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What warranty do I have on Motorcraft/Ford batteries?


trockli

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I opened today the hood of our 2011 Ford Edge to check the steering fluid level (see my other thread about the power steering issue).

 

After opening the hood it was not hard to overlook that the battery has leaked badly (images attached). Frankly, I have never seen something like this before. The battery got replaced by a Ford Dealer in January 2015 as a result of constantly drained battery as a result of the "door ajar" issue.

 

Is there any meaningful warranty on the Motorcraft battery? And if yes, does my situation represent a warranty case?

 

Furthermore, why would a Ford dealer doing my Oil change/multipoint inspection not tell me about the battery?!!?

 

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Corrosion happens in the absence of battery protection products/felt pads. Clean it up good and away you go. Not sure why it appears that blue, might have more copper in it than normal. Hopefully it is not bad enough to have to replace terminals/cables.

 

As far as warranty, since the dealer installed it, it should have the longest warranty offered by Ford (7 years?), IF you paid for the battery. Otherwise, I am not sure ... should at least clean it up 4 u. If not replace it entirely. Make sure they do a load test on the battery after cleaning it up, in your presence.

Edited by WWWPerfA_ZN0W
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I had a nearly similar corrosion on the positive battery terminal, after disconnecting the positive terminal & cleaning, I found some cracks in the battery case right under the terminal connector (not visible unless the connector was removed). The Motorcraft MAX battery had a 3 year full warranty with up to 7 years prorata. It was ~ 18 months old at the time & hence got a free replacement without questions even though it passed the load test. Come to think of it, I believe the failed one was also purchased in January 2015.

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Dealer replaced the battery for free. Still, leaves a bad taste.

The first OEM battery lasted less than 4 years. And this one disintegrated within 1-2 years.

In all my other cars I never had to replace a battery before 6 years and none ever disintegrated like this.

BTW. Other cars seem to put a heat jacket around the battery. Does the Ford Edge not have it, or got lost?

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I opened to hood tonight to look at the new battery. Looks like that the Ford Arlington Heights believes QA has to be conducted by the customer?

 

The picture shows the loose parts as is after opening. And of course the battery is loose as well.

Nz8IrKn.jpg




P.S. Does anyone one know where that part goes? Is there anything missing?
Edited by trockli
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This is the battery spacer/hold down clamp, number 2/3 here. It goes on the driver's side of the battery, the plastic part at the bottom to take the space at the bottom between the base of the battery & side of the tray, the long screw goes into a hole in the battery tray with the top of the screw being visible between the battery terminals.

 

For the battery jacket, it doesn't seem the Edge had it in USA, for us in hot weather GCC, we do. If you want one, it is the same part used for the Super Duty i believe, at least for the 65 series battery (if you have push button start). The part number used here BC3Z10A687A.

 

80061Bleedingjp_00000036495.jpg

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So far, I got on various cars 6+ years on OEM. I didn't keep any car longer than 10 years. But replacement is at least 4+ years.

However, it is not so much the cost. But the associated hassle; e.g. the engine being all dirty, Ford not telling me during a (very) recent oil change that the battery is looking strange, Ford dealer forgetting loose parts,...

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So far, I got on various cars 6+ years on OEM. I didn't keep any car longer than 10 years. But replacement is at least 4+ years.

However, it is not so much the cost. But the associated hassle; e.g. the engine being all dirty, Ford not telling me during a (very) recent oil change that the battery is looking strange, Ford dealer forgetting loose parts,...

 

Drive to Advance Auto. Pay $125 for a new battery. Wait 15 minutes while they install it. Drive away.

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I don't understand why most people think that going to the dealer is the top of the line place to be. Most oil changes & general maintenance are done by their lowest paid techs. Most of them are just there for a paycheck & don't care about anyones car.

 

Should Dealers be held to a higher standard? Yes, absolutely! But, are they? No, not most of the time. Any good 'lube tech' isn't going to last long doing oil changes. They're going to move on to bigger & better (paying) things.

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