Have not seen this discussed anywhere

[Rokslinger]

We bought our Forester Class C 3011DS in July of last year, Ford E450 Chassis new 2016 model. It has a standard Ford 36/36,000 bumper to bumper warranty and 60/60,000 Drive Train warranty. I know how to change my oil, but being in my 70's, I prefer not to. I also would like to keep a maintenance record with Ford to easily document my service in the event of any future warranty issues. I have no current issues except that I am nearly due for routine maintenance.

The problem is that no Ford dealer in the Columbia, SC area will do maintenance on motorhomes and they further state that if there are any recalls, failures requiring warranty work, or even if your engine light comes on, they won't address it. My owners manual says to take it to my Ford Dealer. I will shortly be talking to Ford customer relations about it, but before I do, I am wondering if anyone else has encountered this and how they have handled it? Somehow this does not seem legal or even ethical. Any experience or insight would be greatly appreciated.

[Oregon]

Have not had nor heard of any dealer passing up service work EXCEPT if it's a motorhome and they don't have the equipment.

Example: Don't have a lift that will get it off the ground or not enough headroom to lift it to the level it needs to be to work on it.

For your dealer to say no one will work on it I think is a bad move on his part. He may not know of anyone but a few calls should find you someone that can take on the project. They may not be as close as you would like but I'm sure someone can point you in the right direction.

Personally I wouldn't have the first dealer even work on my motorhome or anything else for that matter.

[RedLdr1]

I'm lucky in that my local dealer does do service on motor homes. But if you need help finding a dealer Ford has a specific 800 number for RV support: 800-444-3311. You will need your VIN number when you call...

[Delco Bobby]

Originally Posted by Rokslinger

We bought our Forester Class C 3011DS in July of last year, Ford E450 Chassis new 2016 model. It has a standard Ford 36/36,000 bumper to bumper warranty and 60/60,000 Drive Train warranty. I know how to change my oil, but being in my 70's, I prefer not to. I also would like to keep a maintenance record with Ford to easily document my service in the event of any future warranty issues. I have no current issues except that I am nearly due for routine maintenance.

The problem is that no Ford dealer in the Columbia, SC area will do maintenance on motorhomes and they further state that if there are any recalls, failures requiring warranty work, or even if your engine light comes on, they won't address it. My owners manual says to take it to my Ford Dealer. I will shortly be talking to Ford customer relations about it, but before I do, I am wondering if anyone else has encountered this and how they have handled it? Somehow this does not seem legal or even ethical. Any experience or insight would be greatly appreciated.

Not every dealer has the ability to lift a motorhome. If they can't lift it they know who can and should have told you. I am lucky that my local Ford dealer can service motorhomes, not class A. He has serviced my Chevy chassis and now my Dodge chassis.

When I called local Dodge dealers for service they all said they couldn't lift it but they all told me who could. I also called Dodge and they called dealers in area while Inwas on the phone. I bet Ford can do the same.

It seems the problem is with bay door height and ceiling height. Some non dealer places just don't have a strong enough lift

[Bama Rambler]

A Ford Commercial truck dealer should be able to perform the maintenance for you. I know there's one near Greenville, but there may be one closer to you.

[5picker]

I would think you need to find a larger Ford dealer.

The only way they can refuse to do that kind of work is if the facility cannot safely handle being able to lift or properly work on something the size of a motorhome. Often, Mom & Pop dealers simply can't handle something that large.

[dahagen]

On my class 'C' I had to use a Ford truck repair shop in Denver for a recall. Car dealers would not work on the Ford part. I now have a class 'A' Ford (third Coachman) and the engine quit a long way from any Ford place. I was towed to a local repair shop that fixed the problem quickly. They let me stay in my motorhome in their lot, with power and water. I called Ford's RV office and hey said to send them the bill. I did, and got a check in less than two weeks for the full amount of the repair.

[conceptumator]

We encountered something similar with our old RV on the ford chassis. Dash air went out and neither the Ford dealer nor the RV shop would work on it. Finally found a garage that advertised RV repairs and they got me fixed up.

[RudysWorld]

I had to go to the Ford Commercial truck dealership to work on my Class A.

[A32Deuce]

Look in your owners manual. There is a number to call and they will get back to you with a location and a person to talk to to get work done. Also we were traveling and needed routine service, one dealer said no. Got to Dorango and just stopped at the Ford dealer, he said yes and had a mechanic do the service right there in the service entrance.

[johnshoe]

TO Rokslinger, I also have a 2016 Forester with a Ford E450 chassis. I had an AC problem and the FR dealer told me to take it to Ford, luckily there was a Ford dealer that sold trucks about 40 miles away and they were happy to fix the AC problem (which was just a plug that came partially out) and they also changed the oil and filter. They told me that any Ford truck dealer would service it as long as it was part of the chassis, not anything FR had added or modified. I'm going to have them do all my oil changes and lube requirements. They never even hesitated when I asked them about the warranty issue and they got me right in.