My 1998 F-150 just had its original Ford Motorcraft 65 series battery replaced when I was told during an oil change the cold crank amps were under half of the 650 they should be.
At purchase I bought a Ford Premium Care extended warranty (ESP) which expires in the middle of 2004. The Ford dealership said a wear-and-tear item like a battery is not covered under any sort of warranty plan like the ESP, and they said my original Motorcraft battery only had a 3 year replacement warranty with no pro-rated amount after that. Since I never looked at the battery before they took it away, I could not verify that. The new Motorcraft BXT-65-650 battery cost me $80 + $17 labor and is supposed to be 100 month pro-rated after the 3 year replacement warranty.
I asked for documentation saying this and they said the batteries don't come with any documentation and the receipt says nothing about this. The guy pulled the cover off the battery to show me where it listed the warranty period and said that is the only place where the warranty is documented. Is that correct?
I expect they are telling me the truth, but as a double-check I am hoping some knowledgeable people here can verify what I was told. I looked through my owner's manual and the ESP, and the battery is not mentioned anywhere.
To summarize my questions:
#1. Is it true the original Motorcraft battery's warranty expired at 3 years, there is no pro-rated amount, and the ESP does not cover batteries?
#2. Is it true that batteries do not come with warranty documentation and the battery itself is the only thing which shows the warranty period? They said the warranty/pro-rated period is determined by the date on my purchase receipt and what's written on the battery, so they said to be sure not to lose the receipt.
#3. Is there some way to check my battery to make sure I was given a brand new one rather than a used one which looks new? For instance, is there a web site to check a battery's history by serial number?
#4. Out of curiosity, if you never make a claim on your ESP, there is no provision where you can get back some money such as some rare types of insurance plans offer for no claims? I know it's a long-shot, but I thought I'd ask. It says nothing in the ESP paperwork about this except you can get a pro-rated refund minus $50 which in the last 6 months of the contract would be zero.
Thanks.