Ford Service - What would make you stay with Ford ?

[Thankfull]

What makes me stay with Ford is that the alternative is Holden.

Holden is el cheapo working class trash....

[Jab]

Thanks for the comments all. The original question was asked of me by a Ford dealer here in Brisbane who I can say is genuinely interested in rewarding and keeping the customers whom have had there vehicles serviced by the dealership. The thread is being read by people in the dealership. I can see many comments with a negative feel and aspect and we can all understand why.

Try to come up with some positive things because they will be doing something I am told and here is a chance to give them some idea's.

Jim.

[Rangas GTP]

Next Ford I buy I will purchase only with no Fraud warranty at a discounted price. They make a sale and I never see them again.

[BlueOvalPrint]

Fixed price servicing - at least for the first 3 years. If Ford can specify what needs to be done each service, then a dealer should be able to provide a firm quote beforehand.

Don't charge $15 for an oil filter when I can get the same genuine Ford part on ebay for a third of that, $10 per litre for ordinary quality oil, and all the BS charges like workshop materials and the like.

Don't screw customers over on warranty items and minor adjustments - if it's clearly broken or not right, fix it; if it's enough for the customer to mention a problem, suck up the charge and you'll be repaid in repeat business and goodwill (remember that?).

Don't charge me $110+ per hour for a knuckle scraping appentice to take my car out on a 30km run to see if the replacement ICC is working.

Oh, and have SOME parts in stock apart from filters and belts etc when items have been flagged beforehand as a problem.

Simple really.

[olfella]

Trust that a decent job will be done at a reasonable price, performed by competent people - AND no BULL.

How many times have you booked in weeks in advance, they have the car for the day and when you pick it up, oh we could not do that because the part did not arrive or some other lame excuse.

All of which seems to paint the picture that it is not only me.

I probably will not find out when this occurs because they have mucked me around once to often.

[snappy]

Originally Posted by Jab

Thanks for the comments all. The original question was asked of me by a Ford dealer here in Brisbane who I can say is genuinely interested in rewarding and keeping the customers whom have had there vehicles serviced by the dealership. The thread is being read by people in the dealership. I can see many comments with a negative feel and aspect and we can all understand why.

Try to come up with some positive things because they will be doing something I am told and here is a chance to give them some idea's.

Jim.

It great the they want to do better.
For the delearships i have been too , They just need get the basics right .
Personally i dont expect t- shirts or other kick backs because i would just assume i would be paying for it anyway .
The warranty stuff is a issue i dont know if ford is giving you prizes for the least amount of claims . But it need addressing
hearing stuff like it normal to hear that rattle and other things like the drone from the aftermarket exhaust is why you transmission failed you are really insulting our intelligence.

Positives
Free coffee
An the bus service is okay .

sorry but that all the positives i could think of.
But good work at a good price you cant go wrong.

[deesun]

I guess I'm a lucky one, my Ford service dept
1. Is on time 75% of the time. Early the other 25%.
2. Washes the car 90% of the time.
3. The service manager tells it like it is and says " F@%k the handbrake its not worth adjusting. And now I agree.
4. Courtesy bus to and from work/home. They ask when booking in, always.
5. Ask if you want to wait for the car.
6. Tea coffee bikkies and or cake and the days papers.
7. Dealer principle walks through service and customer area and checks if all the above are to your satisfaction.
I've been to numerous mechanics in the area, very few match the service consistently.
NONE have ever rung to say, mate we found a $500 problem do we fix it now or do you need some time.
NONE have a courtesy bus.
NONE wash the car,ever.
NONE ask if I want to wait.
NONE have tea , coffee etc but some have stale rotary lollies on the counter if thats any consolation.
I've only been charged $60 to adjust the handbrake early on in its life which is all of $10 more than everywhere else. On a only thing to do basis.
When I changed to LPG my local wanted to change the plugs the oil and everything else but Ford was happy to leave it as it was as is all thats needed.
Like I said I am a lucky lucky barstd.

