Loud, violent bang from rear

biglarrr

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Look, I'm not trying to bust your b@11s here. The reality is there's no evidence I'm aware of to suggest the symptom you describe is related to the recent TSB involving the rear brakes. That TSB is meant to fix a noise issue that occurs when backing up at slow speeds. It's described as a moaning or whining noise, not a bang, and it has nothing to do with loose caliper bolts. There's no reason a service shop would relate your symptom with that issue. I'm not suggesting there is no issue with your car, I'm just saying it doesn't sound related to the recent TSB.

So, did you ask if they inspected the brakes?
OK - I don't want to write a book on this, so I'm going to condense as much as I can.
I brought my BSOB in because the Moonroof wasn't working.
Called multiple times during the day since the mechanic is supposed to be texting progress.
New 21st century thing. Finally when I called at 5pm they said they had to keep it overnight because they were waiting on parts.
My first follow up was on this call. "Did you look at the rear tire or anything on the rear end?"
NOTE: When I told the service writer about the noise, she said I'll just have them check the entire rear end, because some of these BS's didn't have oil in the diff.
The person on the phone said "I don't see anything on the work order, but I'll tell them to put it in the air and check"
The next day I get a call to come and pick my BSOB up because parts were on backorder.
I looked at the work order and saw the notation. "Could not duplicate" for the rear end noise.
I asked the service writer if they had checked the rear end, and she said there was no noise when they drove it. I had already told them that they probably wouldn't duplicate it because it had only happened the one time two weeks before. Her response was I only know what you see on the workorder. I asked to speak to the mechanic, and got directed to another senior service writer who said what do you want to ask? By that time I was aggravated. I told her I wanted to talk to the mechanic, and find out if he'd pulled the wheel like the person the previous night had told me they were going to do. She just gave me the same line. We couldn't duplicate it.
I gave up at that point and told her to give me my keys, and left.
I then called Ford customer service, and got the same line.
So - first service writer said there were a lot of rear end issues, and she'd have them inspect the rear end. THe person on the phone said he'd make a note to put it in the air and check it.
The only note on the service order was - could not duplicate, and they wouldn't let me talk to the mechanic.
So - You couldn't come close to bust my bearings. ford did an excellent job of that.
So back to my original comment. Would you want to take your BS on a road trip knowing that the rear end is problematic. (Especially after reading that multiple users are experiencing this)
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Mark S.

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The only note on the service order was - could not duplicate, and they wouldn't let me talk to the mechanic.
Yes, it sounds like customer service at your dealership service department is problematic. Do you have another dealership in the area you can take your car to? The situation you described comes across to me like a communication problem, and I mean that both ways. You asked for an inspection related to a specific noise which you conflated with a known issue addressed by a TSB. You didn't say the noise occurs when applying the brakes backing up, which is an almost ironclad indication that the problem you describe is not related to the TSB. That's the first miscommunication. The second occurred when your service department chose not to be forthcoming about what the techs did and why. If they understood what you were asking for (a brake inspection) and determined (as I did) that the noise you described cannot be related to the TSB then they should've explained to you that a brake inspection at that point is a waste of time, a resource that's becoming more and more valuable at automotive service departments. The only logical thing to be done at that point is drive the car to see if it makes the noise you describe, which apparently they did. The fact remains that until a service tech hears the noise you described there is no way to begin an effective diagnosis. Saying "cannot duplicate" in no way implies there's no issue with your car, it's just the tech saying (s)he can't do anything to fix it until they can duplicate the symptom you describe.

So back to my original comment. Would you want to take your BS on a road trip knowing that the rear end is problematic. (Especially after reading that multiple users are experiencing this)
You seem to believe I'm questioning whether your car has a problem. That's not the case. See my previous post where I said: "I'm not suggesting there is no issue with your car, I'm just saying it doesn't sound related to the recent TSB."

To answer your question: if you are not confident in your car's mechanical reliability then you probably shouldn't take it on a road trip.
 

Glamdring70

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Yeah some times that felt card board like lining under floor has flapped around at speed on some sports. Hasn't done it on mine but some times fasteners loose missing and the flimsy thing can flap around.
I swear mine might have started to do some of that. I went under there with a roll of 4" FlexTape!®, ™ and locked down the leading edge. I feel like it helped the mystery buffeting noise. It isn't an elegant install, car being held together with tape, but it's on the underside so very few will see the shame.
 

biglarrr

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With respect: like everything else these days- you need to be the one driving the experience, so to speak. The question Mark S asked is relevant - did they do the inspection on the brake caliper or not? If they can't duplicate the noise, that's not going to help them narrow it down so the notation is correct. If you requested a brake inspection and it wasn't on the report, that's an entirely different issue and yes, you should have followed up on that request.

With your tire example, if they keep the car and can't find a leak and the tire doesn't go flat for them, the line on that item is going to be the same - can't duplicate.

If your shop doesn't appreciate you being an educated owner that knows to ask these things, find a different shop. Good repair shops don't mind having conversations with their customers about this stuff.
I realize I'm beating a dead horse, but if I take a tire to the shop and tell them it's leaking, they will not put a note on the workorder that says _Cannot duplicate. They will put a note that says. Tested tire, and found no indication of leak. The key comment being "Tested Tire" , Not a blowoff statement of "Could not duplicate".
Also - This is a known issue, and there were at least two recalls for rear end issues including dry differentials, Loose bolts on brake calipers and missing locating pins. When I reported the issue, the service writer commented "There have been a lot of issues with the BS. I'll tell them to check the entire rear end. When I spoke later to an agent who told me they had to keep my BS overnight because they didn't have needed parts, I asked if they had found anything on the rear end, and he said there's nothing on the workorder. I'll tell him to put it in the air and check it in the morning. When I went to pick it up, I saw that they had put a comment "Could not replicate" and asked if they had checked the rear end. I was told that if they couldn't replicate the issue they couldn't do anything about it. They promised to check the rear end, and then blew it off, by saying they couldn't replicate it. When I asked to speak to the mechanic, I was sent to another service writer who told me the mechanic was busy and couldn't be bothered. When there's a recall you don't have to make it break to get it fixed. All I wanted was for them to check and see if the known issues were an issue with my vehicle. I don't think that's asking too much.
 

