Your thoughts on this?

[Fun_Bucket]

About 6 months ago , my partner and i purchased a Ford Focus Zetec 2007 model, mainly for her use.

The car came with an extended warranty, (additional 2 years) The conditions to the warranty are that the car be serviced in those additional 2 years by Ford only, and with genuine Ford replacement parts.

A minor service was due in order to maintain the warranty period, and we were quoted $310 for an oil and filter change. Aside from being a little bit pissed at the price, i enquired as to what type of oil they would be using at this interval (80,000km's) and they informed me that they use a 10-30 Semi Synthetic.

Now i live in Cairns, winter temps are about 25, and can reach in excess of mid 40's during summer. I questioned them, that would a heavier oil/higher viscosity, be more suitable for our climate? They said will this is what Ford reccomends.

I asked, is this Ford Australia, or UK?. They said this is the oil as stated in the European specifiaction chart. I said, but we are talking about a different climate here, what works over there does not nessacrily work over here. They simply shrugged their shoulders. I was going to ask them about the opertaing tempratures of the standard thermostat also, but i didn't bother after their lack of respone through out the conversation so far.

Long story short, i replaced the filter myself, and changed the oil out with 10-50 Semi Synthetic Penrite, for a total cost of $73, and i don't know, about 20 mins of my time...

So...I now have no extended warranty, there was about 18 months or there abouts remaining. What do you guy's think? Did i do the right thing, in saving money come each service interval, and possibly prolonging the engines life by using a more suitable oil?. I will aslo be looking into the thermostat, that thing is not staying there all thoughout summer..

My partners sister owns a 2006 Focus, which just cracked a thermostat housing. This car had only 70, 000kms, and was serviced at every interval, could this have been a result of being sustained to a hot climate with the wrong viscosity oil and incorrect thermostat?

[one_and_only2004]

I have to ask, do you change your thermostat every year? that sounds a bit odd. As for the extended warranty, usually they're not worth the paper they're written on.

[bulldog79]

i went threw the same thingits just a big scam when u look at the small print for the warrant it does not really cover a lot so is the extended warranty really worthy it

[aussiesport]

sorry bud its a ford ! And no im not one eyed i have a hyundai a harley and 2 holdéns have also owned 6 fords but youngest was an xc !

[VT-565]

So you changed the oil grade and brand?
Did you flush it through first with some of the new oil?
Mixing oils is not recommended.

Yes, you made the right decision in my opinion, but if I were you, I would either drive that oil for a couple hundred then do another change to the current oil spec.

[ari666]

sounds like you didnt want to pay $310 for a service.

just out of curiosity, what is the rating of the penrite (sh, sg, cf, cg etc) and does the filter have the correct pressure relief valve inside it? there is more to a 'service' than just whacking in some oil you think is more suitable. you pay more for OEM stuff for a reason.

[soop]

Yeah, no Ari :P.

Dealerships charge through the arse. For no good reason. Simple as that.

[.:FunkyMonk:.]

Dealerships charge through the arse. For no good reason. Simple as that.

Well, there is a reason, and in their eyes, a good one. Profit

[ari666]

mate, hold a toyota filter in your left hand and a ryco equivelent in your right hand and tell me they are the same. they are not.

and no, ratings of oil dont end with the numbers 10-50... there are a lot of additives that need to be considered and as VT565 mentioned, often the realllly dont like to be mixed.

[soop]

hahaha, thats about it.

I agree with the oil bit. But so long as he drained the oil fairly well its not going to blow his motor up.

As for the filters. Eh, much of a muchness. I've never had a problem with Ryco.

[ClairBear]

Personally I find extended warranties a rip off. I have taken out a couple in my younger years but never had to make a claim so it was a waste of money really in the long run. I have heard stories of people attempting to make claims under their extended warranty policies only to end up frustrated and denied the claim as these Companies find ways of interpreting the policy in their favour usually.

Buying a car is a gamble really, even new cars can have issues that cause frustration to the owners.

[Lumps of cheese]

mate, hold a toyota filter in your left hand and a ryco equivelent in your right hand and tell me they are the same. they are not.

How are they different?
I've used ryco and genuine for years on my different vehicles and there is absolutely no difference whatsoever. The only difference is what's stamped on the side of the filter.

[ari666]

ryco make cheap replacement parts, toyota ford nissan etc make high quality parts to avoid any variables costing them revenue via warranty claims.
*gah* i just took a pic of a ryco A360 up against a genuine nissan, but my phone camera is dead.
the rycos are crap! there is no support and they flop around (even the cheaper wesfil is better quality with a full metal body, but that is beside the point) the materials they use are cheap, and they are by no means anywhere near as good as a genuine part.

but thats not the point:

please remember that a scheduled service isnt just an oil change. the guys put it on a hoist and go over the car to check for any obvious defects that will affect the warranty so its more for your cover than anything else. im sure OP is petty car savvi and i wish more people would take responsibilty as far as maintaining their own cars, but ill bet 100 bucks he didnt do it on a hoist and wasnt able to get his lead-light out and have a close look at his bushes/ball joints/dust boots/chassis/brakehoses/axles/seals/etc/etc/etc

im sorry, but again its one of those cases of "person thinks mechanic/dealership is ripping them off" and it kinda bugs me.

[immortality]

i'm sorry ari, but i too think extended warranties are a rip off and then you are forced to pay through the nose for a service which any decent mechanic could do for a 1/3rd of the price. i looked at a car once, there was something wrong with it, the car dealer said, "no worries, it will be covered by the mechanical warranty" (if i choose to purchase that). however on reading the fine print it explicitly stated that any excising problems where not covered. most car sales yards are dodgy.

