Have to spend $1,200 to fix my Bronco Sport Big Bend

BigBend

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Took my Bronco Sport to the dealer for it's regular oil change. When they were done, they had me go out into the shop to talk to the mechanic who worked on my vehicle. I have two problems, a leaking CV axle seal, and both my rear shocks are leaking. I am out of warranty, my Bronc has 65,000 miles on it. I drive a lot, and so far the vehicle has served me pretty well. Maybe I should have bought the extended warranty, but when buying a car the last twenty years (Toyota's and Honda's), I have never bought an extended warranty, and didn't need to. The mechanic put the vehicle on the hoist and walked me around showing me what was going with both issues. This kind of snuck up on me, neither issue is leaking on to the pavement at home, but they are definitely leaking. So, I am going to get it fixed and then decide what to do with this vehicle. Seals going on a two year old car that has been driven on paved roads (almost all highway miles) seems to me to be a sign of poor quality. Kind of wondering what will go next. The shocks really stinks, they replaced one leaky shock about a year ago under warranty. Ford also has published a service bulletin about the rear shock problem, so they know about this.

Anyway, not sure what I will do going forward. Drove all my Honda's and Toyota's past 200,000 miles without these types a problems, or any real issues for that matter. Two years ago, I thought I would give Ford a chance.

Here is a video I found that describes pretty well what is going on with both issues. The owner in this video has only 10,000 miles on their Bronco. Sincerely hope none of you get stuck with this.

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Tigger

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I’m not a huge warranty fan because I drive so few miles per year, but in your case it seems warranted (pun intended). Search some of the other threads for people that have have gotten offers from dealerships, then make sure your dealership at least matches an offer/quote from one of them. Lastly, I’d highly recommend not doing a third party warranty and going with a Ford one.
 

Blue oval fan

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Labor rates are getting stupidly expensive. A $1,200 fix to me doesn't warranty a new car. My brother is a Toyota die-hard Land Cruiser nerd and he has had to bring it in for repair, same with his Honda Odyssey, no car is without issues. I think the quality has been lacking on Ford's part the last couple of years though. I do have a service contract on my Focus RS for the next 7 years up to 125,000 miles. My 2020 Ford Escape had zero issues for the 30k+ miles I put on it. My BS just hit 15k and all I have done was change the oil.

As for the "Extended Warranty" Most service contracts don't cover shock absorbers, so read the full contract before buying. No contract is "bumper to bumper" Read the exclusions list, or "what this agreement does not cover list". Make sure to get an Exclusionary contract and not a named component.

Ford service contracts are good but they also have exclusions just like any other contract out there. They don't just magically pay for everything, they follow the contract terms. They have to still manage and control losses. They are not "bumper to bumper" Again read the contract.
 

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Took my Bronco Sport to the dealer for it's regular oil change. When they were done, they had me go out into the shop to talk to the mechanic who worked on my vehicle. I have two problems, a leaking CV axle seal, and both my rear shocks are leaking. I am out of warranty, my Bronc has 65,000 miles on it. I drive a lot, and so far the vehicle has served me pretty well. Maybe I should have bought the extended warranty, but when buying a car the last twenty years (Toyota's and Honda's), I have never bought an extended warranty, and didn't need to. The mechanic put the vehicle on the hoist and walked me around showing me what was going with both issues. This kind of snuck up on me, neither issue is leaking on to the pavement at home, but they are definitely leaking. So, I am going to get it fixed and then decide what to do with this vehicle. Seals going on a two year old car that has been driven on paved roads (almost all highway miles) seems to me to be a sign of poor quality. Kind of wondering what will go next. The shocks really stinks, they replaced one leaky shock about a year ago under warranty. Ford also has published a service bulletin about the rear shock problem, so they know about this.

Anyway, not sure what I will do going forward. Drove all my Honda's and Toyota's past 200,000 miles without these types a problems, or any real issues for that matter. Two years ago, I thought I would give Ford a chance.

Here is a video I found that describes pretty well what is going on with both issues. The owner in this video has only 10,000 miles on their Bronco. Sincerely hope none of you get stuck with this.


All Vehicles manufacturers are different, some source parts from the same vendors but with different requirements.
Typical strut and shock life is 50-100k, your vehicle is in that mileage range, parts do wear. As for the CV seals, unfortunately you just missed the drivetrain warranty cutoff. Since your going to have the shocks replaced, I'd be nice if the dealer would replace the CV seals as an act of goodwill, your not that far over the mileage warranty.
 

Mark S.

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...both my rear shocks are leaking.
Shocks will "weep" some fluid, and it's generally not a concern. The graphic below is from Monroe. Numbers 1 & 2 are not considered "leaking." 3 & 4 require replacement.

