Bad BCM (or so I'm told) and a nightmarish customer experience

[Dr_Strangelove]

So I am guessing they are replacing the wiring harness connector and not the entire wiring harness, correct? I see you noted that they ordered the BCM + harness in your post, however, replacing an entire wiring harness would take more than one afternoon...

Fingers crossed for you my friend. "Damage to the connection" is so vague that I have a hard time picturing how this could effect only one pin on the plug - but then again I'm a shade-tree mechanic that breaks as much as he fixes. A photo from the mechanic to explain the damage would have been helpful.

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[CP0861]

Problem is mechanics get paid by the job. Jobs pay certain amount of hours. So if a diagnostic only pays 1 hour, and be spends 2 bours diagnosing, maechanic worked one hour free. So many times they just do bare minimum and become parts replacers. So no code whatever its all good. And we are the ones who get screwed. Thats why i became a mechanic. Do my own stuff. And friends and family without them being hosed. And find the problem and fix it. Anyone can be parts replacers, but hard to find actual people that can diagnose. Part of the ugly side of mechanics, many times they dont spend the time needed to properly diagnose and repair, because of what the books say about how much time the books say is needed to repair.
Good luck. Hope it gets fixed, properly and correctly

Thanks man, I appreciate it. I think you've absolutely hit the nail on the head as to why no one bothered to dig in until the third visit and after bad surveys and involving a Ford rep.

THEN, after realizing, "Corporate is involved now.....I guess this guy isn't going away"....they get someone to dig in and they literally find visible damage.

 

[Jhbryaniv]

Thanks man, I appreciate it. I think you've absolutely hit the nail on the head as to why no one bothered to dig in until the third visit and after bad surveys and involving a Ford rep.

THEN, after realizing, "Corporate is involved now.....I guess this guy isn't going away"....they get someone to dig in and they literally find visible damage.

That they would probably have found if they had looked on the first visit...

isn't it interesting how if they had just done their job in the first place, they wouldn't be getting pestered by a ford corporate C.S. agent, and they wouldn't have a bent out of shape customer...

 

[CP0861]

So I am guessing they are replacing the wiring harness connector and not the entire wiring harness, correct? I see you noted that they ordered the BCM + harness in your post, however, replacing an entire wiring harness would take more than one afternoon...

Fingers crossed for you my friend. "Damage to the connection" is so vague that I have a hard time picturing how this could effect only one pin on the plug - but then again I'm a shade-tree mechanic that breaks as much as he fixes. A photo from the mechanic to explain the damage would have been helpful.

Good question, and honestly I'm not sure. I have the service paper from the last visit (when it was diagnosed and the parts were ordered) at home. I'm guessing it was the BCM and the harness connector from the way she described it (visible damage at the connection), but who knows, she probably didn't know the difference herself is my guess. I just talked to them and they said it probably won't be done today (full day #2, aside from whatever time lost from retrieving a key)....so maybe it is the entire harness.

I'll take a pic of the service sheet later and post it here. Like I said before, I feel like somewhere on that repair sheet it should mention "visible damage to BCM connection" as was explained to me in person.

 

[CP0861]

That they would probably have found if they had looked on the first visit...

isn't it interesting how if they had just done their job in the first place, they wouldn't be getting pestered by a ford corporate C.S. agent, and they wouldn't have a bent out of shape customer...

I have ZERO doubt that if they had given it to the "good electrical guy" the first time...and/or if they had taken literally 2 minutes to look at one of the videos....they would have found the issue. It didn't do anything on the 3rd visit that I didn't have on video the first 2.

That might be the worst part of this....even after hearing the alarm ding constantly for 4 months now....I feel like this could have ALL been sooooo easily avoided. So dumb and unnecessary.

 

[Jhbryaniv]

That might be the worst part of this....even after hearing the alarm ding constantly for 4 months now....I feel like this could have ALL been sooooo easily avoided.

It didn't do anything on the 3rd visit that I didn't have on video the first 2.

just by chance, are you on the eastern shore, or the normal part of MD?

I grew up in Carroll County.

 

[CP0861]

just by chance, are you on the eastern shore, or the normal part of MD?

I grew up in Carroll County.

I am proudly from the "outhouse" of the state. The good ole' Eastern Shore....about 30 minutes east of the bridge, near Delaware.

 

[Jhbryaniv]

I am proudly from the "outhouse" of the state. The good ole' Eastern Shore....about 30 minutes east of the bridge, near Delaware.

My folks still live in Carroll County, but they spend ~half their time in a vacation house (inherited) outside st micheals (bozman).

