At my wits end with dealership - is this normal?

[alrashid2]

Appreciate everyone's input here. I'll try to keep it quick. Maybe I'm just not used to extensive warranty repairs on cars before. My previous vehicles have been Subarus and Mazdas, none of which ever needed anything done under warranty. Anyway...

Long story short, if you've seen my posts on here before, I bought my Ranger 2 months ago. At about 2,000 miles last month, I went to start it in the morning and out of nowhere got the dreaded Cam Phaser Rattle. Got it diagnosed by Ford, was told I could drive it until parts came in, and then a few weeks later finally got to get it repaired.

Repair took the entire week, and I picked it up this past Fri. Only drove 8 miles home to find coolant leaking all over the frame. I cleaned it, drove it, rinse and repeat a few times, and determined it wasn't residual and was in fact leaking.

Take it back the following morning, am told they need to replace the radiator hose, and they'll order the part now and get me setup. They're closed the following day (Sun) so Mon comes and goes and I decide to call before closing time to see whats up. They claim they just ordered the part and it'll take 1-2 days to come in and then they can start the repair... why wasn't it ordered Sat, or Mon morning?

Call me crazy but shouldn't dealerships have parts in stock and if not, be able to get them relatively quickly? I've replaced radiator hoses and bled entire systems in my driveway in one afternoon...

I did the math here and realized that since buying my brand new truck, I have been without it for 13% of the days I've owned it And I think what kills me the most is nobody has ever once apologized for all the grief. No sorry for having to tear apart a brand new engine in the first 8 weeks of ownership. No apology for me being forced to self-diagnose a major lapse in that repair just 15 minutes after leaving the dealership, and having to bring it in again right after being told it was all good to go...

I'm thankful I've been given a loaner vehicle nearly everytime, but the constant back and forth to the dealership, getting off work early to drop off / pick up during hours, and lack of peace of mind or trust in the repairs at this point just has me so frustrated.

This is also prime time hunting and firewood season for me, and all this time without a truck is really screwing up my weekends.

This dealership also doesn't provide me with any paperwork explaining repairs for my records. Just generic papers that said I visited and work was complete, with zero details, parts, labor hours, etc...

Maybe I'm venting here. But just curious if this is just par for the course when dealing with Ford warranty repair and dealerships. I know stuff happens, but this is a lot of stuff in a short amount of time, and the apathy and extremely slow timelines are making me feel like I'm just getting the runaround.

If, after this, I don't have to go in for 10 years for anything to the dealership again, I'll still have spent more time at a Ford dealer than a Subaru or Mazda dealership!

Sponsored

 

[bgn]

Par for the course based on my experience with my Maverick. No one wants to do warranty work.

I would push back on them to include what was done in the vehicle and what parts have been installed.

Did you look into the lemon law in your state? Are you eligible?

 

[alrashid2]

Par for the course based on my experience with my Maverick. No one wants to do warranty work.

I would push back on them to include what was done in the vehicle and what parts have been installed.

Did you look into the lemon law in your state? Are you eligible?

Thanks, glad to know it's not just me at least...

I also noticed that the records don't show up on my Ford account. So I'll be asking after all of this is said and done for them to push it through the system so it's all official at least.

I really don't want to call this truck a lemon. I like the truck all things considered, got a good deal on it, have installed thousands of dollars in accessories on it, and I'm hoping these issues are rectified and it'll now serve me well. I also ordered this and it took over 2 months. I've since traded my old car in. Really not interested in anything else on the market right now from other brands either, so hoping this truck works out

 

[bgn]

Thanks, glad to know it's not just me at least...

I also noticed that the records don't show up on my Ford account. So I'll be asking after all of this is said and done for them to push it through the system so it's all official at least.

I really don't want to call this truck a lemon. I like the truck all things considered, got a good deal on it, have installed thousands of dollars in accessories on it, and I'm hoping these issues are rectified and it'll now serve me well. I also ordered this and it took over 2 months. I've since traded my old car in. Really not interested in anything else on the market right now from other brands either, so hoping this truck works out

The service records take a few days to show up in the app from my experience.

One thing to consider: once the work is done fully, maybe take it to a local shop that's familiar with Fords that have the 2.7. Ask them to look over it and confirm that the work was done correctly. Yes, it will cost you more money, but it might put you at ease.

 

[alrashid2]

The service records take a few days to show up in the app from my experience.

One thing to consider: once the work is done fully, maybe take it to a local shop that's familiar with Fords that have the 2.7. Ask them to look over it and confirm that the work was done correctly. Yes, it will cost you more money, but it might put you at ease.

That's good to know. I picked the truck up originally this past Fri, so 4 days ago. Any idea how long it takes to show up in the app?

And ya that is fair. I did purchase the Flood Ford ESP for 100,000 miles / 10 years so hoping that also gives me some peace!

