Odinson
01-09-2009, 05:02 PM
Hi
A couple people have contacted me about the crazy taxi project. Well I haven't had the car for part of that time! Turns out my car had a little more history than I thought. The dealers did a stand up job of making it right, I thought this was the most appropriate place to share it.
To whom it may concern,
It is with great satisfaction that I report that I have had an excellent service experience with my recently purchased Mercury Marauder. I recently purchased this model used car and an a accompanying warranty only to find that it had been in an unreported accident before I purchased it. If it where not for the swift and responsible actions of both Hasset Lincoln Mercury of Wantagh, NY and Webster Dudley Lincoln Mercury of Webster, MA, I would be stuck with a large bank loan on large 8 cylinder breakdown lane time bomb.
I had been looking for a fairly priced used Marauder for some time when I came across the listing for a Marauder with 32,697 miles. Carfax comes back clean. I contacted Tim Eldredge of Webster Dudley LM after asking some questions and negotiating a price, we agreed I would drive up to Webster and purchase the car after an in person inspection and test drive. I drove my aging but dependable 129k 1999 Grand Marquis GS up there with the intent of trading it in for a break on the price.
I inspected the car and test drove it and all seemed well. I signed over the bank check, settled on a 3 year 36k premium care warranty, turned over the keys for 99 (bought from Hasset, BTW) and drove the Marauder home. I mailed Webster the final paperwork and completed the NY registration. I then brought the car to Hasset for NYS inspection. They discovered a leaky shock and rear end seal, but nothing that was beyond the pale for a five year old car.
A month and a half passed. The MM sees use a daily driver. One day in late November I get a check engine light. I am due to go to Hasset anyway to take care of the shock and rear. I schedule an appointment and drop the car off.
I get a call back a day and a half later. It's Ken from Hasset. "Mr Newhall, this car has been in an accident."
Oh God.
The mechanic (I don't know his name) was certain this car has been in an accident. The front bumper and drivers side fender has been replaced. No damage to the frame or engine. The bad part is, main wiring harness had been spliced back together, badly, and needed to be replaced. Hasset (or any other dealer for that matter) won't fix it this way. So I ask, "It's covered under warranty, right?" After all, other than the engine, the catastrophic cost of the main wiring harness is reason why you buy a warranty.
"I'm sorry this is a broken repair from an accident."
Oh God.
It does make perfect sense that this is not Hasset's responsibility. Lets just step back from the fear for a second an look at this situation. I bought this car from a Ford dealer who themselves bought the car at a dealer Ford auction. I, nor Hasset, Nor Webster Dudley, even noticed anything seriously wrong till now. Something is broken inside Fords certification process. I can't start at the beginning, but I could start at my beginning.
I ask them to hold off on repairs, and I call Tim from Webster Dudley. I can hear his jaw drop when I explain this to him. He tells me he is going to try to "make it right" and will get back to me.
So I'm a paranoid chap. I do some digging while I wait. Turns out Mass has an aggressive Lemon law. If a dealer sold car has a safety related failure in the first 90 days or 3k after purchase the consumer has many options. This definitely qualifies.
Tim calls me back. They'll fix it and give me a loaner. I just have to get it to Mass. The next day I limp it up there (there is a bogus overdrive deactivation ghost that required restarting the car to eliminate.) They gave me a Ford Focus for two weeks while they replace the main wiring harness for free. I return the Focus and the Marauder has been trouble free for about two weeks.
Why did I spell this process out like this? I wanted to point out how easy it would have been to let me flap in the breeze.
Hasset diagnosed my electrical problem by tracing it out (standard fare) but then went the next step and documented the splicing and the fact that the splicing had been done as part of a repair as evidenced by the replaced body panels.
Webster stood behind their product and repaired it with few questions asked and a loaner for my trouble. I realize that Mass law was in my favor,, but I never even had to mention it. They didn't have to give me a loaner, had three opportunities to attempt repairs (at 800 miles round trip for me) and could have dragged things out through arbitration.
Someone inside a Ford organization failed to recognize or document the accident, but both dealers did a good job of working together to make sure that was not MY problem.
This is not my first positive experience with a Lincoln Mercury dealer. The infrequent repairs and service on the 99 Grand Marquis have also been very positive. In my limited experience, it looks like the entire dealer network is fairly awesome. These businesses certainly stand out. I will seriously consider a Mercury or Lincoln for the next family car.
Thanks for standing behind your products.
