Back in my days working in Dad's gas station (circa 1955 up) We referred to Chevys as Chove it or leave it. Fix Or Repair Daily, and a OMG a Doggy, and a Plymouth as a Potty.
Poor Service and Business Practices...
- Thread starter s&wchad
- Start date
Jack Flash
Member
When a system just signs off like that it is often something really simple. Here's hoping that's the case and repairs don't cost you a dime.
Dave, I understand your consternation and I would be north of miffed, too.
Were it me, I would just sic my 4'10" pitbull on them and watch the verbal beatdown.
Happily we have used the same dealership (Performance Honda in Fairfield, Oh) since '94 without a glitch.
Like roulette car dealerships can be games of chance.
PS: Logan is large framed like you and when he was shopping for his first pickup he went around trying them on like swim trunks. They didn't all fit.
Were it me, I would just sic my 4'10" pitbull on them and watch the verbal beatdown.
Happily we have used the same dealership (Performance Honda in Fairfield, Oh) since '94 without a glitch.
Like roulette car dealerships can be games of chance.
PS: Logan is large framed like you and when he was shopping for his first pickup he went around trying them on like swim trunks. They didn't all fit.
LVSteve
Member
I'm 6'5" and close to 300 lbs, which is about average (for an NFL lineman)!
Yeah, that'll do it.
Mind you, I've known passengers much smaller than you describe a car as 'cramped' because they want to sprawl instead of sit properly. Then they get flak from the driver because their extremities are getting in the way of operating the vehicle. From then on, the driver's car is described as 'cramped'.
PSA, you don't want 'that guy' on the same airplane as you.
Since you have an extended warranty there could be some restrictions . I would check the paperwork and see if you have options .
My Mother had an MGB for a bit. My dad became so familiar with a tow-truck company that he actually bought in to the business!!!
with the exception of a Chevy beater ( which I disliked intensely) We owned nothing but Ford Motor products between 1969 and 2000. Service was ok but not outstanding until my last Ford (used) where I bought an warranty thru Ford for. Brake issues and they only wanted to keep turning the front disks which didn't fix anything then they would only offer service appointments a month out which would take it outside the warranty - too bad take it or leave it. Independent shop fixed it, stuck caliper, new discs and pads. I asked ford to cover it and showed documentation of failed services and the one that fixed it. I was also asking for less than I paid for the warranty. Too bad, Ford didn't do the work not covered, couldn't get it in to Ford Too bad. The next two cars I bought I still looked at Fords but bought something else and both times I let the sales dept know what I bought and how the horrible service received was the deciding factor for no buying another Ford. In 2000 I bought a new Saturn. not a bad car; I drove it for over 100K, gave it to my son-in-law who drove it almost another 100K. Since then I have bought Toyota Corollas, I like them and the service at the dealer I use is fantastic. OH; my first Corolla was made in California by UAW workers, my second and third were Tennesee made. And before you say the profits go to Japan keep in mind that there is at least some foreign ownership in most big manufacturers and Toyotas at the time had a higher domestic content than Ford Mustang.
Chad I do not know how large your dealer is but most are having a hard time keeping good service techs. My brother is a master tech at a Ford dealer and has been there for 40 years. The town is about 16k and they have had a hard time keeping techs as they only stay for a short time due to pay. The techs are paid by the job. If the Ford book says a brake job on an Explorer takes 2 hours and you go over no matter the reason you eat that time that is over,no extra pay. Right now there is my brother and a young guy who has been there for 5 years for the Fords and they have just one tech for the VWs and he is going to retire in a month and have not found anyone for that spot. As far as the phone someone should pick up when they are open. I would see the General Manager or Owner about the phone calls,t my brother's all the calls go the office and are transferred to each party. Good luck, I hope everything works put.
Model 15-4ever
Member
Bought a Bronco Sport for my son to drive almost a year ago. Very satisfied with it! But we're normal sized people....
Bought the wife a full-sized Bronco 6 months ago. Nothing but problems. Service at my Ford dealership is sub-par. Mechanics have not installed things correctly, broken the soft top top while installing it, scuffed the interior, damaged the leather upholstery, failed to properly replace and secure an airbag, and failed to install the screws into the soft top, resulting in leaks.
Two years ago, I bought a new BMW X5M50i. Runs great. Service Dept gives me a prompt appointment for routine service, treats me like a valued customer, sends me an undercarriage inspection video after the service, and washes the car before I pick it up.
Luck of the draw I suppose.
