Extended Warranty Questions/Experience

[Maggie]

My wife's 2021 Aviator had a few issues that we took to the dealership for repair.

• Recalls - 5 of them but only one had parts
• Car Alarm goes off for no apparent reason
• Steering wheel started giving "put your hands on the wheel" much more frequently
• Black rubber trim pieces on both sides of the windshield column are hanging out so far they can be grabbed and pulled with your fingers
• Driver door handle is tacky while the other door handles are not

It took weeks to get an appointment at a time where they had a loaner available. The have zero Lincolns in the loaner pool. We got a F150 pickup! Is this acceptable/common to get a non-Lincoln loaner?

The car alarm has been happening a lot less frequently so they were not able to duplicate the issue. $200 charge for "unable to duplicate". Everytime the alarm would go off we would get an alert on the Lincoln Way app. The messages mysteriously disappeared and there were no codes reported. I'm guessing that there was a firmware update.

Same for the steering wheel message. $200 because they were unable to duplicate the issue.

The service advisor was also going to charge $200 each for the defective trim pieces and the tacky door handle until my wife aggressively complained. These are obvious problems but I was told that they weren't covered under our GM extended warranty.

Are these service issues common at all Lincoln dealerships? Maybe this is only an issue in the north Austin area. I've tried two local dealerships and both are subpar. My wife has had a Cadillac and BMW before this car. Cadillac was MUCH better than Lincoln and BMW was the best. BMW has superb service experience in this area. I thought Lincoln was a premium brand. We love the car but the service after the sale is certainly lacking.

 

[C Krohn]

Dealerships are independently owned and service varies.

 

[bbf2530]

My wife's 2021 Aviator had a few issues that we took to the dealership for repair.

• Recalls - 5 of them but only one had parts
• Car Alarm goes off for no apparent reason
• Steering wheel started giving "put your hands on the wheel" much more frequently
• Black rubber trim pieces on both sides of the windshield column are hanging out so far they can be grabbed and pulled with your fingers
• Driver door handle is tacky while the other door handles are not

It took weeks to get an appointment at a time where they had a loaner available. The have zero Lincolns in the loaner pool. We got a F150 pickup! Is this acceptable/common to get a non-Lincoln loaner?

The car alarm has been happening a lot less frequently so they were not able to duplicate the issue. $200 charge for "unable to duplicate". Everytime the alarm would go off we would get an alert on the Lincoln Way app. The messages mysteriously disappeared and there were no codes reported. I'm guessing that there was a firmware update.

Same for the steering wheel message. $200 because they were unable to duplicate the issue.

The service advisor was also going to charge $200 each for the defective trim pieces and the tacky door handle until my wife aggressively complained. These are obvious problems but I was told that they weren't covered under our GM extended warranty.

Are these service issues common at all Lincoln dealerships? Maybe this is only an issue in the north Austin area. I've tried two local dealerships and both are subpar. My wife has had a Cadillac and BMW before this car. Cadillac was MUCH better than Lincoln and BMW was the best. BMW has superb service experience in this area. I thought Lincoln was a premium brand. We love the car but the service after the sale is certainly lacking.

Hi Maggie. A “GM extended warranty“? It is not a “LincolnProtect” extended warranty?

If it is not a “LincolnProtect” ESP warranty, then you need to check with the company backing that ”GM extended warranty” to see what is/is not covered, if there is a $200 or other deductible, etc.

Also, is your 2021 Aviator outside the 4 year/50/000 mile Nrw Vehicle Warranty?

Since this seems to be a non-Lincoln/Ford factory warranty, we can’t know what it actually covers, so it is difficult to offer accurate information.

I’m sure others will also jump in to help, so keep us updated and good luck.

 

[Maggie]

We purchased the warranty from the dealership when we purchased the Aviator. I'm not sure what it's called. Yes, we're out of the base warranty. We have over 70K on the old girl. Most of the problems are minor. I've just never had a dealership charge for things that I feel should be covered. Or at least tell me upfront that something wasn't covered by the warranty. The alarm is what upsets me the most. This was a big embarrassment in the months that it was a problem. It was going off every day. I've searched for this issue on this forum and it seems to be a known issue. I don't think it's conclusive but it sounds like heat in the summer months is a contributing factor. Instead of apologizing for not being able to figure out the problem, they slap me with a $200 bill which insinuates that I'm lying about the vehicle having an issue!

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[bbf2530]

We purchased the warranty from the dealership when we purchased the Aviator. I'm not sure what it's called. Yes, we're out of the base warranty. We have over 70K on the old girl. Most of the problems are minor. I've just never had a dealership charge for things that I feel should be covered. Or at least tell me upfront that something wasn't covered by the warranty. The alarm is what upsets me the most. This was a big embarrassment in the months that it was a problem. It was going off every day. I've searched for this issue on this forum and it seems to be a known issue. I don't think it's conclusive but it sounds like heat in the summer months is a contributing factor. Instead of apologizing for not being able to figure out the problem, they slap me with a $200 bill which insinuates that I'm lying about the vehicle having an issue!

Hi Maggie. There is a lot of information we would need to know to enable us to give an informed answer.

As “C Krohn” mentioned, dealers are independent franchises. Therefore, they can sell customers various extended warranty plans. That includes ESP contracts backed by Lincoln/Ford (the only type I would recommend), and/or third party backed ESP’s. It seems you were sold a third party ESP. However, since you don’t know, we don’t know either.

For starters … “LincolnProtect” is the Lincoln/Ford backed ESP warranty.

Anything else is a third-party backed warranty. Therefore, if you have a “GM extended warranty”, you need to look at your contract to see who it is actually from, what it covers, if there is a deductible, how/when it is applied etc. etc.

For example- The seeming fact it is not a “LincolnProtect” ESP may explain the non-Lincoln loaner.

And the $200 deductible may be part of the contract. In that case, it is charged whether a problem is found or not.

There are many levels of contracts from all sorts of sellers, with all sorts of coverages, deductibles (from $0 up), rules, stipulations etc.

Not knowing what your particular contract covers makes it near impossible to offer accurate information. Take out your copy of the ESP contract and see what the actual coverages are, deductibles etc.

Also, out of curiosity…Did you purchase your Aviator new or used?

Knowing who your contract is from (the backing company), what it says, applicable deductibles etc. would be the place to start.

Keep us updated and good luck.