I hate dealerships!!

[Jo the Explorer]

This is exactly why I never take my truck to a stealership, if we can't do it ourselfs we take it to the only guy we trust with our vehicles. Now he still charges us for labor and what not, but he also replaces things that are on the verge of malfunction for no charge, ex. fuses, wires, etc.

 

[spinnn]

Took my Trooper to an unnamed local garage to have exhaust header installed. I don't have a welding machine , they do. Quoted $225 for install.
The tech cut the pipe ahead of the flex joint and bent it and tacked it in place. Flex joints are never supposed to be bent once installed. They need to ride more or less straight. He did it anyway and did the worst welding job I've ever seen. Thing had like 10 pinhole leaks in the weld& was hitting the x-member. Oh yeah, they replaced the new 02 sensor (6 mos old)with a newer one. Scumbags.
Charged me $450.

Had to go to Midas to have a new forward pipe custom fabbed after the flex joint and associated weld failed. $250

Header from Calmini ~250.00

And that's from a garage that I've had a good working relationship with since 1994. I'd have gone back and complained, but if the freaking idiot tech didn't know that flex joints in the exhaust are only to absorb engine vibration and not to be used as a bend then I don't want them under my truck ever again. F those morons. I can't find a good mechanic anywhere. And having been one for 10 years I know what crap work looks like.:frustrate

 

[Curtis]

Couple of similar experiences...

1 - On my 96 4.0, I had this tick noise in the engine - the truck was under an extended warranty and I had no deductible so i figured what the hell. I had to sign for a $60 diagnostic. Figured the warranty was gonna pay it anyway when they find the problem.

An hr later they call my name, give me the bill for $60 and say its the belt tensioner pulley. I ask if they took off the belt to confirm, they said no. I said so what did you do for $60? I asked for a 3/8 ratchet cause I wasn't leaving without taking that belt off, they said they did not loan out tools (which I knew anyway). There was a guy next to me at the checkout desk and he asked me if I wanted a lend of his ratchet. I accepted and we went outside. I took off the belt, started and no ticking. Put the belt back on.. and it ticked. Still had to pay that $60

2 - On my 04, the ABS light would come on and cruise would not work. With the help of this site, I figured it was the sensor on the master cylinder. Took it to the dealer because again I had extended warranty (non ford warranty) and I was having some other work done under warranty. The warranty company sent out an inspector and ford had cleared the ABS light so he could not verify there was a problem. They wanted $20 for the part and $70 to install anyway. I declined, bought it myself and had it on in 5 minutes! What would they have done for the other 55 minutes of the hr labor they wanted me to pay for???

However this dealership did do me a favor at one point. On the 04, I had the front pump transmission seal done and the blend door. $1700 worth of work covered and paid for by the aftermarket extended warranty. When I get it home it wont go into park. Figure its just an adjustment and brought it back. yeah right, the shifter cable was cracked and they wanted $500 to fix it. not a warranted part. I asked for the manager, said I think they cracked it cause they just had the transmission out. he agreed and charged me $25. I think he made it look like a $25 deductible on a ford warranty.

 

[spinnn]

Guess it's the same all over...I saw yer from Florida, and since (arguably) 36% of Floridians are transplanted Jersey-ites, I guess you have a similar proportion of disgruntled ex-Jersey mechanics...

The best guy I went to is like 3 miles away, he's a foreign car mech and he's more into the engineering aspect of cars but the guy I've been going to is a block away from my house...a handy selling point.

It'll be so nice to have my own (rented) garage again on my own (rented) property and not be beholden to these yo-yos.I'm repowering my Trooper as soon as I move and can't imagine the myriad of ways that they'd screw it up. Esp. if I go with something custom, like a tricked out 3.4 with a 5 speed. MF's be cutting holes in the hood and firewall:roll:

 

[spinnn]

C'mon! More horror stories! Makes everyone who's ever been %*(^ed feel better!!

:roll:

 

[CMR89]

Check this out......

I attended an Auto Tech Program a little over a year ago, and of course they have all the "big-wiggs" come in from local dealerships. And he started going on about how much they value their customers, and all that jazz.

