Is Ford Service really this bad?!

[darinhouston]

My first car 40+ years ago was a Ford but this is my first one since. I took it in for its first service and a short list of a few post-sale items to have checked out. They said they were really stacked so could I come back next week to schedule service (mainly oil change and balance). So, I did. A few days later, I came in for my service and was told it would take 45 minutes for the oil change (seriously?!) but the other stuff might take a few days. It's my first dealership experience in some time without loaners or comp'd rentals (as long as you're willing to schedule in advance based on their availability). So, I was a little shocked by this. It's unacceptable to be without your car for several days because you need something slightly adjusted to spec. The oil change ended up taking an hour and a half.

I understand bad days, but the service advisor told me it was just the way things are and it's the norm and was the same at pretty much any Ford dealer due to volume. That's what reservations are for.... But, I digress. Then I had a couple of questions to find out if the issues I have are even service addressable and he had no idea - couldn't ask a tech - I would have to leave it and wait a couple of days for it to be documented and so forth. Then, I asked if they could install Ford Performance Tune since I read that this had been discontinued for 2023 2.3L and he had no idea and directed me to parts who had no idea. I asked how I could find out and they had no idea.

This is an unacceptable level of service for any business. Is this typical for Ford today? Any good service dealers in Houston area? This was Joe Myers in Jersey Village (unfortunately I live and work less than a mile from it). I understand this is a Berkshire Hathaway business. I can't imagine that's an acceptable business model for Warren Buffett.

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[userdude]

I can't speak for all of them, but my experience with the service department was similar: No loaner and we're gonna take your keys and let you know when parts come in, could be Thursday or three weeks from now. What do I do without a car? That was my problem. Decided to hold on letting them keep it for some indefinite period, only to not get a call when the part came in and the service writer seemed surprised I still wanted the work done. Then they had it for four days, but only worked on it one afternoon.

Getting a tire fixed was 3.5 hours. Waited one time for two hours for their shuttle, only to find out it went out without me, then waited another hour for Ford's Uber ride to show up.

Seems par for the course. But hey you get points for going through that! Buy yourself something nice.

 

[broadicustomworks]

Unfortunately I have not been impressed with any of the 3 local dealer's service departments.
It is the main reason I did not pony up the $ for an extended warranty.

I went in yesterday to get them to look at the window switch as a warranty item, 1st and only trip to do anything related to warranty, and the ONLY item I felt was worth talking about, as the rest of the stuff is just plain old wear and tear (paint rubbing some on the inside top of the gate and similar).

No vehicles in the service bay, two service techs standing around. I was told I would have to make an appointment.
I said "I am literally about 400 miles from going out of warranty and only have a switch for you to consider. It will seriously only take like one minute to peek at it."
"What's wrong with it?"
"The rubber pieces have broken off of two of them, would like them replaced while I can."
"Not sure that's warranty."
"Sure it is. Several people have had them replaced under warranty, seems somewhat common, can you just take a peek?"
"Did you buy it from us?"
"No. Your sales guy would not commit to MSRP so I bought it out of state for MSRP and had a nice adventure back home from West Tx."
"Oh. Too bad."
"So can you take a look?"
"Sigh. Sure. Not really supposed to invest any time if you didn't purchase it here."

Takes a look, looks around the Bronco, takes a walk around the outside.

"This is pretty heavily optioned out with aftermarket stuff and the wheels are scuffed. Take it offroad?"
"Well, yeah. It's why I bought it."
"Most don't. I'll get the switch on order, let you know when it comes in."

It ended well but should not have been that difficult to persuade someone standing around to look at a switch.
I've been turned away from two other local dealerships for alignments because "It's been modified so we won't work on it or even look at it."
Seems to be the common consensus, and I guess that's fair if that's the status quo. I felt like they were a bit dismissive but really didn't take to the web to scathe them over it.
Shrugged it off, went to a local small-time shop, got my alignment.

To sum up, not a fan of the "service" departments I have dealt with thus far.

 

[MI_Chris]

Was told ford dealerships only do 4 wheel alignment’s. No more front end only. scheduled with local car shop for front end alignment.

 

[Rocky-in-AR]

I’ve been a GM owner for 40 years. Never had a problem getting warranty service or maintenance done at the dealer. If I had to leave it, they always offered a loaner. In 2019 I purchased a motorhome with the Ford V10 in it. Never dreamed that I would have an issue getting work done on it. After calling local Ford shops I found no one had the capability to work on it. I decided it’s a motorhome, maybe that is normal and decided to just do the maintenance myself. This year I purchased a Bronco and within less than a month I had warranty issues. I scheduled service online and when I arrived at the dealer, I was told it would be 4 weeks before they could look at it and I would have to leave it for at least a week with no loaner. I made the appointment but of course I was out of state for work when the appointment came due. I called another dealer when I needed an oil change and was going to get the warranty work done but was told the same story, weeks out no loaner. He said I can do the oil change and I’m thinking they are not going to get a penny from me unless they can perform the warranty work in a timely manner. At some point within the next 36,000 miles I will have the get it in for warranty work. Hopefully nothing major will break. I am now doing my own maintenance which I never did while owning GM vehicles for the past 40 years. I am very disappointed with Ford, and more than likely this will be the last Ford vehicle I ever buy or consider. BTW my wife’s Buick I get service with a smile. It is not a COVID or supply chain issue. It is a management issue.

