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Dealership Warranty Issues

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254
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52
Location
Inland Empire
#1
I took my ST in to a local dealership for the axle seal leak. They called and said it’s not the axle seal, but my “aftermarket wastegate” (I don’t have one) that is leaking. Then when I get home from picking it up, I discover my passenger side rim has been curbed badly.

Any suggestions on how to deal with the dealer to rectify this? The paperwork I have when it was dropped off show no damage on the car.

I have a voicemail in with the service advisor and service manager, as I picked up the car 10 minutes before they closed and didn’t discover the damage on my wheel or read the tech notes till 30
minutes after.
 


MKVIIST

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#2
I took my ST in to a local dealership for the axle seal leak. They called and said it’s not the axle seal, but my “aftermarket wastegate” (I don’t have one) that is leaking. Then when I get home from picking it up, I discover my passenger side rim has been curbed badly.

Any suggestions on how to deal with the dealer to rectify this? The paperwork I have when it was dropped off show no damage on the car.

I have a voicemail in with the service advisor and service manager, as I picked up the car 10 minutes before they closed and didn’t discover the damage on my wheel or read the tech notes till 30
minutes after.
Try speaking with the Service Manager.
 


Messages
475
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227
Location
Dublin, OH
#3
A lot of curb damage can be repaired professionally without even removing the tire from the rim. Your dealer likely has a person who comes to the dealership. If it isn't made perfect, insist that they replace the wheel. If they don't take care of it, in lots of places you can file in small claims court for less than $100, and get your filing and service costs in addition to the cost of a new wheel. I would not put up with them jerking me around at all.
 


Messages
6
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1
Location
Westland
#4
On the curbed wheel issue, I had the same exact thing happen when I went to my dealership for my first free service. Told them not to wash it since I knew they had a drive through wash in the back, did it anyways. I come to collect my car, do a little walk around to check it visually and there's a massive chunk of paint missing from my wheel. Hmmmm, wonder how that got there?


Took it up to the service manager, explained what happened, and had a wheel ordered for replacement within 10 minutes.

I'm sure if you take it up with the service manager they will do SOMETHING to fix it, but the place already sounds a little scummy..... Never know unless you try however. Hope everything is resolved for you mate!
 


CarGuy

1000 Post Club
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#5
Take a picture of the damage before you do anything else. That will lock in the date and time of the photo/damage.

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk
 


Messages
475
Likes
227
Location
Dublin, OH
#6
On the curbed wheel issue, I had the same exact thing happen when I went to my dealership for my first free service. Told them not to wash it since I knew they had a drive through wash in the back, did it anyways. I come to collect my car, do a little walk around to check it visually and there's a massive chunk of paint missing from my wheel. Hmmmm, wonder how that got there?


Took it up to the service manager, explained what happened, and had a wheel ordered for replacement within 10 minutes.

I'm sure if you take it up with the service manager they will do SOMETHING to fix it, but the place already sounds a little scummy..... Never know unless you try however. Hope everything is resolved for you mate!
The factory ST Supplement that comes with the car (at least for a 2017) specifically states that automatic car washes with a track should not be used with the ST. I guess it's not surprising to learn that some dealers would have no clue about this explicit warning provided by Ford. [scratch]
 


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84
Location
Brooklyn
#7
I learned to never rush picking up my... I learned to never go to the dealer for anything.

Esp from my VW and Audi experiences. I had to fight to get my wheel fixed and prove it was damaged by them with GOOGLE MAPS, which showed that they had a yellow curb in their ramp and my wheel has YELLOW paint on it. You can only imagine the rage I had, and Audi of America basically told me tough shit, too bad, poor baby, now suck it up its just a rim. I had the black optics package so the wheels were an expensive upgrade, and Audi charges over 600 a wheel or something crazy like that, but they were all like we can repair it, and did a shitty job 3 times, then I got tired of it, since I couldnt get AoA to back me and just took the wheel with a crappy finish and small marks on it. Probably never gonna get Audi again because of this experience.
 


OP
SoyFiesta
Messages
254
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Location
Inland Empire
Thread Starter #8
The dealer is having me take the car to their body shop Friday to have the wheel repaired. Service manager did not return any calls. As for the "aftermarket wastegate" they claim I have, they advised they "go by what the tech says" and told me to try another dealer. [dunno]
 


Messages
475
Likes
227
Location
Dublin, OH
#9
I'm curious what would cause their tech to say that you have an aftermarket wastegate. Are you running a Boomba adapter plate or do you have a totally stock dv?
 


OP
SoyFiesta
Messages
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Location
Inland Empire
Thread Starter #10
Totally stock DV.

The tech also thinks the car has a BOV and not a DV. I asked them to clarify what they are speaking about and they won't
 


M-Sport fan

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#11
NOT much of a 'tech' if he does not know what a DV, or waste gate actuator even is on these cars!! [mad]

I would not trust that stealership to change the wiper blades, let alone anything even slightly more complicated!
 


Messages
475
Likes
227
Location
Dublin, OH
#12
I learned to never rush picking up my... I learned to never go to the dealer for anything.