Meanderthal

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I realize I'm beating a dead horse, but if I take a tire to the shop and tell them it's leaking, they will not put a note on the workorder that says _Cannot duplicate. They will put a note that says. Tested tire, and found no indication of leak. The key comment being "Tested Tire" , Not a blowoff statement of "Could not duplicate".
Also - This is a known issue, and there were at least two recalls for rear end issues including dry differentials, Loose bolts on brake calipers and missing locating pins. When I reported the issue, the service writer commented "There have been a lot of issues with the BS. I'll tell them to check the entire rear end. When I spoke later to an agent who told me they had to keep my BS overnight because they didn't have needed parts, I asked if they had found anything on the rear end, and he said there's nothing on the workorder. I'll tell him to put it in the air and check it in the morning. When I went to pick it up, I saw that they had put a comment "Could not replicate" and asked if they had checked the rear end. I was told that if they couldn't replicate the issue they couldn't do anything about it. They promised to check the rear end, and then blew it off, by saying they couldn't replicate it. When I asked to speak to the mechanic, I was sent to another service writer who told me the mechanic was busy and couldn't be bothered. When there's a recall you don't have to make it break to get it fixed. All I wanted was for them to check and see if the known issues were an issue with my vehicle. I don't think that's asking too much.
Was your BS included in the recalls? Most recalls are limited to a certain production date run. I'm sure you know how this works so I won't explain it to you. The term "could not replicate" does not mean that they did nothing, but in your defense it is possibly just applied in your case as a way to dismiss it. The difference between "tested tire" and "could not duplicate" is pretty minimal for your example. I understand that you are trying to say that they did nothing but I don't believe that is entirely the case, although it could be. You were the person that dealt with the service department and you probably got clues that you cannot translate into words here. As was said here earlier, if you are not happy with this service department, you should search out another one. That may mean inconvenience for you in whatever way but it is possible for you to do.

In defense of your dealer, if your BS is not included in a recall and they perform a diagnostic to determine if your BS has the same issue as one that is part of the recall, they will not get paid for the time to do that. Are you willing to pay them to perform work that they would not get paid for otherwise?

In defense of the mechanic, they get paid a flat rate to perform a job. I'm pretty sure that diagnostic time is not something they would get paid for from Ford, so the dealership would not want to pay the mechanic for that either. I think that they get paid less for warranty work than for general repair work. That is unfortunately similar to me having to pay a doctor more for a service when I don't have insurance than the insurance company would pay for the same service. Also, the service writers probably know which mechanics are good at talking with customers and which are not. Service writers have to engage with customers all the time but mechanics are not paid to engage with the public and represent the dealership. A mechanic would also not get paid for any time spent engaging with a customer.
 


69cuda340s

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If dealer can't duplicate the noise they aren't going to do anything. Situation normal for dealers.
 

biglarrr

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Was your BS included in the recalls? Most recalls are limited to a certain production date run. I'm sure you know how this works so I won't explain it to you. The term "could not replicate" does not mean that they did nothing, but in your defense it is possibly just applied in your case as a way to dismiss it. The difference between "tested tire" and "could not duplicate" is pretty minimal for your example. I understand that you are trying to say that they did nothing but I don't believe that is entirely the case, although it could be. You were the person that dealt with the service department and you probably got clues that you cannot translate into words here. As was said here earlier, if you are not happy with this service department, you should search out another one. That may mean inconvenience for you in whatever way but it is possible for you to do.

In defense of your dealer, if your BS is not included in a recall and they perform a diagnostic to determine if your BS has the same issue as one that is part of the recall, they will not get paid for the time to do that. Are you willing to pay them to perform work that they would not get paid for otherwise?

In defense of the mechanic, they get paid a flat rate to perform a job. I'm pretty sure that diagnostic time is not something they would get paid for from Ford, so the dealership would not want to pay the mechanic for that either. I think that they get paid less for warranty work than for general repair work. That is unfortunately similar to me having to pay a doctor more for a service when I don't have insurance than the insurance company would pay for the same service. Also, the service writers probably know which mechanics are good at talking with customers and which are not. Service writers have to engage with customers all the time but mechanics are not paid to engage with the public and represent the dealership. A mechanic would also not get paid for any time spent engaging with a customer.
Thank you for your reply, and actually seeing it from both sides.
I think I have gotten over this long and unproductive issue with the Service Department.
The good thing - at least I'll call it that now - is that both the manager of the service department and the owner greet me using my first name.
They also now have pick-up and delivery service, so I don't have to deal with the service writers directly anymore. If it's just an oil change or regular maintenance, I don't go into detail.
If there's a different issue I tell them I will leave a note on the seat, and just speak in one syllable words hoping they understand.
After a year I barely am at 4000 miles, partly because we didn't travel much last year, but mostly because of all the issues I read about every time I come to this forum.
My BSOB and my experiences with service have me hesitant to take it on a road trip. We've been taking my wife's little car, which gets about 9mpg more than the Bronco, and while that's good logic, I really want to drive my BSOB and show it off, and enjoy all the bells and whistles.
I get compliments on it regularly, when I'm approaching it in the parking lot, but it's more like a trophy wife. Looks great, but not very dependable.
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