Maintain your cool
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This page discusses the Windstar's repair and maintenance issues. We hope this will be a very empty page! After all, escaping the "Oh-no-not-another-repair-bill Blues" is one reason we all buy new cars, isn't it?

The Ford Canada warranty on our 1998 Windstar is a 3-year 60,000 km bumper-to-bumper warranty with Roadside Assistance. It covers pretty much everything, apparently, from burned out headlights to rattles and squeaks. The Firestone tires have their own warranty.

One of the really cool things about new cars these days is how little scheduled maintenance they require. The last time we bought a new car was in 1985, and while it was inexpensive to maintain, the '98s promise to deliver even less service "downtime". We say "Great!".

If you squint your eyes and take a really close look at the photo above, you'll notice a really useful feature; anything that you can and should check yourself, like oil level, washer fluid, etc. is clearly labelled and highlighted in yellow. For us mechanically-challenged types, this is user-friendly design, and we like it!

If you manage to read the owners manual for the Windstar, you'll eventually get to a part that tells you that at the 800km mark you should return to your dealer so they can check and re-tighten the wheel lugs. So we did. It didn't require an appointment, and took about 15 minutes.

First Service
We brought our Windstar in to Totem Mercury for its first scheduled service at 7194 km. It wasn't due unitl 8000 km but we have some heavy highway driving coming up so we thought we'd get it ready.

Totem supplied a loaner car through Budget rentals for $11.50 for the day. We had a list of things for them to do in addition to the scheduled service; the passenger door would not shut properly, the sliding door's lock was very stiff to turn with a key, and the black paint (undercoating?) applied to the frame rail was very uneven and spotty.

At the end of the day, Totem phoned to say the car wasn't ready, but it would be by noon the next day. At noon the next day I picked up the Windstar. The scheduled servicing was done and the passenger door was adjusted. The new lock unit had not arrived for the sliding door and the body shop had not got to the frame rail. That work was done a couple of weeks later, and took two days to complete. This was not a problem as Totem's Service Manager arranged a loaner car at their expense (the "A" plan). The Totem Service Centre is a very busy place, but the staff is positive and courteous under pressure.

Second Scheduled Service
Almost one year and 15,000 km later we were back at Totem Mercury for our second scheduled service. This was basically an oil change and 55-point inspection, tire rotation, oil hinges, check belts etc. Don't you love these newer cars' easy maintenance schedules?

They also tackled a rattle that developed in the passenger door at around 9000 km. A few rivets were replaced on the window motor mount under warranty and that seems to have done the trick.

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Third Scheduled Service
15 months and 20,000 km after we got our Windstar we dropped into Totem Mercury for our third scheduled service. This was another oil change and 55-point inspection, tire rotation, oil hinges, check belts etc.

We reported an intermittent squeaking sound from the steering and steering wheel that had developed recently. Intermittent problems are always a pain because if you can't duplicate them you don't know what to fix. Totem inspected the problem and near the end of the day were able to locate it. The decision was to replace the tie rod ends (!!). Fortunately this is under warranty, so total bill for this visit was $41.50.

Fourth Scheduled Service
At 25,000 km we were in for a scheduled service. Totem had a special event with the Vancouver school district, held on a Saturday. We arranged the appointment to take advantage of the unusual Saturday opening, which meant the work was done by students under the supervision of Totem mechanics.

After an orientation with service manager Peter Scholtz, I went for a walk and the students got to work. In addition to the scheduled service they replaced a mud flap screw that I had noticed was missing the last time I'd washed the van. As part of their learning experience, they also ran a complete engine diagnostic test. The total bill was discounted as part of the promotion, so we were back on the road one hour later for just $28.45!

Fifth Scheduled Service
At 30,000 km we had another scheduled service. The Ford service guide just suggests an oil change at this time, but Totem additionally recommends a "de-carbonizing" service to clean injectors. We said OK. The driver door lock has been giving us some grief, not always unlocking, so that was inspected and lubed as well (under warranty).

The bill came to $204.14, plus a loaner car rental of about $13.

Sixth Scheduled Service
At about 36,500 km we were in for scheduled service #6, basically an oil change. However, the inspection revealed that the front brake pads were almost shot, so we had to replace them. Total bill for the job was $340.92.

The next day we set off on vacation. With the windows down we noticed a squeaking noise that disappears when the brakes are applied. Hmmm. And on the last day of our vacation the fuel gauge stopped working correctly. After 200km of driving on the Coquihalla Highway the gauge indicated we still had a full tank of gas. I don't think so. By the time we had covered 500km we still had over a quarter tank showing.

