03 Cobra in the shop again!

[RedSquad7]

Ok, my car is back in the shop as we speak. For those who dont know, its an 03 that I bought with 110mi on it. At 4wks of ownership and 1286mi a rod cap came off and it put the rod through the block. I went through a lot of grief with Ford and SVT over that incident and the apparent presumption that the car had been abused causing the malfunction... It did'nt seem possible to the people I spoke with that they might have put out a poorly assembled engine or engine component. They could find no signs of abuse and replaced the engine. The day I picked it up a pwr steering pressure fitting came loose and it dumped fluid everywhere and squealing like hell! I was'nt angry (A little dissapointed) an engine swap is a lot of work and so I dealt with it. That was 13 days ago and it would'nt turn over last night while I was out to rent a movie. It's in there now having the battery and alternator replaced. This is becoming pretty depressing....So what should I do? Should I be on they're asses for a new car? I feel like I should, but I know they're just not gonna say "Yeah, OK". I went through Ford Viewpoint and SVT over the phone when it threw a rod < That say's it all. Am I justified in wanting a new one, or is that a silly question? Any advice in an approach would be appreciated.

 

[MiamiFan1354]

Getting a new engine in that car is like gettin a whole new car... you pretty much have something new.. Could have just been an engine that wasn't used for a while.. I would just work with it for about a month or two and see if anything else goes wrong..

 

[5.0's 4 ever]

Personally I think you need to just suck it up because ford is not going to give you a new one. I know you went through all the hassle with the new engine but you do own a ford and they are not close to perfect. The engine was fluke thing but alternators going out very early is nothing uncommon. It was just bad timing and I am sure it pissed you off after recently getting your car back. The thing is that you are not alone when it comes to new vehicles with problems, we have customers who payed $40-60K for lincolns and they are plagued with problems.

 

[Uncle Meat]

I'd be more concerned about the guy who did the initial work of replacing the original motor. Sound like he forgot to tighten up the power steering lines. OK, I'll give 'em that one... but now the alternator has gone bad too!? Okay...coincidence? Maybe... What's next, an exhaust leak?

You may want to check what your lemon laws are like in Texas because that's the only way out now. Ford won't just give you a new Cobra because yours has had problems.

Give them a chance to make this right though before you go the lemon-law route. Maybe the tech had a bad day and forgot to tighten everything down, who knows....

U.M.

 

[Matts01cobra]

Has anyone else had internal engine problems. I have an 01 cobra and the warranty runs out on the 15th of this month. And wouldnt ya know a damn rod started knocking today. I have many mods on the car and am now trying to remove them all. What all did the dealership inspect? Mine did not come from the factory with a supercharger do you think they may not look as closely because of that? I have had a chip in mine do you think they will inspect the J3 port? Is there a good excuse for scraping the stuff off of it? Should I just send my wife in there and play stupid. I need some help on this people I only have 4 days of warranty left.

 

[RedSquad7]

Has anyone else had internal engine problems. I have an 01 cobra and the warranty runs out on the 15th of this month. And wouldnt ya know a damn rod started knocking today. I have many mods on the car and am now trying to remove them all. What all did the dealership inspect? Mine did not come from the factory with a supercharger do you think they may not look as closely because of that? I have had a chip in mine do you think they will inspect the J3 port? Is there a good excuse for scraping the stuff off of it? Should I just send my wife in there and play stupid. I need some help on this people I only have 4 days of warranty left.

Brotha I would recommend doing as much as you can to return it to stock. I had an intake and mid pipe on mine when it threw the rod and I removed them before it went in, just in case. Uncle Meat gave me some good advice...clean the wheel wells and exhaust pipe where it nears the rear of the wheels of any rubber if you've smoked the tires, be meticulous. I didnt need to clean mine, but it was excellent advice. They checked tread on my tires, wells for rubber, inspected the computer, pulled engine codes....they looked at everything. But you have to remember mine tossed the rod at only 1286miles and the new ones have forged internals. The service dept can also have a lot to do with it...I'm switching, found an awesome place today with guys that are into these like we are and had a great attitude- the dealer I've been going to scares me- its like dealing with the police. Service dept isnt everything though, on a major engine deal Ford will send a rep out to look at the vehicle and authorize the repair. I dont know what to tell you about the j-3, the guy I spoke with today said his service guys just look to see if it has its- rubber or plastic cap? in place- I dont know, havent touched mine yet. Sorry I wrote so much but I know how you feel. Let us know what happens and if you have any other questions feel free to pm me. Also post your problem in the main SVT forum if you havent already...you may get some more insight. Good luck!

 

[RedSquad7]

Personally I think you need to just suck it up because ford is not going to give you a new one. I know you went through all the hassle with the new engine but you do own a ford and they are not close to perfect. The engine was fluke thing but alternators going out very early is nothing uncommon. It was just bad timing and I am sure it pissed you off after recently getting your car back. The thing is that you are not alone when it comes to new vehicles with problems, we have customers who payed $40-60K for lincolns and they are plagued with problems.

