Prior approvals for certain repairs vary amongst dealers. For example, Joe Schmoe Lincoln Mercury does a lot of dumb things; they've done lot of warranty repairs for things that shouldn't really be warrantied, replaced lots of interior trim bits that were broken by outside forces, steering wheel covers that are loose, faded and cracked upholstery, etc. Their customers are quite smug in knowing that they got stuff replaced no questions asked.

As such, Joe Schmoe Lincoln Mercury's trim and glass warranty repairs are quite high. Uncle Henry wants to know why. So Uncle Henry sends auditors to review the dealership's service records and procedures. They inspect "defective" parts (parts departments have to keep the old stuff that comes off your car under warranty) that were replaced under warranty to determine whether they were legimately replaced or could have been repaired. If the auditors determine that a lot of things that were replaced could have been repaired or otherwise serviced, they'll want money from the dealership in return, since in their eyes, the dealership cost big momma Ford a lot of money.

Likewise, Jim Bob Ford on the other side of town, who may have relatively low amounts of warranty repairs can be more liberal in what they can or can't replace under warranty.

High volume or speciality market (level 1 or tier 1, as Ford calls them) dealers don't require prior approval on lots of things, such as engine or transmission exchanges. Tier 1 dealers are the cream of the crop to Ford. The way I understand it, if your town has several Ford dealers but only one Lincoln Mercury dealer, you can almost guarantee the L-M dealer is considered tier 1. Lots of SVT dealers are. Dealerships with excellent CSI scores might be. Last I checked, the dealer I hang out at gained tier 1 status back in January of this year, but we're still on close watch in regards to our glass and trim repairs. But you didn't hear that from me.

Understand that a lot of dealers aren't trying to be buttholes about replacing obviously broken things on your vehicle. Happy customers are good customers, everyone wins. Lots of times, we don't like fixing things that should be replaced, since it costs the dealership and the technician time, and in a flat rate environment, time genuinely is money. We're marching to the tune of Ford Motor Company. Warranty audits are bad news for dealers, they rank somewhere between root canals and full cavity searches. If one dealership says no, then by all means try another. Ford is a lot more lenient on dealers that sell them lots of cars and have low warranty repairs.

My impartial opinion and observation, not endorsed by my employer or FoMoCo in any way.

<edited several times cuz I keep thinking of more stuff to add>

 

Wrong! We replaced a tail light and a front marker light for condensation today. Ford has a condition code for "condensation in exterior lighting" and they will replace them under warranty. Either your dealer is lying or you are lying. Your rotors would be covered too, but holy cow! Warped twice in 3500 miles? Did you ever hear of engine braking?