Lemon Log

[Ruby305GT]

^^This.

My buddy was always on my case about the issues in my 13' until his S65 had noisey/pulsating brakes and a bad clutch pack in the tranny @17k.

$100k+ car, hand built motor, top QC in the business maybe even the world and a month in the shop.

Happens to the best of em'

Excuse my ignorance, but what's an S65? I know of a future S65 Benz coming in 2016 possibly, but did you mean S63?

I understand about % of issues on a mass produced vehicle, but I hate the fact that apart from a small percentage of dealers, most turn away folks with "normal operation" as in piss off, if it's not broken don't fix it attitude. When pinned against other experiences I've had coming from Nissan/Infiniti, where they would hand me a loaner for oil changes, and replace parts because THEY noticed something odd, not even a complaint I made.... It's a big difference. The perception is being affected at X layer, which needs to be taken care of. If the dealerships are representing the company, and Ford is allowing them to turn away guys with "normal operation" for obvious issues, then where does the issue lie?


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[RubyRed15]

Excuse my ignorance, but what's an S65? I know of a future S65 Benz coming in 2016 possibly, but did you mean S63?

I understand about % of issues on a mass produced vehicle, but I hate the fact that apart from a small percentage of dealers, most turn away folks with "normal operation" as in piss off, if it's not broken don't fix it attitude. When pinned against other experiences I've had coming from Nissan/Infiniti, where they would hand me a loaner for oil changes, and replace parts because THEY noticed something odd, not even a complaint I made.... It's a big difference. The perception is being affected at X layer, which needs to be taken care of. If the dealerships are representing the company, and Ford is allowing them to turn away guys with "normal operation" for obvious issues, then where does the issue lie?


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^^ THIS THIS

 

[rvlyssup]

I agree with Ruby305GT...

What Ford wants to continue doing is business as usual; they already got our money so who gives a sh!t. Be it if your dealer is on your side or not, it does not matter. Someone is going to tow the company line and we as consumers may have no choice but take matters into our own hands to either fight them or just fix the problems with better products. Either way, end user is screwed.

I feel bad for the folks that DD their Mustangs and have bad motors. Let alone the driveline guys as well. Too bad, looks like this is my last Ford. I got better things to do in my life than get inconvenienced further. What a PITA!

I reckon I start planning my ground up suspension rebuild using Steeda parts and get rid of Ford POS components.

 

[MagneticA]

I agree. It would be nice if you could take everything at face value and trust everyone you meet. But there are people that will tell you there is something wrong with your car when there isn't, just as there are customers that'll want something fixed that doesn't need to be fixed (general statement not intended for anyone). Or customers who damage their car and try to cover it up so it'll be covered by a warranty.

Costs affect many decisions. If you're running a company on X amount of $ you have to decide where to put your dough. Some companies want higher sales, so they'll put more into developing the product. Others want repeat business, so they'll allocate more $ for service. The trick is for companies to find a good balance.

When you're talking about dealerships you have to remember they are somewhat disconnected with the manufacturer. Obviously they carry the brand name and represent it, but they are also individual entities with their own goals, budgets, and hardships. It's sort of like a family. The parents are the manufacturers of their offspring. They set guidelines and have expectations, but the offspring make their own way and decisions. These decisions reflect on the parents, but don't define the parents because within a family you can have a range of characters. So it's really unfair to judge the parents based solely on their children.

Think I'm starting to ramble...

 

[icarumba]

I don't care what you buy - when it is mass produced there will be a % with issues. Make sure to vet your dealer before you buy so you have confidence in the customer service over the life of the warranty. No need to dump on an entire company because a few folks ended up with the % of cars that inevitably have issues. Were this the commonly practiced way we'd have no reputable companies. Recalls, by the way, are a good thing... especially when made in a timely manner. I'd be much more annoyed if recalls didn't happen until injury/death forced a company's hand.

