Hi All,

I have a tentative deal on a 2014 F-Type S, with the only known issue being the central vent rising intermittently.

The car has 45,000 miles on it and it appears to be out of warranty.

Has anyone had to pay to have this fixed out of warranty? Are we talking $500, $1000 or more to resolve at a dealer?

Looking to close the deal this week, or walk away. So any quick responses would be greatly appreciated.

 

I'll knock $1000 - $1500 off the purchase price.

I was afraid of this. Why make the center air vent this way? Just another mechanical item to break.

I'll wouldn't pay to get it fixed, just leave it in the open position permanently...

 

I'm a stickler for everything working and I'm happy to have it fixed (its a decent deal on the car). I just want to know how much I need to knock off the price.

Do you know if you can just set it to stay open?

 

Just so you know...the vent is supposed to rise intermittently. If the auto temp is set at (or above) the ambient temp, the climate control stays off and the vent will not raise up. If it gets hot and the car needs to cool the interior to the set temp, the vent will then raise. In Florida winter the vent pretty much stays down for me. If that is the behavior that you are witnessing, then it is completely normal and as designed.

 

 

I would try setting the auto temp really low and see if the vent opens, then raise the temperature and see if it goes back down before thinking anything is wrong.

 

As it is an early model, then there was a known fault that matches your description. My 2015 went in twice to get it resolved. The first time was a software change which didn't resolve it. The second they swapped out the entire vent assembly for a revised part which did resolve it.

The part you need depends on the colour of your vents (the plastic bits) - up till 2016 there were only two options: black or graphite (grey). The black part is T2R17443PAJ, and graphite is T2R17443LMF. Cost is £190 in the UK, and it takes about an hour to swap with basic tools (plastic pry bars and a torx screwdriver).

 

 

A symptom was also that they would not open. It starts off intermittently then it became more and more frequent to the point they could only be opened by manually starting them off with a pry. I forget the reason they gave now, but I recall the first software fix was to compensate for the low torque of the motor so it could overcome the static forces and move the vent. (Or that may have been the second fix with the revised parts.) The first fix was up till K18650, then from K18651 onwards they fitted the newer vents.

As it didn't affect every car it is probably similar to the issues they still have with the rear sun blinds on the XJ models since 2003. On many, it seems particularly in the UK climate, if they are not raised and lowered about once a week they eventually start to bind and overcome the motor. Some people don't use them for six months though and they work first time.

 

I have the car scheduled to be inspected by the local dealer, before I fly up to collect the car (car is in Michigan, I'm in Louisiana).

I told the dealer, I wanted;

- A complete inspection
- A complete copy of the options list
- A list of the next 12 months o service items.

Anything else I should explicitly ask them to do since I'm not sure I will gather much from a quick test drive? After which, I'd be closing the deal and heading south for a 1,000 mile road trip home.