Ford warranty issue on new coach

While on the way for our FIRST weekend in our NEW 2552 (the "Toaster"), I noticed the "check engine" light was on (solid, not flashing).  Less than 1200* miles on it.  Pulled over, did some quick research, checked the gas cap (it was tight) and finally continued on our way.  All the info I could find indicated that, if the engine was performing properly it was safe to continue until we could get it checked.  The campground is 28 miles from our home.  Got home Sunday no problem and first thing Monday I called the local Ford dealer (less than 10 miles away), told the story, and was told "we don't work on RV's".  Called the next closest dealership (about 20 miles away), they asked the wheelbase length then replied "that's just over out limit."   Called the next closest dealership (30 miles away), they "only have one lift that can handle something that big and it's occupied right now" so they could not help.

On the advice of an acquaintance I drove the rig to the local Advance Auto and the nice fellow there (Jay) determined the error code was "P0496" which is "an issue with the purge flow in the EVAP system.  Apparently the engine was not handling emissions safely as designed.  I next called the AWESOME folks at Capital Ford in Charlotte (40 miles from home) and made a service appointment in the Heavy Truck Center.  They diagnosed a "purge valve was stuck" and replaced it, under warranty of course, and all is well.  Paul at the desk there was outstanding to deal with and we had our beloved Toaster home in the same day. 

It bothers me that none of the first service centers I called even offered to try and diagnose the issue, even if not equipped to fix it themselves.  Perhaps they might have helped me find the nearest dealer that could help.  They could have done better than "we don't work on RV's" or "our lift is tied up" - each time I explained clearly that we have a new E-450 under warranty.  All is well now, but we have looked up the Ford corporate customer service number and plan to give them a call.

*About the 1200 miles - the coach had 950 miles when we drove it home, I assume having been driven from Indiana to Raleigh NC.  We drove it 160 miles home from Raleigh.

Gary B
North Carolina

For RV owners, It's best to start with the Ford 800 number in your book. They will tell you what dealer to take it to and make the appointment.

I had a Chevrolet class A years ago and had the same problem getting local dealers to look at a motor home, you had to go to a truck dealer.

What you did getting the code was great, because your local dealer could have possibly fixed it without bringing it into the shop. but they are reluctant to do it.

Also if you have a Ford Truck dealer near you, no one seems to know that a free wheel alignment check will be done by Ford and if it is out of specifications they align it free. Had it done on 2 PC's I owned for no charge.

LOVE your username... first because it was 'Heebie Jeebie' (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heebie-jeebies_(idiom))   Then seeing Gary B... the lights slowly came on... 


He Be G.B.  ooOOOOoooooooh. 

ex-dealer mechanic here, for light/med trucks. For techs, RV's are generally the worst. They are almost always occupied ='customer waiting', never tip (in my experience, sorry if I never got to serve You..) and are often stacked to the top with stuff in the way. And pets that were memorable. OMG the one with 4 kids... there for 2 days.    We would do most anything to avoid them. Now add to that mess WARRANTY PAY and not even flat rate.. From the tech's point of view its a bonus if you can get a service writer to keep them out of your bay.

Soooo.. When / if you call Ford customer service,  instead of      maybe ask them " Are there corporate/factory restrictions that would make a dealer 'non-eligible' for RV warranty service? "  and note them if there are. Such as GVWR, wheelbase, height, etc. *might* be valid excuses.  We have a new F550 flatbed that developed transmission issues. We could not use our 2 closest dealers because the GVWR was too high for their lifts.  When you are again in 'dire straits' you can take the offensive - "I have an E450 cutaway with a 170 inch wheelbase and 13,500 GVWR. (They will ask if its an RV at this point...) Can you folks provide warranty work? If not, for what exemption. And can you tell me who can?" They should know, and should tell you.

I have experienced this problem more than once over the years on previous coaches.   I have never had our PC to the "Ford Place" as we call them in this part of the country.   It never needed to go for anything of significance while it was under warranty and I knew once out of warranty I could take it to my local tire and service center a few miles from my house that has an RV bay and does great work on Cs.  What is pathetic for hebegb in the original post  is no one from the first few Ford dealers called took the time to explain where to take it to get the warranty work done. 

Several years ago, I wanted to buy a Winnebago View.   My concern was (and still is) warranty work availability on the MB chassis.   I asked the Winnebago dealer where you got the MB serviced locally.  He didn't know.  He asked his sales manager.  He didn't know.  They called their shop and they told them where you had to take the View to get engine service under warranty.   The key to this question was that I knew the answer before I asked it:  the Freightliner facility about four miles from the Winne dealer.   I knew - they didn't.   That was enough to tell me I didn't want to do business with that Winne dealer. 

Sometimes I wonder:  doesn't anyone just THINK?  Or CARE?   

New car dealerships are not required to fix (in or out of warranty) vehicles their shop is not equipped to handle.

This is true of all makes and models.   

When you call and they say they can't help you, simply ask who the closest dealer is who can.  If the person on the phone says they don't know, ask to speak to the service manager.  They will know.

For RV owners, It's best to start with the Ford 800 number in your book. They will tell you what dealer to take it to and make the appointment.

I had a Chevrolet class A years ago and had the same problem getting local dealers to look at a motor home, you had to go to a truck dealer.

What you did getting the code was great, because your local dealer could have possibly fixed it without bringing it into the shop. but they are reluctant to do it.

Also if you have a Ford Truck dealer near you, no one seems to know that a free wheel alignment check will be done by Ford and if it is out of specifications they align it free. Had it done on 2 PC's I owned for no charge.

WOW - awesome to know about the free wheel alignment check.   Thanks for the info!

Also if you have a Ford Truck dealer near you, no one seems to know that a free wheel alignment check will be done by Ford and if it is out of specifications they align it free. Had it done on 2 PC's I owned for no charge.

Assuming this refers to under warranty rigs... my local ford dealer laughed when I asked about doing my 2007 for free. 

Since I full-time, I end up having to get service all over the country.  So I use the 1-800 Ford number once or twice a year.  I have learned several things about calling them. 
-. Get 2 or 3 places from them.  Once I was given a name and number of a Ford dealer that I  tried to contact, with no success.  I later learned they had closed 2 years before.  I found it hard to understand why Ford didn't know a Ford dealership was closed!
-. Even if they say a particular dealer can work on RVs, they may no longer do it.  Or they may only do minor repairs and maintenance. Or as already mentioned, they may only handle certain sizes.
- I've heard they will make the appointment. I prefer talking to the dealer myself to verify they can do what I need done.

Pam

Thanks everyone for all the suggestions.  We found a Ford heavy truck dealer about an hour from us and took her down.  They fixed us up under warranty and we were very pleased.  We will keep the Ford 1-800 number handy while on the road.  Hopefully we won't need it. 

Gary

This is a gripe area for me. I had my previous RV serviced at the local Ford dealer for years and then all of a sudden they "do not service RVs". There was no change to their service area nor was there any limits based upon size of weight (I asked on up the chain of command) just they "do not service RVs".   

Basically there is no guaranty that a Ford dealer will look at, let alone repair your unit.

It appears we all have to move up a notch to the Truck thinking mode and not expect 4 wheeler dealers to take care of something they don't have the ability to handle. And the other side of that is you will need to be prepared for the price of work on a bigger unit. There is no cheap service unless you do it yourself and are capable.  And the bigger RV dealers usually have full service centers. I have seen some that don't do alignment but they do take it out and right back in. And when putting tires on be aware of the manufacturing date and do not accept old tires. They have a life span in years not miles and it is short.  Think Truck.