Ideas Needed on this mess.

[bmwe46]

I have come across the most interesting situation recently.. I have become one of these idiots that has a warranty issue on a car.. but not the usual case by any means.

Essentially.. car went in for it's 90K service at a big ford dealer (I will not name names)... service done for 400 odd dollars.. ok.. a little excessive but then I have a dead ICC screen that I need fixed and I have very little warranty left.. so be it.
They rang me late in the day for the collect.. and started advising what else was wrong with the car.. diff bushes.. injectors.. p/s hose, wipers, brakes.. 3000 odd worth.. OK.. I just politely said thanks, I will assess these items on collection.
On picking up the car the service rep was reading through the list of defects and suddenly panicked.. 'oh.. this car is still under new car warranty'.. and gave a rather concerned look across to the lass that had written up the report.
She defended herself 'Oh.. I thought the car had gone over 90 when I wrote that up'.

sigh..

OK.. yes.. there are as many issues with all this as there are dollars in the amount of money in their (her) quote.

Whatever.. I just got in my car and drove home.

Now.. the ONLY THING that has EVER gone wrong with this car is the ICC screen.. it was not fixed in the service even tho pre-advised.. and I now cannot get it fixed despite the car STILL being under warranty as I write.

Ford customer service sympothise with me.. but just advise to contact another dealer.. which I did.. but it all appears too hard for even my purchasing dealer across town.

Honestly.. my car is STILL (as in right now) under warranty.. I have written proof of fraudulant activity on the part of a major dealer, and I still have no person contact me and say 'hey, we will handle this one'.

A few things to note...

- this is my 6th falcon in a row, and my 2nd fg, I am a diehard, my wife hates the 'x' font end and said she won't be seen in the new one if I upgrade.. I love my wife by I am still considering my options.

- I am now buying 2nd hand BMWs so I can still have 6cyl and rwd because I just love it.

- I know what goes on with 'servicing'.. this is not just a ford issue, it is everywhere, I do not even care.

- The dealer concerned is now giving me the 'we will get back to you' routine' as no doubt they do not want to fix a perfectly fine ps hose and diff bush set without getting paid.

- I just want my ICC fixed.

- I always knew that the 'girl' on the phone writes up the 'recommendations' on the service report.. I have never had written and verbal proof before that is all.

- Suffice to say .. the P/S hose has no leaks.. I am pretty sure they did not notice 'carbon on the injectors' when changing oil, and the diff bushes are normal for the k's.

- Had she actually looked in the service book she would have noticed the coolant had been changed twice since new.. and the brakes had been changed (pads, rotors and fluid) 48 hour prior... it is all written up in english and the rotors still had the shipping wax evident.

Why.. why do dealers make it all a hassle.. why don't they realise the gravity of this situation and just ring me and say... 'hey.. we will just sort this out as we have stuffed up'.

I am a business owner.. that is what I do when I stuff up.

Any one got any advice?.. is there any dealer in Perth that is willing to just fix my ICC on warranty. it has always been a bit funny and is now blank, nothing else wrong with the car :-).. promise.

thx

[EB#]

Keep phoning (& emailing) dealers until you get one willing to take a look at the ICC. If no luck with that, get onto Ford Customer Service again. Don't get it right, get it in writing.

[Stefan]

I don't understand this? If they wrote list of things to do and the ICC is stuffed why don't they fix it?

Are they denying it's under warranty?

Your post does not explain the problem.

And what does the list of "defects" have to do with the ICC?

I'm stumped.

[SensationFG8]

It's funny what you've described is what I had with my last falcon. 1 month out of warranty and they wrote a report very similar to yours for work that would take 3k+ to fix.

I wonder how normal this is now? I avoid ford dealers at all cost now, been burnt way too much by them.

Different dealers have done the following just in the past 3 years. They never used to be this bad, or maybe I expect more as I get better cars...

1. Chipped paint off the inside lip of the front guard while replacing the SC on my gtf, also attempted to blame me for the snout coupling failure that happened at 7000k and seems a common problem
2. Paper work has wrong oil but they assure me it's correct.
3. 4 goes to fix a piece of trim that was cracked when delivery was made because they kept not ordering the part

[Ross 1]

They have put it in writing, get them to fix everything but the consumables (brakes, wipers) under warranty or take it over their heads.

[Blue Dog]

What's the problem?
Exercise your consumer rights.
If it's under warranty as you state, contact the Dept of Fair Trading if you are in NSW.
I'd imagine other States have similar Government Departments.
What's the problem with naming this dealer?

