UPDATE:
After getting the tailshaft fitted, I noticed the car still had a knock in the rear intermittently. Took it back to Challenger Ford who looked over it thoroughly AGAIN and found the r/h driveshaft had a lot of play and needed replacing. Left the car with them overnight while a new driveshaft was ordered, it arrived the next day and was fitted up, they tested it and called me to come and pick it up.
I went up and picked it up with a mate and within 5 minutes we both noticed the knock was STILL there grrrr! I called them back and said it was still present and booked it in again for the coming Monday (this week) as it was 4:45 on a Friday.
Took it in again and they rang me late Monday to say they believed the diff was causing the noise and required replacing. This is the second failure of the diff in 55000kms, the first one went at around 28000kms and was "apparently" replaced by Lane Ford in Mandurah.
Anyway, I was advised to come and pick it up and keep driving it until the new diff arrived (apparently 2-4 weeks usually). I reluctantly picked it up and have been driving it since Monday even though I felt it was tempting fate with the faulty diff.
This morning I drove to Baldivis (I live in Mandurah) and on my way home there was a severe clunk about 6 times with what felt like the diff locking up momentarily (scary at 100kph on the freeway!!
Got home luckily and called Ford Customer Relations, who I've been speaking with about compensation for the lengthy amounts of time it's been of the road of late. I asked them if the diff had ever actually been replaced or whether it was simply repaired. They couldn't tell me as those details are on the Warranty Dept's database which the CR Dept don't have access to!! WTF!!?
After getting of the phone to them, I went to head out with my mrs in her car and noticed a massive pool of trans/diff fluid under the rear... the diff had given up and spewed on the brand new garage floor!!
Called Challenger Ford to get them to arrange for towing under new car warranty, but was told I have to call Ford CR Dept to arrange it seeing its still under new car warranty!! So I call up and had them arrange for it to be towed to the dealership and keep it until the diff arrives.
Got a call about 10 minutes later to say I would have to pay excess kms for towing to Challenger Ford because Lane Ford was my closest dealership, to which I told the woman that Challenger have a diff on order already and it must go there, so I had no choice but to pay the $30 for excess kms towing, which I will try to get back from Ford CR Dept.
Does anyone know anything about lemon laws and if they actually exist in WA or if I have any grounds to demand a replacement vehicle from Ford?? Because this thing is beyond a joke with all its niggly fkn problems, which to date are:
- All rear susp bushes replaced at 9,000/10,000kms due to clunking noises
- Water leak into drivers footwell - 3 visits to Lane Ford to fix!
- Clunking still evident after susp bushes, so centre diff bush replaced
- Approx 25,000kms - Diff replaced
- Exhaust Vibration - Muffler replaced (didnt fix issue!)
- Coolant leak - misdiagnosed 3 times
- Electric Pedals stopped working (could not move back and forth) - New pedal assembly fitted
- At this point I started going to Challenger Ford as I was frustrated with the lack of mechanical service at Lane's - Challenger found the diff bushes had been installed the wrong way around byt Lane's! - Replaced
- Coolant leak finally fixed - leaky o'ring
- Tailshaft sheared in two
- Diff failed for 2nd time!