Servicing Mishap

V8 EF Fairmont · 08-04-2008, 02:12 PM

Hi all, I would like to get a few opinions on a service 'oops' that happened to my Ford Ranger at the 10,000km service. I had the service done by the local Ford Dealer (who shall remain nameless at this point in time) and at the time was happy with the service and the price charged. However, at approximately 17,000kms I was installing air horns that I had received as a Xmas present and I noticed that the air filter cover had not been clasped down and was in fact sitting about an inch and a half proud of where it should sit. The fact of the matter is that I had been driving 7,000kms with the vehicle in this condition, over the summer months and at times in dusty conditions. Now I took the vehicle into said dealer and asked them what the story was and what they would do about it. To be honest, I had no real idea what they could do, but expected they might be able to offer something like an extended engine warranty. All I was offered was an apology, and told that they would note the error on my service record, but there was nothing else they were able to do.

What I would like in feedback, is what you think I should do from here, and what I can reasonably expect from the dealer and from Ford. Any feedback is appreciated.

TadKa · 08-04-2008, 04:15 PM

Tricky one. I have no idea but I'd think they could put it back on you as it's maybe something you should have noticed when you do 'weekly' engine check. oil etc. I'm not familiar with Ranger layout though. I'm not sure what damage could have been done. I do know of a few people that dont use air filter. They are all much older crappier cars though. I'd think any gunk that may have been sucked in would wear away.

RATT · 08-04-2008, 04:38 PM

As long as you saw that it was noted on their system, it should be ok. It might be an idea to get a printout of it too.

Rodp · 08-04-2008, 06:25 PM

I'd be keeping a close eye on it and reporting any dodgy behaviour on the engine. As suggested, make sure they've put the error in their system and you get a copy of it.

I would demand that they extend warranty on the engine for any faults that could be attributed to muck getting sucked in and causing a problem after the warranty period expired. There's a level of trust you place in the people that service your vehicle and if their negligence can be attributed to a costly repair, it's certainly unfair to have to foot the bill for it.

XR Martin · 08-04-2008, 07:26 PM

You havnt opened the bonnet in 7000kms on a diesel? You should be checking the oil every 1000kms at minimum....

Tobey · 08-04-2008, 07:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by V8 EF Fairmont

What I would like in feedback, is what you think I should do from here, and what I can reasonably expect from the dealer and from Ford. Any feedback is appreciated.

From a ford dealer? Nothing... They wont do anything for nothing.

Had a similar problem, they did a balance on my wheels just after i bought my ute and they didnt make a note in their system so it "never happend" after them telling me they did the balance, went to take my wheel off on sunday and the stud snapped becuase the muppets that put the wheel back on cross threaded it.

Needless to say when they refused to fix it i was less than impressed and they came to know about it, so i asked to speak to their service manager and they put me on hold then picked up the phone and said they would fix it just be nice.

gravelrash · 08-04-2008, 08:54 PM

..But really what did you think they could do, being in the very same industry myself, you have to look at it from their point of view as well.

first off 7000kms later WTF, do you not check under the bonnet every 1000k`s like it says in the owners manual. Your obviously not scared of working under the bonnet as you were fitting a set air horns.
How do they know you havent left the lid off yourself whilst under the bonnet sometime in those 7000km`s and now wanting to blame them if something does go wrong. Believe me the amount of people who try to blame the dealer when something goes wrong.

In hindsight what you should do is inspect your car when you had the service and go straight back to them not 7000km`s later.

BTW arent air horns illegal

prydey · 08-04-2008, 10:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by XR6 Martin

You havnt opened the bonnet in 7000kms on a diesel? You should be checking the oil every 1000kms at minimum....

agreed!! much more alarming than a dealer not closing the airbox properly. geez.

V8 EF Fairmont · 09-04-2008, 06:28 AM

Okay, first up, I check the oil every third or fourth fill, roughly about every 2000kms, and whilst under the bonnet I check the power sterring fluid, washer fluid, and radiator fluid. However, none of these are near the air filter, and I even had to do a second take when I finally noticed the top was not clamped down as the whole housing is black so it's difficult to notice.