So we were back in the shop on August 30, and they replaced a faulty brake pad. We were advised to fill the gas tank and then let it run as empty as we dare before filling the tank again. The gauge is working more reliably now, although when you fill the tank the gauge goes over the "F" Full mark.

Seventh Scheduled Service
Our next scheduled service found us out of town, on vacation in Penticton. After travelling up the Crows Nest Highway we had picked up a rock or something in the right rear brake. Every time we applied the brakes a nasty grinding noise could be heard. We hadn't had time to get in for a regular service before we left town, so we phoned the local Ford dealer, Skaha Ford. They were very accommodating and set up an appointment to take a look at the brakes the same day. By the time we got there, the problem was gone. I guess the rock came lose, so we set up another appointment for 8:00AM Saturday morning for routine service. I was half an hour late on Saturday morning but they took it in stride. In less than an hour I was back on the road, oil changed, belts, tires and more checked over. Total bill $35.85. Oh yeah, they washed our Windstar, too, as part of their routine service. Were we impressed? Yes, you bet. They've got a real nice facility and everyone we dealt with was friendly and professional.

BIG-O
We noticed a slow leak in the right rear tire during the holidays. There's a BIG-O Tire Store near us so we dropped in. They checked it out right away and found, sure enough, the tip of a nail had penetrated the tread and was causing a slow leak. $20 and a short time later we were back on the road.

Power Locks
In March of '01 the power door lock on the sliding door stopped working. We tried cleaning the contacts but that didn't make any difference. We took it in for service, and wouldn't you know it, it started working again. So the decision was made to order a new contact strip for the door. We dropped the Windstar off again a few days later when the part arrived. We didn't need a car loaner or rental as Totem gave the "Windstar Gal" a ride to work. The work was done under warranty at no charge, and Totem phoned a couple of days later to follow up and make sure everything was fine.

Mr. Lube
45,000Km service just calls for an oil and filter change. We didn't have time to make an appointment so we dropped in on a Mr. Lube shop. $38.99.

Once again the fuel gauge has gone wonky, so once again we're trying to let the tank run as low as we dare to try and correct the problem. That's twice now it's happened after filling up at a particulat Mohawk station in Penticton. Coincidence? Evil gas pumps? We don't know, we just hope we don't run out of gas. We've heard from some other Windstar owners who have experienced the exact same problem.

We have recently noticed an occassional squeaking noise from the front end. It's hard to tell if it's suspension or steering. Anyway, after a while it stopped and hasn't happened again.

50,000km Scheduled Service
At 51,006 we got in for the 50000km scheduled service, which includes replacing a bunch of filters, tranny fluid, cleaning and gapping the platinum-tip spark plugs, etc. Total bill was $448.83

Fuel gauge repair
In October 2001 we gave up on the fuel gauge correcting itself anymore. Totem's Service Manager offered that they would pay 80% of the cost, so we made an appointment by e-mail and brought the Windstar in on a Thursday morning, and rented a 2001 Taurus for the day ($13). Thursday evening it turns out that there was no fuel level sensor in Vancouver and the part would have to come in from Edmonton, so we kept the Taurus overnight. Friday night the Windstar was not ready so we kept the Taurus and Totem promised to square the Taurus bill with Budget car rentals. Saturday morning we picked up the Windstar and we hope that the fuel gauge will work reliably from here on out. The repair bill came to $47.71 plus car rental. We're happy to have the Windstar back. The 2001 Taurus is a nice sedan, but we prefer our minivan, thanks!

55,000km Scheduled Service
No time for a scheduled stop so we pulled into McQuick Lube and Oil. We got an oil change and they talked us into replacing the steering fluid. I don't know, it looked kinda dirty from what they showed me, so what the heck. This scheduled service should have included a tire rotation so we'll have to catch that next time. Total bill $117.80.

At four years old, there are two little wear items that we're noticing. 1. The defroster fan is making an audible clicking noise at low settings and 2. the rear power windows' mechanisms sound creaky

60,000km Scheduled Service
The defroster fan sounds ok again. Who knows? Still bugged by the fuel gauge but the dealer says that it's working normally. Hmmm. Anyway, rotated tires, changed oil and filter, installed some wiper blades. Total bill (Midas and Mr. Lube) $86.98

65,000km Scheduled Service
Oil change at Great Canadian Oil Change.