I have used Ryco, valvoline filters for years on the Holden without issue. i have also tried fram but have gone off them as they are cheap shit. i have heard that a dodgy batch of ryco filters was doing the rounds at the mo though.

car manufacturers do specify different type's of oils for different climates. my V6 is a fine example. they recommend a 20w-50 as standard but to use a 15-w40 for cold climates.

[ari666]

lol, i dont even know why i am defending ford ?!?! over it.

[jujibelly]

Got a few mates that work at Holden and they say, they wont take their cars to dealerships their workplace inclusive. Although I agree with ari genuine parts are quality and pretty cheap staff price that is haha.

[Fun_Bucket]

Ari- I didn't mean to get under your skin on this one, this isn't another "dealership is ripping me off thread" . I did admit to being a little bit pissed at the quoted price, but that would have been anyone's reaction i'm guessing. I'm still getting over when they suddnely increased the price of tally ho papers from about 30 cents to a dollar!

My concerns were more to do with meeting Fords warranty conditions, and in the fact that i didn't beleive the oil they are using was suitable for the car given the climate. Those concerns extend beyond the remainder of the warranty , fearful of any damage that could be caused during the period, that would ultimately arrise after the extended period has worn off...

Whether they do infact go over the vehicle as you say to check for obvious defects , i'm not sure. I know some mechanics will, yet i have seen others (work exp days) where apprentices and work exp kids were left to handle all the minor sevicing after a few supervised runs..I know because i was one of them-

Anyways, i have done the service myself, however i did take one precaution prior to doing it. That was having RACQ inpsect the vehicle, and do a written report. Had anything turned up i would have taken it to the dealership and claimed through warranty, before voiding it. That cost me $150. So combined with the cost of the service parts, i have spent almost the cost of the Dealership service itself anyways, hopefully indicating that i really was concerned about the car and not just with saving a few bucks...

[ari666]

yeah no i agree. i typed a long response on the last one but kinda talked myself out of it and deleted it

there is absolutely nothing wrong with servicing your car yourself, in fact its much better to have a good understanding of how it works for safety reasons etc. i kinda take sides with mechanics cos' i see their side of the picutre too. parts are not cheap and people expect labour for free (its a fact of life) as far as extended warrantys go though i have an interesting story:

we were forced to replace an SR20DET in a 180sx once. the car came from japan heavily modified. one of the mods was a variable boost controller which was completely functional, i.e. there was no maximum limit. anyways i clearly warned the buyer not to tweak the boost till' he had the car in for a decent dyno and found out what safe operating limits were... obviously he didnt listen, tweaked up, hammer the engine and dropped a rod (it takes a lot of HP to drop a SR20 rod) engine blew, was returned to us. we flatly refused to cover it, owner took it to small claims and small claims forced us to cover the entire engine swap under our stat warranty.

moral of the story, if you take your warranty to small clamis they will favour to the owner EVERYTIME, but the more you give to the dealership (i.e changing to a different grade filter/oil) the less likely they will factor your way. so bear that in mind.

and yes your right, dealers will often give your car to the apprentices to do regular services. so i guess its hit and miss. the sad part is, if mechanics were paid more they would palm less jobs to the apprentices, and therein lies the vicious circle.

[wickann15]

Dealerships are a rip off! I remember my Toyota used to get serviced at the dealership and they'd tell me it was gonna cost $160 and I'd come back and it'd be closer to $350 wtf? It didn't just happen once either. Eventually got sick of the rip off bastards and went to another mechanic that charged me much less for my log book services.

As for my Holden's either me or the missus do the service on them but they still go to the mechanic once a year for a full check-up

[aussiesport]

lol gez 350 is cheap take a harley to the dealer and get it serviced !!!!!!! need a bank loan to pay :/

[f1tzy]

Personally i would have kept the warranty if it was a factory extended warranty not a 2nd hand warranty. Thats why i don't care what the dealer puts in my car because if it ####s up they have to fix it because its only been serviced by them and on time and the car isn't abused

[Dr HaxZaw]

i reckon you did the right thing... i avoided a warranty last time i bought a car... long story short a cracked radiator and blown head gasket a month out of the 3 month warranty... cost me $250 to get a new radiator and an engine with 75000 ks from an auto berlina... that took a lot of arguing and all but in the end the fact that the original engine used 3 litres of oil in a month meant that they couldnt prove the head gasket wasnt already damaged... with a warranty i would have still been $1500 dollars out of pocket so i have decided they're not worth it unless they're: a) free and b) can be serviced by any mechanic

Also from reports i've heard car dealers will charge whatever they believe the market will take for a service... obviously you need to go to a poor arse neighbourhood to get a good price for a service lol!!

[elemeNtz]

Ford focus' are relatively reliable anyway? so there's less need for an extended warranty?

I think you did do the right thing also, I can also empathise with the dealer; they do what they're told and I suspect they prolly agree with you in regards to oil

[ari666]

Ford focus' are relatively reliable anyway? so there's less need for an extended warranty?

a ford focus is a car.

the words "car" and "reliable" do not belong in the same sentance.

[karlos]

I had this warranty with my XR6T.I new it wasnt going to last long though due the exact things pointed out by the OP,incorrect oil ect for our climate and vehicle imo.

Part of the deal was that I wanted the car freshly serviced for no extra cost before pick-up/delivery of the BA.This then gave me 3 months to pick on everything possible and get some value out of this "free" warranty.

All up about 4 visits with a few things fixed each time fixed equated to a very anger service manager,I suggested that their car buyers be a little more carefull next time when they trade a car in,look a little harder for faults,not my problem and isnt this what a warranty is for?I'm sure you would do the same if you had mechanical knowledge.He replied,"well I cant answer that question",so I replied with a chuckle"you must drive a Holden"lol.

To the OP,you have made the correct decision by going about things yourself.