Should I trust my local dealership with my truck? I live in a pretty small town and dont know if they have a diesel mechanic in the house. Kid that did my diff. on my F150 was about 20 at best. Dont really have time to do all the maintenance myself soo.... Maybe take it to larger dealer?

 

I trust my local dealer in Cody, Wyoming. Maybe that's because I took the time to get to know the dealer principal, service manager and service technicians.

I basically let them know I am a real pain in the butt know-it-all customer and gave them the chance not to service my truck. I let them know what would happen if they screwed up and told them I would gladly take my business elsewhere if they felt uncomfortable with me.

They've been great to deal with and I have had no problems! My dealer understands one pissed-off customer in a town of 9,000 is a real bad situation. Word would get out to everyone in 48 hours.

I've done this at every dealership with every car I've ever owned. Take the time to talk to the people at your dealership and let them know what you expect. Do it BEFORE you take your vehicle in for service. If your not comfortable with the conversation, you won't like the service.

The above presumes your dealer has a certified diesel mechanic.

 

Thanks for the reply, and with the f150 I had some knowledge and could call them on things this is my first diesel so I dont have a clue. I have read a lot on here but that doesnt make me an expert by any means. Im mostly lost on most things, but still reading. Basically right now since its a new to me truck I wanna get all the basic service done. But I dont wanna drop it off running good to get a call for a $5000.00 bill because they found stuff.

 

Just remember, Ford dealers have the test equipment to diagnose faults that you and the corner mechanic can't. They may very well find "stuff!"

 

Daddy I take my fords to a local dealership ( pop 3500 ) they are great to deal with. They take their reputation very seriously so I feel good about taking my rides there. My big brother bought from a major dealer in OKC he has had 2 warranty issues. He went to the dealer he bought from they said it would take 2 weeks just to get to it and they would call him when ready. NO CALL. It's at my local dealer right now he called on thurs. of last week and it will be in the shop this morning and out by wed.

Here's a shout out for my dealer England Ford in Hinton OK
great guys.

Mud

 

Might depend on the maintenance you need done. Definitely depends on the dealer. For example, some of them have a Quick Lube Lane, which is told to compete on price with Jiffy Lube, Oil Can Henry, etc. I would never trust that part of the business with my truck. For other stuff, you just have to know what you need, how you want it done, and ask a lot of questions before handing over the keys.

 

urdaddy just a heads up. apparently some of the tech's take offense to the "stealership or stealer" remarks. i known this first hand. right now on page three halfway down look at FIMC ? i replied as stealer . have seen the _tealership or _tealer remarks several times on FTE . this was the first time i have ever started and replied to a thread on here and some how ticked some people off . never meant to, just was here for some advice.had a few replies ( and thank you to them) but now not able to get advice. don't know if it had anything to do with it. Sorry to hi jack your thread . just tring to help.

 

I don't think you have "ticked off" any folks/Techs per se .... It is just that there is not enough time to respond to every thread or post. As in everything in life, each thing you decide to do is also a decision NOT to do MANY other things. All I was saying was to avoid labels that would give our knowledgeable and generous techs a reason to answer other threads and pass over yours.

Nothing really derogatory was said, especially since it was a choice of words that had ZERO intent to inflame anyone. I say "don't worry about it anymore".

URDADDY - As far as your question goes, I don't think anyone can really answer it for you. You really need to track down folks that can give you some personal stories (references) about the Techs at the various shops near you.

Also, pick a few shops and go talk to the Techs. I don't think I would recommend going in "demanding and threatening" though. While this might work on a few people in very small towns, I think most people would take those kinds of words as a personal attack. Find someone with whom you can have a relationship of mutual respect - if possible. Most Techs have a very complicated job w/ all the new engines, electronics, etc. They have to be very talented to develop an excellent reputation. They also have to put up w/ a whole lot of "stuff" from quite a few customers I am sure.

 

I live in a small town also with a small dealership. I take our Mercury out there no prob, but both my SDs with 6.0s go 20 minutes away to a ford dealer with a medium and heavy duty truck center. They have more techs and normally can get my truck back to me quickly.

 

Here's a very interesting thread for many of you to read:

Blown gaskets but no studs? - Ford Powerstroke Diesel Forum

Pay particular attention to posts #17 and #23. Enough said.

 

To many people blame the mechanic for dealer prices. Have the techs tell us about all the crap they see come in from independent shops on a hook. As a former dealership mechanic stealership offends me I'm sure it bothers, some of our tech who help us. Not all Independent shops our bad and not all Dealers are bad. If this offends some of you Sorry.