Long Story and Dealer Shaming

[Cerberus]

Well its story time boys and girls.

Back in 2021 I brought my ride to Ted Russell Ford Knoxville TN for a brake hose recall, diagnosis of a long soft shift 2>3, rear end noise, and idle stumble after fueling.

They did they brake hoses, replaced the purge valve and claimed they could not reproduce the other complaints (even though the graph that they gave me showed a shift lag of over 1600ms..)

Also my sunroof and even the inside shade no longer moved at all.. and they put over 500 miles on it..

whats worse is when i went to replace my RDU fluid last summer I found there was effectively no fluid in it.

There was also a stain on the right side RDU output seal as though it had leaked there, which i washed off all evidence of with brake clean.

 I filled and drove, then siphoned the RDU a few times, cleaning the magnetic fill plug each time, and seeing less and less metal on it each time (while i bought a new RDU off eBay)

But here's the funny part; the RDU has never leaked at all from that seal that had a stain.

This leads me to believe they pumped the diff out so it would grenade, and put a stain on the output flange area to explain the "loss of fluid".

The reason I think this is that if the diff was actually leaking there would be more leakage happening at the flange, but it is dry.

And if it was empty with no leaks the RDU would have grenaded long before the 60,000 mile mark that it was at when they had their filthy hands on it. 

The rear end noise ended up being the rear wheel bearings. I posted about that before.

 

Two weeks ago yesterday, my alternator announced its departure from this world and I scrambled to drive it home after work with no lights, no wipers (thank you RainX) and no defogger to keep the windshield clear.

I made it home, and the next morning had the vehicle towed to a dealership because I thought I had a warranty.

Come to find out, AutoFair Ford of Manchester New Hampshire screwed me by backdating the warranty effective date to the original date of purchase which was THREE YEARS before I bought it.

I did not notice this at the time or else I would not have bought it. (they also mis-mounted two tires that they put on the car when i bought it, so the outboard sidewall said "Inboard"...) Moving on..

 

The local stealership, Lance Cunningham Ford of Knoxville TN "diagnosed" the problem which I had already diagnosed and even stated on the key envelope when I dropped it off.

They wanted $1600 to replace the alternator, $800 of which was the part itself. Funny how I can (and ultimately did) order the part needed for $400 from Rock Auto.. so I said no, I'll pick it up.

They went ahead and charged me $300 for the "diagnosis" including a $41 miscellaneous shop supplies charge.

I asked the guy, what supplies did you use? He said, Oh that's just an automatic charge.

I said yeah, I know, you ought to call it a fuck you charge, because fuck you if you don't like it.

At this point I had already ordered parts including belt and tensioner with 2nd day air shipping for $200 less than Lance Cunningham wanted for the alternator alone.

 

Cue the record breaking snow fall (9" here in Eastern TN) and extremely cold temperature wave which created horrible driving conditions and subsequent shipping backlogs since there are literally almost no plows down here in the south..

and my projected package delivery dates have been getting bumped back over and over.

This past week, we have had several days of nearly 60 degrees here and a ton of rain so the snow is all gone now, and this morning would have been a perfect time to dive into the job, if I had parts.

That's a big if.. as I do not have parts..

 

Interestingly, my front window camera caught a UPS truck race down my street and turn around at the dead end and rocket off again on both Thursday and Friday, without dropping any packages on the street.

This happened on days that I had received emails saying the package was on the truck for delivery today.. so the bastard came down my street and left without delivering a single package, even though it was supposedly onboard.

So I called UPS (India) this morning (Sat) to ask where is my package? I mean, if it is anywhere within a two hour drive of me, I'll come get it.. but that is not an option because it is apparently on the truck and they don't run on saturday, so I am just screwed.

Again.

The weather is expected to drop back below freezing again tomorrow and I'm already out a pile of money for rentals for the last two weeks so I can continue to get to work.

In the end, this fiasco will have cost me more than the $1600 the local stealership wanted, but screw them for screwing me.

Its the principle of the matter now.

So yeah, AVOID AutoFair Ford of Manchester NH, AVOID Ted Russell Ford of Knoxville TN, & AVOID Lance Cunningham Ford of Knoxville TN

Now what to do with my weekend?

