The Warranty Thread

[Agent_S550]

I suppose it's important that someone who has Ford Warranty experience helps quell some of the rumors and misnomers about what you get out of the gate with the factory warranty. Considering all of the Voodoo issues and the fact we all "use" our cars to the fullest, there are times warranty does not apply. I'll make it short and sweet. I worked as an adviser and my family has been in multiple dealerships and brands over the years. I'm relatively familiar with procedures and the Ford warranty book.

Standard Ford 3/36k 5/60k does not provide rentals/loaners

This is often a misunderstood situation as some people receive them while others don't. The standard bumper to bumper and power train warranty has absolutely zero commitment to providing you with a vehicle to drive. Other manufacturers, like Toyota, do have that written in. Ford does not. However, on a case by case basis Ford corporate service help line will authorize to pay for a loaner. You have to open a case and have a decent argument to receive one.

Also, many large corporate dealerships own FLEETS of loaners. They are literally dealer owned vehicles that get driven into the ground and have little to no bearing on your situation. If they throw you the keys, it is what it is. There are no dealerships, unless you have a personal friend, that are throwing you the keys to a 50k dollar mustang while yours is being worked on. Sorry, it's just not happening. If it does, that was all the sales departments doing. If you don't like it, buy a Toyota and not a Ford.

There are zero guarantees that your concern is covered by warranty

As it's up to the dealerships discretion to discover the issue and its root cause, it's also up to them to determine if its warranty eligible. They have a few tools Ford provides when you're in ESP or 5/60k Power train to see if it's covered. Surprisingly if you are out of bumper to bumper but in power train and say require a new ignition coil, it is not covered as Ford considers it a bumper to bumper item. So while I know dealers can suck, Ford is the one that comes down and lays the law of the land in most cases.

Secondly on this note, when you bring in your vehicle for a warranty concern (outside of you destroying parts on the car from abuse) most things are covered under bumper to bumper. However, until its determined to be a warranty item, the customer is responsible for any and all labor/diagnosis up until its determined to be warranty. Most people get caught by this when they realize that it's not warranty and the dealer says "pay me". Don't assume. You'll get screwed. Understand what you've agreed to and you'll be fine. Ford's warranty is not a blanket. It covers many items but not ALL items.

Ford Warranty will call back that part that "mysteriously" broke

People seem to believe Ford has a big generic rubber stamp passed out to dealers when it comes to calling things warranty or not. While a dealer could call a motor with half a million miles on it a warranty item and submit it to Ford, ultimately they will be charged back on the claim. That means the tech doesn't get paid. The adviser doesn't get paid. The parts department is out of the parts. The dealership looses.

Point being is when you drag your broken love to the dealer to get something replaced, if it's truly a negligence item that you sincerely broke but make the claim it is a part failure on its own, it can cause a great deal of financial and clerical strife for a dealer. Ford calls back any and all warranty items it chooses. Engineers inspect them and if they disagree with the diagnosis or find it was something the customer broke due to abuse, they will charge it back to the dealer. That means you'll be getting a phone call asking for payment, or your car can get blackballed by the dealer and Ford's warranty system. So play it safe.

Brand new cars only have a 1yr/18k brake pad warranty

Brake pads squealing on your 15? You're shit out of luck. It's a wear item. Most wear items don't get much in the way of warranty for good reason. Too many variables to be able to blanket warranty wear parts really.

Returning back to the Diagnosis charge

I see this on here a lot. I stopped commenting because it gets old. If you take your car to a Ford dealer and they are performing a diagnosis on it, again you are responsible. Now with that said, if they find it to be under warranty but you choose to take the car to another dealership, you are responsible to pay for the diagnosis even if it's warranty. Reason being is that while Ford will pay for the diagnosis, parts, and repair, Ford will not pay for just the diagnosis at one dealer and then pay for it again at another. If you don't want to pay for the diagnosis time, have them fix it also. However, you can have Ford reimburse you through a couple channels for the diagnosis you've paid once the car has been repaired under warranty.

The number one thing to remember is when you screw a dealer, the service manager gets paid the same. And those are the guys that make 120k+ a year. The only people you screw are the techs and the adviser who don't always roll in the dough. Shit rolls down hill and they are the ones that catch it.

I have more items to add which I will do in the future. But this will start the discussion. Pin this, put it away, delete it, whatever you'd care to do. But I figured this will help some of you understand what you're walking into.

Sponsored

 

[wireeater]

Nice write up. It get tired of replying to warranty questions on the boards, FB pages and the obscene amounts of misinformation people post in regards to warranties. The biggest misuse of a word the bothers me is VOID. So much so, that' I'm not even going to get myself started... LOL.