Ford Bronco Sport Have to spend $1,200 to fix my Bronco Sport Big Bend Shock-Oil-Weepage-1630331289136


Since you are out of warranty I would strongly consider getting a second opinion at a reputable local independent shop. Dealership parts & labor costs are generally much higher than independent shops, plus they can offer alternatives on parts. Dealerships generally stick with OEM and/or Motorcraft parts, and they rarely offer discounts. Sometimes independent shops will let you acquire the necessary parts on your own and do the work for you. You can save a boatload of money that way.
 


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Have you thought about going w/aftermarket shocks rather than Ford's, such as Koni?
 

delm

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That is frustrating, and exactly why I do "roll the dice" on extended warranties. I used my 42,000 Ford points on a 7 year/100k Ford ESP plan. After the points, I paid $1,200ish. I was pretty darn confident that the plan would save me $1,200 over those 7 years.

You never know....you can pay up front for the extended warranty and never use it, or find yourself needing it. All we can do is make the best decision we can at the time and move on.
 

69cuda340s

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You sure that shop didn't do the old squirt some oil on there to make it look like its leaking? Naw that would bever happen....
 

AndyMac204

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keep in mind you live in Wisconsin too, extreme weather can play havoc on parts like seals, boots, and shocks. Very cold weather, add in bumpy or rough roads equals a very hard and pre-mature lifespan.
 

Bronco2.7

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Took my Bronco Sport to the dealer for it's regular oil change. When they were done, they had me go out into the shop to talk to the mechanic who worked on my vehicle. I have two problems, a leaking CV axle seal, and both my rear shocks are leaking. I am out of warranty, my Bronc has 65,000 miles on it. I drive a lot, and so far the vehicle has served me pretty well. Maybe I should have bought the extended warranty, but when buying a car the last twenty years (Toyota's and Honda's), I have never bought an extended warranty, and didn't need to. The mechanic put the vehicle on the hoist and walked me around showing me what was going with both issues. This kind of snuck up on me, neither issue is leaking on to the pavement at home, but they are definitely leaking. So, I am going to get it fixed and then decide what to do with this vehicle. Seals going on a two year old car that has been driven on paved roads (almost all highway miles) seems to me to be a sign of poor quality. Kind of wondering what will go next. The shocks really stinks, they replaced one leaky shock about a year ago under warranty. Ford also has published a service bulletin about the rear shock problem, so they know about this.

Anyway, not sure what I will do going forward. Drove all my Honda's and Toyota's past 200,000 miles without these types a problems, or any real issues for that matter. Two years ago, I thought I would give Ford a chance.

Here is a video I found that describes pretty well what is going on with both issues. The owner in this video has only 10,000 miles on their Bronco. Sincerely hope none of you get stuck with this.

My 2013 honda civic has over 300,000 miles on it. My wife's 2015 honda civic has 145,000 miles on it. I'd rather drive my civic than my BS Badlands. I picked her up from the airport last night at midnight in the civic with the snow tires. It was 25 degrees the road was ice and foggy. When she got in the car she laughed and asked why I drove my civic instead of my new BS. I replied because I know the Honda won't break down and I didn't want to be stuck in the freezing cold, dark all by myself.
 


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Shocks will "weep" some fluid, and it's generally not a concern. The graphic below is from Monroe. Numbers 1 & 2 are not considered "leaking." 3 & 4 require replacement.

Ford Bronco Sport Have to spend $1,200 to fix my Bronco Sport Big Bend Shock-Oil-Weepage-1630331289136


Since you are out of warranty I would strongly consider getting a second opinion at a reputable local independent shop. Dealership parts & labor costs are generally much higher than independent shops, plus they can offer alternatives on parts. Dealerships generally stick with OEM and/or Motorcraft parts, and they rarely offer discounts. Sometimes independent shops will let you acquire the necessary parts on your own and do the work for you. You can save a boatload of money that way.
My rear shocks look like #3. The Ford Service bulletin said #3 was ok.
 

delm

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My 2013 honda civic has over 300,000 miles on it. My wife's 2015 honda civic has 145,000 miles on it. I'd rather drive my civic than my BS Badlands. I picked her up from the airport last night at midnight in the civic with the snow tires. It was 25 degrees the road was ice and foggy. When she got in the car she laughed and asked why I drove my civic instead of my new BS. I replied because I know the Honda won't break down and I didn't want to be stuck in the freezing cold, dark all by myself.
I'd get ride of it, for sure. If I had a newish car that I honestly wouldn't drive for fear of being stuck in the cold or dark, I wouldn't own that car for 24 more hours.
 

Fossil

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Get the leaking CV seal replaced and lubed soon to prevent wear/failure. Shop around.
Leaking rear shocks should not strand you. Do they still function as intended? I'm an old guy but would replace them myself when the weather turns, easy job, watch a video.
 

John J

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I don't think these issues are "buy a new car" bad. But out of warranty you should definitely find a good independent guy. I'm sure most of your bill is labor and Ford "genuine" parts. Good luck!
 

CactusGreyBronco

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Since your out of warranty shop around to a non dealer auto shop. Dealers will do a good job but they too expensive in my opinion.
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