Like the title states, I'm Ginger! I don't know a damn thing about trucks but recent events have left me in possession of a 2007 F350 SD. I absolutely love this truck, so many good memories in it so I hope to have it for a long time. I don't know much about trucks but I've been thrust into the deep end and I hope to learn as much about my diesel as I can. All that said I do have some questions... looking for the right place to ask but I figure might as well drop some info here so people can get a good laugh at me from the start....

I recently had an issue with my truck where it seemed to be loosing power. There were a few messages on the dash that I figured were worth bringing it to the dealership to get diagnosed.... my husband used to do the maintenance on this thing so without him the stealership was my only option.

I let service writer know what was going on and he said it would be around $300 to diagnose everything. Fine. Get the truck back drove it home and now it's stuck sitting in the garage as I type this. It's in worse shape than when I brought it in and I just paid $1000 for them to "fix" this beast. For $1000 it seems all they did was "diagnostics" and replacing two filters. They told me I would be good to go when I drove off the lot. I'm hoping I can get some insight from some ford truck enthusiasts on what I should be saying when I call the service writer back who handled my truck.

Heres what they did:

FA-1778 $95.00
FD-4616 - $91.98
PM-22-a - Additive CET - $8.99
PM-23-A - Additive ANT - $8.99

Labor 5.50 - $742.50

I tried to complain about the cost when I was there but I needed the truck back and they said it was fixed. On the phone they said it would be $700, that number jumped when I showed up to take it home. I had no leg to stand on as I don't know anything about diesel trucks and the service writer said "that's what our diesel repair rate is". I feel as if I have been greatly taken advantage of.

A bit of further info is the truck now says "water in fuel" on the dash and that wasn't there before.... could that simply be from the fuel additives?

Any help would be appreciated. Any guides or reading materials for newbies to the diesel world would be appreciated as well. Thanks guys!

 

Hi Ginger, I would go back to your dealer and have a "chat" with management. If there is no resolution contact Ford customer service and explain the situation. Yes there are some hoops to jump through, but you deserve better service than you indicated here.

 

The dealership is NOT your only option. There are many independent repair shops that are FAR cheaper than the dealer, and if you find the right one, does better work than the dealer.

 

+9000 here. This is why my circle calls them the 'stealership', a lesson you seem to have learned with a 4-digit bill attached to it.

A $1000+ bill to replace the items/fluid you listed is exceedingly suspicious. In all truth, I know very little about diesel engines beyond the Jeremy Clarkson explanation regarding turbochargers. $135 per hour for labor times 5.5 hours?? Smells like engine or transmission remove/reinstall cost there and I'd wager that they were probably preying on you because you are a female (AKA easy target) with a diesel truck (AKA bigger payday from an easy target).

"Exhaust goes in, witchcraft happens and you go faster"
-Jeremy Clarkson

If you paid by credit/debit card, go to your bank and dispute the charge ASAP. Also, please don't take this as being sexist, but there is considerable power in having a well-read, well-seasoned, mechanically-inclined male with you when confronting the dealer's service department. It's pretty funny seeing them intimidated by someone that knows just as much, if not more than the dealers do, yet can argue far better. It's even better if it's a woman dishing it out

If you've ever watched the movie My Cousin Vinny with Joe Pesci and Marisa Tomei, it's a great example for making an unbeatable argument. Here's a clip for inspiration:

I do understand how you feel, my mom was in a very similar situation year after year, being robbed by 'mechanics' at basically every turn. After she was robbed on an automatic transmission rebuild for her Mitsubishi Mirage (automatic + japanese car + unknowing female owner= effortless payday) TWICE, this inspired me to start reading as much as possible and picked up the wrench myself. It culminated when I had to take my Expy to a mechanic for fresh spark plugs. Per my standard practice, I always inspect work before paying and found that none of the stainless steel hardware I provided was used despite the extra $100 they wanted to charge for additional labor to re-tap all 8 coil mount bolt holes to the next larger size as I made clear on 3 separate occasions.

They claimed they replaced one of my ignition coils because it was dead. Since they didn't adhere to my crystal clear instructions conveyed at three separate times (remove all 8 coils, discard ALL old hardware, re-tap all holes to M6x1.0 regardless of condition, use supplied stainless steel bolts on reinstall), my response was to ask which one it was. Replacing a part without authorization is a BIG no-no in the law's eyes here in Ohio, same with charging for work that wasn't performed. So I ended that conversation with a carefully worded yes/no question that implicated them either way. The extra labor charge disappeared right then, probably because they knew that trying further would cost them far more than $100 and I had them lock, stock and barrel. Plus, they already gave me my key back so I could have left at any time.

Service Manual CDs/DVDs are available inexpensively on eBay and will arm you with the same information a dealer has. I believe this one will suit your needs quite well: Complete DVD Service Manual Repair Workshop Ford Lincoln Mercury 1996 2008 | eBay

Something I just noticed is that it does not appear to have the EVTM information. EVTM is short for Electrical and Vacuum Technical Manual. The following DVD does have them: 2007 Ford F 250 F 350 Focus Ranger Taurus Escape Service Shop Repair Manual DVD | eBay

 

Thanks for joining Ginger
Tony