Urgent help needed with a dealer please

[KevofCov]

My van (self employed owner driver) has been at the dealers for ten days for warranty work. It has yet to be looked at. I managed to bring my holiday forward to go away last week but am now losing money everyday. There is no urgency from the dealer - take it or leave it.

I would try another dealer but locally I was told variously “our van guy is on Paternity” “seven weeks wait for warranty” “six weeks wait for warranty”

I have learnt two things from a man who knows stuff;
Firstly, the margins paid by Ford for warranty work are slim – so all warranty work is of little interest to a dealer and goes to the bottom of the pile.
Secondly, if I ask for a number to call Ford for help I will be given a number for a call centre in South Africa who will read me prepared statements (tried it – he’s right)

Any ideas to help me get better service and for them to notice me would be most welcome.

[loot]

What is wrong with the van?

When I booked my van in for warranty they offered me a courtesy van (I didn't take it). They had my van 2 days but couldn't fix it, they said they did fix it but I knew they didn't and it was a faulty injector (4800 miles) Lol. I got 1 off Ebay at a gamble of £45 but has been perfect.

You are entitled to warranty of course but we've known for years that you shouldn't rely on it at all.

If a serious fault occurs under warranty then you need to decide what's cheapest in the long term

Is this the gearbox 1?

[Mike]

Speak to the salesman who sold it to you, get him to put some pressure on the service dept. Which Ford dealer is it?

[KevofCov]

Thanks for the replies so far.
Day ten. Maybe they will/maybe not look at my van today. Fingers crossed.

The fault is a sudden new noise from the engine so immediately stopped using it.

I’ve been given a courtesy van for warranty work earlier in the year and this works ok for non urgent work.

My question is more of a general one about the Dealers relationship with a Transit owner. All the power appears to be with them hence the take it or leave it attitude. It may just be that it is a monopoly and that there are no levers to put pressure on the dealer. My guess is that dealers only answer to the people at Ford that issue/monitor the franchise given to them.

[loot]

As far as I'm concerned, franchises rent the blue oval from Ford like a sponsorship. They have Ford training schemes no doubt as Ford won't sponsor them unless they demonstrate a certain level of 'expertise' since Ford relies on reputation to compete.


But over time, it all starts to dilute and you get to this point.

Mr Belly was a member on here some years back and he dropped sticks and went over to vw, he had a similar case to yours.

Ford franchises base performance on turnover, they charged me 200 pounds to change the oil and filters on my van, so 30 mins.

They did a full health check but they didn't do it all as I know some info they wrote wasn't 100% accurate.
I also don't see any disturbance in the oil filler dust it is dry which suggests that the cap wasn't removed and I can't prove it but in not convinced that the oil was replaced but it is on 16500 miles so not critical as I changed it at 4800.



That's all irrelevant to your question though, i elected to fix my own van, i dare say that if I continued driving it with that faulty injector as recommended by the Ford mastertech, I may well have been looking at over fueling and possibly damage to cylinders?? Who knows


You have 2 options.

Kick up a fuss and try gaining some leverage with Ford head office, force the dealer to either get on it or change dealer.
Or get an independent on to it and try billing Ford (be careful with that).

But you just want a diagnosis for now which if Ford can't do then what??

I bet they will have had a quick look and not found it then put it on the bench for when they've got nothing on.

Do you have any inclination as to the noise?
Ps. How long have you had the van? If you've only had it just before you sent it in then I'd probably be sat in front of the salesman with the keys and logbook if I thought it was seriously faulty.

[bigjohnthomas]

Dirty protest

[KevofCov]

Yes you’ve ‘hit the nail on the head’ - it doesn’t matter what the fault is really. I can’t get them to look at it. After a diagnosis then things should be fairly predictable and should follow a set pattern.

Threatening to take my van away is pointless. They don’t really want the work and other dealers are quoting 6/7 weeks before they will look.
If it was my Kawasaki them I can understand such casual service. That’s a toy and I’m not trying to earn a living.

Talking to Ford will only work if you can bend the ear of the person who gives them their franchise.

In summery I think;
It’s a monopoly.
You have no options and are in a weak position as they don’t really want your work.
All dealers are probably the same so little point in going German.

Sad really.

[Mike]

Speak to the salesman who sold it to you, get him to put some pressure on the service dept.

I'd probably be sat in front of the salesman with the keys and logbook if I thought it was seriously faulty.

We're wasting our breath Loot. people come here and ask for "Urgent help" but don't listen to the answers, no wonder they never get their vans fixed.

OP, listen to BJT......he's on your level.

[bigjohnthomas]

yeah man go spark up a bum cigar in reception

but wait until you've got a big brown man knocking on the back door
then go hatch them a new mechanic

[loot]

[Punto443]

0% interest available on the full ford range.

That’s 0% interest in customer care, not finance

[KevofCov]

0% interest available on the full ford range.

That’s 0% interest in customer care, not finance

Very good and spot on

[KevofCov]

Quick update.

Still not a single spanner has been laid on it.

Tomorrow is the 3rd Sept. I drove the van there 21st Sept.

Reminder – only way so far to get them to do anything is a dirty protest. (Ford telephone number is a call centre in South Africa)

However, as I cried into my beer last night, a thought occurred to me. Vehicle warranties are a consumer product. They may be covered by legislation?
I’m hoping to create a ‘how to guide’ in the future for what levers and power you have over your Dealer/Ford. For the next sucker..
Any thoughts people?

[Mike]

Any thoughts people?

Of course.

[bambi mk 1]

Any thoughts people?

Of course.

Pure or impure