Leather problems

[Eel]

Our '09 Edge was bought as "Certified Used" when it was less than a year old (13,000 miles). The first time I cleaned up the car I noticed some discoloration of the leather on the edge of the driver's seat. And, the texture seemed different. Fast-forward to the 30,000 mile service. I mentioned the problem to the service worker and he had the service manager check it out. It was diagnosed as "normal wear and tear".

 

I called back later as I picked up the car afterhours. In the conversation, I told the manager that I suspected the seat had been torn and repaired with a liquid mix. He said this was not the case. Their records showed no repairs on the seat.

 

After that call, I noticed the leather on the steering wheel was flaking and peeling. This prompted me to contact them

again. My first move was to have the seat diagnosed at a local vehicle upholstery shop that has a great reputation. The owner told me immediately that the seat had been patched, and that it would cost $290.00 to repair. The wheel would be additional cost.

 

With this information, I went to the dealership and spoke in person to the service manager. I told him of the diagnosis from a shop with over 50 years in business and showed him the peeling leather on the wheel. He finally admitted that the seat had obviously been damaged prior to my buying it and agreed to replace the entire lower seat cover and the steering wheel.

 

The purpose of this post is to encourage others to not give up on issues. Had I accepted the first denial, I would have been out well over $300.00, and the dealership would have lost a customer. Now, I am getting the seat and wheel fixed as they should have been and I will feel better about this dealer if the job is done in the right manner.

[NickF1011]

Sorry to hear about the run-around you got. Sounds like everything is being done now (finally) to make it right though. I like the look and feel of the leather in my '11 so far. Hope it holds up!

[NWS Alpine]

Glad to hear it's going to work out for you. I take delivery next week so I will be checking for any issues. I highly recomend using Optimum Protectant Plus to keep it looking new http://www.autogeek.net/optimum-protectant-plus.html I gets really good reviews on all the big detailing forums. I hate shiney dressings and this stuff has a perfect satin finish!

[Going_Going_Gone]

I can top that. Our brand new MKX has a tear in the door panel leather that was there on day one. When we took it in to the service department to arrange for a replacement, they told us that Lincoln would not pay for a new panel because it would cost too much and the tear was real small to begin with. They then told us that they could have it repaired and they would only charge me $50. What are these people smoking?

[Eel]

I can top that. Our brand new MKX has a tear in the door panel leather that was there on day one. When we took it in to the service department to arrange for a replacement, they told us that Lincoln would not pay for a new panel because it would cost too much and the tear was real small to begin with. They then told us that they could have it repaired and they would only charge me $50. What are these people smoking?

 

 

That is a shame for a new car to arrive with a tear. I had a similar experience with the last new Mustang GT I bought. It had a tear in the back of the driver's seat. The dealer fixed it with the liquid/paste repair blend and it held until I sold the car. It was in a location that got no wear, so it held firm. The dealer did not protest in the least.

 

You should take your complaint to the next level, Lincoln (Ford) owes you much better than that rejection. Keep after them.

[Topgun]

I can top that. Our brand new MKX has a tear in the door panel leather that was there on day one. When we took it in to the service department to arrange for a replacement, they told us that Lincoln would not pay for a new panel because it would cost too much and the tear was real small to begin with. They then told us that they could have it repaired and they would only charge me $50. What are these people smoking?

I would have left it at the dealer till he got the part .

[Going_Going_Gone]

Nice to see that I'm not the only customer who would expect to see Lincoln/Ford make things right. Have forwarded our issues (the tear and a couple others) to the area manager for Ford. We'll see what he has to say. If we get no satisfaction, we'll go to his boss. Like they say in the mob: nothing personal, just business.

[e350 coupe]

Did you get it fixed yet. I cannot believe that they would actually say that, and charge you money on top of that, personally I would call the office of the President, this is clearly unacceptable.

[Going_Going_Gone]

Did you get it fixed yet. I cannot believe that they would actually say that, and charge you money on top of that, personally I would call the office of the President, this is clearly unacceptable.

Spoke with the area mgr. After defending the dealership that denied the warranty claim, he reminded me that we had signed a pre-delivery inspection form on which we did not point out anything obviously wrong with the vehicle, so basically, tough sh*t! Wrote to the Ford VP for Quality in Dearborn and have received no reply in well over a month (not even from a secretary or underling), so I guess that is the Lincoln attitude. My advice when dealing with Lincoln: buyer beware

[akirby]

Spoke with the area mgr. After defending the dealership that denied the warranty claim, he reminded me that we had signed a pre-delivery inspection form on which we did not point out anything obviously wrong with the vehicle, so basically, tough sh*t! Wrote to the Ford VP for Quality in Dearborn and have received no reply in well over a month (not even from a secretary or underling), so I guess that is the Lincoln attitude. My advice when dealing with Lincoln: buyer beware

 

How long did you wait before reporting it to the dealer originally?

