Ford Fiesta Timing Belt Broke 45,000 Km before It Was Due to Be Replaced - Ford Hitting Me up for Repairs

Flying Ace on 16/06/2020 - 07:55
Last edited 16/06/2020 - 13:45 by 1 other user

I purchased my Fiesta S brand new from a dealership in 2015. The car was regularly serviced with my mechanic as per the vehicle logbook.

About 6 weeks ago the engine cut out after making a rattling sound and wouldn't start again.

It was towed to my mechanic who diagnosed it as a broken timing belt. Even though it was out of warranty, the timing belt was not due to be changed until 150,000km - my vehicle had travelled 105,000km. I got in touch with Ford head office who got me to have the car towed to the local dealership (where I purchased the vehicle).

The dealership diagnosed the issue as the teeth that drive the timing belt have worn away due to "incorrect oil or oil not being changed". The car needs a new engine. They got me to submit my receipts from the mechanic to them so they could see that it was serviced correctly with the correct oil.

My mechanic is old school (our family has been going to him for years), and hand writes receipts in an invoice book.

The dealership have come back to me and are vaguely accusing me of forging receipts ("anybody could have written them"), they want nice typed receipts from accounting software, and the response from Ford corporate is for them to pay 25% of the new engine cost, and me 75% - my out of pocket expenses would be around $6500.

I'm not accepting this outcome as I have receipts to prove the oil used was correct and was changed as per the servicing schedule, just because they're hand written from my mechanic shouldn't have any bearing on the outcome - written receipts from an invoice book are still legal and valid receipts. My mechanic still has the duplicate copy in his invoice books.

I don't know where to go from here as I feel I am being given a raw deal due to handwritten receipts!

Any advice?

TLDR: Timing belt broke 45,000km before it should have, dealership saying it's because "wrong oil or oil not changed". Oil was correct and was changed. Dealership don't like the mechanic's handwritten receipts and are now saying I am liable for 75% of the cost of a new engine.

Edit: My case manager at Ford has been very helpful and understanding, I just feel like the dealership (who have been terrible!) is giving Ford incorrect information and is hindering my chance at a fair response.

Automotive

Comments

  • garetz on 18/06/2020 - 22:06

    Get the mechanic to sign an affidavit stating the receipts are real and accurate for the product of his work, case closed.

  • DanielR on 19/06/2020 - 04:50
    +3

    I had the same issue, but my vehicle BMW, mine went at 195,000km and was 7 years old..difference was I had mine serviced at a BMW stealership regularly. Same situation engine cut out - got it towed to dealership and quoted me up on $35k to get it repaired called BMW Australia which wouldn’t budge then dealership called BMW Germany which agreed to cover all costs and repair it for free after some weeks of evidence and pushing.

    You just need to make sure you have all the evidence, paper work documented (they pulled the same crap ohh you had the service interval at 75,000km instead of 60,000km etc)… and keep pushing diplomatically eg. I have always ever bought your brand of vehicle etc..

    (Mine was the timing chain issue which was a known fault in this type of engine - as stated above the vehicle was 7 years old and 195,000km at the time and well without warranty) btw the car has now done 275,000km now same engine, head was removed new camshafts, timing chain with upgraded teeth.

  • Make it so on 19/06/2020 - 14:07
    +3

    Interesting how hand-written paperwork is considered more likely to be fraudulent than printed digital ones that could easily be generated/manipulated.

    Sounds like a statutory warranty situation to me.

    Reminds me, I think I need a new timing belt :)

  • Flying Ace on 21/07/2020 - 16:01
    +8

    Update almost three months since the engine shat itself: Ford have conducted a lab test of the oil and have concluded that my mechanic did indeed use the correct oil, and they are replacing the engine for me!
    So happy!

    • pegaxs on 21/07/2020 - 20:33

      Good news. Saves a lot of lawyering up. Shame it took them so long to get to that conclusion.

    • Dogsrule on 27/07/2020 - 19:21

      You've been given a warning shot; heed the warning, sell the POS after it's fixed and buy a Toyota.

    • Charlotta on 09/02/2022 - 09:31

      Ridiculous how long it took them. They should have been supplying you with a substitute vehicle for all fo the at time.

      Obviously I'm 18 months late to this discussions which I stumbled upon when looking for info re change of timing belt on our diesel Fiesta WT bought 2012 - and actually posted by me as a bargain back then: https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/61760

      I surprised myself by choosing to service our Fiesta with the fixed price dealer servicing for about 6 year - given it was not badly priced AND inclusion of 12 months AA roadside assistance worth about $90p.a. to us. Also they offered a loaner car if service was booked far enough in advance - although I tended more to book it for first thing and chill with work on my laptopn for a couple of hours each time in their well-apponted waiting room with cereal and espresso machine.

      First time I've ever continued to use dealer servicing - and it was actually quite useful for getting attention to waranty and a couple of recall issues: recall replacement of steering column and rear door-locks, and warranty just for a few rattles - though they never did resolve the dash rattle appearing to come from the driver instrument mounts.

      NOTE - and my reason for posting here - the dealership service receipts were quite detailed and outlined the type of engine oil they used in each service. What was interesting is that it was not the same grade of oil as that which is prescribed in the Ford manual.

    • Hackney on 03/03/2022 - 05:45

      The thing with these Ecoboost 1.0 engines is oil changes are of paramount importance.The timing belt is what is called a ‘wet belt’(not that uncommon).Clean oil is imperative with these.If the oil does not get changed as per the schedule(twice a year is better than annually) the belt will break down & start to clog up the oil pump.Oil & filters are cheap,a blown engine is not.It is fairly rare these days with these belts going.Ford have now gone to a chain set up in the Puma 1.0 litre Ecoboost.The service interval for the cam belt is 240,000kms OR 10 years.

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