Alignment question

ipagan54 · 08-13-2015, 02:23 AM

Well, I got the ACE aligned today, it's got 1500 miles on it. At $130, I thought it was a decent deal.They told me it would be a day or so, then they called after lunch and said it was done. "She was just out of specs, but shes solid now... BTW, would you like us to fix the steering wheel too??"
The steering wheel was off center and needed to be removed and reinstalled to correct the issue for $145..That would explain why I thought it was out of alignment to begin with! I inquired as to whether its a warranty issue and was told no, since the building of the coach on the frame was a modification and therefore not covered under warranty... I was wondering if this is correct? It's not a ball breaker, but counter-intuitive.

**fhenn** · 08-13-2015, 02:35 AM

I think you have gone into catch 22 zone. Thor will say the steering wheel came with the Chasis and is a Ford problem

ipagan54 · 08-13-2015, 02:42 AM

LOL, that is what I expect! At least I know she's right and ready to go, and its pretty cheap service for a motorhome!

Chance · 08-13-2015, 02:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ipagan54

....cut..... The steering wheel was off center and needed to be removed and reinstalled to correct the issue for $145..That would explain why I thought it was out of alignment to begin with! ....cut....

This doesn't seem right to me. Why would they not set steering wheel on center and then align to that? Personally, I'd get a second opinion.

ipagan54 · 08-13-2015, 11:44 AM

I'll be picking it up today, so I will get to speak with the svc adviser for more info.
In my experience its pretty typical to align the wheels first while on the lift, then make the adjustment to the steering wheel afterwards. I could have saved the money and been comfortable knowing the track was ok even if the wheel was a little off.. but I would have to hear about it everytime my copilot took the controls..... ;^)

tnrambler · 08-13-2015, 12:29 PM

ipagan54,

At 2000 miles I had my ACE 30.2 aligned at a local, reputable truck alignment shop. Toe was off .25 inch. From new, the steering wheel was off about 5 degrees to the right and remained so after the alignment. The alignment shop told me the Ford chassis no longer has an adjustment at the wheel, and they did not have a way to level the wheel. Cost was $130 for the alignment.

It so happened that they noticed a leaking seal on one of the rear wheels, and I took to a local Ford commercial truck dealer and they repaired under warranty very quickly. I asked about leveling the steering and they were very familiar with the process on later model F53s. Leveled it from the bottom at the gear box and though Ford would not cover under warranty, they only charged half an hour ($50) for the fix.

Drives great and wheel is level. Small thing, but I'm glad it's fixed.

JamieGeek · 08-13-2015, 12:35 PM

When I had the Axis aligned the tech let me sit in the camper while he did the work. They had me pull it in and back it out. Took about 15 minutes for the whole procedure. He also had me come back after 100 or so miles to check that it hadn't changed (which I also did the "driving" during the check).

Had me turn the wheel to level and aligned to that. Granted this is an E-350 chassis instead of the F-53.

Chance · 08-13-2015, 01:49 PM

This short attempt at humor suggests that centering the steering wheel first should be part of the original work. I agree, and also think it often makes sense additionally for mechanical reasons.

Off-center steering wheel warrants trip back to mechanic | Dallas Morning News

ipagan54 · 08-14-2015, 01:11 AM

LOL, Chance, sorry i missed the humor! I also wish I had read that article first too!
Anyway she drives well and feels solid on the road, a big improvement! Next up is to decide on rear sway bars or track bar....

FW28z · 08-14-2015, 09:27 AM

After talking to one of the local dealers in the area, he told me that all of the RV manufacturers buy the vehicles from Jordan Ford in Elkhart, In. I have no way to confirm this other than taking the dealer at his word (I live about one hour from the Elkhart area, so I would imagine local dealers would know how things work).

At any rate, one thing I discovered on my coach is that the Ford 3yr warranty started the day the coach left the factory/or dealership. For example, the coach was originally purchased off the Thor dealer's lot in May of 2011, but the Ford warranty started in November 2010.

That suggests two things to me.

First, it is plausible that the RV manufacturers do buy the coaches from a local dealer, and second; anything they touch voids the Ford warranty as they are considered a customer, and not in the Ford dealer chain. Otherwise, the Ford warranty should start the same time as the Thor warranty.

If you check to see when the Ford warranty expires on your RV, I bet it will not be the same date you buy it from the Thor dealer.

I have no idea if this is limited to E-Series chassis, or if it includes the F-53, etc.

**EA37TS** · 08-14-2015, 11:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FW28z

After talking to one of the local dealers in the area, he told me that all of the RV manufacturers buy the vehicles from Jordan Ford in Elkhart, In. I have no way to confirm this other than taking the dealer at his word (I live about one hour from the Elkhart area, so I would imagine local dealers would know how things work).

At any rate, one thing I discovered on my coach is that the Ford 3yr warranty started the day the coach left the factory/or dealership. For example, the coach was originally purchased off the Thor dealer's lot in May of 2011, but the Ford warranty started in November 2010.

That suggests two things to me.

First, it is plausible that the RV manufacturers do buy the coaches from a local dealer, and second; anything they touch voids the Ford warranty as they are considered a customer, and not in the Ford dealer chain. Otherwise, the Ford warranty should start the same time as the Thor warranty.

