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Lincoln service stinks


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Lincoln service is VERY disappointing. This morning I brought our '10 MKS in to Caruso Lincoln in Long Beach, CA because the brake pedal has been squeaking since the car was purchased 3 months ago as a CPO vehicle. The service advisor could not replicate the problem and told me any adjustments wouldn't be done under warranty. What? This car is still under factory warranty plus we paid for the additional extended premium CPO warranty. He tried to call the used car manager to see what could be done but she was no where to be found. I told the advisor that I would leave and return when the squeak started again. He told me it would be better to call the manager and see what she says. He basically was passing the buck on to the next guy. Why would he not just take the car and diagnose the problem? I don't care if it needed to be handled by the used car or the new department - it just needed to be handled. As I drove off the lot the squeak started again so I went right back. Turned out the used car manager was not on the lot but they got a used car mechanic with a bottle of WD40 & a flashlight to try and lubricate the pedal. Then a second service advisor asked if I needed a ride home? Was I leaving the car there? Nobody informed me of that. Why was this not the approach the first time I drove up? So I asked for a loaner which should be provided under the premium warranty but was told there were none available. So I waited 30 minutes for a ride home. When I got on the shuttle (a crappy E-Series van) I lived the farthest so I was stuck on the shuttle for nearly an additional hour. THIS IS NOT LUXURY! An hour before I went to the Lincoln dealership I dropped off my '08 Mercedes for warranty service. I was in and out quickly after 2 signatures with a complimentary loan car. In a world where even KIA & Hyundai are offering high-end car features, true luxury includes the service experience. I really expect a higher level of service from Lincoln. I keep reading the hype about the rebirth of Lincoln and the new levels of customer service. I have yet to experience it.

 

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Your story confirms what I have been thinking when reading the new MKZ reviews. These reviewers should focus on exactly what you are experiencing instead

of focusing on nit picking Lincoln on the Lincoln vehicle versus the Ford vehicle.

 

IMO the ownership experience of driving a luxury vehicle and the service expectations should be the issue being reviewed to gauge if the new LMC is meeting those

expectations.

Edited by MKII
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To add insult to injury... When I picked up the MKS there it was in the service aisle ready to go except it hadn't been washed even though they said it would be. Nobody greeted me upon my arrival and the cashier didn't even bother with a "Thank you" or "Have a nice day" as she slid the key under the security glass (something you'll never see at Mercedes.) In contrast, after picking up the Lincoln I went to pick up the Mercedes. That dealer has a new Express Pick Up program where you call ahead 15 minutes and your car is ready when you arrive. Of course, as my day was going, the car was not ready to go. The customer service manager saw that I was agitated after waiting about 10 minutes and came over to personally apologize for the wait. I told him that I called ahead for Express Pick Up and he apologized again and ran off. A minute later he returned with a gift. It was an insulated stainless steel travel mug with the Mercedes Benz logo on it from their gift shop. The price tag on it was $38. This is the kind of extra touch that Lincoln should be providing.

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I've noticed that most Lincoln dealers are in Ford dealerships and Ford dealerships around DC at least, still act like Ford dealerships and not like Cady/Lexus/Mercedes/Acura/Audi etc. There is a noticeable difference and they tend to be more defensive about warranty items.

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I've noticed that most Lincoln dealers are in Ford dealerships and Ford dealerships around DC at least, still act like Ford dealerships and not like Cady/Lexus/Mercedes/Acura/Audi etc. There is a noticeable difference and they tend to be more defensive about warranty items.

That's probably one of the toughest area Ford is having in breaking dealers of old habits. There is a Lincoln dealer here paired with a Mazda dealer and one paired with a Ford dealer. The one with the Mazda dealer has its own entirely separate showroom and sales staff. The Ford/Lincoln dealer does not, at least not yet -- I believe they are planning to renovate.

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Our local Lincoln dealer was a stand alone Lincoln-Mercury dealer and once Mercury shut down, the Lincoln dealer could not stay affloat selling only Lincolns so they moved next to a Ford dealer. The sales staff are different and the Lincoln side is never busy... and the Ford dealer is always busy. The Lincoln staff know next do nothing about the Ford varients... and most of them are the same thing with diffrent names and grills.

