[ishldbwrkng]

ok maybe this is not a surprise to some but after paying more than 30k for a car I would expect at least comparable service to say a $12,000 toyota/scion. Wrong

After holding off on a visit to the dealership for fear of this very thing, I finally gave in today as I had the day off and some time to spare. I stopped in and asked them to look at my car because of a sticking parking break in cold weather. I told them I saw a tsb (#0654) and suspected it pertained to my car. I also explained that it was difficult for me to drop the car off during the week as it is my only form of transportation, so I hoped that they could diagnose it today and limit my time off from work to one day for the repairs.

When I picked up the car the service manager said that the parking brake was slightly out of adjustment so they adjusted it. He said if it happened again to bring it back. ---- slightly dejected I went out to my car to discover that --- yep brake was frozen (luckily in the down/off position) -- back inside he says well bring it in tomorrow and we will look at it again!!!!!! aarrrrggghhhhhhhhhh

Does ford allow their employees limitless time off? or am I just getting worked up over nothing?

[stlwagon]

Originally Posted by ishldbwrkng

ok maybe this is not a surprise to some but after paying more than 30k for a car I would expect at least comparable service to say a $12,000 toyota/scion. Wrong

After holding off on a visit to the dealership for fear of this very thing, I finally gave in today as I had the day off and some time to spare. I stopped in and asked them to look at my car because of a sticking parking break in cold weather. I told them I saw a tsb (#0654) and suspected it pertained to my car. I also explained that it was difficult for me to drop the car off during the week as it is my only form of transportation, so I hoped that they could diagnose it today and limit my time off from work to one day for the repairs.

When I picked up the car the service manager said that the parking brake was slightly out of adjustment so they adjusted it. He said if it happened again to bring it back. ---- slightly dejected I went out to my car to discover that --- yep brake was frozen (luckily in the down/off position) -- back inside he says well bring it in tomorrow and we will look at it again!!!!!! aarrrrggghhhhhhhhhh

Does ford allow their employees limitless time off? or am I just getting worked up over nothing?

Acceptable? No... Surprising? No. Unfortunately they're the only game in town for warranty service. But they should have listened to you.

[white angel]

I think they take pleasure in our misery.
They have us by the you know what's,
I don't have those though!! LOL

[UtahStang]

That DOES give you some advantage Angel, just flash your pretty eyes at em and I bet they do just what you say

[ishldbwrkng]

well fortunately I got to drive away w/my car angel - and it is hard to be miserable in that posistion.

"They have us by the you know what's"

so you've met my service manager -- I think he would take pleasure in that

thanks for the chuckle -

[myltlpny]

My local dealership is like that. I brought my F-150 in to have a door lock fixed. Since I don't go around the passenger side much, I didn't notice until several days later that they broke my weatherstripping. So now I go 35 minutes away to Williamsburg, where I bought my GT, to get my service done. I've been very pleased with them so far. Very professional and quick.

[tripleblack]

Service levels at dealerships vary wildly. Since this is a portion of the business environment that depends utterly on personalities and the individuals involved, this is no surprise.

Being an old and experienced car guy, I rarely visit dealers. The last car that tempted me to buy it new was the GT500, but I have an allergic aversion to being screwed, and they were intent on a violent rape before parting with one, so I quickly overcame that wild idea.

I remember when I bought my 02. It was low mileage and not quite out of warranty, and the seller made a point to tell me I could still get it fixed at the dealership. I looked at him like he was crazy and actually asked him "Are you trying to talk me out of buying the car?"

Having said all this, there ARE some ways to tell a potentially Good dealership from a Bad'un.

As a businessman, I can tell you with great authority that any Dealer who doesn't keep his primary source of income clean, well stocked, and easily accessible for his customers is an idiot. Now, before you start talking about their nice lot, big selection of cars and comfy seating in the new car sales area, be advised all this means nothing.

The dealer's most profitable department, bar none, is their Parts department. Biggest markups, least labor investment, and a license to print money if well managed.

If you walk into the dealership and the Parts department looks like the black hole of Calcutta, don't expect much from the rest of the place.

Many dealerships are blissfully unaware of this fact. Part of the reason is the idiotic idea of lumping the parts department (and its juicy profits) in with the Service Department. Wrong. If they're doing this, its another clear indicator that they don't have a handle on what they should be doing.