Suck it up huh? Since I posted this the car has been back twice this week, just got it back this morning. This is uncommon and unacceptable- Ford Lexus, GM or whatever! You talk like you work for Ford...

 

[psnous]

If you have a chip in it, take it out. Put everything back to stock if possible. They will be able to tell if there has been a chip installed but if the car is super clean and pretty much stock, they may not check.

 

[5.0's 4 ever]

Suck it up huh? Since I posted this the car has been back twice this week, just got it back this morning. This is uncommon and unacceptable- Ford Lexus, GM or whatever! You talk like you work for Ford...

I don't technically work for ford but I do work for a lincoln mercury dealership. What other problems have you had now?

 

[RedSquad7]

I don't technically work for ford but I do work for a lincoln mercury dealership. What other problems have you had now?

Brotha, its all been electrical. Poor connections, which I think are bugs being worked out from the engine swap, the dealer as finally began to talk about getting Ford to atleast refund a car payment...All I wanted was for them to act like they gave a damn. I'm a lot happier and more at ease now.

 

[5.0's 4 ever]

I sympathize with you on the stuff that should of been caught before even giving your car back to you. It is sad that all these problems are due to the work not being performed correctly. A premature mechanical failure a tech can really do nothing about, we are at the mercy of the parts that ford puts on the vehicle, but leaving stuff lose and not properly connected is just poor work quality.

 

[LEROYBLACK]

IS THERE NO LEMON LAW WERE YOU LIVE???? BECAUSE IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA IF SOMETHING LIKE THAT HAPPENS TO YOU WITH A NEW CAR YOU GET A NEW ONE....

 

[95GTS]

It's sad but I won't let Ford touch my Cobra. I've been lucky in that it hasn't had any issues (except the stall ) but regardless, Ford won't touch it. It all stems from what happened with my 01 Escape and Ford service. I doubt the GM of that dealership ever had his ass chewed like that from a customer but he can mark that one in his book. In the end they fixed it (3 weeks) and I bought myself a Nissan Maxima. I have yet to have a good Ford service experience and I've been driving a Ford since the late 80's.

 

[5.0's 4 ever]

IS THERE NO LEMON LAW WERE YOU LIVE???? BECAUSE IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA IF SOMETHING LIKE THAT HAPPENS TO YOU WITH A NEW CAR YOU GET A NEW ONE....

Not exactly, a dealership gets like around 4 times to successfully repair the same concern before it goes to lemon law. Owning a car that has a lot of problems would not mean it goes to lemon law, if that was the case ford would be buying back a lot of tauruses and focuses.

 

[stvdman]

Actually the Lemon Law does include cars that have multiple problems and have to spend more than a certain amount of time being repaired within a set time frame.

Something like more than 30 days in repair shop in a 60 day time period, it may not be exactly that but something like that.

 

[RedSquad7]

Since its last visit the car has been running well (I'm keeping my fingers crossed). On the last visit- when I finally blew a fuse- The Assistant mgr assured me that he would meet with the svc mgr and speak with Ford about atleast re-imbursing 1 months payment....That was on April 09- the meeting and talk with ford has not occured, nor a payment refund. I spoke with the asst mgr today who was again gonna talk to the above mentioned and call me back- No call, again. I have several issues with these guys and the principles of the issues. I had requested that the vehicle only be driven within my presence after service during its many visits(I have concerns about the way the car may be treated). My Lo-jack early warning called me when it was in for the second alternator/battery problem to say the vehicle was being driven. I received a call 21/2 hrs later to say the car was ready- I asked why it was driven without me being there and was told it had to have an 8mi test drive after a repair...It had a 16mi test drive! I expect nothing less from this dealer now. I will now be going to Nichols ford in Fort Worth for service, based on reputation and discussions with their staff.

 

[stallion98gt]

just bring your car to a performance shop if ur lucky to have one close by...I'll never bring my stang to a dealership again...they treat them like $h.t

 

[Fast94Cobra]

for warranty issues you have to through ford obviously, but otherwise i definitely agree with the above post. i dont go to a ford delearship unless i HAVE to

 

[///alpinepower]

Brotha, its all been electrical. Poor connections, which I think are bugs being worked out from the engine swap, the dealer as finally began to talk about getting Ford to atleast refund a car payment...All I wanted was for them to act like they gave a damn. I'm a lot happier and more at ease now.

yo--- pursue the refund of the car payment; GET IT IN WRITING! this is your ammunition for a new car. if they give you a check, don't cash it. just call a lawyer with the details and line up the evidence: all the times you've brought the car in, the engine swap, alternator, power steering, refund....bam

 

[Beau]

if I were you I'd totally try to lemon law it. Get a new 04 Cobra or get your money back and buy a more reliable car. Talk to a lawyer about it and see what you can find out because NO ONE should ever have to deal with so many problems. Just my .02