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  • 2 weeks later...

If I may.......

 

SouthBay Ford/Lincoln in Hawthorne is excellent in terms of mechanics (13 master techs IIRR- one of the largest quantity in SoCal), and customer support is very good...Mike Pendleton has been with the dealer for 10+ years and always takes care of me...I do most of my own repairs, etc but when I need to have the dealer take care of an issue, this is my #1 choice. Mikes contact info is Direct 310-706-6125 & Cell 310-629-1901

 

Another excellent dealer is Galpin Lincoln....visually a more higher end dealer but good as well.

 

From LB, it would be a short drive to Hawthorne but I can assure you one that is well worth it....from the other side of LB, Tuttle-Glick had a very good rep (no personal experience) as well.

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Thanks for the advice beechkid. Funny thing is I live almost exactly equidistant from South Bay Lincoln & Caruso Lincoln and I chose to go to Caruso because their showroom & service is separated from their Ford facilities next door. SB F/L struck me as a factory with lots of cars going in for service and the numerous advisors sitting outside in their cubicles in the drive aisles where Caruso has a more boutique (for lack of a better word) set up. I'll definitely take a look into SB Lincoln for the next service.

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If I may.......

 

SouthBay Ford/Lincoln in Hawthorne is excellent in terms of mechanics (13 master techs IIRR- one of the largest quantity in SoCal), and customer support is very good...Mike Pendleton has been with the dealer for 10+ years and always takes care of me...I do most of my own repairs, etc but when I need to have the dealer take care of an issue, this is my #1 choice. Mikes contact info is Direct 310-706-6125 & Cell 310-629-1901

 

Another excellent dealer is Galpin Lincoln....visually a more higher end dealer but good as well.used

 

From LB, it would be a short drive to Hawthorne but I can assure you one that is well worth it....from the other side of LB, Tuttle-Glick had a very good rep (no personal experience) as well.

Did you deal with SB salespeople or only service? After my experiences with the sales people, I decided I would not set foot on that dealership property for sales or service. The first guy I spoke with was fairly affable but had little knowedge about the vehicle or the ordering process. The second guy (different occasion) was your stereotypical used car salesman. He was trying to sell me ANYTHING with an engine and 4 wheels no matter what I said I wanted. Several times he told me the color that I liked was ugly. When I finally had to become a little firmer against his attempts to shoehorn me into anything, he shoved his card at me and walked off in a huff!

 

Maybe I'll reconsider going there for service (if I ever get the damn car-waiting for 2014 production).

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  • 3 weeks later...

Caruso Lincoln strikes again. I got a phone call from them today to verify my service appointment tomorrow at 7am. Only problem is - I never made an appointment. Is this the new level of Lincoln customer service where they read my mind and tell me when I want to service my vehicle? When I asked who made the appointment they had no idea. When I asked what the appointment was for they also had no idea. So the guy tells me, "Well, you don't have to show up, this is just a reminder call. They probably scheduled your next regular service the last time you were in for routine service." Okay, except that we haven't even had the car in for routine service yet. I appreciate the courtesy call but don't make appointments for me. Does anyone find this kind of automatic service scheduling as a convenience? Pretty sure I can decide when I need to bring the car in for service, not you - especially when you're trying to get everyone to change their oil every 3000 miles. is this common practice at other Lincoln service departments?

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Caruso Lincoln strikes again. I got a phone call from them today to verify my service appointment tomorrow at 7am. Only problem is - I never made an appointment. Is this the new level of Lincoln customer service where they read my mind and tell me when I want to service my vehicle? When I asked who made the appointment they had no idea. When I asked what the appointment was for they also had no idea. So the guy tells me, "Well, you don't have to show up, this is just a reminder call. They probably scheduled your next regular service the last time you were in for routine service." Okay, except that we haven't even had the car in for routine service yet. I appreciate the courtesy call but don't make appointments for me. Does anyone find this kind of automatic service scheduling as a convenience? Pretty sure I can decide when I need to bring the car in for service, not you - especially when you're trying to get everyone to change their oil every 3000 miles. is this common practice at other Lincoln service departments?

