2016 E450 questions alignment and oil change

[pjciii]

Good morning
I purchased a 2016 "C" class with E-450 engine in Dec of 2015 and I have a couple of questions
1st is should oil change under warranty be done by the dealer or can it be done by Wally World or other place and what other place do people use?

2nd the for owners manual says front end was aligned at factory prior to Thor receiving the cutaway. Thor owners manual suggest getting front end aligned as soon as possible. for Warranty information states that in first 12 months that a front end alignment will be covered.

Maintenance/Wear

The New Vehicle Limited Warranty does not cover: (1) parts and labor

needed to maintain the vehicle; and (2) the replacement of parts due to

normal wear and tear. You, as the owner, are responsible for these items. See

your Owner’s Manual. Some examples of maintenance and normal wear are:

•

oil changes

•

oils, lubricants, other fluids

•

oil/air filters

•

tire rotation/inflation

•

cleaning/polishing

•

clutch linings

•

wiper blades*

•

wheel alignments and tire

balancing*

•

brake pad/lining*

* Ford will replace or adjust certain maintenance items when necessary,

free of charge during a limited period:

•

Wiper blade replacements will be provided during the first six months

in service, regardless of miles driven.

•

Wheel alignments and tire balancing will be provided during the first

12 months or 12,000 miles in service, whichever occurs first.

•

Brake pad/lining replacements will be provided during the first

12 months or 18,000 miles in service, whichever occurs first

does anyone have experience dealing with Ford and getting them to cover this.
thanks in advance
patrick

[EA37TS]

As long as the service meets the manufacture's requirements (e.g. filter and oils specs) and you maintain records of the performance of the service you are good to go. You can perform the service yourself as long as you maintain the receipts for oil, filter, etc and document the date the service was performed.

[pjciii]

thanks dstankov
I always change the oil in my motorcycles and save receipts and mileage information. I just don't have to facilities to do it on the motorhome. contacted ford motorhome division about front end alignment and they found a location for me to get it done at. they stated that they would contact Thor about warranty and if they wouldn't cover it that Ford would. we will see
patrick

[Oneilkeys]

Hey Patrick.
Just picked up my new Axis 24.1. Did Thor or Ford cover the alignment cost? What number did you call at Ford to find a location that would do the alignment? Thanks.

[pjciii]

Hi Oneilkeys
I called the customer service number in my ford owners manual. told them what I needed. they transferred me to Ford Motorhome customer service. I told them what I needed and that it was a new vehicle under warranty. they called around in my area and found a Ford dealer that could handle large truck and got back to me with a dealership name and contact person with phone number. I tried to get them to cover it under warranty but they said that THOR should have done that after assembly. in the end I was glad I went ahead and had them check it. the front end was out of alignment and the castor or camber was WAY out. the had to put shims in to correct. 150.00 was a lot cheaper that a new set of fronts had I not done it.
I also plan on making another appointment and have them check the suspension and steering. to tighten it up so 18 wheelers don't blow me across the road(not that bad!) but it could use some work also. the set up is just for the cutaway and not after the box is added.

patrick

[Oneilkeys]

Thanks for the info. I could not find anywhere that Ford would pay for an alignment and the Thor book days specifically says that alignments are at the cost of the owner, so I am not surprised. You are right, an alignment is money well spent both for the cost of new tires and safety. I was pleasantly surprised in my trip home from the dealer in my new 2016 Axis 24.1 on Friday. We had 20-25 mph side winds with higher gusts traveling at 70 mph on I-75 and I wasn't blown around any more than the semi's I was following. When I made the turn to the east on Alligator Alley, I could drive with one hand. I will still pay for an alignment before I take any long trips this summer.
If you have the suspension and steering changed and it makes a significant difference, please post it and let everyone know. Thanks again.

[EA37TS]

Look at the Ford warranty. It's in the 2015 F53 warranty

[TyCreek]

Alignment caster increased from low or below +4 to upper +5 degrees and a rear trac bar made a huge difference. It handles so nice now that I've lost interest in considering the other possible improvements that I had prioritized.

From the behavior you describe, I'd suggest load it to your normal maximum. Go for a good multi road type drive before getting an alignment. Then get your alignment and re-assess the behavior before making another change. If your chassis is missing a rear trac bar like mine, there is no doubt IMO that one would improve handling. At this point the basics should be covered and you could then fine tune if anything still feels a little off.