Well about a week or two later my wife's EGR valve goes out in her car, and I didnt have time to fix it (I'll regret that in a minute) so she took it to a local dealership. I told her exactly what she needed done and not to let them do anything else. So they take her in to "diagnose/sabatouge" her car. They come back and tell her that the EGR is going to cost $445 justfor the part, and another $325 to install it, plus by some magic your A/C is connected to your EGR. Tell me how they come up with that.

To get to the point, I paid them $215 to "diagnose/sabatouge" her car, and when she goes to leave guess what's not working?.......Her A/C!!!

Morel of the story: Learn to be an Auto Tech and Stick It To The Dealerships

 

[jls1znv9999]

Agree that stealer ships are a huge rip.

Also if any of you look over the forums you will notice that aside from the occasional odd break down, most of the issues we all have are the same ones!.

Hmmmm i think Ford neglected to issue all the recalls.

Edit:

I always wondered why part stores call them exploder's.
Well if the ABS screws up and the drive shaft's fail, mean while the cruise control burst into flames, my reclining seat bolt breaks, the fog lamps burn up (the harness), and the front suspension drops, i guess it would make since after all.

 

[gijoecam]

Also if any of you look over the forums you will notice that aside from the occasional odd break down, most of the issues we all have are the same ones!.

Yup. And the vast majority of them are simply things that wear out in a vehicle line that's are approaching 15 years old.

Hmmmm i think Ford neglected to issue all the recalls.

Nope. Ford has had plenty of recalls. Recalls (for all manufacturers, not just Ford) are only issued on problems that pose the threat of a loss of control, fire, injury, death, or great bodily harm.

I always wondered why part stores call them exploder's.
Well if the ABS screws up and the drive shaft's fail, mean while the cruise control burst into flames, my reclining seat bolt breaks, the fog lamps burn up (the harness), and the front suspension drops, i guess it would make since after all.

The ABS screwing up can't cause the driveshafts to fail. The cruise control was thanks to a company that supplied an off-the-shelf the part to Ford. The seat bolt recliner came from a supplier whose parts did not meet Ford's spec (Ford pays extra for them to do their own materials testing and verification), and the fog lamps don't spontaneously burn up the harness.

The front suspension dropping is a new one for me.... but not a common one on this board, for sure.

 

[BIGHVM]

UK Dealers-Ditto!

Took mine in for the speed control loom replacement- they called me in, I went....They looked at it and said they had to order the part---WHAT!!!!
I went away...they called me 2 days later-I went in, they could not find the part----WHAT!!!! I went away..........they called me next day- I went back and it was done......I drove 40 miles all round for that and wasted around a day off work-self employed!

FORD suck world wide for service in the UK for our Explorers- they have not seen one b4 and look afraid when you drive in then charge way too much! Thats why I do all my own work and look after a few for members from this forum!

 

[eXcali]

I just looked over one of my wife's friends 2003 grand am. She had the A/C compressor replaced and they charged her $650. Then they told her that her catalytic converter was going out and would cost $2,000! I checked it all out and they explained to her that the flash rust on the surface of the metal on her exhaust had compromised the system. She explained this to me after I had looked at it and told her it was perfectly fine.

 

[JoeCool6972]

So let me get this straight... it's now someonelse fault that YOU don't want the fix the broken crap? WE hate having customers like you. :thumbdwn:

I'm sorry but these comments piss me off (and customers who do it) when people try to blame some one else for their being lazy, cheap, whatever and not wanting to fix their broken crap.

You guys need to shut up and go trade your Fords in on Chevy's, then you will know what a peice of **** really is!

 

[eXcali]

So let me get this straight... it's now someonelse fault that YOU don't want the fix the broken crap? WE hate having customers like you. :thumbdwn:

I'm sorry but these comments piss me off (and customers who do it) when people try to blame some one else for their being lazy, cheap, whatever and not wanting to fix their broken crap.

You guys need to shut up and go trade your Fords in on Chevy's, then you will know what a peice of **** really is!

I seriously hope that was just a joke. Cause if not you just made yourself look like one heck of a tool, and I would avoid being a customer of your shop.

