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Ford refusing to replace engine under warranty

Two months ago my car broke down and needed to be towed home by the RAC. My local Ford dealer diagnosed the problem as a blown spark plug which had disintegrated and damaged the forth cylinder, requiring a replacement engine at £3200.

The car is two years old and has a three year warranty; however, Ford is refusing to replace the engine under warranty as the car had its third service at 35,700 miles at an independent garage, which didn’t replace the spark plugs.

I find it hard to believe that a spark plug can cause this much damage. If a spark plug were to blow I would expect a drop in performance, not such damage that then requires a brand new engine. Have you come across anything like this before?

Asked on 9 December 2013 by Rachel Turner

Answered by Honest John
Yes. This is the cost of cheap independent servicing. People complain about the cost of dealer servicing, but £100 extra for a dealer service is a lot less than £3200 for an engine.

Ford's warranty is one year manufacturer followed by two years dealer. You disqualified yourself from the dealer warranty by the independent service alone, never mind the fact that the guy did not do the job properly. He may have some liability and it's worth chasing up if he has liability insurance.

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