Dave_E
Member
- Joined
- Nov 24, 2023
- Threads
- 4
- Messages
- 19
- Reaction score
- 12
- Location
- North Port, Florida.
- Vehicle(s)
- 2024 Mustang Dark Horse (HP)
- Thread starter
- #1
TLDR - Made money on a lemon due to arrogant dealer.
Posting this for 3 reasons:
1) Therapy.
2) In case a potential buyer ever searches for it, so they know the history.
3) So Ford know exactly what happened with their stupid dealer in Sarasota FL.
VIN: 1FA6P8R07R5500508
Just gone through lemon law process and it totally didn't need to happen.
Bought Dark Horse Handling Pack Auto in Dark Matter Gray in Nov-23. Paid ADM of 5k, plus all the dealer installed crap. Taxes and fees, 80k out of the door. Traded an F-150 with a questionable 10r80 for 24k, the rest cash.
Immediately noisy transmission. Whining like crazy. Went to various local dealers who tried their best to destroy the car. Broke the front splitter on a parking block, then bent the sideskirt on a lift trying to fix that. Eventually ended up back at purchasing dealer (Sarasota Ford, FL). They denied any noise, but found transmission oil 2 quarts low from factory. Filled it, whine went away 90%. Still worrying as it had been driven 3k miles.
Immediately started getting the dreaded 'clunk' on deceleration, like many others in here. Took it back to Sarasota who identified it (correctly) as the output shaft flange on the trans. Replaced it, but took over 3 weeks waiting for part.
Went to pick it up, clunk noise gone, but now a loud knocking noise at idle. Didn't even get it off the dealer lot before I noticed it. Service advisor heard it too, described it as a 'heartbeat'. Sounded like a big end knock. Regular, deep, constant knock. Felt through the pedals and the butt.
They kept it for another week, put themselves over the 30 day lemon period, but I still loved the car and wanted to keep it. Obvious it was something they'd done in the trans... probably just misaligned the output shaft flange or something. But they wouldn't even look at it. Said it was typewriter tick and told me to come pick it up.
Pleaded with them it obviously wasn't typewriter tick. Totally different sound. Told the advisor to go listen to their own video in their own service bulletin. She agreed, but said that was the verdict of the senior tech / service manager, and it wouldn't be changed or even re-looked at. I warned them, said I'm not just going to live with this. I even reminded them they'd gone over their 30 days for lemon law, but they wouldn't listen.
Side moan: They didn't treat the car well. I told them it was garage kept, never seen rain, and asked if they could just try and look after it. It was good enough to be pride of place in the showroom when I bought it, but they just threw it out on the dirt road for 4 weeks. It was covered in dirt and bird crap, scratches on the door etc. That annoyed me.
Picked it up, took it to an independent who put it on a lift and we could feel the knocking through the driveshaft. Unmistakable. They agreed, something imbalanced in transmission, and gave me a report.
Hired lemon lawyer. Ford wanted final inspection, so took it to a different dealer who threw a belt & tensioner at it, then acknowledged the problem was still present.
Ford offered the repurchase before the lemon case even went ahead. Full purchase price including ADM and taxes, plus some lawyer fees, plus difference of the undervalued trade-in of 9k. That was a nice surprise. Slight adjustment for the 5k miles I'd put on it, but still walked away with 85k. Basically they paid me 5k to drive the thing for 18 months lol. Was told I'd have to sign an NDA but I didn't.
Now Ford have a lemon car that's currently sat at an auction house in Tampa FL, and will no doubt be hitting a dealer lot in the next few weeks. Worth what, as a lemon, 50k max? Probably less. Guess we'll see...
Ford lost their ass because one dealer tried to flip off a customer. No issues with Ford themselves, they played their part. But they want to have a word with the SM at Sarasota. Charge it back to them or something! It would have been a quick easy fix and I'd have kept that car for a long time. Was sat on a quote from the same dealer for 20k for a Whipple and headers etc. But... hey ho.