The point of the thread is that it is a shame that there are places that have no intention to be honest or up front. Many would jump at the chance to sell someone a new gas tank because their gas was expired.

 

[JoeCool6972]

I seriously hope that was just a joke. Cause if not you just made yourself look like one heck of a tool, and I would avoid being a customer of your shop.

The point of the thread is that it is a shame that there are places that have no intention to be honest or up front. Many would jump at the chance to sell someone a new gas tank because their gas was expired.

My Ford dealership IS NOT one of those. We are honest, and the service management strive to make sure it is that way. Sorry, but these topics piss me off assuming ALL dealers are bad.

 

[patrick112390]

Yup. And the vast majority of them are simply things that wear out in a vehicle line that's are approaching 15 years old.



Nope. Ford has had plenty of recalls. Recalls (for all manufacturers, not just Ford) are only issued on problems that pose the threat of a loss of control, fire, injury, death, or great bodily harm.



The ABS screwing up can't cause the driveshafts to fail. The cruise control was thanks to a company that supplied an off-the-shelf the part to Ford. The seat bolt recliner came from a supplier whose parts did not meet Ford's spec (Ford pays extra for them to do their own materials testing and verification), and the fog lamps don't spontaneously burn up the harness.

The front suspension dropping is a new one for me.... but not a common one on this board, for sure.

thanks for for clearing that up-

 

[jls1znv9999]

So let me get this straight... it's now someonelse fault that YOU don't want the fix the broken crap? WE hate having customers like you. :thumbdwn:

I'm sorry but these comments piss me off (and customers who do it) when people try to blame some one else for their being lazy, cheap, whatever and not wanting to fix their broken crap.

You guys need to shut up and go trade your Fords in on Chevy's, then you will know what a peice of **** really is!

Well i can this is why these forums are here!!!!
You should know that most of us are working for living. We can't afford the overpriced labor. Do you guys charge by the bolt, each turn or the replacement cost of the tools? Why overpay and take money from our families when we can all come together and help each other and save some money and hassle and treat our families to a good BBQ! I will never trade in my exp. Just for that i might buy another.

The comment i made about all the little bugs and recalls was a joke, aka sarcasm. Just spreading a little light humor around. Not all dealerships are bad but i have yet to find a good one. I called about a Prop shaft, the parts person said,
"What the F%%% is a prop shaft?" Yes he did drop the f bomb.

 

[corkey]

i went in for a 5th shock for the back of my ex,, they got the wrong one , twice,, that wasn't so bad, but when they figured it out, they said it was about 150 $ for one, i went to a jobber for the part, can't remember if it was autozone or not,, it was 28 $,,
i asked about an add a leaf, they quoted me, between $ 300-400 , i got a used one here, for 15 $,,
i had a check enigine light on,, when i first got the ex,, i took it in for a scan, they took out all the bulbs for the interior lights, and left the one by theback hatch hanging out of the roof,,

shall i go on,, ,??? i have a bunch,,

 

[aldous76]

i am glad i am not the only one who hates the dealer. took my 05 sport trac back to the dealer i bought it from (had it a month) and complained of a vacuum leak in the dash. gave them a complete explaination of the sound and when it appears. the had my vehicle for two days, and put 75 mile on it. When i got ahold of the tech, he told me they didn't hear a thing, and that there wasw no leak or other sounds coming from the dash. (thats odd, you can hear it with the radio on). i took the vehicle and drove it less than 2 minutes and , what a surprise a leaking sound from below my dash. I called the dealer back and they told me to come in and take the tech for a ride and notify him when i heard the sound so they knew what i was talking about. lets see, you are the ase mechanic, and i have to do your fricking job for you, how much do i get to show you the problem? what a load of crap. i am surprised these guys can even get their own vehicles started to get to work.

the only positive thing was i didn't have to pay as it was warranty work. i bet they would have found the leak if it wasn't covered under warranty.

 

[eXcali]

My Ford dealership IS NOT one of those. We are honest, and the service management strive to make sure it is that way. Sorry, but these topics piss me off assuming ALL dealers are bad.

