Experience with your Ford dealer Service Department?

[19gtaz]

Lots of problems with Ford service centers.

Advertisement

 

[Howitzer]

In your case I would both go in person and demand a resolution as well as call the warranty company and let them in on the fact that the work they approved and paid for hasn't been done yet. That might light a fire

Yeah, I did go down there yesterday once I got off work - I just couldn't believe no one could tell me anything regarding my car just because the service advisor (who was failing to update me) was not available. I spoke to both the customer relations director and the service department manager today and finally have something moving forward.

 

[DarkHors5]

So far I've had good service with my local ford dealer. Only an easy recall and oil changes. Quick in and out. I declined the rotation due to the Staggered setup. The service writer asked if I wanted the free car wash and let m know it was a soft scratch system, again I declined. The oil level has been correct every time so far. It may help that the tech doing the oil changes has a 15 gt

 

[fmc_smt]

So far I've had good service with my local ford dealer. Only an easy recall and oil changes. Quick in and out. I declined the rotation due to the Staggered setup. The service writer asked if I wanted the free car wash and let m know it was a soft scratch system, again I declined. The oil level has been correct every time so far. It may help that the tech doing the oil changes has a 15 gt

There are a few good ones out there . Being a Ford tech for the last 30 years , same dealer third owner. Some of us do take pride in our work . And it helps when we are in the Mustang "scene " . Some pics of clients cars I work on and the last two pics are of is mine .

 

[Cobra Jet]

Interesting to read this today...you're definitely not alone. I just had my first service experience with my dealer(after 5 years, 48k miles) and wish I hadn't. I typically do my own work or if it's out of my scope, an independent shop. Spotted an oil leak which was confirmed to be covered under warranty so I took it to them. Leak was the rear main seal (no idea even how) so I figured they could just replace the clutch since they'd be right at it.

Well...monday will be 3 weeks since it's been there and as far as I know nothing's been done. Warranty company approved and paid them around day 4. I keep trying to get updates and parts ETA but I can't get anything definitive from them. Service adviser says he will "find out" then I don't hear from him for several days, have to call back only to get no further. This has been going on since November 30th.

I've been very patient up until today. I actually called again this morning for service adviser to call me back. Heard nothing, so I followed up around 4. Was told he left for the day but they'd get me to a manager. Heard nothing so I followed up around 6 only to be told there's no one that I can talk to and nothing anyone can do. I then drove out there to find out what the heck is going on.

No one can tell me what's been done to the car, if anything, what it's actually waiting on, the ETA of any parts or even WHERE the car currently is. I find it ridiculous and infuriating.

Stop dealing with your Service Writer, he’s obviously not giving you any answers. You need to reference the link I posted above and call the Ford 800#. Get a Regional CSR to open a Case for you. That will expedite your vehicle repair but also put priority on it for the Dealership. The Ford CSR will be in contact with the Dealership to follow up on the repair efforts to getting your vehicle done.

COVID is playing a role in delays with repairs, shipment of parts etc - BUT it should not be used as an underlying excuse to keep Customer’s cars for months at a time.

If the Dealership knows their labor limitations and current backlog of delays, they should be telling the Customers up front and letting the Customer make an informed decision as to if they want their vehicle sitting there for extended periods of time BEFORE it can even be worked on.

 

[Balr14]

@Balr14 , it seems like the opposite for me, given there are so many cars that come through either dealership. I think my 'vert w/ PP combination is rather rare, as I don't see too many on the road around me, but alas I am the only one that tends to notice I guess. Out of curiosity, what made you switch from BMW, Porsche, and Lexus to the Mustang?

I have typically bought used higher-end cars that are about 5 - 8 years old. That allowed me to have cars that cost $100k - $200k when new, cars that I never could have bought otherwise, as my ceiling for buying a car is $70k. Aside from being able to drive a really nice car, the dealerships are impressive, for their service, professionalism and courtesy; plus very nice loaners. They always give you something nicer than what you are driving, to try to influence your future purchases.

