Unbelievably good Ford service...

Mr Brooksy · 04-02-2010, 11:37 AM

... in the USA.

I just had a Facebook convo with a great family friend about her experiences with Ford in the States. I was floored! I thought you'd like to have a read. Just ignore the work related talk etc...

My favorite part is when she realised she was doing all the talking... who'd have thought?! Someone raving about After Sales service from their local Ford dealer! Especially to this level!!!!

Kelly
so today we went to the ford dealership
it was great

Jasen
oh ok
did you buy a Mustang?

Kelly
i found a truck for my dad and when i told him how much it cost, his exact words were "thats cheap!"
no...but don sat in a 2010 one
that was like a metallic rust orange color
it was pretty
...very pretty
i sat in an edge

Jasen
all these cars we dont get
mind you I only want Mustang
lol

Kelly

You know what the sticker price is on one of those?/

Kelly
$25,000ish

Jasen
yikes! thats cheap as chips!

Kelly
i know!

Jasen
our XR8 is $40000ish

Kelly
there is a difference between what that mustang costs and what i earned last year...yes
and its difference ennough where i could pay income tax, buy the mustang, and maybe eat for a couple months

so come to the US, work for us, and buy a mustang

and the dealership people, know me and my family by car (first) and then by name
because i drove in there one time, the first time, in my mom's car and they gave me a really strange look and then said, "you're not marlene"
because they knew it was my mom's car but the didn't know me
that was brad...he's my ford guy...my mom and sister's ford guy is sid
my dad's guy is steve...only because steve is the salesman and my mom goes in for work

Jasen
wow, I wish the Ford dealers in Aus were as friendly and helpful! Thats prob one of the reasons why Ford in Aus struggles to hit the sales lead. No one trusts them, and so our awesome family and sports cars wont sell til the dealers change their tunes.
the fact that the dealers in the US have a service guy attached to a car is unreal!
no wonder Ford in the US is going great guns and even made a profit!

Kelly
well, not all dealerships are like that...steve is the only dealer in the greater grand rapids area (population 250,000 ish) that my dad will deal with
and he has offered to help me pay for my car maintaince because he doesn't want me to go anywhere else because he knows that they will take care fo me
like today...
went to get my oil change...
they always do a whole check:
fluids, pressures, tire tred, air filters, etc..
battery, everything

Jasen
as they should

Kelly
so this guy comes out (i didn't know him)
and shows me my air filter...it was so dirty i felt it was too dirty for the garbage (i know, i've been breathing in toxicated air)...so i told him to change it please...
and he's like, "that'll be $37, sitll want to?" and i'm like, "oh he cares about spending my money!"
of course I got it changed and would have before he told me how mcuh it cost but the thought that he actually told me how much it was before he went ahead and chcanged it just made me feel better
it more than doubled the cost of the stop but hey, i'm breathing clean air now!

Jasen
and your car will love you for it

Kelly
but yes, for those (like me) who know next to nothing about cars, they really take care of me and they don't swindle you

Jasen
cause it can breathe

Kelly
they're great...that dealership is also owned by the guy who owns half of grand rapids tooo
and so can i

Jasen
lol

Kelly
nikki (my sister) got hers changed once and it improved her gas mileage

Jasen
thats an almost unheard of story about a car dealer... sorry to say

Kelly
so...me driving 180 miles on mon and tues will help me out tons!!

Jasen
oh yes
you do know you can get reusable ones?

Kelly
that happens everytime at our dealership...and i get a print out with fulll details about what they did to my car...so i couldd pull that out and tell you what they did today

Jasen
thats cool

Kelly
i didn't know that
that is good to know tho...

Jasen
they are much much better than the paper like ones
but more expensive

Kelly
i had a great experience last fall when i bought tires for them (guaranteed lowest price, they match prices there)

Jasen
wow
price matching from a Ford dealer... never experienced that!

Kelly
so he laid out all the different tires that suit my car and all the prices, miles, weather capabilities...etc...
gave me a print out with all the deals that the tire companies offer customers...
and i told him, "I'm going to shop around..."
and he came back with, "please do! and if you find a lower price, get it in writing, bring it back to us and we'll match it."

Jasen
cool

Kelly
so i ended up with michellin tires (by my dad's recommendation..its what their company trucks drive on) and got the best deal i found with 90,000mile hydroedge tires (one of their best tires) for just over $100 more (for all four) than the average tire (60,000 mile) plus a $70 rebate
for a grand total of $525 or $575 i can't remember
(before the rebate...)
so around $500
and you wouldnt' believe these tires! they are SO quiet and i've never had a tire handle this well in snow without four wheel drive

Jasen
WHAT!!!!!!! That's unbelievable!

Kelly
i have the radio signficantly lower AND when it's at my old volume, i feel its too loud!
i cannot believe it!

