"E" warning followup

[anna]

Followup to the "E" warning - steady E, not flashing.

We took our newly purchased , under 8000 miles, 03 t-bird to the dealer (not the one we bought it from) and they did the diagnostic test on it, and said yes, it has transmission problems. We are supposed to take it in next week for an estimate on the "fix".
I'm sick because I figure the dealer we bought it from probably knew about this problem, but did not inform us about it. And we thought with a car having that low mileage, we did not need the $2000 warranty on it. Wrong move.
We did not haggle them on the price, and paid top dollar for it. So here we are......less than 3 weeks having it, and now this.

So my question is.....has anyone had the "E" fixed and what should be the approximate cost we should expect???? Does the "fix" really fix it???? or will it be an ongoing problem??? Thanks for your help.
anna

[Sealy]

I'm always amazed, or amused, when a person buys a vehicle from one dealer and then takes it to another dealer for the problem. You've had it for 3 weeks - take it back to where you bought it and negotiate with them. You may still end up paying, but they may split it with you or they may take care of it.

E simply means that there is a problem. The error code will tell what it is. You could be looking at anything from a mis-read to a full blown catastrophe. Try not to get upset until you really have something to get upset about. And as far as will the fix really fix it . . . cars are fickle and get more fickel as they age. Spring for the warranty, it's cheap peace of mind.

Put the top down and enjoy. It really is a great car and as you get to know it, you'll become more comfortable and trusting of it.

[DiegoThundy]

Also, I'm not sure where you lived, but some places of "lemon laws" that protect you if you can prove the vehicle had a serious problem before purchase and weren't informed about it. I'm not sure about their extent, but you might look into that if you take it back to the same dealer and they basically tell you "sorry pal."

[67chevelle]

"Lemon Laws" only deal with new vehicle purchases..

67

[George]

Anna, less than 3 weeks? Doesn't your dealer at least cover the 1st 4-8 weeks?
Anyone I know of who has had the E problem has had it fixed with no re-occurances, so you should be all set.
Transmission....could be $2-3,000. On the other hand, I would also ask them to look up that car on their "OASIS system" and see if that problem had ever been reported before for that car. And, maybe your original dealer will help you out - That seems like a good suggestion, as sealy said.
As it relates to extended warranty, you should be able to get one for under $2000, however, I believe any problem reported into the OASIS sysyem, for that individual car would may not be covered, since it would be a pre-existing problem

Keep us posted and best of luck

[tbird]

Originally Posted by DiegoThundy

Also, I'm not sure where you lived, but some places of "lemon laws" that protect you if you can prove the vehicle had a serious problem before purchase and weren't informed about it. I'm not sure about their extent, but you might look into that if you take it back to the same dealer and they basically tell you "sorry pal."

If the problem existed before they purchased the vehicle, the "E" light would have been on or came on the next day.

[Quickdraw]

The VAST majority of "E" transmission error messages were fixed with either a computer reflash or a fluid change - maybe it was just a special Ford additive instead of a trans fluid change. Before the cause of the problem was identified by Ford the dealers were replacing transmission valve bodies (most weren't really needed but the dealers didn't know at the time).

[00mustng]

....I don't think the "dreaded E" fix is all that expensive, if it's carried out by someone who is capable....history has shown that transmission replacement was not needed....

[DiegoThundy]

Good point, I forgot about that. Yeah, hopefully it won't be a huge problem with getting it fixed. I suspect if you have someone that really knows what they are doing, it can be taken care of for a reasonable cost. Aka, know who you are dealing with in your area before you take it in.