Ford Canceled My Warrenty

[garyk]

I have been here a few years and i like wildlife photography so i travel constantly.

I decided to buy a Ford for my traveling. I asked the dealer if there would be a problem with my warrenty if i traveled and had my service done where ever i was at the time. He said it would be fine just keep record and sales reciepts and log everything in the book when i had the oil changed. So I think ok. WRONG.

I kept all reciepts and log book religiously updated. This showed my oil being changed every 5000 KM and I used semi synthetic oil only.

My blower motor on my air conditioning unit went out. So i took it to the local Ford dealer for service. He took my service record book and all my reciets. About 10 minutes later he said he called Ford motor company and they canceled my warrenty because I had not had all my oil changes done at an arthorized dealer. I explained the situation and he said he did not care. All Warrenty had been canceled.

Sure enough i called ford and they said. The dealer turned me in for lack of maintence and that voided my warrenty. <deleted>.

There was nothing wrong with the motor. It is just like new. It was a faulty blower motor for the Air Cond.

The warrenty was canceled by the dealer because he wanted to charge me an outragious amount for the blower motor. He wanted me to pay 3000 baht just to look at it. When i said it was under warrenty he took the book and proceded to have my warrenty canceled.

Just another example of a third world country and the crooks that live here. Extorting the farang. I got it fixed for nearly nothing 1000 baht. New bushings.. It took about 2 hours.

It did not hurt me financially at all. But it is just another frustrating saga in Thailand.

I own a motor cycle and a truck in my name. and refuse to buy a home or anything else for the little lady. She confrunts me with it regurally. I now have come to the conclusion I was right and now tell her. If you want to leave Leave. I really don't care. But she wont leave. LOL....

What a joke of a country.

Edited July 22, 2010 by garyk

[MikeyIdea]

Just another example of a third world country and the crooks that live here. Extorting the farang.

I agree that it is frustrating and a sad rather typical Thai story (so get your confirmation in writing with a big Ford stamp on next time) but why do you think that it happens only to farang? That is wrong, it happens to both Thai and Farang without descrimination

Edited July 22, 2010 by MikeyIdea

[BSJ]

Well, if they were that uppity about it, they should have taken back the car and gave you your money back!

[MoonRiverOasis]

Have you read your warranty statement?

I don't have a Ford TH one handy, but have several Toyota, Isuzu, Mitsibishi and Chevrolet ones, and they're all quite clear that a condition of warranty is that the scheduled services must be carried out by one of their respective dealerships. Unfortunately no matter what someone says, there's no way to verbally change the terms of a written, legally binding document like a warranty statement.

[Deeral]

"Just another example of a third world country and the crooks that live here. Extorting the farang."

Thailand is not a third world country by any definition. It is actually quite wealthy but things such as consumer regulation and customer service legislation are put on the back burner so that the commercial elite can continue to make money unhindered by nasty little things like fair trading.

I think it was obviously wrong advice from the start but this shows two things

firstly the guy who sold you the car either wasn't trained properly by Ford or he didn't give a shit so long as he made a sale.

secondly it shows how even multinationals like Ford will take to this kind of practice like a duck to water.

In truth if they had any integrity they would at least offer you some form of compromise deal.

Replace the fan and maybe limit the warranty on your engine or have it inspected for excessive wear and tear.

This is just yet another example of how consumers in Thailand haven't got a leg to stand on.

BTW - if you have the time and want to be bloody-minded about it, I KNOW you'll get Ford to change their corporate mind and reinstate your warranty

[HDRIDER]

Hi

I think its normal everywhere in the world that you have your car serviced with Ford (if you buy a Ford) yes? no?

[goldfinger]

how old is the car,

and how many miles/km has it run already?

regular inspections done from a ford dealer or from "somchaj"???

[MoonRiverOasis]

Thailand is not a third world country by any definition. It is actually quite wealthy but things such as consumer regulation and customer service legislation are put on the back burner so that the commercial elite can continue to make money unhindered by nasty little things like fair trading.