[WizBang]

Most of the times my ford dealer do try hard ,but when you need to take it back for a 10 dollor part that should of been replace in the 1st palce leaves a sour taste in my mouth .
But as Snappy said I don't don't crap for free ,but a good service at a good price (I don't mind paying each if it's done right )and getting the work done the right way in the 1st place and keeping their faults down .
But the ford dealer I use for our 2 cars and my company car I have found the people there do try and are straight up when you talk to them .

[vztrt]

Originally Posted by Jab

Thanks for the comments all. The original question was asked of me by a Ford dealer here in Brisbane who I can say is genuinely interested in rewarding and keeping the customers whom have had there vehicles serviced by the dealership. The thread is being read by people in the dealership. I can see many comments with a negative feel and aspect and we can all understand why.

Try to come up with some positive things because they will be doing something I am told and here is a chance to give them some idea's.

Jim.

There are good dealers out there you just need to find them. I know Ford believe Etheridge Ford are good in their sales department and can come up with non Ford fixes to actually get rid of poor design issues.
One thing that hurts the dealer is poor design (I know they're built to a cost) that regardless of changing over expensive parts will not fix the problem (the diff clunk is a problem with a crappy diff) so they're hands are tied.
The FG seems to be a massive improvement over the B-Series with a much smaller amount of issues so hopefully this keeps customers coming back to the blue oval.

[dannyhilton]

I recently got a New Fiesta from Pacific Ford in Maroochydore. When they service vehicles they give you a 15 minute sit down with the guy in charge, to talk about any issues you seem to have, and recalls and general info about what they have to do on the service. For a novice like me, that's great, should they carry through with it of corse. From what I have herd they seem to go over the car with you too, another awesome thing for me personally.

One thing I REALLY dislike about most of these dealerships is the fact they let those little trainee mecanics loose on your car. I have mates who are doing a traineeship at Toyota, and I tell you what some of the horror stories I have been told would make most of you shiver. And it's not just them, the common discussion at their TAFE sessions during lunch breaks is "How fast they could take that bog standard Camry round a corner without it crashing." How they all treat these cars is SHOCKING...

[arm79]

My problem is this... I fork over between $450 and $650 for a BASIC LOGBOOK "service" on my car.

To answer this question, what sort of assurances are Ford and their dealer network going to provide me to coax me into staying. Because at the moment, I will just have to continue spending around $1000 per year on logbook servicing alone with the absolute hope that each time I go in will be better than the last, and I won't encounter problems.

I'm a simple man, but I have an eye for detail, and when paying these figures I expect the work to be done. So some suggestions are:

- At least at this level, a free courtesy car, or at least a ride to and from work.
- When I ask a question (technical or not) answer truthfully and make me feel you are knowledgeable. After all, no one knows your car better than Ford does - apparently
- Dont lie when you are caught out by the customer to cover your ***. Admit it, fix the mistake and lets move on.
- Do exactly what I am paying for, no less
- Listen the to the customer when they have complaints, not in one ear and out the other
- Don't pretend problems dont exist, help me to understand and help me to get a resolution
- Don't make me feel second class because I have a warranty problem and I'm not a profit making customer - This is not my fault, its between you and Ford, so don't take it out on me
- Treat me and my car as if I'm out of warranty and give me the attention that you would on a vehicle that is out of warranty (I think a dealer would understand this one)
- Make sure the car is ready when you say it will be
- Don't leave it till the last possible second to start work on my car, then claim there is nothing wrong because you ran out of time
- Employ some mechanics with some brains and understanding. I know we all bag apprentices, but there are some good ones out there with good brains

We all know we are paying a premium for a Ford service with the expectation they will do it better than anyone else, but that seems to be their failing.

And yes I do have examples to support everyone of my "wishes" I have listed above.