If you check to see when the Ford warranty expires on your RV, I bet it will not be the same date you buy it from the Thor dealer.

I have no idea if this is limited to E-Series chassis, or if it includes the F-53, etc.

FW28Z

It appears you may be on to something. I went to Ford's web site and added the VIN for the Challenger to my existing vehicles and the site returned a sale date of 7/28/2014 and said the warranty expires in 23 months. Based on my purchase date the warranty should not expire for 30 months. Ford's site says the "selling dealer" registers the warranty so the question becomes who is the "selling dealer".

Unfortunately I have a full schedule the next week or two but prior to month's end I will give Ford Customer Service a call and have a talk with them.

JamieGeek · 08-14-2015, 11:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FW28z

At any rate, one thing I discovered on my coach is that the Ford 3yr warranty started the day the coach left the factory/or dealership. For example, the coach was originally purchased off the Thor dealer's lot in May of 2011, but the Ford warranty started in November 2010.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dstankov

It appears you may be on to something. I went to Ford's web site and added the VIN for the Challenger to my existing vehicles and the site returned a sale date of 7/28/2014 and said the warranty expires in 23 months. Based on my purchase date the warranty should not expire for 30 months. Ford's site says the "selling dealer" registers the warranty so the question becomes who is the "selling dealer".

When I log into owner.ford.com and check the warranty for our Axis it says the warranty started on 2/21/2014--the day we picked it up from the RV dealer.

Perhaps some RV dealers register the Ford warranty the date they show up on their lot (thus they can claim Ford warranty issues if there is a problem driving the unit around)?

**EA37TS** · 08-14-2015, 12:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JamieGeek

When I log into owner.ford.com and check the warranty for our Axis it says the warranty started on 2/21/2014--the day we picked it up from the RV dealer.

Perhaps some RV dealers register the Ford warranty the date they show up on their lot (thus they can claim Ford warranty issues if there is a problem driving the unit around)?

That is not the case with mine. According to owner.ford.com my warranty started in July 2014 but according to Thor the coach wasn't built until August 2014.

I believe, one of two things are in play. Either the Ford warranty has never been registered and July 28, 2014 is the F53 chassis build date or the situation described by FW28Z is true.

Since Thor proudly advertises the 3/36 chassis warranty, without disclaimers, in their brochures I am leaning towards the thought that my dealer did not register the chassis warranty with Ford when I purchased the coach.

Either way this is something I need to get to the bottom of because I don't need a chassis warranty expiring towards the beginning, rather than the end, of the third travel season.

Happily Retired · 08-14-2015, 01:30 PM

Just checked our Ford warranty, and it started on the date we purchased our Axis.

tnrambler · 08-14-2015, 01:39 PM

Just checked my warranty start date, and it started in January of this year - I purchased at the end of April, so I lost nearly three months. I had no idea, thanks for pointing this out. Interesting that the start date is inconsistent. Dave please share what you find out.

On the plus side, we appear to have 5yr/50k drivetrain and roadside, above the 3/36 comprehensive.

blw2 · 08-14-2015, 01:45 PM

yep, started when we bought the coach, as did the complimentary Ford roadside assistance

**EA37TS** · 08-14-2015, 01:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tnrambler

Just checked my warranty start date, and it started in January of this year - I purchased at the end of April, so I lost nearly three months. I had no idea, thanks for pointing this out. Interesting that the start date is inconsistent. Dave please share what you find out.

On the plus side, we appear to have 5yr/50k drivetrain and roadside, above the 3/36 comprehensive.

Will do. The 5/60 power train is standard Ford and has been for awhile now.

Happily Retired · 08-14-2015, 01:57 PM

Looks like 2007 or newer Fords get 5 years or 60,000 miles of Ford's roadside assistance.

We have already used it when we had a flat on our CMax. Tire was ruined, and Ford reimbursed us what we paid for the tow to the closest dealership. My understanding is we could have called the Ford number and they would have ordered the tow truck, and there would have been no prepayment on our part or wait for reimbursement. Either way, great service!!

**EA37TS** · 08-14-2015, 02:20 PM

Talked to Ford customer service and they transferred me to motorhome service (800-444-3311) and I got stuck in a loop in the automated system. Talked to roadside to get to the correct folks and they told me to talk to my dealer. Roadside shows the warranty beginning July 8, 2014 and can't or won't tell me why.

Called the dealer and left a message and will have to see if they call back.

**EA37TS** · 08-14-2015, 02:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tnrambler

Just checked my warranty start date, and it started in January of this year - I purchased at the end of April, so I lost nearly three months. I had no idea, thanks for pointing this out. Interesting that the start date is inconsistent. Dave please share what you find out.

On the plus side, we appear to have 5yr/50k drivetrain and roadside, above the 3/36 comprehensive.

Talked to my RV dealer after getting nothing from Ford.

According to the dealer, Ford entered the date of delivery to Thor and then, since it is a 2 part unit, the RV dealer is supposed to go into the Ford Warranty System and enter a delayed start date for the warranty. My dealer is going to correct the issue on my coach and then give me a call back.

We'll see what happens and I'll post what I am told when/if the dealer calls back.

BTW, the number for Ford Motorhome Roadside assistance is 800-444-3311. Motorhome Roadside Assistance is apparently separate from automobile roadside. I have not verified that through phone numbers.

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