At what point should ford tell you the diagnostic is getting expensive? ?

Falcon SXR8 · 14-03-2016, 02:57 PM

Got a question for you guys. Had a vehicle at ford for a motor problem not running properly asked them to diagnose the problem. Long story short there diagnostic price $600 ( after i had a winge about it before it was $800 ) At no point in the process did they tell me that the costs were getting so high, is that the way they do things ? Couldnt fix the problem had to tow it away. Now im not disputing the work they did or the price if they did actually spend 8 hours on it like they said but shouldnt they have let me know how stinking expensive things were getting ?

Long story short had a problem asked ford to diagnose it, costs me 600 then had to tow it away. Felling pretty angry right now and dont get me started on the sunroof in my falcon they stuffed up or the tailshaft they couldnt ballance ( i did it myself in 20 mins at home )

cheap · 14-03-2016, 03:04 PM

If they verified the problem existed and then couldn't solution it, why should you pay anything? Poor form to hit you up with $800!

Falcon SXR8 · 14-03-2016, 03:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cheap

If they verified the problem existed and then couldn't solution it, why should you pay anything? Poor form to hit you up with $800!

Im trying not to implicate anyone with my posts but the problem part turned out to be an injector pump, they claim couldn't be sourced or rebuilt ( this is on a 2001 model vehicle )

I spent all morning ringing around and found out the pump they said it has it actually doesn't and it runs a different pump that can be worked on. The Diesel place also said the price I was charged was a joke.

PHANTMXR6 · 14-03-2016, 03:24 PM

Not just Ford, but any motor vehicle service center should ask for at least an hour to try and diagnose a problem.
If they get close to their hour, the service advisor should contact the customer and advise them of their findings thus far and request another hour, or half an hour depending on how close they may be.

I've been in a situation where something has taken up to 4 hours to diagnose and at every 50 minute intervals the service advisor was updated and the customer contacted and more time requested. When the customer is kept in the loop and knows what the hourly rate is and how long something takes/may take, you generally end up with both a fixed vehicle and a happy customer.

Basically customer satisfaction 101, communication.

EB# · 16-03-2016, 07:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PHANTMXR6

Not just Ford, but any motor vehicle service center should ask for at least an hour to try and diagnose a problem.
If they get close to their hour, the service advisor should contact the customer and advise them of their findings thus
far and request another hour, or half an hour depending on how close they may be...

Agreed.

Further, if a mechanic can't find a problem on an 2001 car inside of $800
worth of looking then something is definitely wrong. If they charge you that
much to begin with, what's the repair going to cost? Time for a new mechanic,
as the saying goes....

TheSneakiness · 14-03-2016, 03:32 PM

I'd allow an hour, anymore should be communicated and with cost associated.

Falcon SXR8 · 14-03-2016, 03:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rapid_Axe

I'd allow an hour, anymore should be communicated and with cost associated.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PHANTMXR6

Not just Ford, but any motor vehicle service center should ask for at least an hour to try and diagnose a problem.
If they get close to their hour, the service advisor should contact the customer and advise them of their findings thus far and request another hour, or half an hour depending on how close they may be.

I've been in a situation where something has taken up to 4 hours to diagnose and at every 50 minute intervals the service advisor was updated and the customer contacted and more time requested. When the customer is kept in the loop and knows what the hourly rate is and how long something takes/may take, you generally end up with both a fixed vehicle and a happy customer.

Basically customer satisfaction 101, communication.

Exactly what I thought but apparently not, then Im told its my responsibility to check up and ask them what its costing

Windsor220 · 14-03-2016, 03:48 PM

I usually charge half an hour. If it requires longer than that then I let them know its up to them whether they pay for more. I try and give a rough estimate of time but sometimes its not possible. Most dealerships I've worked for work under a similar process

Itsme · 14-03-2016, 03:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Falcon SXR8

Exactly what I thought but apparently not, then Im told its my responsibility to check up and ask them what its costing

They should have given you a quote with that type of answer, maybe a call to fair trading may change their tune on this.

olfella · 14-03-2016, 04:31 PM

Sounds like not only dont they know how to diagnose a problem they also dont know what their and your rights are as a consumer of their service.