[dabangsta]

57 minutes ago, Cerberus said:

Come to find out, AutoFair Ford of Manchester New Hampshire screwed me by backdating the warranty effective date to the original date of purchase which was THREE YEARS before I bought it.

I did not notice this at the time or else I would not have bought it. (they also mis-mounted two tires that they put on the car when i bought it, so the outboard sidewall said "Inboard"...) Moving on..

I am just cherry picking part of this post.

That is how extended warranties work. Up to the date or miles the original warranty is, it is covered by the original warranty, then the extended kicks in, but that 6 year, 120,000 (just pulled numbers out of the air) is from the in service date. When I bought my used 2019 with 1,000 miles left on the manufacturers warranty the financial guy kept wording the extended warranty like it was added on at the end, but when asked the year it would expire, it was 2025, not 2028 like he kept intimating at. I had no plans for it since I rarely get gripes fixed by the dealer unless it is completely obvious, and I decided to invest the 11% of the cost of the vehicle they wanted for the warranty to extend it 2 years and 40,000 miles. The finance guy was no longer my long lost buddy, the extended warranty is where they make their bank.

[Cerberus]

14 minutes ago, dabangsta said:

I am just cherry picking part of this post.

That is how extended warranties work. Up to the date or miles the original warranty is, it is covered by the original warranty, then the extended kicks in, but that 6 year, 120,000 (just pulled numbers out of the air) is from the in service date. When I bought my used 2019 with 1,000 miles left on the manufacturers warranty the financial guy kept wording the extended warranty like it was added on at the end, but when asked the year it would expire, it was 2025, not 2028 like he kept intimating at. I had no plans for it since I rarely get gripes fixed by the dealer unless it is completely obvious, and I decided to invest the 11% of the cost of the vehicle they wanted for the warranty to extend it 2 years and 40,000 miles. The finance guy was no longer my long lost buddy, the extended warranty is where they make their bank.

granted some extended warranties do work this way, but not all do. AFAIK.

Here's the thing, I bought the vehicle as a CPO (supposedly) which offered 7yrs/100,000miles coverage. 

then he sold me an ISD warranty for 7 years and 120,000 miles, backdated to in service date, which means it was redundant up to the 100K mark..

IF in fact it actually was a CPO.. I am starting to think they tricked me into buying my own CPO coverage..

Meanwhile he was representing it to me as extending my warranty by a couple years and 20,000 miles

I have not found ONE dealership yet in my life that I would recommend doing business with .

[Odrapnew]

On 1/28/2024 at 9:00 AM, Cerberus said:

granted some extended warranties do work this way, but not all do. AFAIK.

Here's the thing, I bought the vehicle as a CPO (supposedly) which offered 7yrs/100,000miles coverage. 

then he sold me an ISD warranty for 7 years and 120,000 miles, backdated to in service date, which means it was redundant up to the 100K mark..

IF in fact it actually was a CPO.. I am starting to think they tricked me into buying my own CPO coverage..

Meanwhile he was representing it to me as extending my warranty by a couple years and 20,000 miles

I have not found ONE dealership yet in my life that I would recommend doing business with .

If you got a Ford ESP, dabangsta is correct that the ESP starts from original in-service date.

 

The CPO 7yr/100k is powertrain only. Majority of the other CPO warranty items are 1yr/12k miles.

So, if you purchased a Ford ESP for 7yr/120k, depending on which plan you got, covers other items that would have expired after the 1yr/12k, but again, the clock starts ticking from original in-service date.

 

Also, you can look up your VIN on Ford site to see what warranty(ies) (extended service plans) you have active.

Mine shows the CPO Powertrain and the Ford Premium ESP that I purchased.

 

Even though I don't live in the area, it's good to see you actually calling out the dealerships by name.

People post big issues with dealers/shops, but don't want to call them out directly.

Edited February 6 by Odrapnew

[Cerberus]

On 2/6/2024 at 1:45 PM, Odrapnew said:

If you got a Ford ESP, dabangsta is correct that the ESP starts from original in-service date.

 

The CPO 7yr/100k is powertrain only. Majority of the other CPO warranty items are 1yr/12k miles.

