DIY and your vehicle warranty

[kenv]

On my web site (not owned by me, I`m just the senior administrator) We have members getting their warranty work denied all the time. for instance, there is a big problem with the 5.0 (2011-2014) having a BBQ igniter "tick" after the second or third oil change. Ford knows about this, & for most of their customers, their attitude is "tough", saying things like "its normal", or "its your fault, you must be abusing your Mustang". There is also another big problem with the hood paint bubbling on quite a few cars. More often than not, Ford & the dealers will fight the customer tooth & nail so as not to fix the problem. And don`t get me started on the Chinese MT82 manual transmissions that Ford knows very well that there are problems with, but in very many cases refuse to fix under warranty. It seems nowadays, they don`t mind loosing customers, & even if you threaten them with a law suit, they have deeper pockets and an army of their own lawyers on speed dial. Don`t get me wrong, Ford makes some fine cars & trucks, but quite a lot of the time, they & their dealers are not predisposed to be customer friendly if there is a problem that is going to cost real money to fix. They can`t legally deny you warranty coverage, but they will & basically tell you "what are you going to do about it?"
ly

 

[TiredTrucker]

There is always small claims of the small stuff, where they can't even bring their own attorney to represent them, and the law firm of Burn 'em and Run for all the rest. Then there is also www.peopleclaim.com if one wanted to take that route. No one has to go with a dealer as the final word on anything. And given the anti business climate in D.C. as of the last few years, there is always a Federal agency that would like to take down the deep pockets.

There are always options. I like the small claims gig myself. Cheap to file, only you, the other party, and a judge. If you have a case for what you are claiming, you got 'em. They can't bring in their high ticket attorney to small claims. Just you and the dealer. Judge rules. They may have deeper pockets and big lawyers, but it will do them no good in small claims court. The money limit of the case depends on what level each state has set. A warranty is an implied contract between the buyer and manufacturer, and it governed by Federal law. It meets small claims court status. The dealer has the resources to pay if judged against, again, one of the conditions of going to small claims.

Or there is always roll over and have a pity party.