Just picked up my LS from the dealer.

[JMT03LSV8]

so, a few weeks ago, my LS starts having the dreaded miss. I got a CEL while trying to merge on the highway but then it went away and car was fine for a few days then it did it again but magically disappeard. I ordered a set of Visteon coils off Amazon ($186 shipped) and picked up a set of SP-468 plugs ($41). Easter Sunday morning, I pull the passenger side coil cover off and pull the first coil, the boot COVERED in oil! I put it back together and started calling dealerships Monday morning. with a build date of February 2003 and 68xxx miles, I figured it was covered. Well, 2 nearby dealerships I guess weren't interested in doing warranty work even though I told them I needed some other services done. Called the Ford dealership about 20 minutes from my girlfriends house, she bought a used Explorer there last year, they were more than happy to look at it and wanted it monday night for Tuesday morning. Service guy calls me Tuesday afternoon, they are still diagnosing but wanted to know if I wanted the passenger side front door handle replaced that was extremely loose. Might as well. So, below is what they fixed/replaced under warranty;

New valve cover gaskets. (All 8 plug wells had oil in them)
2 new coils. (Cylinders 1 & 5)
6 new boots
6 new plugs

What I got for $461 including tax:
2 more new plugs (might as well!)
Lube, oil & filter
an interior bulb that was out
New door handle, painted and installed
FINALLY, my 5 digit door code!

AND, a loaner Fusion to drive for a few days

I still have a full set of plugs and coils in case I need them after the warranty is finished.

Needless to say, I'm pretty happy with their service. They did a really good job of explaining things, took the time to do everything right but pretty quickly considering the door handle had to be ordered, painted and installed. And hopefully this thing is set to go for awhile without any problems.
I apologize for the long post. It was just awesome to find a dealership that acted like they cared in this area.

 

[M4rk]

My door handle is loose too - I figure there must be a way to tighten it?

 

[JMT03LSV8]

Mine was ok where it attached to the car but was getting kind of floppy when you opened the door and didn't go all the way back in when you released it unless you pushed it back in. It looks like, from what I can read on the bill, that the door handle was around $170 to $180 for the handle, paint and install. I'm not sure I would have torn the door apart to do it.

 

[05 LS8]

I need some dealerships like that around here.

Glad it worked out for you.

 

[JMT03LSV8]

I need some dealerships like that around here.

Glad it worked out for you.

Me too man! Just super nice people all around. I believe I have found a place I trust to work on my car. The really sad part is that there is literally a dealership less than half a mile from the house and they were just like "so what" when I called.

 

[marcredd]

Sounds like a very good outcome. Maybe it was good the other two dealers did not step up.

 

[RigsLS]

I need some dealerships like that around here...

+1

Dear Santa,
all I want for xmass is a Ford Dealership that cares and doesn't rip me off.


@ JMT03LSV8,
thoughts about writting Ford headquarters and explaining the sh*t attitudes ?

 

[JMT03LSV8]

+1

Dear Santa,
all I want for xmass is a Ford Dealership that cares and doesn't rip me off.


@ JMT03LSV8,
thoughts about writting Ford headquarters and explaining the sh*t attitudes ?

Yeah, I'm contemplating on what exactly to say to get my point accross without sounding like a d!ck. Because I'm good at that some times. I was definitly thinking about writing to the dealerships and mentioning they not only lost any future service but also a potential buyer. The dealership I went to always seems busy with hardly any place to park. I'm willing to bet how well they treat people has a lot to do with that.

 

[LeaSr77]

Dam all eight wells had oil in them? About six years ago shortly after I got my car and then starting having that problem I went to the dealership to get a quote on doing the VCG. I remember the guy telling me that the valve covers themselves would need to be replaced because they warp from the heat and would possibly allow oil to leak by even with new gaskets. The other day I was browsing craiglists and found a guy selling a set for $110 brand new. My thing is has anyone actually replaced them along with the VCG and then later on had the VCG started leaking again?

 

[JMT03LSV8]

Well, it's been a couple weeks now and I'm not sure if it feels like the car is running any better than when I first bought it but since the new plugs and coils, the average gas mileage is up about .5 mile to the gallon. I'm going to assume the new plugs have helped. Just sharing info.