Having mentioned the Service Department, this is the THIRD most profitable portion of the Dealership (2nd is the Used Car Lot). If you can't normally drive up and see a service adviser at once (or after a very brief wait) you're at an inferior dealership. This rule applies to ALL dealerships, from Mercedes (stay clear of RBM in Atlanta, for instance) to Hyundai. If the service bays are filthy and littered with tools, you should just leave - they are sure to treat your car with the same comtempt they have for themselves and their environment.

Next time you're in a dealership (any dealership) see if my observations don't work. I bet they do.

Oh, and always buy your new car (if you must buy a new car) on the last day of the month, with you arriving at the dealership about mid-day. Leave your business card and cell # with your offer (make it reasonable - crazy won't gain you anything) and leave. Tell them you are ready to buy the car today (you need to already have your credit union lined up for financing - their financing rarely equates to what your own folks can do for you). DO NOT let them trap you on their premises while they start the "dance-of-the-elves" with the sales manager! Leave the premises. If your offer is anywhere near reasonable, you WILL get a call back with a firm counteroffer. DO NOT return to the dealership without a verbal deal done over the phone.

[myltlpny]

Trippleblack, your descriptions of a good dealership is spot on. My local dealer, whom I won't use is your exact description of a poor dealership. In all respects. The dealer where I bought my GT, and now use for any service is also exactly as you describe. Neat and clean. The parts department is completely separate and equally clean. The cars in the lot are also clean, and organized. Different models aren't all jumbled together. Even their used cars are clean. Williamsburg Ford may be an additional 35 minutes away, but when I pull in with my GT, they're not only careful with it, the mechanics will generally stop by to give it a quick look and make compliments.

[pcfrisch]

So far my dealership has been great at fixing things, They even replaced my hood liner at no charge, which a mouse took up residence while parked in my garage

[stlwagon]

Originally Posted by tripleblack

Service levels at dealerships vary wildly. Since this is a portion of the business environment that depends utterly on personalities and the individuals involved, this is no surprise.

Being an old and experienced car guy, I rarely visit dealers. The last car that tempted me to buy it new was the GT500, but I have an allergic aversion to being screwed, and they were intent on a violent rape before parting with one, so I quickly overcame that wild idea.

I remember when I bought my 02. It was low mileage and not quite out of warranty, and the seller made a point to tell me I could still get it fixed at the dealership. I looked at him like he was crazy and actually asked him "Are you trying to talk me out of buying the car?"

Having said all this, there ARE some ways to tell a potentially Good dealership from a Bad'un.

As a businessman, I can tell you with great authority that any Dealer who doesn't keep his primary source of income clean, well stocked, and easily accessible for his customers is an idiot. Now, before you start talking about their nice lot, big selection of cars and comfy seating in the new car sales area, be advised all this means nothing.

The dealer's most profitable department, bar none, is their Parts department. Biggest markups, least labor investment, and a license to print money if well managed.

If you walk into the dealership and the Parts department looks like the black hole of Calcutta, don't expect much from the rest of the place.

Many dealerships are blissfully unaware of this fact. Part of the reason is the idiotic idea of lumping the parts department (and its juicy profits) in with the Service Department. Wrong. If they're doing this, its another clear indicator that they don't have a handle on what they should be doing.

Having mentioned the Service Department, this is the THIRD most profitable portion of the Dealership (2nd is the Used Car Lot). If you can't normally drive up and see a service adviser at once (or after a very brief wait) you're at an inferior dealership. This rule applies to ALL dealerships, from Mercedes (stay clear of RBM in Atlanta, for instance) to Hyundai. If the service bays are filthy and littered with tools, you should just leave - they are sure to treat your car with the same comtempt they have for themselves and their environment.

Next time you're in a dealership (any dealership) see if my observations don't work. I bet they do.

Oh, and always buy your new car (if you must buy a new car) on the last day of the month, with you arriving at the dealership about mid-day. Leave your business card and cell # with your offer (make it reasonable - crazy won't gain you anything) and leave. Tell them you are ready to buy the car today (you need to already have your credit union lined up for financing - their financing rarely equates to what your own folks can do for you). DO NOT let them trap you on their premises while they start the "dance-of-the-elves" with the sales manager! Leave the premises. If your offer is anywhere near reasonable, you WILL get a call back with a firm counteroffer. DO NOT return to the dealership without a verbal deal done over the phone.

Great observation! Very interesting stuff.

[VintageV8]

Considering the number of customers a dealership might service in a day. You might have made an appointment in advance as it would appear this was not a "new" but an ongoing problem. Be somewhat reasonable.
Yes, the car should have been fixed, you might have water in the cable and it should have been replaced. I lived in New England and that can happen. In fact, it was recommended not to put on the parking brake in cold weather because exactly that would happen.

