MY Ford Service department is CLUELESS

[rg200amp]

I do not know how yours all are, but mine is REALLY clueless!

My Lincoln LS stalled out on me, then ran really rough in "fail safe mode"
I took it to my buddies shop, he told me it wa a dealer only fix.
Took it to Ford, they told me it was in "good" hands.

My ford service guy calls me and tells me to sit down

The CEL codes say #4 coil pack miss, and E Throttle body malfunction. He says to replace everything would be $890.00!!!!

I asked him if the faild coil pack could trip the throttle body code, since the thorttle body going bad in a 04 car at the same time the the coil pack goes sounds stupid.
He gets all mad, tells me to come pick up my car and pay the $99 Dignostic fee!!!
I told him to hold on while I see what I want to do.

I go to my Lincoln Online forum and ask there. This is what i get:
The coil packs going is nothing big. When #4 coil goes, it DOSE trip the bad throttle body code! AND*** ford put out a extended service plan on the coils!

I called Ford corp. gave them my vin and info, sure enough the coil replacement is covered! Ford Corp. called my service adviser, wrote him up on trying to charge me for covered work.
I call my service adviser he is all mad, saying "I forgot aobut that recall".
I say fix the coil.
He says "the throttle body still needs to be replaced, thats not covered". I told him about my findings online, he calls me dumb for going by what I read online.
He fixes the coil, and calls me to pick up the car. I ask if the throttle body needs to still be replaced. He says"its working now but I do not know for how long"

OFCOURSE when I told him I would pick it up, he was out on lunch!!

Sooo I got my car fixed for free, and I will not go to that service guy ever again!!!
Atleast FORD Corp. Stand behind there products when they should, even when there "Service Departments" do not.


It really [censored] me off, just think how many people get suckered into paying for things they do not need by this guy alone!!!

 

[John_K]

Don't ya just love when they screw you over and then they're mad at YOU!

Unbelievable.

John

 

[demarpaint]

I'd say all in all you were lucky. It wouldn't have been hard for a PO'ed service mgr have one of the techs make sure the TB needed replacement, if you know what I mean. I've seen it all working at various stealerships.

Good on you for doing your homework.

Frank D

 

[NYEngineer]

I love it when you catch someone at something like that and they insist you can't be right. I guess they gotta go down fighting.

 

[wavinwayne]

...And we know that EVERYTHING we read online is wrong 100% of the time. There's no way that anyone on the internet could possibly know more than the service advisor.

I would not patronize that dealer again, but chances are the others are comparable.

 

[Cutehumor]

You should have raised cain and had the guy fired! He probably takes advantage of women all the time. The guy is scum.

 

[SrDriver]

Send a letter to Ford letting them know what happened.

Could help someone faced with this or another issue @ that dealership.

 

[rg200amp]

Originally Posted By: SrDriver
Send a letter to Ford letting them know what happened.

Could help someone faced with this or another issue @ that dealership.



I told everything to Ford motor company Corp. over the Phone. They got a supervisor there to call my dealer.

When I called my dealer after that my service adviser was very ticked off, and he muffled something like "just what I need another write up"

So hopefully he learns his lesson, that what with the internet and online forums, the everyday customer can and some times DO know more about the car than the adviser dose!

 

[zulu]

My Chevy dealership is the same way. They all assume we are mindless drones who don't know anything. The biggest problem is that if you LS was under warranty, they would have just replaced the TB too. The ability of techs to troubleshoot has gone out the window. They just read the service manual and replace what parts they think are broken instead of trying to acutally fix the problem.

 

[mpvue]

I'm seeing the same thing on saturnfans w/ the L200 timing chain recall. people are having timing chain failures and getting charged $2600 and up. one guy w/ a '01 L200 (all '01s are supposed to be covered) and being told, your VIN isn't covered. yeah, right.
consumers 'should' be more educated w/ the internet, but too many people don't know how to search, or realize what info is out there.

 

[rg200amp]

Yea its really sad when the 21 year old lincoln owner knows more then the ford service advisor.

He kept saying the lincoln's modular motor has issues with there coils. I had to tell him the LS motor is Jaguars design, not fords!!!

 

[flacoman]

A lot of times ,i've printed out the TSB for them
After the second one, they just asked for the number.
Most of the time I piggy backed a maintenance item onto it so the tech could make a buck or two. Sad part was when they couldn't add the correct amount of oil !
my2c
Jorge

 

[Steve S]

Seems most all dealers are the same . I have no sympathy for auto dealerships or the mfgs.