 

[puckdodger]

I feel your pain and good on ya for being patient in a world full of impatient jerks.

The BCM damage in itself shouldn't cause long term effects, I'm wondering how much did they have to diassemble and reassemble to swap or the BCM, sometimes it's better to repin the connector and avoid poor fits and rattles later. I understand why they would need the second key, so they can program it to the new BCM, but Christ man, explain that to the customer.

Communication is "key".

Be honest and fair in your surveys, if the dealership don't like it too f*ckin' bad, don't try to bribe your way to positive feedback. I would probably try to find a new dealer for any warranty work in the future as well.

Good luck, I hope this gets resolved and you get on with enjoying the truck.

 

[9zero1790]

not taking the dealer side here at all but im glad im not the one swapping out harnesses or the bcm. all that stuff seems to be crammed into a hard to reach and work in spot. to even see most of it you have to have head under the dash near the brake pedals looking up and left... im too old and fat for that shenanigans lol

 

[Trigganometry]

I have a very good friend that is “the guru” at a very large Land Rover dealer. We were talking about electronics in cars today and he went on a rant! He told me that they have at least 100 cars out in back waiting for parts, can’t figure out what’s wrong or a combo of both. Then he opines, these are $100K + vehicles! Just to do simple repairs require hours of tear downs to get at a part or harness. He says customers come out into the garage to bitch at him that their NEW car is been in for repairs going on 3 months! They only drove it a week. Dealer took back their loaner and has me in a cheap rental.

So by the looks of it Fords seem a little better in that realm

 

[WLFPIR8]

I've been fighting what is either a wiring issue or a module (BCM) issue for ~20k miles. Random (mostly) resets of traction control, Oil Life, ACC (as a note I DID relocate the radar sensor but that didn't coincide with the other issues), Traffic Alert (the things that alerts if a car is next to you on the mirror) as well as (a couple times) where the dash cluster just completely resets while driving, the radio shows a "disc read error" or resets and occasional seat belt warnings (mostly in the rear seats, the drivers seat had this but a re-seat of the seat coupler fixed it).

The oil life reset is a WEIRD issue since it's "calculated" and there's no sensor tied to it... And it happens A LOT. Like, every 400-600 miles.

No, I haven't taken it to the dealer, because "there's no code, we can't help" crap. And there's really no other option.

I thought MAYBE it could be a rodent issue, as I had found rodent food leftovers at one point, but no real damage. More recently I was doing brake work, opened up the center console to loosen the parking brake cable, and found more food leftovers. So, I decided to pull out the ENTIRE interior up to the dash and NO WIRING ISSUES.... I'm still going to check in the cabin air intake area and all up in the dash, but my initial findings don't show anything wrong there.

So anyway, on a hunch a while ago, I replaced the Gateway Module (this device interconnects ALL the CANBUS networks and is what the OBDII port is attached to. This actually fixed the issue, for about 2k miles. Then the same things. So I swapped back to the original one.

Right now the BCM is out of the truck. I'm trying to figure out if I can re-program a new one myself via forscan.... and just replace it....

My only other option is to data log the RAW Canbus streams and hope that I can catch an error of some kind and trace it back to a faulty module.

I'm just.... so tired of this crap.

 

[Danager]

That is frustrating. I cannot stand when somebody has to fight for service they deserve.

I spent 12ish years installing car audio professionally. Working in Detroit I had a great rep and worked on a lot of nice cars as a result. I did a lot of troubleshooting too. The worst was troubshooting something when it wasn’t acting up. Almost as bad was when a client suggested where we should start.

 

[DHMag]

Feel my pain, my truck has been at the dealer for 6 weeks....getting tail lights replaced and body work done on the tail gate....6 weeks

 

[airline tech]

My Experience:

I picked up my truck - ordered - Test Drove it, noted brakes felt mushy-after being on this forum, I paid attention to them. Service department checked them, said they were normal, and they are all like that.
Now, when I pulled off this dealer's lot with the truck, I swore I would never do business with them again - Due to the (LED Delete) from factory issue - I complained on deaf ears. Basically, they didn't care neither did corporate - I accepted and moved on - To replace with LED Headlights myself.
So that issue is closed, have not been back to them since

Got on this forum, curious as to what others state their brakes feel like for comparison, I'm thinking the new tech (ASS, Emeg Braking) etc plays a role in brake pedal feel.
I am used to a brake pedal - you could literally stand on - and it stayed FIRM

After 2 weeks of driving it, I noted that in no way could this be normal, and the final straw was being at a stop waiting for cross traffic the brake pedal faded down enough that I was pushing down on gas pedal at the same time - So now this creates a possible deadly issue.

