Tinting = voided warranty?

[GT-Bill]

So I took my car to the dealer because my rear defroster quit working. Three days later I get a call saying it will not be covered under warranty because the rear window was tinted. Seriously! The tint job was sold to me at Ford when I bought the car and even installed there. I am told that it is an aftermarket part and they are pretty sure that it caused the failure. I am so pissed at Ford that tomorrow when I pick it up I'm going to put it up for sale and never buy another Ford as long as I live. Do I have any options or am I pretty much screwed? Rant over, Bill

 

[CPRsm]

Try another dealer. And ask how it could possibly cause the failure. If it is possible, they shouldn't have sold it to you.

 

[skwerl]

"Warranty" covers whatever the service adviser wants it to cover that particular day. Doesn't matter the brand. I would say you got somebody having a bad day and he decided that nobody is getting any more warranty coverage today. I would escalate it over his head and take it to the general manager of the dealership. Sounds like a bullshit excuse to me.

 

[GT-Bill]

They contacted Ford and the decision came from them. I have contacted the general manager and was told that he has to follow Ford's warranty division.

 

[CPRsm]

Did Ford know they sold you the damn tint? Probably something the dealership left out when they asked about the warranty

 

[Captainstr8edge]

Has the tint started peeling? I know most of my rear defrost stopped working because of the tint. Should be easy to diagnose. If you have power at the leads then the stuff on the glass has lost its continuity and the whole glass needs to be replaced and if it is the glass chances are its the tint that caused it and ford won't cover it. Only way I see it being covered is if the dealer that installed it will warranty their work.

Also "pretty sure" is not PROOF.

 

[RED09GT]

It is possible for it to happen. My first attempt at tinting a rear window resulted in me cutting through one of the lines of the defroster and having that line no longer work. It was easy to fix and I believe the fixing stuff was just like touch up paint, mask both sides to match the previous line and paint away.

First off, did it work previously? Any lines that didn't work? Or are there some or one line that does work? Do any of the lines look smudged?

I would for sure try and get in touch with whoever the dealer contracted to do the tint job and have them visually inspect it to see if they can spot a problem as it is their work and they should stand behind it.

 

[Captainstr8edge]

So there is a way to fix it? I have quite a few lines in mine that don't work anymore, just too bad I have tint over it now...

 

[RED09GT]

So there is a way to fix it? I have quite a few lines in mine that don't work anymore, just too bad I have tint over it now...

you have to cut through the tint but if you are good with a blade, you can cut right near the line. Permatex was the brand that I used-however that was back in the early 90's, not sure if it is still available.

 

[Captainstr8edge]

Yeah, I'd fuck that shit right the fuck up.

 

[iwisefox]

That's insanity. Take it to another Ford dealer.

 

[skwerl]

If I did end up having to fix it myself, I'd most likely opt to replace the glass since the low slope doesn't give you any room to work on it. Hell, I couldn't even clean my rear window effectively. I sure as hell am not going to be able to repair defrost lines. I would simply eat the $300 or whatever it took to replace the glass at Safelite or a similarly high rated glass replacement company.

I'm about to replace the windshield on my 2002 F150 simply because of too many tiny chips in my line of sight. Safelite has done me right on a couple of occasions so I will return there for the work.

 

[Captainstr8edge]

Your insurance might cover it too.

 

[BruceH]

Ford didn't put the tint on. It sounds like your beef is with the dealer. Why should Ford cover something someone else screwed up? Did the dealer have you sign any paperwork when they did or outsourced the tint job?

So I took my car to the dealer because my rear defroster quit working. Three days later I get a call saying it will not be covered under warranty because the rear window was tinted. Seriously! The tint job was sold to me at Ford when I bought the car and even installed there. I am told that it is an aftermarket part and they are pretty sure that it caused the failure. I am so pissed at Ford that tomorrow when I pick it up I'm going to put it up for sale and never buy another Ford as long as I live. Do I have any options or am I pretty much screwed? Rant over, Bill

 

[SSPSTANGBANGER]

Ford didn't put the tint on. It sounds like your beef is with the dealer. Why should Ford cover something someone else screwed up? Did the dealer have you sign any paperwork when they did or outsourced the tint job?

+1
Goto the dealer that did sold you the tint job and have them warranty it or deal with Ford on it. If they don't then report them to the BBB and bean them on the Ford service survey. They will likely cover it with no extra hassle though.

 

[GT-Bill]

It was sold and installed at the dealership. They also added right on my finance sheet when I bought the car. It worked for about 2.5 years then stopped.

 

[BruceH]

So it's not Fords problem if it was the cause. It sounds like the dealership isn't backing up their work.

It was sold and installed at the dealership. They also added right on my finance sheet when I bought the car. It worked for about 2.5 years then stopped.

 

[ReMustang05]

+1
Goto the dealer that did sold you the tint job and have them warranty it or deal with Ford on it. If they don't then report them to the BBB and bean them on the Ford service survey. They will likely cover it with no extra hassle though.

People that suggest to ding someone on the survey are ridiculous. Learn WHO that affects before you actually think you're sending a message to Ford. The ONLY real person that it affects is the Service Advisor. If you answer anything but completely satisfied you are taking away money for the entire month and possibly more months from that advisor who did NOT build or tint your car. That advisor probably puts in 60+ hrs a week and has a lot of stress trying to make everyone happy and is just the messenger and you're trying to take a couple thousand/'s away from him for his month/'s of work. Think before you act. Get your facts straight. Any self respecting dealer will take care of your tint/window if you purchased the car from them with it.

 

[SSPSTANGBANGER]

Any self respecting dealer will take care of your tint/window if you purchased the car from them with it.

I have worked for car dealers for a living for over 18yrs, I am very aware of what the Survey does. That's why I would take it to the dealer that it was bought from and let them know to fix it or get a bad survey. They would rather spend the few $$$ to fix it than get a CSI hit over something they did anyways. They have a acct to handle those types of expenses already(a cost of service or service policy acct).

 

[ReMustang05]

I have worked for car dealers for a living for over 18yrs, I am very aware of what the Survey does. That's why I would take it to the dealer that it was bought from and let them know to fix it or get a bad survey. They would rather spend the few $$$ to fix it than get a CSI hit over something they did anyways. They have a acct to handle those types of expenses already(a cost of service or service policy acct).

Nothing like black mail. Yes, they should P18 the window.