Secondly, I would seriously question people checking under the bonnet immediately after a service. What is the point of handing over $75 an hour for a service if you can't trust people to do their job properly? Maybe that is a reflection of the society we now live in, however I myself am in the service industry and I have serious insurance costs to cover the possibility of making mistakes. If it wasn't for the warranty issues involved, I would be doing all servicing myself. At least then I wouldn't have to worry about what some muppet has done under the hood!

And thirdly, I operate on principles that I expect everyone who does work for me to operate on, especially if I am paying them $75 an hour for their services. I know that people make mistakes, however they should honor the consequences of making those mistakes. In this instance there may be no consequences, but you cannot say that a vehicle operating in the conditions that mine does would not have some premature engine wear after operating for 7000kms without an air filter. I bought a brand new vehicle so I wouldn't have the stress of operating one with 100,000kms on the clock and now I'm beginning to think I wasted my time and money.

By the way, they have noted it permanently on their service record, and I do have a copy - not that I think it will mean jack if the vehicle breaks down outside of warranty!

And I'm not sure if air horns are illegal, I had them on my last ute for three years and never had an issue....

prydey · 09-04-2008, 08:58 AM

mate, quite often when you book a car in to a dealer you speak to the head service guy or similar behind the front desk. he then takes the job card out and gives it to the 16yr old apprentice they put on yesterday who hasn't ever had grease under his nails. its for this reason that most people i know will check all work done on pickup or soon after to make sure there are no obvious stuff ups.

in your case not only would i check the airbox but i'd also check IN the airbox to make sure the filter in there is actually a new one. wouldn't be the first time a oldie has been re used.

i do believe mr efv8fairmont, that in your last post you sort of contradicted yourself anyway saying you should trust them because you pay them $75/hr and then go on to call them muppets and you wish the car wasn't under warranty so that you could do it yourself.

FordACE · 09-04-2008, 09:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by prydey

i do believe mr efv8fairmont, that in your last post you sort of contradicted yourself anyway saying you should trust them because you pay them $75/hr and then go on to call them muppets and you wish the car wasn't under warranty so that you could do it yourself.

would you have faith in them after they make a mistake? come on, you're sounding more like the muppet every minute. give this guy a break. We pay these people to do the job properly, not half assed.

Wally · 09-04-2008, 09:39 AM

I have never bothered with diesel cars, but is it a requirement to check oil levels on them every 1000km? Does that mean they burn copius quantities, if so why bother with them?

FordACE · 09-04-2008, 09:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wally

I have never bothered with diesel cars, but is it a requirement to check oil levels on them every 1000km? Does that mean they burn copius quantities, if so why bother with them?

It really depends on the conditions. Dusty conditions require maintenance to be done more often. The diesels I'm used to dealing with dont' burn copious amounts of oil. In saying that, I was taught to check oil and water levels on my vehicles on every new day that they're driven. Grew up on a cane farm

OzJavelin · 09-04-2008, 11:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by prydey

mate, quite often when you book a car in to a dealer you speak to the head service guy or similar behind the front desk. he then takes the job card out and gives it to the 16yr old apprentice they put on yesterday who hasn't ever had grease under his nails. its for this reason that most people i know will check all work done on pickup or soon after to make sure there are no obvious stuff ups.

Yep .. two out of the last three services on my ute I've found the airbox lid clips not fastened correctly and various other things. It's an unfortunately fact of life that you really need to have a good look around straight after picking up the vehicle after having ANY work done on it ...

V8 EF Fairmont · 10-04-2008, 05:37 AM

Thanks for all your input guys, it seems that there is little faith out there in the people who work on our vehicles, which really makes you question the $$ handed over for a service.

Incidentally, I have since found out that so long as the service agent is an MTA approved mechanic, the warranty is still valid. Only issue is, I would assume any warranty repairs still have to be done by Ford. Regardless, I have found myself a local MTA approved mechanic who not only charges less but does a damn fine job. And not a 16 year old apprentice in sight....

Rodp · 10-04-2008, 06:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by V8 EF Fairmont

Thanks for all your input guys, it seems that there is little faith out there in the people who work on our vehicles, which really makes you question the $$ handed over for a service.

Incidentally, I have since found out that so long as the service agent is an MTA approved mechanic, the warranty is still valid. Only issue is, I would assume any warranty repairs still have to be done by Ford. Regardless, I have found myself a local MTA approved mechanic who not only charges less but does a damn fine job. And not a 16 year old apprentice in sight....