Went to another dealer to look at brakes, made it as far as the Service Lane, Service writer jumped in, put it in gear - moved forward a bit hit brake pedal., got out and said this is normal brake pedal feel for the new ford trucks. "I own a (21) F-250 that feels the same way" we cannot bring it in to the service bay for warranty work unless we can confirm there is a problem.
And I don't see a problem
Well, he didn't know I used to be ASE Cert in Brakes, so I knew that something was wrong.
Now, I know that all vehicles drive differently, and brake feel changes between them, but I clearly had an issue that needed addressed - That 2 dealers have ignored and refused to look at

Well, by this time I'm pissed, I stopped and got proper brake fluid, did the brake bleed myself, got a ton of air out of R/Rear Caliper - I confirmed what Ford refused to confirm. It had air in system from factory. All I wanted was Ford to Cover this issue under Warranty. But that did not happen
Problem resolved, although I did note that they are not FIRM and I cannot stand on the pedal as I am used to - It is WAY better, pedal does not sink with light foot pressure.
So, is it completely normal feeling brakes, IDK- I plan on doing another bleed and see if they firm up any better. I am thinking it's normal for our Rangers and this current feel vs before bleed is so minimal to the non-daily driver (feel) I can understand why they stated - It's normal, nothing wrong

A Big Thank You to FORD for believing me, but I showed you - I had AIR in my brake system!!!!

So, for any warranty work the dealer has to confirm issue, once confirmed it is submitted to Ford Corporate (Warranty Claims Department) and they will either accept or deny (Free Warranty) Parts & Labor
I understand that the Service Department hands are tied on these issues but in cases like my brakes or BCM - It's a vehicle safety issue, and I would think the dealers should be allowed to spend time troubleshooting the issues brought to them - other than plug in scanner, No-Code, then there's No-Problem, I highly doubt that if this vehicle was an employee or spouse of employee - that truck would have spent all day in the service bay - troubleshooting the problem
I know how shops work, special treatment because this is so and so's car.
Remember, I worked in one, Heck, I took advantage of it (special perks), slow day - Hey can I pull my car in and do (this)

If it were me and if they would let me (At the Dealer)
Being a former Auto Tech (Non-Dealer) and over 30 years ago
The Proper Way- This should have been handled
1. Hook up scanner - look for current and history codes
2. Hmm, no codes - He said lights did not work, let's try turning them on with scanner, most auto repair shops, especially dealers have Bi-Directional scanners. (I bought my own with this capability) for this very option They can command stuff on and off. (Lights, Horn, Fuel-Pump Etc)
3. Well, lights currently are working, what else did he say, he was having issues with, oh yes it was the Door Ajar issue.
4. Well, what is the common factor in ALL the issues - The BCM -It's intermittent issue so at the very least - inspect and reseat the BCM connector, and preform a reset of the BCM
5. The intermittent issue cannot be -Confirmed Fixed, as it is not doing it when it leaves the shop but inform customer that (if the problem returns) bring it back for further troubleshooting.
(Meaning shooting wires) IE Check for Voltage, Continuity Etc. in the BCM circuit. This is where it gets time consuming as you have to get access to individual connectors and dis-connect them.
If all wiring checks good, replace the BCM
6. At this point, you have exhausted all possible problems with no defects, the most logical culprit is the BCM- You have not just shot-gunned a part at it and called it good. It may fix the issue, or it may not.
7. Intermittent problems are a PITA to troubleshoot, epically on aircraft - faults only in flight and works perfectly on ground.

I understand the dealer (service department) as they are not making any money while your truck is in the bay, unless they confirm (via quick evaluation) of the issue. Do I agree with the process - NO, I think the consumer who has spent his hard-earned money on a NEW Truck should have the confidence in their dealership that they care about customer service and listen to their complaints - Instead of it's working now, get this F-Ing truck out of my service lane so I can bring in the next vehicle - where I can make this dealer money

So, in closing this is my take on the issue, it's all about how much the dealer cares about you the customer, as for Me I'm very bitter with the dealers. I have another dealer that I am using for parts (discount parts - My Mods) and will only use the Warranty Claim approach again - IF I ever am FORCED to - other than that, the small stuff, I'm not even bothering to try - I will fix it myself, less frustration - but money out of my pocket-for something covered

My confidence in customer support by Ford has depleted to ZERO

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