[Oneilkeys]

Originally Posted by dstankov

Look at the Ford warranty. It's in the 2015 F53 warranty

Page 14 of the Ford truck warranty does say that Ford will provide alignment and balancing within the first 12,000 miles but has anyone got them to do it? It does not show up in my 2016 E-450 warranty that I can see. Are they saying that they did it at the factory so that is all their responsibility?

[EA37TS]

Originally Posted by Oneilkeys

Page 14 of the Ford truck warranty does say that Ford will provide alignment and balancing within the first 12,000 miles but has anyone got them to do it? It does not show up in my 2016 E-450 warranty that I can see. Are they saying that they did it at the factory so that is all their responsibility?

On Ford's website the 2016 warranty is the same as the 2015.

What reason did you give Ford for requesting the alignment?

[Oneilkeys]

Originally Posted by dstankov

On Ford's website the 2016 warranty is the same as the 2015.

What reason did you give Ford for requesting the alignment?

I have not tried it yet, just picked up the coach last Friday. "pjcii" apparently just had his aligned and both Ford and Thor declined to pay for it.

[Oneilkeys]

"Pjcii" apparently has a Freedom Elite which is not on the cut away chassis. I don't know if anyone has tried to get Ford to pay for an alignment in the E-350/450 or F-53 chassis?

[Homer3]

Our new 28H was out of alignment after our first trip in last June. We took it to the local alignment shop and it cost over $175. We turned the receipt into Camping World who forwarded it to Thor and we were reimbursed.

[Oneilkeys]

Originally Posted by Homer3

Our new 28H was out of alignment after our first trip in last June. We took it to the local alignment shop and it cost over $175. We turned the receipt into Camping World who forwarded it to Thor and we were reimbursed.

Thank you. That is good to know. Thor's book says that they will not do that. Which Camping World did you buy from? I just bought mine from Camping World of Tampa (FL) and they have been really excellent so far.

[Homer3]

We purchased our 28H from Camping World of Bakersfield, California in May 2015. We have had outstanding service from them (so far). We are new to the Thor Forum (as of today!) and it appears there is a huge variation in the opinions regarding Camping World.

[Oneilkeys]

Originally Posted by pjciii

Hi Oneilkeys
I called the customer service number in my ford owners manual. told them what I needed. they transferred me to Ford Motorhome customer service. I told them what I needed and that it was a new vehicle under warranty. they called around in my area and found a Ford dealer that could handle large truck and got back to me with a dealership name and contact person with phone number. I tried to get them to cover it under warranty but they said that THOR should have done that after assembly. in the end I was glad I went ahead and had them check it. the front end was out of alignment and the castor or camber was WAY out. the had to put shims in to correct. 150.00 was a lot cheaper that a new set of fronts had I not done it.
I also plan on making another appointment and have them check the suspension and steering. to tighten it up so 18 wheelers don't blow me across the road(not that bad!) but it could use some work also. the set up is just for the cutaway and not after the box is added.

patrick

Hello Patrick.
If you have been following the posts, it looks like you have two good options. The Ford Warranty says that Ford will pay for the alignment in the first 12 months. It will cost you a stamp to copy page 14 of the warranty book and toward the bill to Ford with an explanation that you called Ford customer service and that they made the appointment and then refused to pay for it.

If that doesn't work, you can go back to your dealer and tell him "homer3"'s tale of Camping World forwarding the bill to Thor and getting reimbursed. If your dealer won't forward it you could forward it yourself.

Good luck and please keep us informed if you have any luck. I will be in the same place in a month or so. Thanks.

[Oneilkeys]

Originally Posted by Homer3

We purchased our 28H from Camping World of Bakersfield, California in May 2015. We have had outstanding service from them (so far). We are new to the Thor Forum (as of today!) and it appears there is a huge variation in the opinions regarding Camping World.

That there is and I am glad your experience seems to be as good as mine. Like any other dealership it may well depend on the individual Camping World and the people who run it. All the people in Tampa were incredibly nice and helpful and made our experience really pleasant...

[DocMike]

When I had our Vegas 24.1 aligned I was told that if the Alignment problem was with the "Toe-in" being incorrect it was a Thor problem then Thor would reimburse it (which it was and they did in my case) otherwise it was a Ford problem. (see thread elsewhere this Forum)

Doc

[pjciii]

The cost of a stamp is sure worth it. I will give it a try. All they can say is no. Then I can send it to Thor and see.
Patrick

[Oneilkeys]

Originally Posted by pjciii

The cost of a stamp is sure worth it. I will give it a try. All they can say is no. Then I can send it to Thor and see.
Patrick

Good luck!!!