...This is just yet another example of how consumers in Thailand haven't got a leg to stand on...

Not true. The Consumer Protection Act (introduced in 1979 and revised since) and the Consumer Case Procedures Act (introduced in August 2008) provide real levels of consumer protection - on a par with any Western legislation in fact. The Consumer Protection Board is your first point of contact, but if you can't read Thai you'll need some assistance: http://www.ocpb.go.th

I have taken a few different vendors to task (and won). But you'll need a leg to stand on, which it would not appear the OP has.

firstly the guy who sold you the car either wasn't trained properly by Ford or he didn't give a shit so long as he made a sale.

I think it's just the 'Thai way" to provide an answer to every question, whether it be factual or not. I've always struggled to understand why Thai's can't just say "I don't know, can I look into that and get back to you?" - maybe it's about face, maybe they feel no answer could delay a sale, who really knows.. but in any case you have to become deft at knowing when someone is just winging it and when they really do know their stuff.

The good thing is that most higher-value transactions there's a contract involved, so there's always a way to get to the truth

[Bobr]

Your post made me curious so I got out the booklets for my 2009 Toyota. I looked all through them, and had an educated Thai friend read the Thai parts and there is nothing whatsoever about having to take the car back to the dealer for service to keep the warranty valid. In fact, the English version of the owners manual (which they gave me for free) even has a section on do-it-yourself mainntainenance including oil changes, and nothing that warns against doing it under warranty. They do say that failure to maintain the vehicle and damage caused by improper maintenance and modifications are not covered, but that is certainly reasonable.

The car has never been back to the dealer, I service it myself and put Mobil One synthetic oil in in it and save the receipts. I've always maintained my own vehicles since I was a teenager. My Toyota has been flawless, It has never needed anything except oil changes and filters,no mechanical problems whatsoever.

You may want to contact the Ford district office. Something does not sound right there., especially since your problem obviously has nothing to do with scheduled maintenance.

Good luck to you.

Edited July 22, 2010 by Bobr

[hansnl]

I advise you to send a complaint about this to Ford Cologne.

Ford is bound by various laws about warranty.

And it is indeed worldwide that service needs to be done by a renowned service point, not necessarily Ford.

If the engine of your Ford is a diesel, it is made in Europe and falls under the European law, even if mounted in a car made in Asia.

Just write to Ford.

[kartman]

Hi

I think its normal everywhere in the world that you have your car serviced with Ford (if you buy a Ford) yes? no?

I beleive now in the UK you can have your vehicle serviced by an independent dealer providing they are VAT registered and use the manufacturers parts in doing so without voiding the warranty. Also i don't know if the law there that also protects you if you modify the vehicle ie tune the engine then the warranty is voided on that and any part directly connected to it, but parts that are not like the air con blower etc are still covered. I presume in Thailand all the under three year old vehicles running around on non manufacturer aftermarket wheels have technically voided their warranty.

[Deeral]

Im aware of the legislation - it isn't that good and to be effective it needs enforcement and a legal system to back it up - neither of which is available as well as the all pervading culture in Thailand of "caveat emptor"

I also have used the consumer protection service - I put their number up before but don't have it t hand - it's a 4 figure one.

As for the idea that it has to be serviced y Ford - that is only the received wisdom - not fact and anyhow it is a red-herring as th e buyer was TOLD by an agent of the company that he could service elsewhere.

Yes I would contact Ford HQ and work my way up from there and you WILL get a result - I have had some "wonderful" results from large companies in Thailand who basically think they can run rough-shod over their customers in this country.

at the end of the day it boils down to reasonable performance and I'd say that Ford aren't doing that

[Deeral]

"I think it's just the 'Thai way" to provide an answer to every question, whether it be factual or not. I've always struggled to understand why Thai's can't just say "I don't know, can I look into that and get back to you?" - maybe it's about face, maybe they feel no answer could delay a sale, who really knows.. but in any case you have to become deft at knowing when someone is just winging it and when they really do know their stuff." - doesn't matter - it's the law that must be made to work or Ford will loose even more face.