70,000km Scheduled Service, February 2003
Oil change, rotate tires, change automatic transaxle fluid, etc. Total bill $208.97

We also inquired about our faulty gas gauge. in August 2002 I spoke with Peter Scholtz, the service manager at Totem Ford. He quickly understood the problem and said it sounded as though the fuel sensor they had replaced in October 2001 had failed. The part had a one year warranty so we'd be covered. Problem was, we were moving to Kelowna from Vancouver that month and couldn't make time to get the van in. I was travelling back and forth from the coast to the interior every other week. So we moved and got super busy opening a new school in Kelowna. Finally got the van in to a dealer only to find that the part warranty had expired and the estimate to fix the problem was $500! What to do? They suggested we phone Ford. We did. They essentially said "too bad".

Then we got a follow up form from Ford asking what we thought of the help we got from phoning in. So I filled out the form and wrote a letter, basically explaining what happened. I understand the rules are the rules, but it's more than a little disappointing when we were still paying off the van and this problem is not our fault, we just didn't get to it in time.

May 7 2003 update - Ford Canada have concluded that they have dealt appropriately with our faulty fuel sensor problem; which is to say we're on our own. They have expressed "regret" that in this instance they have been unable to meet or exceed my expectations to satisfy my complaint. All I want is for Ford to offer to pick up some of the tab to fix this. We've been really happy with the van and the care so far, but I think it's fair to expect Ford to help us out on this.

June 1 update - We've been contacted by Elizabeth Pagliuca at Ford since we've e-mailed Mr. Gilles Contant, VP of Customer Service. We also got support from our original dealer's service manager, Totem Ford's Peter Scholtz, who has spoken with Ms. Pagliuca on our behalf -- thanks Peter! She has asked us to take our Ford into a local dealer to verify the problem, then they will consult with that dealer about a resolution. Fair enough.

June 27 update - We spoke with Elizabeth at Ford again. She had done a lot of work looking into our problem with the fuel gauge. She was very thorough. In the end, we were told that it is normal and within the design intent that the Windstar's fuel gauge will travel down more slowly for the top half of the tank and then the bottom half will appear to go through fuel more quickly. After speaking with dealers and Ford's own techies, it seems as though replacing our fuel sensor will probably not fix the problem, even in the short term. On our last attempt to gauge just how much fuel we have in the tank, we drove 562 km before stopping to fuel up. We put 70 litres of gas into our 74 litre tank, with the gauge still showing a quarter tank. 4 litres of course is nothing like a quarter tank of gas. We estimate we were getting 12.5l/100km around town (which is pretty good) and that we had about a 32km range left before we would have run out of gas. So now we have to continue to rely on resetting the trip odometer every time we fill up and understand that 1/4 tank means pretty well empty.

This is the end of our attempt to resolve this issue. The fuel gauge certainly didn't work that way for the first 3 years, but Ford says this is within design parameters, so that really is that. I suggested to Elizabeth that she make a note on our behalf to the engineers that their design intent is not really good enough in this regard. It's easy to picture travelling a mountain highway in B.C. with what you think is a quarter tank of gas and running out 50km from the nearest town. At least I feel as though I got a thorough response to my concern, after a little effort on my part.

While we were getting the fuel gauge thing checked out, we also got our front rotors machined at Orchard Ford. Total bill, $131.61. They didn't charge us for inspecting the fuel gauge system.

75,000km Service, August 2003

Oil change, replaced very first burned out bulbs (over rear plate), flushed the coolant system, fixed a clicking sound (front hubcap was the culprit). Kelowna Lincoln Ford washed it too, badly needed because we've been conserving water and not washing the minivan for a couple of months. Total bill $136.78

80,000km Service, December 2003

Oil change. Total bill $36.77

85,000km Service, March 2004

Oil change, tire rotation. Total bill $53.73

90,000km Service, June 2004

Oil change, front brake pads replaced, brakes serviced. Total bill $258.28

95,000km Service, September 2005

Oil change. Total bill $36.77. Also replaced original Firestones with new ones at around 93,000km at a cost of $564.41

98,000km Service, September 2005

First tune up, plus wiper blades and another oil change. Total bill $492.76.

120,000km Service, June 2006

OK, so we haven't reported a few oil changes but we haven't been skipping them. We get the oil changed every 5000km. We also needed a tire rotation, flushed the cooling system, steering system, replaced the original battery, and ordered a part to fix the driver's window which is coming off the rails or whatever the real tech term is. Total bill $470.60. When the part came in and the window was fixed, that was another $123.17

125,000km and 130,000km Service, September/November 2006

Another oil change and at 130,000 we had to fix up the rear brakes with new pads etc. The side door lock also needed servicing as it was sticking badly. Altogether, $477.60.