Bought the wife a full-sized Bronco 6 months ago. Nothing but problems. Service at my Ford dealership is sub-par. Mechanics have not installed things correctly, broken the soft top top while installing it, scuffed the interior, damaged the leather upholstery, failed to properly replace and secure an airbag, and failed to install the screws into the soft top, resulting in leaks.
Two years ago, I bought a new BMW X5M50i. Runs great. Service Dept gives me a prompt appointment for routine service, treats me like a valued customer, sends me an undercarriage inspection video after the service, and washes the car before I pick it up.
Luck of the draw I suppose.
Last edited:
Here's my recent dealership story.
I took my CrownVic to a Ford dealer for an LOF. I take it to the dealership because they get me in and out and I don't have deal with waste oil. Also, I have to get the car in the air to drop the front suspension to get the oil filter out. It's just easier and cheaper to let them do it...And they tell me if there are any issues with the attempted up-sell.
Anyway, I took it to the local dealership for an oil change. Everything went well until I got on the freeway. Going down the freeway, hear something, I look in the mirror and I see my wheel cover rolling down the road. I get the wheel cover and it's all scuffed and bent on the sheetmetal retaining ring. Done.
I get home and a look at the bare driver's side wheel and I notice that the lug nuts were are backwards, tapered end out, flat side toward the wheel. and they weren't tight at all. I pull the driver's side rear and the lugs are the same, backwards. I break out the lug and torque wrench and fix them.
Out of curiosity, I go to the passenger side and pull the cover and check the lugs. They are on correctly, but something tells me to check the lugs. They were on so tight, that if I got a flat I'd have no way breaking them free. Out comes the compressor and impact...
I go back to the dealership the next day and talk to the manager. He's looking at me and has this attitude like, "what do you want". He flat out asked me what I wanted. I told him "nothing". Then, his attitude changed completely - He was real nice. I doubt I was the first one this happened to.
I knew they weren't going to pay for a wheel cover on a car that was almost 20 years old. I told him I saved him from a law suit if my wheel(s) came off and caused an accident.
He asked me for the paperwork and he told me he was going to look at the video and talk to the tech who did the work. What happened after that, I don't know. I do know I'm not going back to that dealership.
That oil change ended up costing me: the price of the oil change, four ebay center caps, 20 lug nuts for the center caps to snap on to, and four beauty rings from Mr.Hubcap - all in about $350 +or-.
So now when I take the CrownVic for an LOF, I tell them just an LOF and don't pull the wheels.
All in all the wheel cover coming off probably saved me.
I took my CrownVic to a Ford dealer for an LOF. I take it to the dealership because they get me in and out and I don't have deal with waste oil. Also, I have to get the car in the air to drop the front suspension to get the oil filter out. It's just easier and cheaper to let them do it...And they tell me if there are any issues with the attempted up-sell.
Anyway, I took it to the local dealership for an oil change. Everything went well until I got on the freeway. Going down the freeway, hear something, I look in the mirror and I see my wheel cover rolling down the road. I get the wheel cover and it's all scuffed and bent on the sheetmetal retaining ring. Done.
I get home and a look at the bare driver's side wheel and I notice that the lug nuts were are backwards, tapered end out, flat side toward the wheel. and they weren't tight at all. I pull the driver's side rear and the lugs are the same, backwards. I break out the lug and torque wrench and fix them.
Out of curiosity, I go to the passenger side and pull the cover and check the lugs. They are on correctly, but something tells me to check the lugs. They were on so tight, that if I got a flat I'd have no way breaking them free. Out comes the compressor and impact...
I go back to the dealership the next day and talk to the manager. He's looking at me and has this attitude like, "what do you want". He flat out asked me what I wanted. I told him "nothing". Then, his attitude changed completely - He was real nice. I doubt I was the first one this happened to.
I knew they weren't going to pay for a wheel cover on a car that was almost 20 years old. I told him I saved him from a law suit if my wheel(s) came off and caused an accident.
He asked me for the paperwork and he told me he was going to look at the video and talk to the tech who did the work. What happened after that, I don't know. I do know I'm not going back to that dealership.
That oil change ended up costing me: the price of the oil change, four ebay center caps, 20 lug nuts for the center caps to snap on to, and four beauty rings from Mr.Hubcap - all in about $350 +or-.
So now when I take the CrownVic for an LOF, I tell them just an LOF and don't pull the wheels.
All in all the wheel cover coming off probably saved me.