Matthew Newhall
A couple people have contacted me about the crazy taxi project. Well I haven't had the car for part of that time! Turns out my car had a little more history than I thought. The dealers did a stand up job of making it right, I thought this was the most appropriate place to share it.
To whom it may concern,
It is with great satisfaction that I report that I have had an excellent service experience with my recently purchased Mercury Marauder. I recently purchased this model used car and an a accompanying warranty only to find that it had been in an unreported accident before I purchased it. If it where not for the swift and responsible actions of both Hasset Lincoln Mercury of Wantagh, NY and Webster Dudley Lincoln Mercury of Webster, MA, I would be stuck with a large bank loan on large 8 cylinder breakdown lane time bomb.
I had been looking for a fairly priced used Marauder for some time when I came across the listing for a Marauder with 32,697 miles. Carfax comes back clean. I contacted Tim Eldredge of Webster Dudley LM after asking some questions and negotiating a price, we agreed I would drive up to Webster and purchase the car after an in person inspection and test drive. I drove my aging but dependable 129k 1999 Grand Marquis GS up there with the intent of trading it in for a break on the price.
I inspected the car and test drove it and all seemed well. I signed over the bank check, settled on a 3 year 36k premium care warranty, turned over the keys for 99 (bought from Hasset, BTW) and drove the Marauder home. I mailed Webster the final paperwork and completed the NY registration. I then brought the car to Hasset for NYS inspection. They discovered a leaky shock and rear end seal, but nothing that was beyond the pale for a five year old car.
A month and a half passed. The MM sees use a daily driver. One day in late November I get a check engine light. I am due to go to Hasset anyway to take care of the shock and rear. I schedule an appointment and drop the car off.
I get a call back a day and a half later. It's Ken from Hasset. "Mr Newhall, this car has been in an accident."
Oh God.
The mechanic (I don't know his name) was certain this car has been in an accident. The front bumper and drivers side fender has been replaced. No damage to the frame or engine. The bad part is, main wiring harness had been spliced back together, badly, and needed to be replaced. Hasset (or any other dealer for that matter) won't fix it this way. So I ask, "It's covered under warranty, right?" After all, other than the engine, the catastrophic cost of the main wiring harness is reason why you buy a warranty.
"I'm sorry this is a broken repair from an accident."
Oh God.
It does make perfect sense that this is not Hasset's responsibility. Lets just step back from the fear for a second an look at this situation. I bought this car from a Ford dealer who themselves bought the car at a dealer Ford auction. I, nor Hasset, Nor Webster Dudley, even noticed anything seriously wrong till now. Something is broken inside Fords certification process. I can't start at the beginning, but I could start at my beginning.
I ask them to hold off on repairs, and I call Tim from Webster Dudley. I can hear his jaw drop when I explain this to him. He tells me he is going to try to "make it right" and will get back to me.
So I'm a paranoid chap. I do some digging while I wait. Turns out Mass has an aggressive Lemon law. If a dealer sold car has a safety related failure in the first 90 days or 3k after purchase the consumer has many options. This definitely qualifies.
Tim calls me back. They'll fix it and give me a loaner. I just have to get it to Mass. The next day I limp it up there (there is a bogus overdrive deactivation ghost that required restarting the car to eliminate.) They gave me a Ford Focus for two weeks while they replace the main wiring harness for free. I return the Focus and the Marauder has been trouble free for about two weeks.
Why did I spell this process out like this? I wanted to point out how easy it would have been to let me flap in the breeze.
Hasset diagnosed my electrical problem by tracing it out (standard fare) but then went the next step and documented the splicing and the fact that the splicing had been done as part of a repair as evidenced by the replaced body panels.
Webster stood behind their product and repaired it with few questions asked and a loaner for my trouble. I realize that Mass law was in my favor,, but I never even had to mention it. They didn't have to give me a loaner, had three opportunities to attempt repairs (at 800 miles round trip for me) and could have dragged things out through arbitration.
Someone inside a Ford organization failed to recognize or document the accident, but both dealers did a good job of working together to make sure that was not MY problem.
This is not my first positive experience with a Lincoln Mercury dealer. The infrequent repairs and service on the 99 Grand Marquis have also been very positive. In my limited experience, it looks like the entire dealer network is fairly awesome. These businesses certainly stand out. I will seriously consider a Mercury or Lincoln for the next family car.
Thanks for standing behind your products.
Matthew Newhall