I just ran across this article on Digg: “I blew up my 2008 F350 on bio-diesel”.

Not only is this a very intriguing article from an automotive enthusiast standpoint, but it also has environmental impacts, and also involves a problem all-to-often central in American auto-manufacturers.

The general synopsis is this: a seemingly loyal Ford man recently bought a brand new F350 - a top-of-the-line heavy duty truck. Being a reasonably forward thinking individual, he’s been putting near 100% bio-diesel into his trucks for some time now. His previous truck ran fine for several thousand miles on it, and he stuck with it in his 2008 truck. Unfortunately, after 200 miles he was greeted with a huge cloud of white smoke followed shortly by a loud bang, and then a dead truck.

So, he goes to Ford looking for them to fix the issue. They look at his situation, look at the damage, and decide that the bio-diesel they found in his car was the cause of this mysterious detonation. He, rightfully so, fought them, knowing full well that bio-diesel was not a likely cause. Needless to say, it shortly came out that an issue with injectors existed causing the engine to hydrolock, and subsequently self-destruct. The original quotes from the victim of this mess indicate that he feels this may be representative of a conspiracy to cover a more serious issue.

I can’t say for certain if I agree. It is definitely a huge mess on Ford’s plate, but Ford is way too big and disorganized to have a concerted effort to cover something like this up. I don’t doubt that a lot of people were dishonest, but Ford as an entity I seriously doubt orchestrated this - the people that matter are the ones who retracted the warranty rejection for this individual.

For what it is worth, this is just another example of all of the problems with the American car industry. Here is an individual who, at first read, sounds like they are going to actually make good use of a truck that size, and they are taking one of the most economically sound and environmentally sound approaches they can to use renewable energy. Meanwhile, the auto manufacturer sees an opportunity to dodge blame on a technicality that most sane people know is a total sham. In addition, here is another American car recall; recalls and warranty work are a huge bottom line on Ford’s miserable financial sheets.

One of the worst issues that is one among a million is the loss of respect Ford has caused by someone who was probably otherwise a big fan of the company. It really shows a total loss of personal service.