[Deeral]

This is where Thai law can fail - it reie on "contract" rather than "reasonable performance" so vendors try to insert all sorts of "getout clauses"

[garyk]

I have read the responses here. Some very good and seem to know the laws. I have two new trucks in the States and a BMW motorcycle and have never had the oil changed by the dealer and always had my warrenty taken care of with no problems. If you have the records showing the oil changed and reciepts then that is enough. What really gets me is. It isnt the motor it is something totally unrelated.....

I have owned probibly 20 new vehicles in the states. I owned a small A/C service company and when the men didn't have enough to do i had them change the oil and air filters and the secretary kept track of milage and such. And i NEVER had a problem.

Now the book here says the same thing. But the Thai laws do not protect you what so ever in my opinion. I think I could get it reversed but I have 50,000 KM's on the clock and it is a 2008 model ford ranger( I bought it new in 2009 a hold over from the previous year). If I have serious problems with it i will complain or even hire a lawyer. But it is not worth it now. 1000 baht and fixed. My gripe is with the franchise people who sell ford here. It is like everything elese here. There are no rules to go by. Everyone makes up there own. I still think it is a banana republic and has a long way to go.

But it is cheap..... And I pay my trafic fines with a 100-200 baht note. I kinda like the coruption. If you have a little money the police will do just about anything for you. I am just here for the wildlife and will go back to my home in two more years. But I have to say. If the laws were better suited for farang I would buy a home here for my winters. But there is no way i will spend my money here on a bad investment. Thailand is just plain and simple bad business. My investments are in the States and will stay there.

My thoughts are to stay and do my wildlife phot shots. And at the end of the day. Go back home... I still love my home and the states.

G

Edited July 22, 2010 by garyk

[WarpSpeed]

Your post made me curious so I got out the booklets for my 2009 Toyota. I looked all through them, and had an educated Thai friend read the Thai parts and there is nothing whatsoever about having to take the car back to the dealer for service to keep the warranty valid. In fact, the English version of the owners manual (which they gave me for free) even has a section on do-it-yourself mainntainenance including oil changes, and nothing that warns against doing it under warranty. They do say that failure to maintain the vehicle and damage caused by improper maintenance and modifications are not covered, but that is certainly reasonable.

The car has never been back to the dealer, I service it myself and put Mobil One synthetic oil in in it and save the receipts. I've always maintained my own vehicles since I was a teenager. My Toyota has been flawless, It has never needed anything except oil changes and filters,no mechanical problems whatsoever.

You may want to contact the Ford district office. Something does not sound right there., especially since your problem obviously has nothing to do with scheduled maintenance.

Good luck to you.

Yep I'm on this line of thinking as well.. Definitely just an attempt at dodging responsibility without cause, pursue it further.. Ford especially just as Chevrolet can not afford a PR black eye and most especially when they are actively courting this market while being on the fringes of it..

[troehr]

Hi

I think its normal everywhere in the world that you have your car serviced with Ford (if you buy a Ford) yes? no?

Actually it is not normal in the US. Very few people use dealers for maintenance. This is especially true for changing oil. It is 15 minutes at Jiffy Lube and $25. At the dealer it might take all day.

T

[Deeral]

I have read the responses here. Some very good and seem to know the laws. I have two new trucks in the States and a BMW motorcycle and have never had the oil changed by the dealer and always had my warrenty taken care of with no problems. If you have the records showing the oil changed and reciepts then that is enough. What really gets me is. It isnt the motor it is something totally unrelated.....

I have owned probibly 20 new vehicles in the states. I owned a small A/C service company and when the men didn't have enough to do i had them change the oil and air filters and the secretary kept track of milage and such. And i NEVER had a problem.

