ESP and "upgrades"

[HoosierDaddy]

Does anyone know how ESP notices/cares about factory parts that didn't come from the factory? A clue could be if the ESP price is customized for every single car, ie. the price is a total for insurance for each individual option/feature. Since the quotes are based on VIN, they could be doing that or just use a much coarser break down based on 301, 401, etc.. If a particular feature does not impact the price of ESP, I wouldn't see a moral issue letting ESP pay for a failure.

I see threads about adding options to cars that didn't come from the factory with them. Examples might be an automatic headlight light switch (if still a thing with S550), active exhaust, Brembos, etc.. Things using all factory parts. If one of those parts failed, would that be covered by ESP either by intent or loopholes?

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[Nagare]

Also interested in people's experience with this and just regular warranty work. I haven't tried to (or needed to) get any help with things that I've changed, but wonder what they would do if my Sync 3 took a crap since I swapped it myself.

 

[The_Phantom]

In my personal experience, the ESP has covered aftermarket parts I've added ONLY if they are genuine Ford parts that were purchased and installed through a Ford dealer.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

In my personal experience, the ESP has covered aftermarket parts I've added ONLY if they are genuine Ford parts that were purchased and installed through a Ford dealer.

Since its thru your personal experience, when some option on a car fails and the option didn't come from the factory with it, how did the dealer know the component (e.g. active exhaust) did not come with the car and after figuring that out, how do they know if a dealer installed it. Not asking theoretical because I know how they could do that theoretically. Want to know your real life experience.

Ford certainly has a database with every option on every VIN. They certainly have some other database that knows every part any option contained. They also have records of work done by a dealer which is definitely not accurate or searchable without human interpretation. So, it really comes down to is it worth the cost of verifying every part replaced under ESP came with the car when 99.99% always will be. For example, if a horn fails in a '19, will Ford have the mechanic check or will Ford do a database search to see if the owner had replaced it with the better '18 horn? Will the mechanic replace with the same part or check to see what part number came from the factory?

Then there is the morality issue. I think it would be wrong to let ESP pay for a failure of a option/feature that did not come with the car but only IF the price for the ESP reflected a sum of the warranty cost for each part that came from the factory. When you buy ESP, you don't provide a complete part inventory of your car. But Ford knows what trim and options it has. I have to assume that ford does factor some of that in. I'm sure ESP for a base coupe is not the same as ESP for a premium. But (for instance) does ESP cost more for a PP with the silver painted wheels than ones with the black painted wheels? I can't see a practical way to find out short of researching VINs built the same date with the same mileage that are identical except for a single option and compare ESP price quotes for each.

 

[NoVaGT]

Yeah, there's no way of knowing until you attempt a claim, but I doubt it.

 

[Bikeman315]

I think it really depends on your dealer and what they have to do to file a claim.

Just FYI, here is some of what ESP PremiumCare does not cover
Other Components and Repairs – Fabric, liners, fasteners,carpets, dash pad, wiper blades, knobs, trim, upholstery, physical damage or cosmetic issues, repairs covered by manufacturer recalls, any insurance or if the vehicle is within the time and mileage limits of any warranty, repairs caused by improper unreasonable use, unauthorized alterations or modifications of the vehicle, and repairs caused by lack of required or recommended maintenance. Costs or expenses for the teardown, rental expense, inspection or diagnosis of failures not covered by this Agreement. Refer to contract for details.

Does that mean that modifications made with Ford OEM parts and installed by a Ford dealer are considered unauthorized alterations or modifications of the vehicle. I'm guessing the dealer might know.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

repairs caused by improper unreasonable use, unauthorized alterations or modifications of the vehicle

Glad it says "unauthorized" instead of "not authorized by us". I doubt many owners allow any alterations or modifications without their authorization. I know I don't; I even had to slap myself around once when I caught myself trying to do that.

 

[Brazos609]

Ford covers the parts on the car as it was built, not things you added. If you add a 18+ 401A gauge cluster or swap your 300A radio for a 401A nav system Ford is in no way responsible for it when it fails. Even if the tech didn't know the difference they will say to the parts guy "I need this for this" hand him the ticket, and the part will be ordered from the VIN.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

Ford covers the parts on the car as it was built, not things you added.

Yes. I think that's a given regarding intent.

The questions are:

(1) Does Ford take the time and effort to verify every nut and bolt to make sure your VIN had the part from the factory. I figured a long shot someone here would know but asked anyway. It can not be assumed they certainly would due to the cost of checking when 99.99+% of the time the part did. So how much/often? I can't imagine a dealer tech or flown in Ford rep would examine/test a broken bolt that appeared factory was in fact the original or from a Ford supplier. The answer is somewhere between that and not caring at all.

