Soon I will be going to the dealership to get my 30,000 mile maintenance done. I was informed that the cost would be around $500. Does warranties cover this? I was told that basic warranty will not cover it. I just bought an extended warranty and asked if this coverage would cover it? The issuer said that the 30,000 mile warranty would be covered if basic warranty would not take care of it. Does anyone know if warranties cover the maintenance?

 

I have not seen any warranty that covers ANY vehicle maintenance, if a part fails or something out of the ordinary is found while doing the maintenance, that part and labor should be covered. Vehicle maintenance is just that, maintenance, it is part of the cost of ownership. The best way to own a vehicle and avoid spending money on it besides gas, is to lease it, however there are a lot of other downfalls of leasing!

Later

Josh

 

No, warranties do not cover scheduled maintenance.

 

I did my own air filter and fuel filter which saved about $100. All I had them do at 30,000 was a transmission service(not a flush), change the oil, and rotate the tires. Cost me about $115. They always do the full inspection thing anyhow.

 

Some manufacturers include scheduled maintenance, but Ford does not offer that. BMW comes to mind, scheduled maintenance is free for 4 years/50k miles.

You do not HAVE to take it to Ford to get the maintenance done, as long as someone does it and documents it, you are covered.

 

30k is important only because you are changing out the trans fluid. IMO (Now I know there will be forever arguements over this but I really don't give a ****) the trans fluid should be flushed every 30k along with replacing that crappy filter. The trans is, again IMO, the weakest point in these trucks and should be babied so as to give the best chance at a long life.

P.S. Don't use the additives... just flush the fluid. You have to tell them to not use the additives because the advisor (not a mechanic) will just assume that you want those "helpful" additives that, again IMO, the trans was never designed for or never wanted in the first place.

Fluid recommendation: Go to Wally World and get 14-15 (capacity spec is 13.9) quarts of Mobil 1 ATF (Merc 5) and bring that in and tell them to flush with that, no additives.

EDIT: No, warranty does not cover this... forgot to answer the first question, sorry. Warranty covers failure, not maintenance.

 

For knowledges sake, Ford does offer a maint. agreement, but you buy it ahead of time like an extended warranty. Dunno the cost as I dont see it very much.

 

Don't get it... it's useless. All it pays for is oil changes, tire rotations, and filter changes (although the filter changes are made every 30k... not 15k)

I don't mention it because the cost of the "warranty" is no where near the cost of even having the dealership do the work outside the "warranty"

 

i agree with the tranny service. usually the tranny will start giving you problems before the engine does. i have 132k on my 97 and tranny is still strong so.. previous owner took care of her. cant slack on the maintenance.

 

Helpful hint: If you intend for Ford to do your maintenance, specify that you only want the items completed that are required to maintain your warranty. Half the stuff most dealers want to do is not required for maintenance/warranty purposes.

 

Yep, my dealer gives out a folder that for the various mileage lists the Minimum Factory Required and the Dealer Recommended Service. Considerable difference between the two. For instance, at the 30,000 mile level, the required package cost is $140.60 and the dealer recommended package cost is $610.95.

OOOPs, thanks.

 

hey blue, i think you miss placed a comma there friend..

 

Thanks, fixed it.

 

Thanks to all that replied to this question.

I do not have to flush the tran. fluid because last year I needed to replace the original transmission due to an off-road adventure

What then do I need the dealership to change just to cover the required warranty coverage?

 

Minimum Factory required:

Change oil and filter
Inspect brakes
Inspect cooling system
Multipoint inspection
Rotate tires
Inspect exhaust and heat shields
Inspect wheel ends for end play and noise
Inspect and lub steering linkage
Replace air and fuel filter

This is right off what the dealer gave me. As I stated earlier, I changed the air and fuel filter myself. I had the change the oil, rotate the tires and do a transmission service (change fluid and filter). They do the Multi Point check every time I take it in.