 

This has nothing to do with Lincoln - just a greedy dealer.

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Thanks for the advice beechkid. Funny thing is I live almost exactly equidistant from South Bay Lincoln & Caruso Lincoln and I chose to go to Caruso because their showroom & service is separated from their Ford facilities next door. SB F/L struck me as a factory with lots of cars going in for service and the numerous advisors sitting outside in their cubicles in the drive aisles where Caruso has a more boutique (for lack of a better word) set up. I'll definitely take a look into SB Lincoln for the next service.

Best guess is that scheduled by the used car department - based on timing hinted in an earlier post you've had the car about 6 months? Many dealerships encourage salespeople to schedule the 1st service appointment when they deliver the car. Sounds like the salesman made an appointment but never told you about it.

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Caruso Lincoln strikes again. I got a phone call from them today to verify my service appointment tomorrow at 7am. Only problem is - I never made an appointment. Is this the new level of Lincoln customer service where they read my mind and tell me when I want to service my vehicle? When I asked who made the appointment they had no idea. When I asked what the appointment was for they also had no idea. So the guy tells me, "Well, you don't have to show up, this is just a reminder call. They probably scheduled your next regular service the last time you were in for routine service." Okay, except that we haven't even had the car in for routine service yet. I appreciate the courtesy call but don't make appointments for me. Does anyone find this kind of automatic service scheduling as a convenience? Pretty sure I can decide when I need to bring the car in for service, not you - especially when you're trying to get everyone to change their oil every 3000 miles. is this common practice at other Lincoln service departments?

 

 

 

Meh................sounds like your choice of dealerships suck........not "Lincoln"

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  • 4 weeks later...

Every time I go into the dealer for some warranty issue, I have to convince them why I should be offered a loaner. It's ridiculous. A ford dealer is always going to have a ford mindset and not that of a luxury brand like they should with Lincoln. I also have a new Ford and see no difference in the dealers service demeanor, and not in a good way.

Edited by xgman
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Caruso Lincoln strikes again. I got a phone call from them today to verify my service appointment tomorrow at 7am. Only problem is - I never made an appointment. Is this the new level of Lincoln customer service where they read my mind and tell me when I want to service my vehicle? When I asked who made the appointment they had no idea. When I asked what the appointment was for they also had no idea. So the guy tells me, "Well, you don't have to show up, this is just a reminder call. They probably scheduled your next regular service the last time you were in for routine service." Okay, except that we haven't even had the car in for routine service yet. I appreciate the courtesy call but don't make appointments for me. Does anyone find this kind of automatic service scheduling as a convenience? Pretty sure I can decide when I need to bring the car in for service, not you - especially when you're trying to get everyone to change their oil every 3000 miles. is this common practice at other Lincoln service departments?

I know your post was a month ago .......

I picked up my car on Friday and during the purchasing process, they scheduled the first maintenance appointment for me in December. I'm wondering if that's what happened to you and perhaps they just didn't alert you at the time or it was overlooked in all the craziness of the process..

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In my opinion dealing with (significant) warranty issues has less to do with the dealers than with FMC corporate. Dealers have to clear everything with the factory rep first or risk being denied reimbursement for the work. Corporate stonewalls the dealers and they in turn have to stonewall the owners and take the blame for their inaction too. We were very dissatisfied with the White Platinum Tricoat paint match of the bumper covers with the body paint on our MKX...and what answer did we get? "They're all like that, go look at the other ones on the lot" Well maybe Lincolns are all like that, but that doesn't explain how every other auto manufacturer, even the most inexpensive Korean brands, can paint their vehicles better than Ford. And the Factory rep echoed the same BS..."the paint we use shows up differently on the bumpers than on the metal parts." For as much of a premium that a Lincoln costs over a comparable Ford, and then when they see fit to charge an additional $500 for a paint color, you ought to receive a first class paint job or have the dealers afforded the freedom to correct it to your satisfaction without fighting with Ford corporate. Until they change their mind set, a Lincoln will be just a pricier Ford.