Broke Down! at 132,000km, December 22, 2006

11pm, out at a student film screening, and the Windstar won't start. We phoned BCAA and about 45 minutes later we're up and running. The fuel pump is dying. First thing next morning (Saturday Dec. 23) phoned the two local Ford dealers. Both have a pump in stock, and one of them can get us in there in the morning to replace it. Alright! That is, if I can get the mini-van started. On the second try it started. Drove with the snow falling to the dealership (my apologies to the driver of the red Toyota who saw me coming and stayed out of the way as I blew through a red light, completely unable to stop on the snow and ice--my fault, going too fast). Dealer got the new pump in, and now it looks like my fuel gauge really is working within its' original design parameters. So the good news is we have a great mini-van that works just in time for the holidays and all that running around. The bad news is today cost me $608.90. The folks at Visa are going to love my holiday bill! Kudos both to Kelowna Ford and Orchard Ford for their cooperation and assistance today.

March 2007

Oil change at 136,906 (yes, a little late). $41.22 at Pennzoil in Kelowna. Actually costs a little more there than getting it done at Kelowna Ford!

November 2007

150,000 servicing. OK, we had oil changes at 140,000 and 145,000KM, and now it's time for the BIG 150. Are you ready?

• Oil change, new air filter, top up fluids, new fuel filter, new spark plugs, serviced transmission. $294.44
• Fix the cigarette lighter again, which has had a habit of coming lose and falling inside the dashboard. $19.95
• Buy and install 4 new winter tires. We've never done this before, always relying on M+S rated all season, but this year decided to go for snow tires. $515.84
• Replace serpentine belt idler and drive belt. $152.44
• Replace front tie rod ends, both sides. This is the second replacement set in 9 years. $251.18
• align new tires. $79.95

January 23, 2008

ABS light flashed on once or twice and we have a big road trip coming up, so decided to get it checked. Also noticed a bulge in the sidewall of one of the new snowtires. After $99 worth of diagnosis, it seems the ABS module might be malfunctioning. That, we're told, is $1100 to replace! As for the tire, we hit the sidewall on a curb and apparently it was enough to break the inner mesh on the BF Goodrich Blizzack. The tire had to be replaced, at our expense ($110). Ouch! We'd only had it two months. Total bill today $274.77.

September, 2008, 168,000km

So there have been a couple of oil changes since our last entry, but then in September we went in to Kal Tire thinking we needed a possible front end alignment, as the van was pulling to the right. Turns out our second set of Firestone's were coming apart! Holy Crap! After 80,000km these tires are disintegrating. They were warranteed for 110,000, so Kal Tire bought them back pro-rated, and we got a new set of Chinese-made tires. We'll see how that goes. They're guaranteed for 80,000km, that's all. While it was in we had the front brake pads done, new fluid, coolant, new rotors, another alignment and got out for just under $1400.00. A very expensive day. The good news is the van is running great, plus the exterior paint job is holding up real well after 10 years - way better than the Pontiac or Dodge we used to have.

January 10, 2009, 173,698km

Change the oil and put new spiffy windshield wipers on the front. Everything else checked out OK. $108.65

August, 2009, 186,000km

Couple more oil changes since the 173,000 mark. The passenger window door is sound a little odd, kind of a rattle when you close the door with the window open - but it's still working OK. May need some looking into. One of those spiffy new windshield wipers I bought a while back was not doing a very good job, so the shop replaced at no charge. Kudos to Great Canadian Oil Change for doing the right thing. Call it another $100 since our last post.

Total maintenance bill so far after 10 years, 7 months and about 35 scheduled service stops: $8722.16 service and about $74.00 car rental. That translates into approximately $65/month for service since we bought it new.

Safety recalls are listed here

Ford Canada Stays in Touch
Ford Canada have sent us a follow up form after our first service. This is good marketing on their part. They get to check up on customer satisfaction with both the vehicle and the dealer, and they can nip any potential problems in the bud. The answers to the many questions also gives them valuable insight into what matters to people, so they can adapt their vehicles, dealer network, and service centres to serve their customers better.

In September of 2001 we received a letter from Ford of Canada, stating "Effective immediately, Ford is providing additional coverage for front spring replacement." The letter is very well written and basically states that the front coil springs on our Windstar could potentially fracture due to corrosion. This is most likely to occur on vehicles operated for an extended period of time in high corrosion areas (where salt is used on the roadways in the winter).

"This additional coverage program will be in effect for 10 years from the vehicle's original warranty start date, regardless of distance travelled."

My feelings on this are a bit mixed, just because I wonder about the safety implications of front coil spring failure. However, it seems that Ford is trying to do the right thing with this pro-active approach. The west coast of Canada is not an area that uses a lot of salt on the roadways, so we don't anticipate having to invoke this extended warranty clause for our '98 3.0L.

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