Quick update on my water leak issue. I remain disappointed that my nearly-new Ex leaked water into the cabin, but very happy thus far with the response by my dealership.
Take note, Ford dealerships across the fruited plain: you are about to get
SCHOOLED on how it's done. This lesson is brought to you courtesy of Long-Lewis Ford in Hoover, Alabama.
First, the efforts my dealership went to to identify the issue. Unlike some of the experiences I've seen documented here, my dealer expended serious effort to find the leak. They dropped the headliner, elevated the nose to duplicate the fault condition, and when that didn't show a lot of water dripping in, they put soapy water on top of the seam and then blew compressed air on it from underneath. Where bubbles popped up, that told them where the leak was. This is good work by my dealership.
Second, warranty coverage. Although the CPO program does not cover this, my dealer is extending goodwill to cover the entire repair. YES! (I bought the car from them as a CPO just six months ago...good decision and we'll remember this! My wife loves my Explorer and also wants one!)
Third, the thoroughness of the proposed repair. Unlike some of the lesser repairs documented here, my dealer is going to need to remove lots of trim pieces to get to the affected area, reapply the sealant, AND repaint the affected area so that it looks good as new. Again, that's a good quality repair.
The only downside is that it's going to take a couple days to do all this. You know what? I DON'T CARE!!! As long as the car is being fixed right, who can complain!!!
Overall, if everything pans out as expected, I'll still be disappointed that my Ex leaked, and I'll always be wondering in the back of my mind if it will leak again someday, but the actions of Long-Lewis Ford
set the standard in my mind as to what Ford's and its dealer network's response to this issue ought to look like. I can accept that it's a man-made object and will not be perfect. So find the problem, own it, and set it right. Boom.
Now, let's just hope that the repair works and holds long term. I will update.