Jon Diethelm

Hi all, I am new to the forum and I have read numerous posts of people bashing Ford about this or that. I am the former technician and service director at a high volume Ford store in Minnesota. I am still with the dealer but have taken on a new role within he dealership. I have had the conversations with owners about EVERYTHING you could imagine. From a transmission failed at 47 miles on a 16 screw, to the quarter panel rust on the square body Escapes. Let's be honest here, leaving Ford for Chevy or Dodge is not the answer and unfortunately there is a lot of stuff that can and should be handled by the dealer. There is a lot that I read on these posts that people are attacking Ford about quality. But surely the chevys have issues as well as the dodges. Anyone ever hear about an injector issue on a Chevy? How about the Tranny of a Mopar? They all have them. I won't tell you how to screw Ford or the Dealership you work with, but I will tell you a few good things to do should you have a vehicle symptom.

1- DO NOT assume your vehicle has the same issue as what you googled and saw on a Forum like this. Bringing that up on your first visit does nothing more than **** off your service advisor because there are procedures that are required in order to file a claim with Ford under warranty.

2- Get a second opinion. If a dealer tells you they feel the concern is normal operation, usually after comparing to like vehicles on the lot, feel free to swing in to another dealer and have them look at it. And if they miss something, accept that they are human and we all make mistakes. Even the techs with 20+ years of experience turning 60 hours a week miss stuff. And they get pissed at themselves when they do because they just left money on the table.

3- If the dealer cannot replicate the issue, they can't fix it. When a tech pulls out the Partington870 and shotguns parts to try and fix what they can't replicate, it will only cause frustration to you and the dealer. You because you have to bring it back, the dealer because they are trying so hard to make you happy that they feel they just TRY something! They will accept a test drive with you if needed to replicate the concern, if they won't, start looking for a new dealer.

4- When a dealer states parts are on backorder, yelling and screaming like a 2-year-old will not help get the parts faster. It is frustrating and it sucks for them too because they want nothing more than to see your vehicle down the road repaired so they can get paid by Ford. I say that because they release the vehicle back to you under the assumption that Ford will pay for the repairs. Millions of dollars in repairs are denied by Ford across the country every year for multiple reasons. Calmy ask if they would start a case with Ford for part escalation. It does not always work but in some cases, Ford can find a part faster than the backorder can be lifted.

5- The dealer is NOT Ford. They cannot make decisions or repairs over and above what they are allowed to do by Ford. They cannot put in a long block engine when Ford only approved a short block. Even so small as interior panels that need replacement when performing a repair will not be paid for by Ford.

6- Do NOT raise your voice, threaten, write bad reviews, give poor surveys and expect a good outcome. As a Service Director, I was happy to do anything I could to help a customer who had a conversation about their concerns. But yelling at me and threatening me made me want to do zero and to be honest, you'll move way down on their list. Sure it's a $50,000 truck, but you don't deserve any treatment better than that of the $15,000 Focus buyer.

7- the dealership didn't make $10,000 selling you the truck. Unless you bought it over sticker in which case you should use the internet more. Our dealership makes very little on the sale of a new vehicle because of how many dealers are working 30 miles of us. If you don't live in a major city, I urge you to travel to find the right vehicle at the right price. Starting at Sticker and negotiating is fun for some but I assure you, you did not win. A "best price" store is the place to go because they will not waste their time or yours negotiating. When they set up that practice it's not a "we're best price with this guy, but the guy over here, we'll negotiate with him. If it's a true best price, the salesperson won't even waste their time talking to a manager.

That's about all I have for now, sorry for the winded post, but reading the posts on here I thought it needed to be said, and many of the complaints on here are less than I would lose hair over...

If anyone has any questions on how something works within a dealership I am happy to help as much as I can.

Jon

white_dc

iTrader: (12)

Great post. Hopefully this will give another perspective for other Ford customers.

I have to disagree with the survey part. I am more than happy to slam a crappy service department on the Ford survey. Often these surveys affect the service department directly and sometimes their payout.

If I am getting crappy service, then they deserve to take a hit in the wallet and drop their CSI scores.

808XLT

get paid for good service. dont get paid for sh itty service . word

wolfpack219

Good post thanks. I tried to say as much about Ford not being the dealer in another post.

Scharft

What I'm about to state is not Ford vs. Dodge but dealerships. My local Dodge dealership was so bad that we traded my wife's Dodge Durango Citadel, which was a great vehicle in just because the service even a oil change was a disgrace. The service which we receive from our local Ford dealership will keep me coming back. Again this is my experience with my local dealerships and fully understand its not the same for others.

Good luck with your dealership!

rking620

Better treatment no, but I do expect a $50,000 truck to have a little higher quality than a $15,000 Focus or even my $30,000 Challenger. That being said, I've had no issues with my truck! Two of the three dealerships I've worked with (Crossroads Ford in Cary, NC where I took delivery and bought my first Explorer in 2005, Crossroads Ford in Fuquay Varina for an oil change and tire rotation have been great! The dealership here in Columbia, SC on the other hand, seemed like it was a giant inconvenience to them to service or answer questions about parts).

todd92

I disagree with #1. I have an IWE that is failing, but it doesn't make noise all the time, yet. When I took it to the dealer I explained what I thought it was, based on my research and the service writer agreed that it was most likely that. We took a test drive together and the noise/vibration was not there. I told him I understood that nothing could be done and that I would return when the noise was occurring more often, so they could properly diagnose it.

He did not get mad that I came prepared, in fact he was happy that I took the time to come informed. Of course I said "I think it might be", not "it is".

I know there are many doctors that get their nose out of joint if you suggest that you've researched and attempted to diagnose yourself. My philosophy is to find a less arrogant doctor.

71_340

What a useful post by the OP.


I've been saying all along that being polite and courteous will get better results then ranting and raving. Another major thing that helps is loyalty, I been going to the same Ford dealer since 1988.

jd50i

This is much needed on this forum.

MNSportsman

iTrader: (1)

Thanks for taking the time to share this constructive and informative post. It's a good reminder for many. Fwiw, I've been fortunate to have a great dealer here in MN.