So, if you purchased a Ford ESP for 7yr/120k, depending on which plan you got, covers other items that would have expired after the 1yr/12k, but again, the clock starts ticking from original in-service date.

 

 

the vehicle was supposedly CPO but i was sold a 3rd party warranty that I was told would cover it an extra 2 yeas and 20,000 miles.

Turns out that was a lie as it was a 7 year/120,000mile warranty that was effectively redundant to the CPO coverage from my purchase up to the end of 7 years.

Yes, it covers more stuff than the CPO but I really only was interested in powertrain coverage. 

That makes it pretty annoying.

oh well, i'm done discussing it. no point in rehashing it too much.

Edited February 7 by Cerberus

[Cerberus]

I suppose I should close out this story with a conclusion.

I ended up hunting down my UPS truck while it was in a neighborhood nearby, got my alternator and did the job in my driveway. 

Kind of a PITA on jackstands, but very doable.

I basically had the job done in 4 hours flat, aside from hunting down my R134a gauge set and vacuum pump, 

pumping down the system, and refilling it. 

All is well, and I am reminded how much fun this car can be.

I am considering buying a high mileage warranty for it. 

[TourGuide]

Have you ever lifted all 4 wheels on the Edge to jack stands Cerberus?

[Cerberus]

On 2/7/2024 at 8:31 PM, TourGuide said:

Have you ever lifted all 4 wheels on the Edge to jack stands Cerberus?

I have not.

I've never had the need to, but I'd guess its a bit tricky to get it there. 

finding appropriate lifting and holding points was a bit of a PITA for me

[1004ron]

When I purchased my 2017 Sport new I bought  the extended warranty (100,000 or 84 months) for $1,950 and it expires in about 200 miles - never claimed on it.

 

Mine is labeled "National Vehicle Service Contract" appears to be a Ford product.

 

I've been receiving mail reminding me that its about to expire with links to renew, but no price mentioned - I've decided not to renew and continue with my maintenance regime.

 

 

 

[1004ron]

On 2/7/2024 at 8:31 PM, TourGuide said:

Have you ever lifted all 4 wheels on the Edge to jack stands Cerberus?

I have - Lift one side and place the jack stands, then left the other side and place jack stands - leave the jack it place after lifting the second side for back-up.

 

First tire rotations done at dealership they chipped the rims around the lug nuts using high speed spins off with impact wrench, and since then I've done the tire rotations on the four jack stands.

 

I also do it when replacing brake fluid.

 

 

[Cerberus]

24 minutes ago, 1004ron said:

When I purchased my 2017 Sport new I bought  the extended warranty (100,000 or 84 months) for $1,950 and it expires in about 200 miles - never claimed on it.

 

Mine is labeled "National Vehicle Service Contract" appears to be a Ford product.

 

I've been receiving mail reminding me that its about to expire with links to renew, but no price mentioned - I've decided not to renew and continue with my maintenance regime.

 

 

 

I like the service log and level of detail that is saved.

very nice.

The only argument i could offer to the warranty expiration / renewal is that these things are a bit of a PITA to work on due to how stuffed the engine bay is.

but if you're handy and have the facility to do work as you obviously do, its probably an arguable waste of money

[garycrist]

I've watched several people bring in hand written contemporaneous notebooks

of all things that went into their cars, even fill-ups with mileage notations.

Those things were GOLD back then for resale rather than the auction. Usually

they were cleaner no matter the odometer. I watched a dealer drop $10,000 off

a Shelby 500 after the deal was set, just because he saw the log-book the customer

was going to take with him!

[Tim W. AZ]

On 1/28/2024 at 8:00 AM, Cerberus said:

granted some extended warranties do work this way, but not all do. AFAIK.

Here's the thing, I bought the vehicle as a CPO (supposedly) which offered 7yrs/100,000miles coverage. 

then he sold me an ISD warranty for 7 years and 120,000 miles, backdated to in service date, which means it was redundant up to the 100K mark..

IF in fact it actually was a CPO.. I am starting to think they tricked me into buying my own CPO coverage..

Meanwhile he was representing it to me as extending my warranty by a couple years and 20,000 miles

I have not found ONE dealership yet in my life that I would recommend doing business with .

