2. Date of malfunction
3. Where did the malfunction take place (highway, city streets, driveway,
parking lot, etc.)
4. Odometer reading at time of malfunction
5. How fast were you traveling?
6. Were you accelerating or staying at a constant speed?
7. Estimated date of purchase, new or used?
8. Estimated Odometer reading at time of purchase
9. Full Name, address, and a good phone# to reach you at during the day and
night.
10. Brief description of the time of events leading towards the malfunction.
(what did you hear and see before, during, and after the malfunction)
- Noticed a ticking noise coming from engine compartment. It sounded to me
like an exhaust leak…. Or the noise my 77 cutlass supreme would make when it
was low on oil. (lifter?) It got steadily worse, and I researched the problem
and came across the files on V8sho.com. Upon further inspection and diagnosis
from the dealer – Reynold’s Ford, Norman Oklahoma, that it needed a valve
adjustment. I told them I didn’t think so. Then they opened the engine and
said it needed a shim kit, again I expressed my doubts. Several days later
they called back and said I was right, the sprocket was very loose on the
camshaft and would need to be replaced. They also said that Ford did not stock
the part, and would have to go to the manufacturer Yamaha. It would be several
months and several thousand. (1100 dollars for the part alone.) This would get
me a sprocket and cam that would undoubtedly fail again over time, not to
mention the other 3, which could go anytime. I searched and found a product
from SHOSHOP in California in the form of 4 pinned cams. They wanted $1,000
dollars for all four, and Reynold’s Ford instructed me to have them shipped
directly to them, and even gave me their mailing address. A couple of days
later, (after already purchasing the cams) they called back and said they
could not install them for me, due to the fact they did not come from a
"authorized parts dealer". A mechanic there at their shop offered to
install them for me "on the side" but several weeks of no returned
phone calls and repeated attempts to schedule the repair, I got back on the
phone and called Bob Howard Downtown Ford in Oklahoma City. The car was back
on the street in two days, for A LOT LESS than the mechanic wanted for the
moonlight job. So, all told, I’m out $1450 for the install, and $1000 for
the parts. And a whole month of downtime, where I was forced to find alternate
transportation. And a lot of stress, and a considerable amount of anger at a
problem that was not only beyond my control, but beyond my means to
understand, not to mention fix.
11. Customer service phone # you called and the name of the person you talked
to. (if you can remember)
- Reynold’s ford: Sammy They declined to fix it.
- Bob Howard Downtown Ford: The actual mechanic Michael (I don’t know his
last name, but could get it if needed, he’s a true blue Ford guy! Promote
that dude and give him a raise!
12. Did you feel satisfied with the answers customer service
provided?Explain.
- I got screwed at Reynolds. They actually paid half of another SHO owner’s
bill, but wouldn’t help me a damn bit.
- Bob Howard just fixed it for me. I got all the answers I needed off the
V8SHO.COM site. Thanks V8SHO.COM
13. Which dealership did you take your vehicle in for service?
(name,address, phone#)
14. What was the cause of failure determined by the dealer?
- Two different things, until they determined that the third thing was
actually the problem. Just like I told them when I brought it to them. See
above.
15. What was the cause of failure determined by you?
- This is a faulty design. Period. I’m glad it didn’t give out on me while
I was running down the highway at 90+. Could have killed someone!!!!!!!!
16. How much was your statement? (I hope you kept your receipt)
- As stated above $1,000 for the pinned cams from SHOSHOP and $1,450 for the
installation at Bob Howard Ford in Oklahoma City. Of course I kept them. They
can and will be furnished upon request.
17. What can FOMOCO do to make you a satisfied Ford owner?
- They can take responsibility for their design flaw, pay my bill in full and
issue a recall for the V8 3.4l 32 valve motor that was put in the 1996-1999
Taurus SHO’s so that my investment (both initial and subsequent) might
retain *some* value down the road. It’s just a matter of time before some
poor soul is performing a WOT maneuver and has a catastrophic failure at high
speed and kills himself and/or other’s around him.
- By the way this has been a company car up until last November and was
professionally maintained and driven.
