I wish to stress something, and I believe my fellow techs will agree. We get under the hood of your vehicles, armed with the most advanced electronic diagnostic tools available, the latest in manuals and reference materials. Still, my opinion remains unchanging, THE MOST VALUABLE RESOURCE AVAILABLE IS THE CUSTOMERS DESCRIPTION OF THEIR PROBLEM! So, in that respect, you are teaching us as techs more than we can ever hope to learn in the classroom, or on the web based training! If 30 customers come in talkind about a "hoot, or whistle", we go looking. When we find it, we will always remember it. Never think for an instant that your question is "stupid". In many ways, the smartest thing you can do when bringing your vehicle to us, is to talk to us personally. I cant tell you how many times the translation between the service writer and tech lead to mis-diagnosis of a concern. From my standpoint, all of you, KEEP POSTING! You as customers see your vehicles much more than I. Your experiences to me are invaluable. You have taught me more about the vehicles that you drive than what you might think. For that my hat is off to you! With any luck, I might be able to keep pleasing you as customers. Bottom line, without you, they dont need me! Again, thank you!

 

vloney: You and all of the techs here are the best i have seen. FYI I posted a question in the F150 forum months ago and have yet to get a reply. I have asked numerous questions about the 6.0 and I always get a honest reply. I have armed myself with the knowledge that I have gained from this site and when I go into the dealership I know more than most do about the situation. The service manager is constantly surprised by what I know and I have educated him a time or two. This is because of the Techs on this site. So the thank you goes both ways............

I have yet to take my 06 in for anything other than a out of ballance tire!!!!!!!!!!

Love 'em 6.0's

 

This is a timely post vloney. I am going to pick up my truck after having the tranny replaced at 102k. I also had two injectors replaced at 98k and I never got to talk with the technician that did that work. I am eager to talk with him about both repairs to get his take on things and see what I can do to prevent or forestall further injector problems as it is now on my ticket.
I admit I am not excited at the prospect of paying the $3800 tab for the tranny but I hope to learn something, anything from this. I will gladly offer any info on my driving style, fuel useage, towing etc to the tech to help him out on future problems he may encounter.
This biggest problem I have with the two dealerships I have visited for work on my truck is that the service writers don't appear to want me to talk with the tech that works on my truck. After spending $4k on this tranny you can bet that I will be more firm in requesting that I speak to any tech that works on my truck - for our mutual benefit.

Thanks for the post, Vloney!

Big

 

I spent 12 years working as Service Advisor and Assistant Service Manager at many dealerships, and I agree that a proper description is priceless. Unfortunately what I have seen is the need to get paid for time spent actually working on a vehicle outweighs the customer satisfaction that can be attained by spending only a minute or two talking with a customer. As I have had my fair share of rude and ignorant service and parts personnel at my local dealerships, I don't return. I wish some of you guys worked in my area!!

 

vloney, great post. I wish the tech's in my area were more like you and the other techs on here. My tech here is ok bout talking to but the service writers sure try to head you off from talking to them. It makes things so much easier when you can go talk directly to the tech and explain your problems or ever test drive the truck with them to try to duplicate an issue. Guys like you deserve to be paid more!

 

When ever I take my truck in for service/problem I talk to the service writer as usual, buy I ALWAYS ask to speak with the diesel tech and explain to him what is going on(just like you said vloney) too just so I know that everybody is on the same page.Also when the truck is finished I go and speak with the tech again just to find out how everything went in his opinion.

 

all of us here are on this web site for one reason, information! we normal do it yourselfers are extremley thankful for the help you paid (not by us) trained profesionals give us!!!!! i love my truck, and working on it myself brings me nothing but joy, ya i work hard and make really good money, but i like to save a buck or two and actually enjoy doing things my self... so all i can say is thanks to you techs and everday people who make this info useful....

 

vloney, I wish all dealerships were like yours. At our local dealership it is very hard to talk to the tech. That is one of the reasons that I don't use my local dealership for service. In order to ask the diesel tech a question regarding a code mine threw, I had to go to my salesman, whose also my next door neighbor, and ask him if I could talk to the tech. The service writer wouldn't let me, nor could he answer my question on my code. He just wanted to schedule me an appointment to bring the truck in for the tech to look at, for a charge of course.

The other is a lack of trust in the personels knowledge. Several years ago, when I always had my '96 F250 5.8L (yeah, not a real truck, it had plugs) serviced there, I asked about getting it regeared so it would pull better. It had a 3.55 rear end and I pull an 8500 lbs boat around the hills here at the lake. The parts dept told me it would cost $3867 in just parts for just the rear axle because I would need a bigger ring gear and therefore a new differential case. I'm not the best mechanic, but I knew a 10.25 ring gear was 10.25" no matter what ratio it was. Especially since I'd been to a couple of local shops for bids. One of which specialized in differentials. I tried telling the parts guy what the other shops had said and quoted and he just huffed at me and said that I ought to have my work done with them and turned and left the counter. It really turned me off to their parts and service dept.

 

The excellent techs that contribute to this site are what makes it so valuable. Wish we all had the opportunity to talk to the techs at our "Ford" dealerships.
Thanks to everyone who contributes.

 

Amen.

All of the techs--both the Ford Motor Company employees & the "freelancers"--that frequent & post within the Super Duty & 6.0L forums have been invaluable in making this segment of the FTE community an invaluable asset for any Super Duty-owning member. My hat is off to all of you.

 

I'd like to bump this back up to the top and add a little something.
If us techs want to have you customers go for a drive with us, to show us the concern you have, please take the time to do that. It's very frustrating when the service advisor tells us what the problem is and the customer says it's very obvious but we really don't know what you want fixed. For instance......repair noise.....what noise? We drive the truck and hear 5 different noises. Which one is it you want fixed?
Most of the time we don't mind talking to customers, sometimes we even like it

 

Well stated and I second this sentiment. I think we're very lucky to have the Technicians on here helping us out. They even take some 'stuff' for their opinions/diagnoses and keep coming back to help out. Thank you!

 

Ditto the kudos! A large, economy sized Thanks to the Ford guys who take the time to share their knowledge and experience. If I ever have a problem with my truck I will be sure to spend the time needed with the diesel tech.

 

How much leeway does a tech have to ask to see the customer? I ask this because my Service Advisor has said that their diesel techs barely have time to take a leak. I think I have a good dealership and they have taken care of me in a big way, but the times I had it in there, there was little indication that these guys are available to mere mortals. That why I love this site. I like reading the technical reponses even when I can understand only half of it . But I'm getting more of it all the time. I think if I ever did get to talk to the lead tech, they have 3 or 4 diesel techs total, I may have to be restrained from buying him a case of his favorite beer and bowing out the garage door.

 

Isn't it a bitch that you don't have to smart to be rich?