Coil/PCM issues and reimbursement for TSB 13-04-17

[marriedgeek]

So, my wife's 07 Edge has the famous issue where the PCM fails, taking out 3 coils in the process. Not knowing of this TSB at the time, and the fact that this is our family car with two child seats, we took it to our usual repair shop. They quoted us $1200 for just the coils. $2100 if both the coils and PCM.

 

During that time, my wife and I discovered this TSB and, while it states that it's covered under 8/80k, two dealer service departments couldn't tell me whether all of it was covered or just the PCM. My repair shop couldn't tell me, either. I said to go ahead with the repair of just the coils, but they advised me that the PCM SHOULD definitely be covered under the warranty, as one coil was still misfiring. They said it was safe to drive around the corner to the local Ford dealer.

 

We pull up to the dealer, they talk about trying to reimburse me for my previous repair bill, they scan my receipt, and I leave. They give me a call later saying while THREE (brand new) coils were now bad, everything - the coils and the PCM - were covered under the warranty, but will try to get me reimbursed through Ford for my repair.

 

So, our next step is to try and get reimbursed for something. If I don't get full reimbursement, my thoughts are:

 

1. If the TSB states that all 6 must be replaced, I'll demand they either replace those last 3 and give me back the 3 new ones I just paid for, or demand reimbursement for those from Ford. All parts replaced were Ford parts.

2. Worst case, I'll still demand that those last 3 get replaced, and I'll take the 3 broken ones back to the repair shop under their warranty. At that point, I'm still out $1200, but should end up with 6 new coils that I will then sell.

 

Has anyone else been in a similar situation and received any reimbursement? I should find out later today, hopefully, what type of reimbursement I as able to get from Ford.

 

Thanks.

[WWWPerfA_ZN0W]

I have not (yet) been in this situation. I have heard of people buying reasonably priced, reliable aftermarket replacement coils from alanisdeals on EBay. Used PCMs are available (200-250 or so) on EBay, new should run about 500 + 100 core at the dealer.

[RJG]

First......I don't think that "demanding" anything gets you anywhere. You are entitled to exactly what the TSB says about repair and reimbursement. Nothing more, nothing less. If you were a regular customer of that Ford dealership, he could help out a little, but why should he help out a demanding customer who after he sticks his neck out to help you out, you go running back to your repair shop. My experience is Ford will honor the terms of the TSB.

 

Avoiding a dealership for regular service can save you money....until something like this happens. Then it's good to be a good customer of a Ford dealership. I think our vehicles are getting to the point where there is little an independent shop can do any more other than change oil and rotate tires. There are just so many recalls, public and silent, where a dealership can help you out, would suggest you be a customer if this one helps you out.

[marriedgeek]

Thanks. Ok, maybe "demanding" was too harsh.

 

I'm only a little bitter because I called up two service departments and asked if there was anything relating to my car about the coils and PCM, and neither knew. So, I was HOPING to take it to a dealer if I knew in time.

 

Yes, if they get my full reimbursement, then that would be above-and-beyond what I'd expect. If they reimburse me for the 3 good coils that I paid for and they didn't have to replace, that'll be considered even.

 

I was mostly curious if anyone had experience getting reimbursed for warranty work that took place outside of Ford.

[RJG]

Well....good luck. Know it's frustrating. I don't work for Ford, or a dealership, or have any particular knowledge of current Ford arrangements for reimbursing for situations like yours. Frankly....I don't see how they can. Just too much potential for fraud. But do know.....while Ford (and all car makes) are rather strict about controlling warranty costs and reimbursements to their dealerships for work done, they do have a way of helping out their best customers, sharing some costs, etc. Whether this is a Ford thing, allowing a dealership some leeway on customer work, or if it's just the dealership having a "slush" fund (so to speak) to help out their best most loyal customers...I don't know. But do know, and have experienced, some help from the dealerships before on warranty work that kinda fell into a gray area. Like problem when vehicle is slightly out of warranty, or a older TSB like yours, or a silent recall about a problem an independent garage wouldn't know about. Had a transmission replaced that way once. That's main reason I use the dealership for maintenance for our vehicles, and my wife, being a coupon clipper, thinks it doesn't cost any more using a dealership. Good luck getting resolution of your problem.

[marriedgeek]

Thanks for the input.

 

My repair shop actually did have the exact TSB as they were working on it. I guess they failed to notice where it said it was covered under warranty.

 

Still, I'll try to recoup what I can from both places.

[akirby]

The only issue is which parts they would have had to replace if the work had been done by Ford in the first place and what would it have cost. They should have no problem paying for that amount and honestly that's all they should be paying for.

[marriedgeek]

The only issue is which parts they would have had to replace if the work had been done by Ford in the first place and what would it have cost. They should have no problem paying for that amount and honestly that's all they should be paying for.

 

And I agree. Ford said 3 of the coils were good so they're replacing those 3. I feel they should reimburse me for those 3 (that I paid for) since the TSB calls for all 6 to be replaced.

[marriedgeek]

So, Ford won't reimburse me because the warranty work didn't take place at a Ford dealership.

 

I'm trying to get the new coils they just replaced (that I'll take back to the repair shop) and hope they will take the original coils that were on the car before. I'm sure this is a long shot, though.

 

i can't fault them, I just hate the feeling knowing that I should've taken it to a dealer instead of my usual shop.

[WWWPerfA_ZN0W]

Yeah, as long as you have warranty, I would use outside shops primarily for diagnostics, so you can take that armament to the dealer. Still gonna be out of pocket. If one dealership is unsatisfactory, you have to look for a different dealership and/or contact Ford Customer Service. If still unsatisfied, and you want peace of mind (trusting the outside shop), get the work done (out of pocket) and then try to work with Ford directly (and have lawyer representation) to get reimbursement.

