Ford Extended Warrantee??--oil change question

[jenren81]

Hey all, I couldn't find exactly what I needed during a search, so maybe somebody could help me out.

I financed my 03 sport thru ford credit in march of 05....for 60 months, so I've got a year left. My mother talked me into getting the 75000 extended warrantee, which I haven't used yet. I'm at about 73,x.. right now.

I haven't had any problems to date, so no claims or what not. Now, I know there is something going out in my front end... CV joint most likely... and my front diff is leaking, my gas mileage went down, etc etc etc. I've been putting off repairs because I know it will be $$$$$$$$$$ and I ride my bike/moped a lot more than my X.

SOOOO.... is there any way that suspension work is covered by this extended warrantee? I can't find much info about it, and i've moved a ton since i received the paperwork so who knows where it is.

The kicker... I have 33 inchers and a body lift on... so dealer is out of the question for any hypothetically covered repairs. I know private shops will sometimes fudge that info for claims, but really I have no idea. I guess I was kinda stupid for paying an extra 40 bucks a month for something that I can't use.

----Unrelated question 2----I just got done changing my oil, last done early sept, with mobil 1 5w30, only 4000 miles since. My oil is BLACCKKKKK!!! i mean it's really dark. Is that normal for synthetic oil to look so disgusting after a change? I've used it the past 3 changes, I thought maybe each time it was just washing the reg oil out, but man it's dark!

sorry for the long ass post all. thanks for any help!

 

[cybergasm]

is the warranty through Ford or is it one of those insurance warranty deals (if that makes any sense)

since depending on who is honoring the warranty would be the deciding factor here.
cause aftermarket warranties usually just cover the drivetrain ( engine transmission etc)
depending on coverage selected at time of purchase.

if it from Ford then it might cover the CV but not the leaking diff since seals and gaskets are considered wear items and then are not covered unless the whole diff takes a crap.

hopefuly this makes some kind sense

 

[jenren81]

is the warranty through Ford or is it one of those insurance warranty deals (if that makes any sense)

since depending on who is honoring the warranty would be the deciding factor here.
cause aftermarket warranties usually just cover the drivetrain ( engine transmission etc)
depending on coverage selected at time of purchase.

if it from Ford then it might cover the CV but not the leaking diff since seals and gaskets are considered wear items and then are not covered unless the whole diff takes a crap.

hopefuly this makes some kind sense

yeah that makes sense! it's from ford... i got it as a 'certified pre owned' it only had 15000 on it, so the extended warrantee thing was an option. i'll ask around some shops and see what they say. i know something is off and is about to go, so i should find out before i hit the mileage cutoff... thanks for the response!

 

[KPT]

The front diff leaking has nothing to do with the bigger tires. Don't let any repair place try to tell you that. The weight of the wheel/tire is on the hub assembly and knuckle. Its rather common for the halfshaft seals in the diff to leak, I've lost count of how many I have replaced. Pinion seals are not uncommon too if that's where it is leaking and that would have less of nothing to do with tire size.

The color of the engine oil really has nothing to do with its life. Most of the black is probably dirt coming in through the air filter. This is how the Mobil 1 in my engine looks at 3,059k (although its been in there a year):

Its not as dark on the dipstick as it looks in the pic though.

 

[jenren81]

The front diff leaking has nothing to do with the bigger tires. Don't let any repair place try to tell you that. The weight of the wheel/tire is on the hub assembly and knuckle. Its rather common for the halfshaft seals in the diff to leak, I've lost count of how many I have replaced. Pinion seals are not uncommon too if that's where it is leaking and that would have less of nothing to do with tire size.

The color of the engine oil really has nothing to do with its life. Most of the black is probably dirt coming in through the air filter. This is how the Mobil 1 in my engine looks at 3,059k (although its been in there a year):

Its not as dark on the dipstick as it looks in the pic though.

cool, thanks for clearing that up... i haven't used synthetic oil in any vehicles other than my scooter, and that isn't a good comparison ;-) so i'm sure that it's all good. mine looked like that pic of yours, so i'm not too worried then.

the diff was leaking before the tires/lift, but it has gotten worse. i had it all checked out a few months back, two shops couldn't pinpoint for sure what i was feeling/hearing, although they both claimed they could replace some things to help.. haha.. i'm not dumb.... if they can't find it right away, i'm not paying them to go do exploratory surgery on it. no pun intended.

the pinion seal is for sure leaking, and i'm getting a groaning/rumbling when turning the wheel to the left. i made another thread about this problem, and got good suggestions. but when i took it in the shop guys were no help. i'm just trying to figure if this lame warranty i bought will work to replace that stuff. we changed my tranny fluid in nov, but i'm getting this weird hesitation when i press on the gas after a turn or leaving a red light. i hope my tranny isn't going too? bahh.

