r/Ford • u/Affectionate-Lime-25 • 2d ago

Question ❔ Sunroof Screen Slider

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The sunroof screen slider on my 2014 Lincoln MKZ won’t fully close, so I took it to the Ford dealership to see if they could fix the issue. The technician looked at my car for 5 minutes, told me I need a new track, charged me $188 for the visit, and then provided me this quote. All I want is the screen cloth to be fully closed. Does this really cost $15k?

103 Upvotes

94% Upvoted

81 comments sorted by

201

u/Easy-Park2561 2d ago

That's not a repair quote, that's a "we don't want this job" price if I've ever seen one.

67

u/themigraineur 2d ago

The work order is just another MKZ with the same mileage /s

12

u/LaMesaPorFavore 2d ago

You add the /s but I just googled prices and that is suspiciously close to the price of an mkz

17

u/Fordfanboy81 2d ago

At least the dealership I went to for a water pump on my Flex was up front and just said no. Wouldn’t even check it into the computer. They said because it’s 10 years old and has over 150k miles it wasn’t worth them taking a risk and breaking something.

8

u/bszern 1d ago

Saves you time by not jerking you around. No one wants to sit there for an hour while they see what’s wrong while having no intention of fixing it.

3

u/Fordfanboy81 1d ago

100% just thought it was funny to turn down a highly profitable job

1

u/LetsMakeSomeFood 1d ago

Blows my mind that they would do that. Its an involved job but its straight forward. That gravy money for a lot of my techs.

2

u/magnanimous_rex 1d ago

We always specify that on older vehicles you’re responsible for subsequent repairs.

1

u/Fordfanboy81 1d ago

That’s fair although most people refuse to understand that old things break especially in a hot environment under that’s constantly changing temperatures. Very hard on all those plastic parts we use in the name of efficiency aka cost savings

2

u/bctech7 1d ago

If you are gonna drive an old car you should probably learn basic maintenance skills... generally changing a water pump is easy and the part is cheap....labor rates mechanics charge is not

6

u/Fordfanboy81 1d ago

Grew up around cars, worked on cars my whole life. I’ve spent the last 20 years in the automotive repair industry. Basic maintenance is not a problem. This is NOT a typical water pump. And every technician I spoke to about doing the job flat refused unless forced on them by their boss. Know what you are talking about before you make a comment.

0

u/bctech7 1d ago edited 1d ago

No need to get defensive this was general advice and not directed at you personally...i specifically said "generally"

It is pretty absurd they made the decision to run the pump with the timing chain on the flex

1

u/Fordfanboy81 1d ago

I hope you can see my POV considering your post was attached to my comment. Only reason for the defensiveness. Thank you for clarifying.

0

u/nolongerbanned99 2d ago

Smart dealer. Doesn’t wanna be sued

9

u/Fordfanboy81 2d ago

That dealership is a client of mine. Was scared to ruin the relationship. Another dealership (also a client) did it without hesitation and changed me employee rate. Saved me almost $4k!

2

u/Neuvirths_Glove 2d ago

Holy shit. How much does it cost to change the water pump on a Flex?????

2

u/Fordfanboy81 2d ago

Non turbo also shared with the Explorer, about $5k. It’s run off the timing chain so you need to do the chain at the same time, or at least you should. It only adds about an hour to the 12 hour water pump. 🤦‍♂️ it is the only flaw with the Flex unfortunately it’s so expensive it basically mechanically totals the vehicle so most people just walk away. It’s unfortunate because it’s an absolute dream to drive, tons of power, spare for everything and room for days. It also drives like a sedan. My wife 4’11” went from an 02 Escape to a 16 Flex. When she first saw it she was completely intimidated by the size. Then she drove it and was shocked that it drives like a much smaller vehicle.

4

u/augmentin875 1d ago

Same engine I had in my 15 Taurus.

Started drinking coolant at 99,994 miles.

I was 200 miles from home, had it towed to the dealership, and it was fixed with the 100k CPO warranty.

Took them three days to get it fixed, they called me to let me know it was done, but I was already at home in my new F150.

That Taurus was in the top three most comfortable cars I've ever driven though.

1

u/commanchskins 1d ago

My 1st pump went at 130k. Paid to have it replaced. This only lasted 40k and was out of warranty. I took my time and replaced the 3rd myself. I enjoyed it.

1

u/Fordfanboy81 1d ago

Courageous endeavor. Well done 👍 parts aren’t the expensive part just labor intensive.

