Jump to content

Frustrating experience


brucelinc

Recommended Posts

This possible remedy has crossed my mind. If this situation even qualifies, it would be a last resort. There are no other 2018s anywhere close that I would want and I am not very keen on waiting for a special order 2019.

 

If you have to get another and if you find a 2018 that you like in Texas, I will deliver it for free. :)

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

They kept the car all day again waiting for Ford Engineering to provide assistance. The Service Manager called me and had the tech in the room with him. They both went over what had been done and the obstacles that they had run into. I appreciated the courtesy call but it didn't give me a lot of confidence in an ultimate solution. Frankly, the tech sounded pretty defeated. I know he has more time involved in this than he would like and is pretty frustrated, himself. The manager told me that they would "take care of me with a free extended warranty or something to show their appreciation for my patience." I told him that would be glad to discuss something free AFTER they get the car fixed.

 

Prior to the call from the dealership service manager, I had a chat with a rep from Ford's Customer Care Team and mentioned that I was getting close to pursuing a remedy under the lemon law. The person I spoke with "escalated" my concerns, whatever that means. A service manager from Ford Customer Care is supposed to call me today.

 

What I would really like is for an engineer or someone with specialized expertise from Ford to come to the dealership and take ownership of this repair. I don't know if that is even practical. From listening to the tech, it seems that they are just continuing to do the same things but hoping for a different result. This business of trying, failing, calling Ford, waiting for them to call back, trying and failing again is not getting us anywhere.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

They will escalate your situation and a field service engineer will more than likely be sent to the dealer. He will try the same stuff. He does however have contacts he can call and relay information. Basically he will probably have to get a product specialist on the phone and they will try and hash it out. What I think they should do is program a cluster at the engineering department and ship it to the dealer and they should be able to do a plug and play.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

just means they weren't treating this seriously enough before

:facepalm: / smh

doesn't mean they are Now, imho

I dont think that at all. I am sure the hotline has escalated this problem well before now. But when the customer calls, it escalates the customer service side they will open a contact to the dealer and all that. It may help speed up the slow wheels at ford.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Fordtech, your idea of sending a pre-programmed cluster makes sense. I am going ask the service manager why they don't do that.

Because its not normal protocol and the right person will have to get involved to make that happen. Maybe the dealer can suggest it to hotline and they can try it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I really don't understand why Ford isn't more proactive in buying back problem vehicles whether they qualify as lemons or not. Ford and the dealer get a new sale and a happy customer and Ford can fix the vehicle and sell it at auction and get back most of their cost.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just had a conversation with my salesman and the GM of the dealership where I have purchased multiple vehicles. I think they are going to step up to the plate.

 

While not 100% confirmed,it appears the dealer will buy my car for what I paid for it. In turn, I would order a 2019 model. I buy at invoice from this dealer and I get any rebates or financing offers that Ford has at the time of making the deal or delivery.

 

I will think about this over the weekend. Any thoughts?

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just had a conversation with my salesman and the GM of the dealership where I have purchased multiple vehicles. I think they are going to step up to the plate.

 

While not 100% confirmed,it appears the dealer will buy my car for what I paid for it. In turn, I would order a 2019 model. I buy at invoice from this dealer and I get any rebates or financing offers that Ford has at the time of making the deal or delivery.

 

I will think about this over the weekend. Any thoughts?

Boy talk about stepping up to the plate. Thats a hell of a deal!
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Most dealership experiences are good, I never get mad at the people working there if something goes awry just as long as I'm convinced they aren't wasting my time or making things worse. I was one of the early adopters of MyLincoln Touch in my 2011 Lincoln MKX and I ended up on the front-line of what would turn out to be one of the biggest quality gaffs in Ford's recent history (followed shortly later by the DCT of course). I warned people really early on before it became news that MLT/MFT was a disaster. And unfortunately, that meant about 10 warranty visit just for MLT and still more for MLT in my 2013 MKX. It took years to stabilize that system and 'fix' the problem. If the problem is a design flaw, it may take years to fix. Another reoccurring problem in my AWD 2007-2011 MKX/MKZ/Mariner was the PTU...all leaked and it took years before a new PTU seal design finally fixed the problem. When I had the problem in my 2007 MKX, they told me they are designing a new part and can't fix it yet so I just tolerated the burning smell of transmission oil for a year (only happened in winter when AWD had to kick in).

Edited by Assimilator
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Late yesterday afternoon, the Service Manager called and sounded as excited as a kid on Christmas morning. The car was fixed. According to him, there was some sort of update done between the time the car was built and the time it actually left the factory. The Tech kept performing programming "as built" but that was not actually correct. A Ford engineer finally figured this out and stayed on the phone with the tech as he did the final programming and everything now works appropriately.

 

I like the car so I will not be replacing it. The Service Manager offered me a free extended warranty (supposedly a $2000 retail value) to compensate me for my inconvenience. I suggested that I would rather have something else...maybe something from the Ford Performance catalog. He told me to let him know next week and he would see what he could do.

 

I am glad this is over.

  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Late yesterday afternoon, the Service Manager called and sounded as excited as a kid on Christmas morning. The car was fixed. According to him, there was some sort of update done between the time the car was built and the time it actually left the factory. The Tech kept performing programming "as built" but that was not actually correct. A Ford engineer finally figured this out and stayed on the phone with the tech as he did the final programming and everything now works appropriately.

 

I like the car so I will not be replacing it. The Service Manager offered me a free extended warranty (supposedly a $2000 retail value) to compensate me for my inconvenience. I suggested that I would rather have something else...maybe something from the Ford Performance catalog. He told me to let him know next week and he would see what he could do.

 

I am glad this is over.

I understand it was frustrating, But it sounds like theyre trying to make it right. Glad to hear that is the case.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Since my car was out of service for a few days and there seemed to be a comedy of errors partly at the dealership and partly with Ford Engineering, my dealer offered to "thank me for my patience and understanding." We discussed an extended warranty but, as long as they were in a giving mood, I really wanted something more tangible now. Even if I keep the car long enough for an extended warranty to be useful, it could be in jeopardy since I have plans for some modifications and drag racing.

 

We finally decided on a 3M clear shield to cover the front end, complete hood and the trunk lid. The stripes on my car were satin and never quite matched the factory gloss painted roof. With the clear shield, they are now glossy and look 100% better since they match the top. The other benefit is protection against rock chips and bug carcasses. The film can be waxed just like paint but actually looks quite glossy as it is. Not a good picture taken inside my garage where the lighting is poor and there are reflections but I am happy with the work that was done. This was not done at the dealership. They use a shop that specializes in this sort of thing.

post-34962-0-15859800-1531489722_thumb.jpg

Edited by brucelinc
  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...