Ford Service? Please!!!!

<p> My disappointing encounter with Ford began when I took my Ford Ranger for a 105 000 km service to CMH Kempster Ford in Hatfield on the 03rd January 2017, and reported that my air conditioner was not working and that my fuel flap did not close. These two items were to be done under warranty but they told me that the fuel flap could not be repaired as there were no parts available, and that their Ford authorised air-conditioning repair workshop was not yet open after the December break. </p> <p> I work in Namibia where temperatures are in excess of 40 degrees Celsius so I took my bakkie to a Ford accredited air conditioning repair shop in Centurion who repaired an O-ring on the system and Ford paid for the repair. On my way to Namibia on the 09th December 2017, there was a terrible noise in the engine that came on and went off randomly and I soon learned that it was the air conditioner because the noise subsided when I switched the air conditioner off. I spend three months at a time in Namibia and had no alternative but to keep the air conditioner off for this period. On my way back to Pretoria, an orange warning light came on.</p> <p> I asked my son to book a service with Kempster Ford Hatfield and to report the problems and was surprised when I took the vehicle in on the10th April 2017, where a young lady greeted me and immediately told me with a victorious smile that my warranty had expired on the 12th January 2017. I must admit I was surprised but immediately saw that this was the case and that I had mistakenly thought that it was a five-year warranty. I enquired about the air conditioner and the fuel filter flap which had been reported within the waranty period, and she referred me to Miriam who was handling my case. Miriam told me that all problems were for my account as they now fell out of the warranty period and that the fuel flap was broken and could not be claimed from the warranty, even though it was reported in time. She later phoned me and told me that the orange light was that the glow plugs had to be replaced.</p> <p> Miriam also told me that the vehicle would have to be in for two days as the air conditioner would take time so you can understand that I was surprised when she phoned me after three days and told me that I had to take the vehicle in to the air-conditioning place myself, but that I could pick up the vehicle as it was ready.</p> <p> When I went to pick up the vehicle I told Miriam that I wanted to see the Dealer Principle and I met with Service Manager Jeanette Rakow and Dealer Principle Ralph Nortje and after confiding my story to them, Nortje asked Jeanette Rakow to look into the possibility of putting a warranty claim in. She sent me to the air-conditioning repair shop for an ‘evaluation’.</p> <p> I took my bakkie to them on 13th April 2017 and they phoned her at 09h30 and told her that the compressor needed replacement. I phoned her at 10 o’clock and asked her what her decision was and she told me that she was waiting for Ford for an answer but that it would not take more than three hours. I asked her to try and hurry things up because they could still fix it but that I was running out of time and would have to return to Namibia for three months.</p> <p> I have phoned her repeatedly and have e-mailed her and find it hard to understand how a huge company like Ford can take ten days and still not come up with an answer so insignificant and have come to the conclusion that they are just giving me the ‘run-around’, hoping thatthe problem will go away. Had Rakow told me on the 13th that Ford was not going to pay because they did not believe that I was telling the truth, I would have repaired the air conditioner at my own cost and would not be sitting in this heat (which still reaches 38 degrees) without an air-conditioner.</p> <p> In conclusion Ford told me that my fuel flap had broken without any visible forcing. I find it hard to believe that any car manufacturer would fit a security item so inferior. Come on, this is a locking device and it was not forced, so it must have been faulty.</p> <p> The air-conditioner is another story. This broke during warranty but I cannot prove it and Ford have to decide whether I’m telling the truth. They clearly don’t believe me in spite of the fact that I said I would bring them a sworn affidavit from a professional engineer who accompanied me on the 9th April 2017 to Namibia who witnessed the noise. The glow plugs I accept and have paid for as they fell out of the warranty period and have grudgingly paid for the fuel flap.</p> <p> Well Ford, you will be relieved to hear that I have decided to pay for own air-conditioner repairs, but I cannot comprehend why you just didn’t come out and say “Hey, we’re not paying”.</p> <p> Besides this vehicle is falling apart with only 113 000 kilometres on the clock. Time to fix it and trade it in on a Toyota!!!</p>