2018 GT low rpm engine rattle, cylinder damage pics, Ford buyback process

[BladeGT]

We don't share the forged aluminum pistons. That was where they claim the noise came from. The clearances cannot be as tight with a forged piston due to expansion, which leads to some piston slap when cold.

So basically if you have this noise you most likely have engine problems like bigriver. :frusty:

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[88lx50]

So basically if you have this noise you most likely have engine problems like bigriver. :frusty:

Yes it should not be piston slap

 

[bigriver]

Here is my case file that I am building as well as pages from the Owners Manual and CA Lemon Law

 

[17LightningGT]

Spoke with my Ford regional case manager today and voiced my concerns and dissatisfaction with the decision by Ford to only replace the short block. She said there was nothing they could do about that decision. We will have weekly update calls going forward.

I requested the pics of the cylinder damage again. No response.

At this point I am just counting the days. I am on day 18.

This is the problem that I had with my 2017. If they would have replaced the long block, factory sealed, I would have been OK with it. They chose to replace the short block and one cylinder head.

My car dropped a valve, and had a rocker arm and spring jumping around in the head. At that point, I would consider the entire engine compromised, and should have replaced the whole motor.

I filed for them to replace the car after learning of what they were going to do. It has been a hell of a process, and Ive been without a car for over two months. The bright side is, I SHOULD have the new car(2018 PP) within the next few days. Its been a long road.

If you arent happy, talk to your CSR's supervisor, be stern and polite about the fact that you arent happy with getting a car back thats not a factory assembled car. They may be able to push for a long block, or, start the process to replace the car, if thats the route you want to go.

 

[bigriver]

This is the problem that I had with my 2017. If they would have replaced the long block, factory sealed, I would have been OK with it. They chose to replace the short block and one cylinder head.

My car dropped a valve, and had a rocker arm and spring jumping around in the head. At that point, I would consider the entire engine compromised, and should have replaced the whole motor.

I filed for them to replace the car after learning of what they were going to do. It has been a hell of a process, and Ive been without a car for over two months. The bright side is, I SHOULD have the new car(2018 PP) within the next few days. Its been a long road.

If you arent happy, talk to your CSR's supervisor, be stern and polite about the fact that you arent happy with getting a car back thats not a factory assembled car. They may be able to push for a long block, or, start the process to replace the car, if thats the route you want to go.

Thank you for this! I will give them a call and pursue this, assuming I can actually get her on the phone lol.

Congrats on your new vehicle! It's an amazing car.

 

[17LightningGT]

Thank you for this! I will give them a call and pursue this, assuming I can actually get her on the phone lol.

Congrats on your new vehicle! It's an amazing car.

Yea, actually getting someone to answer is a chore. It normally took me calling all day, 30+ calls a day to finally get through to someone.


I hope its an amazing car. I got to drive the new car on monday, and I am amazed at how different it felt than my 2017. I just keep seeing threads popping up of problems with 2018's and it makes me nervous as well.

 

[bigriver]

Yea, actually getting someone to answer is a chore. It normally took me calling all day, 30+ calls a day to finally get through to someone.


I hope its an amazing car. I got to drive the new car on monday, and I am amazed at how different it felt than my 2017. I just keep seeing threads popping up of problems with 2018's and it makes me nervous as well.

Here are the first mods you should do:

1. Stereo volume at 20+
2. Sound tube delete
3. Mid pipe resonator delete
4. Active exhaust on track mode
5. Drive above 3000 rpm

 

[fairlane_68]

Yes, I'm good with that. My issue is no one in the service dept has been able to say exactly what caused the problem. The only reasonable explanation is from the OASIS notice on 2016 GT350 piston rattle. I can accept that. I guess it's good that with my ignorance, I continued to pursue this which eventually led to where we are now and that there was verifiable damage contrary to what the OASIS notice said. I really love this car. Too bad it's been in the shop longer that the amount of time I've driven it so far lol.

That's because, speaking from experience, the techs aren't engineers or rocket scientists. They're parts monkeys for the most part. We're trained to diagnose and repair, not analyze.

I can only guess, but Ford authorized a short block probably because there was no oil contamination (metal in the oil from damage) and even more likely, because the car is new, a new long block or complete engine isn't available yet. Ford will only authorize the most cost effective repair. That decision isn't made by dealership managers or regional factory reps, its made by people who sit at desks in Detroit or wherever they are.