[TEZG]

Go back with a big smile on your face and tell them you're taking their expert advice and getting all these things fixed, thank them very much for such a comprehensive, time consuming and detailed report and how lucky you feel that the car is still under warranty and that they have been so diligent.

Take no notice of their response and tell them you're going to let all your friends and business acquaintances know of what great service you've received from %%% Ford Dealer at ***.

Ask to take some pics of the service manager for your local rag as a family member works there and is looking for a "good news story". Add how it would be great for their business, free advertising!!! and you're happy to oblige given the service you have received, if they decline, say no worries, I'll just take a pic of the dealership from the street.

[FairmontGS]

Originally Posted by bmwe46

They rang me late in the day for the collect.. and started advising what else was wrong with the car.. diff bushes.. injectors.. p/s hose, wipers, brakes.. 3000 odd worth.. OK.. I just politely said thanks, I will assess these items on collection.[/FONT]
On picking up the car the service rep was reading through the list of defects and suddenly panicked.. 'oh.. this car is still under new car warranty'.. and gave a rather concerned look across to the lass that had written up the report.
She defended herself 'Oh.. I thought the car had gone over 90 when I wrote that up'.

sigh..

OK.. yes.. there are as many issues with all this as there are dollars in the amount of money in their (her) quote.

Whatever.. I just got in my car and drove home.thx

Sorry, I'm missing something - they wrote a list of what was wrong with the car, the car is under warranty and you just left and drove home instead of saying "Thanks. I'll have all that fixed under warranty."?

[sgt_doofey]

Have a chat to your local consumer affairs/fair trading department and get some advice from them.

https://www.commerce.wa.gov.au/consumer-protection

[Sabantien]

Surely you can book it in and say which 'repairs' you want done and remind them it's under warranty. They are refusing to book you in?

I expected this to happen with my second hand, high km Falcon, but all they did was tell me (in a rather surprised tone) that everything is great, other than the stuff i had already asked about.

[bmwe46]

Thanks very much for the comments.. I will clarify what I can.

Apparently they have submitted a Hotline Assistance Request on the ICC, waiting for feedback from Ford on the ICC. So the discussions up to that point centered on my returning for the ICC repair and discuss the other issues on the car.

The realization of what they had done (ie the ODO reading is still 88000) only occurred after the keys and paperwork were back in my hand and I was on my way to the door.

Now I am just being told to ring back tomorrow (every day).. as the feedback on the Request has not arrived.

I wouldn't let them touch that power steering hose, even for free.. it is in perfect condition and messing with might create a problem. The diff bushes are another matter.. they are probably 40% of the way through their life expectancy so if I can get them for free so be it.

The brake fluid and coolant replacement just shows they didn't even look at the car or the service book properly when writing up the repair recommendations. I have doubts that they were able to 'notice carbon build-up on the injectors' during a standard oil change

What I really want is the IIC fixed without wasting hours and hours organising it and fighting with them.

Will update this thread next week after I have had a chance to go in and see them. Otherwise I might just go to a completely new dealer and start again.

Ford customer service are not able to tell me if any Hotline Request has been made on the vehicle's ICC.

Cheers

[FPV523]

Originally Posted by bmwe46

Thanks very much for the comments.. I will clarify what I can.

Apparently they have submitted a Hotline Assistance Request on the ICC, waiting for feedback from Ford on the ICC. So the discussions up to that point centered on my returning for the ICC repair and discuss the other issues on the car.

The realization of what they had done (ie the ODO reading is still 88000) only occurred after the keys and paperwork were back in my hand and I was on my way to the door.

Now I am just being told to ring back tomorrow (every day).. as the feedback on the Request has not arrived.

I wouldn't let them touch that power steering hose, even for free.. it is in perfect condition and messing with might create a problem. The diff bushes are another matter.. they are probably 40% of the way through their life expectancy so if I can get them for free so be it.

The brake fluid and coolant replacement just shows they didn't even look at the car or the service book properly when writing up the repair recommendations. I have doubts that they were able to 'notice carbon build-up on the injectors' during a standard oil change

What I really want is the IIC fixed without wasting hours and hours organising it and fighting with them.

Will update this thread next week after I have had a chance to go in and see them. Otherwise I might just go to a completely new dealer and start again.

Ford customer service are not able to tell me if any Hotline Request has been made on the vehicle's ICC.

Cheers

Whatever they wrote on the invoice get them to do under warranty as well as fix the ICC

dont let them weasel their way out of it, its all about playing the same game that the dealer plays but only this time its checkmate for you as its still under warranty.

as mentioned before seek advice as a consumer by the appropriate authority and DO NOT take no as an answer.