Listen, some people get the short end of the stick. That's life. I'm not saying it's fair. But it's on you how you respond to those situations. Because in the end, happiness depends upon ourselves.

I don't dispute the fact that any product line is bound to have a few bad ones slip through the cracks. I even had a glitchy Accord back in the 90's, and that is a really rare occurrence. I never expect perfection when I buy a product, but what I do expect is that if there is a significant issue with that product, the manufacturer will repair or replace it with a minimum level of inconvenience to the customer. Period. Simple as that. If you are going to provide a warranty, then honor the warranty.

A perfect example: The transmission recently failed on my wife's 2010 Chrysler Sebring at around 40k miles. She had it flatbedded to a local dealer that she had never been to before (she bought the car at Carmax). The dealer told her no problem; it's covered by the warranty, we will get it fixed. And they gave her a loaner car. And not a clapped-out Fiesta like I usually get; a new Chrysler 200. They had it a week, got it fixed, everybody's happy. And you know what? If she ever decides to buy another Chrysler (but oh god I hope not :barf, she will go back to that dealer first. See how that works? If that was the way I had been treated, I'd be happy as a clam. I would have quickly forgotten all about the problems and inconvenience, and gone on as if it had never happened.

And yes, I also agree that a recall is much better than having someone get hurt. But getting it right the first time is better than a recall.

I would love nothing more than to have a Mustang that is built as well as it should be, and the fact that others have cars like that is encouraging. But I can't help but think that their point of view might be a little different if they were one of the people that paid good money for a defective product that they can't get fixed.

I am not the kind of person that immediately gets wrapped around the axle the second something goes wrong. What makes my blood boil is when a person or company willfully and deliberately breaks a promise. In this case, Ford provided a warranty that effectively promises that they will fix manufacturing defects for a certain amount of time or miles. Perhaps there is a line in there somewhere about "if we feel like it", but I must have missed that.

 

[GT Pony]

In this case, Ford provided a warranty that effectively promises that they will fix manufacturing defects for a certain amount of time or miles. Perhaps there is a line in there somewhere about "if we feel like it", but I must have missed that.

It's in real small print in invisible ink ... get out the magnifying glass and black light. :ford:

 

[icarumba]

It's in real small print in invisible ink ... get out the magnifying glass and black light. :ford:

Lol...ok, I see it now. My bad. Never mind everyone!

 

[MagneticA]

I am not the kind of person that immediately gets wrapped around the axle the second something goes wrong.

Nice line.
I agree - not all dealers are created equally. I have a limited view having only worked with 3 dealers in my lifetime - Two Dodge and one Ford. I've always been given loaners when needed and top notch service. Even had my Ford dealer offer to drive to my house to drop off the all-weather mats I ordered. I also seek out small dealers as I find their service more personable than the big guys. When I ordered the Mustang I spent two weeks interviewing dealers to find out who's person-to-person service was up to par. Talk about an eye-opening experience. Their out-the-door prices varied widely as did their service. Worst service came from the "#1 dealer in the city". Before I left I told him he might not keep that title if his service didn't change.

I haven't had any problems with my car yet. And I'm not foolish enough to think I never will. But I have all the confidence that my dealer will fairly take care of me when the time comes. Had I gone with another dealer I might not feel that way.

 

[icarumba]

Nice line.

Yet another gem that I never heard until I moved to the South from SoCal. That's right up there with "Howzyer Mominem?" LOL..these guys are a hoot!

A good dealer is a wonderful thing, and does make a huge difference in the ownership experience. The local Mazda and Toyota dealers that I used to go to were first rate all the way...both in sales and in service. However, there are only four Ford dealers within a reasonable distance from where I live and work, and three of them I won't go back to under any circumstances. The last one seemed to be pretty decent to deal with when I took it in, but they never answered any of my follow-up emails. Next time I need to take it in, I will pick up the phone and find out what the real deal is. If they turn out to be unreliable like the others, I am completely and utterly screwed...and that is not a good feeling at all.

