Warranty denied because of Fluid Film undercoating?

[Grumpy]

What is fluid film?

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[BigFootie]

What is fluid film?

It's a rust preventive fluid you spray on..

 

[JT58Bronc]

Wow I have lived in the salt belt mostly MA and some MN for most of my life- about 35 years worth of driving. The rust from the winter salt is no joke. I had some really nice 4 X 4's up there that I drove all winter. I primed, painted and undercoated many components underneath. It was quite a job- and I removed some parts too- skid plates, drive shafts, etc. to get access to all rust prone areas. It was a lot of work. I also rinsed my trucks undercarriage after every (salt) storm- either at the car wash or at home with hot water faucet. Most people thought I was nuts. I never had any rust. I got sick of it, now I live in FL but the hot sun creates havoc on paint and rubber seals here. Always looking for shade for the vehicles, LOL. Anyway, I never once had an issue with undercoating over a sensor, etc. But they were older vehicles with less sensors? What terrifies me on the Bronco is the spaghetti under the hood and all those ($800?) sensors everywhere, even underneath. Scary for sure, maintenance nightmare. It's pretty much a dealer only for CEL's. To the Op, hope you get it resolved. It's still good idea to look at rust protection up there in the salt belt.

 

[Bestdayever]

What is fluid film?

 

[2112]

Still waiting on parts. I'll probably try a different dealership and see what they say.

amazed it’s taking so long.

 

[TavisB]

Update: A different dealership fixed it under warranty. Just got it back yesterday. Could have done it sooner, but was waiting on the state inspection to be up so I could get it all done at once.

I think I may just do the next fluid film application myself so I can make sure no sensors get doused.

 

[TripleSe7en]

Adding I just experienced this same problem. However, my sensor only provided a temporary error after 6 months. Will post if the CEL comes back on. Dealership not only denied warranty, but suggested a repair despite the sensor resuming function, instead of, you know, cleaning the damn thing. Parts cost for the sensor was quoted at 600$! This is the photo I got too, clearly showing that they can't even see what's happening and are just assuming since they can't even see the sensor, it's on top of the gas tank.

I'm not taking any action unless it throws another CEL. I'll post here if it does, obviously.

 

[Donkeygyrl]

I did the fluid film application and it has been awesome ,I don't just go gorilla and spray everything .
It seems to work pretty good to get a rag saturated with it and wipe all parts down.
Hope this helps someone.

 

[TripleSe7en]

CEL light is on. After much waffling by Ford customer service, they seriously recommended I just take it to another dealer as I guess they aren't interested in actually doing something about this.
Great.

 

[Jeffp1108]

If you have to pay, then just drive with the error code. I have an evaporative emission sensor failure that triggered my CEL on my Jeep over a decade ago. I wish the sensor was as durable as the CEL light on my dash. Been burning bright for 12 years and counting.

 

[Deleted member 49144]

Wow I have lived in the salt belt mostly MA and some MN for most of my life- about 35 years worth of driving. The rust from the winter salt is no joke. I had some really nice 4 X 4's up there that I drove all winter. I primed, painted and undercoated many components underneath. It was quite a job- and I removed some parts too- skid plates, drive shafts, etc. to get access to all rust prone areas. It was a lot of work. I also rinsed my trucks undercarriage after every (salt) storm- either at the car wash or at home with hot water faucet. Most people thought I was nuts. I never had any rust. I got sick of it, now I live in FL but the hot sun creates havoc on paint and rubber seals here. Always looking for shade for the vehicles, LOL. Anyway, I never once had an issue with undercoating over a sensor, etc. But they were older vehicles with less sensors? What terrifies me on the Bronco is the spaghetti under the hood and all those ($800?) sensors everywhere, even underneath. Scary for sure, maintenance nightmare. It's pretty much a dealer only for CEL's. To the Op, hope you get it resolved. It's still good idea to look at rust protection up there in the salt belt.

Im I’m SW Fl too and the sun just destroys everything. You HAVE to keep your vehicles waxed, it’s a non negotiable. Also I use 303 Aerospace Protectant for the rubber seals and any of the exposed plastics on the outside. It works great, no greasy feel and lasts quite a while.

 

[JT58Bronc]

Im I’m SW Fl too and the sun just destroys everything. You HAVE to keep your vehicles waxed, it’s a non negotiable. Also I use 303 Aerospace Protectant for the rubber seals and any of the exposed plastics on the outside. It works great, no greasy feel and lasts quite a while.

Yes, I do that too. I wax often and have an orbital buffer and use Meguires Polish, then hand wax after for an almost like ceramic finish. And I use the 303 same as you for all of the door seals and also the Bronco fender flares and MIC top. Also have window tint, heavy duty sunshade and park in the shade and walk 1/4 mile. LOL. And of course the Bronco gets special treatment and gets a garage bay. My daily driver the GTI does not and is a disposable vehicle.

 

[TripleSe7en]

Update: took it to another dealer. They were a little cautious about the undercoating, but without much persuasion they took it apart and found the sensor was faulty. Who would have guessed? Warrantied, but the part is under national backorder. Hmmm, I wonder why...

For anyone else having this trouble, there's a ton of car dealerships in New england that offer fluid film, including this Ford dealer
https://www.cascobayford.com/rust-prevention.html

 

[TavisB]

Well, guess who's back.


Good old P0451. And it definitely wasn't sprayed with any undercoating this time .

Is replacing this sensor going to be a yearly ordeal?

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