 

[swami37]

Both my local dealers have been fine for service work. I think 45-60 minutes for an oil change is standard now a days

 

[ChrisB351]

Welcome to the world we live in these days. Doesnt matter the brand, any dealer basic service, ie oil change and rotate, will be a minimum of an hour and potentially up to 3 or 4. Theyre going to inspect your brakes, fluids, filters, suspension, etc. Im not trusting my $50k truck to these quick change places that get you done in 10min. Thats barely enough time to change the oil. When those minimum wage luber goobers are pressed to get the job done quick, they mess up so many things. After 2020 and covid when the new car production shut down noone has loaners anymore (except maybe some high end brands like Mercedes, BMW, etc)

 

[jacknifetoaswan]

I ordered my Mustang from a local dealership, Jones Ford, in Charleston, back in 2015. I have had plenty of warranty issues with it, and they were always awful to deal with. They wouldn't call you back, they'd do a half-assed job of the fix, and damaged my interior trim panel so badly that I had to threaten to take them to court to get them to fix (not replace) it. They only gave me a loaner once, and that was when I pitched a fit that my two year old car shouldn't be out of service for a week while they replaced the AC compressor (a job that a buddy of mine had to do at a competing dealership a couple years later - in 2 hours). I was always told that if I didn't buy the extended warranty through them, I wasn't eligible for a loaner. They were unable to fix the leaking valve cover issue I've had for like five years, even after performing TSBs, replacing the valve covers, reseating the plug well seals, etc. I finally fixed that myself when I installed aluminum GT500 valve covers.

Fast forward to November of last year, and I now have my Bronco. There's been a recall out there since like 2021 about the rear camera wiring harness on the Mustang. It had been an issue for years, but I had fixed it myself both times with some new wires and butt connectors. This recall was supposed to replace part of the rear harness with a new harness that removed the scroll tube that supposedly caused the issue. I don't need a loaner, and I'm out of warranty, but I make an appointment with them. I drop the car off and they tell me it'll be two days. Whatever, I have the Bronco as a primary vehicle now.

I call on the third day, and I'm told the part is back ordered, and I should come pick up the car. I get to the dealership and the service manager tells me that the recall has been completed. Umm, which is it? Back ordered or completed?

So I go out to the car, and the same butt connectors I had installed three years ago are still there. I go back in, and get into a huge argument with the service manager and general manager. I then get in touch with the "Customer Relationship Manager", who assures me that he'll have his highest certified tech handle the issue and I won't have to deal with their service manager again. Then one of the owners, Michael Walters got involved, and put me through hell. Their service manager actually told me "There should be no expectation that a system is functional or repaired after a recall is completed."

WHAT???

I ended up filing a complaint with the FTC and the SC Department of Consumer Affairs for fraud. The FTC has not responded to the complaint, but the SC DCA went through multiple rounds of emails, before closing the case because Jones Ford had made an effort to review the complaint and responded. Unfortunately, they have no ability to actually force a business to honor a warranty.

What's worse is that Jones marked the recall COMPLETE in Oasis, so I can't even bring it to another dealership. They can't reverse that, and @Ford customer service basically told me to go screw myself and work with the dealer.

Anyway, that was a long story. I will not deal with Jones Ford again, ever. They also wanted a $20k ADM for a Bronco order, which is why my order went to Chapman.

On the other hand, I had to have the hood replaced on my Mustang because of the paint bubbling issue that Ford has had since...2003. I used Greenway Ford, in Orlando, and they did a fine job. No complaints with them.

JR

 

[DetroitChris]

Ford customer service is horrific. I have a high pitched whistling noise coming from the front and very loud squeaks coming from the back. I can’t find any dealers in Michigan that can give me an appointment and provide a loaner car. My Bronco has around 2,000 miles on it and I spent over $60,000 on it. All Ford dealers I’ve spoken to can tell me is to drop it off and they will get to it when they get to it… which could be days or weeks… without a loaner car. Ford customer service will probably reach out to you on this message board and ask for your VIN so they can help you. They are worthless. They won’t do anything for you. They basically just want your VIN so they can keep track of how many problems they are having and when the truck was built, etc., and really don’t care about anything beyond that. This is my 4th brand new Ford vehicle in a row and most likely my last. The lack of loaner cars for people that have brand new vehicles with a number of issues that need to be addresses is ridiculous. Ford corporate should be ashamed of their horrible customer service. At the ABSOLUTE VERY LEAST Ford should be comping rental car fees while the dealers address all these problems we are having.

The head of the Bronco division at Ford should have been fired and drop kicked out of Ford headquarters a long time ago. They have failed at their job. From the terrible rollout, lack of parts to fix brand new vehicles sitting at dealerships, terrible customer service, recalls, no loaner vehicles and all the other countless issues - the head of the Bronco team has completely failed at their job and should be replaced by someone more competent immediately!