[carguy]

The warranty is a to repair the problem not to provide a new part.

Edited December 26, 2011 by carguy

[Going_Going_Gone]

How long did you wait before reporting it to the dealer originally?

In reply to your question: we bought the car on a Saturday (from a dealer on the far side of the metro area) and flew out of town the following Tuesday for two weeks. Note: The reason why we bought so far away was that this was only one like it in area and was X-Plan purchase and a dealer trade wasn't an option. Then we took it to the closest Lincoln dealer as the Sync was acting haywire, the headlights were so far out of adjustment that we were flashed at night by pretty much every-other oncoming car, and we had some paint and trim alignment issues (that they say are "normal" quality) and this small tear. So no, we did not report it to the selling dealer since it was not reasonable to drive an hour for warranty service and it ought to be the same everywhere, shouldn't it? That there are "fixable" appearance issues is one thing; that Lincoln is taking the stance the they are within acceptable limits is the crux. That kind of arrogant attitude will cost them my future business as we have always been treated better by Ford dealers...and our family buys a lot of Ford products.

[akirby]

In reply to your question: we bought the car on a Saturday (from a dealer on the far side of the metro area) and flew out of town the following Tuesday for two weeks. Note: The reason why we bought so far away was that this was only one like it in area and was X-Plan purchase and a dealer trade wasn't an option. Then we took it to the closest Lincoln dealer as the Sync was acting haywire, the headlights were so far out of adjustment that we were flashed at night by pretty much every-other oncoming car, and we had some paint and trim alignment issues (that they say are "normal" quality) and this small tear. So no, we did not report it to the selling dealer since it was not reasonable to drive an hour for warranty service and it ought to be the same everywhere, shouldn't it? That there are "fixable" appearance issues is one thing; that Lincoln is taking the stance the they are within acceptable limits is the crux. That kind of arrogant attitude will cost them my future business as we have always been treated better by Ford dealers...and our family buys a lot of Ford products.

 

So you signed the delivery inspection form, waited 2.5 weeks, took it to a different dealership and you're upset they won't fix it? Sheesh.

[Going_Going_Gone]

So you signed the delivery inspection form, waited 2.5 weeks, took it to a different dealership and you're upset they won't fix it? Sheesh.

This is a brand new car warranted by the factory, not a used one warranted by the dealership. I didn't know that the warranty would only be honored by the selling dealership...or that I only had one day to find out everything wrong with the car or be stuck with it. Sheesh back at ya!

[carguy]

This is a brand new car warranted by the factory, not a used one warranted by the dealership. I didn't know that the warranty would only be honored by the selling dealership...or that I only had one day to find out everything wrong with the car or be stuck with it. Sheesh back at ya!

Cosmetic issues (cuts, tears dings, dents, scratches, blemishes) are not warrantied by the manufacturer. The selling dealer if brought to their attention within a reasonable time, 2.5 weeks is not reasonable, may repair them out of good will. The manufacturer will not reimburse the dealer for their time or parts.

Edited December 27, 2011 by carguy

[akirby]

Cosmetic issues (cuts, tears dings, dents, scratches, blemishes) are not warrantied by the manufacturer. The selling dealer if brought to their attention within a reasonable time, 2.5 weeks is not reasonable, may repair them out of good will. The manufacturer will not reimburse the dealer for their time or parts.

 

Exactly. It's not a warranty issue at all and 2.5 weeks is way too long to report a delivery problem.

[Eel]

Exactly. It's not a warranty issue at all and 2.5 weeks is way too long to report a delivery problem.

 

 

Since I started this topic about the '09 Edge, I will update. We got an entire new lower half seat cover and a new leather steering wheel at no cost. This was a CPO car. It took a second attempt to get it all done, but the dealer checked the warranty and took care of it. Other things have been poorly done by this dealer, but on this one I am very satisfied. They did a good job on it all this time.

 

Concerning the time frame of reporting the Lincoln tear, it sounds reasonable to me that the dealer and Ford should help this customer. My torn leather on the Mustang that I mentioned earlier, was taken care of by a Ford dealer well after two weeks. It was probably in the second month of ownership that I got it fixed. The car had several initial problems and since the dealer was an hour or twoaway I just waited to get the entire listing before contacting them. The longer I owned it, the more I found. Then one trip took care of it.

