. Hopefully a loose connection was all it was. It didn't do it this morning on the way to work.
After getting my car back with a brand new long block, here are my thoughts. Ford corporate frustrated the hell out of me with their long process and being awful with communication. I couldn't get ahold of anybody who had any authority or knowledge of the situation and hearing of their short block solution was horseshit in my opinion. It worked out eventually and I got the long block, but that was dumb luck and not good customer service. I was lucky and worked with a very good dealership but the car was torn apart for a long time which ended in a cracked windshield and potential issues with the charging system. Or who knows what else honestly. Time will tell. I'm not doubting their ability but putting a car together in a shop isn't as precise as an assembly line. I'm very happy with the dealer but frustrated in Ford's slow attitude towards fixing a customer's car. I will demand a buy back if it goes in for anything longer than a few days at this point. I didn't get to that point in this process because
So here are some components to this story that some may be interested in:
1) The car had a VMP tune on it with PMAS intake and exhaust. Basic bolt on stuff. Yes, I was concerned about a claim being denied but it never even came up. No, I don't know how or why. I didn't try to cover it up in anyway. I did revert it back to stock tune and airbox before bringing it in but that was just to eliminate variables when it went in. I just let the dealer work it out and they were excellent and definitely wanted to do right by me.
2.) The dealer I brought the car to for work is the dealer I bought my car from and has two of my very close friends on their sales staff. One of them was sort of my informal liason with the service dept. I also traded in a 2016 F-150 for the Mustang so I've been very good to Ford recently.
I bought my 2017 Mustang GT base 6 speed in September of 2017. Starting sometime in spring 2018 I started noticing a rattling type noise at low RPM. Usually 1800-2000 RPM. It would die down a bit after the car had been running for a while and was fully warmed up but wouldn't go away completely. The car seemed to run perfectly other than the noise but I brought it to the dealer anyways because warranty. I brought the car in on May 8th with ~12k miles.
I thought the rattling noise was in the clutch because it often happened during shifts (hell, I even posted about it in the transmission section on here) or maybe a heat shield even. I definitely had no idea what I was getting into though I had heard of piston slap and figured that was a possibility. I even mentioned it when I dropped it off. Well, turns out that was part of the issue but the noise sounded lower to me. Like, in the transmission area but my exhaust is loud so it is hard to pinpoint.
After a day or two of them having it, I was told they had tracked a noise to the passenger side valve cover so they pulled that. They eventually found some scoring on the cam caps. We were now to the point that Ford was going to do a cost cap analysis on what should be fixed. Thankfully, the dealer kept digging into the engine because they didn't like the idea of what was essentially a brand new engine being rebuilt on the bench.
At some point along the way they pulled the pistons and saw scoring along the cylinder walls indicating piston slap. On June 1st (about 3 weeks in), a short block was approved. Ford said no metal had been transferred so it didn't affect the life or integrity of the engine. They were waiting on a head gasket which was on backorder so they put in an emergency request for that. No ETA could be given.
I started calling Ford corporate at this point and trying to push for a long block. I really didn't get anywhere with that. They kept pointing me back to the dealer. I was beyond frustrated because no one could give me a timeline on the head gasket and I wasn't even happy with the short block as a solution at this point. I really thought I deserved to have a long block on such a new engine with this many problems. I didn't buy this car to have a rebuilt engine within a year...
I kept getting the runaround on a timeline. Finally, I was told the part(s) they were waiting on were backordered for at least another month. When the dealer told me this, I told them that was unacceptable. They were pulling my leg a little bit at this point and then informed me that they had in fact pushed back on Ford about this and a long block had been approved. This was about June 12th so almost 5 weeks in. The long block was to be in the next week. It made it, but it was of course the next Saturday
Anyways, they ended up getting the engine in the car and I was slated to pick it up the following Friday (June 29th). The day I was supposed to pick it up, my buddy calls me and tells me they replaced the windshield because it had a crack in it. I told him that it sure as hell didn't when I dropped it off. They told me it was likely due to the extreme heat we've been having. They apologized profusely but had it repaired without a fuss and on their own dime so I didn't have too much to complain about. It did push pickup back to the next morning to let the glue settle. I drove it about an hour from the dealer back to my place on Saturday with no issues that day and took it for a drive later too. Everything seemed to be perfect.
On Sunday, the day after picking it up, I had a 'service charging system' light pop up on me several times and then immediately go away. The voltage seemed normal - bouncing between 12 and 14 volts as the alternator kicked on and off. I took it back home and pulled the battery cables and then re-attached. Haven't had that message pop up again. I told the dealer this happened and that if the light comes on again, I will bring it back to them. Hopefully a loose connection was all it was. It didn't do it this morning on the way to work.
After getting my car back with a brand new long block, here are my thoughts. Ford corporate frustrated the hell out of me with their long process and being awful with communication. I couldn't get ahold of anybody who had any authority or knowledge of the situation and hearing of their short block solution was horseshit in my opinion. It worked out eventually and I got the long block, but that was dumb luck and not good customer service. I was lucky and worked with a very good dealership but the car was torn apart for a long time which ended in a cracked windshield and potential issues with the charging system. Or who knows what else honestly. Time will tell. I'm not doubting their ability but putting a car together in a shop isn't as precise as an assembly line. I'm very happy with the dealer but frustrated in Ford's slow attitude towards fixing a customer's car. I will demand a buy back if it goes in for anything longer than a few days at this point. I didn't get to that point in this process because
So here are some components to this story that some may be interested in:
1) The car had a VMP tune on it with PMAS intake and exhaust. Basic bolt on stuff. Yes, I was concerned about a claim being denied but it never even came up. No, I don't know how or why. I didn't try to cover it up in anyway. I did revert it back to stock tune and airbox before bringing it in but that was just to eliminate variables when it went in. I just let the dealer work it out and they were excellent and definitely wanted to do right by me.
2.) The dealer I brought the car to for work is the dealer I bought my car from and has two of my very close friends on their sales staff. One of them was sort of my informal liason with the service dept. I also traded in a 2016 F-150 for the Mustang so I've been very good to Ford recently.
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