weisj

While my 2012 F-150 was at the dealer for a routine oil change / tire rotation, the service tech indicated that the battery had a buildup of corrosion around the positive terminal, and suggested a battery cleaning for $9.95. Since it was there and all opened up, I agreed to have this done.

15 minutes later, he came out with a service manager, and said that the battery had actually been leaking acid, and had "combusted" during the cleaning, and was unusable. Then he asked if I would like them to replace it (For $130). I reluctantly agreed, since it didn't seem like it would be going anywhere with a burned up battery, and since we were going camping tomorrow, I wouldn't have time to replace one anyway.

Another 20 minutes later, the tech was talking to the manager again, and I overheard "positive cable" and "overnight." They told me that the positive cable was too badly damaged to use, and they would need to order another one (for $250), and they would need to keep it overnight. Foolishly, I didn't ask to see the cable, to see if the damage was from the corrosion or from a fire.

At that point, I questioned how a $9.95 cleaning for some corrosion on the battery could turn into a $400 replacement of the battery and cable, considering the truck was running fine when I brought it in. They said the battery was leaking acid, and that it would have done more damage if had continued to leak.

Does all of this seem right? I've always thought of a battery cleaning as a baking soda and water solution and a wire brush - not something that would cause combustion. Do I need to ask further questions about the incident? Are there other components that I need to worry about being damaged in this incident? I have 2k miles left on the warrantee, and don't want any surprises down the road.

And, should the battery and cable be covered under the 3yr/36,000mi warrantee?

BCMIF150

I would have asked to see the corrosion on the battery before I let them "fix" it. All of it should be covered under warranty.

I would definitely push back on the service manager and say you weren't having any problems until they touched it and make them fix the truck at no cost to you.

weisj

Yes, I'm definitely regretting not taking a look at it before this all started. I figured it was just some minor corrosion that needed to be cleaned up, not a full-blown battery meltdown. Unfortunately, I was running late, as what I was expecting to be a 30-minute oil change turned into a 90-minute waiting game. Hindsight is 20/20.

As they were setting me up with a free rental for the night (Fusion hybrid), I noticed the reason for the rental was "truck battery blew up." That's comforting.

I need to dig out the inspection report from my last oil change to see how they rated the battery 4000-5000 miles ago. I'm just hoping they'll cover it under the warranty.

RLXXI

Look at your warranty guide, it's one of those brand spanking new never opened books that came with your owners manual, it will tell you what is and isn't covered and for how long. If you lost them go to http://owner.ford.com/your-vehicle.h.../Page/HomePage and sign up for a free account where you can access all that literature online as well as keep tabs on maintenance.

130428

I'm not sure the warranty would apply here. A tech messed up a pretty straight-forward task, blew the battery, and blamed the unsuspecting / in-a-rush truck owner to get out of his sh&t.

I'm no mechanic, but I cleaned up my friend's battery 3 times in the last 2 months. I have yet to blow it up, and trust me, I'm not that good!

RLXXI

I am a mechanic 30+ years and I've seen 3 batteries blow up for no good reason. One of them was my dads truck, when he tried to start it, sounded like a shotgun going off. Next one was a customers truck, he parked it just outside my alignment bay to get it aligned, I jump in hit the key, POW! Glad he was standing near by so he couldn't blame me for it, the next time was my own car, no warning, I turned the key to start it and POW! made me jump, opened the hood and battery acid was dripping from the hood liner, damn thing split in half.

WestsydeGuy

That is total BS.
He grounded the positive terminal to something to cause that.
No cleaning causes a fire.
The cabke and battery and labour are on them.
If they refuse to eat the bill as soon as you leave make your next stop small claims court and sue them.
Crooked dealers need to be taught they dont always get away with robbery.
I have cleaned more batteries than i can count and see no possible way it can cause this supposed fire.

RLXXI

Burdon of proof is on the plaintiff, if they can't prove it then he eats the repair bill as well as the lawyer fee's.

Put your brain into gear before you put your mouth into motion.

WestsydeGuy

Small claims court has no lawyers.
I took my old dealer to small claims court.
I got the entire 719 dollars i asked for....the bill they charged me for their damage to my truck.
More so the local paper printed it and their reputation took a hit.
Dealers look bad in court so usually want to settle out of court.
They tried to settle out of court for the entire amount, but i refused as i wanted them to have to answer to their BS before a judge.
My city is only 85,000 people.
Hurt their rep to the tune of a lot more than the money i won back.
They will not be so fast to screw the next guy.
That is the point of a law suit to me.
Teach them a lesson so they stop screwing customers and get away with it.
OP.
I am a licensed AME and will even write you a letter on my company letterhead and sign it to take into court as testimony that if done proproperly, a cleaning of a battery post does not cause a fire and damage.
Pm me if you want to.

weisj

Thanks for all of the opinions. I was kind of in shock at the dealer as it was happening, and didn't think it through as much as I wish I had. The more I thought about it afterword, the more it didn't pass the smell test.

It is supposed to be ready first thing Friday morning, after they get the new cable delivered. I'm definitely going to press them to eat the charges for the new battery and cable. If the damage was caused by their negligence, then they should definitely eat the cost. I want to see the original parts to see the damage, if they still exist.

Otherwise, from -most- accounts, it sounds like it should be covered under the original bumper-to-bumper warranty. I searched the PDF of my 2012 warranty guide for "battery", and there was no mention, either as an inclusion or exclusion, so we'll see what happens.

WestsydeGuy - thanks for the offer. Hopefully it doesn't come to that.