Re: [A/S] Digest Number 1838

[<bcmail@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Subject: RE: Powerstroke / Chris Cavanaugh

Chris, we purchased a new 2003 Ford F250 Crew Cab Super Duty 4x4 Power
Stroke
(7.3L) diesel about 2 months ago. The standard bumper to bumper warranty is
3 years
or 36,000 miles. The diesel engine (only) is warranteed for 5 years or
100,000 miles. The
remaining drivetrain, tranny, drivelines, front and rear differentials (4x4)
and
the transfer case are under the 3 year 36,000 mile warranty.

We spent an additional $1,200 on the full coverage Ford extended warranty
which
covers the entire vehicle bumper to bumper including the tranny, drivelines,
rear end, 4x4 transfer case, front differential, etc. for 100,000 miles.
Only
exclusions are the usual suspects: tires, brakes, hoses and belts, etc. A
$50
per repair deductible applies after 36,000 miles.

It is probably worth mentioning that we live in a mountain community at
7,500 ft
elevation. Lots of snow, ice and freezing winds all winter, many cold night
all
year round, so we plug in the block heater every night no matter what the
weatherman says - all year long. Reason being that Ford, GMC and Dodge all
have
a little secret they do not want their diesel customers to know about. That
little secret is that the diesel warranty has an exclusion if the dealer can
fault freezing weather as a contributing factor to whatever the problem is.
If
they can, and they are encouraged to do so, the entire bill is the
customer's.
If you don't believe the Big 3 are capable of such behavior just ask my
neighbor
whose 3 year old Dodge Cummins diesel had a cracked head and cracked exhaust
manifold along with a faulty turbocharger. Dodge refused to fix these under
warranty and claimed freezing weather was the cause. I had never heard of
such a
thing until I started my journey of research down the diesel highway. It is
just
this kind of unexpected cost that makes the diesel not such a good deal in
the
end. My advice: take some of what you save on the front end of the deal and
apply it to an extended warranty. And ALWAYS insist on the
manufacturer's extended warranty, not the third party warranties that are so
common. The third party warranties are almost always reimbursement type
contracts, where you pay the bill and hope for full reimbursement.
Typically,
you can haggle down the price of manufacturer's extended warranties by as
much as 35%. I did.

At 3,500 miles we're averaging 16.5 mpg, mostly mountain driving. On the
flat
with no load we get around 20 mpg. In city stop-n-go it can get as low as 14
mpg. Considering that the V10 gas engine averages 8 or 9 mpg, the diesel is
a
no-brainer for fuel economy. I did a lot of research and talked to dozens of
HD
pickup owners before deciding on the Ford F250. The dealer wanted the 7.3L
off
his lot as it was the only one left, all the others being the new 6.0L. He
took
$11,000 off the MSRP sticker price. I just talked with another fellow who
had a
similar experience with another Ford dealer who knocked the price of his
F250
down about $10,000 from MSRP. Ford apparently wants the dealer inventories
to
only hold the 6.0L. I only bring this up because it sounds like Chris may be
thinking about getting a Ford tow toy. If so, he might want to go for the
7.3L,
if he can still find a new one. It's got a pretty solid 12 year track
record.
This is my first Ford and my first diesel. I drive it every weekday and
every
weekend. No regrets... yet.

Bob Christopher
2003 Safari
Estes Park, Colorado