[OT] Rant

Pardon me while I whine and moan but I've had it with Ford Motor Company.
Yes, I could go to one of the Ford groups to post this but I'm sure they're
tired of hearing it.

I washed my hands of Fords years ago after having owned a Ford Tempo.
Enough said about that. What really burns me up is the way Ford has screwed
my 82 year old dad over.

Last month the intake manifold on Dad's '97 Crown Victoria ruptured. It was
made of plastic. On a V-8 engine. 63K miles. Not surprisingly the
replacement has the water jacket made of aluminum. Ford is well aware they
have a problem with plastic intake manifolds but since it's not a safety
issue they've gotten away with it. Fixing it cost Dad $800 - out of his
social security and pension checks.

Today I get a call from one of my sons who drove Dad to Alabama this week in
his 2000 F250 diesel pickup truck to visit relatives. On the way back they
broke down in Tallahassee, Florida with a major failure in the engine. The
vehicle has 15K miles on it. Oil / filter changed every 6 months. G-d only
knows what this is going to cost to fix. The Ford dealership there will
start working on it the first of next week. Dad and son rented a car and
came on home this evening, leaving the truck and travel trailer in
Tallahassee. Looks like I'll have to take off work next week to take Dad
back up there as my son will be back in school Tuesday.

Seeing what owning Ford vehicles has done my Dad, I can only imagine how
many other retirees have been treated similarly.

 

re: rant of woe

my ford-owning experiences have been with

a used 1954 blue two door "custom liner" with automatic shift--ok

a new 1970 red maverick--fair

a new 1973 yellow pinto wagon--not good

a new 1976 maroon grenada--not good

i then gave-up on ford

new '82 toyota corrolla--ok

new '86 toyota corrolla--not good

i gave-up on toyota

and guess what quality-improving & relatively not expensive korean brand cars
i have mostly owned during the past 15+ years (?)

 

As well as women. And it's not just Ford's. It all the major auto
manufacturers. That's why I decided to give my first forgein car a
chance. After 28 years of buying American, I bought my first forgein
car, a 2004 Sonata last June. 6000 miles so far and no problems. I
got the extended bumper to bumper warranty, the best one they offer,
and it was only $800.00 +. Compared to the pathetic American car
warranties the standard one for Hyundai is great. And if you price the
extended warranty on U.S. cars, it costs 3X as much. Maybe because
they know the cars have problems?

J.W.

 

I have owned 2 fords and my hyundai accent.
My 84 ford tempo. This was my first car, I bought it in 97, and it gave
out (engine problems) in may 99, I had put about 36k on the car in two
years. I had to replace the brakes twice (my dad did the work, so its
wanst that expensive), the power steering pump, and the muffler, and my
exhaust pipe broke, but we just duct taped it together (haha) Then in may
of 99 i got a 86 ford ecort with 50 k on (this car had belonged to an old
lady who had died and she never took it out of the county) I paid 2200 for
it. it now has 90 k on it and I have had to do some carorator work, and a
thermostat needed replaced but thats it. WHen i got my hyundai, i gave the
escort to friend who needed car, its still running, the Carb. now needs to
be rebuilt, but the engine and tranny are really good. (no leaks or
anything) I ran the crap out of both of them, and both are tanks (i baked
up into so much crap, when learing to drive, but i didnt even dent the
bumpper)

 

Well, I've gotten a little more information since the original post. The
diesel engine has a bent push rod which occurred when the engine revved up
to 2800 rpm while going up a hill on I-10 at 60 mph. Red line is supposedly
@3200 or so - I'm really not familiar with the vehicle and have never driven
it. The first Ford dealership they stopped at sent them to another
dealership in town that works on the diesel engines. I don't know if the
2nd dealership is just having pity on an old WWII vet or what but they told
dad the warranty on his engine had been extended to 5 years/100,000 miles
and they would fix it for free. I'm driving back up to Tallahassee with Dad
on Wednesday to pick it up and drive it home for him.

 

It just keeps getting better.
My son decides to take the rental car over to his aunts last night. Me and
the wife say we don't think thats a good idea what with Dad having rented
the car. He, being 18 and knowing it all, takes the car. He stops at a
stop sign on the way and gets rear ended by a 2003 Sonata. The Sonata was
going so fast it pushes the rental car across 2 lanes of traffic and into a
lady's front yard. The Sonata then glances off the rental car and proceeds
@50 feet on into a stump left over from the hurricanes, uprooting the stump.
The Sonata came to rest on top of the now sideways laying stump about a foot
from the lady's bedroom window. It looked kinda like the stern section of
the Titanic. Neither my son nor the driver of the Sonata had a scratch on
them. Police charged the Sonata driver with the accident. Now I get to go
with Dad and son to Enterprise Rent-A-Car and explain why an 18 year old was
driving one of their vehicles.
Pardon me while I go take my blood pressure medicine...

 

re: not listed on rental contract, an eighteen year old driver of rental car

let us know how it turns-out (any "penalty" by the rent-a-car cimpany on you),
because i am kinduv curious about such

the great thing is, of course: the no discernible injury

the irony of being hit by a sonata is certainly a strange coincidence

 

Ahhhh...parenthood!

 

My first car 1985 GMC Jimmy, liked it but a junker

Next 1985 Nissan 200SX, hated it

1991 Honda Accord VERY RELIABLE no options

1995 Nissan ALtima traded in accord for options, cruise PW PL etc. good car
but high milage

test drove a 2005 Corolla hated the dealership sales experience

ended up currently driving a 2004 Chevy Malibu Classic, plan on my next car
being a GM

 

I wouldnt think the rental company will care much since the Sonata driver
was at fault and his/her insurance should cover the damage.