 

[gavin]

cool, thanks for clearing that up... i haven't used synthetic oil in any vehicles other than my scooter, and that isn't a good comparison ;-) so i'm sure that it's all good. mine looked like that pic of yours, so i'm not too worried then.

the diff was leaking before the tires/lift, but it has gotten worse. i had it all checked out a few months back, two shops couldn't pinpoint for sure what i was feeling/hearing, although they both claimed they could replace some things to help.. haha.. i'm not dumb.... if they can't find it right away, i'm not paying them to go do exploratory surgery on it. no pun intended.

the pinion seal is for sure leaking, and i'm getting a groaning/rumbling when turning the wheel to the left. i made another thread about this problem, and got good suggestions. but when i took it in the shop guys were no help. i'm just trying to figure if this lame warranty i bought will work to replace that stuff. we changed my tranny fluid in nov, but i'm getting this weird hesitation when i press on the gas after a turn or leaving a red light. i hope my tranny isn't going too? bahh.

sounds more like a hub/bearing issue.
obviously, this wouldn't be covered due to oversized tires.
Even if it was the CV half-shafts, doubtful it would be covered due to the larger tires.

 

[jenren81]

yeah i figured that, i was just curious if you didn't go to an actual ford dealer if a) this extended warranty even works and b) if the shop just wouldn't mention the oversized tires. I didn't know if just any shop can do "warranty work" or it had to be certain ones......

 

[gavin]

yeah i figured that, i was just curious if you didn't go to an actual ford dealer if a) this extended warranty even works and b) if the shop just wouldn't mention the oversized tires. I didn't know if just any shop can do "warranty work" or it had to be certain ones......

difficult to say. Also depends on if the warranty was through Ford, or a 3rd-party. Of course, generally Ford warranties, all work has to be done by a Ford dealership. If it's a 3rd-party that was provided through Ford, you'd just have to look at the documentation, and/or call them up to get that info.

 

[gijoecam]

Ditto.... Three issues to deal with:

1) Is it a Ford ESP or a third-party warranty?
2) What's the fine print of the contract say? If it's a Ford ESP, there are several different levels of coverage available... Which one is it?
3) How willing is your dealer to overlook things like oversized tires and such? Mine wouldn't care, but I've been a loyal customer there for 15 years now... Your mileage may vary.

Now, that being said, if it's a Ford PremiumCare ESP, and your dealer is willing to overlook the oversized tires, front end suspension components are covered, as are hubs, bearings, CVs, axle seals, etc.

The other option you have with a Ford ESP is a refund. If you haven't made a claim, you have a limited window at the end of the contract to ask for a refund. It's in the fine print and there are some stipulations, but if the total cost of the needed repairs exceeds the amount you would get back, you're better off having them do it under warranty. If you can do it on the cheap, take the money and run!

FWIW, I had the PremiumCare ESP on both my Explorer and F-150 when they were new. I got my money's worth out of both of them and then some.

-Joe

 

[jenren81]

Ditto.... Three issues to deal with:

1) Is it a Ford ESP or a third-party warranty?
2) What's the fine print of the contract say? If it's a Ford ESP, there are several different levels of coverage available... Which one is it?
3) How willing is your dealer to overlook things like oversized tires and such? Mine wouldn't care, but I've been a loyal customer there for 15 years now... Your mileage may vary.

Now, that being said, if it's a Ford PremiumCare ESP, and your dealer is willing to overlook the oversized tires, front end suspension components are covered, as are hubs, bearings, CVs, axle seals, etc.

The other option you have with a Ford ESP is a refund. If you haven't made a claim, you have a limited window at the end of the contract to ask for a refund. It's in the fine print and there are some stipulations, but if the total cost of the needed repairs exceeds the amount you would get back, you're better off having them do it under warranty. If you can do it on the cheap, take the money and run!

FWIW, I had the PremiumCare ESP on both my Explorer and F-150 when they were new. I got my money's worth out of both of them and then some.

H-Joe

Good points ... Thx for the info ill have to dig out the paperwork.... I think I just recalled where it was. I'm pretty sure its the ford esp.. Thanks again!

 

[jenren81]

ahhhh hahaha so i just got off the phone with the ford ESP people... turns out i had the premium plan, good til i hit 75000 mi, and also 72 months (from original owner purchase apparently) that expired 5 DAYS AGO!!!!! haha. i'm an idiot. go figure, looks like it doesn't matter what i have on my car i'll be paying for the repairs.

the dealer had told me that if i cancelled or didn't ever use the warranty, my payments would drop back down 50 dollars a month, but apparantly that is a lie. no partial refund either. wow, i should've made this post two weeks ago. jeeeez