For every honest dealership there are 10 dishonest. Look up the Ford dealership in Momence, IL who took cars on trade and never paid off the loans on them, then sold them again. Many people who bought these trade-in's had them repo'd a couple months later. There were also customer vehicles in the service department locked inside when the owner and staff bolted blaming Ford for all the problems. So you drop off your car on Monday, go back on Friday to find the place abandoned and your vehicle locked up inside.

Oh, or how about the Ray Skillman Ford in Indianapolis, IN that told my mom there was warranty covered work on her van. They pulled out the engine due to a faulty oil sensor, then decided it wasn't covered. So they wanted $1,200 to put it back together. They explained they pulled the engine because it made the work easier for the mechanics. My dad and I said we would put it back together ourselves and we went to pickup the van. This thoughtful service department believed the inside of this luxury van was the best place for the engine block. They tore both the drivers and passengers seat backs placing it inside, as well as the two captains chairs. The engine block leaked 2-3 qts of oil onto the tan carpet ruining it.

Now I have had my own trouble with dealerships, not as much Ford since this explorer is my first Ford and I have sworn off of dealer work. I've had a Dodge dealership change my starter under warranty and leave a wrench on my engine block which popped out as I drove it off the lot. I picked it up and asked them to look over my car to make sure there was no damage. The service manager insisted it wasn't their tool untill I pointed at the mechanic who worked on my car with a matching set in his hand, when I asked to see his 10mm wrench to prove it wasn't his the service manager gave in and had them do a complete lookover which found a broken plug wire from it. Oh and this same service manager tried to bill me for 7 hours extra labor not covered under the warranty because the mechanic had problems replacing the existing starter, even tho chiltons said 2 hrs.

Oh and I had a rear diff replaced under warranty and the dealership forgot to add the gear oil on the replacement. After a week of driving my diff got loud and blew on the highway, lucky for me it failed on an off ramp and I was only doing about 30mph.

So don't get all pissed off when you see people complaining about dealerships or shops that are trying to rip them off. Sure there are probably good shops, I've never found them but it's possible, but the VAST majority will milk you for everything they can. If your shop is an honest and fair shop then your reply to these threads should be the address, phone number and shop hours and an assurance that you can help.

 

[Donner]

Oh well, I'm going to say the opposite...

Capistrano Ford in San Juan, (then) Suburban Ford in Citrus Heights were the best! I had one bad incident at Harold Ford in Sac town, but my dealers (Tuttle-Click, Capistrano, and (then) Suburban Ford are the best! They've kept 4 Explorers running smoothly, and have not ripped me off. Granted, if I could have done some of the work myself, I would have, but I have them, and I don't mind paying the labor. I know my Service and Parts team members by first name, and they know me well. I will say that I contacted a NY Parts team member, and gave me the 3rd degree about why I was calling from CA... it was 5:00 am, and I needed an answer. He laughed and told me to wait for my region to open up... I told him Ford is Ford, I just need an answer... And he helped me out.

 

[ranger7ltr]

So did they replace the CC harness as well as break your truck?

So today I finally went to my local Ford dealership to have the cruise control wiring harness replaced that was part of a recall. Now I've known for a little while that the inside and outside door handles needed to be replaced on my driver's side door. It's been kind of tricky getting out of my Explorer because you have to pull on the handle just right, BUT, it worked. Anyway, while I was at the dealership the mechanic who drove my Explorer inside noticed the funky door handle and the Service Dept Manager came out and asked me if I wanted them to take a look at it. I agreed thinking "well, I'll see what they quote me to fix it." After their "diagnostic" the SDM came back out and said that it would be $485 parts & labor to replace the inside handle, outside handle, and lock actuator, plus an additional $70 to paint the outside handle (which they couldn't do today). I declined the repairs and paid the $60 I owed them for the "diagnostic." Then I went to a nearby Sears to do some shopping and what do you know I can't get out of my vehicle.

QUOTE]

So did they actually replace the harness without damaging anything inside the engine bay? I have a 99 X that I need to call the dealership for this recall and I am not looking forward to this...

And NO dealership works on my cars unless absolutely necessary.. And that includes the Charger...