My son in law has a 2004 f150 with the 5.4 engine same as me. He bought his used though and bought a after market warranty on the truck thru general fidelity insurance thru the dealer. He always took good care of the truck but at 60,000 miles the engine suddenly started making a knocking noise. He took the truck to dealer who contacted Fidelity who sent out a rep to look for the trouble with engine. After my son in law authorized the tear down of the engine (which he is responsible for) the rep for Fidelity said the right side of the engine block was burnt out because of lack of oil to the valves and guides. He said this was caused by a piece of rubber in the crank case from a oil filter getting stuck in a tube that pumps oil up to the right side of the engine head. Fidelity deneid the claim as they said this was not a normal engine failure but was caused by a foreign body in the crankcase. $3200 for right side head replacement or $5100 for rebuilt engine. Even though my son in law used Ford approved oil filters the rep said it could of come into the crankcase before he purchased it from the original owner not using ford approved oil filters and had just laid in crankcase until one day being sucked into the oil tube. A piece of the oil filter coming loose and being sucked into the crankcase could happen to anyone. Whats the sense of having a warranty if this is not covered ? You guys have any ideas what he could do ? Should he have another mechanic look at the engine or contact a attorney ?? Fidelity wants nothing to do with the repair and has basically washed their hands of the whole problem. He is now stuck with a ripped apart engine and a large bill. Thanks, JOP

 

Yikes! That sucks. Does he have documentation of his oil and filter changes. He needs to look over the contract of the warranty and see what the fine print says. I bet it gets really hard to understand so he might need an attorney.

 

Yes he needs to contact an attorney....why is the dealership not stepping in and explaining to the insurance company what happened, it should be between them and have nothing to do with the consumer, i.e. your son in law. If he has serviced the vehicle regularly and through the dealer, I don't understand how they can say it's not in there hands. That's why you should always get a Ford Motorcraft warranty, I've hear nothing but nightmares and headaches with these private non-Ford warranty companies.

 

Hopefully he gets compensated, but this is why I've never paid for an aftermarket warranty. They're known for making up any and every excuse to refuse payment.

 

X2, get legal advise for this. Also if it was me I would want the rebuild engine too.

 

I hear you, aftermarket warranty companies "Suck!" That is why I bought a Genuine Ford ESP Warranty for 7yrs or 100,000K.......I sleep better at night!.....

 

Sounds like BULLSH1T to me!!! Who's to say it was not in there from the beginning assembly??? Attorney time! Get an Consumer sales attorney, and go get them.

 

Threaten to sue and it no results, sue. The Fidelity Rep. is not an impartial witness in court and they will need an impartial person to testify.

 

I would sue. I am not a sue happy person, but this is just not right.
Be dilligent in working with an attorny though. Sometimes those guys are slackers!

On another note, I guess I have been lucky with aftermarket warranties. I had one pay out 3500 for a tranny re-build, and one pay out about the same, for a differential. But don't get me wrong, you pay through the gills for this insurance. I would use it in a heartbeat, and sue their butts if they did not provide.

Just my 02.

 

Am I brain dead or something, Material or matter clogging up the pick-up screen in the oil pan shouldn't cause a failure to one side of the engine. Sounds like BS to me.

 

Today we are seeing a consumer protection attorney. I took the gasket that was stuck in the cam shaft bearing lubrication point to another ford dealer and talked to the service manager. He also advised me to get a attorney as he knew this warranty company and stated that they were not very impressive. He also stated that there was no way this circular gasket could of got sucked up into the oil lubrication tube as it has a screen on it and if it got past the screen the oil pump would of pulverized it. It also did not come off a oil filter. I checked all the oil filters at auto zone, talked to their manager,, the ford manager,, all said this came off the engine somewhere inside and was never on a oil filter. Will post final when done with attorney and warranty company. jop

 

Good luck, keep us updated.

 

Yep -- not a big fan of Extended Service Plans, and especially ones that do not come directly from Ford Motor Company. You will probably have to spend as much money on time and legal fees as you would just fixing the engine. Bringing us back to the question, "Why did I waste my money on the Extended Service Plan in the first place.....???"

They sound great on the surface, but in reality can be something very different.

 

Sounds like exactly the same problem I had with my truck a couple weeks ago. Only difference is, mine was supposed to be covered under a genuine Ford ESP warranty, and they denied my claim because of "lack of maintenance and abuse". Ford left me hanging and twisting in the wind on this one, and I am now waiting for a new engine to show up so I can install it myself (at about 40% the cost the dealer wanted to charge me).

 

I am glad it sounds like you have a reputable dealer working with you now. Hopefully you will get it all straightened out in your favor.

I never buy ESP or anything like that on my vehicles. I actually got into an argument with the finance guy when I bought my second 08 F250. How can they, on one hand, sell a product that they say is the best, then on the other hand, tell you that you need the warranty because it's going to break. Other than the powertrain, nothing that breaks will cost me as much as that ESP, and the engine warranty is 100,000 miles and the powertrain warranty is 60,000 miles. Needless to say, I was right. I was the customer.