Funny thing at Ford Service Dept. Today...

[KEVPOPPAPUMP]

Dropped off my 98 Ranger at the dealer because my 2 month old 5R55E reman. trannie is crap. If you floor it at 35-40mph it goes to neutral then when RPM's lower it slams into gear.
Funny Part: I made an appointment 2 days ago and when I got there at 7am to drop off my truck the service writer told me it'll be a while till they get to look at it because their Tranny Tech is REALLY backed up. This is the second time I heard this excuse at that dealer. Either FORD makes crappy trannies or their Tranny Tech is extremely slow. I believe its just crapy FORD trannies!

 

[Hartman]

I believe it's both.

 

[dogfriend]

Originally posted by Hartman
I believe it's both.

I would second that, but look at the bright side: he's bound to get faster with all of the practice he's getting.

 

[KEVPOPPAPUMP]

Originally posted by dogfriend
I would second that, but look at the bright side: he's bound to get faster with all of the practice he's getting.

Well so much for appointments, they didn't even look at my truck with the 10 hours it sat there. Hope the trannie tech enjoys my XM radio when he finally gets around to test driving my Ranger!

 

[Carl D.]

I think I would start complaining to the Ford Motor Company and the BBB. It wouldn't hurt to call your local TV station if they have a consumer alert section. I have done this for other problems (not "x" related) and it gets great results.

 

[Robert]

Here's a new idea! When you make an appointment at Ford, put it in your head that the appointment is for the next business day and plan on dropping it off then. That way maybe they'll start working it on the day you think your appointment was for. It sucks that you can't get them to work on your vehicle on the day of your appointment. My dealers were just as bad.

 

[KEVPOPPAPUMP]

Originally posted by Robert
Here's a new idea! When you make an appointment at Ford, put it in your head that the appointment is for the next business day and plan on dropping it off then. That way maybe they'll start working it on the day you think your appointment was for. It sucks that you can't get them to work on your vehicle on the day of your appointment. My dealers were just as bad.

Oh today it gets better! I called my dealer since I never got a return call yesterday or this morning and my Service Writer had the day off. Of course nobody there knew anything except that my truck had not been looked at yet and the trannie guy is still swamped. I got a call later telling me that the rental will be taken care of so I will hold off in the mean time on calling Ford Customer (don't) Care. I already have a 2 page list of various dealer complaints with them. I have been to all 4 Ford dealers in my area and they are all less than satisfactory. They even have there nerve to place a follow up call to see if I was pleased with the service I received!

 

[dogfriend]

Grrrrrr......

Yet another reason why I do as much work myself as possible. I hate when your car is in the shop and you can't get them to commit to when they are going to have it done.

I bought a 89 Ranger new and kept it for 11 years. After I bought it, it only went to the dealer one time: A guy hit my bumper while I was waiting at a red light and my bumper had to be replaced by the Ford dealer. I tried to get the insurance company to just buy the part so I could install it myself but they insisted that the body shop had to do the work. When I got it home, I still ended up adjusting the bumper because they didn't get it on straight.

 

[Robert]

Originally posted by KEVPOPPAPUMP
. . .They even have there nerve to place a follow up call to see if I was pleased with the service I received!

Wait until you start complaining to the person making the follow up call. They will then tell you that they aren't equiped to handle complaints, but will have a Supervisor call you back within 24 hours. This happened to me the last three times I had Ford work on my Explorer. I never did get a Supervisor to call me back to take my complaints.

 

[KEVPOPPAPUMP]

Its getting better and better! I dropped off my truck last Wednesday at Don Kott Ford and finally got a call today that went like this: "my technician did a comprehensive test drive and found nothing wrong with your transmission, can you come down and take a ride with the tech?". SURE, I went right down only to get taken to the tech by the service writer and be told, "I don't have time to take a ride with you, I have 2 other vehicles before yours and if I get a chance I'll take it for another test drive later today. We will get the shop foreman to test drive it as well tomarrow."
NOW on to the good part. I get a call from Don Kott Ford Rental Car to tell me they are closing there doors for good this Friday and they need the rental returned this Thursday. "We will put you in an Enterprise Rental Car when you return our car." Heres the problem: last time I rented through them they only had $50 a day rentals and Ford only pays up to $29 a day. So the longer Don Kott Ford takes the more its costing me! BTW I am now becoming anti-FORD like I am already anti-Enterprise Rent A Car!

 

[dogfriend]

Are you sure there isn't any other dealer you could take it to?