"Does ford allow their employees limitless time off? or am I just getting worked up over nothing?" = I think you know the answer to this.

[Jenkinsbball]

I took my old F150 to a dealership after my horn blew out. I had just gone out of warranty (of course), so I just wanted it checked to see what the problem was. They took it in and told me the that (I forgot exactly what they said now) the inner timing something or other needed to be replaced. They quoated me $306.00 for the repair. I said no and took my truck back.

The time came around for my inspection to be done, so I had to get my horn fixed. A friend and I went over it looking for any burnt out fuses, but we couldn't find any. I drove my truck down to Houston so my brother could get the repair done for me cheap. That's when I get the call. We must've missed a fuse.

The dealership tried to steal $300 from me over a $.25 fuse. Needing to replace the horns as well, I ended up spending around $100 to completely fix my issue. I do not trust dealerships anymore.

Now, working at a service drive makes me trust them even less. Upselling is sickening. Why pay someone $600-1100 to replace fluids? Completely retarded. And, worst of all, people pay without even blinking.

Payton Wright, whom I had good service through, did something to my door when I took my car in to get some warranty work done. One day, the door shut fine, but when I picked it up the next day, the door ajar light would blink on and off and a beeping would occur. I looked at the passenger door and the gap between the front where the fender is was at least half an inch. I took it back to the dealership and they knew nothing of it.

Seems they stopped wanting to do warranty work on my car. I took it in for the emergency brake freezing and they gave me the shove off. Thankfully I don't have to go back there anymore either.

Sorry for the rant, just a heads up.

[tripleblack]

Originally Posted by pcfrisch

So far my dealership has been great at fixing things, They even replaced my hood liner at no charge, which a mouse took up residence while parked in my garage

Anyone who fixes rodent damage has a big heart - no doubt about it.

[tripleblack]

Ah, a more subtle way to sniff out a good dealership.

Making appointments is always a good idea - absolutely do so when you can.

More important still is how the dealership reacts to a customer with an emergency. If you discover you are pointedly ignored when they discover you didn't "schedule" your transmission failure 3 blocks from the Dealership, well, its time to call a wrecker or see if you can limp in 2nd gear to that AAMCO dealership down the block. (This happened to me at a Mercedes dealership - so the type of car means nothing when it comes to service).

Even so, the best system (and several Ford dealerships in Atlanta have this system) puts the service advisers out in the covered drive-thru (this is where the design of the entire dealership is customer-centric, of course). Whether you have an appointment or not, everyone drives up into the large garage-like structure (out of the weather, of course) and pulls up right to the adviser waiting to hear your story. Dealerships that put the advisers in nice offices behind closed doors are not doing the job.

Parking brakes ARE critically important items. Park your car without using one on a slope, and you might regret it. A new car running around without one is an insurance liability for that Dealership, particularly should it take off down a hill with that afternoon's receipt in the glove box claiming to have fixed the problem!

Another test of a good dealership - protecting the lives of its customers and itself from bankruptcy because a new Mustang's parking brake malfunctioned and took out a busload of kids.

Originally Posted by VintageV8

Considering the number of customers a dealership might service in a day. You might have made an appointment in advance as it would appear this was not a "new" but an ongoing problem. Be somewhat reasonable.
Yes, the car should have been fixed, you might have water in the cable and it should have been replaced. I lived in New England and that can happen. In fact, it was recommended not to put on the parking brake in cold weather because exactly that would happen.

"Does ford allow their employees limitless time off? or am I just getting worked up over nothing?" = I think you know the answer to this.

[dtwwest]

My experiences with Ford service in the greater Atlanta area overall has been good. Did have one service writer who obviuosly was not the brightest bulb in the box. It was when I had my 05 and wanted to get two TSBs fixed. I explained that I go to work so early that it would be easier for me to leave my car on a Saturday and I did not care how long they had to keep the car because it was not driven much. The service guy said that it was warranty work and Ford Corporation was closed on Saturday so I couldn't leave my car on Saturday. Uh?

Needless to say, I did not want that bunch working on my car and went 7 miles down the road. They were fantastic and because of the service I received I went there to trade in the 05 on the 06. I also told them that it was because of their service depatment that I came to them to get my 06. The service manager was mile wide smiles when they brought her into the showroom to tell her what i said.