 

[Volstang]

Agent S550 = bucket of cold water...LOL! I will admit, when you buy a new vehicle it comes with an expectation that everything is covered under warranty for a period of time. I can certainly understand normal wear items not being covered or only covered for a short period of time. I would expect a manufacturer to stand behind their product and want to please the customer so they get repeat business. I also work in service, but service medical imaging equipment. Very expensive equipment! from $300,000 up to several million for a piece of equipment. There isn't nearly as much profit in it as people think and yet we eat parts and labor costs constantly in order to please the customer and have them continue to purchase equipment and service contracts. Many times even when we know it is customer abuse. I know, apples and oranges comparison to an extent, but still about pleasing the customer. Thanks for the info.

 

[crs2879]

I own Toyota vehicles too, and love them, but their service depts are no better than any other. I have gotten loaners for warranty work but they don't simply pull a car around for you. You have to specifically ask and I've even had to show them the paperwork stating that loaners were covered. Also, if you have a $40K Tundra, they're not going to give you a Tundra loaner....likely a Camry or Corolla at best.

I had a Toyota battery go dead and when I took it to the dealer, Service Writer said I had to "bring the entire vehicle as we have to check the charging system"......look DA, if my car would start I wouldn't be here. Took it to Autozone and they put it on their machine and it had a bad cell. Went back to Toyota and they still refused to replace battery without entire vehicle being there.........it isn't just Ford.

 

[Fenix]

Great information!

I had a great experience with a recent warranty claim, fusion loner and all. The reps on this board were very helpful getting the ball rolling and making sure everything was satisfactory.

Just like it is mentioned above, Ford had all the say so in what the dealer could do in my case. I think some people may not realize that and throw blame at the dealer for things that are beyond their control.

 

[Agent_S550]

I own Toyota vehicles too, and love them, but their service depts are no better than any other. I have gotten loaners for warranty work but they don't simply pull a car around for you. You have to specifically ask and I've even had to show them the paperwork stating that loaners were covered. Also, if you have a $40K Tundra, they're not going to give you a Tundra loaner....likely a Camry or Corolla at best.

I had a Toyota battery go dead and when I took it to the dealer, Service Writer said I had to "bring the entire vehicle as we have to check the charging system"......look DA, if my car would start I wouldn't be here. Took it to Autozone and they put it on their machine and it had a bad cell. Went back to Toyota and they still refused to replace battery without entire vehicle being there.........it isn't just Ford.

Ford won't warranty anything like that without the car being there. For all they know you had an aftermarket amp hooked up backwards and shocked the shit out of the battery. Besides that, they need the mileage and verify the vin to be able to even make the warranty claim. While a battery you purchase at the parts counter can be warrantied easily through parts, the service department is the only one that can warranty a factory battery and they must do so under the new vehicle warranty, not the parts warranty. Sounds like they didn't explain that to you at all.

I had quite a few people try to manipulate me and use me to get things covered. Ultimately a bad warranty claim is actually paid for out of my own personal check. So advisers are usually less inclined to stick their neck out.

 

[Tamadrummer88]

Ive had experience with loaner cars from Ford dealerships in the past. I was told by a service advisor that only the extended warranties cover loaner cars in case your car has to be in the shop for more than a day, and i was also told that the loaner vehicle HAD to be a Ford vehicle.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

Pretty much what I knew or believed.

Comments:

Loaners: Yes, the Ford warranty doesn't guaranty loaners. BUT they can be a negotiated part of a sale. I insisted on having a guaranteed loaner before committing to the order. In my case I had an AZ plan and the dealer I used agreed simply to get the sale over other dealers. They were the 2nd closest to my home. In other than an AZ, X, etc plan, I'm sure a guarantee would likely result in some additional cost buried somewhere. But since its something that might not cost the dealer a cent, they might make that amount low and a good deal for the buyer. Plus I figured the dealer would put up a pretty good fight with Ford for Ford to cover it if it fell to them if Ford didn't. ;) Anyway, a loaner can be something you negotiate just like the base vehicle price, etc.. Naturally that would only be good at the selling dealer.

Rubber stamps for dealers: I very much suspect that it is no different with Ford than GM dealers in that some dealers get a lot more slack than others. GM keeps dealers who make more mistakes on very short leashes. And dealers who almost always make the right calls on what's covered get much less scrutiny. I'm not suggesting dealers report things differently or don't have to get approvals, just that human nature causes the people at Ford to be the ones who rubber stamp (to some degree) the ones that get things right.

GM doesn't publicize which dealers are in which category but customers are MUCH better off using a dealer in the latter category if they can figure out which is which. One thing I look at is the dealer reviews. If a dealer has a lot of complaints about trouble getting things warrantied compared to other dealers, there is a chance that dealer is gun shy from getting slapped by the manufacturer for mistakes. So expect more problems on grey area or hard to diagnose situations.

