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RJ Kanary

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  1. One of the few times in my life that I've been ahead of the curve. I've been mowing my one third of an acre, mostly steep hillsides, with my 1972 General Electric E-20 Elec-Trak®. Yep, been mowing grass, pushing snow, and towing disabled vehicles into my place of employment for the past 25 years,all with electricity. It's great to be able to hear my neighbors a quarter of a mile away out tending to their lawns while I'm quietly mowing mine, with only the scent of fresh cut grass to enjoy. <G> RJ
  2. MY question is.................... Was it the Assembly Line Tech's job to verify that the bolts the manufacturer provided were the proper ones for the task ? <VBG>
  3. At least at the Manheim Auctions, a vehicle is arbitrated after the car or truck goes over the auction block. The new owner of said vehicle can have it arbitrated if he finds an undisclosed issue with the vehicle that is going to cost over $400.00 to repair. The Arb crew inspects the vehicle to determine the validity of the claim.If the issue is valid, the purchaser has the option of having the selling dealer making a financial adjustment to the sale price to offset the cost of the repair, or the selling dealer may repair the fault to prevent the sale from unwinding. As you might imagine, an issue such as the ones caused by 'Death Cool' are always expensive to address. Intake manifold leaks especially on the mini vans are expensive to repair.
  4. The General has settled a class-action lawsuit claiming damages from its "Dexcool" coolant, agreeing to pay up to $800 each to customers who can prove damages. Plaintiff attorneys estimate that the final number of claims could top $20 million, a bill which would cost GM of hundreds of millions of dollars. "It could be multiple nine figures; it depends on how many people make the claim," co-counsel for the plaintiffs, Jack Brady tells the International Herald Tribune . "I think it could be a huge settlement." Of course, while the people who had to replace manifold gaskets and heater cores get between $50 and $800 for repairs, Mr Brady and his co-counsels will pocket up to $23 million in fees and $2.8 million for expenses ( ...gotta love class actions). Still, if you own a GM vehicle with the 3.1-liter or 3.4-liter V6 engines for model years 1995 to 2003; the 3.8-liter V6 engines for model years 1995 to 2004; or the 4.3-liter V6 engines for model years 1995 through 2000 and have had to pay for coolant-related damages, you should check dexcoolsettlement.com to file a claim. The number of these vehicle STILL getting arbitrated at auto auctions is astronomical. RJ
  5. Sorry ! Read the Detroit News and watched CNN before I looked at the Forum.{Besides, I DO have a reputation to uphold as Johnny Raincloud.}
  6. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ Either approach would require it in cubic quantities. <sigh!>
  7. The first and ONLY Ford that I purchased,[all others have been inheritances or donations.] was my very first ride. A 1962 Fairlane, complete with raging 170 CID Six, and that mechanical marvel the Ford Two- Speed automatic . I obtained this vintage conveyance in 1973, and the experience that I had with it shaped my car buying decisions for the rest of my life. No more Fords..................[unless I can afford a '42 GPW. THAT I would buy.] <VBG>
  8. <Keep what in mind? That you can't depend on a dealer tech to think past their TSBs and procedures? ROFL, Ok I will.. Is THAT what the Mavens Of The Blue Oval Expect ? I can't speak for all Dealer Techs. Especially since THAT chapter in my life closed over twelve years ago. About the time the SECOND round of Taurus subframe mount recalls were being performed. <Do you call the warranty center for procedure to pick a dropped bolt off the floor? Depends on the bolt. Obviously, the actual defect on the replacement part wasn't something "obvious" in nature; because if it was I would like to think that a couple of "free thinking" techs would have pointed it out before 225,000 of them were installed.> But isn't QC supposed to ferret out not so obvious issues that can impinge on a products performance?And again, did the Service Procedure outline a verification of proper installation and function ? <Every worker on the line has the responsibilty to inspect the parts they put on the car and to bring quality concerns up to supervision. I suppose there are people out there that do their job and those that don't; just like there's dealers that charge $120 for a 4-wheel alignment (I only took the car to the dealer because the car is under its extended warranty). And I took it back 2 times because they frakked it up twice. I could've taken it anywhere else and got it done under $100. You can't blame Ford FRT for that one, can you? It wasn't a warranty job. That was a direct billing 20% over what the going rate of a shop who doesn't need mom to hold their hand for "procedure". Where was their "quality control"? Any idiot that holds a driver's license could tell the car pulled (which it didn't when I brought it in -- I got the alignment as a precaution when I bought new tires). <Oh, it must've been the alignment rack's fault.