"Service Horror Stories and Ripoffs!"

GK · 21-06-2006, 05:34 PM

As we've been reading about young Daniel getting ripped by Ford, I began thinking of the times I've been done. Everyone has a similar story, so I thought I'd start a thread so we can share them!

I guess I'm a glutton for punsishment!

I'll start.

99 KE Laser, standard service, car had only done 40odd thousand kays. Was told the rear drum pads needed changing (were getting low) and so $250 later that part of the job was done. The service cost over $400, this was in 1990-1991!

A number of years later, I had them inspected and the pads were getting low again. The brakes guy told me that the drums had been machined to within a hair of their minimum thinkness. This was done so that next time Ford could have stung me for new drums as well as another $250 for rear pads!

I had the pads replaced again, but never in the 13 years of owning that awesome little car, did I ever need those drums replaced! LOL!

The Ford dealer you ask? Well to give out the name may cross some sort of ford forum rule so all I will tell you is that I don't think the dealer showed me very much courtesy, and has shown a lot of patience with me, because I sure haven't taken any car of mine their ever since! I guess that dealer is still waiting!

In fact Ford haven't serviced any Ford I've owned since! Except for the AU recall of course!

GK

peterban · 21-06-2006, 08:03 PM

Transmission service at Fraud dealer.
Price on board $135, but charged $215 since it was a flush and needed extra fluid as it was dirty!!! Pretty expensive that Ford tranny fluid....
Can't prove one way or the other how much fluid was used.

Years ago I bought 2 new tyres from Ens*gn and when I went back the guy told me he wouldn't let me drive it home as the brakes were dangerous.
Quoted $400 for full reline and machining. I did drive it to another brake place and they did a free check and told me nothing was wrong and even showed me while the car was still up on the hoist. Pads still had more than 50% left on them.
Needless to say I have never been back to Ens*gn or Fraud for that matter!!!

TURBOTAXI · 21-06-2006, 08:20 PM

Charged $92.40 for a quote by H*y*r Ford in Dubbo. Then they would not release my car to me (I wasnt expecting to pay money so didnt take any) until I paid.

I have since then bought parts from them and they treated me well. So I guess I will see how I go.

Kryton · 21-06-2006, 08:44 PM

i went in with the AU at 60000km to get new brake pads put on the front. told to come back at 3.30pm so i did. get there and they say the rotors are below legal limit and they wont give me the car back for liability reasons till the rotors have been replaced BY THEM. had all day to ring and tell me but they didnt. end of day the new pads, rotors and labour cost me over $700. was only sposed to be $160 job with machining of discs.

Orbit · 21-06-2006, 10:06 PM

Autotrany service x2 on my manual ute... need i say more

:

JeffAU1 · 21-06-2006, 10:34 PM

I bought my 99 Au Futura last year in august'ish and it has no log book, and also it was a company car at one stage.

So me and my little knowlodge took it to Thompson Ford in Parramatta and got their Platinum service $1000. But i did get a bonus $10 umbrella with it.. haha

i'll stick to Ultratune, same thing would have been $400.

Live and learn i guess

rag top · 21-06-2006, 10:56 PM

A Ford dealer in the ACT didn't fix what the wife's AU wagon was booked in for, and just expected me to bring it back. They also quoted me on some "urgent" repairs(around the $900 mark) that needed doing. i think they were expecting to get the job and do the lot at once when I brought the car back.

I took the car to the other Ford dealer and asked them to inspect the previously identified "urgent" items. I was told there was nothing wrong with the identified items.

I now service the car as much as possible myself, and what I can't do, my mechanic neighbour is more than willing to lend a hand.

GK · 21-06-2006, 10:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by '67

A Ford dealer in the ACT didn't fix what the wife's AU wagon was booked in for, and just expected me to bring it back. They also quoted me on some "urgent" repairs(around the $900 mark) that needed doing. i think they were expecting to get the job and do the lot at once when I brought the car back.

I took the car to the other Ford dealer and asked them to inspect the previously identified "urgent" items. I was told there was nothing wrong with the identified items.

I now service the car as much as possible myself, and what I can't do, my mechanic neighbour is more than willing to lend a hand.

Neighbours like that are hard to find, hope you appreciate him!

GK

FRDGAL · 22-06-2006, 12:50 AM

Don't even get me started on rip off's. Just thinking about it is making my blood boil so I won't even get into it but yeah, I've had the pleasure of it, many MANY times!

:

RspecAU · 22-06-2006, 01:54 AM

I never been ripped off on any service or work done on any car cause all my cars since i was 18 go to G&D.

