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Warning: check your guido

32K views 90 replies 26 participants last post by  EddieZ 
#1 · (Edited)
Warning: check your guibo

50k on van. Rubber coupler at back of transmission(connected to driveshaft) is cracked in at least two more places. Will need to be replaced. Thanks whitedog...at least 2 van have this problem now.
 

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#7 ·
So here is the followup.


At least two vans have shown the rubber coupling at the back of transmission cracks at 40k mi or so(est). This should be covered under powertrain warranty.


In late June I crawled under my van and discovered mine was cracked in at least two places(thanks whitedog!) At the next oil change I alerted my service advisor. When the van was ready(after waiting on it) it came out with a clean bill of health...no mention of the guibo problem..after I specifically asked the service advisor to inspect(and showed him photos on my cell phone of the cracked part). First he said "we forgot" and then explained that since it was Sunday(this was the Quicklane service) there was no one "qualified" to service the transmission. We had a nice conversation for a moment, as I explained I didn't need it fixed then...I needed a tech to simply confirm it was cracked so they(the ford dealer) could order a part. I left frustrated and vowed to speak to the dealer service manager that week.


So I called the service manager who agreed and set up an apt to see the vehicle early that week. I showed up....and showed the service manager my pictures. He then explained to me that I could possibly leave it...but they were extremely busy and it would be the next week before anyone could even look at it. This was after the service advisor (who greeted me at the door) argued with me that 1.)The issue would be covered under warranty, 2.) that the powertrain warranty on the transit was 60k miles. I was pushing 55k mi at the time. I showed him the service manual which does indeed confirm 60k miles and specifically mentions the driveshaft(and couplers, etc) as warranty parts.


Out comes the service manager and I explain the situation. I run a small business and cannot take this vehicle out of service for a week. I cannot wait 1 wk for them to simply look at it to confirm what I have told them...then wit who know how long to get the correct part. I was leaving in 3 days for a 7,000mi trip cross country and although I was not concerned it would break-- I wanted to let them know it was an identified problem that needed to be corrected.


He first asked me "how I found this" to which I said it really didn't matter how I "found it" but that it was a defect and none of his service techs found it despite numerous times it was in for inspection/oil changes(every 10k). I then humored him but explaining that I saw it online and that it was a "known defect" on higher mileage transits. He then reiterated to me that they could not service the vehicle until the following week and that if I went over 60k before it was "fixed" I would be responsible for the repair cost. I asked him to inquire with parts to even see if they had the part in stock. He confirmed what I already knew...that it would take at least a wekk-10 days to get the part...AFTER the put the thing on a lift to diagnose the problem. I one again asked for them to "work me in"...simply take 15min to put the van on a lift and confirm that the guibo was cracked so they could write it up and order part. The answer was a resounding, no we can't you.


I left dejected. I immediately called ford customer service who opened a case. I advised them of the issue. They told me first step would be to find a dealer in the next two days who would just simply confirm the issue(get it in the system) so we could get some resolution.


I called 5 different dealers(other than the one I was at). I live in the Washington DC area--so there are a lot of dealers. ALL of them turned me away, stating they could not look at my transit until the following week(4 days away). I finally got an appt on the 6th try for the following morning. I showed up...the service advisor told me that they would not be able to help me-- they were booked until the following week. At the end of my rope...I asked to speak to service manage and threatened a "sit in" until they at least took a look at it(since I did make an appt). I guess the thought of a pissed off disabled veteran (with service dog in tow) in their dealership was not good for business they reluctantly agreed to take a look.


Confirmed part was cracked. Ordered part which was estimated to arrive in 10 days. I explained my mileage situation (was leaving for CA in 2 days) and that cancelling was not an option. Agreed to work with me.


Called Ford center to give them news including the dealer's name and phone#


After a few days Ford regional rep called me and advised dealer to fix under warranty when part arrives. I am now back from my trip...61k on van. Will call dealer tomorrow to see status. Hopefully everything will work out.


Although I am grateful Ford for stepping up(I hope)... I am not too happy with any of my local Ford dealers who seemed unwilling to help. I had to do all the legwork, multiple phone calls to simply get my van fixed. I cannot understand how they think that parking it for a week(or me) because of a manufacturing defect was OK. If that van isn't running, I'm loosing money.


How is that so hard to understand?


Will keep you all updated.
 
#8 ·
Man that sucks.

I see that part lists for $77 and I have found online that many Ford parts sell for 30% off.

One shouldn't have to, but I'd probably just buy the dang thing, around $55, and replace it myself just to avoid the frustration and retain my sanity!

I have done that before- actually buy a part just to avoid leaving my vehicle and dealing with the dealership morons.

In fact if was leaving on a long trip- like the 10,000 mile one I took last summer, I think I'd take that part with me just in case.
 
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#11 ·
Not true. There are some good ones. My experience with the local Mercedes Sprinter service center in Santa Rosa was excellent. The service manager was well informed and really cared. The support by Mercedes was not good so that made it difficult for the local service manager to do his job. Sure wish I had that service manager at the Ford dealer.

Besides lots of Ford dealers gives lots of stealth city camping locations.
 
#12 · (Edited)
Also sorry to hear about this Nat. Was the first dealer you went to the same one that sold you the Van? I forget your purchase history. My Wagon is the third Ford van I have purchased from the same dealer, and I would not expect to be treated so shabbily at "my" dealer. Hopefully your journey will go well and all will get fixed soon . . .

PS -- Nat, not sure if you noticed, but I did end up buying a trailer, and will go pick her up in a couple of weeks, so that possible tow job back from Idaho we discussed was resolved in my favor, in a sense . . .

