DEALER FRUSTRATIONS!!!

[quick01snake]

The Cobra was grinding a little when goind into third gear, so I figured I'd drop it off and have it fixed. Dropped it off at the local dealership yesterday, they gave me a merc sable, not bad, then call me up an hour later and tell me they need me to come in and talk to them. I get there and basically the guy tells me something about a bent shift rod for third gear, and since i had some bits of tire underneath my car behind the rear wheels, they're not gonna fix my tranny under warranty because they said it was due to abuse. WHATEVER!
I'm takin it to another dealership AND NEVER GOING BACK TO THAT ONE AGAIN. They used to be really good too.

Let me know what you guys think.

 

[SVTNICK]

CAn you file a complaint with Ford???

 

[Ginsu]

Yea take it to another dealer but make sure you do not have tire residue or any other indications about your car that would lead them to suspect that you have drove the car like it should. Also if there are some Stang clubs around your area, contact the members to see if there is a dealership that is friendly to performance car owners. Good luck!

 

[MIKE IURO]

maybe i dont know what im talking about, but i guess that qualifies me to be a service tech, i dont know...
wouldnt tire residue come from 1st. gear and not 3rd. anyway??
thats my first impression anyway....
mike

 

[LogiWorld123]

Very true. Do cobras chirp constantly in 3rd gear?

 

[Cobra-R]

Originally posted by quick01snake
The Cobra was grinding a little when goind into third gear, so I figured I'd drop it off and have it fixed. Dropped it off at the local dealership yesterday, they gave me a merc sable, not bad, then call me up an hour later and tell me they need me to come in and talk to them. I get there and basically the guy tells me something about a bent shift rod for third gear, and since i had some bits of tire underneath my car behind the rear wheels, they're not gonna fix my tranny under warranty because they said it was due to abuse. WHATEVER!
I'm takin it to another dealership AND NEVER GOING BACK TO THAT ONE AGAIN. They used to be really good too.

Let me know what you guys think.

Are they right????? Do you take it to the track and hammer thru the gears?

 

[MIKE IURO]

THAT REALLY SHOULDNT MATTER....
BRAND NEW CAR AND HIS SHIFT FORK IS BAD....ON A STOCKER HE SHOULDNT HAVE ANYWHERE NEAR THE POWER TO ROACH THAT THING SO SOON, ESPECIALLY 3RD GEAR. (MAYBE SECOND).
JUST MY OPINION.
MIKE

 

[quick01snake]

you're right, i don't have near the power to get tire in third.
and brian, i took it down the track a few times, but i don't slam my gears, especially not since i only have the stock shitty shifter in it.
I talked to one of the guys i know at a local mustang performance parts installer (Kintner MoSports) and he said it was total BS, that even if i WAS slamming gears they have no way to prove it, and if all else fails he'll talk to the guys at the dealership they deal with for me. i just want to get it straightened out.
i hope they don't try to stiff me with paying for the rental also since they aren't going to service my car after all. that would get me really fired up.

 

[COBRA90GT]

Ok, handle this calmly (if there is such a thing when it comes to one's car)....clean up the rear wheel wells really nice (along with a fresh carwash or whatever...then take it to a different dealership and try there. I agree with the tech guy (?) who said 3rd gear wouldn't be the preferred gear choice for layin' rubber...unless you're S/C'ed. So, if the new service advisor gives you bull, just counter with that argument....and if all else fails, call SVT up and voice your concern to them to get the ball rolling. I still think it's shady business for the original dealership to back out on you like they did. Why on earth would Ford build a 320 HP/317 TQ engine and sell it so we all have to drive it like a grocer-getter?? WTF!! (sorry for the rant....it's not like we abuse the cars and run them with no oil or anything...)

Yet another reason Ford has all this negative publicity going around...

 

[LogiWorld123]

Ask them to define "abuse"

i did when my 4th gear synchro went out in my contour. they were baffled when i asked "how would i scratch 4th gear in my contour? why is my clutch not showing signs of the wear and tear you guys accuse?

if all else fails, do call SVT, and the better business bureau.

 

[Cobra-R]

Originally posted by MIKE IURO
THAT REALLY SHOULDNT MATTER....
BRAND NEW CAR AND HIS SHIFT FORK IS BAD....ON A STOCKER HE SHOULDNT HAVE ANYWHERE NEAR THE POWER TO ROACH THAT THING SO SOON, ESPECIALLY 3RD GEAR. (MAYBE SECOND).
JUST MY OPINION.
MIKE

I am not accusing him of anything. My point was if he was going to the track and hammering gears, he certainly could have bent a shift fork slamming it into gear. That is not a defect in the car, that is abuse. We could argue whether or not the transmission linkage should be heavier, but that would get us nowhere.

We all see it oh so many times on these boards where people are trying to get the car companies to pay for thier screw ups and personally I am getting sick of it. That is why we have trouble with the dealerships when we have a legitimate problem. The fact that he has rubber in the wheel well has nothing to do with getting third gear rubber, how could it. I am guessing they used that to judge the fact that the car had been to a track or abused(in thier minds) in another fashion.

