I have a 2018 Ford Escape SEL with 86.5k miles. I’m negotiating with Ford, who currently wants $4,200 for repair after reducing it from the original $6,900 quote. I still owe about $7k on the car. I’m weighing my options:
1.) Negotiate as much as I can, pay for the repair, and drive it for as long as I can.
2.) Use K-Seal, though I’ve heard mixed reviews, with the hope of trading it in at a Ford dealer.
3.) Buy another cheap Escape at an auction for $1.5k, swap the engine, and recoup some of my money by selling leftover parts.
I’m really reluctant to go with option 1 because I don’t want to give Ford any more of my money for this issue. I’m struggling to decide. Anyone been in a similar situation?
Taylor said:
Putting sealant in it to trade it in is just going to pass the issue onto another poor soul, unless you plan to disclose it.
I thought about this, and I definitely don’t want to do that to someone else. But my thought is that if I do it at a Ford dealer, they’ll catch it during trade-in and fix it before reselling.
This is a common issue Ford is aware of but won’t take responsibility for. I’m dealing with it on my 2017 Ford Escape Titanium. I’ve already spent a lot, and I refuse to keep pouring money into it. If I were you, I’d find a way out.
Nevada said:
Out of curiosity, how have you gone about negotiating with Ford about this?
I took it to the dealer to open a case, then tried negotiating with Ford customer service. They said the dealer should negotiate further, but the dealer said I’d have better luck doing it myself. I’ll try to have them advocate more and will update when I hear back.
Would you want to buy a car only to find out a couple hundred miles later that the engine is bad and someone used sealant to cover it up? I think most dealerships know how bad these engines are, so they’ll likely pressure test it anyway. If I were you, I’d get the new engine, drive it until it falls apart, and keep up with regular maintenance.