Are all Ford dealerships inhabited by stupid and greedy

[JeremyPro5.0]

YES.

nough said.

 

[blue5.slow]

Made an appointment for the recall letter I received on my Mustang. Today arrived for the appointment and was told it would be a while. I asked why would it take so long since I have an appointment? I was told the appointment was simply to talk with the advisor and was not applicable to any work being done. The recall is to check/replace the rubber stop behind the brake pedal! That takes a flashlight and 3 minutes.
After waiting 3.5 hours the advisor returns to tell me the recall part has been ordered and I’d be called when it comes in! Why make the appointment if you don’t have the little rubber stop that’s being recalled! And……the technician performed a courtesy inspection and suggests I get my injectors flushed for the low cost of $327.00!
Total BS!!!!

Your owners manual in your car will have a list of all recommended services and at what mileage. Never go by what Ford says at the dealership for recommended services.

 

[dogteam7]

If the rubber stop only takes 3 min to change and is not that big of a deal.

Then NEWS flash, get the part, and do it yourself.... Oh wait ! that might take some initiative.

Never mind it's way better to piss and mown on some website

…….so that’s your take away is from this conversation?

 

[Mrhavasu]

That was a pretty poor take. I agree, dealer wasted your time and then tried to sell
you something you don't need. Maybe he works at that dealer?

 

[ice445]

Probably wasn’t the tech that recommended that, usually the dick head service writer adds shit.
Low pay and shit pay for jobs have techs leaving in droves. Fuck the dealer and fuck ford warranty pay. I will never go back.

Yeah I hate that most of the brands treat their techs like disposable plates. Load em up with shit until they fold, then toss it and grab a new one. It's no wonder nobody gives a damn about your car when you take it there.

 

[Rapid Red]

Probably wasn’t the tech that recommended that, usually the dick head service writer adds shit.
Low pay and shit pay for jobs have techs leaving in droves. Fuck the dealer and fuck ford warranty pay. I will never go back.

Correct me if wrong, but does not the service writer, go over the estimate and services to be performed with the customer? Customers are shady, sign off on services, then swear they never knew.


The way it once was, out of the Navy was working for a Chevy dealership, heavy line. The dealer, we were mechanics then. Split the paid labor work 50/50, which also included the warranty repairs.

Hussle one could make a good buck, the corporate side started to allocate repair times for the warranty. The drive-ins as they were known. Labor cost could be real-time as it was customer paid.

As you know that is no more, lots of reasons that happened. And a lot of it was because of the guy with the wrench, truth be known

 

[dogteam7]

I don’t think anyone has an issue with a man making an honest living. The key word in that statement is “Honest” My gripe was two fold. I call to make an appointment for a recall the the manufacturer said was required. A simple brake stop inspection and replacement if needed. Sure I could do that myself but the service records for the vehicle would reflect a recall that was never performed. I personally prefer that the service records for all my vehicles reflect that they are well maintained. Secondly, the injector service. I’ve read where others have said it’s important to do this. It’s been my experience that it is not. I’ve owned many fuel injected vehicles and not once have I had an issue that was determined to be caused by a clogged injector. Not saying that it can’t happen but the laws of probably suggest that it won’t. Based on that knowledge I felt the dealership was suggesting I get this done solely as a means of generating more revenue for themselves. This is why I don’t trust them…….whether it was the mechanic or the service writers suggestion is irrelevant…..the customer loses. Very sad.

 

[dogteam7]

and if the parts weren’t available yet simply saying that at the time I was making the appointment wouldn’t have wasted my time or theirs.

 

[Basspro302]

Ya i feel you, in my area its bad. Parts and employees at dealerships aren’t there. I know several fellow techs that also left. Honestly warranty's are a joke at this point, we have cars coming to my independent shop from the dealership saying they don’t care they need their car fixed. Dealership culture is the worst its a case of fuck or get fucked. It’s toxic and even if you feel like you got good service and a good deal chances are you got fucked.

 

[charlied]

In my experience the best dealers are the ones that are privately owned. Not the chain that has multiple dealerships. The privately owned ones built their business on customer service.

 

[twbthird]

Pre-pandemic, I don't think dealers made much money on new car sales. The trend seems to be to replace anyone with actual product knowledge with commissioned salespeople as "service advisors" to upsell as much as possible. Not sure what you can do, other than to do your own research about what work you car needs and what are just extra profit items for the dealer.

I've had pretty good results at my local dealer, but have to be resolute about saying 'no' to the unnecessary "dealer recommended" work.

For the rear view camera recall, I'm planning on asking if the parts are available at the dealer before taking the car in for the recall in hopes of avoiding a wasted trip.

 

[tjwreds]

Made an appointment for the recall letter I received on my Mustang. Today arrived for the appointment and was told it would be a while. I asked why would it take so long since I have an appointment? I was told the appointment was simply to talk with the advisor and was not applicable to any work being done. The recall is to check/replace the rubber stop behind the brake pedal! That takes a flashlight and 3 minutes.
After waiting 3.5 hours the advisor returns to tell me the recall part has been ordered and I’d be called when it comes in! Why make the appointment if you don’t have the little rubber stop that’s being recalled! And……the technician performed a courtesy inspection and suggests I get my injectors flushed for the low cost of $327.00!
Total BS!!!!

Roast that dogshit dealership publicly. That's ridiculous.

 

[1958cyclist]

I also got the recall letter about the brake pedal bumper. My letter stated they would send me a another letter when they had the parts in stock to perform the service, so I haven't even bothered trying to make an appointment yet.

I agree. The latest backup camera recall said the same. They would call when they have the part(s) in and available for install.

 

[GTP]

I think that when the car is still under warranty, you can't get the replacement part for free (so as to install it yourself) unless the dealer installs it "properly", even if it's a simple task.

I have a balky driver side seatbelt latch. I prefer to install it myself to save having to wait at the dealer, worry about scratches, dirt, grease etc.

But that is surely a safety item so the dealer won't replace the part without also doing the install. It's just a bolt and a plug...

I found a defective rubber isolator for a rear spring when I did my LRCA. I would have taken it in loose to ask for a free replacement, but it was out of stock. So I put the bad one back in.

 

[Jazzman0718]

Made an appointment for the recall letter I received on my Mustang. Today arrived for the appointment and was told it would be a while. I asked why would it take so long since I have an appointment? I was told the appointment was simply to talk with the advisor and was not applicable to any work being done. The recall is to check/replace the rubber stop behind the brake pedal! That takes a flashlight and 3 minutes.
After waiting 3.5 hours the advisor returns to tell me the recall part has been ordered and I’d be called when it comes in! Why make the appointment if you don’t have the little rubber stop that’s being recalled! And……the technician performed a courtesy inspection and suggests I get my injectors flushed for the low cost of $327.00!
Total BS!!!!

This has the feel of a LOT of customer service issues I've been hearing about lately. I'm not so sure dealers are to blame. It's just that employers are starved for good help in general. The organizational side of businesses like dealers seem to be taking the biggest hit. Everyone has software to map out procedure but the software can't think for you. We all seem to be cursed by people entering and interpreting data...and they are all cursed with constant upgrades and learning curves. No one can answer a simple question unless a program or app tells them what to do!