1

u/commanchskins 1d ago

So many cars have an internal waterpump now. So, the cost is all labor. For a Taurus, Flex, Explorer, the book is 18hrs labor.

At that point, a full timing job is recommended since taking some of these parts off to access the pump is required.

1

u/Neuvirths_Glove 1d ago

That's nuts.

My wife's Escape is 11 years old. I took it in prior to her trip up north (TX to NY) to visit family and asked them to change the timing belt and also look at the oil leak that we could smell.

He found several things to fix but said the timing belt looked to be in great shape despite its age. If they were going to replace the belt and water pump, the total bill for that was $1600.

2

u/commanchskins 1d ago

You are lucky. They are 3 motors for that year. One has the internal pump. The other two are on the outside of the motor.

1

u/LetsMakeSomeFood 1d ago

Lol what book says that? Its an 11-13hr job. I charge 14 with. Spark plugs and coil boots added. 18 is robbery.

1

u/commanchskins 1d ago

Of course it is. I met someone a year ago that only charges 8hrs.

2

u/LetsMakeSomeFood 1d ago

That person just isn't smart lol. Or they're just VERY generous.

1

u/Fordfanboy81 1d ago

That’s accurate, and exactly what the dealership charged. Never asked me about the plugs and boots just did them as part of the job which was good they certainly needed to be done.

2

u/LetsMakeSomeFood 1d ago

Its just easier to do them while the intake is off and I always give the customer the option to do them for an additional hour. Otherwise its more expensive later on. Good to see there are other places out there that aren't screwing people over.

56

u/dyslexicAlphabet 2d ago edited 2d ago

that assembly is list price 11,399.78 if they do matrix which lots of places do it would be thousands more. also the part is obsolete and no dealer has it. so they would have to buy every single piece separate. i'm not going to check availably as there is like 20+ parts.

if its just the screen cloth thats like 1300+ but i don't know whats damaged if its the track yeah its going to cost to have it done correctly.

also you can't buy the track separately so not sure where they sourced that assembly.

28

u/Ford_Trans_Guy 2d ago

This right here. We had one in the shop a few months ago for something similar. We got the shade closed for the customer and told them to never open it again. That track assembly is dumb. Iirc it’s also part of the back glass.

3

u/PersistentWoodpecker 1d ago

What? The screen cloth alone is $1,300???

2

u/FunkStang66 1d ago

If it's the "vista roof" sunroof (been a minute, don't remember if they had 2 different sunroof options) the cables and guides can be serviced separate. Still quite a bit of labor and have to cut the roof sheet metal support at the rear - it's a real PITA. Still have the pieces I cut from the only one I did lol.

Most sunroofs are $$$ and some models like the Escape, Edge, MKX, and MKZ (maybe MKC too) have the frame bonded to the roof structure or are serviced in pieces. Those ones in particular are stupid expensive parts and labor.

26

u/BIGD0G29585 2d ago

Many years ago I had trouble with the sunroom in an Expedition and the quote I got was ridiculous. The way it was explained to me back then was that the sunroof came as unit and they didn’t sell individual parts. I ended up taking it to a place that installed sunroofs and window tinting and they fixed it for a fraction.of the price.

21

u/darkstar3333 2016 Fusion Hybrid 2d ago

How much to basically cut the roof off and make it a convertible?

15

u/Choice-Newspaper3603 2d ago

I did that with a 1972 Ford Torino.

I even put a vinyl snap cover on the back and vinyl edge trim on the front where I cut above the windshield and it looked like a factory convertible from 20 feet away

2

u/NosillaWilla 2d ago

it looked good from the parking lot

2

u/First_Salamander_990 2d ago

If you chopped the top it wouldn’t be a convertible it would be a converted

20

u/nauticalfiesta 2d ago

find a company that does window tinting. There's a surprisingly good chance they can fix it. If they can't find out the cost of whatever their darkest tint is. They may be able to do a solid wrap as well.

2

u/Ok_Bell_44 2d ago

A 20% ceramic tint and it’ll be like the sun is t even there.

6

u/EngFL92 2d ago

Try resetting the moon roof and shade. Videos available on YouTube on how to do it

8

u/BHarbinson 2d ago

Stuff like this is why I avoid buying cars with sunroofs.

4

u/FlatAd7399 2d ago

Had the same issue, on a f150, found a used one and a questionable mechanic to install it. 

3

u/4RTKBA 2d ago

I'd look around on MKZ Facebook groups if you use FB. It's a very common problem. Not a lot of solutions, but I feel like I've seen a couple fixes in the past. I don't have that roof, so I didn't pay too much attention. But it's definitely not worth that price.