Falcon SXR8 · 14-03-2016, 05:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by olfella

Sounds like not only dont they know how to diagnose a problem they also dont know what their and your rights are as a consumer of their service.

Quote:

Originally Posted by trublu

They should have given you a quote with that type of answer, maybe a call to fair trading may change their tune on this.

Yep im over it i dont think ill bother doing anything about it, they have done there damage now and wont be getting any buisness from me again

XB GS 351 Coupe · 14-03-2016, 10:27 PM

Seems excessive, I think for that money they should have fixed it.

Took them a whole day to locate a injector pump problem, and then they could not fix it

Then again I would not be taking a 15 year old Falcon to Ford, the local mechanic will probably do a better job at half the price.

Or just get another pump from Pick and Pay less and fit it yourself, how hard can it be??

Top_Ghia · 14-03-2016, 04:53 PM

Please tell us how you balanced a tailshaft at home in 20 minutes?

Falcon SXR8 · 14-03-2016, 05:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Top_Ghia

Please tell us how you balanced a tailshaft at home in 20 minutes?

Not pro style but i had a tail shaft ballance problem with the missing plastic weights they use on the tailshaft bolts, took it to ford they said yes we will get the weights ( $150 just for 5 little peices of plastic ) then use our macine to ballance it. I thought great as i was driving it from qld to melb the next week. Next day i get a phone call from ford saying we have to train a guy to use the machine first we need it a few days, im getting sus by this point couple days later they ring me saying there machine isnt working they would have to send it away for repairs and that they couldnt do the job 😠so i took the bag of plastic weights home put it up on axle stands, used an app on my phone that measures vibrations strapped to the boot. Then run the car on the stands, get a reading, hop under move the weights around try again and no joke after 20min of trial and error i had it running smooth again 😀

Vesper Martini · 15-03-2016, 11:38 AM

Agree with above, but I don't think it was a Falcon, there was mention of Diesel

Falcon SXR8 · 15-03-2016, 11:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bevsta007

Agree with above, but I don't think it was a Falcon, there was mention of Diesel

Yea mate it was a diesel. I have no problem with them taking time to diagnose the problem but when they don't fill you in as there going along that " hey were up to x amount here do you want us to keep going" really ticked me off. Then they gave me the wrong info anyway, I spent all morning on the phone with other people to find accurate info. Add to that the other 2 experiences I've had with them in the past I'm just over it

And to add to it I tow the thing home and see the engine cover sitting on the floor they didn't even put it all back together

Anyway im just having a rant sorry guys

Vesper Martini · 15-03-2016, 12:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Falcon SXR8

Yea mate it was a diesel. I have no problem with them taking time to diagnose the problem but when they don't fill you in as there going along that " hey were up to x amount here do you want us to keep going" really ticked me off. Then they gave me the wrong info anyway, I spent all morning on the phone with other people to find accurate info. Add to that the other 2 experiences I've had with them in the past I'm just over it

And to add to it I tow the thing home and see the engine cover sitting on the floor they didn't even put it all back together

Anyway im just having a rant sorry guys

Well whatever the vehicle was it sounds like it was too much for them.
there wouldn't be a lot of 2001 Ford diesel cars sold in Australia
Ford Courier?

The service manager probably said enough is enough, hence why it wasn't put back together properly.

Certainly doesn't mean they can charge you for it..

Dr Terry · 15-03-2016, 04:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bevsta007

Well whatever the vehicle was it sounds like it was too much for them.
there wouldn't be a lot of 2001 Ford diesel cars sold in Australia
Ford Courier?

Ford Transit perhaps ? They seem to cause a lot of grief in this area.

Dr Terry

Smoke Pursuit · 15-03-2016, 11:52 AM

Talk to the service manager, explain the situation and tell him you want some of your money back.

Express · 15-03-2016, 12:22 PM

I had my guards rolled this morning and the first thing I spoke to them about wasn’t the rolling, it was how they go about removing and fitting the rims, do they use a rattle gun, what tension is used and so on.

