Stealerships and Car Troubles

[The Reaper]

Z06:

All great points.

Not bashing Ford, I have owned cars from all of the Big Three, Porsche, Nissan, Triumph, Toyota, Honda, Acura, and probably a couple of other that escape me. My very first car was a '67 Mustang. I loved it.

But since you brought it up, the last Ford I owned was an Explorer I bought new in 1993.

Within a few thousand miles, the O2 sensor went out on my way to work one morning, and the thing started smoking like a fiend.

I limped into a dealership an hour or so from home.

When the Service Department got around to me, they asked where I bought the car. When I named another dealer, they told me to have a seat. They eventually checked the vehicle out, told me it was the O2 sensor, and to call someone to come get me, that I could have the truck back in a couple of days.

Now bear in mind that an O2 sensor is a plug, much like a spark plug, that screws into the exhaust pipe. It has one wire connected to it. Given one in hand and access to the underside of the car, and the proper wrench, it would take a monkey maybe ten minutes to replace one.

When I asked why the delay, they said that they did not have the part in stock, and that they would have to get one from the nearest larger town dealership the next day or so on their scheduled parts run. Basically, I was an inconvenience to them.

After I leaned on them for a few hours, they sent someone at lunchtime to pick up the part on a run. I finally got the vehicle back after eight hours, about 1600, having missed an entire work day. No one ever called or followed up, or asked me what I thought of the service.

Contrast this to the local Acura dealership. I take my car in for an oil change. I did not buy the car from them. The service writer inquires about any other issues I might have with the car. They give me an option of a loaner, or waiting no more than an hour. They wash and vacuum my car. The lounge is comfortable and clean, with a TV, magazines, papers, and free coffee and sodas. I just went in last week for a minor recall issue. Car is now over four years old. I get a new loaner with 2,000 miles on the clock while they work on mine. They also check a minor complaint, and fix an item which is no longer under warranty for free, as a "good faith" repair. The cashier asks me about my experience. The service manager knows me (and my family) by name, and calls me. Acura also calls a couple of days later, and asks me if they can email me a formal survey.

That is why I no longer consider Ford when car shopping. The designs, minus the new Mustang, are uninspired, the performance is sub-standard, the products are poorly assembled of low-quality materials, the efficiency of the powertrains is poor, the prices are high, the depreciation unfavorable, the sales departments the worst of the bad old days, the service departments uncaring, the warranties barely honored, and to top it all off, the Ford Foundation supports a host of liberal causes that I do not appreciate, and do not care to have any portion of my money going to.

I could tell the same sort of stories about every brand I have driven, except for the Japanese owned companies. I do not think that the US assembled Japanese models are fully up to the Japanese standard, but they seem to be closer than the US brands, and with a tremendously better attitude throughout the ownership experience to boot. I moved my Mother (who had never owned an import) from a Caddy to an Acura RL. I was worried about the Caddy stranding her somewhere. She is very happy.

I am sorry that the corporate leadership, unions, and greedy dealers have managed to wreck what was formerly a quality, world-leading US industry. It is unfathomable to me why the Americans putting parts on a car on the line in Detroit for $45 an hour cannot do it as well as Americans in Marysville, Ohio doing it for $20 an hour, but that seems to be the way it is these days.

Fool me once, shame on you; you fool me twice....

Just my .02, YMMV.

TR