The only problems I have ever had at the Ford dealer were with the their service advisors providing trash service and not having any automotive knowledge.
I started using Dean’s Automotive in Del City for the “Trust” issue. Square shooter!
Welcome to every dealership that ever opened its doors.
There is a dealership I frequent since they appear to have always treated me fairly on repairs, even major ones. Oil changes were very reasonable and done correctly (I cannot say that for big chains where I have been "shorted" oil or failed to reset oil life indicators, or tires overinflated to 45 lbs/per sq. inch or under inflated to 24 lbs/per sq inch,) if they caused an issue, they fixed it (got tires and they scratched painted rims, tires were inexpensive, they still fixed my rims.) Had a rear axle go out and the repair was reasonably priced and I got a loaner back in 2018. Fast forward to today. Had recommended them to a friend a month back. To repair a headlight, battery sensor and terminal, and cabin sensor on a 2016 Ford, they wanted almost $6,000. I truly think it was the age of the vehicle and a change of service policy. Techs and service managers seemed stressed, and a bit short tempered. I also think they wanted to sell a new car more than repairing an old one to a customer and "fix" my friends car and throw it on the lot for sale. Alot going on now. Ford is going through changes with dealership policies, and the consumer suffers as a result. Dealerships are trying to make the most profit when they can't sell vehicles and the ones they can sell have a 10K or more dealership markup and they can't get them.
Not to derail but somewhat related. Do you guys find extended warranties from dealers to be worth the money? I’ve found the quality of service at my dealer has deteriorated significantly the last couple of visits. I suspect they have problems hiring knowledgeable people who want to work like many other companies these days. I used an independent shop that’s been around many years the other day. His transmission fluid change service was 40% less and as far as I can tell equal or better than the dealer. His waiting area and friendliness was also much better. I’ll be using them for future visits.
Most all dealerships are terrible. So is the auto industry in general. Dealers are required to service the vehicles they sell, but they seldom make money on service, so everything is bottom shelf. This includes pay for their techs, so they’re always understaffed. Most of the time with warranty work, they front the costs to repair your vehicle and fight the automaker for reimbursement later on, which can be a hassle. Rather than take one for their customer, they often pass the frustrations on instead. They are rarely going to side with you on something that may or may not be a fault of the vehicle as too many warranty claims for reimbursement will draw the attention of the automaker. Roughly 10 years ago I heard Chrysler was even incentivizing shops who had the least amount of claims. Would explain the issues I encountered trying to get my Jeep sorted out.
This is all part of the reason dealer servicing is so expensive in general. They have high overhead and low profit margarines, so they pass that on to you. It’s partially the fault of the dealers, partially the automakers, but ultimately it’s us who has to suffer.
I buy exclusively gently used Lexus these days, due to my experience with domestic brands. Firstly, they are very reliable in general, but the times they do need work, I can bring it to Lexus while under warranty and it’s all but hassle free. Because they’re so reliable, the dealers aren’t doing many warranty claims, thus they are more likely to cover things that are on the edge of fault. They also do not fight as hard as other brands due to the mark up you pay for the luxury Toyota in the first place, it helps spread the cost the dealer incurs for service. A special thanks to you folks who buy these things new,
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An added benefit is for the times it does need non warranty work, I can bring it to a Toyota dealer, including for oil changes to spare some cost.
Thankfully, because they’re so well built, in the last 5 years, I’ve only had to have warranty work once, and it was fully covered including a rental. My issue was an intermittent, but annoying one, and I only had to push slightly after they first said just wait and see, and they caved and replaced $3500 worth of parts. Mind you, this was 8 months before the warranty expired, with 55k on it. I feel confident they would have covered the AC issue OP is facing as well.
This is all part of the reason dealer servicing is so expensive in general. They have high overhead and low profit margarines, so they pass that on to you. It’s partially the fault of the dealers, partially the automakers, but ultimately it’s us who has to suffer.
