Another 13ford Horror Story.

[Phucknuckle]

Well.................up untill today I had been a happy Ford Customer.

My Story...........

Among the small items that needed attention under warranty on my XR6T was an unusual leak in my boot. Whenever I lifted the boot up after washing the car or rain, a stream of water would flow out of the Bootlid as it was lifted (the water was pooling in the back of the bootlid).

I reported this to my dealer.......and as an interim fix they pulled the bungs out of the back of the bootlid to allow it to drain untill they could reseal the spoiler mounts.

On Monday...........I took the vehicle into the dealership to have its 15K service. They were going to repair the leak as well as fix a steering shudder and a couple of other small warranty jobs. They had the car for 2 days.

Picked the car up Wednesday morning.......on the way home noticed the steering was creaking and groaning........took it back to the dealer.......they tightened up the entire steering rack on the spot and fixed the problem.....off I go home again.

Last night......loaded my musical equipment into the boot and went to rehersals.....got home last night........pissing down rain.......will unload it in the morning.

Got up this morning and opened the boot of my car....only to have about 2 litres of water pour out of the boot lid and straight onto one of my speaker cabinets saturating 2 of the speakers.........this cabinet cost me around $1200.00 and is an essential part of my stage equipment.

Straight back to my dealer (By the way its a 120km round trip to see them).....I got the attention of the service manager and he came straight out to have a look........opened the boot..........out came some more water.

Seems that the spoiler wasnt the problem.......he tracked it down to the Badge on the bootlid......it wasnt sealed properly and was allowing water into the skin of the bootlid (Great for Rust!!) he pulled the badge off, got a new one, put some sealant on it and refitted it.... hopefully this will fix the problem.........I'll let you all know.

I asked the service manager what I was supposed to do about my amplifier....he said that the dealer would do nothing and that it was the responsibility of FOMOCO. He advised me to call 13FORD.

I called 13FORD and spoke to a guy there (Yes I have kept a list of names)........FORD does not accept liability.....as damage to personal posessions is not part of the warranty.......he suggested that I claim on my Car Insurance.

If I was to do that I would have to pay an excess (Around $600.00) and then cop a higher annual insurance fee as I would lose my no claim bonus.

I told him that wasnt good enough and he went and spoke to his superior and my dealer.....when he came back he said that there was nothing they can do about my damaged equipment, they were not liable for thier product leaking and there dealers inability to repair it properly.........but because they are a caring and understanding company.......they are gonna give me a free service at 30K.

Cost to Ford $200.00 approx for a service.

Cost to me

Replacement of Cabinet $1200 or replacement of the damaged speakers $600 approx. Rental of an amplifier for the weekend $60-80 per night if I can find one.

This is ridiculous.....This equipment is vital for me to earn a living and now I have to pay for another of Fords FU*K Ups!.

Kiss My Ford Australia.

[Blown BA]

Oh looks like Ford is going uphill for Sales.............BUT downhill for service

[Cro]

that's a bugger and a half, sorry to hear it mate

[CHIPS]

that's bad news mate, sounds like Ford have been to the "Street Tuners school of Marketing Relations"

[Bain]

Usually you can let your amp air dry and it should come good. (unless you plugged it in while it was wet to see if it would work..)

Your cabinet would be laminated yeah? Surely it should beable to resist some of the water?

Post some pics up for us to see the damage..

Is it really as bad as you make out? Pics would help.

Edited 12/05/05 09:44 AM by Bain

[F6 UTE]

Usually you can let your amp air dry and it should come good. (unless you plugged it in while it was wet to see if it would work..)

Your cabinet would be laminated yeah? Surely it should beable to resist some of the water?

Post some pics up for us to see the damage..

Is it really as bad as you make out? Pics would help.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Are u a Ford employee?? let me come to your place, pour a bucket of water over your TV.. I'll walk out and say " leave it in the sun mate, she'll be right" " it aint all that bad"

geez...

[Phucknuckle]

The Amp itself is Fine.........I keep the Head in a seperate Roadcase....

Its the Speaker cones which are stuffed.....already the parts of the cones have swelled up.....the "reinforcing" rings on the cones have started to fluff up due to the swelling and the pigment in the paper has blotched.

Cabinet is fine....just the speakers that are stuffed.

As an answer to your question......is it as bad as I make out?

Think of it this way........This Cabinet as about 15 years old........has never ever given me any trouble and has been part of "MY SOUND" since I bought it. Fender no longer make this cabinet and its part of a matched pair......

Any musician would understand my problem immeadiately.....The money isnt the big deal..........the cabinet was one of only 4 imported into Australia at the time........I own 2 of them.

I dont care if it was a $20 speaker or a $2000 speaker..........itsshould not have happened. Its that simple.

[minstral]

Well I have some good news for you.

It doent matter if FORDS waranty doesnt cover it they are still liable as damage was caused by there defective product.

A call to the ACCC should help things along or your states consumer affairs ought to do the trick.

Give them a try should work

[ZAP]

Phuck,

My advice is to see about repairing or replacing the damaged goods as best you can and then invoice your dealer. It was your dealer who was asked to fix the problem and failed to make good the repairs.

When the dealer does not (or might) pay the bill, take them to small claims court. It cost $45 to file a claim and they cannot be represented by a lawyer, so it is a PIA for the dealer principal to go to court for this, so they will most likely payup.

The dealer is responsible as you asked them to do the work, just because it is warranty makes no difference as they f..k up.

I know that the cabinet cannot be replaced, but hopefully it can be repaired with some new speakers.

[Phucknuckle]

Thanks for the advice guys...............I'll look into it.