Do more business with a family friend or trust the warranty companies mechanic?
I own a 2006 Ford Fusion 5 Speed. 70k miles when I bought it, almost up to 80k. It started with a small oil leak that got larger. I brought it to my local Ford dealer for an oil change and free inspection. They called me into the garage to show me the area where my engine and transmission meet, near the slave cylinder, was covered in oil. Their guess was it’s a rear main seal.
A rear main seal is covered under the aftermarket warranty I purchased with the car. I made an appointment at a family friends Ford dealership 2 hours away so I knew I would be in good hands. They even ordered two rear main seals for me.
The dealer could not find an oil leak but they found a crack in my transmission, worn clutch, torn boot. 14 days or so later they replaced all of the above and the insurance covered everything but the boot (and axle since they couldn’t buy just a boot) and the dealer let me drive off with out paying a penny. They had a heck of a time doing business with the warranty company. Customer service is horrible and it took a long time for the used transmission to arrive, mind you the bank I purchased the warranty through is located one block from this Ford dealer.
My car is still leaking oil from the same spot, leaving puddles every where I park. Living in Minnesota, I leave behind the familiar rainbow in a parking lot that has slush or melted snow covering it.
I called the dealer back and the owner (a family friend) said they would get me taken care of.
The warranty company assures me my car will be taken care of much faster if I bring it to their shop in Minneapolis that is used to working with them.
I can’t decide if I should trust the warranty’s shop for a faster fix, or risk being with out my car for another two weeks to have the work done up north at a shop that never solved the initial problem.
I would not split my business between two different shops, for essentially is your same complaint. I would make this choice knowing the consequences concerning the time it took to gain satisfaction for the first repair.
That said, I would also talk to the bank who is selling the aftermarket warranty and note to them that any local, convenience selling points are lost due to the unsatisfactory waits and delays by the approving warranty company staff. That may or may change things in the future for future customers.
The work approval issue, etc, is clearly with the warranty company and no one else. Their information requirements for repair approvals should not be dependent upon a “shop who is used to dealing with them” if they have advertised easy, local convenience factors as selling points.
It sounds like you may come out ahead on the extended warranty (most purchasers don’t), but the time factor has turned into a major inconvenience in obtaining warranty work. This is why I continue to have a “pay as I go” policy, so I can choose my mechanic and know I will get prompt work done when I approve it.
Perhaps you need to visit both shops to see what each thinks is going on with the car. Is it a seal now, or a bad trans case, or what? There might be nothing wrong with the insurance company recommended shop. Without checking out the shop yourself how can you make a decision on which way to go?
I would stick with the original shop and at this point I would not lay these problems all off on them. If the transmission was cracked then you have to ask yourself why it’s cracked.
Collision in the past which could have stressed the engine block, crankshaft, etc.? My feeling is that this vehicle has a very shaky history behind it considering the problems that existed (and still does) with it.
I would have hoped the rear main seal was replaced while the trans was out. If it was, and if it’s leaking again, that’s a sign of an engine problem due to ?.