 

Have to be patient in this game. If you can line up a good dealership for servicing your vehicle BEFORE you buy the vehicle, so much the better, but who really has time to do that anyway?

[marriedgeek]

I also didn't even think about this being covered under a warranty of any kind. I bought the car back in 07, so I assumed the warranty that counts (3-year bumper to bumper) was out the door.

 

$1200 lesson.

[WWWPerfA_ZN0W]

Man, I feel for ya. I would hope that owners would be notified of such special provisions/extensions, at least original owners. I have never gotten such notifications, only recall notices as applicable. If owners are aware that warranty coverage exists, they are more likely to bring the issue up with the dealer sooner, saving themselves much headache.

[akirby]

Keep pushing. I've heard cases where Ford did pay for reimbursement but I don't know the details.

[marriedgeek]

So here's the conclusion. I guess some things got misinterpreted a couple times.

 

The original shop said only one cylinder was still misfiring. Ford originally said the tech replaced 3 bad coils, then said they replaced all 6 as part of the "kit", then just now, said only one was replaced (apparently it was cylinder #3, instead of 3 bad cylinders).

 

At this point, since they only replaced 1 of the 6, and the TSB says to replace all 6, should I get them to do all 6? The other half of this is, since my goal is to somehow get the 5 good coils I paid for (since the whole thing would've been covered under warranty anyway), I don't even know if they could swap those out for the original faulty coils.

 

I'm just bitter that I paid $1200 for coils that would've otherwise been covered under warranty. Ford said they won't reimburse me because the warranty work wasn't performed at a dealer.

[akirby]

So how many coils did you buy exactly and what happened to them? Are they still good or did they burn out again? I'm not following that piece exactly.

 

I think you need to let Ford replace the PCM and any currently bad coils, then worry about whether you can get any other reimbursement.

 

If you replaced the coils and the pcm fried the new ones because the PCM wasn't replaced that's not Ford's fault.

[marriedgeek]

I paid for 6 new Ford coils from the original shop. This shop said cylinder 3 was still misfiring and said to take it to Ford to replace the PCM. I took it to Ford and (eventually I was told) they replaced just the one remaining bad coil as well as the PCM.

 

My question was, since the original shop replaced all 6 (even though not all 6 were bad), shouldn't Ford replace all 6 instead of just the one, according to the TSB, if a vehicle came in with this particular problem? The $1200 was to replace the original 6 coils.

 

In a perfect world, I'd really like to get them to replace those remaining 5 and that I get back those 5 I paid for so that I can sell them and recoup some loss.

Edited December 6, 2013 by marriedgeek

[akirby]

IF Ford only replaced one coil then they should reimburse you for the cost of the other 5 since the TSB says for the dealer to replace all 6. If they did replace all 6 themselves then you're SOL.

[marriedgeek]

IF Ford only replaced one coil then they should reimburse you for the cost of the other 5 since the TSB says for the dealer to replace all 6. If they did replace all 6 themselves then you're SOL.

 

Ford did not replace all 6. According to them, only 1 was replaced.

 

Is there a line at Ford directly that I can call?

[akirby]

 

Ford did not replace all 6. According to them, only 1 was replaced.

 

Is there a line at Ford directly that I can call?

 

It's in the owner's manual. Did you try getting the service manager to specifically request reimbursement for the 5 coils they did not replace? If not make sure you try that first. I've found lots of cases where the dealer says Ford won't do something and it turns out they either didn't ask or didn't provide the right information.

 

You can also post on Ford's facebook or other social media sites where Ford reps will help.

Edited December 6, 2013 by akirby

[marriedgeek]

 

It's in the owner's manual. Did you try getting the service manager to specifically request reimbursement for the 5 coils they did not replace? If not make sure you try that first. I've found lots of cases where the dealer says Ford won't do something and it turns out they either didn't ask or didn't provide the right information.

 

You can also post on Ford's facebook or other social media sites where Ford reps will help.

 

I called them again. They're giving me a hard time about it. They say the diagnosed it and only had to replace the one coil (and PCM). They said the tech made no mention of the TSB in the writeup. The service advisor is checking with the tech now. Waiting on a call back.

 

What makes no sense is, this whole thing is covered under a TSB that they're suddenly not following.

[z50rsupra]

• My 08 that I bought new, never damaged or had any major issues with that now has less than 33 K miles just broke down. The PCM is bad and according to the dealer also has 2 bad coil packs is going to cost me $560 to get fixed. They say the TSB will cover the PCM but not the coil packs, in the process of disputing this now.

[marriedgeek]

From my experience, because the PCM caused the coil packs to fail, they were to be replaced. They are obligated to replace your 2 broken ones. Make sure they do at least that, as they did for me.

 

Odd thing is, the TSB says to replace ALL 6, but even they did not honor that. But, I was told that because the PCM was the cause for the fried CPs, that they would be covered along with the PCM replacemnent.

Edited April 20, 2014 by marriedgeek

[marriedgeek]

Also, 560 is pricey for just 2. I unfortunately ended up paying for 6 brand new ones from a shop, using Ford parts, for $1200ish.

 

Still, Ford should replace the two of your that fried. Do not pay for their replacement.

[marriedgeek]

BTW, it pisses me off that dealers aren't following the same policies.

[akirby]

All of the coils should be replaced. The dealer is wrong (again). Have them read the TSB and call Ford if necessary.