Jasen
Michellin are one of the best there is!

Kelly
i have never been happier with tires...brad was right!
i know
thats what my dad said, and brad hesitated to sell them to me because he thought they were too much tire for me
he didn't want me spending more than i needed to
imagine that!
honest to pete...thats the way it happened

Jasen
Im speachless

Kelly
apparently, ii'm doing all the talking

Jasen
no this is an amazing story
can I tell the Aus Ford guys?!

Kelly
yes

Jasen
sweet
they will be bowled over!

Kelly
i NEVER have to worry when i go there and that to me, is worth the extrra $10 or so forthe oil change (becasue they are NOT the cheapest in town)
so this truck that i found for my dad...if i knew how to get the pics off my phone i would show it to you but i'll just ahve to tell you about it and find a pic on the website...let me look a second

Jasen
if your anything like me, Im happy to pay extra for service

THE END

prydey · 04-02-2010, 12:37 PM

believe it or not, but they are around in australia as well. my local dealer bends over backward for me. they aren't perfect but i'm more than happy to keep going back.

they also mentioned to my wife, that if everyone looked after their car like I do, there job would be a lot easier. maybe they treat people different depending on the condition of the cars? i'd hate to think so but you never know.

**Luke Plaizier** · 04-02-2010, 01:13 PM

Is it because people in the US try harder to give good service so that they get good tips?

Whereas in Australia, with no Tipping culture, you get what you get and you don't get upset....

Luke

Mr Brooksy · 04-02-2010, 01:21 PM

I'm sure there are good dealers out there in Aus (in the past 7 or so I've been impressed by only 1), but I have never come across anyone who raves freely about Ford services like this.

Especially from someone who knows that red, and blue are "pretty colors" and that's about it when it comes to cars.

I've read tonnes more angry Ford dealer stories on here (and I'm sure Ive contributed to them as well), but maybe its time we start raving about the good ones?!

Smoke Pursuit · 04-02-2010, 01:34 PM

Yeh they are in aus aswell..

Theres one at Mt Gravatt that always looks after me.. Nothings ever a drama!!

Mr Brooksy · 04-02-2010, 02:19 PM

The best service I've ever recieved was from a Ford dealer in Bowral NSW. They closed up shop though a few years back.

Had a few services there and they remembered my name, what I did for a living etc. Would have bought many cars from them if they didnt close up.

4dlvr · 04-02-2010, 06:39 PM

my dad had a loud engine vibrating noise from his 06 corolla out of warranty.
Toyota gave him a free hire car, cleaned the throttle body, replaced spark plugs, cleaned injectors, replaced o2 sensor and belt free of charge..
THAT is service..

my girlfriend had a starting problem with her 07 fiesta still under warranty, i had to break there balls and make a scene every time i went in there as they kept replacing parts and trying there best to charge her for it.

ford aus service has a LONG way to go

**SSD-85** · 04-02-2010, 08:50 PM

Never had a problem with a Ford dealer. For sales or service. The biggest issue I ever had was only at one, which couldnt understand the concept of replacing brake rotors due to excess machining. Just trying to save themselves a few bucks I guess.

Mad Maxine · 04-02-2010, 09:42 PM

Can't complain about Bryan Byrt Ford at Tingalpa inBrisbane, either. Lou the service guy told me after I dropped the Courier ute in that after a thorough inspection, half of the servicing he would have expected of a 2004 model was unnecessary, so he didn't do some of it! Said it was still like a new car (she's only done 105 000), so there was no need. He could have charged me for the work, but was upfront and honest all the way, and you couldn't get a better rep for Ford.

And no, I don't work for them, LOL! I just love Ford's cars!

MM

nipper575 · 04-02-2010, 10:10 PM

My Ford dealer is also great and I can't fault them, though Dad is mates with the service manager which is probably why I have only had positive experiences.

The first time I took my vehicle in (wasn't a Ford either) they hit a snag with the repair which they couldn't of possibly expected, so they let me use one of their demo's for about a week until my car was running right (A Focus with around 1000 kms on it). They didn't charge me for the use of the car even though they had no real obligation to let me use it.

