Really Long Service Wait

[Al Reit]

Never owned a Ford before. Had a lot of Mopars and Cadillacs. I purchased a Mach 1. So much fun to drive! Shortly after purchase, I noticed a puddle of trans fluid.

Called the local dealer and they said to tow it over and they would look at it in two weeks. Called a dealer 40 miles away and it was a three week wait. Called another dealer 40 miles away and then said several days. Towed it there and it sounds like it will be at least a week and a half before it’s looked at.

This is very different from my service experiences with Dodge or Cadillac/Chevy.

I’m not concerned that the car needed service, but I am concerned about being carless because of long service waits. Is this something I should worry about?

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[CJJon]

Ask for a loaner.

 

[Cement Bench]

trade it off

 

[Soulja4187]

trade it off

Really for the first time going to the dealer. Its probably a loose drain plug.

Do you trade your cars because it runs out of fuel?

 

[Zrussian13]

Those quoted wait times are identical to what I was quoted the one time my car needed warranty work done. I said no thanks and fixed it myself. $140 and 2 days later I was back on the road.

 

[Matthewstorm]

Those wait times sound excessively long.

 

[Cement Bench]

Really for the first time going to the dealer. Its probably a loose drain plug.

Do you trade your cars because it runs out of fuel?

REALLY YES SIR

bought a brand new Mach 1 just out if you recall

A d has to wait weeks to get warranty on a VER VER VER NEW CAR

what the heck is up with that

call the manager and ford

that wait time is crap-o-la

comprened-eh

 

[CJJon]

It's a busy time of year and everyone is out and about thinking the pandemic is over. The Mach 1 isn't anything special such that it gets to cut the line.

It sucks for sure, but there isn't much that can be done from the service dept perspective.

 

[XS]

Those are long wait times. The spring seems to hit service departments hard in general though. It's funny though, because the longest wait time I've had with my GT is 4 days. However the shortest wait time I ever had with my RAM was 4 days. So my experience is the exact opposite of yours. Here in CO, the FCA service departments are/were horrid. The truck spent nearly an entire summer at one in 2017. The majority of that time was just sitting in the back lot.
Anyway, all that said, if you want some insight into service departments - most, if not all, push warranty work to the bottom of the list. When I was on the phone with FCA corporate complaining about the 2 month lead time it took to replace the transmission on my practically brand new truck the person finally caved to the pressure and said look, they prioritize service orders that folks are paying out of their own pockets for. Warranty work gets pushed to the bottom of the pile. But she got my service order moved up so kudos to her.

 

[Al Reit]

Thanks for all of the comments! I asked about a loner and was told that they can only provide a loaner after diagnosing the problem. Hopefully it’s something they can fix quickly, if not I should be able to get a loaner.

It sounds like I’m extrapolating this into the future too much. I can’t wait to drive my mustang again!

 

[Al Reit]

Those are long wait times. The spring seems to hit service departments hard in general though. It's funny though, because the longest wait time I've had with my GT is 4 days. However the shortest wait time I ever had with my RAM was 4 days. So my experience is the exact opposite of yours. Here in CO, the FCA service departments are/were horrid. The truck spent nearly an entire summer at one in 2017. The majority of that time was just sitting in the back lot.
Anyway, all that said, if you want some insight into service departments - most, if not all, push warranty work to the bottom of the list. When I was on the phone with FCA corporate complaining about the 2 month lead time it took to replace the transmission on my practically brand new truck the person finally caved to the pressure and said look, they prioritize service orders that folks are paying out of their own pockets for. Warranty work gets pushed to the bottom of the pile. But she got my service order moved up so kudos to her.

I had wondered about that. I almost always buy used, so I don’t have a lot of experience with warranty work.

 

[Soulja4187]

Thanks for all of the comments! I asked about a loner and was told that they can only provide a loaner after diagnosing the problem. Hopefully it’s something they can fix quickly, if not I should be able to get a loaner.

It sounds like I’m extrapolating this into the future too much. I can’t wait to drive my mustang again!

that sucks some dealers understand and provide you a loaner from the day you drop off your car. Ask nicely and see what they say

 

[Deleted member 35644]

If it were me, I'd take it to my mechanic, ask him to put it on a lift and identify the leak for me. If it's something stupid (drain plug, fill plug, etc.) have him tighten it, and go on with your life. If it turns out to be something that only warranty hands should touch, THEN you sign up to get in line.

 

[CJJon]

If it were me, I'd take it to my mechanic, ask him to put it on a lift and identify the leak for me. If it's something stupid (drain plug, fill plug, etc.) have him tighten it, and go on with your life. If it turns out to be something that only warranty hands should touch, THEN you sign up to get in line.

Or jack it up and get under there and see for myself.

Dealer = Last Resort

 

[Al Reit]

If it were me, I'd take it to my mechanic, ask him to put it on a lift and identify the leak for me. If it's something stupid (drain plug, fill plug, etc.) have him tighten it, and go on with your life. If it turns out to be something that only warranty hands should touch, THEN you sign up to get in line.

Good advice. I wish I had tried that first.

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