Ugh, so not really an update. More of a "I should have known..." and things are going to get interesting...
I am 45 and by principle, I do not like dealerships. Since I got my license at 16, with multiple vehicles, I made it a point to figure things out. The only time any of my vehicles go to the dealership is for warranty repairs. Basic maintenance, modifications, etc I have no problem doing some research, asking questions and getting my hands dirty. As we have a Ford extended warranty, on a Ford gold certified pre owned vehicle...this went in for what should be a warranty repair.
Red flag #1: I posted when it happened, but all of this started IMMEDIATELY after picking the vehicle up from this dealership after replacing a cv axle under warranty in June. Zero starting issues before that, zero slow cranking. We pick it up, my wife goes to a meeting and comes out to a no start. According to her, she saw smoke and smelled burning electronics while trying to start it but I could not reproduce that and never saw it. Tow it home, I replace the battery and all is well for about 2 weeks or so when the slow cranking started.
Red flag #2: my advisor is out until next week which is why my initial appointment wasn't until the 19th. I was able to talk to someone else who set up an appointment for this past Friday.
Red flag #3: Had to tow it there and did so Thursday night so it was there first thing Friday morning. Appointment was 8am. I waited until 5pm when I hadn't heard anything and sent a message to this new advisor. His response: "our transmission techs are very busy...it may be a few more days..." Ok thanks but this has nothing to do with the transmission. No response.
Red flag #4: Today I call. The second advisor isn't there on saturdays so I talk to someone else. "Oh, we can't get it out of park so it is still sitting there while they try to figure that out." Dafuq you mean you can't get it out of park...you're a ford dealer. How did I put it in neutral, get it on a tow truck, get it off the tow truck in neutral....and you can't get it out of park? "ok, hold on." Comes back and says they are able to get it out of park and the tech is still trying to figure out what's wrong. Mentioned something about there being an issue with how the battery is connected and wires are "smushed" in there and not connected properly. Bullshit! I did the battery, it's not rocket science and I have a picture of what I did. If it wasn't connected properly, how did it run for 3 months after I put it in?
Red flag #5: Ford warranty so they have to put me in a Ford rental....but they don't have any....again, dafuq? That and they can't put me in a rental until they diagnose the issue.
I just KNOW they are going to say there is an issue with the battery or how it's connected and will stop there. "Oh, we'll go further if you replace the battery with us..." And somehow they are going to try to avoid covering this.