warranty question

[Vortex]

Im hoping somebody can steer me in the right direction here; I own an 05 Montego and took it to the dealer to get some warranty work done. Included were splitting of the plastic clearcoat on the grille (probably due to hot sun) and poor fit of rear bumper cover. According to the service writer, he sent digital photos someplace and the warranty work was not authorized. The writer was careful with his words but it is apparent they think the damage was done by me and this isnt the case. What would be my next course of action here? The car only has 2,000 miles and the grille is already deteriorating and the right rear bumper cover attachment has almost a 1/4 inch gap. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[Dragcity]

Chain of Command.

Speak with the Service Director at the Dealership. He usually takes the side of the Service Manager though.

Then go to the Sales Manger, which is usually an owner. Explain you are not at all satisfied with your purchase and the inferior quality and the Lack of support for, what you feel is, sub-standard quality.

No luck with the sales manager, ask for the Vice President, President, Owner.

Local Ford Rep is your next step, but here again, they usually support the Dealer more than the Customer.

Final step is the 1-800 Ford Service Number in your owner's manual.

Document all conversation. This may take the better part of the week.

They SHOULD take care of that crap for you. Peeling grill, C'mon.

I am getting new window mouldings for my Marauder that has 34,000 mi on it because they are growing rust bubbles under the rubber.

Try to be nice, and always professional. Don't give up until you get what you deserve.

[Power Surge]

As a former Ford Tech, my advice would be to just find another dealer.

It sounds like, for whatever reason, you got some kind of runaround. They obviously don't want to do that particular job.

With warranty work, there are catagories (exterior trim, brakes, drivetrain, etc) that the dealers are "rated" on each month by Ford for the amount of warranty repairs for each given catagory. If they are too high for any catagory for the month, Ford gives them hell and will even kick back some of the claims. That dealer may be high for exterior repairs this month, and is purposely trying to turn you away without saying so.

It's not a big deal, just go to another dealer. You can bring you car to a regular Ford dealer, it doesn't have to be a L/M dealer.