Ford C-Max Warranty Issue HELP!!!!!

fulkontakt

hi all. we are in a bit of a pickle as our FORD C-Max 05 reg has developed a fault and the Ford garage has give me and my partner similar but not identical reasons for it. Basically the car started to make funny noises on wednesday 16th February. On Thursday morning we took it to Ford garage near us (as we had taken out the 3 year warranty) and after leaving it there overnight the guy rang us Friday morning to tell us it was the turbo and it will cost £2000 as it was not covered in the warranty as we had missed a service last year. As you can imagine we cant pay £2000. When my partner went to collect the car the same guy told her the oil had gone thick and gluteny( hence not lubricating the turbo but no mention of the turbo breaking), the galleries need clearing and the whole engine needs a thorough clean out. So we decided to take the car home and deal with it but as my partner went to drive out of the forecourt the car wouldn't reach 5 mph and had to crawl to a garage approx. 1 mile the road and he found that they had left a pipe off. The mechanic was estounded that she made it that far and probably caused more damage not to mention the fact shes pregnant and could of caused a serious crash. Sorry for going on but i need some advice as to what i can do as we cant afford £2000 but what i more annoying was the fact the Ford guy seem to get out of repairing it on a technically, if you will, by saying its our fault for not taking it for a service last year. Anybody got any advice or know where i can get some help.
Thanks Jason

NeverAgain_2

Leaving aside the rights and wrongs, the breakdown story fits.

Oil will become thick and gloopy if left in a diesel too long.

The turbo bearings spin at zillions of rpm, so good quality oil is critical for their wellbeing.

I'm not a qualified engineer, but I suspect one would say the missed oil change could have/would have contributed to the turbo failure.

Your best bet may be to negotiate with the Ford dealer, perhaps try to persuade them to pay a percentage, or do the repairs at cost.

Either way, I think you bear some responsibility for the failure, so you cannot reasonably expect to have the full cost met by somebody else.

fulkontakt

oh no im not expecting them to foot the whole bill but as we have had the car just shy of 3 years £2000 seems excessive for what is essentially just a clean. my main gripe is the warranty iv had a look through and it does say keep maintenance but not specific to yearly servicing or anything of that nature.

NeverAgain_2

...£2000 seems excessive for what is essentially just a clean...

My reading of your OP is the £2,000 includes a replacement turbocharger, which is not a cheap component and would explain the high cost.

Nothing to stop you getting quotes from other dealers to establish if the bill is the going rate.

vikingaero

I agree with the others. It's a 5 year old car - use an independent garage.

flashg67

Sorry to say that your warranty will have conditions attached that mean missing a service may invalidate the warranty. It is true that poor oil quality will affect the turbo lubrication. It should say to service as per Manufacturer's recommendations, or similar, which in your case will be annually or 12.5k miles. Not all manufacturers models are service every year, depending on mileage etc.

However, you don't say what engine is in the car (or I missed it) but if it's a 1.6 TDci, have a Google for low oil pressure problems on this engine.

Is the warranty with Ford or an independant warranty company - you could try calling them direct an appeal to their better nature(!)

In the end, you may pay a high price for missing the service. If this is the case, then definately price up a remanufactured turbo elsewhere BUT be aware if you still have a warranty with Ford, and the turbo fails and send it's bits through the engine (it happens), then you'll have no comeback with Ford and will have to rely on the turbo supplier's warranty. As you appear to have voided the Ford warranty already, this may be irrelavant!

I work in the fleet car industry and we regularly use aftermarket and remanufactured parts with very few issues, particularly on older cars. A rough guess would be £600 ish for the parts and 2-3 hours labour. You must get the oil feed pipes changed also though, just to be safe.

By the way - have you tried getting an engine flush & oil change - it may not be too late to save the turbo? Also, which pipe did they leave off - if it was an air pipe then it is unlikely (but not impossible) that this has caused further damage.

Good luck and don't forget to get it serviced!

Hammyman

fulkontakt wrote: »

not to mention the fact shes pregnant and could of caused a serious crash

What a load of codswallop.

flashg67

Hammyman wrote: »

What a load of codswallop.

I think maybe the OP meant the lack of power/acceleration, especially if it was sudden, unexpected or intermittent could have caused an accident - not that being pregnant would cause a crash?:)

Hammyman

flashg67 wrote: »

I think maybe the OP meant the lack of power/acceleration, especially if it was sudden, unexpected or intermittent could have caused an accident - not that being pregnant would cause a crash?:)

If you think that accelerating is the way to avoid an accident, you need to take a driving course.

Mankysteve

Hammyman wrote: »

If you think that accelerating is the way to avoid an accident, you need to take a driving course.

Sometimes it is.

flashg67

Hammyman wrote: »

If you think that accelerating is the way to avoid an accident, you need to take a driving course.

Didn't actually say that did I - if you expect your vehicle to accelerate, for example, out of a junction, and it doesn't, or hesitates, IMHO, that could cause an accident.

Not really relevant to the OP's problem though is it - you must be bored - telly's rubbish tonight isn't it