Ford Lincoln Mercury Transmission problems with 05 Lincoln LS before warranty expired, reported but nothing done. Now warranty expired! Being Hung Out to Dry? Dearborn Michigan

Last year when I purchased my Lincoln LS I noticed that the transmission was shifting hard after about 1000 miles. I took it to Tidelands Ford where they did a diag on it. I received a phone call from them saying that they are going to replace the Bell Housing. The next day I get a phone call saying the car is ready to be picked up. When I went to pick it up I talked to a technician and he stated that they never ended up replacing the bell housing and that the Lincoln LS's shift hard naturally. That was hard to believe for me but I took the vehicle back anyway.

Since then the car shifts even harder and also the transmission seems to have a very hard time trying to decide what gear it wants to be in and will buck until it does. I saw a technician friend that works for a ford store in NY and he thought it was some solenoids and to call customer service since the car is now out of warranty.

When I called customer service the lady seemed to be helpful and very nice. She did a report on my problem and noticed that the previous problem was recorded. I was becoming very happy and thought that they were going to help me out. She said they it could take up to 4 days to get a response from the Service Manager at my local Ford Dealership which is Conway Ford in Conway, SC. and I should stop in and see him and make an appointment.

This afternoon I did stop in and see the Service Manager and he told me to make an appointment to get another diag test and it would cost $85. He also told me that it's definitely not guaranteed that Ford will help me with this problem. I would still need to pay the diag test and they will send the information to ford but it's unlikely that anything will be done for me!

I was laid off in December and have a very limited income until I ship off for the US Army in a few weeks. Its embarrassing but 85 dollars is alot of money for me right now. Especially when I've been told that it could be a waste of money since it won't be fixed. I decided to call the original dealership that told me the problem wasn't a problem (Tidelands Ford in Pawley's Island, SC) and see if they would re-diag the problem since it was missed last time. They declined doing such and said their diag was $105! They also told me that because of the economy Ford is not doing any favors for anybody and they're hanging customers to dry!

This complaint I have, I believe is very legit. It's my fault for being so gullible and believing the hard shifting was a normal thing. But is Ford really hanging their customers out to dry? I loved ford, worked for a ford dealership, and wanted to stay with Lincoln for as long as they make them. I love my car very much and do not want to part with it. Does anybody know if I'm covered since the problem originally started 2000 miles before the warranty ended??? My outlook is not good and I don't want to spend my Army Enlistment Bonus on a Transmission!

Stan
Conway, South Carolina
U.S.A.