Needless to say, now that I am a Ford owner, they get all my business.

ltd · 05-02-2010, 09:37 AM

My Ford dealer is awesome. Never have an issue, they always look after me, my cars and my families cars. Nup, for mine Dale ford in greenacre absolutely rock.

cosmo20btt · 05-02-2010, 09:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 4dlvr

my dad had a loud engine vibrating noise from his 06 corolla out of warranty.
Toyota gave him a free hire car, cleaned the throttle body, replaced spark plugs, cleaned injectors, replaced o2 sensor and belt free of charge..
THAT is service..

my girlfriend had a starting problem with her 07 fiesta still under warranty, i had to break there balls and make a scene every time i went in there as they kept replacing parts and trying there best to charge her for it.

ford aus service has a LONG way to go

I wondered when a positive post about Ford dealers was going to get a negative reply, some times it is nice to just read some positive spin for a change.

csv8 · 05-02-2010, 09:56 AM

Never had a problem with Denmac Darra or Metros in the Valley

ltd · 05-02-2010, 01:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 4dlvr

my dad had a loud engine vibrating noise from his 06 corolla out of warranty.
Toyota gave him a free hire car, cleaned the throttle body, replaced spark plugs, cleaned injectors, replaced o2 sensor and belt free of charge..
THAT is service..

my girlfriend had a starting problem with her 07 fiesta still under warranty, i had to break there balls and make a scene every time i went in there as they kept replacing parts and trying there best to charge her for it.

ford aus service has a LONG way to go

Really, because in the years I had Toyotas I had nothing but troubles. They even dented the bonnet of my sisters car and refused to acknowledge their fault in the matter. Nope, Toyota aren't just boring, they're bloody hopeless.

BTW, I left a subliminal message in that post, can you find it?

Fled74 · 05-02-2010, 01:13 PM

Heh... the usual confusion some people have with "there", "their" and "they're".

Back on topic... I used to go to Binks Ford Footscray, but their service department is deplorable.
I haven't had a single good experience with Ford dealers yet. I know they're out there; I just need to find them!

**Peuty** · 05-02-2010, 01:16 PM

Maughan Thiem in Port Adelaide is like that - very helpful.

aussie muscle · 05-02-2010, 01:57 PM

my local dealer looks after me fairly well, i guess he wants me to buy my next car off him. (and if i got bad service, i probably wouldn't)

smee323 · 05-02-2010, 02:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peuty

Maughan Thiem in Port Adelaide is like that - very helpful.

Will wait and see. Have 60k service for Focus on Saturday.
They were $200 cheaper than other dealers I called on a price for.

Last service done in town, ended with the car on a flat bed 2 days later heading back to them.

**Peuty** · 05-02-2010, 02:51 PM

deleted

4dlvr · 05-02-2010, 02:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ltd

Really, because in the years I had Toyotas I had nothing but troubles. They even dented the bonnet of my sisters car and refused to acknowledge their fault in the matter. Nope, Toyota aren't just boring, they're bloody hopeless.

BTW, I left a subliminal message in that post, can you find it?

thanks for the grammar lesson mr
believe me mate i hate Toyota cars as much as you do, i think there over priced cheap quality garbage.. but i know the reason they sell cars is due to there service.. trust me mate iv dealt with a few ford dealers and a few Toyota, hence my reasons for having the opinion i do

my apologies for ruining this thread with negativity.. but when you get messed around by them over and over it gets to you..

im actually quite jealous of the hospitality they're getting...
id really love to see ford improve there vehicle service and spare parts customer service.

:

ltd · 05-02-2010, 03:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 4dlvr

thanks for the grammar lesson mr
believe me mate i hate Toyota cars as much as you do, i think there over priced cheap quality garbage.. but i know the reason they sell cars is due to there service.. trust me mate iv dealt with a few ford dealers and a few Toyota, hence my reasons for having the opinion i do

my apologies for ruining this thread with negativity.. but when you get messed around by them over and over it gets to you..

im actually quite jealous of the hospitality they're getting...
id really love to see ford improve there vehicle service and spare parts customer service.

:

Fair call.
I make no apologies for some ford dealers I know of, they are deplorable in the best of circumstances.
Toyota however, at least in Sydney, are pretty woeful.
Several of my friends (they're from Taiwan, China, Hong Kong etc) all drive Camrys and cannot stand the service. Cars needing to be left overnight, services costing over $700.00 for a "minor" service; "majors" costing over $1200.00 etc. All of them now take them to independent mechanics, and luckily the tide is turning as my my mate Chen has just gotten out of a Camry and into a G6E-T.

prydey · 09-02-2010, 05:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by prydey

believe it or not, but they are around in australia as well. my local dealer bends over backward for me. they aren't perfect but i'm more than happy to keep going back.

they also mentioned to my wife, that if everyone looked after their car like I do, there job would be a lot easier. maybe they treat people different depending on the condition of the cars? i'd hate to think so but you never know.

thought i'd quote myself so everyone know who i'm talking about.

i didn't mention the dealer before.

for anyone down south (adelaide), wayne phillis ford at reynella. dropped some discs off last week to get machined. quoted about $80. went to pick them up the next day - no charge! just need to fix them up with a carton.

he gave me a fg loaner, free of charge, whilst i had some warranty work getting done on my bf2, simply because he knew i would enjoy it.

feel free to mention me (rob) if you go there, or it you already do, i hope you receive the same service i do.