What does "Ford Certified" really mean?

[SOLISIMO]

When I bought my 2007 Expedition it was "certified" per say. BUT, after a week of driving when I would brake the steering would shake. Took it in and they said that they replaced the pads but never resurfaced the rotors

One week later the brake pedal was soft to the touch, took it back in and they said that the master cylinder was leaking so the replaced it. My question is when they certify the car isnt this something that shouldve been caught?

On monday Im taking to my buddies shop to do a tune up which insist of oil/filter change, spark plugs and intake filter. Seeing that I cant really trust what Ford did Im taking matters into my own hands.

Im also scared to do a tranny flush bc Ive heard pros and cons about this too. My car has 55k on it. Some say the more mileage it has the worse is to change it while others say to go ahead and flush it

 

[nvycrmn]

yeah, the flush is debateable. some have even said to drain the fluid into a clean container, then put a new filter in and put the old fluid back in...i think that was said somwhere on here.

 

[SOLISIMO]

yeah, the flush is debateable. some have even said to drain the fluid into a clean container, then put a new filter in and put the old fluid back in...i think that was said somwhere on here.

they were telling me that the top of the line flush was $250 and that included flushing the lines or something like that

 

[tonydiv]

In order for a vehicle to qualify for the certified pre-owned program it has to meet quite a few standards for age, mileage and condition. It also must pass a 100+ point checklist that also has very specific guidelines for break pad wear, tire wear and many other items. What is not included, however, is all the preventative maintenance that pretty much all of us do the moment we buy a used vehicle (changing out all the fluids). Unless the tech finds a real problem during his hour or so with the vehicle, they pretty much just leave the fluids alone.

In general, you do pay a premium for these certified vehicles (if costs the dealership about $700 +any repairs to certify a vehicle) but the added warranty is usually worth the extra cash.

 

[Stoned06]

Yeah, Certification is basically an inspection and replacement of anything that is obviously bad. You are basically paying for the extended warranty when you buy a certified vehicle....which isn't a bad thing.

The tranny flush should not cost you $250. I just had it done at the dealer a couple months ago at 58-59K miles, and it was only $120 out the door. I had a coupon, and the service advisor said he could do it cheaper than that. At 55k, you should be fine. I understand the logic behind not doing it on high mileage vehicles, (it loosens debris that might not be flushed out) but in essence leaving the old fluid in there is not good either. The thicker old oil is basically masking any issues there are in the tranny. A good and thorough flush should be good to go.

 

[Eric]

I just had my tranny serviced at 48,000. This was it's first service and after my research on the subject opted for the traditional pan drop & filter replacement. The reason I went with this is I wanted the valve body visually inspected and the magnet cleaned. They also remove that funny yellow dipstick tube plug that sits in the pan after they assemble the car.

I know this style of trans service only changes about 1/2 the fluid, but the original fluid was nice and pink with no smell and the mechanic felt there was no benefit in an entire flush. Anyway it cost me $150 out the door.

 

[SOLISIMO]

Yeah, Certification is basically an inspection and replacement of anything that is obviously bad. You are basically paying for the extended warranty when you buy a certified vehicle....which isn't a bad thing.

The tranny flush should not cost you $250. I just had it done at the dealer a couple months ago at 58-59K miles, and it was only $120 out the door. I had a coupon, and the service advisor said he could do it cheaper than that. At 55k, you should be fine. I understand the logic behind not doing it on high mileage vehicles, (it loosens debris that might not be flushed out) but in essence leaving the old fluid in there is not good either. The thicker old oil is basically masking any issues there are in the tranny. A good and thorough flush should be good to go.

He said there was a cheaper one and the one he told me about I think they dropped the tranny, correct me if Im wrong?

I just had my tranny serviced at 48,000. This was it's first service and after my research on the subject opted for the traditional pan drop & filter replacement. The reason I went with this is I wanted the valve body visually inspected and the magnet cleaned. They also remove that funny yellow dipstick tube plug that sits in the pan after they assemble the car.

I know this style of trans service only changes about 1/2 the fluid, but the original fluid was nice and pink with no smell and the mechanic felt there was no benefit in an entire flush. Anyway it cost me $150 out the door.

Im still on the fence about doing this, especially with all the problems the 07's have had with their trannys. Then again I dont tow anything but dont know if the previous owner did...

Thanks for all the help guys

 

[Stoned06]

My $120 was a flush where they hook up a machine and backflush the entire system. They actually quoted me about $220 for the pan drop with a filter change, but did not recommend that as it was pretty pointless to change the filter, as the reverse flush will clean the debris off the filter as well. Could be a load of crap, but they recommended the cheaper route that was a complete fluid change.

 

[ghettoracer]

"Ford Certified" is just a title they use in the service and sales dept to make all their make vehicles look better to potential buyers. Just because it says Ford Certified doesn't mean they actually serviced it say like brake rotors, if they are in spec by .001" they will sell it no matter if it had been replaced or not. And thats how they get ya for the money. If you have to take it in for repair and you dont have an extended warranty or anything to protect it, you might as well hand them your bank account. If you are thinking of buying anything "certified" make sure they check the entire car in your presence before you buy it. Make sure you educate yourself on specs of the car before you buy also to make sure they are not trying to take ya for a ride.