A couple of weeks ago, I traded my 2016 and purchased a Blue Oval Gold Certified, 2020 Titanium with 44,000 miles and the dealership tried to sell me a 6/100,000 for $2400. I was already considering a warranty but passed on that one. I found a 8/100,000 for $1400 from Zeigler Ford. So I'm covered until 2/15/29, just about the time I'll be ready to buy again. Despite the mileage, I was able to get the Ford warranty because the car was Gold Certified. If you purchase a Ford warranty it's always based from the original sale date, or mileage. I believe the companies you see Ice-T and others hawking have different coverage period plans.

Edited March 21 by Tim W. AZ

[FX3]

There is a reason I call it Auto Fu@☆ Ford.

I have actually written off all of AutoFair's lots (Ford, Mazda, Honda, Toyota, etc)

I have also written off all Manchester NH car dealers, new and used. If in the area, I will use them only to test beat cars to see if I like it and buy from another location. 

[LongIsland63]

Just bought an extended warranty from Endurance.. It's not bumber to bumber but it's not bad either. My 2016 Edge has 151k. I'm covered for 4yrs/60000 miles powertrain/AC/Drive Axle/electrical/steering/transmission/ that is the low package they cover more if you obviously pay more lol..cost me little over 100/month will pay for itself if tranny hits the floor one day. 

[omar302]

1 hour ago, LongIsland63 said:

Just bought an extended warranty from Endurance.. It's not bumber to bumber but it's not bad either. My 2016 Edge has 151k. I'm covered for 4yrs/60000 miles powertrain/AC/Drive Axle/electrical/steering/transmission/ that is the low package they cover more if you obviously pay more lol..cost me little over 100/month will pay for itself if tranny hits the floor one day. 

 

Normally extended warranties coverages are calculated from the original warranty start date. So make sure that yours starts from the current milage.

[akirby]

$100/month for how many months?  Sounds super expensive especially for partial coverage.  And good luck getting them to agree to cover something.  3rd parties are notoriously difficult.  That’s why we all recommend only Ford warranties ( or better yet keep the money in your pocket).

[garycrist]

Back in the day, we used to call them "Oil Company Warranties" as that was who sponsored

a lot of those worthless warranties. The client depended on them and they companies were

slow or never pay. At the end of the day we would lose the client not to our fault.

 

I would recommend a Ford ESP Premium always. Not as much hassle for the client.

[Tim W. AZ]

2 hours ago, akirby said:

$100/month for how many months?  Sounds super expensive especially for partial coverage.  And good luck getting them to agree to cover something.  3rd parties are notoriously difficult.  That’s why we all recommend only Ford warranties ( or better yet keep the money in your pocket).

It sure does. I just paid $1440, or $40 a month for a Ford Premium ESP. It gives me 4 more years on powertrain and continues everything else until Feb. 2029 or 100,000. There are mileage restrictions on Ford plans and my Edge is a 2020 with 44,000 at the time, but I was able to purchase a Ford ESP because it was a Blue Oval Certified Gold used vehicle, otherwise I wouldn't have been eligible for a Ford plan. 

[Cerberus]

33 minutes ago, Tim W. AZ said:

It sure does. I just paid $1440, or $40 a month for a Ford Premium ESP. It gives me 4 more years on powertrain and continues everything else until Feb. 2029 or 100,000. There are mileage restrictions on Ford plans and my Edge is a 2020 with 44,000 at the time, but I was able to purchase a Ford ESP because it was a Blue Oval Certified Gold used vehicle, otherwise I wouldn't have been eligible for a Ford plan. 

the age and mileage of your vehicle has a large impact on pricing of the plan

I'm talking with a ford dealer to arrange a 2yr/24,000 mile powertrain warranty for about 1600.

But mine is a 2016 with about 105K miles 

[Tim W. AZ]

24 minutes ago, Cerberus said:

the age and mileage of your vehicle has a large impact on pricing of the plan

I'm talking with a ford dealer to arrange a 2yr/24,000 mile powertrain warranty for about 1600.

But mine is a 2016 with about 105K miles 

I purchased it through an online Ford dealership in Michigan and now that I think about it, they added restrictions to protect themselves, and if I recall, mileage was one of them. The dealership tried to sell me a similar one for $2400.