Ford Service - What would make you stay with Ford ? - Page 3

santb · 26-07-2009, 02:42 AM

i'm no mechanic and have never owned a new car.. i fix what i can but big stuff is beyond me; but i have never, and will never go to a dealer for services. they are there to sell. parts, cars, washer fluid; whatever they can get out of you. no offense to dealers, but they have stock-holders to worry about!
my mechanic charges like a malley bull, but everything is explained, old/replaced parts are shown to me, penrite oil and v-tip plugs are used, tyres are blacked, no greasy finger prints on the bonnet, please and thank you...even a lolly-pop on the invoice! (he's a repco by the way-national warranty)..
customer service and common courtesy go a long way; two things that are becoming increasingly rare in any industry these days. a good job, done right, keeps me coming back. i don't mind paying for quality, and sometimes quality costs.. my last bill was a lot higher than i was expecting (thanks to dodgy dealer and his dodgy roadworthy mechanic), but a 12 month warranty, and assurances that, no, it's not a lemon; now it's all good; you got a great car for years if you keep up the normal servicing, make me glad i found him..he even told me that the apprentice he has thought the car didn't sound right..somethings wrong with the idle. sounds very rough...no, he said, thats the aftermarket cam making it go blat-blat-blat.....!

**Dave R** · 26-07-2009, 07:51 PM

My dealer (Dale Ford) has a deal where if you buy a new car and keep servicing the car at their service centre, they give you an extra 3 years warranty for free. The extended warranty is worth roughly $1200, so I will keep servicing my car at Dale Ford.

olfella · 26-07-2009, 08:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Adrenaline

My dealer (Dale Ford) has a deal where if you buy a new car and keep servicing the car at their service centre, they give you an extra 3 years warranty for free. The extended warranty is worth roughly $1200, so I will keep servicing my car at Dale Ford.

Yep - I had one of those and not worth the paper.... When you want to claim it will come down to 'mechanical failure' - and what is that? If you think about it, Ford warrant all of their components for 'failure' for their life, so what is it you are getting in your 3 years?
Not saying that Dale are no good either, if you are happy with them then stay with them.

**Dave R** · 27-07-2009, 11:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by olfella

Yep - I had one of those and not worth the paper.... When you want to claim it will come down to 'mechanical failure' - and what is that? If you think about it, Ford warrant all of their components for 'failure' for their life, so what is it you are getting in your 3 years?
Not saying that Dale are no good either, if you are happy with them then stay with them.

I was kind of suss when I was told about it, but the document they've given me (contingent on me servicing with them) is the same as the document that came with the genuine Ford extended warranty I bought for the Territory. Whether it turns out to be crap or not, I'm happy with Dale Ford so I'll service it with them regardless.

olfella · 29-07-2009, 07:43 PM

Well that is a good endorsement for Dale so they must be doing something right.

xtgt1968 · 12-09-2009, 09:54 PM

I have a BFXT MKII 6 Speed auto (Nov 06 built) with sports suspension,17" mags and DSC all standard from the factory. I have now done 30000km and have always taken the car to the local Ford dealer. I have had some warranty issues which were mainly oil leaks. These have been fixed by the dealer whose service has always been excellent. However while undergoing the 30000km service, the vehicle had a "FORD reprogram PCM as per service campaign P0808" which has totally changed the car's performance. With the original factory program, the car had what I considered was much better than average accelleration to 110KPH, with fuel consumption of 14.5L/100km city driving. Now that crispness had gone and fuel consumption is down to 12.5L/100km city driving. I tried to find out from Ford what the purpose of the PCM reflash program was for, but they referred me back to the dealer. After phoning a number of dealers, I was told it may have been to do with better economy and fixing some issues, none of which I've experienced except oil leaks. The dealers told me under Ford's directive, they had to reprogram the car. Has anyone else experienced this issue? I feel Ford should consult with vehicle owners as to whether performance or economy is their priority before reprograming a car. Surley if there are some fixes, these can be done without installing fuel economy software at the same time and killing performance? At Ford's suggestion, the car has been back to the dealer for some minor setting changes, with little difference. This lack of consultation and Ford's unwillingness to reinstall the original factory program, is what causes customers to look beyond the Ford dealership for future servicing.

