Ford quietly redesigned the thermostat in 2022...replace it

[Calidad]

Ok so first drive back home observation. Outside temps are 20 degrees warmer. Transmission temperature was 10 degrees cooler than the trip into the dealer this morning in cooler temperatures.

No fan running after the short climb up to my house like previously. Also the start/stop feature which was oddly mia for the past two months is now back guessing that the temps were just high enough to cause the start stop feature to balk at shutting down at lights.

The tech note says he drove it and head temps matched some other temp 97-103 which doesn’t mean anything given the transmission heat exchanger temps are clearly 10 degrees lower in warmer temperatures, more traffic and going up hill vs this morning which was zero traffic down hill in cooler temperatures trans temp was 212-214 vs after in worse conditions 192-194.

Inconsistent thermostat opening definitely a big factor in higher temps especially under load which I’ll test out again in a few weeks when I’m back hauling stuff

 

[Calidad]

My rough take is a correctly working thermostat 190 degree opening temp. That the transmission heat exchanger temp should loosely follow that especially under low load conditions where transmission isn’t generating much heat. The engine temp doesn’t display till you reach 227-228. So a defective thermostat that isn’t opening up correctly can definitely cause higher than normal temperatures but not be obvious till it starts to be a big enough problem that you spike temperatures over 228

 

[Dice Roll]

I see more than a few posts on here about coolant leaks. Have to wonder if there are dots to connect there to high running temps. The stat upgrade should be on the tip of the tongue of every service advisor.

 

[Calidad]

Here’s what I suspect regarding dealers. I worked at one many yrs ago. We didn’t have this modern “profit” sharing concept where service managers got monthly bonuses based on % over cost of service fees.
Meaning the pay method encourages a healthy dose of filtering out warranty jobs for over priced jobs. The techs are not paid as well. But if a tech gets kick backs on the side from the service manager by backing up the bogus claims then you have exactly the dumb BS I had to negotiate through to get my warranty covered thermostat replaced on my warranty deductible $100.

 

[East-TN]

Here’s what I suspect regarding dealers. I worked at one many yrs ago. We didn’t have this modern “profit” sharing concept where service managers got monthly bonuses based on % over cost of service fees.
Meaning the pay method encourages a healthy dose of filtering out warranty jobs for over priced jobs. The techs are not paid as well. But if a tech gets kick backs on the side from the service manager by backing up the bogus claims then you have exactly the dumb BS I had to negotiate through to get my warranty covered thermostat replaced on my warranty deductible $100.

I agree the Service Manager receiving a monthly bonus for amount of $$ generated could be a poor (shady) motivator. The Service Advisors (SA) trying to always upsale or 'accidentally' putting items on the service invoice is where you have to closely watch the dealerships before/after any service visit. I've had Service Advisors 'accidentally' put down 8-cyclinder oil changes vs 6-cyclinder and try to charge me an extra $30-40 on a previous vehicle I owned. I caught the error and they corrected the price, but how many other times have they done this trick to improve $$ for the day/toward their bonus numbers? How cheesy is it for a dealership to risk customer satisfaction and trust over a mere $30?

I disagree with the thought of the Techs receiving any kind of 'kickback' from the Service Manager. Service Managers are cheap and don't want to give any 'extra' money to the Techs. The SA's are the ones who really are motivated to try shady/quick explanations, and they receive their marching orders from the Manager.

 

[Calidad]

The tech claimed that temps during his drive were 97-103 with the old thermostat which had the truck running hotter than the new 190 temp thermostat. His temperature data must have been under the hood oil cap temperature lol . It was very obvious his write up was just filler to try and make the Service desk seem legit

 

[Dice Roll]

I believe ford dings them for doing too much warranty work. Local guys here loathe doing it. The running board issue I had was obvious, yet took three trips. I have a rattle getting worse and they have ****** around for two trips, including the tires and front end alignment last month where they declared its was fixed. It’s not. Installed new sway bar end links. Nope. Sound is getting worse. I say it’s the ccd strut crapping out. Have said it several times.

Guys you can’t find anything loose. Sound only happens when moving with the weight shift of the truck over bumps allowing the sound to happen. Two techs have driven, including the front end guru. Well, what else moves when those conditions happen? Who has heard that sound before with a bad structure or strut mount? Oh the owner who also has decades of working on cars as a hobby under his belt. Hmm.

 

[Dice Roll]

They also tried to charge a 150 diagnostic fee I had told them was a no go and they agreed not to charge it.

 

[Calidad]

I believe ford dings them for doing too much warranty work. Local guys here loathe doing it. The running board issue I had was obvious, yet took three trips. I have a rattle getting worse and they have ****** around for two trips, including the tires and front end alignment last month where they declared its was fixed. It’s not. Installed new sway bar end links. Nope. Sound is getting worse. I say it’s the ccd strut crapping out. Have said it several times.

Guys you can’t find anything loose. Sound only happens when moving with the weight shift of the truck over bumps allowing the sound to happen. Two techs have driven, including the front end guru. Well, what else moves when those conditions happen? Who has heard that sound before with a bad structure or strut mount? Oh the owner who also has decades of working on cars as a hobby under his belt. Hmm.

Dealers are 3rd party businesses
Warranty work is all based on fixed cost repairs meaning the dealer cannot sell a $600 hr shop job while the tech is doing a $180 hr warranty job.

Some dealers literally book outside contractors for certain days of the week that only do warranty work leaving their shop open for $700 oil changes

 

[5280tunage]

Or $800 thermostat swaps. that's what they wanted to do mine, while it was in the shop already getting a coolant flush. UNREAL