Been a Ford guy all my life but not getting another S650. Will probably get in an M4 now. Just stupid.... didn't need to happen.
Posting this for 3 reasons:
1) Therapy.
2) In case a potential buyer ever searches for it, so they know the history.
3) So Ford know exactly what happened with their stupid dealer in Sarasota FL.
VIN: 1FA6P8R07R5500508
Just gone through lemon law process and it totally didn't need to happen.
Bought Dark Horse Handling Pack Auto in Dark Matter Gray in Nov-23. Paid ADM of 5k, plus all the dealer installed crap. Taxes and fees, 80k out of the door. Traded an F-150 with a questionable 10r80 for 24k, the rest cash.
Immediately noisy transmission. Whining like crazy. Went to various local dealers who tried their best to destroy the car. Broke the front splitter on a parking block, then bent the sideskirt on a lift trying to fix that. Eventually ended up back at purchasing dealer (Sarasota Ford, FL). They denied any noise, but found transmission oil 2 quarts low from factory. Filled it, whine went away 90%. Still worrying as it had been driven 3k miles.
Immediately started getting the dreaded 'clunk' on deceleration, like many others in here. Took it back to Sarasota who identified it (correctly) as the output shaft flange on the trans. Replaced it, but took over 3 weeks waiting for part.
Went to pick it up, clunk noise gone, but now a loud knocking noise at idle. Didn't even get it off the dealer lot before I noticed it. Service advisor heard it too, described it as a 'heartbeat'. Sounded like a big end knock. Regular, deep, constant knock. Felt through the pedals and the butt.
They kept it for another week, put themselves over the 30 day lemon period, but I still loved the car and wanted to keep it. Obvious it was something they'd done in the trans... probably just misaligned the output shaft flange or something. But they wouldn't even look at it. Said it was typewriter tick and told me to come pick it up.
Pleaded with them it obviously wasn't typewriter tick. Totally different sound. Told the advisor to go listen to their own video in their own service bulletin. She agreed, but said that was the verdict of the senior tech / service manager, and it wouldn't be changed or even re-looked at. I warned them, said I'm not just going to live with this. I even reminded them they'd gone over their 30 days for lemon law, but they wouldn't listen.
Side moan: They didn't treat the car well. I told them it was garage kept, never seen rain, and asked if they could just try and look after it. It was good enough to be pride of place in the showroom when I bought it, but they just threw it out on the dirt road for 4 weeks. It was covered in dirt and bird crap, scratches on the door etc. That annoyed me.
Picked it up, took it to an independent who put it on a lift and we could feel the knocking through the driveshaft. Unmistakable. They agreed, something imbalanced in transmission, and gave me a report.
Hired lemon lawyer. Ford wanted final inspection, so took it to a different dealer who threw a belt & tensioner at it, then acknowledged the problem was still present.
Ford offered the repurchase before the lemon case even went ahead. Full purchase price including ADM and taxes, plus some lawyer fees, plus difference of the undervalued trade-in of 9k. That was a nice surprise. Slight adjustment for the 5k miles I'd put on it, but still walked away with 85k. Basically they paid me 5k to drive the thing for 18 months lol. Was told I'd have to sign an NDA but I didn't.
Now Ford have a lemon car that's currently sat at an auction house in Tampa FL, and will no doubt be hitting a dealer lot in the next few weeks. Worth what, as a lemon, 50k max? Probably less. Guess we'll see...
Ford lost their ass because one dealer tried to flip off a customer. No issues with Ford themselves, they played their part. But they want to have a word with the SM at Sarasota. Charge it back to them or something! It would have been a quick easy fix and I'd have kept that car for a long time. Was sat on a quote from the same dealer for 20k for a Whipple and headers etc. But... hey ho.
Been a Ford guy all my life but not getting another S650. Will probably get in an M4 now. Just stupid.... didn't need to happen.
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