**Dave R** · 12-09-2009, 09:58 PM

Demand they reinstall the previous software, that's just not good enough. They should consult the owner before they flash it with something that will affect how the car drives.

xtgt1968 · 12-09-2009, 10:10 PM

I will continue to try and get Ford to supply the original program to my dealer. It has to come from Ford, as the dealer tells me they do not have the original factory program. I'm not confident of getting Ford to budge on this, as they believe they are improving the car. They also put up a barrier, by their customer service people telling me they are not technicians, and not allowing customers access to Ford people with technical knowledge.

torbirdie · 13-09-2009, 03:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xtgt1968

I have a BFXT MKII 6 Speed auto (Nov 06 built) with sports suspension,17" mags and DSC all standard from the factory. I have now done 30000km and have always taken the car to the local Ford dealer. I have had some warranty issues which were mainly oil leaks. These have been fixed by the dealer whose service has always been excellent. However while undergoing the 30000km service, the vehicle had a "FORD reprogram PCM as per service campaign P0808" which has totally changed the car's performance. With the original factory program, the car had what I considered was much better than average accelleration to 110KPH, with fuel consumption of 14.5L/100km city driving. Now that crispness had gone and fuel consumption is down to 12.5L/100km city driving. I tried to find out from Ford what the purpose of the PCM reflash program was for, but they referred me back to the dealer. After phoning a number of dealers, I was told it may have been to do with better economy and fixing some issues, none of which I've experienced except oil leaks. The dealers told me under Ford's directive, they had to reprogram the car. Has anyone else experienced this issue? I feel Ford should consult with vehicle owners as to whether performance or economy is their priority before reprograming a car. Surley if there are some fixes, these can be done without installing fuel economy software at the same time and killing performance? At Ford's suggestion, the car has been back to the dealer for some minor setting changes, with little difference. This lack of consultation and Ford's unwillingness to reinstall the original factory program, is what causes customers to look beyond the Ford dealership for future servicing.

Personally Id by delighted if my vehicle came back from service using 2L/100km less fuel, but I do appreciate we all have different expectations from our vehicles, especially if the vehicle you test drove was setup in the same way as the car you purchased.

Only a suggestion, but perhaps some fault/omission at manufacture made the vehicle emissions non compliant and they are only restoring the vehicle to how it should be.
Perhaps that is why ther"e has been no co-operation in changing it back, a dealer is not going put themselves on the line by putting a "performance chip" in there if it has the potential to violate epa laws.

mrbaxr6t · 13-09-2009, 03:43 PM

what would make me stay? Well I do pretty much everything myself, and if not I do as much of the particular job I am unable to complete as I can, at least this way I know the part of the job I did was right.

how about these for starters :

if the customer has a clue about cars and says something like "the problem is xxx" at least investigate what they have suggested

when fault is a slamdunk (is known exactly what the problem is with absolute certainty) have the parts on hand to fix it when the car is due to arrive, nobody likes coming back because the repair shop "needs parts" that they were aware of needing ahead of time

if work is to be carried out by the apprentice, thoroughly check the work before it leaves the shop by a qualified mechanic

don't band aid the damn cars through the warranty period then all of a sudden once its out of warranty magically learn how to fix it, and charge like all hell as a result.

when cars arrive DOA and they are very near new say < 5000 kms find a reason why quickly, current model cars arriving to dealerships on flatbeds and tow trucks sends out a negative in terms of product reliability.

this is a very difficult one but can the staff have pride in the product they are selling, I know for me personally I take my car to people that at least own one, owning/driving one gives a greater understanding of the product, and how it is supposed to work

max · 14-09-2009, 02:47 PM

Nothing would entice me to continue service at a Ford dealer after the warranty had expired. From my experiences with them, there is nothing at all to suggest they can do anything better than my local mechanic. My mechanic communicates with me throughout the process of servicing/repairing my cars. It's one on one relating to me about what needs doing now, later, what options, what parts, genuine or substitutes, prices etc. I am shown what has been replaced and why. He suggests things I can do, and how to get the best out of my cars. If inclined, I might even hang about, chatting to him with a take-away latte, talking cars & other things. He is the face of the person actually doing all the work, and then tallying up the bill at the end. That, at the end of the day, is what I call real service. I don't like talking to a clerk in a shirt and tie in a climate-controlled corporate office overlooking the service bay, who then has to relay my requests second-hand down to the workshop floor, me standing there hoping he has interpreted my requests accurately to the mechanic. Then the endless paperwork and mock attempts at clerical administrative efficiency in the company heirarchy. I don't think Ford dealers would give a stuff that I don't return. There are plenty of other compliant sheep out there who just go along with them, honestly believing it can't be done better any other way.