The purpose of those cheap or free LOF's is to get you in the door and then recommend other services and/or repairs that will generate profitable work. Unfortunately, the business model is designed to entice duplicity, much like that of the sales/finance department. Women and younger people are generally clueless and want a safe and reliable vehicle. Service advisors prey upon their fear and ignorance.

Another experience; my 2005 Toyota Sequoia needed an alignment after 100k. I dropped it off at an ostensibly reputable shop and received a call two hours later informing me that the steering rack was going bad and that an alignment would not be wise without the additional repair. I was busy and gave them the go ahead. When I arrived to pick the vehicle up that evening, I asked to get the worn parts back as I always do when I am paying the bill. They claimed that there was a core required back from NAPA and thus could not return it to me. My suspicion was raised and I said I would pay the core charge but wanted the parts back. I then headed out the door to get on my knees and view the "new" rack. At this point, the gig was up and they began to back track and ultimately claimed that the tech, who had nowhere to be seen, had been called home early and never got to the steering rack. They "adjusted" the bill and another tech talked to me and said he thought the rack would be "okay" for a while longer. Total BS. I paid the bill and filed a case with the attorney general's office. I have no idea what ultimately happened, but the shop changed ownership a year later.

 

OP. Not sure what trim level you have but if you have a keypad on your driver’s door. Someone is now walking around with your keypad access code!!! I’m probably just paranoid. But I would be upset too

 

Just Change it. Easy!!!!!

 

unfortunately code is programmed in and non-changeable. That means anybody with the code can open it and the reason why you want to remove that lock code card from the car. Some have broken in cars and stole the owners manual so they could break in the car later on again.

 

Best bet is to have the dealership recode the PCM. I had to do it on a Raptor I have.


Sam

 

I am sure this thread could grow to many pages of horror stories if even 1/2 of the members chimed in. Conversely, the good stories of stellar work and/or top notch service would only appear infrequently at most... again, I think most would agree it is one of the reasons that DIY is so prevalent.
When you do find a good shop, it is truly a diamond in the rough, and deserves any and all accolades they should receive.
As for the LOC being a hook to set up customers for more "work", everyone needs to be on their guard, and unfortunately, the default mindset needs to be doubting Thomas!!
Tire rotation generates alignment, generates ball joints, tie rod ends, the aforementioned steering rack etc. flat repair generates 4 new tires
Oil change generates tran flush , generates every other fluid needs refreshing etc.
And woe be to the poor innocent who goes into a shop with a strange clunk or noise=$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$!!! You can't make this stuff up, which is why you often see investigative news stories with the reporters setting up "stings" on suspect shops ....just need to always skate with your head up and be on the defensive....good luck to us all !.

 

I'm going DIY on the oil changes after my first experience with Ford. Went in at 5K because I was going to head on a big trip north over Christmas. Told them I wanted 10W-30 instead of the 15W-40 they like to use down here because I was headed north. They said it would take 90-minutes. Two hours later the truck gets pulled up front but I notice 15W-40 listed on the paperwork. I ask if this is a typo or what they actually used... well the service advisor didn't key in the 10W-30 request from his notes... so it goes back to get the oil swapped to 10W-30 (another 90 minutes). They can tell I'm not pleased (the extra two hours sitting at the dealer threw off my schedule for the day) so they did waive any charge. Well I get home and check the oil level... too high. I take it back in a few days later to get the level corrected. The guy goes to drain a little and apparently doesn't use a socket extension. He burns his hand and drops the plug. Now they have to get 10W-30 brought from a warehouse across town in order to refill it. So the total time for this first oil change was 6-hours (not including my driving to/from). I figure even with it being free it cost too much of my personal time. I'll just switch to 5W-40 and do it myself.

 

Is there something different with the 6.7 drain?

Nobody uses a socket and ratchet on drain plugs. Proper tool is a combo wrench. Ya'll got some real rookie techs workin on your trucks.

 

 

Well, while we're on the subject - why is it necessary to reposition my seat and turn off the headlight switch just to move my truck 50 feet to the rack?
I hate driving with my headlights off at dusk when I think they are on.

 

Or change your radio station.

 

Exactly. I reprogrammed the code on every one I've ever owned to something more easily remembered.
But the bottom line is that the code that came from the factory is always going to unlock the truck also.

 

The problem with car dealerships is the margins on new car sales are so low dealerships main profit center is service department. I own boat dealerships and my model is completely opposite. While we do make profit on our boats my service department is not look at a a profit source but as a support for my sales. I look at it like my service department is my biggest advertisement. We mainly only service what we sell and people routinly travel from up to 1,000 miles away to buy a boat from us becuase of our reputation for prepping the boats, and some drive back several hours for service. Car dealerships mechanics, service managers, and Techs are on FLAT Rate. They get paid by the billable hour they charge and a commission on the parts. While they are plenty of honest Car Techs, many are not. I pay my mechanics by the hour, and then we have bonus based on customer feedback. So if I have a mechanic who has a complaint, they were personally call the customer and make it right. Now I will say this, many customers are looking for a fight and will try to tell you scratched this or that while working on the boats. We do a walk around when they check the boat in and note any damage to their boat firsthand to eliminate this. From running a shop for 20 Years I can tell you that most mistakes GOOD mechanics make is when they are pulled off of one job onto the other and get interrupted. My guys work on one boat at a time, that way there is no forgetting what you were doing. With that said I've had bad experiences with Car Service as well, but I have had dealers go above and beyond as well.

 

I'm kinda with you on this. Just turned 55 and am in good health, but have grown tired of wrenching on most things over the years even though I have a garage. I'm out of the wind, but it doesn't heat that well.
Add to that the fact that I don't like a bunch of used oil & filters building up and being stored around here until such time as I can dispose of them. I have put it on Craigslist in the past and someone with a waste oil heater will occasionally come and take it. Time consuming crap.
Anyone who sells oil is obligated by state law here to take used oil in. But I have to transport it there and lug it in. Another pain and sometimes special trip.
It's my hope that a dealer will do it right, with the added bonus that it's documented by Ford when the services were done in case there are warranty issues in the future. Sad that you have to babysit someone working on a truck that costs so much money to begin with.

 

I used to do all my oil changes, but the dealer we bought from offers a lifetime powertrain warranty as long as you bring the truck in for service every 7500 miles. Service is oil change and tire rotation every visit, and fuel filter change every other visit.....things I would do anyway. I have used this dealer for several years now and have never had an issue with them.

Since I plan to keep this truck until the wheels fall off, the math makes sense with a diesel. And like some have said, its nice not to have to crawl under the truck and dispose of used oil. I still get enough routine maintenance with 5 dirtbikes and a streetbike though.