Ford Servicing

lostdude · 23-10-2008, 03:35 PM

Hi guys, just after some advice, my car developed a transmission problem and i took it to ford to get it repaired they changed some wiring and said it was the problem. However the next day the problem came back and its exactly the same as before. I'm taking it back tomorrow morning, i just wanted to know what are my rights, just incase they ask me for more money which i think is a load of crap cause i already paid 520 bucks for them to change the stupid wiring.
Should i be covered under the warrenty after they repaired it? i think there should be 3 months of warrenty for all repairs or something like that?

anyone have any similar experiences? thanks.

Rodp · 23-10-2008, 08:12 PM

It will be warranted for the components that have been replaced but if they find further problems, you're likely to be charge parts and labour.

pauljh74 · 23-10-2008, 08:51 PM

But the OP took it to the dealer to fix it, not have them charge him over $500 for a solution that .... isn't a solution. They stated the wiring was the issue and it hasn't made a difference. So either they didn't change the wiring or they are milking his wallet.

GT0132 · 23-10-2008, 09:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pauljh74

But the OP took it to the dealer to fix it, not have them charge him over $500 for a solution that .... isn't a solution. They stated the wiring was the issue and it hasn't made a difference. So either they didn't change the wiring or they are milking his wallet.

Agreed...he went in , told them the problem, they believe they found a solution and its still not right....If wiring wasn't the problem then you should be given a refund for parts and labour for a job you didn't end up needing. But I think you will have to pay for the ULTIMATE solution assuming they find it

lostdude · 23-10-2008, 09:03 PM

thanks for the replies guys. i guess i can see both sides of the situation,
i'm happy to pay for parts that needs replacing but its abit of a stretch to ask me to pay for dropping the transmission pan again and charge me another 50 bucks for the transmission oil when they should have diagnosed the problem in the first place, i should have asked for the old broken parts back, as now i don't have much leg to stand on even if they swapped out the wrong parts. arrggghhh frustrated. well have to see what they try and hit me up for tomorrow.

:

thanks again for the comments guys, appreciated.

duaned · 23-10-2008, 10:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ozmale42

Agreed...he went in , told them the problem, they believe they found a solution and its still not right....If wiring wasn't the problem then you should be given a refund for parts and labour for a job you didn't end up needing. But I think you will have to pay for the ULTIMATE solution assuming they find it

This is correct. The dealership failed to correctly diagnose the problem, and you payed for services rendered that did not solve the issue so they should refund this, and re-charge for the work performed when the problem has been resolved.

Vacant · 23-10-2008, 10:30 PM

It's not all black and white like most think it is in the car repair world. Can you prove what was repaired wasn't contributing to the cause of the fault or another component failure? You may still have a fault present, but what you feel and what a tech can see are two different things and maybe there was more than one thing which may have needed to be repaired but the dealer was trying to do the right thing by you and get you out of it as cheaply as possible.

Bushbasher · 24-10-2008, 10:52 AM

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Ford servicing is an oxymoron :yeees:

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Rodp · 24-10-2008, 03:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pauljh74

But the OP took it to the dealer to fix it, not have them charge him over $500 for a solution that .... isn't a solution. They stated the wiring was the issue and it hasn't made a difference. So either they didn't change the wiring or they are milking his wallet.

Be that as it may, not all repairs have a single component failure. I don't repair cars, I repair server equipment and the cost dwarfs that of repairing a car. It's standard practice and I doubt a mechanic is going to do it any differently.

If you read the OP's post, the car failed the next day, the wiring did make a difference. If it's the case of the replacement wiring was just dodgy, parts and labour should be covered. If it's determined that another component is causing the wiring to fail then (at least the way we work...) the additional labour and additional part will likely be charged, the wiring labour and cost is covered.

Look at it this way, you replace as minimal as possible and test it when it's on the customers coin. If you were to expect they do any and all further work for free would just force service departments to just swap the whole transmission out at the customer's (huge) cost.

Vacant · 25-10-2008, 12:04 AM

Funny this "lets bag a Ford dealer" thread comes to a screeching halt when a bit of sensibility and reality of car diagnosis and repair becomes clear to those who have no idea about how to diagnose and fix cars.

lostdude · 25-10-2008, 02:04 AM

Ok this is the complete story of what was wrong with my car to rule out any confusion.

car has transmission problems, its goes into limp mode so effectively i get 2nd and 3rd gear only.

however even before the repairs to the wiring loom my car drives normal and everything is fine when transmission is cold eg overnight parked and driven the next morning , but after driving approximately 30 to 40km on a 110km/h road, car will suddenly slam into 3rd gear as it enters into limp mode,

now after the repairs to the wiring loom, i take my daily trip to work and again after about 30km it goes into limp mode,

took it to ford and now they are telling me they can't replicate the problem, i don't blame them they as they are not going to take a 30km road test.

however when i brought it back to them the computer should have logged another fault code from going into limp mode but they tell me it didn't do this, so tomorrow morning i'm going to have to replicate it myself and take it back to the technicians look at it again straight away.

will keep you guys posted.

