Big problems with Ford - can anyone offer advice?

FTB83

Hi there

I'm having huge problems with Ford. I bought a 54 plate Ford Streetka (I'd been saving for months, did my research and found a car with a low mileage, in great condition etc) from a Ford dealer just under six months ago, the car has a really low mileage for it's age at 17k (14k when I bought it). I also purchased the Ford Protect Gold Warranty for two years.

I noticed a problem with my car a couple of weeks ago and booked it into my local Ford garage. It turns out I have a porous cylinder head which would have been a faulty part fitted by Ford when the car was manufactured. This is going to cost £1100 to repair (only had the car six months and bought it for £6k - obviously gutted that this has happened). The Ford Protect warranty won't cover this as it's a faulty part rather than a part that has broken, and Ford themselves won't take any responsibility for fitting a faulty part because the car is older than 45 months - they don't care that the mileage is mega low.

I don't know where to turn next. I'm not having any luck with the garage I bought the car from (they've made their sale and, like Ford, couldn't give a hoot that I'm having these problems). Is there anyone I can contact? Who's responsibility is this? I understand I'm probably just unlucky but it just feels so wrong to have had a car for such a short space of time, with such a low mileage and for a faulty part installed by Ford to be costing ME £1100. Especially considering I traded in my wicked Fiesta with which I'd had no probs for over four years.

Can anyone offer advice on what I can do? Or even if I do have any rights?

Thanks,

Lauren

michaelro

Sales of Goods Act??

Problem was obviously present when they sold the car - Get proper advice and try again.

LeeSouthEast

Sale of Goods Act first.

BUT, pursue Ford customer service (sod the dealer). I got a 6 year old problem fixed on my Ford Focus in May this year that had been present since manufacture - but only came to notice when it 'failed'. After 2 days of not taking no for an answer they fixed it for £99 rather than the £650 initially quoted.

vaio

michaelro wrote: »

Sales of Goods Act??

Problem was obviously present when they sold the car - Get proper advice and try again.

Spot on :T :T

vaio

and, a cylinder head should last forever so don't let yourself get talked into paying towards the repair

FTB83

Thanks guys - it's reassuring to hear that I might have some rights after all. It's so easy to be ground down by the attutude dished out by Ford. I'll do some research on the sales act and see if there's something I can base an authoritative claim on.

ukjoel

Ford Customer service frontline team haver a matrix they work to on what % they will contribute to repairs on cars outside warranty.

It is based on age, milage and history (ie full ford service history means a more generous %)

Their managers are authorised to offer a higher % payment but again this is pretty low numbers.

Your vehicles age counts against it as its 5 years old and so the automated monkeys read off the matrix and say computer says NO.

Not very imaginative but its what they have been told so not their fault.

Have said it before but only way to bypass this and get a sensible decision is a solicitors letter - it flies straight to legal and then to FCSD at a very high level.

Cost of repair to you is 1100. Ford Warranty will pay about £200 for the same repair (labour rates less than a third you would pay) and they should offer to do it for that (as a minimum)

Previous posters have been spot on - you need to get past the monkeys and talk to the organ grinders.

vaio

http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file25486.pdf is a guide for traders but will cover anything you need to know.

Basically, the car a latent fault when you bought it, therefore it doesn’t meet the SOG requirements.

Your claim is against the dealer who sold it to you, let them chase Ford if they want but the dealer needs to sort your car out...

Because it a porous casting then there can be no argument that the fault is as a result of something you have done and no question of betterment and the full repair costs should be covered.

Talk to the garage again and if they don’t play ball give Trading Standards a ring for advice on taking it forward

.