I buy exclusively gently used Lexus these days, due to my experience with domestic brands. Firstly, they are very reliable in general, but the times they do need work, I can bring it to Lexus while under warranty and it’s all but hassle free. Because they’re so reliable, the dealers aren’t doing many warranty claims, thus they are more likely to cover things that are on the edge of fault. They also do not fight as hard as other brands due to the mark up you pay for the luxury Toyota in the first place, it helps spread the cost the dealer incurs for service. A special thanks to you folks who buy these things new,
.An added benefit is for the times it does need non warranty work, I can bring it to a Toyota dealer, including for oil changes to spare some cost.
Thankfully, because they’re so well built, in the last 5 years, I’ve only had to have warranty work once, and it was fully covered including a rental. My issue was an intermittent, but annoying one, and I only had to push slightly after they first said just wait and see, and they caved and replaced $3500 worth of parts. Mind you, this was 8 months before the warranty expired, with 55k on it. I feel confident they would have covered the AC issue OP is facing as well.
I never do them, especially the 3rd party warranties. They wouldn’t sell them if they typically panned out in our favor either. What I’ve seen on newer ones is things have to completely fail in order to be warrantable as well, which is ridiculous for a few reasons including the definition of failure.
When I was younger I’d turn my own wrenches, but as I get older, busted knuckles and sore backs get less and less fun. I try to just buy vehicles that put reliability at the forefront, no matter if that means getting a “boring” or “dated” ride.
I used to be all about indie shops, especially when I had BMWs and the like. But since Covid, it seems prices are about on par with dealers. I needed my diffs and trans fluid changed last year and the dealer was actually a bit cheaper than my usual go to shop. At least there I know OEM parts/fluid are being used as well.
It’s a wild world we live in now. Interesting to see how it’ll shake out over the next decade.
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Shame on you for going back to a dealership that you knew sucked!I won't name the dealership...Yet.
Wife's Explorer was due for an oil change/service and her AC had just quit working. *expletive deleted*ck.
Car is still under warranty and she insisted on the extended service plan.
She scheduled the service appointment for the oil change and asked that the AC be checked out while it was in there. 2 week wait on service appointment.
Took it in yesterday for the 8:00 AM appointment. Right off the bat they had a $160 diagnostic fee for the AC on the paperwork. I commented that it was still under warranty and the service plan. Service advisor said oops my bad.
We left the car there and Went about our business. About 2:00pm I hadn't heard anything so I contacted them. I was told that they were tracing a Freon leak and might need to keep it overnight. So far no biggie. About 11:00 AM this morning I contacted them again for an update. They had found "impact damage" on the condenser, NOT covered under warranty $2200 dollars to repair, *expletive deleted*ck me!
After my initial shock I contacted my insurance agent, covered under comprehensive less deductible. so $500 vice $2200. Better but still sucks.
Went in this afternoon and brought it home since it will take a few days to get the insurance claim sorted out.
They never changed the *expletive deleted*ing oil.
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We did give them a 2nd chance last year and they did a good job. Also our location makes the next closest Ford dealer pretty inconvenient. This will be their last business from me though.
You should give the name of the dealer,so others can avoid that scamI won't name the dealership...Yet.
Wife's Explorer was due for an oil change/service and her AC had just quit working. *expletive deleted*ck.
Car is still under warranty and she insisted on the extended service plan.
She scheduled the service appointment for the oil change and asked that the AC be checked out while it was in there. 2 week wait on service appointment.
Took it in yesterday for the 8:00 AM appointment. Right off the bat they had a $160 diagnostic fee for the AC on the paperwork. I commented that it was still under warranty and the service plan. Service advisor said oops my bad.
We left the car there and Went about our business. About 2:00pm I hadn't heard anything so I contacted them. I was told that they were tracing a Freon leak and might need to keep it overnight. So far no biggie. About 11:00 AM this morning I contacted them again for an update. They had found "impact damage" on the condenser, NOT covered under warranty $2200 dollars to repair, *expletive deleted*ck me!
After my initial shock I contacted my insurance agent, covered under comprehensive less deductible. so $500 vice $2200. Better but still sucks.
Went in this afternoon and brought it home since it will take a few days to get the insurance claim sorted out.
They never changed the *expletive deleted*ing oil.
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