Great Ford dealer experience today

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Klutch9

Klutch9

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Jan 7, 2009
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Rochester, MI, US, World
Our '11 Fusion had a recall issued the other day regarding the wheel studs possibly fracturing, leading to the wheel to separate from the hub in some instances. I called up Skalnek Ford of Lake Orion this morning at 7:30am right when they opened. The gentleman who answered was very friendly and got me an appointment for 9:00am. When I got to the service department, I also mentioned that I had an odd wheel shimmying under braking conditions (car only has 12,000 miles on it). He was very polite and said that if they were out of spec, they'd be machined for free under warranty.

An hour and a half later (I've waited longer for just an oil change at another dealership), I had a complimentary vehicle inspection, had the wheel studs inspected, had 20 brand new redesigned lug nuts installed all around, and 2 freshly machined rotors up front. If you are anywhere near this dealership, I'd highly recommend it! Great customer service all around, and very friendly.
 
Nice. You were lucky they had them in stock. Those lugnuts are on restricted ordering status, dealers can not stock them. They have to be ordered for each VIN when a Repair Order is provided to FoMoCo.
 
Glad to hear of your good Ford store experience..From what I know personally and what I have heard from others I know and from the internet Ford stores are some of the worst overall for decent customer service and good service work.
 
Originally Posted By: bdcardinal
Nice. You were lucky they had them in stock. Those lugnuts are on restricted ordering status, dealers can not stock them. They have to be ordered for each VIN when a Repair Order is provided to FoMoCo.


Interesting, I did not know that. Good thing I called them ASAP after I got the letter. Or maybe I was just fortunate, who knows.

If you know... what is different about these lug nuts than the ones they are replacing? Do they clamp down differently on the stud so as not to potentially crack it in a certain spot? Do these new lug nuts have softer threads?
 
Originally Posted By: bdcardinal
Nice. You were lucky they had them in stock. Those lugnuts are on restricted ordering status, dealers can not stock them. They have to be ordered for each VIN when a Repair Order is provided to FoMoCo.
Are we talking about the lugnuts or the studs? I thought we were talking about the wheel studs.
 
Originally Posted By: 67Customs
Originally Posted By: bdcardinal
Nice. You were lucky they had them in stock. Those lugnuts are on restricted ordering status, dealers can not stock them. They have to be ordered for each VIN when a Repair Order is provided to FoMoCo.
Are we talking about the lugnuts or the studs? I thought we were talking about the wheel studs.


The STUDS were the potential issue, but the fix was the LUG NUTS. I'm thinking the new lug nuts have a longer threaded neck, so as to distribute clamping force over a greater area (so the studs don't crack), and possibly softer threads. I forgot to ask at the dealer.
 
I'm curious how good the service will be 5 years down the line,with the same car...??
 
The lugnuts are different. Ford only tells us that they are an "improved design" and the way to tell the difference is on the portion of the nut where it contacts the wheel. The original plugs have a bright finish and the replacing ones have a matte finish.
 
Originally Posted By: Klutch9
The STUDS were the potential issue, but the fix was the LUG NUTS. I'm thinking the new lug nuts have a longer threaded neck, so as to distribute clamping force over a greater area (so the studs don't crack), and possibly softer threads. I forgot to ask at the dealer.
Either way, if the guy above is correct and they are a special order that isn't stocked, then are you sure you got the new fixed lugnuts or just some new old ones?
 
Originally Posted By: 67Customs
Originally Posted By: Klutch9
The STUDS were the potential issue, but the fix was the LUG NUTS. I'm thinking the new lug nuts have a longer threaded neck, so as to distribute clamping force over a greater area (so the studs don't crack), and possibly softer threads. I forgot to ask at the dealer.
Either way, if the guy above is correct and they are a special order that isn't stocked, then are you sure you got the new fixed lugnuts or just some new old ones?


According to my service receipt, I got the new ones. I really have no way of knowing for absolutely sure, however. In the end, I trust that everything was fixed properly. If one wanted to, they could speculate to no end about literally everything. But your point is valid.

I don' have my paperwork handy at the moment, but I seem to remember seeing "recall" right next to the part # for the lug nuts. Bdcardinal, maybe you could verify that part # once I post it?
 
BE5Z-1012-B is the updated kit. There are 20 lugnuts in the little box. If you want go to the parts dept and ask if you can look at your old ones. Ford requires dealers to keep all warranty parts until they said to send them back or destroy them. Usually takes about 30 days from the RO date until Ford says to junk them.

If they are like our dealer the old parts are returned in the new parts box with the RO number and date written on the box.
 
Originally Posted By: bdcardinal
The lugnuts are different. Ford only tells us that they are an "improved design" and the way to tell the difference is on the portion of the nut where it contacts the wheel. The original plugs have a bright finish and the replacing ones have a matte finish.


It almost sounds like a sacrificial coating to lessen the shock (on the studs?) when they bottom out, perhaps especially if jammed on with an impact wrench?

Or maybe a reduced friction coating so they don't pressure-weld to the wheel, which would go "crrrrrick" loosening them later, which twists and shears the studs?

Would be further interested in this, but metallurgy is above me.
 
Why did you let them machine the rotors? It means your original problem will come back even worse than before.
 
Originally Posted By: Vikas
Why did you let them machine the rotors? It means your original problem will come back even worse than before.


Not necessarily. They may have been improperly broken in from new, possibly overheating and warping in the process. That's only my guess, and hopefully they stay in good condition this time.
 
I thought the recall was only for cars with aluminum wheels. I suspect the lug nuts with the matte finish have a higher friction coefficient than the ones with the smooth finish, possibly to provide better protection against loosening while in service? Wasn't the issue lug nuts falling off while in service, and losing the wheel? I could be remembering it wrong.
 
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