Redbow
Senior Member
To equipment that we purchased brand new off the lot or showroom floor.
A friend of mine now deceased bought a brand new Ford Diesel truck a few years back. He and his Wife lived outside of Timmonsville SC. A few weeks later they decided to take a trip with the new truck to the NC mountains. They had a good time everything went well for them until. About 30 miles outside of Columbia SC and heading home on I-26 the diesel engine in their new truck lost power and died. My friend pulled off the interstate, got out and lifted the hood of the truck just to see if he could find anything amiss under there. No leaks, no damage as he could see. He tried several times to re-start the diesel but to no avail. Finally he got on his cell phone and called the dealer in Columbia SC where he bought the truck and told them he was stranded and where he was located.
It was August, no A/C, hot and humid sitting out there beside the interstate about to heat to death he and his Wife. The dealer told my friend they were sending a tow truck to get him. About two hours later the tow truck finally arrived. The truck was towed back to the dealer and my friend and his Wife called a family member to come and get them, they were about 100 miles from home. The shop manager at the dealership told my friend they would get right on his truck and have it fixed in a day or two and they would call him when it was ready for pickup. After several days my friend had heard nothing from Columbia so he called them. The man at the dealership. Well, we haven't located the problem with your truck yet but we are working on it. Another week passed and nothing heard about his truck.
Back on the phone my friend talked to the shop manager again about his truck and that he needed it for work and doing things around his farm. Shop manager says again, we are working on it, we have ordered a couple parts for it that should be here anytime. Your vehicle should be ready to go soon, we will call you. Several more days passed and nothing from the dealer in Columbia about his vehicle. My friend called again, this time the shop manager told him. We can't find the problem with your truck we have not figured it out yet it still will not start after replacing new parts on the vehicle. My friend told the shop manager, I want another truck I am tired of this run around. The shop manager put the owner of the dealership on the phone with my friend . The dealership owner told my friend, we can't give you a new truck. The man admitted they couldn't find the problem with his truck but they had a mechanic and engineer coming from Ford to look at it and figure out why it wouldn't run.
In the end my friend was without his truck for about one month. Finally my friend called someone in a high up position with Ford and explained to the man that he needed his truck, and that he did not want the one he bought back and would not accept it back even if they got it fixed down in Columbia. The engineer and mechanic from Detroit never figured out why the diesel engine in my friends truck would not start. Finally Ford loaded that truck onto a flat bed and took it back to Detroit. My friend got a call from the dealership in Columbia SC telling him that his brand new Ford truck was ready for him anytime he was free to come and pick it up. My friend was a Ford man for many years but after that incident he never felt good about Ford products again.
Another friend of mine bought a new Johnson 70 hp outboard for his boat. After using the new motor for a month or so the motor would suddenly sputter and die while running at high speed. This happened a few times and he took his boat and motor back to the dealer. A mechanic there worked on the Johnson and then called the owner to come and get it. Back on the water, same thing again the motor wasn't fixed as the dealer told my friend. After sitting for a while the Johnson would fire right up and go sometimes for the rest of the day without problems. This thing with the Johnson went on for quite some time. The dealer never did find the problem with the Johnson after changing out everything they thought could be causing the trouble with my friends boat motor. Finally my friend just gave up and used the motor as it was. He put up with it for several years before trading it for a new boat and motor.
My boss and I have several of them while working, the railroad changed bosses like a woman changes her babies diapers for a few years before I retired. Anyway my boss bought a new Cadillac with the new Northstar engine in it. He made the deal and started home to show off his new Cat to his family and friends. He didn't make it the Northstar engine died and the car was towed back to the dealership. I asked my boss about 10 days after he bought his new Cat if he had his car back yet. He just stopped, stared at me for a few seconds and walked on never saying a word. He didn't have to the look on his face told me all I needed to know. Several days later he finally got his car back from the dealer. He kept that car for about a year of so after it died on his way home with it after the purchase. He never really trusted that car again as long as he kept it but had no more problems with it.