If they called me down to the dealer, then blew me off saying that they have no time for me, I would go ballistic on all of them right there. I would be yelling loud enough for all of the service customer AND all of the potential Ford buyers within earshot would know what I thought of their crappy service on their crappy transmission.

The Ford Customer (don't) Care people probably hear this stuff all the time, but you have some leverage by making sure potential buyers on the showroom floor hear how dissatisfied you are. It will make them think twice about their new purchase and the salespeople know this. They will try to usher you away from potential customers, but don't let them until you get some satisfaction.

A guy I worked with years ago actually picketed in front of a dealership because they wouldn't fix a brake problem on an Audi that he bought from them. They gave in after about one day of his wife picketing the dealership.

 

[KEVPOPPAPUMP]

Its not my style to yell and argue but even if I did nobody would've heard me. I was taken to the Tech's stall in the back of the dealer. As for taking my truck to another dealer: there are 4 Ford dealers around me and I've been to them all.
Peyton Cramer Ford: bad experience with a service writer and ******** techs.
Ford West: Great service writers and it stops there. Tech work is downright redicuous. (i.e. forgot to fill p/s fluid, coolant, fail to put small things back in place)
South Bay Ford: seems like whatever special tech I need for repair is always on vacation when I need service, plus no appointments, first come first serve (happened 3x already)
Don Kott Ford: Service Writer turnover similar to McDonalds but acceptable repair work. Only thing is Service Wirters dont call you, you call them and they are 9 out of 10x unreachable.

 

[dogfriend]

I'm not one to (normally) yell or argue either, but the easiest way to piss me off is to waste my time. Then I get nasty.

I'm just making the suggestion that complaining to the Ford Customer Service probably doesn't do much good cause they are used to hearing about it every day.

Complaining in the showroom where the potential customers are is bound to get some attention because it has a negative influence on their attempts to get other poor *******s to buy a new car.

I feel bad for you. I'm assuming that you are going to the dealer because they supplied the reman trans and it is still under warrenty. Is the warrenty almost expired? Are they trying to stall to claim that it isn't covered, or are they truly not able to find the problem? Does it consistently have the problem or is it intermittent?

 

[KEVPOPPAPUMP]

No this 5R55E trans was just put in by them 2 months ago so it has 10 months more of warranty. As for duplicating the problem, I can and I told them how to do it as well. Warranty wise, because of the fact that I had 3 bad 4.0's: first one marbled/dieseled, 2nd one blew a rod, 3rd seized in the techs stall after install, and now on FORD FQR 4th engine, Ford CC gave me a complimentary extended service warranty for my problems. That expires June 2003 or 75k, currently at 55k. Believe me I tried everything besides a lawyer to get them to buy it back! I would only own another Ford if it had a Powerstroke under the hood. I have lost all faith in Ford built drivetrains.

 

[addkev]

When I lived in SoCal, I used Vista Ford and had great experiences maybe you should just try a new dealer.

 

[FrankRizzo]

Nope. It don't get no better on this side of the hill.
Vista Ford=don't get me started. Bottom of the barrel.
Galpin=too big, no one gives a dam,
Sunrise (North Hollywood)=too small, worst one yet. I went to Sunrise (because I work down the street) to get my brakes checked. I figured that a FORD brake job would be better......The SM tells me that I have a bad wheel bearing, (32k mi), they don't have the part, but they are getting it from another dealer. WHen I stop by at 5:30 to pick up the car...."It's not ready" says the cashier. We look in the serivce bay. The exp. is on the rack, with the wheels and rotors off. No mechanics around and the rental car dept. is closed for the evening.

Grrrrrrr.

Glad I did not buy the "extended warranty" - I'd never get the use out of it.

 

[CBoug76]

Originally posted by KEVPOPPAPUMP
Dropped off my 98 Ranger at the dealer because my 2 month old 5R55E reman. trannie is crap. If you floor it at 35-40mph it goes to neutral then when RPM's lower it slams into gear.

My Tranny does the same thing! it is an Adjustment that I believe can be made from outside of the Tranny. it is called something like the Neutral Glide strap or something like that......

 

[KEVPOPPAPUMP]

Re: Re: Funny thing at Ford Service Dept. Today...

Originally posted by CBoug76
My Tranny does the same thing! it is an Adjustment that I believe can be made from outside of the Tranny. it is called something like the Neutral Glide strap or something like that......

Your trannie still does it now, or is it fixed after the adjustment??? Thanks for the input, I will forward it to the tech if my Service Writer ever calls me back.

 

[CBoug76]

Mine does it every s often. The Tranny has never been adjusted, or re-built.... I have to find the time to look at it one of these days!