I almost replaced the 3rd motor on my same vehicle !!! FORD SA

This was the email I've sent Ford SA (26th October), and I've received terrible feedback and in some cases no feedback...... please read

Dear Ford Customer Care

I have been a Ford owner for over 10 years now. I almost replaced the 3rd motor on my same vehicle, due to FORD faulty parts and poor workmanship (FORD mechanics).

I went to Kruger National Park for a weeklong vacation from the 16 October to the 24 October. On the way from Punda Maria camp to Shingwedzi camp on the 18 October, I noticed that my temperature gauge shot up high, close to Babalala picnic spot , and I stopped and switched off my engine as soon as possible and opened the bonnet to see what the problem was! • Water level was lower than the minimum level. • Water was boiling. • …and saw water dripping from the engine (Could not see where). Thank goodness I had plenty of water! I waited for 15 to 20 minutes and then filled up the water to above max level. We headed off to Shingwedzi camp (Our next sleep over), and every 10km to 15km we checked the water level and topped the water above max level. At Shingwedzi camp we asked for a onsite mechanic, and we got told we had to go to Letaba camp for a mechanic, and every 10km to 15km we checked the water level and topped the water above max level. We stopped at Mopani just to check if they had a mechanic on site, they said the same, we had to go to Letaba camp for a mechanic), and every 10km to 15km we checked the water level and topped the water above max level. Finally we got to the Shingwedzi camp late. The next day, first thing in the morning (19 October) we when to see the onsite mechanic. When he took off the heat shield we noted a few shocking things! • The metal pipe that runs from the water bottle to the water pump had a hole in it (The problem was either wear from the heat shield or poor workmanship at FORD). {See Attachment_1 and video clip} • Missing bolt and nut on the turbo charger. {See Attachment_2 and Attachment_3} • 2 missing bolts on the lower part of the heat shield (I presume that caused the problem). {See Attachment_4 and Attachment_5} The mechanic at the Letaba camp made a temporary fix (Stopped the leak by ± 75%), and we left off the heat shield so I can keep an eye on it! {See Attachment_6 and Attachment_7} The morning we needed to go to our next camp on the 20 October, the water bottle cap inner part snapped off the upper part in to the water bottle! {See Attachment_8 and Attachment_9} Thank goodness the water level was above maximum level. We had no choice to go to the nearest Ford dealership (Hazyview Numbi). The mechanic at Ford Numbi dealership managed to get the inner part out and twisted the new water bottle cap on, and asked him what can he do with the metal pipe leak, and he told me that his dealership only does services and simple jobs on vehicles. He did give me details of a mechanic that could help me (Corporate Auto Electric), that gave me a much better temporary fix (Stopped the leak by 100%). {See Attachment_10 and Attachment_11} We headed off to Pretoriuskop camp (Our next sleep over), and every 25km to 50km we checked the water level and no water leaks. Holiday ended on the 24 October and headed home, and every 50km to 100km we checked the water level and no water leaks.

Witnesses and findings: • Ken, Jane and Kevin Smith was the people I was on holiday with, and they was with me every part of this headache and holiday. • Samson the Letaba camp mechanic, which gave me his opinion and the ± 75% temporary fix. • The Ford Hazyview Numbi mechanic, which fixed my water bottle cap problem, and told us that the person that worked on my vehicle did not adhere to Ford’s workmanship values, and they did not replace the correct fasteners on the turbo booster! • Christo at Corporate Auto Electric, which gave me excellent service and gave a 100% temporary fix, and told us that the mechanics that worked on my vehicle did not care and we would never except workmanship like what we saw!

What did it cost me: • Frustration, stress, anxiety and anger. • 2 days of my precious holiday. • R721.00 for the temporary fix at Letaba. • R151.00 for the water bottle cap at Ford Hazyview. • R351.00 temporary fix at Corporate Auto Electric. • ± 200km of fuel for my vehicle and for my friend’s vehicle (400km). • Cancelling the booking at Shingwedzi camp and moving the accommodation to Letaba camp, R2, 600.00. • Losing complete trust with the FORD brand.

I am well aware that my vehicle is out of warranty, but this problem occurred when my vehicle was under warranty, and the work was done at Ford 14th Avenue, Randburg.

Vehicle: Ford fiesta EcoBoost Registration number: DM 53 CX GP VIN number: WFODXXGAKDEB01143 Mileage: 136, 570km My name: Christopher Roberts Contact details: *** Email: ***

I do expect a satisfactory response, Chris