 

Sometimes you just have to be very persistant. I had an experience with a Toyota one time that illustrates this. I bought the car new (my wife's first new car) and it arrived with defective bushings in the front end. It squeeked and moaned like it had 200,000 miles on it. The Toyota dealer was willing to lube them and that was it. After a couple trips there, I told him the car was staying with him until fixed and I insisted on a loaner car. We argued a little but he finally gave it up and fixed the car. That was the second new Toyota I had bought, and after that difficulty, it was my last. But, he did fix it finally at no cost to me. The aggravation and arguing lost him some future sales however.

 

The thing of singing an acceptance form saying everything is fine with a new car is, in my mind, weak. It may be binding, but still seems silly. I have very seldom found the problems until I get the car home and give it a first washing and waxing. At that point, if you have cosmetic problems, they will be obvious.

[carguy]

Since I started this topic about the '09 Edge, I will update. We got an entire new lower half seat cover and a new leather steering wheel at no cost. This was a CPO car. It took a second attempt to get it all done, but the dealer checked the warranty and took care of it. Other things have been poorly done by this dealer, but on this one I am very satisfied. They did a good job on it all this time.

 

Concerning the time frame of reporting the Lincoln tear, it sounds reasonable to me that the dealer and Ford should help this customer. My torn leather on the Mustang that I mentioned earlier, was taken care of by a Ford dealer well after two weeks. It was probably in the second month of ownership that I got it fixed. The car had several initial problems and since the dealer was an hour or twoaway I just waited to get the entire listing before contacting them. The longer I owned it, the more I found. Then one trip took care of it.

 

Sometimes you just have to be very persistant. I had an experience with a Toyota one time that illustrates this. I bought the car new (my wife's first new car) and it arrived with defective bushings in the front end. It squeeked and moaned like it had 200,000 miles on it. The Toyota dealer was willing to lube them and that was it. After a couple trips there, I told him the car was staying with him until fixed and I insisted on a loaner car. We argued a little but he finally gave it up and fixed the car. That was the second new Toyota I had bought, and after that difficulty, it was my last. But, he did fix it finally at no cost to me. The aggravation and arguing lost him some future sales however.

 

The thing of singing an acceptance form saying everything is fine with a new car is, in my mind, weak. It may be binding, but still seems silly. I have very seldom found the problems until I get the car home and give it a first washing and waxing. At that point, if you have cosmetic problems, they will be obvious.

 

The service manager at your dealership took care of you at the expense of his dealer. Ford did not cover your cosmetic issues. Certified or not cosmetic issues are not warranty issues.

[Eel]

The service manager at your dealership took care of you at the expense of his dealer. Ford did not cover your cosmetic issues. Certified or not cosmetic issues are not warranty issues.

 

 

I took the Edge back today for service. I asked the service manager who covered the repair. He stated that Ford, not the dealership, paid for the repair. I thought this was the case based on how it was initially handled. He reviewed the problem, checked with someone else (presumably Ford) and then gave me the good news. Evidently my warranty did cover the problem. I was pleased obviously.

[Going_Going_Gone]

Regarding the tear in the door panel on our MKX, we received a follow up call from our salesman at the selling dealership seeing how satisfied we were with the car. When we mentioned the small tear, he said he'd arrange with the service department to fix it and they called the next day to set up an appointment. They did an amazing repair job that you cannot tell from the rest of the panel. Also worked with us to replace a couple defective 12-V power port lids that broke off the first time they were opened. All-in-all, I'm glad that this dealership realizes that good service will encourage repeat customers more than proximity.

[Eel]

Regarding the tear in the door panel on our MKX, we received a follow up call from our salesman at the selling dealership seeing how satisfied we were with the car. When we mentioned the small tear, he said he'd arrange with the service department to fix it and they called the next day to set up an appointment. They did an amazing repair job that you cannot tell from the rest of the panel. Also worked with us to replace a couple defective 12-V power port lids that broke off the first time they were opened. All-in-all, I'm glad that this dealership realizes that good service will encourage repeat customers more than proximity.

 

 

Very glad to hear that they satisfied your needs. And, you are right aobut repeat customers. Should I buy another Ford, it would be from this dealership. While their service record on our Edge has not been perfect, I think most of the folks in the service dept. are trying their best and are successful most of the time. We have the Edge in now for a transmission problem and I am hoping they come through on it. They have slowly built up a level of trust and confidence that I think they will do it right.

[banjo]

I agree that when you get to the level of the Lincoln the warranty should be better. My CTS with the custom order wood trim had a piece crack under the varnish and a year later it was covered under the bumper to bumper warranty. GM didn't say a thing - they just replaced it. I could see manufacturer try to nickle and dime on a cheaper vehicle but once you're spending 35+ on a car, then customer service matters quite a bit.

 

Glad they did the right thing and fixed the issue. It's harder to gain and keep customers than it is to lose them. I think the Big Three are finally understanding that.