> Was this possible cause of failure investigated as plausible? <Or isn't the alignment procedure for a Focus in depth enough?> Have you ever performed an alignment on one? I haven't. But you don't see me on here bitching about how my "confidence in all dealerships" has been shaken -- Go to the Vehicle Tracking section of this forum, look at some of my 2500 posts there helping customers and try to find one post that puts down dealers.> Accountability requires documentation.What did the print outs from the alignment machine display as far as parameters in spec, and those that were not 'preferred' settings?Is the software for the machine up to date? Have all the calibrations that the machine requires been performed............correctly?Who is the responsible party in THIS saga? It's wonderful that you have such a magnanimous attitude for dealers.Since I never have and never will purchase a new vehicle, my chances of gaining some of life's experiences from the other side of the counter are nil.After all, they don't design 'em or build 'em. They just sell 'em and [sometimes] fix'em. <G>And after some of the things that I witnessed as far as warranty repairs go, there are some customers I really felt sorry for. <If you spend more on a depreciating vehicle cost more than the investment you made in your house, you either need financial counselling or a priority check. > I appreciate you concern for my financial well being. My humble abode cost $25 K 28 years ago.The only household items that were subject to a recall were the guard on my B&D string trimmer, (They sent a pre-paid box to send it back so they could 'address the concern'.), and the internal wiring harness in my Maytag dishwasher that oddly enough posed a fire hazard.[They dispatched a local appliance Tech to perform and verify the repair.] And they only had to do those things ONCE. <VBG>
  9. <Well, I vacation in Western PA every year, and considering the comparatively low wages that most of the workers at the resort get paid, I believe you. But in most place I've seen the shop rates they charge are pretty dear for work being done by someone who by your own opinion shouldn't be expected to inspect the parts they're installing in people's cars.> Remember to keep that thought in mind the next time that YOUR vehicle exhibits an 'issue' or 'concern'. <G> Is not not the Manufacturer, after all, that stipulates how services or repairs are to be performed?And Dealers, do they not have guidelines for shop rates that the Manufacturer believes are sustainable in that particular market ? <Don't you know? I figured you must have the answers to be able to make the call as to whether the defect could have been caught or not. We all know that the original cruise-control problems didn't manifest itself until years after the car was built.> If I do something wrong TWICE, who is at fault in that circumstance ? One who 'has all the answers' lacks the ability to recognise an error.....TWICE. <It's a pigtail. C'mon you need a test procedure to test a fuse? Glad to see all that time in "mechanic school" paid off. Damn, even a Canadian Tire tech can test a fuse. (If you don't get the reference, CT is a company that historically employs a lot of inexperienced techs).> But is such testing AUTHORISED by the Manufacturer? Is it part of the repair procedure AS PUBLISHED by the Manufacturer? {And yes, I have Canadian Techs on a transmission group that share their experiences with vehicles that previously visited CT.} <Why is it that any time someone brings up a "tech" cutting corners, people start whining about flat rate times? Everyone has downward pressure on their wages. Maybe the person making the pigtails got replaced by a second-tier worker. Should he be absolved of responsibility in doing his job as well?> Is the production line employee charged with QC responsibilities? If so, the answer is apparent. Time IS money.Wrench slingers are not licensed as not for profit charitable organizations.Last time I investigated it, Quality Control investgation wasn't on the Labor Menu. <No you don't assume that; do you think that the spark plug/fuse company put it the package knowing it was faulty? That's the point. Without knowing a) the nature of the defect in the replacement part, who caused it, c) why so many got out, you can't make quips like "This doesn't exactly instill confidence in the Blue Oval's problem solving skills, now does it ? " without getting called on it.> And just why CAN'T I make quips like that? With all the resources that are available to assure that a product will function as intended by the time John Q. Public purchases it, why is it that a known safety issue is STILL out there, and the work around parts to 'address this concern' aren't correct either ? You can "call me" all you want on this topic.It still doen't erase the fact that recalls are getting to be a larger problem not a smaller one. THAT kind of concern for quality is NOT going to foster confidence in ANY product............be it a light bulb, a fuse, or an automobile that costs more than the house I own.<VBG>