Another thing that concerns me is the out-of-pocket cost of having my car in the shop. So far, my car has been in the shop for 16 days, and fortunately my CSM has authorized a loaner at Ford's expense for all of it (something that I do appreciate very much). But there is no guarantee that they will continue to do so. If I had had to pay for all of that, even at the discounted rate of $35 a day, it would come to a whopping $560!! I didn't budget enough for a car payment AND a part time rental car.

So next time you see your dealer, give him a big kiss on the lips to show him how much he is appreciated (it's OK...under these circumstances, it's not weird). :lol:

 

[MagneticA]

So next time you see your dealer, give him a big kiss on the lips to show him how much he is appreciated (it's OK...under these circumstances, it's not weird). :lol:

Considering the price I drove away with, this box has already been checked.

 

[FordService]

I'd like to put the Ford bashing on pause for a few seconds to give them some kudos. The one thing they have gotten right so far is having a social media presence on this and other forums.

This has really been the only part of the Ford ownership experience that seems to work the way it should. Interacting with a live person helps to mitigate some of the aggravation of dealing with a faceless, bumbling bureaucracy.

And no, I'm not just sucking up. FordService was a big help when I first started having issues, but my case has been escalated beyond their scope; insincere flattery wouldn't make any difference at this point.

So thanks to all of you at FordService! We appreciate your help, and most of us realize that you can only do so much for us before the pointy-haired idiots in the ivory tower say . They're only customers. We already have their money anyway".

Thanks! I really appreciate the kind words, icarumba!

Deysha

 

[Chameleon]

icarumba..

[ame]

 

[icarumba]

Lol...wow!

 

[icarumba]

***MEDIATION UPDATE***

I'm less than two weeks into the mediation process, and things are moving along well. The BBB is really on the ball! My rep communicates with me immediately as soon as there is any news to report.

I guess filing a claim with the BBB is what you need to do to get Ford's attention! addle: Today I got word that they would like to try to fix my car one last time. This time however, they are sending a corporate engineer out to work on it. I just tell them which dealer I want to take it to, and the engineer will meet me there so we can discuss the issues face to face. As I understand it, nobody other than the Ford engineer will touch my car on this visit. If he can fix it to my satisfaction...great! I'll drop the case. If not, the case continues to arbitration unless Ford decides to settle.

So far, so good. I'm more than willing to let them have another go at it, as long as it gets me one step closer to some kind of resolution. I just wish that I didn't have to resort to filing a claim to get them to take action.

I'll post more updates as things progress.

 

[Ruby305GT]

***MEDIATION UPDATE***



I'm less than two weeks into the mediation process, and things are moving along well. The BBB is really on the ball! My rep communicates with me immediately as soon as there is any news to report.



I guess filing a claim with the BBB is what you need to do to get Ford's attention! addle: Today I got word that they would like to try to fix my car one last time. This time however, they are sending a corporate engineer out to work on it. I just tell them which dealer I want to take it to, and the engineer will meet me there so we can discuss the issues face to face. As I understand it, nobody other than the Ford engineer will touch my car on this visit. If he can fix it to my satisfaction...great! I'll drop the case. If not, the case continues to arbitration unless Ford decides to settle.



So far, so good. I'm more than willing to let them have another go at it, as long as it gets me one step closer to some kind of resolution. I just wish that I didn't have to resort to filing a claim to get them to take action.



I'll post more updates as things progress.

Do you still want the car? If not, no matter what you can just tell them you don't want the car and you're done with it. The law is on your side now, and more importantly the BBB. Why play nice now when they've spun your wheels, frustrated you, and made you wait. Why have to resort to the highest possible complaint in order to get proper attention?

Again, if you don't want to deal with it, whether they fix it or not, you can just tell them to shove it at this point, they have to refund you if you choose.


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