Unfortunately, it sounds like par for the course for MOST American labor workers . Good luck getting it right. Personally, I never send my steak back into the kitchen if there is something wrong with it. I just go elsewhere next time. If you want anything done right, you better do it yourself!

 

My tranny flush was done at the cooler lines, but yeah, old fluid pumped out, new fluid in. You don't drop the pan and change the filter every time you flush transmission fluid. You might change the filter at 300K miles or so. It is done so infrequently, the ford parts counters and auto part stores have to special order the transmission filters. As far as the differential, I removed the cover and resealed it and filled with new fluid. If however, there was a way to do it by draining and refilling, I would have done it in a second. There are no filters in the differential, so no reason to not just simply replace the fluid.

 

Sucks man!! But this is just why I do all my own work and no one gets the keys!! Not to mention the jerkoff that did the work probably took a little joy ride in your truck after he did his half *** job... And if I ever do have work done to my truck by someone I stand right there and watch them no matter how long it takes even bring my own chair, I will also say "hey bud shouldn't you grab a torque wrench for that?"

 

Exactly. I watch the whole time.

 

I just make my apprentices do my services, it's much cheaper and even more fun to teach them the right way to do it! A dying art form I'm afraid!
Jim & fat Monty

 

Sounds like some corners were cut. They probably did the work, just not at the level you would have liked, or that you would have done yourself.

On the rear diff for example, it is standard practice at many shops to suck the old fluid out the fill hole, and refill. No opening the cover or inspecting the gears. You get new fluid, and that is it. They are not cheating you, it is just a difference in opinion on what a proper service consists of. I could say the same about the coolant flush. Even the tranny service at many places just means dropping the pan and refilling.

If you don't clarify up front exactly what and how you want it done, you leave it open to interpretation and shop practice. And if you don't watch, you leave yourself open to fraud. It is unfortunate, but a fact of life in America. This is why we do so much of our own maintenance. Speaking for myself, it is not to save money, it is to get the job done to my own satisfaction.

 

I appreciate all the input. I usually do all of my own maintenance. I probably should have this time. Man I've just been jammed up at work do to manning shortfalls and end of fiscal year. After really going through things I think the only things that are lacking is bringing the new brake fluid to the calipers and actually flushing the tranny with a heated flush machine as I've learned on here. I can go to the hobby shops on base and take care of the calipers real quick. I won't pay for it again. But hey, at least some people will have an idea of what it costs!