[rayner22]

Honestly, my car (BFII XR6) went back for the 3000 km service (Champion Ford Miami), even though i requested it the oil and filter were not changed (I even stated I would pay for it). Though they did realise the BCM had not been fully calibrated before delivery. Then come the 15000km service, a "A" type service - minor, I was quoted $375 just for oil and filter nothing more... Subsequently my car went to the local dealer were I am originally from in NSW, where the car was checked over completely and road tested by one of the most professional dealerships I have ever used (Kenwal Ford). They even noticed that the wheel nuts on the drivers side were a bit loose!!!

6 Months later, back to Miami under warranty for a knock in the steering - told after they had the car for 6.5 hrs nothing found, just tightened the sub-frame... Now 3 months ago the front tyres were down to canvas on the inside tread, rest of the tyres mint condition.. why?? because the camber had been out by 9 degrees since I picked up the car, as in had never had a wheel alignment before delivery. Who had to pay for the repairs?? I did

P"lus the usual engine rattles/knocks that are "just normal"...

So now, whenever my car is due a service, it goes to a local mechanic who from friends etc I knew was an absolute proffessional and a former senior Ford mechanic. Less cost but a brilliant result, and I even get to choose what brand of oil and get given the empty bottle after seeing it go in my car.

To the OP, there are a lot of negatives in this thread but, there are some dealers like yourselves that DO make the effort to keep their customers happy. For the fact that you have taken the initiative and time to give this a go I say thanks, its time that dealers who do care are rewarded with our business.

Afterall, it is not a definite that a brand new Ford must be serviced by Ford during warranty period (under consumer laws it cannot be enforced), so if people are unhappy about the service they are getting, really it is only the dealers who will lose business that is gained by alternative places of servicing. And sadly it gives all Ford dealers a bad name.

And seriously send me a PM because i might give you guys a try for my next service.. (Im from the gold coast)

[FreddyDUZ747]

My experience with ford today is as follows.

Rang and booked car in last thursday to be looked at today for a suspect pwr/steer cap leek.Over the weekend the car showed signs of other issues and i thought i would jot them down and see if they could just have a look at these other issues.They were,
-cracked fog light and not working
-heatsheilding rattles underneath
-steering notchy and slight knock at full lock idle speed
-Thermostat housing signs of red crust emerging from gasket failing
-idle tensioner pulley
-pwr/steer fluid on altenator

Now i just got a call to say all of the above has been fixed.The service rep said that the pwr/steer pump was no good and the cause of the leak,Thermostat gasket replaced,idlerpulley replaced,new foglight,heatsheilding rattle fixed and the best bit was that the the car received a trans pcm update and a ecu update.car feels like shes had 50,000km knocked of her.pig in $%@#.so thumbs up from me and im really glad i forked out the extra $ on the 5 year warranty if service is half as good as this each time.Me son slammed down two cokes and a pack of biscuits while we went over car so no complaints from him either.

This experience was carried out at Jarvis Ford Hillcrest and not a dime was handed over.10kms worth of diagnosis and road testing,very quick professional service.

Not bad service considering they were only expecting the one issue and im sure the allocated time for my car that day was trippled at least.Now for my 199$ fixed service in two weeks(got one free with purchase)to use as well.

[Rodp]

Originally Posted by rayner22

To the OP, there are a lot of negatives in this thread but, there are some dealers like yourselves that DO make the effort to keep their customers happy. For the fact that you have taken the initiative and time to give this a go I say thanks, its time that dealers who do care are rewarded with our business.

Seconded.

The only Ford dealer I have dealt with that seemed to make an effort to me in Sydney was Brad Garlick. Unfortunately, at the time, they weren't particularly convenient for me.

I've since dealt with VW servicing and it's just head and shoulders above the best servicing I ever received from a Ford dealer - I didn't have to personally remove the plastic and paper from the driver side, I received a car cleaned and vacuumed. No snake oil calls. No smears where there were never smears. Courtesy busses and cars if required. Though you do feel it in the wallet...

I'm tossing up F6 as my next car in a year or two. It'll never see the light of the several Ford service dealers in my vicinity but I may consider the hike to Brad Garlick again.

[Jab]

Thanks again for the replies.
Just a quick note, I am not a dealer but have a relative whom works for one and has been asked to look into this.

