Ford Warranty Coverage

[crouse]

I received a letter today from the Ford dealer that we purchased my wife's 2006 Freestyle from.

It reads:

Documentation of proper maintenance may be required by the manufacturer or extended service provider for warranty coverage. By having your vehicle maintained at ________ we are able to keep complete records for you.

I do almost all of my maintenance myself and keep an Excel sheet with date, mileage and what work was done. Are they just trying to scare me into bringing my vehicle to them or has anyone heard of a denied warranty claim based on this?

[fastblackmerc]

They could try to deny a claim but as long as you have records I don't think it owuld hold up in court. Looks like a shameless attempt to get you into the dealership for some high-priced work!

[teamrope]

Your best insurace is to KEEP RECIEPTS! That's what the service manager at my dealership told me. :)

[RCSignals]

They (Car manufacturers) have always said, if you do your own maintenance, keep records and reciepts. I have heard of a denial of warranty for a failed engine. the owner couldn't prove maintenance and the engine looked like it had never had an oil change when torn down.

[AstroVic]

It's a scare tactic.....er, marketing strategy.

Just do what you're doing, but add the receipts to your list. Also, I would photocopy the receipts because the ink used on receipts is not very durable and quickly vanishes (in a matter of months, or less in some instances), which leaves you with a blank piece of receipt paper. Obviously, a blank piece of receipt paper is worthless so make sure to photocopy them from time to time.

Also, photocopying them gives you a little space to write some notes on the margins, covering information that might not otherwise be listed on the receipt - "checked tire pressure, checked oil level, checked transmission fluid, etc."

My car is not under warranty, but I keep accurate records anyhow. It's a good habit to get into, but I warn in advance that it'll probably annoy the daylights out of your wife! My wife stares at me with "the eye" every time we stop for gas and I bust out my little black book to record the date, odometer reading, # of gallons purchased, purchase price, etc. :)

[jgc61sr2002]

They are just trying to have you bring the car to the dealer for maintenance.
Looking to make $ by putting fear in you that a potential problem will not be covered by warranty.

[GAMike]

one of the things they may try to throw at you is that the work was not performed by a "Certified Technician" .

You push hard enough through your regional Ford Service Rep. (who works for Ford but is liased with a bunch of dealers in your region) find out who this is, and this will go away. Just get away from dealing directly with the dealership if they give you static.

Like everyone here has said........Record keeping while under warrantee, no matter who performs the work, is critical. Let them know how many Ford products you own, or have owned too........Show them those records.

That will get em to say "uncle" real quck:D


Best regards,