Ford charging for fault finding under warranty!?

MRO46

Hello I'm a newbie, be nice!

I have booked in my mk7 Fiesta tomorrow as I have an issue with the cooling system, the car is loosing coolant somewhere. The car is still under warranty, and only done 3800 miles.

Now the nice lady on the phone told me that I will be charged £50 for fault finding, if the mechanics cant find anything wrong with the car! Is this normal?

Thanks in advance

Rob

philbostavros

Hi Rob

Can't speak for Ford dealerships but I have never been told anything like this. I would ask to speak to the service manager if they try to tell you this on dropping the car of (or ring and ask to speak to him/her if you have time).

If they still insist this to be the case (or Ford policy), ring the Ford HQ.

Warranty means warranty and they should investigate all complaints IMHO.

Hope all goes well.

Regards
Phil

MRO46

Thanks for the info. I'm currently checking through all my docs, and looking up phone numbers! Will let you know the results!

steady__eddie

I was once charged 20 odd quid some years ago by a Citroen dealer when I took a 3 month old ZX back because the brakes were making one hell of a grinding noise after I had returned from a 50 mile motorway trip.
I was told that it wasn't covered by the warranty, they wouldn't tell me what was makng the noise. It had been my fourth brand new car off them in as many years.
Needless to say, I have not bought a Citroen since.

Anihilator

philbostavros wrote: »

Hi Rob

Can't speak for Ford dealerships but I have never been told anything like this. I would ask to speak to the service manager if they try to tell you this on dropping the car of (or ring and ask to speak to him/her if you have time).

If they still insist this to be the case (or Ford policy), ring the Ford HQ.

Warranty means warranty and they should investigate all complaints IMHO.

Hope all goes well.

Regards
Phil

So if someone takes in a 60,000 mile car with obvious brake pads wear and tear that person shouldnt be charged for wasting their time?

The car is under warranty. They shouldnt have to pay for any warranty repairs but if it is non warranty they should have to reimburse the garage for investigation and diagnosis.

£50 seems steep but not for a main dealer as such.

Bet it puts off those chancing their arms.

OP if its a clear warranty issue I dont see your problem.

Hintza

It strikes me they are just saying "we hope you aren't a time waster".

I wouldn't worry about it.

Premier_2

MRO46 wrote: »

Hello I'm a newbie, be nice!

I have booked in my mk7 Fiesta tomorrow as I have an issue with the cooling system, the car is loosing coolant somewhere. The car is still under warranty, and only done 3800 miles.

Now the nice lady on the phone told me that I will be charged £50 for fault finding, if the mechanics cant find anything wrong with the car! Is this normal?

Thanks in advance

Rob

Don't worry about it.

The charge will only apply if the fault is not covered by warranty. As you are losing coolant, it will almost certainly be covered by warranty ... unless you've done something really silly like not replaced the expansion tank top or damaged the radiator/hoses by driving over extremely rough ground, etc.

ukjoel

Its a tricky one - You go to the dentist for a check up - nothing needs doing but he still charges you £30.


If he thinks something needs doing is another £300.

Same with cars really and Dealers are trying to cut down on lost time.

A few years ago you could drive a car into a dealer car park and have 3 techs giving you their highly expert advice and toodle on your way without even paying a penny but now due to the cost of training and diagnostic equipment they want to suck every penny out of you they can.

A coolant leak could be outside warranty if its been caused by a stone or something in the road piercing a cable or pipe.

They will usually only hit you witha diagnostic if they cant find the fault.
In the case of a coolant leak identifying the fault is obvious - finding where its leaking from and fixing it is the tricky bit and thats there problem not yours.

If they say it was caused by a stone - ask for proof and complain about lack of shielding etc etc.

ie get it fixed under warranty..

MRO46

Thank you very much for the advice ladies and gents. Will let you know the outcome tomorrow!

harveybobbles

Vauxhall charge £80. Robbin gits.

Anyway, shop around, try another Ford garage. Start off by telling them you want to spend all your hard earned money on a service... Or talk to the Service Manager with a crispo £10 in your hand.