Now the book here says the same thing. But the Thai laws do not protect you what so ever in my opinion. I think I could get it reversed but I have 50,000 KM's on the clock and it is a 2008 model ford ranger( I bought it new in 2009 a hold over from the previous year). If I have serious problems with it i will complain or even hire a lawyer. But it is not worth it now. 1000 baht and fixed. My gripe is with the franchise people who sell ford here. It is like everything elese here. There are no rules to go by. Everyone makes up there own. I still think it is a banana republic and has a long way to go.

But it is cheap..... And I pay my trafic fines with a 100-200 baht note. I kinda like the coruption. If you have a little money the police will do just about anything for you. I am just here for the wildlife and will go back to my home in two more years. But I have to say. If the laws were better suited for farang I would buy a home here for my winters. But there is no way i will spend my money here on a bad investment. Thailand is just plain and simple bad business. My investments are in the States and will stay there.

My thoughts are to stay and do my wildlife phot shots. And at the end of the day. Go back home... I still love my home and the states.

G

Just a thought.

If you fitted an A/C unit for a customer with a guarrantee and they had a problem, you go and find someone else had been messing with it, would you fix it or walk away or tell them it's been messed with, not your problem ?

apples and oranges.

firstly in most countries, limiting servicing to the manufacturer and their agents would be deemed restrictive - you'd give a monopoly so the company could charge what it liked for servicing.

Secondly with this vehicle there has been no suggestion of "messing" the fault was a part not even connected with the servicing.

the servicing is fully recorded and presumed to be by a competent company - unless you can prove otherwise

In the case of your air unit - if another person had made an inappropriate repair or faulty workmanship then you point out this and the subsequent damage it has caused, THis you might argue was not repairable under your own guarantee. But the original fault which occurred wold have been under your guarantee so so'd probably have to put that right.

you can't just use other people's work unreasonably as a get-out option.

now how the law in Thailand works is a different matter but if you confront a major international company with this sort of problem, you will force them into a situation where they are likely to try and protect there reputation rather than the practices of a single car salesman.

[Deeral]

PS - i've been really successful in getting out of court settlements in Thailand but I'm a bit reluctant to go into detail here as it is information that is best kept private.

If you end up going to court you better be prepared for a long wait and a massive compromise.

[MikeyIdea]

Don't know about this issue. Everybody in Sweden where I come from knows that you must make your services with an authorised garage / dealer or you loose your warranty. That's common knowledge. It's the same in the rest of Scandinavia too. People use the authorised garages / dealers until warranty expires, then they switch to a somewhat cheaper local garage. Thailand is the same. Isn't everywhere the same as Northern Europe and Thailand?

Toyota Thailand has told me openly that if I don't make service with them or if I modify their car, then I will lose my warranty. I had nothing to argue about that because I think that is normal.

What is shitty here is that the dealer guy actually said that it was OK, which is bad and dishonest of him. Still. you should have demanded in writing before you went ahead and did it, not just trust word-of-mouth. And if you travel a lot, then you should have chosen a common car brand that you know you can service where you need to use it. It's not like your travelling is a surprise or anything.

You have been wrongly treated of course, but you also made some mistakes

I wish you luck with your car

[MikeyIdea]

Hi

I think its normal everywhere in the world that you have your car serviced with Ford (if you buy a Ford) yes? no?

Actually it is not normal in the US. Very few people use dealers for maintenance. This is especially true for changing oil. It is 15 minutes at Jiffy Lube and $25. At the dealer it might take all day.

T

Isn't US strange then? Northern Europe and Thailand isn't the way you describe

This is not the US, it is common knowledge here

[Deeral]

Sorry MI - but you'll find you are incorrect!

[MikeyIdea]

Sorry MI - but you'll find you are incorrect!

If MI is MikeyIdea then I must tell you that I don't agree with you. I have myself been told by Toyota that if I don't do my services with them, then I lose my warranty. I have chatted about this with my neighbours in the past and they know that you (unfortunately) must use the more expensive authorised dealers until warranty expires - and they do use them the first couple of years - it's not because they want to, it's because they know

[MoonRiverOasis]

you (unfortunately) must use the more expensive authorised dealers until warranty expires

How is free more expensive than not free?

