Forgive me for venting...maybe someone has a better idea. My truck has 27,550 and the right exhaust manifold cracked. You know the routine....make an appointment ...they look a it while you wait....schedule to have it done next week. They say drop it off at 7:30, we have the parts, be ready by 5:00. So I get a rental car and drop it off. I call the dealer at 4:30 to see if its done...not done ...should be ready lunch time tomorrow. So tomorrow comes and I call them at 3:00 to see how much longer. Well, 2 studs broke and we don't have any....should be here by 10:00 am tomorrow and it should be ready by 12:00pm.
9:00am today I call to ask the service manager if my truck can please be ready by 5:00pm. He puts me back on with the service advisor who told me my truck would be ready by 5:00 2 days ago. I need my truck done, if they can't finish it push it outside and i'll bring it somewhere who can do it. Oh, don't worry, we'll have it done. In the mean time i'm up to $150 and .30/mile for the car rental which was only supposed to be $50 - 1 day. I really wanted the service manager to tell me it would be done. This kinda thing warrants nice polite letters to Ford.FORD

 

If you look in the back of your manual there will be a number for Ford Customer Care. A call to them will usually get a call to the dealer and a "push" in the right direction. There have been alot of guys here that have gone that route and gotten real good results.

 

Exactly. The complaint is w/ the dealer, not Ford - that's an important distinction. I would try to get them (the dealer) to cover at least a portion of your rental car expenses. Did you buy the truck there? Around here if you buy it there they'll give you a loaner when yours is in the shop.

 

Yes, you have a dealer problem.

I've found ford to be some of the best as far as dealers go.

One in my area squeezed me in when I had an issue with a warning light right before we were leaving on a trip. I didn't even buy the truck from them and only had it in once before for a recall on the cam sensor. Without asking, they just set me up with a free rental so we could complete our last minute errands.

 

Yes and no on it not being a Ford problem. Up here I've experienced the same poor service and in 04' it caused me to switch brands, if there isn't a good dealer service center in the area it is most definitely Ford's problem. I bought a 2010 Super Duty last year and if I end up needing any warranty service and it's as poor as it was in 04' I will not buy another Ford....ever. It might not be 100% Ford's fault but they can set a standard that all Ford authorized service department's need to meet and if they don't you can either fine them or pull their dealership. In the short term it would cause problems but in the long term I think it would be a sound investment in their companies sales. Service after the sale is extremely important.

 

Ask them to cover the rental days exceeding the schedule they gave you. I have asked and been given this courtesy several times. The promised date should be on your original estimate.

Be nice! But don't take no for an answer until you've reached the top.

 

Well....no truck until Monday the earliest. Turns out only 3 of the 4 studs were sent and they did not check all the parts that came in until 3:00 when they were going to finish it. They said they were putting 2 guys on it to get it done by 5:00...but failed to check the parts bag sooner.

They will cover the rental car for 3 days, Sat., Sun, & Mon.

There was no estimate as it was warranty work.

I was a nice as one could try to be ...however my letter to Ford will NOT be nice.

 

That's why BillyBob's advice to contact Ford was good. Did you complain to Ford about your service at the dealer, give them a chance to rectify the situation? I agree that bad dealers reflect poorly on Ford and can lead to defections, but how can Ford know about dealer problems if people don't compalin? I completey agree that they should have a standard...and I would suspect that they do. And they should be able to yank their franchise if they don't meet standards...not sure how that would work legally though.

 

At least you're getting somewhere with them.
You have a very good reason to complain, they've dropped the ball more than once.

Only my opinion but your letter should just be factual. Explain it to them as you have here. Then tell them how disappointed you are with ford, it's service and the amount of inconvenience it caused. I know it's hard but it'll carry more weight than if you tell them in the way you really want to.

 

You see, now that right there I find odd. You gave them your keys and left without any paper work?

Where I live, I always get an estimate, and it always has a price, even if we all know it will be warranty work. The price is often $100 just to get it in their shop. If all goes well and it really is warranty, you won't pay the $100. I've seen others complain about that price attached to an obvious warranty issue. Maybe it is state law or something, I dunno. But leaving my vehicle at any shop, even independents, without getting an estimate and ETD just doesn't happen.

 

Up here they won't give you an estimate....they take your key and send you along your way. They don't even give you a slip after the repair is complete, even worse is when they claim they can't duplicate the problem but will not give you a slip confirming it....if you run into a legal battle you have no documentation.



I thought that when I was giving my manual a once over that anytime a warranty repair took over 12 hrs they would supply you a rental car? I would definitely be on the phone with Ford to get them to pick up the tab on that rental.

 

Well I agree 100%, Ford service has some major problems and I personally think it may have something to do with their business model. For example maybe they do not pay their people enough or lack of training. Just about everytime I take my truck into the dealership I know when I pick it up I will drive away disappointed at the very least and a couple times I thought I was going to have stroke in the parking lot. I mean come on man the oil change sticker wasn't even right this last visit and I mean not even close. Maybe they cant read I guess, I am tired of trying to pickup their slack. It is just not normal to have to go behind people and check every little bit of their work when you are the one paying the bill, and FORD MOTOR COMPANY customer service help line is nothing short of joke to prevent lawsuits.

 

OK, once again. Ford doesn't have service. The dealerships have service. The complaint is about a dealership service department, not Ford.

Pay for mechanics, business models, employee retention, all DEALERSHIP issues, not Ford.

 

Hey redford, when I said Ford service I was speaking of the dealership's service. However when it comes to Ford Motor Company's customer service its a joke because they dont even offer real support for their own FORD parts they just refer you back to the dealership to get technical info. The Ford Motor Company service rep knew nothing and could not get nothin'.

 

If you meant dealership, then say dealership. Some are good, some are not. Do not paint them all with the same brush stroke. It is unfair to the good service departments.

As for Ford, I have never had any issues with the Customer Service Department. You have to remember who they are and what role they play in the issue resolution process. No, the person answering the phone won't know much of anything. They are not mechanics and do not work at a service department. They can, however, put pressure on the dealership to make things right.