Is there a Ford Service Center that doesn't suck?

[HTR21]

I'm willing to drive.

 

[DesertFordRat]

A state or region may help. Dealerships seem to be hit or miss. I think it depends on the management. My truck has been in the shop going on 3 weeks now. If they do it right ill be happy.

 

[ManUpOrShutUp]

Is there a Ford Service Center that doesn't suck donkey balls?

No. They're all technicians, not mechanics and most of them are not particularly good technicians. However, even if you get a highly skilled technician, you aren't likely to get their best. Techs usually get paid flat rate, which means they get paid based on the suggested labor time for a particular job, rather than the actual time it takes to do the job. That means they are incentivized to do fast work, not quality work. And if they get paid hourly instead, they are often grossly underpaid. I met a guy last month that was getting paid $7.25/hour; he was in the midst of replacing a transmission. If you're getting warranty work done, there's even more incentive to get it done quickly as they typically get paid less than they do for cash pay work. Moreover, the dealership doesn't get paid squat unless they replace a warranty item so they would rather replace 5 things that may or may not have anything to do with your specific problem than spend extra man hours trying to diagnose a complex issue. To top it all off, dealerships always charge more than the going rate at a good independent shop - both in terms of hourly rate and hours billed for a particular job. Look at the guy in the spark/COP replacement thread; they're hitting him for 4 hours for a job that even a complete novice can do in 2. If you're under warranty or have a problem that specifically requires a dealer (e.g. you need something reprogrammed using a tool specific to Fords that no independent shop wants to invest in) then by all means hit the dealer. Otherwise, shop around for a good independent mechanic. You'll get better service and for less money. That's my 2 cents anyway.

 

[HTR21]

No. They're all technicians, not mechanics and most of them are not particularly good technicians. However, even if you get a highly skilled technician, you aren't likely to get their best. Techs usually get paid flat rate, which means they get paid based on the suggested labor time for a particular job, rather than the actual time it takes to do the job. That means they are incentivized to do fast work, not quality work. And if they get paid hourly instead, they are often grossly underpaid. I met a guy last month that was getting paid $7.25/hour; he was in the midst of replacing a transmission. If you're getting warranty work done, there's even more incentive to get it done quickly as they typically get paid less than they do for cash pay work. Moreover, the dealership doesn't get paid squat unless they replace a warranty item so they would rather replace 5 things that may or may not have anything to do with your specific problem than spend extra man hours trying to diagnose a complex issue. To top it all off, dealerships always charge more than the going rate at a good independent shop - both in terms of hourly rate and hours billed for a particular job. Look at the guy in the spark/COP replacement thread; they're hitting him for 4 hours for a job that even a complete novice can do in 2. If you're under warranty or have a problem that specifically requires a dealer (e.g. you need something reprogrammed using a tool specific to Fords that no independent shop wants to invest in) then by all means hit the dealer. Otherwise, shop around for a good independent mechanic. You'll get better service and for less money. That's my 2 cents anyway.

Thanks, Man. That's wild that the technicians get paid so little yet the service center charges so much. Unfortunately, I have a bad instrument cluster and it seems the dealership is the only way to get the programming done.

http://www.expeditionforum.com/threads/instrument-cluster-and-mileage.29955/#post-243897

The whole process at the dealership(s) is excruciating; from the time they take your key, to the cramped waiting room, to the careless way they park your vehicle, to the general lack of knowledge and inability to describe a problem or even give a vehicle repair status. And this is if you are lucky enough to have them answer the phone in the first place to set up an "appointment".

I imagine a vent forum at www.expeditionforum.com would be a popular destination.

 

[ManUpOrShutUp]

Ah yeah, if you need programming you're stuck with them. In the first year I owned my vehicle my truck was parked at the dealership service lot for 3-4 of them. At one point they had my truck for 2 months. It's not that I had any serious problems. It's just that I was in for warranty repairs and every time a cash pay would come through the door, they bumped my vehicle to the end of the line. And they scratched it twice and dented it on the lift. Then I had to fight with them to get the PDR guy to come down on their dime and buff out the scratches when he was done. It was all a nightmare. And I had similar experiences at 2 other dealerships.