But, there are downsides. There are not a lot of high-end dealers in the area I live, so the drive is often a factor. You may have paid $50k for a $130k car, but when it needs repairs or service, it's still a $130k car. An extended warranty may be an option, but for many models it isn't cheap and you never know how good the warranty company is at covering the repair. I had one, that is now out of business, refuse to cover a repair on a Mercedes, they refunded my premiums and cancel my policy. Plus, all of the high-end German cars, have at least one serious flaw that will really bite you in the ass if it breaks. Porsche has PDK and bore scoring, Audi has AC issues, BMW has valve guides and Mercedes has ABC, to name just a few. These are all $15k repairs and much more.

So, there is an element of stress associated with owning any of these cars. You are constantly looking out for any little thing that could be wrong. It comes with the territory. Love the cars, hate the stress. The Mustang was great "stress relief". It has a warranty and nothing on it costs a lot to fix. My wife loves it. She hated all the other German "hot rods". She liked the Lexus. I hated it. They are for old people. I'm 77, but I'll never be that old.

 

[Sevensixteen]

In my line of work I’ve had the chance to be behind the curtain & see the sausage making at the ford service centers in my area . I will say that your car isn’t getting treated any better than you are ! When I ordered mine I let the salesman know what I’ve seen & that I had only one request, please don’t wash it ! I’ll take her home just the way she came off the car carrier

 

[BimmerDriver]

@BimmerDriver , I know this may be an apples and oranges comparison, but how has your experience been at the BMW Service departments?

Generally it's pretty good - I'm treated with respect and typically get a service loaner, timely updates on the repairs, ETA, etc. and more often than not, items are addressed properly. They've never damaged any of our cars.

However, the M2 was a different experience. Briefly:

I had issues with the iDrive/nav wherein if I was using navigation, it would crash every few minutes. It took several visits and an escalation with BMW corporate to get them to replace the whole unit, which finally fixed it. Then they forgot to plug in the USB port, requiring another visit.

Then I had minor issues with the steering. That took 4 visits including escalation with the BMW regional tech and a drive with him to acknowledge the issue. Once that was done, I immediately got a loaner, they ordered the part (a whole new rack) and expedited the repair. That was great except that they didn't tighten up the wheel bolts properly. And they didn't hook up all of the battery cables properly, requiring yet another visit to diagnose and reattach the missing cable (accessory switchable exhaust).

Once all that was done, the car was problem-free. European car dealers, with the exception of my local Audi dealer, tend to be much better at customer service and acting like they care.

 

[BimmerDriver]

I'm 77, but I'll never be that old.

LOL, thank you for that! I too have been able to avoid the siren song of the care-free Lexus, partly because of the image.

That may change with the LC, but I haven't seen it in person yet.

 

[Balr14]

LOL, thank you for that! I too have been able to avoid the siren song of the care-free Lexus, partly because of the image.

That may change with the LC, but I haven't seen it in person yet.

Lexus does not build cars for enthusiasts. Beware!

 

[Rock&Roll]

4 things

1. My 1st free oil change they put in 7 quarts of oil instead of 8. I noticed this when I got home and had to put another quart in.

2. Gave me the wrong bolts twice when I got my Strut Tower brace. 2nd time they insisted it was me and that I just need to use more elbow grease putting them on that made me strip them. I finally got the right part # from someone on this forum and ordered them from a dealer online.

3. 2nd oil change they gave me a hard time about changing the oil. I wanted full synthetic and they refused to do that . When I bought the car they said I would get 3 free oil changes. I told them I would pay for the difference and It was like pulling teeth. I had to bypass the sevice manager and go to the owner. They kept on insisting they where gonna use regular oil and I'd be okay. while laughing at me. It was pretty insulting the way they talked to me.. So I do my own oil changes now..

4. My air bag was defective. It took 4 visits and eventually leaving the car for a week for them to fix it. It's like they just don't care about the customer.


Its' a shame because I really wanted to like the dealer and use them regularly.

 

[NorthernProducer]

There have always been good and bad dealer service departments. I've been buying new Ford cars and trucks (and a few Mercury and Lincoln autos) since 1965. I even worked as a tech at a Ford dealer in the 1960's. I have found since then, dealership experiences have suffered from incompetence (in both sales and service), bad attitudes, lack of respect for customers and more. I believe a lot of this decline has come about as we lose those family owned Ford dealerships and they are replaced by multi dealer-owners and corporate owned dealerships that have "absentee" owners.

My own experience with my local, small town, Ford dealership reflects what I just described as a reason for the decline in the customer experience. For years, my Ford dealership was family owned with the principal maintaining an office at the dealership. He took the time to roam the floor and talk to his customers. The family managed service and sales, and made sure that customers were happy with their experiences. All that changed when death claimed 2 of the family involved at the dealership. The remaining family member sold the business to a multiline, out of state company. As a result, the best tech's and service writers left, sales struggled to retain the "old" customer base and their Lincoln sales fell to such a degree, they lost that franchise.

I only took my 2019 Mustang GT Premium convertible (with PP1 and 6 speed) one time for the free oil change, and that didn't go well. I discovered a small puddle of oil under car when I returned home and found the tech failed to tighten the oil filter. I gave my feedback to the service manager and completed my Ford Service survey honestly. I will not return my Mustang for service and will do that myself. I am also reluctant to leave my 2019 F-150 Lariat for service as well.

That's it for my most recent experience.

 

[BimmerDriver]

Oh, I forgot a few incidents.

In the 80s, I brought my Chevy to the dealer for whatever reason, and when I went to get it, they said they lost my keys. They cut new ones for the car, but couldn't replace the house key that was on it. I learned from that one.

In the 90s, I brought my new Chevy Corvette in for an adjustment of the passenger window. They made me wait for hours, as it turns out, because the tech was too busy doing oil changes, and damaged the car with the window glass hitting the pillar. Needless to say, Corvette owners can be a bit high strung. LOL So I gave them a piece of my mind.

Just a few years ago, I had the wife's BMW in for service, and it took them 30 minutes to find the keys. The service advisor was more angry than I was, apparently it happened frequently there.

The wife (before we got married) bought one of those discount cards that kids sell to raise money, which allowed for a "free" oil change. Natch only the oil was free, you had to pay $18 for the oil filter. I picked up the car (SUV) and drove it back to her house. Not trusting anyone* I checked the oil level, and it didn't even register on the dipstick. And the oil filler cap was missing. This required two more trips back, one for them to put in another couple of quarts and another for the replacement cap. Free?

* - took the car in to "Precision Tune" for an oil change. Car took 5 1/2 quarts. They put in 5. I checked it later and saw that it was low. I went back and the manager said "the tech didn't want to open another bottle of oil just to put in half of it".

OK, since I'm on a roll here, this didn't happen to me but I read/watched about it on the local news:

A guy was picketing the local quick lube place not far from my work. Turns out that they did an oil change but didn't put in the oil or put it in the wrong place or whatever, and ruined the engine. He wanted them to replace the engine.

It turns out, it was him. He worked there, and had done the oil change himself on his own car.

Just to shut him up and stop the bad press, they replaced his engine. Natch he doesn't work there any more.

 

[jimbabwe]

Wow, thanks for all of the responses! I guess I wasn't the only one who needed a good rant on this subject, unfortunately.

@fmc_smt thanks for sharing the cool pics! I don't doubt that there are good and take pride in their work. I was curious if the experiences I've had were generally experienced by others, or if my area was suffering in particular. Judging by the responses, unfortunately it seems like the former. @NorthernProducer thanks for sharing the background story on your dealership, that's sad to hear how a decline in customer service, in sales or service, can be pointed to multi-dealer or absentee owners.

 

[Son of SVO]

Hi all,

Just had my second service visit to my local dealership on Tuesday. No issues. The service advisor asked me if I wanted full synthetic or not and I told him full is what my car takes. I was waiting and he came in to inform me that there would be a slight delay as they had to get 2 more quarts of the special oil my car takes. The HPP of course uses 6 quarts of 5w 50 full synthetic.

When I was paying he attached his card to my receipt and asked me to give him a 5 on the survey and he'll cover my next oil change! He made sure all the garage coverings were removed. The oil life monitor was reset, unlike last time. I received a call yesterday from customer service inquiring about my experience.