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We were very dissatisfied with the White Platinum Tricoat paint match of the bumper covers with the body paint on our MKX...and what answer did we get? "They're all like that, go look at the other ones on the lot" Well maybe Lincolns are all like that, but that doesn't explain how every other auto manufacturer, even the most inexpensive Korean brands, can paint their vehicles better than Ford. And the Factory rep echoed the same BS..."the paint we use shows up differently on the bumpers than on the metal parts."

Every time I've seen a pearl white car the metal parts are a slightly different color than the plastic parts. I was told it had to do with an "additive" that is used on flexible parts. I had a friend who fought Toyota over the same issue and after tons of complaining they repainted her bumpers and personally I thought it looked awful. They seemed even more mismatched than they were originally.

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In my opinion dealing with (significant) warranty issues has less to do with the dealers than with FMC corporate. Dealers have to clear everything with the factory rep first or risk being denied reimbursement for the work. Corporate stonewalls the dealers and they in turn have to stonewall the owners and take the blame for their inaction too. We were very dissatisfied with the White Platinum Tricoat paint match of the bumper covers with the body paint on our MKX...and what answer did we get? "They're all like that, go look at the other ones on the lot" Well maybe Lincolns are all like that, but that doesn't explain how every other auto manufacturer, even the most inexpensive Korean brands, can paint their vehicles better than Ford. And the Factory rep echoed the same BS..."the paint we use shows up differently on the bumpers than on the metal parts." For as much of a premium that a Lincoln costs over a comparable Ford, and then when they see fit to charge an additional $500 for a paint color, you ought to receive a first class paint job or have the dealers afforded the freedom to correct it to your satisfaction without fighting with Ford corporate. Until they change their mind set, a Lincoln will be just a pricier Ford.

 

Everyone that I've heard about on various Ford forums has had theirs repainted to match under warranty no questions asked. The dealer has more influence than they're letting on. Did you get that answer directly from the factory rep or did it come through the dealer. I've seen dealers refuse a warranty repair saying Ford wouldn't cover it only to see it fixed cheerfully by another dealer (under warranty) with no questions asked.

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  • 5 months later...

So here's an update to my "I hate Caruso Lincoln's service department" saga: I finally had time to bring the car to the dealer for the squeaky brake pedal. I showed up around 12:15pm and could not find a service advisor for 15 minutes. I understand they could've been at lunch but shouldn't they leave at least one person around just in case? When I finally found someone he asked if I would leave the car. I told him I needed a loaner which is covered with the premium care warranty. He went to check and (or course) there were no cars available. I refused a shuttle ride home so he told me I needed to make an appointment if I wanted a loan car. I reminded him that this problem (which they have already tried to fix once) was intermittent and that the last time I made an appointment they wouldn't even take the car because it wasn't making the noise. How was I supposed to make an appointment for a problem that is intermittent? He just shrugged his shoulders with an I don't care attitude. The he said they didn't have a brake tech available anyway because he went home sick. By this time my blood was boiling and I used a few choice words and drove off. After I cooled down I called South Bay Ford/Lincoln to see if they would give me a loan car if I brought the car to them. After being on hold for 13 minutes I hung up and called again and asked the receptionist if she could help me. She found an available advisor who told me to bring the car in. What a night/day difference. South Bay Lincoln is paired with Ford so I expected a lower level of service. They took the car back immediately to diagnose the issue before the squeaking stopped. The facilities are not nice to look at compared to the luxurious interiors at the other dealer but they practically held my hand and walked me through the waiting lounge, the cafe (whose food smelled really good), parts department & cashier areas. Unlike Caruso, SB uses Enterprise so loan cars are always available and I was told if they didn't have a comparable Lincoln available they would find a dealer-owned car for me to use. Unfortunately, Enterprise only had one guy working so it took another 30 minutes to get my loaner but least it was a 2013 MKZ 3.7. It has been so frustrating getting this car serviced. Maybe I'm too hard to please.

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