Jackson_Slugger
$50 Site Donor 2022
Your Ford service writer:
Critique this estimate from the Ford dealer
- Thread starter dishdude
- Start date
can you just go to an independent tire place? Costco has great deals on tires, i don't think they align though.
True as most serpentine belts I've done over the yrs were raising the hood, unloading tensioner, put new belt on, etc. and done in 5 mins. My current ride will involve removing a wheel/well liner just to get two hands on the thing. Dealership gave me the 'Nissan recommends the tensioner be replaced as well, so all in over $400!' They then said to do just the belt it'd be $165. Said no thanks as I can get a quality belt for $35 max and do it myself in an hour or less. At 95K on the original belt it still looks/feels fine, but I will do it before long just to be sure. Same thing applies to the cabin filter in my ride as most vehicles it's a 5 min job at most, but even though I've found a shortcut that involves some contorting, for it to be done at the dealership involves removing the entire glove box assembly just to get to the filter cover. They charge around $75, but after having done it the first time like that it is involved/time consuming.
$370. for installing an upper radiator hose. RA says $17 & change, & labor. Oh my.
At least they hosed you upfront for that, & the 'diagnostic'. It's steaming. There's your diagnostic. lol.
I love how people keep going to Ford. For anything.
Hope the thermostat is bad too. That'll be $984.22. : ) Maybe toss in a heater core. $7,088.21. hehee! this is FUN!
At least they hosed you upfront for that, & the 'diagnostic'. It's steaming. There's your diagnostic. lol.
I love how people keep going to Ford. For anything.
Hope the thermostat is bad too. That'll be $984.22. : ) Maybe toss in a heater core. $7,088.21. hehee! this is FUN!
A dealer is only going to replace the brake pads, not rotors also?
Overall pretty normal bill.
I think the fill the coolant line and maybe the 2 separate belt scenarios is the only maybe high thing. Most fleet vehicles are managed and the company will try to fight the service writer on the labor on things. Not always but many times.
We joke about the “no overlap all the time “ ac evac one charge for high side one for low. Vacuum fee. Recharge high and low separate fees.
Heck I have seen some funny rip off scenarios from outside non dealer shops.
“Scan tool fee”
“Diag fee” but then literally the next line will say vehicle still under factory warranty must go to dealer.
After that I tried to get my writers to add funny fees on ROs like “large tool box fee” “dealer surcharge” “vacation fund up charge”
I think the fill the coolant line and maybe the 2 separate belt scenarios is the only maybe high thing. Most fleet vehicles are managed and the company will try to fight the service writer on the labor on things. Not always but many times.
We joke about the “no overlap all the time “ ac evac one charge for high side one for low. Vacuum fee. Recharge high and low separate fees.
Heck I have seen some funny rip off scenarios from outside non dealer shops.
“Scan tool fee”
“Diag fee” but then literally the next line will say vehicle still under factory warranty must go to dealer.
After that I tried to get my writers to add funny fees on ROs like “large tool box fee” “dealer surcharge” “vacation fund up charge”
Don't forget the Transit is considered the backbone of the UK. These things are abused from the day they're delivered to the day they get retired (usually due to rust). They have to be reliable over here because they are considered the ultimate workhorse. You don't buy a panel van in the UK, you buy a Transit.
Although ours have 4 cylinder diesel engines and nothing else.
Aside from charging the diagnosis it doesn’t seem too bad. The tire pricing is actually pretty good if they are the correct tires. Last set I got was over 1100…
I did not look up parts.
I did not look up parts.
Just because it doesn't specifically say in the short summary given doesn't mean the customer didn't tell them "The upper hose is leaking from approximately the two o'clock position as you look at the hose from the driver side fender." or other specific and obvious statement. I haven't dealt with a dealership service department other than for warranty work at no charge but all the other professionals who do work always quote us a diagnostic fee that will be waived if we then do the work. For a ~$2500 ticket sans fee I'd want the diagnostic rolled into the rest of the work, or at the very least a 50% discount on the fee.
$180/hr? Really? Makes me glad I never go to the dealer and my local shop that does at least as good and probably better work only charges $105.
$180/hr? Really? Makes me glad I never go to the dealer and my local shop that does at least as good and probably better work only charges $105.
Dealership tech pressure tests system, BITOG-they’re screwing you charging diagnostic time, stealerships errmergawd!!!
Dealership tech eyeballs a leak and guesses wrong, BITOG what a clown and they want $135/hr? Stealerships hurgurdur!!
Society in general, there’s a skilled labor shortage, millennials don’t wanna work! But that guy shouldn’t have got paid just for checking out my plumbing, car, home wiring, etc. The thing he told me is one of the 84 things I’d already seen on the internet.
This concludes my weekly rant. Y’all have a great day!!
Dealership tech eyeballs a leak and guesses wrong, BITOG what a clown and they want $135/hr? Stealerships hurgurdur!!
Society in general, there’s a skilled labor shortage, millennials don’t wanna work! But that guy shouldn’t have got paid just for checking out my plumbing, car, home wiring, etc. The thing he told me is one of the 84 things I’d already seen on the internet.
This concludes my weekly rant. Y’all have a great day!!
At the end of the day, this appears to only be the estimate - not the final bill. If so, the advisor only knows when the estimate is prepared that they were asked to diagnose the vehicle, and has no idea if the customer is actually going to authorize the work... Not a surprise to see the diagnostic in there at this stage...
And while arguing over the diagnostic (5% of the bill), all sorts of assumptions are being made as to what the "customer states vehicle is overheating coolant is leaking" line means. Reality is that neither the OP or anyone else in this thread was there, and has any idea whether that was super obvious or not so much as to where the leak was. Lots of inferences being drawn based on the repair outlined.
And while arguing over the diagnostic (5% of the bill), all sorts of assumptions are being made as to what the "customer states vehicle is overheating coolant is leaking" line means. Reality is that neither the OP or anyone else in this thread was there, and has any idea whether that was super obvious or not so much as to where the leak was. Lots of inferences being drawn based on the repair outlined.
- Joined
- Mar 8, 2022
- Messages
- 225
Diagnosing a coolant leak is sometimes not as straight forward as it seems. I had one on a Ford 500. Bad recovery tank. Replaced it. A week later, another leak. Can’t see it. Long story short, found a bunch of rusted and broken spring clamps leaking. Got it fixed. I don’t agree with the diagnostic charge on this bill, not with the work that was paid for. I would integrate some of it into labor.
Standard procedure around these parts would be to roll some or all of the diagnostic fee into the labor bill assuming the customer approves the work. We've yet to see the final bill; I suspect that is going to be what happens here too.