Absolutely, there's no proviso that you get your car serviced by the manufacturer for you to be able to make a warranty claim to the manufacturer.

Extended warranties, however... read the fine print as it may be a stipulation of the contract.

nb_351 · 10-04-2008, 08:53 AM

being an mta approved shop myself, most extended warranties like harrier etc will say it has to be done at the place it was purchased... if you go to joe blo down the road they dont hnoour it... or they might until you need a $1200 radio or the like...
i used to work at one of the biggest dealers in western sydney, and most people would have a look over the car before they even leave the parking spot...
that way they know it was like that when they left, and theres no chance of passing the buck...

**Peuty** · 10-04-2008, 09:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by V8 EF Fairmont

Thanks for all your input guys, it seems that there is little faith out there in the people who work on our vehicles, which really makes you question the $$ handed over for a service.....

So if you took your car to a panel beater to get work done, you would pay them the money without bothering to inspect the work done, simply because they are "professionals"?

Rodp · 10-04-2008, 10:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peuty

So if you took your car to a panel beater to get work done, you would pay them the money without bothering to inspect the work done, simply because they are "professionals"?

It's hardly the same. If the panel they repaired fell off a few k's down the road but looked ok when I inspected it, the onus is now on me?

If I have a service done, I do have an expectation that it was done properly and everything was buttoned up before handed back to me. Should I inspect the oil to make sure it was replaced before driving off? Make sure every cover was fastened properly, every fluid was replaced and every nut fastened? It's unrealistic.

I had a gearbox done on my last Ford, should I have stripped it to make sure they did the work properly?

FordACE · 10-04-2008, 10:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rodp

It's hardly the same. If the panel they repaired fell off a few k's down the road but looked ok when I inspected it, the onus is now on me?

If I have a service done, I do have an expectation that it was done properly and everything was buttoned up before handed back to me. Should I inspect the oil to make sure it was replaced before driving off? Make sure every cover was fastened properly, every fluid was replaced and every nut fastened? It's unrealistic.

I had a gearbox done on my last Ford, should I have stripped it to make sure they did the work properly?

Spot on. I was going to say something similiar. When a mechanic strips a motor, is it necessary for me to pull it apart and check that he torqued every bolt properly?

Sounds like we are giving out excuses for the incompetence of these dealerships

V8 EF Fairmont · 10-04-2008, 02:19 PM

At the end of the day, I'm disappointed more than anything else, and I think no-one can dispute that disappointment. The more concerning thing I guess is that if they forgot to clamp an airbox lid down, how long before they forget to torque wheel nuts? I don't care how many people say 'you should have checked this, you should have checked that', I would guess more than 90% of people don't check at all.

**Peuty** · 10-04-2008, 03:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FordACE

Spot on. I was going to say something similiar. When a mechanic strips a motor, is it necessary for me to pull it apart and check that he torqued every bolt properly?

Sounds like we are giving out excuses for the incompetence of these dealerships

No, I wouldn't expect you to pull the motor apart, but I guarantee you that if I were to get a mechanic to build me a motor, I wouldn't be getting Ford to do it.

Incompetent dealerships? Hit the nail right on the head. As far as I am concerned if you take your car to Ford you are asking for trouble.

FordACE · 10-04-2008, 10:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peuty

No, I wouldn't expect you to pull the motor apart, but I guarantee you that if I were to get a mechanic to build me a motor, I wouldn't be getting Ford to do it.

Incompetent dealerships? Hit the nail right on the head. As far as I am concerned if you take your car to Ford you are asking for trouble.

I wasn't disputing the competency of the dealerships. Remember, that most people in this world are "competent" at what they do, or at least should be. I'm not a motor mechanic and don't have the skills to build a motor nor would I purport to have those skills. We are paying $$$, so we should get what we pay for right? If you go to a lawyer, you expect them to know what they're doing right? I shouldn't need the skills or even be expected to have the skills to ensure they are doing their job properly.

GK · 12-04-2008, 11:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FordACE

I shouldn't need the skills or even be expected to have the skills to ensure they are doing their job properly.

Agreed.

GK