I’m not condoning the huge bill from Ford as I do believe they should have shown you the courtesy of informing you it would require ongoing analyses.

The moral to my short story is you should have also been proactive and asked them how much do you charge and if they gave you an hourly rate you follow it up with, if it is going to take more than an hour can you give me a call and do the same each time until you say stop, no more.

I took responsibly today for ensuring my rims were not going to be damaged and that if need be I could undo the wheel nuts by hand without resorting to using a breaker bar.

It's much easier if both parties have a talk about expectations prior to the bill shock.

rst2000 · 15-03-2016, 04:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Smoke Pursuit

Talk to the service manager, explain the situation and tell him you want some of your money back.

Sounds like a goods idea, that's right the op did complain and got $200 off the original bill......

Falcon SXR8 · 15-03-2016, 05:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rst2000

Sounds like a goods idea, that's right the op did complain and got $200 off the original bill......

Yea i'm suspect on my "discount" I think they made up a higher figure and just said they knocked 200 off after I complained about not being told the price was getting so high. Anyway like I said its a lesson learned for me and hopefully the ford dealer is a bit more vigilant in keeping its customers informed. I actually asked one of them if an old lady brought her ford in with an engine problem would they spend hours on it without informing her of the price untill the end, and then give her a bill for 600 bucks and the ford crew said "yes its her responsibility to keep track of the costs" can you believe it.

Falcon SXR8 · 15-03-2016, 04:23 PM

Yep learnt my lesson on this one, I should have known from past experiences with this crew and made sure up front how it was gunna play out. Hopefully it serves as a warning and can help others avoid my mistake. I already avoid ford like the plague and use an awesome local mech for everything I can and do most stuff myself anyway but sometimes your backed into a corner. They have lost a sale of an Everest over this and they will never know, all due to repeat bad experiences

Philaddis · 15-03-2016, 04:33 PM

I would've thought checking fuel pressure on a diesel that's not running would be test #1, not 8+ hours into the mix!!

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Franco Cozzo · 15-03-2016, 07:50 PM

On the odd occasion we've spent a few hours on something and haven't been able to fix it I just take it as a loss and let the car go at no cost.

Its not many but you get the odd one come through that stumps you and I reckon you can't really charge for a problem you haven't fixed.

2011G6E · 15-03-2016, 07:59 PM

I had to adjust the mixture on the carby in the Charger the other day...

That's about as complicated as it gets around my place...

**fordomatic** · 15-03-2016, 10:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big Damo

On the odd occasion we've spent a few hours on something and haven't been able to fix it I just take it as a loss and let the car go at no cost.

Its not many but you get the odd one come through that stumps you and I reckon you can't really charge for a problem you haven't fixed.

Not many people like that around anymore mate. I spent $2500 trying to get my old GQ fixed with one mechanic, i literally changed everything. I swore to them i thought it was the carby and they kept saying it was rebuilt and performing fine and it was a different issue. This is the most well respected 4x4 mechanic in Canberra by the way.

In the end i took it to a "carby whisperer" i heard about through the patrol forums (not many left anymore). $130 later and the problem was fixed

FGX-351 · 15-03-2016, 10:26 PM

If it makes you feel any better I had a Holden dealer try to charge me $912 for a tail shaft centre bearing without labour.
Another independent company tried charging me $150 for a fuel pressure test. lol

If they think they can they'll certainly try it, I just feel for older people who pay these crazy prices on the perception that dealer services are better.

**Jastel** · 15-03-2016, 10:38 PM

When you walk in the door.....

**Professor Farnsworth** · 15-03-2016, 10:44 PM

I've had a shop change several things that didn't need fixing then hit me up for $1200. Just told him I wasn't paying for **** as the problem still persisted. That was that. Just be up front about charges and they'll work around you if they want your business. Otherwise you'll get trampled on.

It's like retail stores having their "returns policy" printed up on display. It's just scare tactics, and irrelevant as federal consumer law squashes their mostly stupid regulations.