Now that I just got the wifes 04 Explorer out of Ford service (transmission reprogram and some type of additive added per recall) I told the service guy i will be bringing in My F-150 in on Tuesday for a few items (truck shakes when braking) reprogram temp. guage and water in taillights.
He tells me before they can replace/reseal them they have to take a pic and e-mail it to Ford before correcting the problem.
Well now that the rains are over, my lens are pretty much dry.
This sounds abit bogus to me, anyone else heard of having to send a pic before they replace them? Think i am going to have to pitch a Bit%h on this one

 

There was a recall on some 04 model f150 for removal of the butyl pad. This pad being left on was causing condensation in the tail lights.

There is no need to mail ford pictures, warranty is just that. If they see an issue that is "not normal", they should fix it.

I would either B!tch and complain until they fix it on the spot, or find yourself another dealer willing to work with you. Remind the service guy also there are many OTHER ford dealerships willing to work with you on both PURCHASE and After CARE!

Sucks, but coming off strong to start with is truly the way to go.

 

The butyl pad isn't why water is in the tail lights. The butyl pad is removed because water may get trapped in between the pad and the bed sheetmetal, causing rust. There's a service message pertaining to the water in the tail lamps; it's normal. Are you talking about water in between the bed and the edge of the tail lamp, like on the outside of the bed where it seals up against the sheetmetal?

 

Quintin,

No, water is getting trapped inside the lens itself, currently only one has the condensation in it, inside the left "brake light" portion.
Everything else has finally dried out.

 

okay, I have had this problem on my truck. Both tailights acually filled up with water after a car wash. They filled up of water about 1/4th of the way up the tailights. I called my Ford dealer the same day, they got me in there the same day, and they installed 2 brand new tailights the next day.
I asked what caused the water in the tailights to get in, and he didn't have an answer. He just didn't know how water got in there, but ever since the new ones are on, I have not had a problem with any water getting in them!

 

Triton, you just gave me an idea...thx
Looks like i will be taking the hose to my tail lights on Monday after work...

 

anaheim the pic story is true. Its coming from Ford, not the dealer. We run in to it here at my store also. Apparently Ford is hit with so many minor trim replacemant bills that we have to e-mail a digital photo of the offending part for approval. I know, its stupid but its their money I guess. Just spray em good and get water in them then get the pic!

 

I had mine replaced two weeks ago and Service Manager looked at the light no questions asked order one and replaced it.

 

I’ve read here on this forum on several occasions how some dealerships are reluctant to do warranty work. I’ve never had that problem with the Ford dealers service department that sold me my truck or the other Ford dealership I go to occasionally because it’s 10 miles closer to where I live. Every issue I’ve had has been taken care of without any hassle whatsoever. I’d be pissed if a service advisor questioned the veracity of a warranty concern I had.

 

Sometimes, dealerships can be high in certain repair areas, like electronics or trim and glass. If the amount of repairs exceeds a certain limit, Ford may elect to send an auditor to the dealership to see just exactly is going on. An audit is bad news for a dealer, it's like a root canal and a full rectal cavity search at the same time. Usually ends up costing the dealership a lot of money and can cause the loss of certain privleges, like loss of tier 1 status, to where they'll have to call the area rep for prior approval on certain repairs. Costs the dealership time and money and inconviences the customer.