And disassembled vehicles are often pushed outside while parts are on order. The tech needs his bay or bays for other work, and he doesn't get paid to repeatedly tear down and reassemble an engine. He probably got flagged a whopping .5 hours to get where he is now, and he's probably got well over 3-4 actual hours of troubleshooting and back-and-forth with the tech hotline engineers. I can remember a couple times where I pushed one out and left it apart because the field engineers wanted to look at it in person.

 

[fairlane_68]

This is the problem that I had with my 2017. If they would have replaced the long block, factory sealed, I would have been OK with it. They chose to replace the short block and one cylinder head.

My car dropped a valve, and had a rocker arm and spring jumping around in the head. At that point, I would consider the entire engine compromised, and should have replaced the whole motor.

I filed for them to replace the car after learning of what they were going to do. It has been a hell of a process, and Ive been without a car for over two months. The bright side is, I SHOULD have the new car(2018 PP) within the next few days. Its been a long road.

If you arent happy, talk to your CSR's supervisor, be stern and polite about the fact that you arent happy with getting a car back thats not a factory assembled car. They may be able to push for a long block, or, start the process to replace the car, if thats the route you want to go.

Yeah it should've been. Someone failed to do their job, or lacked the balls to make the right call. My rule of thumb is if there's metal in the oil pan, it got everywhere else and the engine is trash.

 

[steveo1960]

Yeah it should've been. Someone failed to do their job, or lacked the balls to make the right call. My rule of thumb is if there's metal in the oil pan, it got everywhere else and the engine is trash.

Maybe I'm naive but I've built my share of motors and the only reason I can see for going for a short block is overall cost to the manufacturer.
If this were my company, an exploded motor should be replaced with a completely new motor. For one, the consumer is not getting the level of checks and balances that a factory motor goes through. It's all dependent upon the tech putting the pieces together vs a computer controlled line where every part is bar coded and checked for proper torque etc... Yea I know motors come out of the factory defective, obviously, but where would you stack your chips::: 1. A motor factory built and dropped into your car.
2: A motor rebuilt on a dealership's workbench.

 

[bigriver]

That's because, speaking from experience, the techs aren't engineers or rocket scientists. They're parts monkeys for the most part. We're trained to diagnose and repair, not analyze.

I can only guess, but Ford authorized a short block probably because there was no oil contamination (metal in the oil from damage) and even more likely, because the car is new, a new long block or complete engine isn't available yet. Ford will only authorize the most cost effective repair. That decision isn't made by dealership managers or regional factory reps, its made by people who sit at desks in Detroit or wherever they are.

And disassembled vehicles are often pushed outside while parts are on order. The tech needs his bay or bays for other work, and he doesn't get paid to repeatedly tear down and reassemble an engine. He probably got flagged a whopping .5 hours to get where he is now, and he's probably got well over 3-4 actual hours of troubleshooting and back-and-forth with the tech hotline engineers. I can remember a couple times where I pushed one out and left it apart because the field engineers wanted to look at it in person.

Its kind of mind boggling for Ford since at this point the cost effective solution for them would be a vehicle replacement since they now have 11 calendar days before Lemon Law kicks in. I would have been ok with engine replacement but not short block. The dealer ordered the parts but have no idea when they will arrive. Tried calling my Ford customer relations manager but no response to messages or emails. This is a good learning experience for me, but quite painful haha.

At least when I visited the dealer today the hood of my car was closed lol.

 

[bigriver]

10 days until 30 day mark. All I can do now is count down the days to Lemon Law.

No call backs or replies to my emails from my Ford customer relations manager since our first contact call. No pictures of the damage to the cylinders which I ask for every day.

Called BBB but apparently the office is closed for a "staff meeting" LOL.

 

[BladeGT]

10 days until 30 day mark. All I can do now is count down the days to Lemon Law.

No call backs or replies to my emails from my Ford customer relations manager since our first contact call. No pictures of the damage to the cylinders which I ask for every day.

Called BBB but apparently the office is closed for a "staff meeting" LOL.

At this point id stop reaching out and hit your 30 days and get a buy back or replacement. Is that 30 day lemon law only a CA thing?

 

[bigriver]

At this point id stop reaching out and hit your 30 days and get a buy back or replacement. Is that 30 day lemon law only a CA thing?

That is California lemon law. Check out the BBB.org website. They have the laws for each state. I attached the info on Wisconsin here for you.

 

[Strokerswild]

At this point id stop reaching out and hit your 30 days and get a buy back or replacement. Is that 30 day lemon law only a CA thing?

This.

I'd become silent about it at this point....

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