Warranty issues with Ford F350

[Slick Fork]

As another person who has spent time in the auto industry, I can't speak to Ford as my experience was in Chevrolet/GM, but in our "owner assistance/warranty booklets" there is a very clear disclaimer that the sales guys are supposed to go over which states that any aftermarket product WILL void the warranty. The disclaimer has been there since at LEAST 2004. A good rule of thumb is that modifications to the appearance of the vehicle are ok but as soon as you start to change the way that vehicle performs you will run into trouble.

If it is an aftermarket product causing the issue then going directly to Ford will probably not yield you any results as they simply will not cover a part that they didn't install or manufacture. The way warranty works is the dealer does the work and then the parent company reimburses the dealer. Contrary to popular belief Ford/GM/Honda/etc. do not own their own dealerships, each store is privately owned, so having the work done at a Ford dealership does not mean that Ford endorses or covers the modifications.

As a side note, what did they tell you about returning the truck at the end of lease? GM's policy is the truck must be returned "factory", if you bring them back a lifted truck they will bill you for the labour to put it back to factory condition.

I hate to say it but I think as far as warranty goes you're SOL. If the dealership installed the aftermarket parts then they should cover whatever damage those parts caused.

You're best bet is to stay calm cool and reasonable. Get the sales manager, service manager, and dealer principle/General Manager involved. Point out that you've spent a lot of money both in their sales department and service department and that you would like to continue spending money but you need this issue resolved. As a last resort you could contact www.amvic.org and they will do an investigation.

Good luck

[wolf_bluejay]

In Canada, there is a arbitration board, funded mostly by the car makers. But, it is designed to keep the court costs down and has less than 50% dealers and more than 50% consumer protection representation on the board.

It cost nothing, and they rule in favour of the consumer about 70% of the time. The only downside, is that it is a "final" solution. What is decided is NOT apealable, and not able to be taken to court afterwards if you lose.

The board can rule al the way to a "by-back". I've had a few friends that have fought out warranty work this way, and all but 1 did get the work done in the end.

And, as a bonus, it doesn't cost you a cent. Some of the times, when you tell the dealer that you are going to go this route, they fix the issue without a fight.

I can't remember the website of hand, but you should be able to find it with a quick google search.

Edit ** found link
hxxp://www.camvap.ca/

[StirCrazy]

do you know a laywer, all it wil take is a call from one to ford canada to ask why they will not warente a truck that was sold new from the dealer with the options that they are trying to decline the warente for. Went through this will a friend, might cost you 1 or 2 hundred, for the laywer if you don't have a friend that is one though.

Steve

[StirCrazy]

http://www.camvap.ca/

But you do not qualify if:

Your dispute is about after-market options or accessories not ordered and installed by the manufacturer or dealer at the time of the original retail sale;

so if the only after market parts you have on there are the ones installed by the dealer as part of the original sale you qualify, I would print off the info and go see the dealer again

Yes. You must give each of the dealer and the manufacturer a reasonable amount of time and opportunity to resolve the problem.
First talk with the dealer and see if the dispute can be resolved at that level. If you do not succeed at the original dealership, consider going to a different one.
If your dispute is still not resolved, call the manufacturer's customer assistance centre. (See back page of this guide.) You may be asked to meet with the manufacturer's representative. Give the manufacturer a reasonable amount of time and opportunity to resolve the problem.
Keep track of your efforts with the dealer and the manufacturer including the date, time, file number and the name and position of any people you speak with. This will help you show that you made a genuine effort to resolve your dispute with the manufacturer so that you are entitled to an application package.

Steve

[Cameron]

Not to relevant, but funny none the less.

[my2rotties]

I wasn't too sure if I should come and ask about this huge issue, but am sure glad that I did. I have some very useful information that can actually be used as a plan. I keep hitting walls on anything I try to find out, and this most precious info is not readily available.

I found NOTHING that you guys provided me on this forum in all my searching. It is hard to find info when you don't really know what to look for. Google is awesome, but I found nothing that was helpful to this cause. It is a daunting task to figure out what somebody can do in a situation such as this. I am glad my husband has something to drive but it will have to go back. I'm surprised they have not been looking for it yet.

Now I have discovered my husband had the cold air intake and exhaust installed after it was purchased, but he asked the dealer if it would effect the warranty. I think we might be on the hook for this afterall. Timing sucks since we pretty much destroyed our spendable money on this tank project. We never expected this to happen and spent the money we had set aside when @#$% happens. Our bad, and we just let this tank project get away on us without taking other things into consideration.

I'm going to the dealer that has the truck this morning and will try to negotiate withn them. If we walk away from the lease, they will still be on the hook to fix the truck. We don't want the truck they offered us, so they won't be leasing that one us either...

I better load up on my Monday morning caffine and get out of here.

Thanks to all you guys for giving me some ammo to help us get thigns resolved. I should have asked sooner...

[mark]

Still can't understand why the original mod would cause the head-gasket to fail.

Might be interesting to find some stats of head-gasket failure with this model/year.

[scub steve]

the head gaskets transmissions and egr valves are junk in the new fords. i just traded my new ford in on a dodge cause i was having issues with the head gasket and i just spent $2600 on the egr cooler i was a born and raised ford guy and this is the first dodge i have ever owned the new fords are the worst diesels they have ever produced dont belive me go ask almost any independent mechanic shop lol. i took a huge loss trading my truck in but it was going too nickel and dime me too death

[my2rotties]

At the dealer now. Guess they are saying the catback exhaust is the reason head gaskets failed. Stay tuned since dealer said amvic won't help. I will see about that. What a mess

[my2rotties]

We had three EGRs changed plus almost had no warranty on the new $8000 tranny. Now they will never fix it again. This truck has a huge stack of service invoices I just picked up. I wish we could afford to walk away at this point. I have Toyota FJ Cruiser and it has never broken in the two and a half years I have owned it.

Originally Posted by scub steve

the head gaskets transmissions and egr valves are junk in the new fords. i just traded my new ford in on a dodge cause i was having issues with the head gasket and i just spent $2600 on the egr cooler i was a born and raised ford guy and this is the first dodge i have ever owned the new fords are the worst diesels they have ever produced dont belive me go ask almost any independent mechanic shop lol. i took a huge loss trading my truck in but it was going too nickel and dime me too death