The thing that I took from OP is someone admitted to having owned a Flex. If I owned a flex I would never call anything else a tin can. I’d put my head down and keep moving. Lol
OP
The one we owned had plenty of power, lots of leg, head and cargo room and was AWD. I can't believe Ford discontinued it after 2019. If you never drove one nicely equipped, you haven't got a clue...
Lucas might be the all time best to ridicule.
The Lucas motto: "Get home before dark."
Lucas is the patent holder for the short circuit.
Lucas - Inventor of the first intermittent wiper.
Lucas - Inventor of the self-dimming headlamp.
The three position Lucas switch - Dim, Flicker and Off.
The Original Anti-Theft Device - Lucas Electrics.
Lucas is an acronym for Loose Unsoldered Connections and Splices
The Lucas motto: "Get home before dark."
Lucas is the patent holder for the short circuit.
Lucas - Inventor of the first intermittent wiper.
Lucas - Inventor of the self-dimming headlamp.
The three position Lucas switch - Dim, Flicker and Off.
The Original Anti-Theft Device - Lucas Electrics.
Lucas is an acronym for Loose Unsoldered Connections and Splices
We live in a very small town. One Chevy dealer, one Ford Dealer, one Subaru dealer (all owned by same company), one Nissan dealer, one Dodge dealer. Over the years Chevy's newer than 1979 have been **** for us. I like older mopars but the new ones are not good. I try to buy American so Ford it is. My truck is a 2012. It will be the same truck till I die if I can keep it running because I refuse to pay the current prices for a new truck. Sorry for your troubles but I'd try to find a new dealer repair center if I were you.
venomballistics
Member
I used to be staunch blue oval.... I guess I still am. Just the oval is full of stars now.
Where Ford seems to make things harder to work on, Subaru seems to try to make it easier.
I have two of them now.
An 06 Forester that earned the name, White Knight.
It's 2.5l flat four can jump off the line with enough enthusiasm to slap you awake.
Reliability.... It's hauled more 2011 Buick parts home than it did for itself. Therein lies it's name, the white knight. It saved us.
They built the car that the Big three should have, but refused to
Where Ford seems to make things harder to work on, Subaru seems to try to make it easier.
I have two of them now.
An 06 Forester that earned the name, White Knight.
It's 2.5l flat four can jump off the line with enough enthusiasm to slap you awake.
Reliability.... It's hauled more 2011 Buick parts home than it did for itself. Therein lies it's name, the white knight. It saved us.
They built the car that the Big three should have, but refused to
One of my sons worked in the automobile industry for years, both in vehicle sales and service. Believe me, dealers have as many horror stories about customers as we have about them.
It's very true that a bad service department will kill a dealer's reputation. Everybody these days is hurting for employees, and everybody makes a mistake now and then...but if a dealer lies to me, or worse yet, tries to defraud me, they'll never see me again, for either sales or service.
It's very true that a bad service department will kill a dealer's reputation. Everybody these days is hurting for employees, and everybody makes a mistake now and then...but if a dealer lies to me, or worse yet, tries to defraud me, they'll never see me again, for either sales or service.
Look at the specs on the 4-door Bronco and compare it to pretty much any other 4-door SUV. The rear-seat legroom is just STUPIDLY small!
A good service manager will make or break a service department. Much like a good CEO, platoon Sgt or Lt or battalion commander.
Same thing for a ****** service manager. **** rolls down hill, as we all know.
Good techs are hard to find, even harder to keep as they're always offered higher paying jobs. These days, average techs seem to be the norm. Poor techs seem to be in abundance as well, IMO.
My motorcycle is a BMW. My BMW tech is probably close to 70 & I bet he might make more than the dealer GM. He probably gets a raise every time he sneezes too. LOL!
As a side note, as anyone EVER seen a dealership service department that didn't have a sign saying "Award Winning Service Dept" hanging in it? I never have. LOL!
Same thing for a ****** service manager. **** rolls down hill, as we all know.
Good techs are hard to find, even harder to keep as they're always offered higher paying jobs. These days, average techs seem to be the norm. Poor techs seem to be in abundance as well, IMO.
My motorcycle is a BMW. My BMW tech is probably close to 70 & I bet he might make more than the dealer GM. He probably gets a raise every time he sneezes too. LOL!
As a side note, as anyone EVER seen a dealership service department that didn't have a sign saying "Award Winning Service Dept" hanging in it? I never have. LOL!
I can only comment on the regular Bronco. We bought a new one in April. I’m a little over 6’2” about 230. I have plenty of room. It’s not a Lincoln town car but plenty comfortable. And power to spare with twin turbo V6
