1st Time Car Buyer- How Does Warranty and Service Really Work?

[Foxtrot]

So this thread here: http://www.mustang6g.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1493239 got me kind of thinking--how does my warranty actually work? What kind of things can I take my car in for, which dealership can I take my car into, and does the warranty mean I won't have to pay for it?

For example, do I need to take my car into the dealership I bought it to have that thumping thing checked out, or some other issue that may develop over time? Will I expect a bill for them to check it etc?

Thanks! I'm new here :ford:

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[Sal33n]

If they find an issue that is covered under warranty then you won't be charged any fees. However, if they find an issue that is not warranty related they might charge you a diagnostic fee and then the repair fee if you decide to have it repaired.

Here is an example. Let's say your new car under warranty decides not to start one day so you have it towed to the dealer. It may be under warranty however the cause may have been some critters chewing on electrical wire which rendered your vehicle unable to start. In that case you would be charged a diagnostic fee and the cost to get it fixed. If the cause was a failed fuel pump then you would be charged nothing for the diagnostic and repair.

 

[jasonstang]

3 year or 36k bumper to bumper and 5 year or 60k drive train meaning they will cover anything that is due to manufacturing defects.
Now sometimes dealer ask the owner to be prepared for paying a diagnostic fee because not all things are defects unless looked into. Then if they determined it's defects, they will wave the fee.

 

[timd38]

The car comes with a warranty guide. That should cover any questions you have.

 

[kz]

Short answer is - it doesn't

Longer answer is - depends on the dealership. Most of them are absolutely horrible compared to other brands - at least from my experience - and if you come with an issue that isn't anything major (like I tried to have rattling trim piece fixed that Ford later issued TSB for) they will give you a run around and send out.
In a good dealership (try to find one - good luck ;-) ) if they see you come with a real issue, they will fix it for you. If you're going to bother them because of 1mm panel gap, they (hopefully) will send you out.

 

[fionic]

similar to insurance, they go out of their way to make sure they don't pay for anything while still taking your money.

 

[Chameleon]

It depends on the dealership too. Some are good others are not.

 

[crs2879]

When I had an '01 Bullitt, it was during a time when Ford cut-back warranty reimbursement rates to dealers. Ford quality was not great at that time (they never fixed a 1 drop/day oil leak from the rear of the transmission..for example). 1 dealer flat-out told me he was not interested in warranty work unless I bought the car from his store. Another dealer fixed every issue I had without question. As others have said, check the attitude of different dealers. They are all supposed to honor the warranty regardless but might as well find one that does it with a smile.

 

[wireeater]

To answer your question that didn't seem to be directly answered yet. No, you don't have to take your car to the dealer you purchased it from for warranty work. It can be any Ford dealership that has a service department. The only time you would need to take the car to the dealership you purchased it from would be if they came with one of the dealer extended warranty deals that say extend it to 100k miles, or lifetime etc. Basically the only way to receive the extended warranty they offer for free is they want you to bring it in for every service such as oil, rotation or any other requirement scheduled in your recommended Ford maintenance warranty schedule which is located in your manual. If you don't bring the car in for every one of those, they will cancel it but you will still have the original factory warranty which is the 36k bumper to bumper & 60k drivetrain warranty.

 

[wildcatgoal]

The issue I see is dealers seem to have to get approval to replace/fix almost all parts. I had a driver door panel that was clearly improperly assembled (or coming part in places) and the dealer had to get approval to replace it. They hate doing this not because they don't seem trusted, but because they have to hold your car, take pictures (in this case) or demonstrate it is broken, then wait for Ford to approve, then order the part, wait for the part, then repair it. While the SA is on a salary, he has to spend time away from customers taking pictures of cars and dealing with this process. Its bass-ackwards.

I had a TB issue with my Chevy truck. Went in, they diagnosed it, the part was acquired from a nearby dealership, and I could have had my truck back the same day. But, before they even diagnosed it, they shoved me in a rental car and I decided to just pick it up the next day because I wasn't left without a car, like I always am at a Ford dealership (unless it's already diagnosed and actively being worked on). My Ford Fiesta had the transmission rebuilt twice and finally replaced by another dealer under warranty - almost 3-months of not having that car when added together... never an offer for a rental car. They're damn lucky I had another car at the time; but I bought that Fiesta for gas mileage. The other car was the Chevy truck.

This is the #1 thing Ford needs to work on. The service experience, especially focusing on empowering dealers with a little trust earned by good training. Your mileage my vary, but I have not found the same level of service at a Ford dealer as I have at Chevy, MB, and Subarus I've owned before.

 

[Smarz1018]

What is a warranty? :lol::lol::headbonk:

 

[PJR202]

So this thread here: http://www.mustang6g.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1493239 got me kind of thinking--how does my warranty actually work? What kind of things can I take my car in for, which dealership can I take my car into, and does the warranty mean I won't have to pay for it?

For example, do I need to take my car into the dealership I bought it to have that thumping thing checked out, or some other issue that may develop over time? Will I expect a bill for them to check it etc?

Thanks! I'm new here :ford:

I'm not sure if the thud in that thread is the same for an ecoboost. I honestly can't recall. For the GT's though, it's just the nature of the transmission. It's not broken. I hardly even notice it anymore but for the most part I figured out the behavior of the car and how to not get that kind of action from it without sacrificing driveability.

 

[Foxtrot]

Thanks, everyone! I really appreciate the replies. That clarifies things quite a bit for me.

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