Most of the majors include free labor for all scheduled services during the warranty period (Toyota, Honda, Mistu, Ford etc), and you've always got the option of providing your own oil if 600-800 Baht for their stuff seems too expensive (or in my case, not expensive enough ). As for genuine parts like filters etc, they're usually very reaosnably priced (220-270 Baht).

[MikeyIdea]

you (unfortunately) must use the more expensive authorised dealers until warranty expires

How is free more expensive than not free?

Most of the majors include free labor for all scheduled services during the warranty period (Toyota, Honda, Mistu, Ford etc), and you've always got the option of providing your own oil if 600-800 Baht for their stuff seems too expensive (or in my case, not expensive enough ). As for genuine parts like filters etc, they're usually very reasonably priced (220-270 Baht).

I agree with you for the Thailand case, I live in a working class neighbour hood, my neighbours would rather change the oil themselves, not lazy but low paid Must have been thnking about Europe when I wrote what I did...

I always use Toyota, original space parts for Toyota are really reasonably priced I think, the mechanics are more careful and do a better job I think, even more important

Edited July 23, 2010 by MikeyIdea

[stingray]

Think the original guy gave you misinformation. New motors should be serviced at a main dealer for obvious reasons, not just changing oil but to scan the motor for potential probs covered under warranty which any other will not do.

There is even a filter for the air con which should be replaced regulary, otherwise the blower can be damaged. Therefore maybe no waranty, because filter not replaced at the right time.

BTW, Toyota didn't replaced the filter as well, so water dripped on the CD player and caused damage. But Yoyota replaced my the CD player under warranty. The funny thing is: i, as a customer. have to dell them, when it's time to the filter replacement.

Warranty is lacking everywhere overhere. For example Battery, brake parts, suspensions, shocks, electric motors for power windows, etc are usually not under warranty either. Only engine and drivetrain.

[Deeral]

Sorry MI - but you'll find you are incorrect!

If MI is MikeyIdea then I must tell you that I don't agree with you. I have myself been told by Toyota that if I don't do my services with them, then I lose my warranty. I have chatted about this with my neighbours in the past and they know that you (unfortunately) must use the more expensive authorised dealers until warranty expires - and they do use them the first couple of years - it's not because they want to, it's because they know

Free is best - but Ithink youll find that doesn't stand up under EU trading laws.

[metisdead]

After reading all the replies l still believe that a manufacturer should service and keep an eye on THEIR product for warranty purposes. ANYBODY can produce a false service document from Joe Blogs garage. Really it's common sense that the manufacturer should be aware of their products history under their care..

Exactly!

[MikeyIdea]

After reading all the replies l still believe that a manufacturer should service and keep an eye on THEIR product for warranty purposes. ANYBODY can produce a false service document from Joe Blogs garage. Really it's common sense that the manufacturer should be aware of their products history under their care..

Absolutely. I would not myself accept to continue to provide warranty for what someone with unknown training totally outside my control has been working on. Then I shouldn't demand it of others either

As long as a part is under warranty, then only authorised dealer touches it. That should be able to pass also EU rules I would think

If unauthorised people mess around with other things not related in any way shouldn't matter though

[Deeral]

It may be the "best" option but it doesn't have to be legal.

There are many circumstances where an alternative +servicing centre may actually be as good, better or more convenient.

I used to work for a well know race car company and many people brought their cars to the retail sales side just so they could have our name on the service record.

Although we were ion those days a recognised service centre but not a main dealer.

I think it would be unreasonable for anyone to assume that the local dealership is ipso facto the best workshop around - in fact in Thailand there's a dam_n good chance it ain't

furthermore there is the convenience factor - who would want to buy your brand if they had to drive hundreds of kilometres every time they wanted an oil-shange.

I'm currently in a tussle with one of the pick manufacturers about the quality of workmanship at one of their dealerships - they quite frankly haven't been up to the job. It's not a new guarantee situation but it does involve a guarantee on wiork done.

I now have an arrangement for future work to be done by other workshops.