PS2 -- Another shameless plug for Nat's cross-country delivery service for precious worldly possessions including dogs!

Green Logistics:

http://www.uship.com/profile/shipgreenlogistics/
 
#13 ·
WOW. (that's MOM to you in Australia) Unfortunately that is what I ran up against. I had to make an appointment to have them verify it, then come back again. What I did when I had a sensor go out was I guessed what it was and I ordered it my self, then left it on the shelf. When I took it in for diagnosis, I told them there was one sitting on the shelf under our name and they should use that one.

I think the same thing can be applied here. Make the appointment, then order it and don't pick it up - leave it on the shelf. When you take it in for the appointment, tell them that it's sitting on the shelf under your name and to use that one and credit you. Be honest about what is going on and why you are doing it. Build that relationship with them while it's under warranty.

That's easy for me to say because A) I have a great relationship with the parts gal and 2) We have an account. For most people, they would need you to pay for it up front, then get it credited back when it's used. Yes, it's a bit of a hassle, but it's better than making an appointment to have them look at it for two minutes, then making another appointment to have them replace it.

One HUGE plus to having our dealer replace it is that it now has a two year, unlimited mileage warranty through their shop. For us that means over 200,000 miles of coverage. :)
 
#14 ·
I will say for the most part I have been pleased with ford service. This is my 6th ford product(3xFord Escape, 1 e150, 1 explorer). I have taken this Ford to this dealer before and have been satisfied with the repairs.

Finding a good independent mechanic is a PITA....it can be nearly impossible if you are traveling all the time. Just ask about the troubles I had finding a mechanic for my diesel suburban!

I will say although i live in washington dc...i travel to some very remote regions of the country. Nice to know there is at least a semi competent mechanic in almost every small town. May not be the best, but better than rolling the dice.

However, I avoid going to this dealer. I have choices as a consumer.
 
#15 ·
Supposedly it is all ready to go. Ford regional was very proactive and was a big help. Although it was a pita...glad they stepped in and helped.

I had to buy this van on a whim...really quickly...as my previous tow vehicle(the diesel suburban) broke down in texas and was a terminal issue. So i was stranded suddenly without a vehicle. I had to very quickly find one and purchase-- bought from dealer in San Antonio I have no previous relationship with.

Although I will say I got a decent deal and dealership was easy to work with-- i do recommend Northside ford, san antonio Texas

Nate
 
#20 ·
Uh oh.

I have been using my smaller vehicle this past month so I have not been adding miles to the transit. Still at 67k....giubo replaced at 61k so i hope it is still OK.

This looks like something i will have to constantly keep an eye on. No probs with radiator.

Only big issue is faulty TPMS. Checked pressure in all 4 tires and topped off...still getting warning light.

Nate
 
#21 ·
Thanks for photos. Still haven't heard of anyone having the guido actually break apart.

Looks like it's EZ to replace this part b/c of the hex bolts. Last drive shaft coupling I had to dismantle used large Torx head bolts that were one size bigger than my set of Torx sockets!
 
#22 ·
I was talking with a guy that is very familiar with these. (in South Africa, they are called Gibbos) he said that they are shipped with a constraining band around them and that the coupler needs to be installed with this band on it, then after the bolts are tightened, the band is cut. There is also a centering pin in there so that if it fails, it shouldn't come flying out of there. But this also means that you can't just remove the bolts and slip out the old one and slip in the new one. The drive line needs to be dropped enough to get it out and back in. At this point, I don't know what that will require. I probably will eventually.

The reason that we haven't heard of these breaking apart on Transits is that there are very few high mileage ones in the US and so far the few of us out there have been inspecting them and getting them replaced as they start cracking.
 
#23 ·
So you "haven't heard of these breaking apart on Transits" either. Sounds like "a constraining band" would be very EZ to deal with.

Had thought most of foreign market Transits were FWD, unlike the "ones in the US" & didn't even have a "guido" to check?

At least the "guido" in the US market can be detached using ordinary hex wrench. Was unhappy when I found my Torx socket set didn't include the size needed for that other drive shaft. Even less happy when I struck out at every likely suspect selling tools in my locality & had to wait for mail order.
 
#25 ·
On a serious note...dealers are not looking for this issue. If you are not specifically not looking for it, it could be missed.

I take my van into Ford service for oil change/rotation inspection check every 10k miles. On none of these visits did a technician notice the cracked giubo. I had no drivability problems up into the replacement.


When I took the van into be serviced i was asked.."how did you find this?".

Nate
 
#26 ·
So far, nobody seems to have actually had this flexible coupling let go?

Has anybody had any "drivability problems" caused by cracks in this flexible coupling?

If this is a wide spread defect in materials you'd expect dealers will be looking specifically for this issue soon.

If it's a design issue you'd expect them all to eventually crack.
 
#27 ·
I agree, but remember that we are at 75,000 miles on ours already and if Nathan wasn't such a slacker, he would be right behind us with his. There just aren't very many vans at 30,000 miles already, and not every Transit owner is on this website. I would bet less than 5% maybe?
 
#28 ·
Called the Ford dealer to find out when we can expect to see the Guibo I ordered. I was told that that "demands exceed projections", or something like that. In other words, Ford needs a metric buttload of these because they are failing all over the place. Now, think about that... There have been four failures documented here, but Ford doesn't have enough in the supply chain. That tells me that the four here is just a fraction of the ones that have failed.

On the positive side, maybe this means that they will figure out that they have a problem and make a change.
 
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