[grandpa_spec_F6]

Well for a start.... I got quoted over a $100 just to have ford hook up my car to their machine to sort out an ABS issue.

Mechanic down the road did it for free, but i'd be happy to pay $30 or even $50 for the genuine service. Some realistic pricing is what I'd love to see, because the $50 or $100 I save on the diagnostic could be used to fix whatever the problem actually IS!

[davocol]

This information is an absolute gold mine for a service department to pick up and use as a reference point on how to differentiate themselves from any other Ford Dealer. New Oak Ford seems to be better at some things but have lacked in other areas, they seem to be going in the right direction though. Courtesy Bus, good communication etc.

What baffles me with most dealerships is the complete lack of ability to pick a car enthusiast from someone who could not care less about their service, if they could offer those customers with exceptional service then I am sure it would improve the creditability and reputability of their business 10 fold

[2.8L Hilux]

I went to Lake Ford/Kloster Ford for my brake recall. First time at a dealership for servicing and last (well at klosters anyways)
Ford said "Drop the car off at 10:00am, it will be ready at 10:30."
So I park up at 10am and give them the keys. The bloke there says "Give us till lunchtime and we should have it done"
Fine I said and walked around town for 1h and 45mins. I walk back to Ford and sit in the waiting room at 11:50. I look out the window to see my car sitting in the same place as where I parked it! About 2 mins later a mechanic gets in and drives it into the workshop. He puts the car up on the hoist, looks under the back at the brake hoses, sees they have already been replaced by previous owner and puts the car back down again!

So it took them 1 hour 50 mins to get around to looking at the car and a total of 7MINS to actually inspect it.

I wait for my car just outside the workshop while standing next to some workers there. They are having conversation about football and every second word out of their mouth was ****

So I give the service manager an ear full get in my car and gun it out of there. Hopefully I left some tyre marks for them to remember me by.

- It bugged me that they didn't even stop to tell me what they had done to the car, they just handed me the keys and told me to be on my way. If I was at my local mechanic he would have given me a run down of everything done/inspected on the car.

- It bugged me that they were so unprofessional. Standing around swearing and carrying on infront of me and another bloke.

- And it also bugged me that they didn't stick to their original time of 30mins. I booked the car in 4 days prior, I would have thought they would leave a 30min space in their work schedule insteaded of squeezing me inbetween other jobs just becuase my job was a Recall.

Just because it was a recall claim doesnt mean I should get treated differently to paying customers.

Soo thats why I won't go back for a Ford Service :

[olfella]

Originally Posted by davocol

What baffles me with most dealerships is the complete lack of ability to pick a car enthusiast from someone who could not care less about their service, if they could offer those customers with exceptional service then I am sure it would improve the creditability and reputability of their business 10 fold

I have a theory on this and it is because of leasing. In these circumstances they are not dealing with the owner and therefore if they find a 'money maker' they just call the leasing company and get the ok to replace/repair and charge for it.

Why do I think this? It is from loitering around in the dealers office while waiting for my car and listening to conversations.

One of the things they tried on me was my overflow tank had a hairline crack caused buy putting the cap on incorrectly. My response was well you blokes were the only people to have ever touched it therefore you damaged it. When I sold the car about twelve months later there was still no problem with the original tank.

[melbzetec]

I agree with all of the above, and we all have horror stories about the fundamental issues. It's a basic they must get the fundamental offer right

However, to answer your direct question, I think they should offer a loyalty discount.

If I've stuck with you for 3 years, then reward me as the car gets older by charging me 10 - 15% less for parts and service. It's alot cheaper to retain a customer than find a new one. And maybe the discount or bonus gets bigger as the years of loyalty increase

Smart operators will also chuck in something without charging....... something as simple as "we noticed your number plate was loose.....have put 4 new screws in"

I'm with my current Ford Dealer becuase of this approach. Had a problem with an aftermarket gauge. They fixed it but said...."We had a play with it and it's working now. We don't know what we actually did however, so we can hardly charge you"

This was after leaving another Ford dealer who charged me 4 hours labour to change brake pads!!!!!!!!!!

