The Dreaded Call

[dentalpain]

"Honey, my car wont start" - These were the words I heard this morning from my wife. She drives a 2015 ex sport with 1500 miles.

I said do you have jumper cables (no they are in the garage and I didnt put them back in when we traded cars), do you have a pair of needle nose plier to remove the negative battery cable (no). So she call roadside. 10 minutes later and a jump and she was on her way to the nearest dealer for a new battery. I work 40 minutes away and was prepared to help if needed.

The deaer said the battery tested fine but they were going to drain so it would be covered under warranty. I wasnt mad, Ford doesnt even make batteries, it happens. 2 hours later my wife calls and says she is still there and that she was getting a friend to drive her back to work. 3 hours later the shop calls and says "its not the battery" but you have the serious 911 assist error (I almost laughed). After explaining what the 911 assist feature was, the service advisor said he would keep looking, but that my battery was good. I insisted on it being replaced (especially after their attempt at drainage, he told me it would be $140!

5 hours after drop off I get a call saying they found the problem, the dealer that sold it missed the slightly fraied "accessory" battery cable and the "cross threaded" battery post nut. He said they would order the part and patch me up and "hope" to have me ready by closing.

Its dealers like this who give all dealers a bad name.

//rant mode off

 

[peterk9]

To be fair. it was the factory that installed the battery, not the dealer. Even on a pre delivery inspection, I think that this is something that could be missed since everything was working so likely no one looks to check the battery. How the cable got to that point is a good question. I wonder if it was tampered with after it left the factory? The dealer was willing to provide a new battery initially even though it tested okay. That was a good offer. A good charge and it would be good to go assuming there isn't any damage to the post. Mine is only 5 months old and I've already trickle charged it at least 5 times because I don't drive it enough.

Peter

 

[EGUY4]

Of course its the dealers fault, the factory didn't sell the car.

The dealer was perfectly willing to take $140 out of his pocket.

I would think the battery would be a key part of any inspection.

Plus when a car with 1500 miles on it that cost a small fortune does not start, unless there is some operator error or negligence then I'd say without question its a dealer problem.