FordExcursions.com Forums
ChopperCop
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• Houston, TX, USA |
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• Registered on 5/25/2005 |
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• 10 posts |
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 Posted:5/26/2005 22:19 |
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A newbie here with a question. I just bought an '03 "X" (love it so far). The plastic interior body pannel where the spare tire mounts is cracked. The dealer says that the spare tire was over tightened causing the crack. He said this would not be covered by warranty. My thoughts are that if the spare has never been on the ground then the odds are that Ford installed it incorrectly. My other thought is that if he insists that it was over tigfhtned by the previous owner, is there a correct torque setting for this? Any help would be great.
Thanks,
ChopperCop |
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E. Long
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• Subscriber since 1/1/2001 |
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• Atlanta, GA, USA |
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• Registered on 1/23/2001 |
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• 2,229 posts |
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 Posted:5/26/2005 23:33 |
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| Quote: | | A newbie here with a question. I just bought an '03 "X" (love it so far). The plastic interior body pannel where the spare tire mounts is cracked. The dealer says that the spare tire was over tightened causing the crack. He said this would not be covered by warranty. My thoughts are that if the spare has never been on the ground then the odds are that Ford installed it incorrectly. My other thought is that if he insists that it was over tigfhtned by the previous owner, is there a correct torque setting for this? Any help would be great. |
Welcome to the club!
I would say that the previous owner is to blame. It's possible they removed it to add extra room when hauling some stuff (I know I've done it before).
I gotta say though, I tighten mine to the point where you can't tighten it anymore. Did you buy the X from the dealer? If not, then I just don't see a dealer siding with you on this one based on past experiences. Honestly, I think you're SOL on this one.   
-Eric
'67 Galaxie 500 - 390 FE, .030" over, FE to AOD adapter, disc brake conversion. The Daily Driver.
'00 Excursion - 7.3L PSD, LANDYOT Gen-II Radius Rods, Factory Tech Valve Body, 200K+ miles and going |
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JohnBoy
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• DFW, TX, USA |
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• Registered on 9/3/2002 |
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• 972 posts |
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Posted:5/27/2005 06:38 |
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Welcome CC !!!
Get a hold of the salvage yards and maybe they have a parts locator service that may be able to find you one....
Have had good luck with that before when I didn't want to pay the dealer prices !!!
Good luck and let us know what you find out !
JB
2005 6.0L 4x4 Eddie Bauer Ex
2003 6.0L 4x4 Limited Ex - traded in (BooHoo )
"The Republicans should back off and let men marry men, women marry women, and legalize abortion. In three generations there would be no Democrats." |
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ChopperCop
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• Houston, TX, USA |
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• Registered on 5/25/2005 |
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• 10 posts |
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Posted:5/28/2005 07:11 |
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Met with the service manager on Fiday. He started out saing that there was no way Ford could cover the damage. I explained my posisition that a car with less than 12,000 miles shouldn't have this problem. That since the spare had never been on the ground ( you could see that the paint where the lugs go through had never been tightened) it was reasonable to assume that the spare had never been removed. I was calm and respectfull, presented my arguements politely and never got angry (you know, more flies with honey) At one point he even thanked me for my attitude. I told him that there was no point in getting mad, if I wasn't happy with the answers I got from him, I would just keep moving up the chain till I did. Anyway, the service manager went and made some more phone calls and finally came back . He said that they would have to eat the cost, but that they wanted my future business and would do the repairs for me. Now I don't know about you, but I'm thinking this is pretty cool. If your ever in need of service or what at least looks like an honost dealership I can recommend Champion Ford on the Gulf Freeway in Houston.
Thanks for the responses and the welcome.
ChopperCop |
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E. Long
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• Subscriber since 1/1/2001 |
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• Atlanta, GA, USA |
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• Registered on 1/23/2001 |
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• 2,229 posts |
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ChopperCop
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• Houston, TX, USA |
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• Registered on 5/25/2005 |
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• 10 posts |
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Posted:5/29/2005 18:45 |
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Eric,
No. I bought it from Hillcrest Ford in Huntsville, Tx. thats one of the reasons I feel so blessed by them covering the repair. They didn't tell me what the total cost would be, but when we first started discussing it, the body panels that needed replacing were around $350.00.
Think I would be pushing it if I asked them to provide a rent car?? 
ChopperCop |
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E. Long
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• Subscriber since 1/1/2001 |
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• Atlanta, GA, USA |
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• Registered on 1/23/2001 |
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• 2,229 posts |
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Posted:5/31/2005 23:03 |
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| Quote: | | Think I would be pushing it if I asked them to provide a rent car?? |
Yes, for sure. The dealerships around here seem to no longer being doing the free rental thing and will instead provide a "free shuttle service" to/from work. The driver at the dealership I go to remembers me each time he drives me to the office when the X is gettin' worked on. Not sure if that's good or bad considering I don't bring the X in for oil changes or general maintenance anymore!
-Eric
'67 Galaxie 500 - 390 FE, .030" over, FE to AOD adapter, disc brake conversion. The Daily Driver.
'00 Excursion - 7.3L PSD, LANDYOT Gen-II Radius Rods, Factory Tech Valve Body, 200K+ miles and going |
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