Vacant · 25-10-2008, 08:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lostdude

Ok this is the complete story of what was wrong with my car to rule out any confusion.

car has transmission problems, its goes into limp mode so effectively i get 2nd and 3rd gear only.

however even before the repairs to the wiring loom my car drives normal and everything is fine when transmission is cold eg overnight parked and driven the next morning , but after driving approximately 30 to 40km on a 110km/h road, car will suddenly slam into 3rd gear as it enters into limp mode,

now after the repairs to the wiring loom, i take my daily trip to work and again after about 30km it goes into limp mode,

took it to ford and now they are telling me they can't replicate the problem, i don't blame them they as they are not going to take a 30km road test.

however when i brought it back to them the computer should have logged another fault code from going into limp mode but they tell me it didn't do this, so tomorrow morning i'm going to have to replicate it myself and take it back to the technicians look at it again straight away.

will keep you guys posted.

You don't always get a code logged for limp home mode in earlier model falcons, it depends on the fault and sometimes the code logged is not the cause of the fault. There is not a code for every fault a car develops as not every signal is monitored, not all circuits are critical.

lostdude · 26-10-2008, 12:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vacant

You don't always get a code logged for limp home mode in earlier model falcons, it depends on the fault and sometimes the code logged is not the cause of the faultl.

yeah thats what the tech told me as well when he was testing it today, vacant do you work for ford by any chance ?

Vacant · 26-10-2008, 08:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lostdude

yeah thats what the tech told me as well when he was testing it today, vacant do you work for ford by any chance ?

What makes you think that?

:

Laminge · 26-10-2008, 09:20 PM

If you are taking the car there and its already in limp home mode what is the issue?

lostdude · 26-10-2008, 10:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Laminge

If you are taking the car there and its already in limp home mode what is the issue?

The second time i took my car back, they didn't look at it straight away and left it over night till the next day, because the problem only occurs when the car is hot they couldn't replicate it with a short test drive and it also didn't log a fault on the computer so they told me there was nothing wrong.

Vacant · 26-10-2008, 10:53 PM

Does your car have ABS and does your speedo seem to read excessively high or low? A speedo transducer which is sending an unrealistic signal can cause limp home mode to occur without logging a code. Going by you pic I assume you have an AU, the speedo signal goes to the cluster from the trans, then from the cluster to the pcm, it's between the cluster and the pcm which can be at fault, I have seen faulty a pcm cause this to happen, but the car had to be driven for an hour to reproduce it.

lostdude · 26-10-2008, 11:12 PM

Hi Vacant, i do have abs but i don't have erratic speedo movements or inaccurate readings as far as i'm aware.

when its in limp mode 3rd gear gives me around 3100rpm crusing at 110km/h is this accurate?

edit - i don't know if this is worth mentioning but about 3 years ago i had a similar problem and ford replaced a shift solenoid and that fixed the problem.

Vacant · 26-10-2008, 11:27 PM

Could be related, there are so many variables in a fault like this, I think getting a good relationship with the dealer would be a good start and be patient.
I meet up with top techs from around the country sometimes and we always seem to repeatedly discuss how much more difficult it is getting being a tech, even with all of the diagnostic and training we have today.

maccamom · 27-10-2008, 08:01 AM

I had a limp home mode issue on my S II Futura a few years ago, turns out it was a dodgy solenoid. It also didn't log any fault codes. Mine seemed to be permanently in limp home mode and didn't cut out though like yours.

Local dealer said it was a clutch pack and needed a new transmission, took it to their auto transmission section a little distance away and the actual problem was diagnosed in 10min and fixed without appointment an hour or so later.

Laminge · 27-10-2008, 06:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lostdude

The second time i took my car back, they didn't look at it straight away and left it over night till the next day, because the problem only occurs when the car is hot they couldn't replicate it with a short test drive and it also didn't log a fault on the computer so they told me there was nothing wrong.

Not good, get the service manager to jump in when you deliver it, make sure the mrs is in the car with you though.