I dropped my L off yesterday a.m. @ DarCars Ford (Lanham, MD), to have them fix the Clunk/Alignment. I spoke w/ the Assistant Service manager and described the problem. Naturally he had never heard of this problem (surprise!). (I made no mention of this website or the TSB info that I had gathered here. I wanted to give them a chance to prove themselves). I reluctantly handed him my keys w/ the understanding that he would call me as soon as they found anything.

Well...the whole day passes...no phone call. So I called them at 6:30 pm. I was told that the Head Tech had left early for a family emergency and wasn't able to look at it yet. Uh-oh.....There's strike one.

I called back first thing this morning (7:15 am)....I spoke w/ the Asst. Service Mgr again, and he told me that he would speak w/ the Tech as soon as he arrived and then call me. Ok....11:30 arrives and still no return phone call. Hmmm....Strike two. So I decide to call them....again. Asst. SM picks up the phone...but still doesn't have an answer. He puts me on hold while he goes to find out.

Oh no....pitcher is winding up....Batter is in his stance.....Pitcher let's loose with some high heat...

Service Manager comes back to the phone....He tells me, "The clunk is caused by a washer on the Control arms. Ford has released a new washer that will fix the problem. Of course that will require an alignment...Naturally all of this will be taken care of under warranty. Your truck will be ready this afternoon.

Batter swings.....CRACK.....IT'S A HOME RUN!!

Without a single prompt from me, they were able to diagnose this and take care of it with no questions asked. I am very happy. After reading some of the Dealership nightmare stories on here (mixed w/ my own past experiences), I was prepared for the worst.

I just hope the Ford washers work.

 

That must be one of the smart techs!!!

Let us know if the problem was taken care of properly!!!

 

Not to make you worry but did you ask how many test drives it took?

 

They most likely took it home overnight for obeservation. j/k Nice to here something positive about work being done on a Lightning... Jeff

 

They will...
but it won't be permanent. Give it time, it'll clunk again, just give it time.

Check your mileage and your gas gauge. You may be surprised, especially if you are able to "guesstimate" the miles/gallon. It's not a problem if the Service Rep KNOWS in advance that you check and verify the ACTUAL mileage recorded, the gas level, and the condition of the Lightning when it's delivered and picked up.

Spike

 

When I took delivery on mine it had 37 miles on it. I specifically asked the salesperson to make sure it didn't go off the lot. He said he took it to fill the tank. At least he put Amaco Gold in it.

Another time the service manager said he wouldn't let the tech take it out because it was raining. I asked him why he would need to since all he did was put on a new aero panel. The same dealer had the hood up and three monkeys looking at the motor and revving it up to hear the exhaust.

Needless to say I don't go there anymore and I sent a letter to SVT.

 

SpikeEngineering is right. It's going to move in time. This has benn covered before.

E-mail me at:

jacksonherb@hotmail.com

and I'll fill you in.

 

Hey action 911:

Can you post the info on here, I was thinking about going to the dealer to get them installed.

Herb washers were I think $35.00, now they are $50.00.

Fords are free, Did Ford copy Herbs design, do I see a T/B thread war starting here..j/k

Thanks,
DL

 

I believe that they are just star washers. Herbs are a machined washer that fits into the oval "alignment adjustment" hole on the lower control arm
Thats the price you pay for not gettin in on the bottom floor

 

Hey Herb,

Can we get a discount with a Group purchase on your washers?

Thanks,
DL

 

What did you say to them when you took it in? Did you just say it makes a clunk noise? I was thinking about taking mine in, and I do not want to sound like a complete idiot when I thell tem what is wrong.

 

Yeah....I called and made an appt. over the phone. He asked what it was doing and I explained that it made a clunk when I turned the wheel at slow speeds. I also explained that my alignment was off as well.

When I took it in, he pulled up my appointment on the computer and read back to me my description that I had given over the phone to make sure that it was accurate. I confirmed that it was correct. We did a quick walk around to identify any pre-existing conditions w/ the paint and interior (there are none) and then I gave him the keys.

On a side note...not only did they fix the clunk and re-align it....they also did the Wiper recall. I didn't even realize it until I was looking at my work ticket on the way home.

All of this warranty work was done with the PSP Filter Kit still on the vehicle...However, I did pull the chip 5 minutes before I took it in (just in case )

 

thanks. I will wait until I have to drive a lot of miles one day, and take it in then, so I can use their loaner for it!

 

DL,

E-mail me at jacksonherb@hotmail.com

 

Where did you get the TSB info?? I looked on this site and did not see it. Does it affect only a certain year?? Please let me know - I have an appointment to take my truck in next week for other crap and would like to get this fixed too. Thanks for any help.