The Engine and the Oil Leak(s) - Phil Long Ford

[jage]

Picked up the van yesterday. It looks good, the carpet is spotless. They covered the transfer case removal, and the total bill was around $250- $100 deductible and $130 oil change (something I normally wouldn't have paid the dealership for )

The original service manager said two things that continue to bother me. The first is that with my particular oil leak they could have fixed it either way- engine removal or pulling the transmission. My original suspicion was that they were going to charge Ford for and engine removal but pull the transmission, and that when I called to request additional top engine services it gave light to their little service lie. His offhand explanation after the fact supported that theory.

The other thing is that when pressed about the "service misunderstanding" about Dwayne trying to charge me $440 out of the blue was that they had to call Ford and get approval. Of course what actually happened is Dwayne insisted access time didn't apply right up until I said, "Manager please." and within 3 minutes it was all cleared up. There is no way they called or received an answer in that time, and even if they had been waiting then there was no reason for Dwayne to be adamant that I had to pay.

Frankly I'm looking forward to the end of my warranty. Every warranty service I've ever had has involved some form of chicanery, some level of "we'll just say whatever to placate the customer at this moment." Whether they fix it or not, I don't see why they can't just be straight about the service.

[Joel]

If it makes you feel any better, I've been feeling like that ever since I've gotten my van. Every single mechanic I've gone to so far has said, "Hey, your last mechanic screwed you!" The first time that felt like relief -- "Hey, I found an honest guy!" -- but now a couple thousand bucks later with much of the same problems to fix on my van, I'm starting to wonder if honest mechanics are the exception, not the rule.

(It did encourage me to buy the Haynes Manual, though!)

[Jammyauto]

Joel, you shou buy the factory books if you really want accurate info. Haynes is only half the picture IMHO. In this case you get what you pay for.

I'm an auto tecnician and I can tell you that like any other profession really skilled and really honest professionals can take a little while to find. I've been thru 3 dentists in the last 6 years and needed to have some crappy crowns replaced due to some shoddy work. We're no different than any other profession.

[Ford_6L_E350]

My van has been in 3 different dealerships, all with great results and no hint of chicanery, Swanson Ford in Los Gatos (out of business), Prince George Ford in BC, Frontier Ford in San Jose. They were professional, courteous and generally helpful. No complaints about service here.

Mike

[TwoVans]

Wow. I would consider writing a letter to the owner of the dealership politely explaining that you won't be back as you can't trust them any further than you can throw them.

$130 for an oil change??? I currently think $30 is on the high side. Do I need to wrap my brain around a significantly bigger deal on oil changes for my new 6.0?

[Ford_6L_E350]

Originally Posted by jessenej

Wow. I would consider writing a letter to the owner of the dealership politely explaining that you won't be back as you can't trust them any further than you can throw them.

$130 for an oil change??? I currently think $30 is on the high side. Do I need to wrap my brain around a significantly bigger deal on oil changes for my new 6.0?

Have you priced 15 quarts of Motorcraft diesel oil? Or a Motorcraft oil filter? And most dealers (don't know about this one) throw in a vehicle check with an oil change.

That said, I will continue to do my own oil changes, but not because of the money I save, but because it is a good way to crawl under the van and find things that might turn into problems down the road.

Mike

[saline]

The filter (never go cheap on filters for the 6.0) is a bit more, and the big thing is the 14 Qts. of oil it takes.

[TwoVans]

I knew it need more oil. Didn't spend the time to find out it was about 3x as much oil.

Wow.

[Jammyauto]

Even if you do the oil change yourself your looking at about 75.00. Since my van is not daily driven I only need to change my oil about once per year.

[Ed in Montana]

I've gotten great service on the Sporty from Helena Ford and Toyota here in Big Sky Country. They work on a lot of Ford diesels and several of the half dozen or so SMBs in the Helena area.

This is a much better deal than the service I got on my old Dodge Dakota from the shop just next door to the Ford dealership. I would listen to Car Talk on NPR and then tell their service techs what was wrong with the truck. Click and Clack were never wrong.