AWD Chaser · 22-06-2006, 09:26 AM

Booked car in at Ford (dealer in ACT) for some warrenty work and a normal service (power window button contacts dirty, ac button light blowen, etc, etc). They asked me if anything else is wrong. I asked them to inspect the exhaust for rust (as they were doing a tyre rotation for me) while the car was up on the hoist. Get an SMS saying my car is ready, go to pick it up, and they said they found nothing wrong with the exhaust and tried to charge me $30 just for looking at the exhaust!!!! I argued with them... They ended up shoving the keys in my hand and telling me to p*** off, and then didn't bother telling me where my car was parked!!!!

Another story was when I got the engine rebuilt in my Barina. Had to take it back for a 5000K service. All seemed well, but when I went to pick it up, the guy tried to tell me it had a blowen head gasket already!!!!! I later found out (as it was raining on this day), that a young mechanic had gotten in to a drift, while redlining it in 1st, and ran it up the gutter.... They fixed it under warrenty, by I had to fork out $50 for a wheel alignment...

EL8TED · 22-06-2006, 10:55 AM

ford wanted $605 to do all 3 idler pulleys on my xr8 ..!! ultratune quoted me $400 and i replaced the 2 easy ones myself and will do the tensioner later on..

also around $550 for new rotors and pads etc .. got dba slots and greenstuffs from hightek and had em fitted for under $400.

rag top · 22-06-2006, 12:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GK

Neighbours like that are hard to find, hope you appreciate him!

GK

I do, but he continually thinks he owes me when I helped him out of a spot of bother last year. :Reverend:

sednwol · 22-06-2006, 03:00 PM

My BIL is a mechanic but I don't think i'd like him working on my XR8.

XR6Stu · 23-06-2006, 09:45 AM

My best mate is a mechanic, and looked after my RS2000 for me, but doesnt have much of the computer gear and so refuses to go anywhere near the AU. My Ford dealer are the KING'S of the rip off. Had a clutch replaced 18 months ago, ($780) driving down the road after picking it up, went to select 4th, no dice. Fair enough I say, go to drop back to third, to take it back, no go. I ring my local ford dealer to call them for help. No worries, we can help you but it will cost $170 to travel less than a kilometre up the road. After a short argument, I call Dad, he comes and tow's it back. A week later and another $480 later, after they admitted they stuffed up the first time, and still charged me to fix their mistake the second! That's just one of many issues I have with them. Does anyone know of any dealers within an hour of Bendigo I can take my car to? Because I now flat out refuse to take it to the Bendigo place (again, Im not sure if I can name them, but I would if i could!)

GK · 23-06-2006, 10:22 AM

I think you are allowed to name them Stu. That's indeed a shocking story. But sadly, we all have one or two like this to tell, or at least know of a mate who has.

Name them if you want, if it's not Kosher to do so, Casper or another moderator will blot it out.

Do it Stu, you know you want to! LOL!

GK

TCK-098 · 23-06-2006, 02:46 PM

My saga started july o4 when i decided to sell my 1.6 rocket and buy a 99 Au ute dual manual first week i had it i drove Sydney to Bundaberg"road trip".
A few weeks passed and one night with the EX it souded like a garden knome banging away in the Bellhousing took the car back to the blacktown ford dealership.
The result that the T5 just gave up and they accused me of thrashing it or carrying heavy loads "heaviest was a 308 engine bare block" and they turned around and said yeah we will fix it but hand over $3500.
I threw the keys at them and said take the damn thing back and give me something else then.

November 2004 i ended up getting my current ride but even this car has had its issues with Ford idoits that dont know how to fix their own products.
When i first got the Ghia its shafts were rooted and they replaced them only to not refit the circlips that hold them inside the diff therefore they move around and i aint paying for their stuff-up.
Thats one of the reasons why i wont upgrade to a B-series
1)the issues that they have had and ford still havent learnt how to fix a car.
2) some of the owners are tools and 90% of performance shops in Sydney wont touch you unless you own one or have a heap load of money.

sednwol · 23-06-2006, 03:54 PM

XR6Stu wrote

Quote:

again, Im not sure if I can name them, but I would if i could!

Of course you can, your story is true! Man we don't want others falling into their hands. If you are concerned give a criptic clue or like I do Kn*x Ford.

autickfordfairmont · 23-06-2006, 04:26 PM

Well, i wont take my car to ford unless i absolutely have to now.