 

[crs2879]

Ford won't warranty anything like that without the car being there. For all they know you had an aftermarket amp hooked up backwards and shocked the shit out of the battery. Besides that, they need the mileage and verify the vin to be able to even make the warranty claim. While a battery you purchase at the parts counter can be warrantied easily through parts, the service department is the only one that can warranty a factory battery and they must do so under the new vehicle warranty, not the parts warranty. Sounds like they didn't explain that to you at all.

I had quite a few people try to manipulate me and use me to get things covered. Ultimately a bad warranty claim is actually paid for out of my own personal check. So advisers are usually less inclined to stick their neck out.

Fair enough. Batteries are warrantied by time, not mileage. It was a replacement battery in the first place, via their Service Dept. If Autozone can put it on a tester and show it has a bad cell, why can't the dealer? By the time I paid for the tow and their likely diagnostic charge, not worth the hassle anyway.......which is why I just bought another battery. There was nothing else wrong with the vehicle.

My point was regardless of manufacturer, dealer Service Departments are generally a PITA to deal with.

 

[Agent_S550]

Fair enough. Batteries are warrantied by time, not mileage. It was a replacement battery in the first place, via their Service Dept. If Autozone can put it on a tester and show it has a bad cell, why can't the dealer? By the time I paid for the tow and their likely diagnostic charge, not worth the hassle anyway.......which is why I just bought another battery. There was nothing else wrong with the vehicle.

My point was regardless of manufacturer, dealer Service Departments are generally a PITA to deal with.

Agreed. At times I believe they are designed to be that way. Being that it was not a NVW situation and more a replacement battery, then absolutely.

I can tell you our parts department had no issue warrantying out a battery. I did have a few smart guys try to come and warranty a battery out without the actual battery in hand a few times. They demand we give them one and they "promised" they'd bring the other one back. Yea sure buddy ;)

 

[Agent_S550]

Nice write up. It get tired of replying to warranty questions on the boards, FB pages and the obscene amounts of misinformation people post in regards to warranties. The biggest misuse of a word the bothers me is VOID. So much so, that' I'm not even going to get myself started... LOL.

Hopefully with my and every other current and previous Ford employees help, we can keep this thread pinned for the average warranty question. I get really tired of it all too lol.

Agent S550 = bucket of cold water...LOL! I will admit, when you buy a new vehicle it comes with an expectation that everything is covered under warranty for a period of time. I can certainly understand normal wear items not being covered or only covered for a short period of time. I would expect a manufacturer to stand behind their product and want to please the customer so they get repeat business. I also work in service, but service medical imaging equipment. Very expensive equipment! from $300,000 up to several million for a piece of equipment. There isn't nearly as much profit in it as people think and yet we eat parts and labor costs constantly in order to please the customer and have them continue to purchase equipment and service contracts. Many times even when we know it is customer abuse. I know, apples and oranges comparison to an extent, but still about pleasing the customer. Thanks for the info.

Hey no problem! People don't realize at times it costs the dealership employees money to help you with your warranty. It's not always a scott free situation.

Great information!

I had a great experience with a recent warranty claim, fusion loner and all. The reps on this board were very helpful getting the ball rolling and making sure everything was satisfactory.

Just like it is mentioned above, Ford had all the say so in what the dealer could do in my case. I think some people may not realize that and throw blame at the dealer for things that are beyond their control.

Glad to hear it went well. It's hit or miss on loaners sometimes.

Ive had experience with loaner cars from Ford dealerships in the past. I was told by a service advisor that only the extended warranties cover loaner cars in case your car has to be in the shop for more than a day, and i was also told that the loaner vehicle HAD to be a Ford vehicle.

100% correct. Loaners/Rentals provided by Ford can only be Ford Lincoln products. ESP does cover rentals.

Pretty much what I knew or believed.

Comments:

Loaners: Yes, the Ford warranty doesn't guaranty loaners. BUT they can be a negotiated part of a sale. I insisted on having a guaranteed loaner before committing to the order. In my case I had an AZ plan and the dealer I used agreed simply to get the sale over other dealers. They were the 2nd closest to my home. In other than an AZ, X, etc plan, I'm sure a guarantee would likely result in some additional cost buried somewhere. But since its something that might not cost the dealer a cent, they might make that amount low and a good deal for the buyer. Plus I figured the dealer would put up a pretty good fight with Ford for Ford to cover it if it fell to them if Ford didn't. ;) Anyway, a loaner can be something you negotiate just like the base vehicle price, etc.. Naturally that would only be good at the selling dealer.