I can relate regarding the appointments too. The last dealership I took it to scheduled me for a Wednesday. All I needed was a pinion seal. We're talking 1 hour tops. Wednesday came and I dropped the truck off. I stopped back on Friday about 15 minutes before closing to pick up the truck. The kid told me he had just put it on the lift 5 minutes before and was going home in 5 minutes. OK ... I came back Saturday to collect it and they still weren't done. I told them I needed the truck back for the weekend and would bring it back Monday. On Monday I came back and asked how long they would need it for. He said they would have it done by the end of the week. All of this for a 1 hour job. I told him to stuff it and took it somewhere else.

 

[nycnftm]

The employees at the dealerships get health insurance, paid days off and benefits. Plus the dealership has to make a profit. Your local yokle works on a cash business that doesn't report it to the irs and the illegals probably make minimum wage in cash and if they or their kid gets sick they are out of luck. Your recourse is better at the dealership when your repair fails after 2 weeks too. My $%^#ing Expedition is at a local mechanic for over a month now for an electrical problem. I'm thinking I should have just brought it to the dealership, paid triple and had it back in two days

 

[DesertFordRat]

My Hyundai has always been fixed quickly and come out of the shop better than she went in. My daughter has it now.. I think some dealers do a good job and deserve the recognition. There are good techs out there that aim to do it right.

 

[HTR21]

Of course, they never call you when your part arrives so you have to call back and hound them about it. If the part arrives, it always "arrived late yesterday afternoon".

I wonder if they'll let me park the Expy myself or if I will have to watch them drive it over a curb and wedge it between two trucks again.

 

[GAINMOB]

My dealership is great so I haven't heard those stories or experienced them

Mr. 10K

 

[HTR21]

OMFG! The new instrument cluster came in but now I can't reset the alarm on the front or the back bumper sensors. Also, there is no way anymore to leave the running boards out. I think they ordered the wrong instrument cluster but they are saying the new program doesn't allow me to do the things the old instrument cluster does. WTF? How can you carry bicycles on the back of your Expy without the alarm blaring the whole time you're driving?

It's a six-hour drive for me to Yorktown, VA but I can drive it if that's the nearest competent service center.

 

[HTR21]

There is actually a number to call if you run into issues with a Ford Service Center.

(800) 392-3673

They will assign a case number and a representative to push the issue from the Ford corporate side.

I'll let you know if it helps any.

 

[HTR21]

Calling the 800 number and getting someone from Ford to push the issue from their side made all the difference in the world. Problem has been fixed. No extra charges. They even offered a loaner vehicle.

Lesson learned is to not accept unsatisfactory service from a Service Center. Escalate the issue if you are unhappy.

I'm glad it is fixed.

 

[1oldtimer]

My Dealership is Awsome. I have never had amy issues with them and they are always genuinly concern with my visits. Sheehy Ford, Warrenton, Va. I'll do buisness with them for all my car purchases and servises.

 

[1955moose]

Yea it's sad, the majority of shops, even non dealer, pay their mechanics on some sort of commission basis. My techs at a motorcycle shop I used to run years back, worked on a split. 50 percent for them, 50 for the owner. It worked fine most of the time. But if their was a comeback, or a problem, that's when all the drama started. I wished they were paid a good hourly, but in the repair business it rarely is done. Besides profit, it keeps the employee from trying to milk the time clock. It is sad that most dealer techs are like horses with blinders on. They know their job, but can't vary from that. I know because I've chatted with techs about other brands, other than their training, and it's like your speaking Klingon! Thank goodness I've worked on everything from Alfas to Zundapp motorcycles. And loved the challenge of figuring out what made them tick.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk