I may have just bought my last Ford

[Snoranger]

As I sit here and type this I'm looking out the window at my Ford collection. I currently have:
2002 Ranger, 2wd reg cab, 4cyl 5spd.
1994 Mustang Cobra
1979 F350 Supercab (I have an interesting story on this one, I'll share it at the end of this rant.)
2018 Escape (It's my wifes.)

Whats missing from my driveway you ask... My 2017 F150.
Where is it you ask... Its at the body shop.
Why am I boring you with me life story you ask!...

2 months ago i was pulling into my driveway. I stopped, put my left blinker on and waited for 2 cars to pass. While waiting, a kid on his cell phone ran into the back of my truck. He went under the back of the truck and hit the rear axle, bending it and rendering my truck undrivable. I sent it off to the body shop to be fixed. No one was injured, that's all that really matters, right?

Fast forward 2 weeks:
Body shop calls, "We have all the parts, except the rear axle housing. Its on back order from Ford. It should be here in 2 weeks." ok, 1 month to get my truck back, thats not bad. Insurance is paying for a rental for 40 days.

Fast forward to 30 days after the accident:
Talk to the body shop, "Bad news, the axle is back ordered another 30 days." I call my insurance company to see about extending the rental... NOPE. 40 days is the max we will pay for. I call his insurance company, "You have to go through your ins. co." So, I call my insurance co back, "You can rent a car and pay out of pocket, then try to get the money back from his insurance company."
So I went out and bought the 2002 Ranger mentioned above to get to work for 20+ days. I not going to take the chance of wasting money on a rental that I may never get back.
I made some phone calls, to try to expedite the rear axle... I've bought 8 cars from the dealership they deal with in the past 10 years. No luck with that route.
Fast forward to 60 days after the accident:
Body shop calls "Bad news again, Ford backordered the rear axle another 30 days."

So here I sit, making my 3rd LEASE payment of $499.44 on Jerry's Auto body's lawn ornament.

Ford can't get me the rear axle. Customer service said they'll look into it and get back to me in a week. The dealer said they would have helped, if I used their body shop. Ford credit said the best they can do is move my payment date forward by 29 days. Insurance basically told me to F-off... pay for a rental yourself.



Who has any suggestions???

 

[Snoranger]

The story on the '79 F350 Supercab, if anyone is interested.

My grandfather bought it new in '79. It was the last vehicle he bought before he passed in 85-86, and the only one he ever bough new.
My father got it sometime after he passed away and drove it until '95.
I got it as my first vehicle and drove it for 2 years. I sold it because the engine was having oil pressure issues and the floors were rotted away.
I found it on Craigslist last year (20 years after i sold it) and bought it back.
Yes, it needs a full restoration but its worth it.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Stay on Ford's customer service

 

[Snoranger]

Stay on Ford's customer service

I call them everyday.

 

[Doofy]

I would buy one from a wrecking yard and have the body shop install. You can always swap it out when the new one comes in. Simple swap.

 

[White11]

What about getting a rear axle off a wrecked truck?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I would buy one from a wrecking yard and have the body shop install. You can always swap it out when the new one comes in. Simple swap.

Insurance may consider it "fixed" and wipe their hands of it then. It is the first thing I thought of but I don't know how the red tape of people that have to pay you money but don't want to pay you money works.

And a used axle from a place that strips late model trucks will not be cheap either.

The dealer not backing you up is a reason to fire that dealer IMO.

 

[Snoranger]

I thought about a used axle, but I have enough issues with the insurance company already. I don't need anymore problems.

 

[adsm08]

Well I hate to say it, but you were screwed long before the accident happened. Leasing a vehicle is the financial equivalent of purposely dropping the soap in a prison shower.

When Ford backorders a part like that, and then keeps pushing the available date ahead a month at a time it usually doesn't mean they just don't have them. It usually means they have found a problem with them. Sometimes it is an engineering or design flaw and they are trying to get it fixed, sometimes a material defect, sometimes it means they found their supplier was screwing them and they are looking for a new one.