Rubber stamps for dealers: I very much suspect that it is no different with Ford than GM dealers in that some dealers get a lot more slack than others. GM keeps dealers who make more mistakes on very short leashes. And dealers who almost always make the right calls on what's covered get much less scrutiny. I'm not suggesting dealers report things differently or don't have to get approvals, just that human nature causes the people at Ford to be the ones who rubber stamp (to some degree) the ones that get things right.

GM doesn't publicize which dealers are in which category but customers are MUCH better off using a dealer in the latter category if they can figure out which is which. One thing I look at is the dealer reviews. If a dealer has a lot of complaints about trouble getting things warrantied compared to other dealers, there is a chance that dealer is gun shy from getting slapped by the manufacturer for mistakes. So expect more problems on grey area or hard to diagnose situations.

Ford does have a department that tracks warranty discrepancies. I had a few situations where I had to actually plead my case to Ford that things were warranty vs not. They will turn a blind eye to a larger dealer with a good relationship to the OE but if it turns into a consistent issue they will bring an audit against you. I've been present for an audit and met the auditor. Nice guy. He's one of only two I believe.

Most warranty "no's" are from lack of experience and not a clear indication of whats broken. If an adviser is either not car savvy, Ford savvy, or warranty savvy, they will get themselves, the dealer, and the customer into a big headache. Appreciate the comments!

 

[15Pony]

Does the bumper to bumper ESP plan include rental coverage?

I have found that my dealer was quick to provide a rental the newer my car was. As it got a little older but still within the 3/36 I had to actually plead with the mgr. All it needed was replacing the backup camera. They told me they had to order it and it would be overnighted and put in the next morning, so I went to pick it up around 1 before I had to go to work and they said no, they'll get to it before they close. So they went on about how when my part came in they were still working on other cars who had parts ordered before mine....its almost like I went to the back of the queue again. So they gave it to me. The rental place (Enterprise) told me that Ford does have a requirement that they give only Ford products for warranty rentals.

I've never known a dealer, Ford or GM, to give a "loaner" - one of their own cars.

 

[Mr Snappy]

Does the bumper to bumper ESP plan include rental coverage?

I have found that my dealer was quick to provide a rental the newer my car was. As it got a little older but still within the 3/36 I had to actually plead with the mgr. All it needed was replacing the backup camera. They told me they had to order it and it would be overnighted and put in the next morning, so I went to pick it up around 1 before I had to go to work and they said no, they'll get to it before they close. So they went on about how when my part came in they were still working on other cars who had parts ordered before mine....its almost like I went to the back of the queue again. So they gave it to me. The rental place (Enterprise) told me that Ford does have a requirement that they give only Ford products for warranty rentals.

I've never known a dealer, Ford or GM, to give a "loaner" - one of their own cars.

It happens all the time. My new 2015 Tahoe had to have 3 of the tires replaced. They gave me a brand new Colorado for the day. I picked the Tahoe up about 6 hours later. And NO, I did not have their extended warranty, just the standard.

My Mercedes dealer practically pushed you into a loaner. Every time I had one, the repair was done the same day.

My 2016 GT Vert is only a couple of months old, it's not even had it's first oil change yet, so I am not sure how the dealer will handle...but I would not expect with an oil change. HOWEVER, if it is a major issue that is under warranty, they will provide me a loaner because I will raise holy hell if they dont.

 

[RIBS]

I generally think you are on target. But Your example of the ignition coil might be incorrect...there are other warranties such as emissions related parts failures...if a part sends the emissions to a point it can't meet federal or state emissions limits, that part is usually warranted sometimes up to 80k miles. I have had a few things waraneed on past cars in that circumstance....
The emissions warranty covers a large number of items, computers, sensors, fuel, intake spark, exhaust related parts....anything that impacts emissions...

 

[15Pony]

It happens all the time. My new 2015 Tahoe had to have 3 of the tires replaced. They gave me a brand new Colorado for the day. I picked the Tahoe up about 6 hours later. And NO, I did not have their extended warranty, just the standard.

My Mercedes dealer practically pushed you into a loaner. Every time I had one, the repair was done the same day.

My 2016 GT Vert is only a couple of months old, it's not even had it's first oil change yet, so I am not sure how the dealer will handle...but I would not expect with an oil change. HOWEVER, if it is a major issue that is under warranty, they will provide me a loaner because I will raise holy hell if they dont.

Maybe it has something to do with how much money you've spent with them. A Tahoe is an expensive truck, more than a Mustang, and they made a good profit selling it to you. Mercedes - well obviously one should expect first-class treatment. A '16 GT 'vert is nearly the highest end stock Mustang model so they should help you. Now a V6? The next question they could ask (and my service manager actually did) is did you buy the car from us. What if I had said no? That might influence the outcome.

Sponsored