 

[TallPaul]

Quote:
its working now but I do not know for how long
Well that's true about any part of the car, any part of anything.

I hope there is another Ford dealer in your town so you can buy your next vehicle at hopefully a better place.

 

[punisher]

Originally Posted By: rg200amp
Yea its really sad when the 21 year old lincoln owner knows more then the ford service advisor.


That is the sad truth.

At our dealership, in my last years there, we went through service writers like used car salesman. Sadly this really screws the customer and the service department as well. Customers tend to distrust a service department, when everytime they go in for service, they have to deal with a different face, usually a clueless face. It will only get worse as FoMoCo (and every other manufacturer for that matter) cut warranty outlays that support their products. Dealers will have to continue to tighten belts and can only afford to hire the dregs to man the service drive. Plus you get that great "cut throat" atmosphere as writers try to squeeze every dollar out of a customer's wallet in order to make that commission check.

I was one of the techs that gave up on Ford during the Nasser era and never looked back.

 

[mrsilv04]

Originally Posted By: SrDriver
Send a letter to Ford letting them know what happened.

Could help someone faced with this or another issue @ that dealership.


Ford will respond telling you that dealerships are independently owned, and thank you for wasting your time and theirs. I've already been through this.

Bottom line, Ford doesn't care.

 

[Junior]

That's why I always ask to speak to the technician on the call-back. In my experience they are much more knowlegeable and figure out rather quickly if you know your vehicle. They will usually have a competent discussion and take suggestions under advisement. A couple of times I had narrowed the problem down to a couple of things. I explained how I had come to that conclusion and they agreed and started by checking the things I thought could be wrong. I'm a lot nicer to these guys.

I only talk to the service writer to get the vehicle in the door.

 

[rg200amp]

Originally Posted By: Junior
That's why I always ask to speak to the technician on the call-back. In my experience they are much more knowlegeable and figure out rather quickly if you know your vehicle. They will usually have a competent discussion and take suggestions under advisement. A couple of times I had narrowed the problem down to a couple of things. I explained how I had come to that conclusion and they agreed and started by checking the things I thought could be wrong. I'm a lot nicer to these guys.

I only talk to the service writer to get the vehicle in the door.


Still, the Tech should know what to do.

The service advisor was getting his info from the "tech".
He proceeded to tell me about there "highly trained" ASE techs and how I should listen to them and not the internet.
All you need to do to get ASE certified is study and take a genral test. My grandmom could get ASE certified, that dose not make her a good Tech.

These ASE techs just plug your car into a scanner, and fix everything it says. they do not trouble shoot, or use the process of elimination anymore.

Thats why I like going to a good old town shop with real mechanics not teens with 6 years of high school!
But ofcourse all the car makers are slowly making there cars need "dealer only service" with special tools or computers needed.

 

[Junior]

Originally Posted By: rg200amp
Originally Posted By: Junior
That's why I always ask to speak to the technician on the call-back. In my experience they are much more knowlegeable and figure out rather quickly if you know your vehicle. They will usually have a competent discussion and take suggestions under advisement. A couple of times I had narrowed the problem down to a couple of things. I explained how I had come to that conclusion and they agreed and started by checking the things I thought could be wrong. I'm a lot nicer to these guys.

I only talk to the service writer to get the vehicle in the door.


Still, the Tech should know what to do.

The service advisor was getting his info from the "tech".


Well, that's what he (the service writer) told you. That's the problem, you really don't know what the tech though without speaking with him. Not defending dealers but I do let them try to make things right before I get mad at them.

I understand their position. Every repair costs too much and a lot of customers are probably [censored] at them all day. I have found that by being nicer to them and having a calm discussion, treat them like a person, in the long run you build rapport and get better service. This can be applied to most anything.

That said, it sometimes takes a while to find the good guys. And I admit, I have had my moments of flying off the handle.

 

[xlt4me]

Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
Originally Posted By: SrDriver
Send a letter to Ford letting them know what happened.

Could help someone faced with this or another issue @ that dealership.


Ford will respond telling you that dealerships are independently owned, and thank you for wasting your time and theirs. I've already been through this.

Bottom line, Ford doesn't care.


And It's not just Ford. When my CR-V was new it had a problem that required the removal of the dashboard. The dealer had it for four days and when I went to pick it up my jaw dropped. In hindsight, I should have just called the police and reported that my car was vandalized... long story. They did finally make it almost right after two return trips but I ended up buying some missing fasteners from a different dealership and finished it myself.

I wrote a long detailed letter to Honda but never got so much as a canned reply.