(2) Did an ESP buyer pay less for coverage of a car without option A than another ESP buyer with an identical car/mileage/build date/sale date but with option A? If they paid less, then it would be immoral to let Ford pay to fix the option A an owner added regardless if Ford knew or didn't know it was added. But if an owner paid the same for ESP as a car that came with an option, it might be unethical but I don't think immoral to have ESP pay for the repair any more than it was immoral for Ford to charge the same for ESP for the car that didn't have the option.

 

[17Magnetic5.0]

Yes. I think that's a given regarding intent.

The questions are:

(1) Does Ford take the time and effort to verify every nut and bolt to make sure your VIN had the part from the factory. I figured a long shot someone here would know but asked anyway. It can not be assumed they certainly would due to the cost of checking when 99.99+% of the time the part did. So how much/often? I can't imagine a dealer tech or flown in Ford rep would examine/test a broken bolt that appeared factory was in fact the original or from a Ford supplier. The answer is somewhere between that and not caring at all.

(2) Did an ESP buyer pay less for coverage of a car without option A than another ESP buyer with an identical car/mileage/build date/sale date but with option A? If they paid less, then it would be immoral to let Ford pay to fix the option A an owner added regardless if Ford knew or didn't know it was added. But if an owner paid the same for ESP as a car that came with an option, it might be unethical but I don't think immoral to have ESP pay for the repair any more than it was immoral for Ford to charge the same for ESP for the car that didn't have the option.

I have the ESP haven’t had to use it yet since I’m still on the 3/36000 there is a small deductible I believe. Honestly I wouldn’t mess with installing many aftermarket ford parts seeing how it could be reported to ford and they might potentially cancel it. And if I ever had a big breakdown and had exhaust or something like that I would put all original parts back on. Something like digital dash I would do but I’ll definitely ask my dealer first to make sure they won’t report it and if it ever goes bad I would fully expect to either pay out of pocket or use the warranty that ford provides when they sell you parts.

As far as knowing what comes on the car for bigger items like a digital dash or active exhaust the dealer fixing it would probably say ok yeah we’ll replace it and if you had installed the digital dash or active exhaust on a car that didn’t come with it then when they go to order parts they’ll use their system, put in your vin, and more than likely order what came on your car. Then they’ll either report it to ford or they might order the part you actually need if your dealer is good and wants to help you out since I figure nobody at ford esp will check.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

I have the ESP haven’t had to use it yet since I’m still on the 3/36000 there is a small deductible I believe. Honestly I wouldn’t mess with installing many aftermarket ford parts seeing how it could be reported to ford and they might potentially cancel it. And if I ever had a big breakdown and had exhaust or something like that I would put all original parts back on. Something like digital dash I would do but I’ll definitely ask my dealer first to make sure they won’t report it and if it ever goes bad I would fully expect to either pay out of pocket or use the warranty that ford provides when they sell you a new part.

FYI I'm not asking for myself; haven't added any factory options.

 

[17Magnetic5.0]

FYI I'm not asking for myself; haven't added any factory options.

Edited my response a bit as far as to how ford would know if you installed something.

 

[Bikeman315]

"As far as knowing what comes on the car for bigger items like a digital dash or active exhaust the dealer fixing it would probably say ok yeah we’ll replace it and if you had installed the digital dash or active exhaust on a car that didn’t come with it then when they go to order parts they’ll use their system, put in your vin, and more than likely order what came on your car".

I had the PremiumCare ESP for my 15' EB. You have to give them a VIN so they know exactly what is in your car. Not sure how the dealer would be able to circumvent that to warranty something like a digital dashboard that was added after purchase.

And now thinking about this do you think mods made even with Ford parts would be covered by your 3/36?

 

[HoosierDaddy]

"As far as knowing what comes on the car for bigger items like a digital dash or active exhaust the dealer fixing it would probably say ok yeah we’ll replace it and if you had installed the digital dash or active exhaust on a car that didn’t come with it then when they go to order parts they’ll use their system, put in your vin, and more than likely order what came on your car".

I had the PremiumCare ESP for my 15' EB. You have to give them a VIN so they know exactly what is in your car. Not sure how the dealer would be able to circumvent that to warranty something like a digital dashboard that was added after purchase.

And now thinking about this do you think mods made even with Ford parts would be covered by your 3/36?

Haven't given that much thought. I'm interested in the process not some specific scenario. Its a given certain changes would be noticed (5.0 vs Eco, sync3 vs base) and probably others would not (a bolt from Ace hardware). Just interested in the process and how the lines are drawn.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

For full disclosure I forgot that I did replace the USB unit in the center console to one that supports CarPlay and Android Auto.

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