The dealer says that the engine spun a rod bearing causing the piston to slap when the engine is revved. The engine, with 49,400 miles, needs to be replaced! We have changed the oil regularly and have never driven the car rough. Ford Customer Service says it not their problem and the dealer wants $5700 to replace the engine. I’m screwed!

I have owned only Fords my whole life but that’s over. Ford spends millions of dollars trying to get new people to buy their products but doesn’t give a rats butt about life long customers. Toyota here I come.

 

No, they don't give a sh** and they wonder why the Japanese mfg's are kicking their butts right now. U.S. car manufacturers don't care at all about customer loyalty as I have found out more than once.

 

What are you wanting Ford or the dealer to do for you?? Replace an engine under warranty when it's over it's warrantied mileage??

Yeah, it sucks big time that it did what it did at only 49k, but bad things happen to people every single day that don't deserve it, yet they still happen.....

Not trying to make light of your situation, but you have to understand the other sides position too..... They have to draw a line somewhere and they decided it was @ 36k miles..... You are over that, so unless you had extended coverage that's the deal and you lost the bet when you didn't get extended coverage....

So, if Toyota floats your boat, by all means get one. Nothing wrong with that at all. Having a choice is what America is all about and that's what makes it so great!

Loyality to a particular company does not play any role these days.... It's all bottom line stuff and there is no car company out there that will treat you any different if it was your first time or 100th time buying from them...

Good luck!

Mitch

 

I'm sorry to hear that ford is treating ya that way, that's just bad business.

 

The bearing didn’t go out yesterday; it’s been wearing out for some time and most likely was defective under the warranty period. Regardless, an engine today should last for 100,000 miles. The free market crap is fine and good but in the meantime I’m out $5,700 or stuck with a car, with payments, that I can’t drive.

 

I hear ya man, I've got 160,000 miles on mine and it hasn't let me down yet. I guess you just got lucky. I'm sorry to hear that the dealer didn't work with you though.

 

I've heard mention of a "ticked off loyal costumer plan" or something to that effect that gets dollars knocked off. Don't know how to go about getting this though beside a lot of bitching.

BTW, i just replaced a 5.4 in my 99 f150 with a used one from an 03 (24,xxx miles on it). Cost me 1100 for the motor and a few hundred more for this and thats. a couple months of tinkering here and there and it was done. I'm no engine swap expert, but given ideal working conditions, i could have had it done easily in less than week. Some guys who really know this motor, and the trucks they go in, can do it in a day or two.

BTW, whats the build date on your motor? If you part out some engine components, I might be interested in those heads as my '03 didn't come with the improved design for increased spark plug thread count.

 

I hear ya man, and it sucks big time! I would be so pissed off that I'd feel exactly the same way.

Hey, I was making payments on my 8 year old F150 that had some 150,000 miles on it! I owed more then it was worth! Think I wasn't sweating!

I lucked out on it big time and now that it is paid for, I feel better about it, but for Ford to do what you want them to do, they would have to do that for everyone..... Can you imagine what the price of a car would be then!

It is pure economics now and that's just the way it is.... You won't find any car maker out there that's going to cover a major failure like yours any differently. Well, unless the price of the car is in the 6 figure range at any rate....

If you can come up with some substancial proof that the problem occured during the warranty period, then you might have something to take to them, but I'm not sure how that all works and if it's even possible??

Best thing to do is not stew over it because what's done is done and you have to move on and come up with a solution to the problem. Your choices are to have Ford replace the engine or you get some more estimates, or locate your own 'crate motor' and find someone to install it. Once you get over the shock of it all, things will make more sense and you will be able to make a decision that works best for you.

Mitch

 

Mitch is right on this one. You're offered an extended warranty just for reasons like this when you purchase a vehicle. I bought one on mine becuase it had air ride and that was wortht he price of the warranty to me.

 

I took mine in to get heads replaced UNDER WARRANTY. They were supposed to call me back. I called them a year later and asked them why the hell it was taking so long to get the new heads in and they said they knew nothing about it and had no record of what was discussed. I made the mistake of not getting things in writing. My truck was past warranty mileage by then and now I have to pay $2800 if I want it fixed. I think in life the 20/80 rule applies. 80 percent of the time you will experience bad dealerships and bad mechanics etc. and the other 20 percent of the time you get the competent folks. In the meantime I still am looking at the possibility of having a spark plug blowout unless I fix my heads. Sorry to hear about your situation.

I did however send a letter to Ford telling them how their former Ford customers that they mis-treated love their brand new 2006 Honda Civic that they just bought.

 

Call the Ford customer service line in dearborn if you really want something done. When I experienced problems with my dealer on my Navi, I called Lincoln and basically explained how I loved Lincoln and already owned two of them but if this was the way the dealers were going to work I'd buy something else. Within 3 hours that dealer was calling me to take care of my issue

 

I got a 99 f150 with 90,000 miles on it,Guico insurance picked up the warranty after my extened warranty was done.
Your luck may have run out with ford so maybe a change is good.
It could of happen with a toyota just the same.
You need a good extended warranty, DO NOT BUY A WARRANTY from ford after you close the deal in the showroom.
There are plenty of places to buy one,you should be able to find one half the price than the warranty ford sells.
Good Luck Joe

 

I respectfully disagree with Joe Styles about buying an extended service plan from the aftermarket. You may save a few bucks but I have seen so many people get screwed by aftermarket warranties. They seem to do anything they can to not pay. It ends up being a hassle for the dealership and worse yet, a big disappointment for the customer. I recommend the Ford ESP. After the vehicle is diagnosed, an OASIS printout is run with the base part number of the failed component. Depending on what plan you bought, it comes back "Covered" or "Not Covered". It is as simple as that. Get a good plan and most everything is covered and you'll only have to pay the deductible. Of course, you must do what you feel is best. That is just my advice based on experience.

As for the Expedition, there is a way for the service manager to get extended coverage for you engine. It is called an After Warranty Adjustment. However, it is at the discretion of the service manager. They typically do this for customers who are loyal to the dealership whether it be sales or service. If you had your maintenance done at the dealer, they are more likely to do this for you. Hope you get your engine fixed. Good luck!

 

Thats fine metallion,that is your opinion.I must be one of the lucky ones that has never had a problem with them.The bottom line is you have to do your homework.
http://www.consumerautomotiveresearc...?source=google

 

if a bearing makes metal to metal contact while running they wear out fast, not slowly for 13000miles or more. And in my opinion a company shoould not be responsible for vehicles they produce with recalls and lawsuits because there vehicle does not measure up to the competition, let the manufacturer do it on there own or let a bad product just run them out of buisness. To bad that had to happen, maybe you can buy into one of those warrenties Metallion talked about and if you still have a bad taste in your mouth sell it. Won't sell good with bad motor. And if everyone feels the same about Ford then out of buisness they will be.