Axle Failing 16,000 after Full TSB Rebuild

[simonusa0]

Hi Guys,
Full axle rebuild under warranty TSB 05-23-3 (whine etc) @ 28,676 miles in Jan 2006. Now 15,800 miles later it's whining again and very clunky. Dealer agrees but won't cover because it's past their "1 year 12,000 mile warranty". Quoted me another $583parts and $755 labor to fix......AGAIN.
Reading the posts I am sure they did a poor rebuild originally and 'Xzibit A' explains the typical cause in a 10-18-2005 posting on this forum. I will go back and ask the Service mgr what other reason could there be for failure other than bad parts or bad workmanship and shouldn't a rebuild last longer than this?

I wrote to Ford Customer service asking for help and they said " We have reviewed your situation with Tom Holzer Ford. The dealership has made an assessment based upon Ford warranty and policy. They are in the best position to determine the amount of assistance that will be provided. In this case, the Customer Relationship Center feels that the amount of assistance offered is more than adequate and will not provide any additional assistance." - a politically correct way to say get lost!

I should mention that I just had a timing chain tensioner failure repaired and Ford picked up 90% of the tab so they were v.good about that.

So when I go talk to the Service Manager again ...any suggestions for me?

 

[MountaineerGreen]

I'd find a reputable differential service shop to rebuild your axle again before it destroys itself. Find one that has done many R&P setups, experience is definitely needed for a proper setup.

In the future, stay away from the dealer, and tell your friends and neighbors.

I'd call the service manager one last time, explain to him that you have no choice but to get another shop to perform the work since it obviously wasn't done properly the first time and you will be telling others to steer clear of his service department.

 

[simonusa0]

The Final Chapter !

Evan,
thanks for the response. I worked with Ford Customer service some more who (by phone) agreed that failing 15,000 miles after a full rebuild wasn't acceptable. They arranged to 'engage' the attentions of the zone area manager/ford team to work with the Dealer. Prior to that, I had spoken to the Service Manager, Dean Short and asked him what explanation he could think of other than faulty parts or faulty workmanship?. Of course he said it couldn't possibly be workmanship so it was faulty parts then asked me to complete a Review/ request for assistance questionnaire for the Zone Manager. I felt this was just lip service but I complied. I laid out the complete history, answered all questions and finally asked for a second repair with the cost to be covered by the dealer if cause was faulty workmanship and by Ford (dealer re-imbursement) if it was faulty parts.

Three weeks later I received a copy of my questionnaire in the mail with the following and an unrecognizeable signature "unfortunately mileage has expired on any replacement parts. Repair not covered" .

Am I surprised?....NO,
Have I been scr*wed by the Dealer and Ford working together? - YES. !!

So when the time comes, if feasible, I will take my servicing needs (and planned vehicle purchase) elsewhere.
Such a shame when people will not stand by their workmanship.
Simon

 

[MountaineerGreen]

It's such a shame to hear that- my local dealer has a wonderful service dept though I don't go there very often because I do as much as possible myself.

I really think Ford is on the decline in general.

 

[jpserra]

Frame or Axle alignment is NOT part of a diff rebuild. Do you have other issues with your truck that might be causing this failure? Do you 4by with your truck? Rock crawl? Heavy hill climbing? All these things can effect the axle positions and potentially cause misalignment.

Sorry, but there might be other reasons for the failure. After all, it did go 15,000 miles before exhibiting issues.

Just a perspective.

JP

 

[SnookMan]

I would do what many do in situations like that............make up a couple signs and stand out front of the dealership till they come up with a better solution.