Unfortunately with the Focus, you tend to stay with a Ford Dealer as there are a number of specialist tools required that general mechanics don't have (ABS brakes declined to change a clutch for this reason)

[GQ_Smooth]

This is probably not the best forum to ask this type of question, most on here take personal pride and interest in their car, as we are mostly Enthusiasts. We know what needs to be done and when a substandard job is done most of us know something in not right. The general public is different.

If Joe public beleive they will be getting a discount from their Ford Dealer by staying with them (10-20% off, which will probably bring them down to only 30% above an independant mechanic), they will more than likely be happy.

It's hard to change the culture in dealerships, however now is the best time in the last 10 years to do so. Qualified mechanics are more available due to the recession than before (not necessarily good ones).

Ford are in a very difficult situation, they are not in a position to take dealerships away from principles due to bad service as they still need them to sell their cars. If FORD can regularly take independant surveys of service customer from their dealers and rate them, then offer incentives to their dealers if they reach certain service levels, if the incentives are good enough more dealers will take service customers perception more seriously. It may encourage dealers to be more proactive with their customer service. At the end of the day, there will always be people you can't please (thats for all brands). And perception is as important as reality. If FORD called me after my bad experience with my Dealer and then came back to me with a reason or offer, I would go back and give them another chance. It can be an expensive excersice, and one their dealers won't necessarily be happy with and it won't bring quick sales of new cars. It's more about building the brand FORD, and doing what they can to make sure when their customers are dealing with the FORD brand their experience is as positive as it can be.

I previously instigated a similar process for a popular industrial powertools company when I was there, we followed up 60% of all customer that have had their tools serviced/repaired by independant dealers and company run service centres. Even when they weren't happy with the service they appreciated that someone from the BRAND asked them for their opinion and got back to them with some sort of answer even if it wasn't what they wanted to hear.

This is unlikely to happen as I doubt they are in a financial position to invest in the service experience, this is usually left to the dealers (as we all know, they are both good and bad).

So after a long winded speech, when their customer satisfaction is above 90% I will happly give them my business.

Sorry to be long winded.

[steve.zissou]

Originally Posted by pottery beige

Rather have flaming strips of bamboo shoved under my finger nails than have the incompetent fools at a ford dealer anywhere near my car... THEY WERE BANNED... not even half way through my warranty period... take it back for service.. pass the strips of flaming bamboo.. please..

wow - I have just hit 50k in my fg ute and after my 45k service I did the same - screw the warranty.
It is easier, less stressful, cheaper (if you account for time for me to keep taking it in there + cheaper services) and I dont have that ****ed off feeling for a week before and after a service.

I bad thing is, when I am up for a new car in 12 months I'll want to go ford but I would basically be buying without a warranty - will at a minimum make me look for an alternative an I tell you a SS ute (once they upgrade the interior aint a bad thing).

[Auslandau]

I have my cars serviced at Ford and continue to do so ...... even the Ute with 220,000 on the clock. I ring them, they pick the car up, they deliver it back and if it runs more than a day they drop off a replacement for me. Haven't been to the service department in ages and never had a problem in years.

If anyone has a problem, talk to the service department or someone higher up. Don't have unrealistic attitude or expectations .... which some here don't seem to have .... and if you don't like them, go somewhere else. Also, to buy and ignore the warranty ..... ? Madness.



| [/url] |

[Rodp]

Originally Posted by Rodp

I've since dealt with VW servicing and it's just head and shoulders above the best servicing I ever received from a Ford dealer - I didn't have to personally remove the plastic and paper from the driver side, I received a car cleaned and vacuumed. No snake oil calls. No smears where there were never smears. Courtesy busses and cars if required. Though you do feel it in the wallet...

Ha... and they go and make a fool out of me.

Received a sternly worded toll notice in the mail that if I don't pay $3.80 in the next 14 days I will be prosecuted for not paying for a toll.

I was nominated by the VW dealer as the driver of their courtesy car at the time.

