Service On The Northern Beaches Warning

[jweb]

Hey all,
Am writting this post after having a great chat with a service dealership in the northern beaches(brookvale),will not say the name fore various reasons.
After coming home from work i was shocked that my sister came and told me that the car i had chosen for her was too expensive to up keep and that she was thinking of selling.
I asked why.
My sister whom has little knowledge of cars booked her car in for a 15k service and got quoted by the service staff that it would cost $380.I went off,maybe they are using oil with gold in it ? .
The staff claimed that it was high due to the oil being castrol magnetec.I spoke to them and i have to say the level of intelligence in this particular service department would be that of a kindygarten or preschool.

I am writting this post for 2 reasons,1. to vent my frustration with this particular dealership.
2. to warn everyone on this forum about them.

I can see some reason's why the service cost would be so high,one being it is booked in for a peak period therefore there is more demand and the cost will relatively reflect that.However when i asked the service staff they said it was the same no matter the time,did they lie to me,or is it that they think i am stupit and have no ethics.

[Als_Zetec]

Originally Posted by jweb

...or is it that they think i am stupit (d) ...

You got your answer right there.

Sometimes you have to shop around a little for a decent dealer service centre, no matter what the make of car. Once you find a service centre that treats you well, stick to them and tell them why.

I used to take my WP Zetec to a dealer close to my office around North Sydney. I didn't find them very good for various reasons and now have had 2 services and warranty work done by a dealer in the Hills area. They charged me less, very friendly and more efficient, nothing was too difficult to do and I could book a service online and receive a confirmation email (big bonus points LOL).

Vote with your feet and your cash.

[bru20vt]

Originally Posted by Als_Zetec

I used to take my WP Zetec to a dealer close to my office around North Sydney. I didn't find them very good for various reasons and now have had 2 services and warranty work done by a dealer in the Hills area.

So which dealer was good - I've had poor experiences with Power ford yet the one experience at Blacktown was OK.

dom

[jweb]

Originally Posted by Als_Zetec

You got your answer right there.

Sometimes you have to shop around a little for a decent dealer service centre, no matter what the make of car. Once you find a service centre that treats you well, stick to them and tell them why.

I used to take my WP Zetec to a dealer close to my office around North Sydney. I didn't find them very good for various reasons and now have had 2 services and warranty work done by a dealer in the Hills area. They charged me less, very friendly and more efficient, nothing was too difficult to do and I could book a service online and receive a confirmation email (big bonus points LOL).

Vote with your feet and your cash.

Yeh its sad that it is this way,Ford need to develop a stronge dealership,strong in customer service etc,also a recommended pricing scheme needs to be considered to ensure all dealerships are of good value relative to the area and fixed costs incurred by the dealership.Ford service centres represent Ford and if Ford is to ever become serious in the market place it needs to realise this.It doesnot matter how good your car is if you do not have the service to back it up and a good brand image the car will never sell,it may in the short term but in the long term customers will become aware of the lack of ethics and service shown by Ford and will choose other vehicles.
we need people who are enthusiastic about cars and Ford,therefore the job would become more than a job it would become a passion and something they would like to do,meaning customer service would be great because these people are increasingingly likely to show initiative and be proactive.

[jweb]

Wow that was a mouth full,sorry guys i do ramble a bit.My business plan for a Ford dealership was extensive and very very long,too many things to account for.I wonder if there is a pattern to which dealerships have bad customer service and which do not as in area.

[Ives]

$380? ouch. :( Try $235.

That's how much I paid for my 15,000km & 30,000km service.

The $235 ($186 service + $49 oil I supplied) I paid to Peter Warren Ford Smithfield was a service using Castrol EDGE 5W-30 which is a full-synthetic oil.
If I dont supply my own oil, they use semi-synthetic 10W-30 Shell Helix oil and charge me $235 instead of $186.

So...
would you rather pay $235 to get the car serviced with semi-synth oil or $235 to get the car serviced with better grade synthetic oil?.

$380 is waaay too much. I'd suggest you/or your sister to shop around for quotes before booking her car for a service.


PS: I hate any mechanic/dealers that takes advantage of females that might not know much about cars.

Originally Posted by bru20vt

So which dealer was good - I've had poor experiences with Power ford yet the one experience at Blacktown was OK.

I take my Fiesta to Peter Warren Smithfield. Their service is very professional and they picked up little things I purposely did to the car (to test the service advisors).
The "bad" thing about them is that they're not open on weekends, but imo it's worth to take a day off work to service the car at Peter Warren. They serviced the Fiesta while I wait (45-60mins).

They also have a window overlooking the workshop... I spied on them and on 2 occassions, they put in the oil I supplied them to put in. So Peter Warren Smithfield is good in my book.

[jweb]

Yeh the quote was with castrol magnatec oil,i am yet to speak to the manager but will be doing so very soon.I have cancelled the booking and will be servicing the car my self with a friend whom owns a automotive mechanic shop we will be using original ford parts so,the warranty is no issue.
The 15k service includes;

-pollen filter renew
-Oil
-Oil filter plus washer
-The rest are just visual checks.

The Dealership has average service and at times terrible service,that is not the main issue for me,the main issue is the cost being so great for something so minor,this is further exemplified when it is contrasted to the prices that other dealerships charge.

[kiwijohn42]

Ouch! $380? My 15k service cost $152 here in Hobart. They did stuff up & put Castrol FMX 15/40 in it when I asked for Edge 5/30. They did change it for nothing, but it still would have been half what you were quoted. I think they missed the pollen filter as well.

[jweb]

Originally Posted by kiwijohn42

Ouch! $380? My 15k service cost $152 here in Hobart. They did stuff up & put Castrol FMX 15/40 in it when I asked for Edge 5/30. They did change it for nothing, but it still would have been half what you were quoted. I think they missed the pollen filter as well.

Things like this are not helping my frustration and anger ,maybe i should move to Hobart : .

[kiwijohn42]

It's got a lot going for it.

[Als_Zetec]

Originally Posted by bru20vt

So which dealer was good - I've had poor experiences with Power ford yet the one experience at Blacktown was OK.

dom

G'day Dom

Power Ford... so far so good. I bought the car from Thompson in Parramatta, and while I really liked the sales and service guys, it's just not convenient to take the car there.

cheerio

Ali.

[Steffo]

So Titan Ford is no good then? They're the ones in Brookvale, right?

[Piotr]

Yeh, I must say that Thompson Ford service department is very good now

[jweb]

Originally Posted by Steffo

So Titan Ford is no good then? They're the ones in Brookvale, right?

From the problems i have had with that dealer ship with the tt and the fiesta and their outrageous service prices yes.