Had a left lower ball joint collaps, got ford to replace both left & right ball joints (Was going to get local mechanic to, but he would have needed to take it to ford to press them in anyways or something), but they neglected to do a wheel alighnment, cause i had one done 2 weeks before so everything should be spot on, you know dont worry about checking or anything, screwed a set of new tyres in no time at all, needed new rears anyways so got a very very good deal on 4 new tyres from ford with free wheel alighnment chucked in.

Recently had it to ford for an overfueling problem, they claimed was fuel pump and replaced it (Did fix it, thats if thats what they replaced), but have been told since that it would have deffinately been Fuel Pressure regulator, but ahwell.

I know in the past (like early 90's) my dad had problems with a company car that kept having major electrical issues, every 3 weeks it would just run crazy, kept taking it to ford, everytime he picked it up was in the same parking spot, this went on for months. tested it one day by putting a match box ontop of the rear left tyre, when he picked it up it was still there, hadnt moved, asked them about it and they finally fessed up that it was a computer issue that they couldnt resolve, and just kept resetting the computer by disconnecting the battery for a few hours, mind you every time it was taken there they charged for it.

Actually the best service story i have is that when my brother was looking for a car a few years back, was in the local ford dealer an an EL ex police car was being service, they checked it out and the owner came out and said so like it do you, they bought it privately in the service section of ford an hour later.

TwistedEL · 23-06-2006, 05:42 PM

New to the area and having NO front pads left I took my car to Kmart Tyre & Auto Maddington - where they said sure they'll do the pads and gave me a competitive quote. Got a call later that day to say, naturally, the rotors were too thin. Quoted me $500. Of course I rang around and got a better price. Went to pick it up and they tried to charge me a quote fee, I didn't take that told them I'm not paying if you didn't do anything.

Took it across the road to the Ford dealer and had it done at roughly half the price.

I have heard many horror stories about that place since.

GK · 23-06-2006, 05:44 PM

autickfordfairmont, you have a couple of real shockers to share!

The matchbox one was an absolute disgrace!

GK

Papa Smurf · 24-06-2006, 01:51 AM

I wonder how many are true?

Quote:

So me and my little knowledge took it to Thompson(Thomson) Ford in Parramatta and got their Platinum service $1000. But i did get a bonus $10 umbrella with it.. haha

Did they FIX the car? did you ASK how much before you left it for service? Did you think to ask what you were going to get for your money? sounds like you didn't.

These threads are a waste and also just a cheap BAG session. Did anyone here complain in writing to the Dealer Principal of the FORD dealers that have been named? or, did everyone just **** and moan to their mates and in threads like this one?

If you guys FOUND these places ripped you off or that the service wasn't up to scratch why didn't you complain? not get all bent out of shape and call people names but take it to a logical conclusion? WRITE a LETTER and complain? This would bring this sort of BAD Service you are complaing about to the eyes of the Dealer Principal. NO Company wants to lose customers. Complaining will help to formulate a better Policy for Service departments.

We have TWO Ford dealers here that SPONSOR this place and all that can be done is to BAG them along with all the other Ford dealers. If you don't like going to Ford dealers, DON'T go?

GK · 24-06-2006, 02:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Papa Smurf

These threads are a waste and also just a cheap BAG session. Did anyone here complain in writing to the Dealer Principal of the FORD dealers that have been named? or, did everyone just **** and moan to their mates and in threads like this one?

We have TWO Ford dealers here that SPONSOR this place and all that can be done is to BAG them along with all the other Ford dealers. If you don't like going to Ford dealers, DON'T go?

I disagree with you on at least two counts.

1. I don't think these threads are a waste of time at all. Those posting here don't want others ripped off like they were.

2. Why is telling others about a bad Ford experience bagging the site sponsors? Are these site sponsors named implicitly?

It's the sort of experiences on this thread that have stopped people going to Ford dealers. We are passionate about Fords. We are just not so passionate about the dodgy service we've been given by some dealers. Telling those stories is not wrong.

We get it that you work for Ford. That's fine, and Thompson Ford may be a good bunch. There's another thread going with lots of praise for Ford dealers that have done the right thing by them. It's getting a good run too!

GK

autickfordfairmont · 24-06-2006, 10:41 AM

Im with GK, threads like these arent here to bag the crap out of sponsors, its a simple fact that some ford dealers are rippoffs & others arent, some are extreemly good some are ****, Depends on the individual dealer. I havent named any specific dealer, but it is a known fact that Ford Overcharges for everything. So does any dealership, Holden, Toyota any of them. You go to repco & buy a Bosch part for your car & then go to a dealer & buy the same part, open it up & hey, look same part, same brand, same bloody product number, the only difference is that the ford one comes in a box with ford written on it and therefore costs twice as much, its not hte part that costs its that bloody cardboard box, there damn expensive when they have a car manufacturers name printed on it.