Firstly, I spent upwards of $60k at this dealer and they're bothering having my details forwarded to the toll collections over $3.80? The smart thing to do would have been to just pay the $3.80.

Secondly, they should have contacted me personally to query the occurance.

Thirdly, the breach occurred at 7.15am on a booth I've never used. Thankfully I received my Roam bill in the mail at the same time which showed me travelling through a different booth on the same stretch of road at 8:00am - on my way to drop my car off and pick up the courtesy car.

Wrote 2 letters this morning - 1, to dispute the claim that I was not the offending driver with proof. 2, to assure the VW dealer that they would not receive another cent from me.

[MR_SIDO]

Originally Posted by GQ_Smooth

If FORD can regularly take independant surveys of service customer from their dealers and rate them, then offer incentives to their dealers if they reach certain service levels, if the incentives are good enough more dealers will take service customers perception more seriously.

They do this mate. The only problem is the survey is sent after the first service experience after the purchase of a new vehicle. Generally everyone is happy after their first service. The good dealers survey their own customers every time a service is done.

An Incentive is given depending on the level of service, I cannot go into detail but rest assured that the incentives should make dealers work alot harder with their customer serevice.

[cupic]

Just to have service would be a start!!!!!!!!!!

Ford's sells em then forgets em

Maybe with this current CEO Australia ford can finally """Move Australia with Ford"


cheers

[BlueOvalPrint]

Oh yeh, the snake oil calls - "we recommend cleaning your fuel injectors" or using an oil additive - hate them the most, just pure extra profit for the dealers based on scaring mostly ignorant people (not just Ford I know, but another pet peeve that a good dealer shouldn't have to stoop to.

[urbanspaceman]

The only thing that would make me go back to Ford for service would be for me to hear by word of mouth that they are good. My new Fg ute has just had its first service and I will not go back not even for warranty repairs unless it is something major.
Unfortunately there is no quick fix to fords service problems. If they set about doing what is needed it would probably take bout ten years because after fixing the problem they have to stay fixed for a long time to get people to come back.
The problem in my opinion is not necessarily with Ford I do not know what goes on within the service department but I assume it is like other service departments where the poor technician is under pressure to do the job within a time frame rather than be told to take as much time as is needed to do a proper job. This idea would horrify some managers because of cost blow out but it is ok as long as workers are under pressure to do a good job and not given a chance to lazy. This actually encourages perfectionism. I know this to be true because I know from my own experience of 14 years of get the the job done ASAP to another place where quality was a priority. It didn't take long before I could make a very unhappy customer happy. The problem however still remained that the service department had trouble making a profit.

[LTDterri]

I was thrilled when the warranty finished on the Territory, every time I went into the local Melbourne dealer I felt that I had to justify the cars shortcomings, then have to yell the place down for them to fix it...This attitude has now lost me, I love the Territory and loved all my Fords, but Im going to give someone else a go at securing my business in the future.

[Chilla]

Originally Posted by BlueOvalPrint

Fixed price servicing - at least for the first 3 years. If Ford can specify what needs to be done each service, then a dealer should be able to provide a firm quote beforehand.

Don't charge $15 for an oil filter when I can get the same genuine Ford part on ebay for a third of that, $10 per litre for ordinary quality oil, and all the BS charges like workshop materials and the like.

Don't screw customers over on warranty items and minor adjustments - if it's clearly broken or not right, fix it; if it's enough for the customer to mention a problem, suck up the charge and you'll be repaid in repeat business and goodwill (remember that?).

Don't charge me $110+ per hour for a knuckle scraping appentice to take my car out on a 30km run to see if the replacement ICC is working.

Oh, and have SOME parts in stock apart from filters and belts etc when items have been flagged beforehand as a problem.

Simple really.

Volkswagen had this system in the 60's. Your new VW came with a fully costed service book,which was honoured by every dealer in OZ. I remember one charge...$14 to remove the engine. You knew exactly what repairs were going to cost,and included genuine parts."

COME ON FORD.....GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!