Third Party Warranty / Rear Diff

[kx250]

Has anyone had a third-party warranty cover a howling rear-end? I have a third-party warranty on my '04 Explorer. The tranny shop told me that once they take it apart, if the warranty company thinks nothing is wrong, then I have to pay. Thanks

 

[Carguy3J]

Has anyone had a third-party warranty cover a howling rear-end? I have a third-party warranty on my '04 Explorer. The tranny shop told me that once they take it apart, if the warranty company thinks nothing is wrong, then I have to pay. Thanks

That all depends on YOUR warranty company and which warranty you have. Typically those companies offer many different "levels" of coverage, depending on the vehicle, the age and mileage at time of purchase,etc....

Read your warranty paperwork thoroughly, and then call them before you have the shop do any work, if your worrried about it. If there really is nothing wrong, and it's just a noise that bothers you, or it's something that isn't bad "enough" yet to be clearly diagnosed, then I doubt they'll cover "exploratorty surgery" (no pun intended, until I realized there was a pun there! )

 

[teek]

Like 3J said depends on the company and the level of protection. I have always been skeptical of third party warranties, so if it were me I'd e-mail the company explaining the problem, and ask what is and isnt covered under your warranty. That way when they respond, you have a record of it, and it isn't your word against theirs.

 

[jakedrew]

i have a extended warranty through ford when i bought my 04 brand new. they didnt have a problem replacing the rear end.

not sure on a third party deal. like said before, call them up and see.

what they will replace is the ring and pinion gear and add new fluid( 75w140)/friction modifier(if need be).

good luck

 

[mudmonger]

When you say howl, do you mean at a specific speed? A lot of 3rd gens have a howl around 55-60 that is fairly normal. Annoying yes, but a failing rear end it is not. I suspect that when they divroced the 8.8 from its axle shafts there was a harmonic issue in the mounts they used to make it "solid" in an IRS situation. Does it make noise at all speeds? Does it clunk when you put it in gear forward and back? Does the housing get hot after about 10 to 15 miles?

DMC

 

[1_v8_merc]

Be very cautious of 3rd party warranties, there are alot of scam companies out there running those.

It's often cheaper to just open an extra bank account and put alittle money in there every paycheck, that way by time something breaks you have the money.
(if you ever watch the suze orman show, or practically every financial advisor on planet earth will tell you to do this.)

Most people wont have anything major break on their cars, just minor stuff.
(this is how the companies make their money anyways....especially if you're paying the whopping 4 or 5 digit numbers these companies want from you in the end.)

 

[thepotroast]

what they will replace is the ring and pinion gear and add new fluid( 75w140)/friction modifier(if need be).

They will also replace the diff clutch pack, and they won't put 75w-140 in there, as that is not the standard lube that Ford uses in the rear end, it is however the lube that a lot of people here recommend putting in the rear end. Myself included...

I have the OASIS report on my ford showing the TSB reporting the rear howl, and that they replaced the R/P as well as diff clutch pack.

40k miles later, the howl is back.

 

[lrm]

after 40K miles rear diff roaring AGAIN

Mine was replaced, by ford, about 40K miles ago too. It's back and they want $2600 to do it again. I disputed it with them, they lowered the part price down only, $1900. I'm disgusted with this. This shouldn't happen repeatedly, it's well documented everywhere on the problems with the rear diff. I'm not going to be a Ford customer again after this, it's a design flaw and they aren't owning up to it.

 

[BBBB51]

You probably dont wanna hear this bt it will be alot cheaper just to go to a junk yard and get a used rear axle. :rangerred:

 

[1_v8_merc]

yeah dude, junkyards are a savior.

I know they catch a bad wrap for some reason.
But i've replaced tons of parts on my mustang with junkyard parts, they worked WAY better than the crapped out stock parts i had.

NEVER had a single problem with any junkyard parts ever.

Often times parts are interchangable with newer models, so you can pick up a tranny or rear end from a newer vehicle and it will function much better than the original, and be alot newer.

I see no shame and going to a junkyard, you wouldn't believe the deals you can get in some of those places.

I was good buddies with a few junkyards, and most of the time, if I was buying something, they would let me scrap extra parts off of the car for FREE....whatever i wanted.

 

[kx250]

mudmonger, Mine only howls when on the highway at about 50 m.p.h. If you roll down the window you can't hear it. No clunk. I guess it's not as bad as I thought. Ford wanted $1600 for a rebuild.