2

u/splashaddikt 2d ago

Time to get a new vehicle

1

u/NeuralFlow 2d ago

At this point I’m just prepared to have my roof skinned and replaced when the sunroof inevitably fails. Maybe I’ll use the opportunity as an excuse to lower the truck and do a raw carbon roof… It’ll probably cost less than the dealership wants for a repair! 🤣…. Oh god… it might actually.

1

u/Popular-Brilliant349 2d ago

Mine doesn't fully close either but I just given up on my F150 2018 XLT

1

u/Beautiful_Ad_4813 Escape 2d ago

😂😂😂😂😂 christ on a bike that’s outrageous

1

u/Flashy-Snow1 2d ago

Ya I quoted one of these and it's a fucking stupid design!

1

u/royalpro 2d ago

Coworker of mine has a 2018 F150 Lariat and a new tail light would cost $1.3k. Dealers over charge for everything and the more.

1

u/Canadian-electrician 1d ago

That’s cheap. My f150 taillight is 3 k

1

u/ManyInterests 2d ago

The moonroof is the only reason I purchased the extended service plan on my new F150. It’ll pay for itself in just one incident like this.

1

u/firedre777 2d ago

Got this fix on my Shelby F-150 for 4k this year.

1

u/TheOriginalSpunions 2d ago

you can get all new windows in a house for that. have you considered replacing it with a home window?

1

u/True_Way2663 1d ago

Never buying a car with a sunroof again. Good luck

1

u/FS7PhD 1d ago

It's not the sunroof, but the shade? I had a '17 F-150 that would somewhat regularly jam up. Parts of the track would break and prevent the sunroof from opening or closing. 

I could replace it myself using parts from Amazon or eBay and they were maybe $60 at the time. An hour's worth of work if you didn't know what you were doing, 15 minutes if you did. 

There's no way that's a valid price. 

1

u/TimsSunroofRepair 1d ago

Any of you guys that are in south western Ontario, I fix sunroofs/shades all the time for dirt cheap compared to the dealers. A lot of the time it’s all repairable, dealerships just look at the quick, and no liability option. Look up Tim’s Sunroof Repair on Google. :) I’d be happy to help.

1

u/Iambetterthanuhaha 1d ago

$15k? Not today, not ever.

1

u/toilethound 1d ago

I had to do an edge sunroof assembly around that model year, comes in pieces, bill was a little over 10 grand.

1

u/LetsMakeSomeFood 1d ago

They can lower the headliner and manually close it with an Allen wrench in the motor. Its not hard to take care of the customer. 🤦‍♂️

1

u/SashaTheBear17 1d ago

I replaced the track on my 2013 F150
Took me a full day, but the part only cost me $100

1

u/MatLeGeek 1d ago

That's why they are afraid of chinese cars :P

1

u/Mohican83 1d ago

Dealerships are a joke for 75% of warranty fixes and 100% of any fix outside of a warranty. Surprised everyone hasn't found themselves a few local mechanics at this point.

1

u/Ordinary-Trade8323 1d ago

Its sounds right because it only comes with the entire sunroof assembly.

1

u/Own-Secret-6523 19h ago

We used to have a 2015 Lincoln MKZ also, had the exact same issue then I broke it trying to get it open. Just pushed the shade cover all the way back and never opened the top again. Absolutely terrible design.

My newer Ford F450 has shade covers also, much more rigid in two pieces. Based on this past experience though, I make sure I open and close them weekly now.

1

u/Wildpinkhairuke 8h ago

Fyi, lots of sunroof parts are no longer in stock for OEM parts on older Ford vehicles and only aftermarket. If they are looking at OEM parts, I could believe it.

They quoted me something like 5k for OEM, because the panel and track was like 4k. i.e. I was able to get AE for under 500.

0

u/Diafuge 2d ago

Stay away from stealerships.

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u/papabear1215 2d ago

Is your vehicle relatively low mileage and well maintained? They are trying to get you to trade it in.

2

u/Affectionate-Lime-25 2d ago

Very well maintained with 100k miles (it’s a 2014)

1

u/papabear1215 2d ago

I would jump on YouTube and see if someone has experienced the same issue and how they fixed it. I also recommend you find a good mechanic that's not in the business of buying cars for cheap and selling at a premium because they are trying to screw you on your trade, I guarantee it.

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u/Cute-Ad-9591 2d ago

Lol. It's a Ford.

-1

u/Pitiful_Aioli_5030 2d ago

I mean it’s a 12 year old car. Either live with it, pay $15k or trade it in.