Thats what id do

My girlfirend took her lancer in for the 15,000k service and was told she needed new tyres! O.o

i rang the dealer and said there is no was no way in hell as i regularly check tyre pressure whilst cold and have them at the poundage specified by the manufacturer. In need of rotation, yes but they just thought because she was a girl she would just okay it until i rang them up and asked if this was a joke?
i said i wasnt laughing and they best be joking and then the back peddling started. Some dealers as with any trade can be scam artists if they think they can pull the wool over your eyes

[Crazy Dazz]

I'm not following?
What exactly is it you're complaining about?
You keep saying you just want the ICC fixed, so what has all the other info got to do with it?

You're saying another dealer won't fix your ICC? Doesn't sound right.
Book your car in for a warranty repair, fix your ICC, end of story.

I don't know you, but you sound like my mother. She was hopeless at getting anything done, or getting information, because she couldn't help dithering & blathering. She would spend half an hour telling somebody the "life-story" instead of just asking for what she needed.
So again I suggest, contact another dealer, book your car in to get the ICC fixed under warranty, simple. Don't mention the other dealer, don't mention any of the other crap.

[Adamz Ghia]

I can't see how a dealer can refuse to fix a car still under warranty?

[EB#]

Originally Posted by Anthony Nolan

Whatever they wrote on the invoice get them to do under warranty as well as fix the ICC....

Sometimes when quotes contain b/s items from dodgy dealer mechanics, there is a fair risk that the "repairs" can have the car returned in a worse state than it was.

The dealer on this occasion seems to have gotten their wires crossed and written up the b/s quote for the customer inside warranty, rather than outside. Obviously the "they all do that" line can't be utilised for a blank ICC screen, so they are likely stalling on this one in the hope that the customer may give up and try elsewhere.

Originally Posted by Adamz Ghia

I can't see how a dealer can refuse to fix a car still under warranty?

It's the preferred position for a dealer mechanic.... less opportunity for an obscene profit margin.

[roddy1960]

G'day..I agree...ford dealers are disappointing...Not warranty in my case but...
Case 1.. Very recently...All I wanted was a genuine Ford ZF transmission boot for my Mk1 FG XR6..The answer from Ford..We'll sell you at $500 the whole shebang..Basically put the phone down on me when I said no..I rang a second dealer who begrudgingly admitted that a cheaper option was to buy just the gear knob/stalk and boot..Cost was $162 or well over 300 smackers cheaper than the 'only' option as claimed by the first mob..I ended up finding an on line place in Adelaide that provided me a genuine Ford example of this including delivery to my door for $113.. Case 2.Some time back I got a quote to replace my yellowed headlights for my old AU. They told me not really fixable once that yellowed .Replacement cost quoted for left and right were different..which I found strange..Together they would have cost me close to $700 . I ended up working at the originals and got them pretty tidy again after some great advice from a friend who's a car restorer and on AFF also of course. Case 3. I had a BA Fairmont Ghia with only one key. The original owner ended up not finding the spare. I rang Ford dealership..They wanted my car all day . Drop it off 8 am , pick it up after 4 pm..Price was $355..Nup...I ended up getting it done by another crowd for $210 and it took less than half an hour while I was there.. I'll question EVERYTHING with Ford dealerships now..Maybe the foot soldiers are told to try and screw the customer for as much as they can get..Don't get me started on scheduled servicing..We absolutely get done over there..My FG (well out of warranty) goes to our local Caltex..Somewhere around $200 and EVERYTHING is checked and noted for reference and nothing is done without approval and probably why my AU keeps running mechanically as she should after 13 plus years of ownership . ..Cheers Rod..

[bmwe46]

Originally Posted by Crazy Dazz

I'm not following?
What exactly is it you're complaining about?

Hi Dazz.. looks like you moved west huh?..

I am not your mother.. I may have dated her a few times.. not sure??

In my post I mentioned just going to a brand new dealer.. but thankyou for the assistance anyway.

[DMXR6T]

Have not had any problems with City Ford Rockdale regarding service. Have had 3 x Focus, 2 x Fiesta and 2 x XR6T over the last few years (company cars). 4 small warranty issues all sorted without drama. Normal scheduled service no problems other than the reception tries to up sell items such as injector clean, new wipers - I just say no to the extras and stick to the standard service.

Just took delivery of XR6 Sprint yesterday (thanks Craig & Steve from City Ford) so we will see how servicing goes for this vehicle.

[bmwe46]

Well to be honest I have been treated far worse by Nissan dealers in WA than I ever have by Ford.. and it looks like the dealer is going to handle this issue as well as could be expected from this point.

This was just a human being stuffing up, probably carrying out what is company policy - do I really want to see a young bird in strife over that? I think not.

I will update next week.