I have heard really good reports about ford dealers, i have also heard some shockers, and alot of it comes down to the mechanics themselves who work there, some simply charge a heap for nothing, and wont release your car to you with parts in "apparent" dangerous condition, where others on the same car would do what you asked for them and say, oh and by the way we checked out a few things on it while it was in here, and you may wanna look at getting this & that looked at, fixed or replaced pretty soon. Some will go out of there way to help you in every way they can, others will fix it, if you say its not right, they will be pricks about it and refuse to listen to you and claim that no its perfect. As said comes down to the individual staff and the individual dealer. I have access to a ****load of dealers up here living on the gold coast, depending on how far i want to drive, but my local dealer is ****, will not use them again, however 45mins up the road there is another that i have heard really good stories about, next time if i have to have something done by ford, i will take it up to them.

The same applies with any mechanic, if you love your car, as all the people on here do, and you want work done to it, you want to take it to somewhere that you know will do a bloody good job and at a reasonable price. I dont mind paying extra for work if the job gets done right, but when jobs dont get done right, and you still pay premium price theres something wrong. Any mechanic can be a shonk, its hard finding good ones, and when it boils down to it ford service department is only as good as the mechanics they employ.

i know there are ford dealerships sponsoring these pages, and if i lived near by, i would use them, cause to me the best thanks to any business, be it a ford dealer, local mechanic, or even your bloody accountant, is referal, my business relies on it, as do many others, and for them to be involved in something like this site only shows to me there commitment to giving you the best.

If you have had a great experience from a dealership, or any mechanic for that matter what are you gonna do when a "mate" (And really thats what these forums are, a bunch of mates talking about there passion for there cars) asks you where they should take there car?? Your going to recomend or reffer them to your dealer or your mechanic, and if that mate says im gonna take my car to "such & such" to have some work done, and you have been burnt by them before, are you gonna let him or tell of your experiences with different places and help out your mate.

Anyways thats all i have to say about that.

Cheers

Col.

autickfordfairmont · 24-06-2006, 10:55 AM

oh and as GK said, look at the other thread on here about good service places, if you have somewhere to recommend, by all means recommend them, hey im yet to find somewhere that i am happy with to touch my car, and alot of things have to be done by ford, i have a local mechanic who i will take my car to, i trust him, he has done alot of work on our cars, & is reasonably priced, but for a small mechanic, there are things he cant do, or times he cant fit me in and certain things need to be done at ford, my ball joints for example, he could have done it, taken it apart put it back together etc etc, BUT, he still would have needed to take it into ford for them to press them in. If he did it, yeah would have done a wheel alignment aswell, ford didnt. I would be more than happy to take my car to ford & to reffer people to them as soon as i find a good one.

http://www.fordforums.com.au/showthread.php?t=53719

GK · 24-06-2006, 11:33 AM

Good comments autickfordfairmont!

A good service at a fair price! That's all we're after.

If dealerships offered that as standard, and didn't jack up the price of parts by stacks, wouldn't that be a great thing?

GK

peterban · 24-06-2006, 01:16 PM

Its not only Ford dealers that we have problems with.
The only thing is we all own Fords and have had to at some stage take it to Ford for warranty or other problems.
We can compare what happens to us at the dealer and other mechanical repair places and the majority would say that Ford are expensive.
I know Ford have extra equipment ( computers etc ) and extra people employed in the service area but in the end if we feel like we are being ripped off because of the spare part pricing etc we won't go back.

xd5.8l · 24-06-2006, 02:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GK

Good comments autickfordfairmont!

A good service at a fair price! That's all we're after.

If dealerships offered that as standard, and didn't jack up the price of parts by stacks, wouldn't that be a great thing?

GK

Hmmmm???? Hypocracy at its very best.

24-06-2006, 02:56 PM

Water off a ducks back I say. There are plenty of people willing to share these negative stories, but few if any share good stories.

And saying " A Ford dealer charges $XX for a flex capacitator and Ultra Tune charges less" is at best like comparing Grapefruit with Oranges. Ask your local Ultra Tune outlet to warrant their work if something goes wrong as a direct result of what they have done, and you'll see how all of a sudden you are a hot potato.

LG · 24-06-2006, 03:09 PM

I take my car to my Repco Service Dealer. I am fairly well known there with the owner. Warranty, very thorough, keeps Ford Warranty!

He takes care of my car 110%. Price wise is a little on the high side, I might check out a few other places soon.

Cheers