Be Careful Shopping: My deal may not be as good as i thought...

[chl]

Update: 6/4/25

I just got home from a multiple-hour drive back from the dealership. It was raining on the way home, and I didn't notice wet carpets or water dripping from the sunroof like before, so the issue seems to be repaired. They also replaced the master door switch to fix the rear passenger window issue. I'm going to keep an eye on the carpets and check daily for a while, since we're expecting a lot of rain this week. The interior has a slight mildew-like smell, but I'm hopeful this will dissipate as the truck fully dries out. I have a brand-new charcoal cabin filter waiting to be installed, which might help remove the smell. When I arrived to pick up the truck, the service advisor simply asked for the keys to the loaner and handed me the receipt with $0 owed, so I'm very grateful for how they took care of me. While I was there, I asked the sales advisor in person about the possible "buyback" status, and he said he checked with his manager, who confirmed it was not a buyback truck. Hopefully, the service advisor was just mistaken.

The best possible outcome! Congratulations!

Sponsored

 

[SunPowered]

As for the sunroof leak issue: I cannot speak directly to the Lightning, but I have experienced this leakage with a different vehicle, and I have changed out the entire assembly myself, so I've seen the guts. I presume they all mostly work the same. There is a rectangular reservoir for water below the level of the glass, with four plastic tubes at the corners for drainage running down through the pillars. Normally, the water runs out from the reservoir and down the plastic tubes. These tubes can become clogged with bits of leaves, algae, similar to the condensation drain from a central A/C unit. If they do clog, the invisible reservoir (hidden by the headliner) over head, surrounding the glass will overflow, spilling water into the interior. Like a full glass or bucket, it will spill on turns or stops and starts if the water sloshes around up there. If that reservoir remains full long enough, the reservoir itself will begin to rust out forming holes. And then water just leaks in through the holes, never even being channeled to the tube drains in the corners. The whole assembly can be replaced as one, motor and all. Hope this aids understanding of what goes on up there.