Anyone else have a story about weird happenings with machinery over the years?
A friend of mine now deceased bought a brand new Ford Diesel truck a few years back. He and his Wife lived outside of Timmonsville SC. A few weeks later they decided to take a trip with the new truck to the NC mountains. They had a good time everything went well for them until. About 30 miles outside of Columbia SC and heading home on I-26 the diesel engine in their new truck lost power and died. My friend pulled off the interstate, got out and lifted the hood of the truck just to see if he could find anything amiss under there. No leaks, no damage as he could see. He tried several times to re-start the diesel but to no avail. Finally he got on his cell phone and called the dealer in Columbia SC where he bought the truck and told them he was stranded and where he was located.
It was August, no A/C, hot and humid sitting out there beside the interstate about to heat to death he and his Wife. The dealer told my friend they were sending a tow truck to get him. About two hours later the tow truck finally arrived. The truck was towed back to the dealer and my friend and his Wife called a family member to come and get them, they were about 100 miles from home. The shop manager at the dealership told my friend they would get right on his truck and have it fixed in a day or two and they would call him when it was ready for pickup. After several days my friend had heard nothing from Columbia so he called them. The man at the dealership. Well, we haven't located the problem with your truck yet but we are working on it. Another week passed and nothing heard about his truck.
Back on the phone my friend talked to the shop manager again about his truck and that he needed it for work and doing things around his farm. Shop manager says again, we are working on it, we have ordered a couple parts for it that should be here anytime. Your vehicle should be ready to go soon, we will call you. Several more days passed and nothing from the dealer in Columbia about his vehicle. My friend called again, this time the shop manager told him. We can't find the problem with your truck we have not figured it out yet it still will not start after replacing new parts on the vehicle. My friend told the shop manager, I want another truck I am tired of this run around. The shop manager put the owner of the dealership on the phone with my friend . The dealership owner told my friend, we can't give you a new truck. The man admitted they couldn't find the problem with his truck but they had a mechanic and engineer coming from Ford to look at it and figure out why it wouldn't run.
In the end my friend was without his truck for about one month. Finally my friend called someone in a high up position with Ford and explained to the man that he needed his truck, and that he did not want the one he bought back and would not accept it back even if they got it fixed down in Columbia. The engineer and mechanic from Detroit never figured out why the diesel engine in my friends truck would not start. Finally Ford loaded that truck onto a flat bed and took it back to Detroit. My friend got a call from the dealership in Columbia SC telling him that his brand new Ford truck was ready for him anytime he was free to come and pick it up. My friend was a Ford man for many years but after that incident he never felt good about Ford products again.
Another friend of mine bought a new Johnson 70 hp outboard for his boat. After using the new motor for a month or so the motor would suddenly sputter and die while running at high speed. This happened a few times and he took his boat and motor back to the dealer. A mechanic there worked on the Johnson and then called the owner to come and get it. Back on the water, same thing again the motor wasn't fixed as the dealer told my friend. After sitting for a while the Johnson would fire right up and go sometimes for the rest of the day without problems. This thing with the Johnson went on for quite some time. The dealer never did find the problem with the Johnson after changing out everything they thought could be causing the trouble with my friends boat motor. Finally my friend just gave up and used the motor as it was. He put up with it for several years before trading it for a new boat and motor.
My boss and I have several of them while working, the railroad changed bosses like a woman changes her babies diapers for a few years before I retired. Anyway my boss bought a new Cadillac with the new Northstar engine in it. He made the deal and started home to show off his new Cat to his family and friends. He didn't make it the Northstar engine died and the car was towed back to the dealership. I asked my boss about 10 days after he bought his new Cat if he had his car back yet. He just stopped, stared at me for a few seconds and walked on never saying a word. He didn't have to the look on his face told me all I needed to know. Several days later he finally got his car back from the dealer. He kept that car for about a year of so after it died on his way home with it after the purchase. He never really trusted that car again as long as he kept it but had no more problems with it.
Anyone else have a story about weird happenings with machinery over the years?