 

[GEN3SKI]

Crap happens. That being said, why do they need to apologize? They didnt break it.
You are describing a dealer….they are all awful. Get it fixed and I’m sure everyone be happy.

 

[alrashid2]

Crap happens. That being said, why do they need to apologize? They didnt break it.

Sure they did. I went in for a cam phaser repair and came out with a leaking coolant line. I was able to figure this out myself in driving if for 9 minutes. They didn't even bother to check post-repair after having it a week to make sure it wasn't leaking

But I'm hoping you're right and it gets done and we can all move on...

 

[bgn]

That's good to know. I picked the truck up originally this past Fri, so 4 days ago. Any idea how long it takes to show up in the app?

And ya that is fair. I did purchase the Flood Ford ESP for 100,000 miles / 10 years so hoping that also gives me some peace!

Ah, then in that case, I'd keep the truck.

 

[natkill]

I've noticed my local dealership rarely has the part they need on hand when I've had a vehicle in for repair/warranty work. Best they can do is get the part overnighted. It's disappointing they didn't do this for you, considering your truck had to boomerang right back into the shop for the coolant leak. It feels lazy and doesn't inspire a lot of confidence in their work.

Is there another dealer nearby you could try going to? I used to drive about 50 miles to a different Ford dealer rather than go to the one near where I used to live due to a bad experience with their service department. That location had a semi-captive customer base since the next closest one was so far away, and they got away with a lot of shoddy workmanship because if it.

 

[alrashid2]

We actually have another, larger dealership almost as close to me, and then a third dealership just a few miles from where I work. So lots of options at least! I always thought you'd get better service at the dealership you buy your vehicle from though... wasn't sure if another dealership would want to touch it.

Nonetheless, I'll give them this chance to make it right. If all looks good I'm hoping for smooth sailing from here

 

[Intercontinental_Ranger]

We actually have another, larger dealership almost as close to me, and then a third dealership just a few miles from where I work. So lots of options at least! I always thought you'd get better service at the dealership you buy your vehicle from though... wasn't sure if another dealership would want to touch it.

Nonetheless, I'll give them this chance to make it right. If all looks good I'm hoping for smooth sailing from here

Don’t hesitate to shop around with dealerships.

Well run dealerships know customers will go out of their way to come back if they’re treated right. A little extra effort on their part could translate to your next vehicle purchase there. Dealer in my hometown would always do cabin and engine air filter changes for free, even if you didn’t buy it from them. Always reasonable on price too.

It’s easy to forget that nobody at the dealer is FOMOCO, so not surprised that they didn’t bat an eye at the cam phaser. But they should’ve been begging for forgiveness on that coolant leak.

 

[NevadaBob]

What you've described would be a pleasant experience with my local Ford dealer. They've made me so mad I quit going, and at the advice of someone who works at that dealership, started going to the Lincoln dealer across the street. Night and day difference in quality of service and they always make you feel like the customer comes first. And they can do warranty repairs on Fords. If possible, maybe give that a shot.

 

[jawzborne]

As someone who dealt with a lemon claim on my truck, I’d just be happy with the fact that they have given you a loaner every single time. My local dealer did a cam phaser repair as well, and didn’t properly reseal the timing cover so they had to remove and reseal it afterwards. They also damaged my door, which has been a whole other PITA.

Only thing I would push the dealer for is a copy of the actual repair order that has the information that the advisor wrote down, and what work the technician completed. Those will come in handy if more issue arise down the line.

 

[alrashid2]

As someone who dealt with a lemon claim on my truck, I’d just be happy with the fact that they have given you a loaner every single time. My local dealer did a cam phaser repair as well, and didn’t properly reseal the timing cover so they had to remove and reseal it afterwards. They also damaged my door, which has been a whole other PITA.

Only thing I would push the dealer for is a copy of the actual repair order that has the information that the advisor wrote down, and what work the technician completed. Those will come in handy if more issue arise down the line.

Ya I'm trying to get that but they haven't budged. I'm hoping to at least get them to update the Ford app with the jobs.

Curious do you also have a 2.7L? Didn't see anyone else with a 2.7 Ranger with that issue! Did you ultimately get rid of it?

 

[jawzborne]

Ya I'm trying to get that but they haven't budged. I'm hoping to at least get them to update the Ford app with the jobs.

Curious do you also have a 2.7L? Didn't see anyone else with a 2.7 Ranger with that issue! Did you ultimately get rid of it?

Yup, I have a 2.7L. First issue was an HVAC problem from the factory that required the whole dash to be removed and reinstalled. Then I took it in for a ticking issue which is when they found issues with the cam Phasers. It went in for a few times for that issue, and the follow up oil leak, along with visiting the body shop a handful of times for dealer damage. In an out for other various reasons.

Sponsored