  10. <Translation: "It's not my job"? Sounds like another excuse in a chain of excuses. Admit it. If a tech puts in a broken spark plug, do the techs blame the spark plug company too? I would expect a professional that works at a shop that charges $80-$110 an hour shop time to recognize a defective part, at least an appreciable percentage of the 225,000 times. Blaming Ford "entirely" is just more of the same incompetence that you imply the company has.> I would loved to have worked in a Dealership that had labor rates that high.That's not the case here in Western PA. And what are the details of the failure of the part that was neccessitated by a 'concern' that has already "left the barn" ? How long after those parts "left the barn" was this latest FUBAR uncovered? Again I ask what testing procedures were publish for the Tech to use to verify that the part supplied was going to be the proper one to resolve the issue that the FIRST one was supposed to address ? And does the Warranty pay for the extra time needed to certify the quality of said part ? Yes I have broken spark plugs. I knew exactly how it happened and when. And it didn't take too long to figure it out, either. What's you point here ? I know who broke it. When you unpackage a part, be it as simple as a fuse, to you immediately assume that it is faulty ? {Now would be a grand time to bring up the spark plug issues in both families of Triton engines wouldn't it ? }
  11. < but in reality the people that "solved the problem" (ie engineers) have nothing to do with the manufacture or installation of said solution.> If someone had been 'on the ball' and had not powered that circuit with an "always hot" feed, with a fuse that had a rating too high to protect the wiring to the CC cancel switch, they wouldn't have to devise an work around for the issue, would they ? And as far as the Techs not discovering they are installing a substandard part........who assigned them to be the last link in the chain of quality control? Was a Special Service Message generated to do a final verification of "Fitness and Suitablitiy for a particular purpose " ? <So for the one or two or ten people at the harness factory responsible for quality, there are 50,000 dealership techs out there that didn't notice either. So why is your statement not "doesn't instill confidence in the Ford Dealership Service's skills, does it?"> Were the Dealership Techs also supposed to do the Failure Mode Analysis after the fires stated breaking out also? So where did things actually fall apart. In the trenches, or in the labs and offices ? This same ASE® tech that you apparently despise is the one that worked with the Wizards to track down software errors in the PCM as far as transmission control 'concerns' in pick up trucks in the mid Nineties.So my concerns for the customers vehicles in my care was valid. I did the best that could be done. Remember the transfer case issue during that same period of time that allowed vehicles to disappear from owner's driveways? Yup, that lowly Dealership Service Tech again. As vehicle complexity has increased, the effort to prevent problems like this has not kept pace.Where does the responsibility ultimately lie for this ? So, show me how MY actions enter in to all this. What I did during during MY tour was done under the auspices of FoMoCo, using their service training, their techniques, their facilities, their parts. And I did just so.
  12. I didn't have to.The Service Manager is the one who asked the question [Rhetorically, but it was still great to hear it. <G>] " Why doesn't someone in the Blue Oval brain trust just send a filing cabinet with all the recall information WITH the cars & trucks when they are delivered to us ? " Face it. There are quality issues.In parts and in the finished product. As another Detroit paper article pointed out............ {Detroit News}"It tells you a lot about the quality control systems that are in place both at Ford and at its vendors," said Sean Kane of Safety Research & Strategies Inc., a vehicle safety research and advocacy firm based in Rehoboth, Mass. "It was embarrassing enough for them the first time." " And I DID do something about it.I fixed 'Issues' and'Concerns'.Many of them.Also,I inherited a '69 F-100 Ranger from my Dad,(No recalls.) and I got disabled so I don't have to work on anything anymore. So, what are YOU doing about it ? <VBG>
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