Austin Area Dealer Service - A Pillar Rattle

[nfb1971]

I have the dreaded A pillar rattle and rain pinging noise to get taken care of. I took it to Covert Hutto and they could not replicate the rattle so they did nothing. I called Ford Customer Service and they told me to keep taking it back to the dealer until they replicate the problems. I told them rain is not very common around here so the odds of replicating are pretty slim. I am trying to get this done at the same time so apparently I have to wait for a windy, rainy day. That makes me want to get rid of the vehicle but it's hers and she loves it.

Can anyone in the Austin area recommend a Ford Dealer for service? Has anyone had luck with the A pillar rattle fix around here? I e-mailed Cory but have not heard back yet.

Thanks, Neil

[peterk9]

Originally Posted by nfb1971

I have the dreaded A pillar rattle and rain pinging noise to get taken care of. I took it to Covert Hutto and they could not replicate the rattle so they did nothing. I called Ford Customer Service and they told me to keep taking it back to the dealer until they replicate the problems. I told them rain is not very common around here so the odds of replicating are pretty slim. I am trying to get this done at the same time so apparently I have to wait for a windy, rainy day. That makes me want to get rid of the vehicle but it's hers and she loves it.

Can anyone in the Austin area recommend a Ford Dealer for service? Has anyone had luck with the A pillar rattle fix around here? I e-mailed Cory but have not heard back yet.

Thanks, Neil

Hi Neil. I'm a long way from Texas although my neighbours spend the Winter there (South Padre Island). I had my Explorer in for the MFT update today and mentioned I would like to have the 'tin roof noise' taken care of. No problem I was told, so I said I would be back the end of April for an oil change and would like to get it done then.

Peter

[NEWPORTNJ]

I tell you i have the best service dept in yonkers nyc, smith carins ford i took my ex for the upgrade they did it and it works great i also told about the rain noise they ordered the spray for the fix, they called me told bring it back on mon 4/2/12 i leased the car so i really dont care for that fix,LET THE NEXT OWNER GET IT FIXED, AND since i have to leave it for two days and i love my explorer even when they are going to give me a loaner but the whole thing is ford has to get on these crappy service dept because at the end is ford who looses out !!! I tell you to raise the bar and complain higher !!!

[smithj33]

Neil, my previous vehicle (2010 F150) came from Maxwell Ford and they took care of a couple issues for me and I had no problem with them. Sales department is another story. They have a huge, busy service department though, so they have probably seen every issue out there. I just purchased my Explorer from Truck City Ford in Buda. This is as small as a dealership and service department get. They fixed a warranty issue for me on the F150 as well and all went smooth. Since they are smaller, they might not be familiar with all the issues out there, but they are much easier to work with.

Good luck

[FordCustSrvc]

Originally Posted by nfb1971

...I e-mailed Cory but have not heard back yet.

Thanks, Neil

Thanks for your patience, Neil; my inbox is swamped at the moment. I sent a reply to your PM and I see that you spoke with Deborah. Drop a line if you’d like anything else forwarded before your next call.

Originally Posted by peterk9

Hi Neil. I'm a long way from Texas although my neighbours spend the Winter there (South Padre Island)...

Originally Posted by NEWPORTNJ

I tell you i have the best service dept in yonkers nyc, smith carins ford...

Originally Posted by smithj33

Neil, my previous vehicle (2010 F150) came from Maxwell Ford and they took care of a couple issues for me and I had no problem with them...

Thanks for taking the time to help, guys.

Cory

[vurb]

Well, I wouldn't take it to Covert on 183. I set an appointment on their site to get the MFT update done (I'm not getting a packet) this past Saturday at 09:00. Website said they'd call if there were any issues with the service/date/time. No one called so I showed up Saturday at 9am. The service adviser tells me first thing that they don't do appointments on Saturdays and that it's first come first serve, so I hand her the printout from their website confirming the appt and telling me they'd call if there were any issues. She says the website must be broken and that someone should have called me. She finally takes the vehicle after I tell her I won't be waiting and am in no rush, as long as they could get it done that day it'd be fine.

My family and I leave and go to run some errands. An hour or so passes and they call me. It's the svc adviser. She tells me that there are no MFT/SYNC people working today because they only have one guy that does it and "it's not his Saturday to work". I wasn't very happy at this point and headed back and got the Ex. That was my first and last visit to Covert Ford.

[UCFGreg]

Originally Posted by smithj33

Neil, my previous vehicle (2010 F150) came from Maxwell Ford and they took care of a couple issues for me and I had no problem with them. Sales department is another story. They have a huge, busy service department though, so they have probably seen every issue out there. I just purchased my Explorer from Truck City Ford in Buda. This is as small as a dealership and service department get. They fixed a warranty issue for me on the F150 as well and all went smooth. Since they are smaller, they might not be familiar with all the issues out there, but they are much easier to work with.

Good luck

Who was the service rep that took care of you at maxwell? I am bringing my Ex in soon, and would like to know who to use.

[smithj33]

Sorry, I don't recall. Their service department is usually extremely busy, so don't be surprised if you don't get first class service.

Originally Posted by UCFGreg

Who was the service rep that took care of you at maxwell? I am bringing my Ex in soon, and would like to know who to use.

[nfb1971]

I got a call from the Covert Hutto service manager and he is ordering the parts to fix the issues. I will let you all know when they actually get them and complete the repairs. My experience with both Covert dealerships was not great when I tried to buy from them. Hutto didn't respond and I knew more about the options and availability than the salesman at their Austin store. Mak Haik in Georgetown fixed my stuck 3rd row powerfold seat in the Expedition last year. They argued with the extended warranty people and made me cover some of the labor. I guess that leaves Leif Johnson and Maxwell to try.

[peterk9]

[QUOTE=nfb1971;2945366]........and I knew more about the options and availability than the salesman at their Austin store. .[QUOTE] I had a discussion about this with my salesman recently. I ordered my 2011 in Dec. 2010. I actually told him that I didn't think that it was totally unusual for a customer to sometimes know more about a vehicle than the salesman. My reasoning is that as a customer, I am focused on one particular vehicle that I have researched over and over. The salesman on the other hand, has many models to learn about and unless he/she is very, very dedicated, it would be difficult to know and retain everything about each model. This wouold be especially true about a model that is still relatively new.
So your statement about the salesman's knowledge or lack thereof doesn't really surprise me. I would hope it is not the norm however.

Peter