Brian

 

[MIKE IURO]

BRIAN,
I DIDNT MEAN TO SOUND HARSH WITH YOU. SORRY. ITS THE TECHS AT THE DEALERSHIP...THERE SHOULD BE NO QUESTIONS ASKED ON A CAR THAT NEW....
IF YOU TOOK A CAR TO A PERFORMANCE SHOP FOR A REBUILD OR SOMETHING, AND THROW A ROD WITHIN ANY CONSIDERABLE TIME, DO YOU THINK THAT SHOP IS GOING TO SAY IT THREW THE ROD BECAUSE YOU WERE BEATING ON IT??? MOST GOOD SHOPS WOULD TAKE CARE OF IT...THIS IS A BRAND NEW 30K CAR WERE TALKING....
ANYWAYS, I BELIEVE THE DEALER GETS REIMBURSED FOR WARRANTY WORK AND THIS IS ONE THEY SHOULD STAND BEHIND..

I WOULD TALK TO THE SERVICE MANAGER AT THE ORIGINAL PLACE....ONCE YOU START GOING TO DIFFERENT DEALERS IT WILL LOOK LIKE YOUR TRYING TO HIDE SOMETHING....JUST A THOUGHT.

SORRY SO LONG GUYS
MIKE

 

[MIKE IURO]

ONE MORE THING....
IM NOT REALLY A TECH...I MEANT THAT FASITIOUSLY (SP?)
I PROBABLY KNOW AS MUCH AS SOME OF THEM THOUGH!!!

 

[MIKE IURO]

HELLO AGAIN....
QUICK01SNAKE,
I WAS JUST LOOKING AT THE BOARDS ON BLUEOVALNEWS AND THERES A TOPIC CALLED SHIFTING PROBLEMS POSTED 11/1/01
THAT DETAILS OTHER PEOPLES PROBLEMS WITH THE SHIFT FORKS GOING INTO 3RD GEAR....
I GUESS THERES A "TSB" ON IT....
MIKE

 

[MineralGSVT]

Jim O'Neal Ford

Hey.. Hamilton,

What do you mean, not enough power to get 3rd to chirp??
I can put a nice patch down in 3rd gear.. whenever I want...


You can try Jim O'Neal Ford in Sellersburg.. my Dad takes his Saleen there and their service has been pretty good!

Good luck...

Who was telling you that BS?? Carriage? or Bill Collins??

 

[Cobra-R]

Originally posted by MIKE IURO
BRIAN,
I DIDNT MEAN TO SOUND HARSH WITH YOU. SORRY.
MIKE

Mike,
No need to apologize to me. I didn't take anything you said as an attact, and please don't take anything I am saying as against you in any harsh way.

What I was referring above was meant to be tward general problems with these or any other cars that are driven harder than they were meant to be driven. It was not meant in any way to be directed twards this particular problem only. I am glad we have mature enough people here that things don't degrade to mud throwing as soon as someone hangs a personal viewpoint out for all to read. You guys a classy group.

Brian

 

[quick01snake]

Update

Todd, it was Collins.
I talked to a guy i know at Kintner's and he said if all else fails he'll talk to the guys at O'Neil and get my car in there.
BUT....I went back to Collins to turn in the rental and pick mine back up and talked to the guy that said he was going to refuse the warranty work. He said he realized I was being honest with him when he asked if i had taken it to the track, and i told him yes. therefore he's gonna fix it this time. i still don't think i abused it, but oh well, it's getting fixed and i'm glad i didn't have to go through taking it to another dealership. they don't want to lose my warranty work if i were just going to clean the car up and take it to another dealership. He said i should have it back about the middle or end of next week. Let's hope so. Thanks for all your concern guys. i'm glad i have some good minds to turn to when something like this arises.
Oh, BTW, i did have to end up showing them the memo saying how 2001 SVT owners were supposed to be given a loaner for the duration of their service, they seemed to think that it was only covered for five days.
thanks,

 

[quick01snake]

Re: Jim O'Neal Ford

Originally posted by MineralGSVT
What do you mean, not enough power to get 3rd to chirp??
I can put a nice patch down in 3rd gear.. whenever I want...

I meant that i couldn't do a burnout in third. at least i don't THINK i could.

 

[key]

Re: Jim O'Neal Ford

Sorry to hear about those problems, Hamilton. As mentioned earlier, our cars don't have 320 HP to just go to the store with. They're COBRAS and they should take all the abuse we give them.

Nice meeting you, by the way. It felt pretty cool to be cruising down the road with another Cobra. Even if I was behind!

Originally posted by MineralGSVT
What do you mean, not enough power to get 3rd to chirp??
I can put a nice patch down in 3rd gear.. whenever I want...

A "nice patch"? Todd, you must give me a ride in that beast! I'd have to really drop it in 3rd to get something like that.


Zach

 

[MineralGSVT]

SVT On Track??

Zach..

Are you still coming up this weekend for the SVT On Track?? You ought to bring Hamilton with you... I think Dad said that another guy in the club with an '01 Cobra vert was coming up..

Later..