Well the warranty on my 02 Supercrew is about to end around April 20. I only have 33K miles so far so I think I will hit the time limit before the mileage limit. I have a couple of fender flares where the paint is peeling so I'm getting them repainted. Also, if the shift level isn't in the right place in Park, I cannot get the key out; I pretty much have to jam the lever all the way over to the left side of "P" to get the key out. Is this a simple calibration for the dealer? Would they cover this?

Overall, I've been very pleased with this truck. Since this is the first vehicle I've owned that's still been under the manufacturer's warranty, I'm not sure what to expect when the warranty ends. Will they try to sell me an extended warranty? I am going to bring it in to have them fix the problems mentioned above. Is there anything else I should specifically have them check? I would like to catch everything before the warranty ends. Thanks.

 

Wow, no one has any suggestions?

 

I have not been able to afford a vehicle with a warranty yet (only 24), but I would take it in and get that stuff fixed and anything else you notice before your warranty runs out. My family has been taking our cars to an independent shop for about 20 years so they are pretty good to us, so if I were you I would take it by there if you have one and have them check over the entire vehicle... if nothign else they might tell you about stuff that your dealer might not want to work on, and then you might be able to get the dealer to get it fixed... just my thoughts and personal logic, though I am not a pro. I had a hub bearing go out in a used truck I bought that my mechanic found after I heard sounds, and he told me about the problem for free (been going there a while and given him money for other stuff), and I got that fixed under the used truck's limited warranty from the dealer I bought it from before the 4000 mile warranty ran out. The dealer paid half and it saved me $200.

 

The shift lever adjustment should be a simple fix. If it were my truck, I'd be more interested in WHY the shift lever is out of adjustment. Was it as simple as a loose adjuster nut on the linkage? Or was it caused by something like the transmission shifting, maybe from a broken mount? Has the shifter always been like this or did it just start getting ornery one day? And if it just started one day, what did you do with the truck the day before? These are all questions I'd be asking myself.

As far as the warranty ending, you might get some junk mail from the dealer hoping to sell you on an extended warranty. Keep in mind that extended warranties are mostly all profit for the dealership and most of your check is simply a sales commission for the person taking your money. And if you are unfortunate to ever have a claim, more often than not they will try to come up with some reason why your claim isn't covered (or else it can't be completed unless you have a bunch of other -uncovered- repairs done at the same time). Use your money for toilet paper or campfire kindling, it's a much more productive use for your money.

 

Thanks for the quick responses. Green, I should have though t about that before. I will take it to my mechanic and have him check it over first and go from there.

Rocky, I know what you mean by the extended warranties. I have had them on my last two vehicles. One of them I didn't use and was out $1000. The second vehicle had a warranty contract that if there was no claim on it for 3 years I would get my money back. Well, I never did have to file a claim and 3 years later I received my check for $1475! I guess I've been fortunate I haven't had major problems with any of my vehicles.

 

Chroma did you buy it from a Ford dealer? I would at least ask them to give you a price on the FORD ESP. You can always go to Fords website and check to see if they're rippin ya. I would highly recommend it on a 4x4. Your transfer case cost more than a 5 yr esp. Lets just say I am in the business and I have one on all three ford products I own. Its like car insurance..huge waste of money till something happens.

 

Yes, I did buy it from a Ford dealer. I'll have to check out Ford's plans on their websites and compare it to the dealer.

 

Chroma, make sure you tell them you want dealer cost. There is a customer cost, Ford Employee cost, and dealer cost. I got mine for dealer cost. And you dont have to buy it from your dealership, you can go to any dealer. There is also a book on prices at the dealer, ask them to see the book.