We went through this a LOT with the Focus and Fiesta with the clutches. Parts would be on universal backorder and the ship dates kept getting pushed back because they were redesigning a part that was failing due to software issues, and realizing they hadn't fixed anything. Often times the dealers will lean on Ford's parts division, just like you are doing with customer service, but that will only get you so far when there is no part to be had.

 

[Snoranger]

Well I hate to say it, but you were screwed long before the accident happened. Leasing a vehicle is the financial equivalent of purposely dropping the soap in a prison shower.

When Ford backorders a part like that, and then keeps pushing the available date ahead a month at a time it usually doesn't mean they just don't have them. It usually means they have found a problem with them. Sometimes it is an engineering or design flaw and they are trying to get it fixed, sometimes a material defect, sometimes it means they found their supplier was screwing them and they are looking for a new one.

We went through this a LOT with the Focus and Fiesta with the clutches. Parts would be on universal backorder and the ship dates kept getting pushed back because they were redesigning a part that was failing due to software issues, and realizing they hadn't fixed anything. Often times the dealers will lean on Ford's parts division, just like you are doing with customer service, but that will only get you so far when there is no part to be had.

While I agree leasing isn't the best idea financially, up until now it was a good option for my daily driver. I make a payment, they supply a truck with a warranty. I don't need to worry about getting to work. I can afford the truck payment, pay my bills, buy my SxS, pay for vacations, and still put money away every month for the future. That's more than a lot of people can say.


On my second call to Ford customer service today (if one call is good, 2 is better.) they said the axle MAY ship this week. And I should be receiving a call from the dealer about a loaner. We shall see.

 

[bobbywalter]

hmmm...leasing can absolutely make sense.









sno....in a time of just in time shipping and demand production...not sure what auto company you think will not have the issue on the top production model...

 

[Uncle Gump]

I leased a couple rangers in the mid to late 90's and one in 2002. In the 90's they damn near paid me to drive one off the lot. The 02... not so much.

This isn't a Ford thing... It happens to all auto manufactures.

 

[mrgrtt123]

It surely is testing your patience. The question is how really hard it is to find the parts that you need?

 

[adsm08]

hmmm...leasing can absolutely make sense

If you drive 10K miles a year or less and will be getting a new car every two to three years regardless then yes it can. I know some people will lease for a lower payment with plans to buy at the end, but in the long run you still pay more for the same car.

Also, lease payments incorporate a, usually, undisclosed interest rate that is much higher than a standard car loan.

Since I won't even buy a car that I can't pay cash for, and won't buy a vehicle that I don't plan to keep for at least 10 years, I 100% consider a lease to be super rapey.

 

[bobbywalter]

buying even a few year old vehicle with as much as they update them causes all kinds of parts procurement issues like sno is having here.

and its a plus usually with leasing depending on how you chose to do it


you can buy a 30k mile yr lease..or more..lots of ways to lease. fleet out a ride from enterprise or places like that..


goals and personal capacity to cost effectively maintain a vehicle are the key points for me. my ol lady is in her 50's now... i want no issues for travel. i am rarely available to put time to her maintenance. and new vehicles 2 yrs to 20 k miles are pretty good.



because my wife dont do miles like i do anymore ...she stays under 30...its cheaper for me to lease. well..for her preferred vehicle.

for sure there are certain vehicles you can buy and just trade in every year or every other year and do way better. of course...thats shit she dont like



people i know buying used are getting raped. 3-4-5 k a year in repairs on 2012-2015 vehicles....in the shop sometimes a few months a year cause they cant fix them...fuk that. but since 60-70 k miles a year is normal they cant do typical leases..

its tough to live with the idea of payment forever....but if you buy a 50k truck thats a money hole in 4 years...and unreliable to a high cost...whats the point.?.?

buy 50 k over 4 years..or lease 18k and get another one.

no easy answer...one dont fit all for sure


what happened to sno ranger underlines it for me.