Esp from my VW and Audi experiences. I had to fight to get my wheel fixed and prove it was damaged by them with GOOGLE MAPS, which showed that they had a yellow curb in their ramp and my wheel has YELLOW paint on it. You can only imagine the rage I had, and Audi of America basically told me tough shit, too bad, poor baby, now suck it up its just a rim. I had the black optics package so the wheels were an expensive upgrade, and Audi charges over 600 a wheel or something crazy like that, but they were all like we can repair it, and did a shitty job 3 times, then I got tired of it, since I couldnt get AoA to back me and just took the wheel with a crappy finish and small marks on it. Probably never gonna get Audi again because of this experience.
The OP certainly has a good issue to raise with Ford concerning the dealer's failure to address the leaking axle issue. As far as Ford having any obligation (legal or moral) to fix or replace his wheel, it's not a manufacturer issue, and the OP never suggested it was. Perhaps the same is true with your Audi wheel. Certainly the dealership is responsible, but I don't understand why you are angry at the manufacturer, unless you think that Audi could have done more to try to get the dealer to make it right. I don't know that any manufacturer would have paid to replace a wheel that was not defective but was damaged by a dealer they don't own. As I suggested in my post above, they would have had one shot at fixing it and getting it perfect if it were mine, then off to small claims if they didn't replace it. Here is how it works. You file. They get served. The dealership owner goes apesh@t on the Service Manager that he (or she) got him sued over their obvious error. The dealer's $400 to $500 per hour lawyer "reaches out to you" to settle before having to spend tons on legal fees to show up to a hearing they will lose, and that can result in a judgement against them they will have to report to their insurance carriers. So you get your wheel, your court costs repaid, and the satisfaction of knowing the Service Manager took a beating.
 


Messages
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84
Location
Brooklyn
#13
The OP certainly has a good issue to raise with Ford concerning the dealer's failure to address the leaking axle issue. As far as Ford having any obligation (legal or moral) to fix or replace his wheel, it's not a manufacturer issue, and the OP never suggested it was. Perhaps the same is true with your Audi wheel. Certainly the dealership is responsible, but I don't understand why you are angry at the manufacturer, unless you think that Audi could have done more to try to get the dealer to make it right. I don't know that any manufacturer would have paid to replace a wheel that was not defective but was damaged by a dealer they don't own. As I suggested in my post above, they would have had one shot at fixing it and getting it perfect if it were mine, then off to small claims if they didn't replace it. Here is how it works. You file. They get served. The dealership owner goes apesh@t on the Service Manager that he (or she) got him sued over their obvious error. The dealer's $400 to $500 per hour lawyer "reaches out to you" to settle before having to spend tons on legal fees to show up to a hearing they will lose, and that can result in a judgement against them they will have to report to their insurance carriers. So you get your wheel, your court costs repaid, and the satisfaction of knowing the Service Manager took a beating.
I could tell you that manufacturers, have regional reps and managers that can suggest to dealers to make things right, which I have received this service from less 'luxurious' car company... But that's just my experience and your's is clearly different and also correct, you can assume the manufacturer has nothing to do with anything, but they do, again in my experience (I just have to keep pointing that out otherwise its not valid). Regional managers are there to advise dealers how to do their job and keep their reputation in check, and they have much more influence than the service manager, again just my perspective and experience, your's may differ.
 


LilPartyBox

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#14
Just a bit of advice. I've started taking videos of the interior and exterior of my car before even walking into the service center. I keep the vid running until i'm done speaking to the service rep. This way it's all documented. They can't fight video evidence...

It's a shame we have to go through nonsense like this SO OFTEN. I too had Audi service shit on me and will never buy another luxury mark again, especially German. If my warranty isn't going to mean shit, then let my cost of entry at least reflect that. So i bought a lil Ford lol And actually have to take mine in for this same issue and have been dreading it for months. I truly hate fighting with service depts.
 


me32

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fairfield
#15
Totally stock DV.

The tech also thinks the car has a BOV and not a DV. I asked them to clarify what they are speaking about and they won't
Did you ask them to show you? You need to try and get a relationship with your dealer.
 


OP
SoyFiesta
Messages
254
Likes
52
Location
Inland Empire
Thread Starter #16
Did you ask them to show you? You need to try and get a relationship with your dealer.
After having to call the GM of the dealer, and ford corporate (who are useless) the service manager finally returned my call. His tech “used the wrong word” when he said waste gate was leaking and meant the air intake was leaking oil. After challenging my knowledge of the function of a direct injected engine, what an oil catch can does, and the differences between engine oil and gear oil, they’re fixing my wheel and addressing the axle seal now.

It’s sad that the two times I’ve needed warranty work on the car it’s required so much work and effort, and almost neeeding to go to small claims Court to resolve.

Ford corporates customer service and field reps have been 0 hell as well. This whole experience really makes me rethink ever buying a Ford again as their customer service makes VW seem like Lexus it’s so bad
 


me32

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#17
After having to call the GM of the dealer, and ford corporate (who are useless) the service manager finally returned my call. His tech “used the wrong word” when he said waste gate was leaking and meant the air intake was leaking oil. After challenging my knowledge of the function of a direct injected engine, what an oil catch can does, and the differences between engine oil and gear oil, they’re fixing my wheel and addressing the axle seal now.

It’s sad that the two times I’ve needed warranty work on the car it’s required so much work and effort, and almost neeeding to go to small claims Court to resolve.

Ford corporates customer service and field reps have been 0 hell as well. This whole experience really makes me rethink ever buying a Ford again as their customer service makes VW seem like Lexus it’s so bad
Alot it of it has to do with the dealership. I've always had great relationship with my dealership and it makes all the difference in the world. They have always fixed my issues. Alot of times if you know what the issues is and can show the service adviser or tech it makes there job easier to fix it. Sorry you had such a bad experience with the dealership and ford corporate. Hopefully it will get better In the future.
 




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