 

[HOSSMAN]

Being a service manager for Ford for over 20 years I love reading comments. Some complaints are valid, some are far fetched and some people expect the world but sometimes you go to their business it really isn't much different, they just think the dealer(s) owe them something. We all put our pants on the same way every morning, just some start with the right foot and some with the left.

Following....

 

[Brutal-Force]

I'll be honest, my GM dealer was the reason I sold my Chevy Colorado and upgraded to a Ford Bronco. GM service was terrible the last 4 or 5 times through the pandemic and up until about 3 months ago. So now, I called up the dealer, well in advance (Brandon Ford Florida), and asked them for a quote for oil change and tire rotation and got a quote of $139.00. I asked about scheduling, they said they have two slots 1 week out and that I could bring it in at 9am and pick it up at 2pm. WTF!?! So I went and priced out 6 Qts. of Mobile 1 and a Napa Gold filter for about $75.00 after tax. I can do my own oil change and tire rotation on the ground in less than an hour. I guess I'll be on my own.

I am not sure what I am more upset about, the fact you can't get seen in a reasonable amount of time, or that you have to wait 6 hrs. for your car and no offer of a rental/shuttle home and back, or the fact I am being charged to what amounts to $75/hr. worth of work plus paying retail prices for an oil change. Unfortunately I am also in an industry where this has become the norm, so I get it. The world is coming in for a crash landing and its not a gradual dive, its a nose dive and on fire. We are in some real trouble.

Edit: I count myself lucky as someone who can do their own work. I really feel bad for everyone who can't .

@HOSSMAN, I understand your concern that some people expect the world. But I don't think it unreasonable to ask for an oil change in less than an hour. Our Take 5 Oil change folks you can drive up wait in line and your are serviced in anywhere between 30 min-1 hour depending on the time of day you pull up. You can also drive away if they are busy. The fact that today you can't get a shuttle ride home and have to wait 5-6 hours on your car is kind of ridiculous. If you were in fact a service manager, you would agree. Also, if a dealer can't fix the problem because they don't have parts, then that is probably Ford or the dealer operating on "just in time" inventory. McDonalds is doing a better job of keeping stuff in inventory.

 

[DetroitChris]

Being a service manager for Ford for over 20 years I love reading comments. Some complaints are valid, some are far fetched and some people expect the world but when sometimes you go to their business it really isn't much different, they just think the dealer(s) owe them something.

Following....

I would be more than happy to provide you with a list of my issues and my VIN number so you can call all the local Ford dealers in metro Detroit to arrange for service with a loaner car if you would like to verify for yourself. My Bronco is my only vehicle and it is literally brand new. I need to get to and from work and cannot go without a loaner car, especially when dealers have no idea when they will be able to look at it or how long they will need to keep it for.

 

[ChrisB351]

Being a service manager for Ford for over 20 years I love reading comments. Some complaints are valid, some are far fetched and some people expect the world but when sometimes you go to their business it really isn't much different, they just think the dealer(s) owe them something.

Following....

8yrs writing service (Ford, Honda, CDJR, and now independent) and I couldnt agree more.

 

[userdude]

Being a service manager for Ford for over 20 years I love reading comments. Some complaints are valid, some are far fetched and some people expect the world but when sometimes you go to their business it really isn't much different, they just think the dealer(s) owe them something.

Following....

Salesman: "The (extended) warranty covers blah blah, sign here!"
Service manager: "The warranty doesn't cover blah blah, but we can take your car, hold onto it for a week, then tell you at 5:45pm it's ready to be picked up but is not fixed."

I don't know why "customers" get upset.

 

[Area51BS]

My first car 40+ years ago was a Ford but this is my first one since. I took it in for its first service and a short list of a few post-sale items to have checked out. They said they were really stacked so could I come back next week to schedule service (mainly oil change and balance). So, I did. A few days later, I came in for my service and was told it would take 45 minutes for the oil change (seriously?!) but the other stuff might take a few days. It's my first dealership experience in some time without loaners or comp'd rentals (as long as you're willing to schedule in advance based on their availability). So, I was a little shocked by this. It's unacceptable to be without your car for several days because you need something slightly adjusted to spec. The oil change ended up taking an hour and a half.

I understand bad days, but the service advisor told me it was just the way things are and it's the norm and was the same at pretty much any Ford dealer due to volume. That's what reservations are for.... But, I digress. Then I had a couple of questions to find out if the issues I have are even service addressable and he had no idea - couldn't ask a tech - I would have to leave it and wait a couple of days for it to be documented and so forth. Then, I asked if they could install Ford Performance Tune since I read that this had been discontinued for 2023 2.3L and he had no idea and directed me to parts who had no idea. I asked how I could find out and they had no idea.

This is an unacceptable level of service for any business. Is this typical for Ford today? Any good service dealers in Houston area? This was Joe Myers in Jersey Village (unfortunately I live and work less than a mile from it). I understand this is a Berkshire Hathaway business. I can't imagine that's an acceptable business model for Warren Buffett.

Most are very busy. All these features and gadgets surely cause more warranty work. And they rarely have parts in stock except wear items.

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