Dodge / Service Rant
Elder User
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 685
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From: Michigan
Dodge / Service Rant
Well, my dealer eventually won our little stand-off - I called the service manager today and he very politely told me that they were willing to have my truck sit on their lot until the tires rotted off, but they had no intention of ever working on it (though they were very polite about it). I'm picking the truck back up tonight, and I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it after that - either work on it myself, or perhaps try to get another another dealer to work on it. Maybe I'll try complaining directly to Ford, though I'm not sure where that'll get me...
With this kind of service, there isn't much chance I'm going to go for the extended warranty.
LK
With this kind of service, there isn't much chance I'm going to go for the extended warranty.
LK
Elder User
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 685
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From: Michigan
Dodge / Service Rant
I usually work on my own vehicles, but thought that since I had a warranty I might as well try to use it - but I have now learned my lesson. Well, actually I guess I still didn't have anyone else work on it...but sometimes I let the dealership guys drive it a couple miles and then leave it sitting in their parking lot for days on end. 
BTW, every problem I complained about acted up on the way home from the dealership...and when I confronted the service manager about it, he eventually said that "Ford won't let me do anything with it" (his exact words, "it" being my truck & its problems). I'm going to talk to our Ford reps at work, and see if I can figure out what's going on...
Hey, anyone want to trade a fully-restored '78 F150 for an '01 with a few issues? I'll even throw in a free tank of gas and the new hitch I haven't installed yet!
LK
BTW, every problem I complained about acted up on the way home from the dealership...and when I confronted the service manager about it, he eventually said that "Ford won't let me do anything with it" (his exact words, "it" being my truck & its problems). I'm going to talk to our Ford reps at work, and see if I can figure out what's going on...
Hey, anyone want to trade a fully-restored '78 F150 for an '01 with a few issues? I'll even throw in a free tank of gas and the new hitch I haven't installed yet!
LK
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Senior User
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 281
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From: McDonough US
Dodge / Service Rant
I'd love to have the time to work on my own vehicles all the time...
Positive experience, I picked my boat up from MarineMax, the SeaRay dealer. Apparently they realize that they sell a boat one time but can make money with good service and customer care for much longer.
I was impressed, they listened to my concerns AND addressed them... how novel. They kept me notified of the status, and only missed the original open ended "promised ready by" date by one day. Their shop is not as nice as the one at Dodge, but the service out classes them 500 fold.
Also, I'm waiting for the place with the Durango to call ME. They never have in the past, I've always had to call and beg to see if my vehicle was ready and they'd act like it was my fault I didn't know it's been ready since yesterday. Well... I'm not calling... I will not call the dealership service department. I will call the warranty company to get a rental car... because the dealership is not finished...I mean, if they'd finished... the'd have called to let me know, right?
Robert
Positive experience, I picked my boat up from MarineMax, the SeaRay dealer. Apparently they realize that they sell a boat one time but can make money with good service and customer care for much longer.
I was impressed, they listened to my concerns AND addressed them... how novel. They kept me notified of the status, and only missed the original open ended "promised ready by" date by one day. Their shop is not as nice as the one at Dodge, but the service out classes them 500 fold.
Also, I'm waiting for the place with the Durango to call ME. They never have in the past, I've always had to call and beg to see if my vehicle was ready and they'd act like it was my fault I didn't know it's been ready since yesterday. Well... I'm not calling... I will not call the dealership service department. I will call the warranty company to get a rental car... because the dealership is not finished...I mean, if they'd finished... the'd have called to let me know, right?
Robert
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,124
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From: Rural Florida Panhandle
Dodge / Service Rant
LK:
Take a day of vacation.
Drive to another city.
Find a Ford Dealer
Report the problem; ask them to look at it.
Don't mention unless asked that it has already been "serviced".
They will discover it when they key in the VIN, but they may have already done the repair???
I have experienced the same service many times. My son watched the service tech (from a distance) try to slam the hood on his Escape three times before letting the hood prop down. I think Ford (or any company) would do well to hire some shrinks to covertly study what's happening. Could be an economic thing, but you would think that once in a while they would accidentally hire a good tech who wanted to do a good job.
I have a related peeve. Whenever I take my vehicle to service that I can't do, such as install new tires, or get a state inspection, invariably, the tech who has to drive it 10 feet will turn on the a/c to max cool (and leave it there). Ticks me off. Like that's going to cool them off. Sloppy habit. I always turn off my a/c, headlights, etc before shutting down the engine.
Winford
Take a day of vacation.
Drive to another city.
Find a Ford Dealer
Report the problem; ask them to look at it.
Don't mention unless asked that it has already been "serviced".
They will discover it when they key in the VIN, but they may have already done the repair???
I have experienced the same service many times. My son watched the service tech (from a distance) try to slam the hood on his Escape three times before letting the hood prop down. I think Ford (or any company) would do well to hire some shrinks to covertly study what's happening. Could be an economic thing, but you would think that once in a while they would accidentally hire a good tech who wanted to do a good job.
I have a related peeve. Whenever I take my vehicle to service that I can't do, such as install new tires, or get a state inspection, invariably, the tech who has to drive it 10 feet will turn on the a/c to max cool (and leave it there). Ticks me off. Like that's going to cool them off. Sloppy habit. I always turn off my a/c, headlights, etc before shutting down the engine.
Winford
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Senior User
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 281
Likes: 0
From: McDonough US
Dodge / Service Rant
I thought I was the only one that did stuff like that :-) I can't stand to shut a vehicle down with lights or accessories still on, except for the radio. I do have a habit of turning it down low though.
Talk about watching stuff happen, with what my Father used to do for a living, I ended up hanging out in service departments. I used to love to go up there and watch whenever he got a new job or later on a new service department to put together. The first several months of tuning and weeding out was just hilarious, but sad. One thing he required was all the mechanics to show up on a Saturday, clean and paint the floor in their work bays.
Anyway, I watched an engine guy crank a truck up from under the hood... in gear... he was hanging on the grill and pushed him through his tool boxes and over the isle and down into the front end pit... he was, well, not employed there much longer... but not before he backed a van off of one of those drive on lift racks... while raised. I'll remember that for a long time.
Robert
Talk about watching stuff happen, with what my Father used to do for a living, I ended up hanging out in service departments. I used to love to go up there and watch whenever he got a new job or later on a new service department to put together. The first several months of tuning and weeding out was just hilarious, but sad. One thing he required was all the mechanics to show up on a Saturday, clean and paint the floor in their work bays.
Anyway, I watched an engine guy crank a truck up from under the hood... in gear... he was hanging on the grill and pushed him through his tool boxes and over the isle and down into the front end pit... he was, well, not employed there much longer... but not before he backed a van off of one of those drive on lift racks... while raised. I'll remember that for a long time.
Robert
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