F10 and warranty work

[paull564]

So I'm northbound on I81 in Pa when my windshield washer motor fails. No big thing, I was going to the dealer when I got home to have some things done. The unit is a 2007 Tiffin Allegro 32BA, Ford F10 and we took delivery in February, 2007.
I go to the Ford dealer today to have the DOT 4 brake fluid flushed (as per Ford recommendation on the Hyrdomax), the front tires rotated and now to also have the washer motor replaced. While doing the brake fluid, the tech shows me the rubber diaphrams from the master cylinder and they look 'old', worn, warped....you know the look; they have to be replaced. No problem, do it.
When all is said and done, I'm thinking OK, the washer motor is a warranty item as well as the rubber diaphrams on the master cylinder, remember, I took delivery in Feb 2007 and the unit has less than 10K on it back and forth to FL and MD a few times.
$221 later, the service guy tells me that the washer motor was not covered by the warranty because the motor was a GM part. (If I knew that I would have replaced it myself). And get this, the master cylinder diaphrams (and the cylinder itself according to them) is not covered because it is a Chrysler part. After some spirited discussion at the dealership, I was on the phone with Ford before I left the parking lot. Customer service tells me that they ship a stripped engine and chassis to the MH builder, while the switch on the column for the washer is a Ford product, the engine is shipped w/o a washer. Ford even told me that the A/C might not be Ford because it's shipped again w/o A/C. He was suprised that the master cylinder was not a Ford product and gave me an address for Ford in AZ where I can plead my case and recover some funds.
I'll finish up with this. When I got back from the dealer today, I changed my oil and did some routine checks. When I checked the tranny fluid, I noticed some dirt at the bottom of the dipstick after the fluid had settled, actual gritty substance on the very bottom of the stick. As is sometimes the case with M/Hs, the chassis can sometimes be the previous model year; my chassis was built in 10/06 so when I gave the VIN to customer service at Ford, he read back that I have a 2006 M/H so if I have to have to the tranny flushed, will that fall under the warranty since Tiffin calls it a 2007 M/H and Ford calls it a 2006???? I'll let you know what Ford says tomorrow.
Paul
2007 Allegro 32BA, Ford chassis

[Izzyblueye]

The customer should be made aware of all of this up front. The manufacturer should have final responsibility for warranty work. He is the guy who made all the profit.

[Richard S.]

It is standard practice in the manufacturing of motorhomes that the chassis may be older than the coach. Chasses are purchased and stored at the coach manufactures facility then brought in to the production line as required. My motorhome is a 2007 built in DEC. 06, the Ford chassis is a 06 built in AUG.06.
Transmission flush will be a Ford call.

[Hikerdogs]

Since I've never heard of an F10 chassis I googled the motorhome you described. I believe it's built on the Ford F53 chassis.

As far as the brake cylinder is concerned take a close look at the chassis in this picture: Detroit Chassis

It's a complete F53 chassis as delivered from the manufacturer (Detroit Chassis) to the motorhome builders. Just below the steering column is the master cylinder. Since the manufacturer delivered the unit with the master cylinder installed it should be covered under warranty.

There is no washer assembly (it should be near the coolant overflow tank) so that was probably installed by the coach builder. In that case you'll have to know the length of the warranty offered by Tiffin.

The AC is a bit more "iffy". Ford installs the compressor, condensor and related plumbing. It goes to the coach builder with the hoses to the valving and evaporator plugged off. The coach builder installs the valving, evaporator and controls. So depending on where the problem occours it will be covered by either the coach builder or Ford. In our case we had to have some work done on the AC while it was under warranty. The Ford dealer consulted with Winnebago and they worked out who was going to pay for what.

Concerning changing the transmission fluid I think you'll find no manufacturer or coach builder covers that aspect. It's considered a maintenance item (just like changing engine oil and filter) and is considered a customer responsibility.

As mentioned earlier it is not uncommon to have a chassis a year older than the body. That doesn't change anything as far as the warranty is concerned. The chassis is warrantied for 3 years or 36,000 miles from the date of delivery to the consumer. At the time you purchased the coach you should have signed (and received a copy of) a form detailing the date of purchase and the mileage on the unit at that time. The warranty starts on that date and extends for (whichever comes first) 3 years or 36,000 miles beyond what was shown on the odometer at the time of purchase.

[LVJ58]

I wholeheartedly agree with Hikerdogs assessment of the issue.

[paull564]

Hikerdogs, my fingers and brain were not in sync, you correctly identified this as the F53 chassis with the 6.8L V10 engine.

The detroitchassis.com photo is exactly it and the master cylinder in the photo is in the same location right down to the green label on the cylinder. I should win that part with the Ford Review & Consideration Committee.

The washer tank does not show in the photo and mine is mounted below the air filter. I agree with the other post that the dealer should have made mention that that part was not under warranty. When I arrived at the dealer, I specifically stated that I had 'one warranty item to be repaired, the washer motor'.

I only used the A/C as an example that these rolling chassis are sent to the M/H manufacturer stripped down and the parts added may not be from the original engine and chassis producer.

And finally, I just got off the phone with Ford and while they acknowledged that the engine and drivetrain are still under the manufacturer's warranty, the foreign matter at the bottom of my transmission would not be covered. The tech thought it might be paint chips from the inside of the dipstick tube. I will go out with a magnet to determine if it is metallic although the pieces are not metallic looking. Ford says that a transmission flush to clean out this foreign material is part of routine maintainence even after only 8500 miles. That I do not agree with. Just another windmill to joust with

Paul

[cueman]

Hi Paul, I just had the same problem with my transmission in my 2007 Ford Hurricane. There was some sort of crap on the trans. dip stick but the fliud looked clear. I only have 4,000 miles on it and it runs and shifts fantastic. I wouldn't have even known about the crud had I not checked the fluid as part of winter maintenance. My question is Did you ever find out for sure what the crap was and how much to have the trans. flushed out completely? Anyone else have an idea? Thank You All, Jim