I don’t own a Ford, but decided to write this article after speaking with someone I know who owns a Ford being let down with bad customer service.
With regards to vehicle repairs under warranty. I decided to make this post to see what everyone else thinks, or if someone else has a story to tell
Background:
Basically, someone I know purchased a car from a Ford dealership (2nd hand). The vehicle was sitting in the yard before they purchased it for an unknown amount of time. The person I know has taken it back to Ford a total of 4 times and is being mugged off each time that there is nothing wrong with it.
Symptoms:
The person kept reporting that when they were driving the ABS was kicking in at low speeds and making a noise (ie braking normally on a motorway or roundabouts). Also there was a horrible burnt smell when stopping. Ford techs were adamant nothing was wrong but changed the Front Brake pads and discs. I believe his car is a Ford Fiesta
Diagnosis:
Now, to me after about 5 minutes of conversation. I diagnosed it was a seized brake caliper on the car, and to me this needs to be fixed under the warranty but the Ford UK dealership it was purchased from are adamant nothing is wrong with the car and that the “noise” he was hearing was because of the sensor being on the front left of the car so it will trigger whenever it hits a pothole. Generally the symptoms of a seized brake caliper on the car are ….
- Vehicle pulls to one side when braking
- Horrible smell (similar to burnt clutch)
- Excessive heat being produced from wheel. Generally when you pull over after a normal drive, most consumer brake discs are cool to touch. A brake caliper that is seizing however will be generating more heat. So if you walk around the car and move your hands over the alloys, you should be able to feel heat being emanated from the brake disc that has the seized caliper
I did all this diagnosis in the space of a 10-15 minute conversation. To me the above reason sounds absolute rubbish. End of the day, the fact that he said there was a smell when he was getting out AND the car has had NEW brake pads and discs would immediately tell me something is wrong with the piston on the caliper. It doesn’t take much to work out.
I’m a computer geek (and amateur DIY car mechanic) and can still diagnose a faulty issue with the brakes. The fact is, the car was sitting in the compound where he bought the car from. They should have done a FULL brake fluid flush when servicing the car before he purchased it. Brake fluid is in the region of £5. The problem with brake fluid is that overtime it breaks down and water inside it starts to cause rust build up. This is why the brake pistons stuck and don’t retract because of this build up. So it’s normally either a full brake fluid flush + rebuilt caliper, or if the caliper is REALLY bad a replacement caliper.
All the mechanics are fobbing him off, he did go back after speaking to me but they keep sending him away saying nothing is wrong. I’ve suggested he goes to trading standards. This is safety issue. Firstly a seized brake caliper will affect braking performance on the car and cause excessive brake wear. Most importantly, if the caliper is seized, there is potential that the brake caliper can cause excessive build up and actually bind onto the disc itself. Imagine driving along the road at 70mph, then the brake caliper sticks and locks your wheel……?
Overall, in my experience this is a poor experience from a Ford dealership, and the whole reason why I don’t let any dealerships work on my car. At least when I’m working on it, I only have myself to blame. I also know what parts are being replaced on my car, and they are quality items. The other reason is servicing cost, but considering this vehicle was under warranty it shouldn’t have mattered in the long run.
Pretty shameful customer service from Ford UK, especially when I was considering going to Ford for my next car aswell.
Have a story to tell? Let me know in the comments
