why do we have to be treated like this?

[CrimeFighter]

Just a quick note on my last dealer experience here in Minnesota. .

(also posted elsewhere on this site)







About a month ago I brought my 03 in as it did the delayed shift thing into overdrive. I explained to them what I had read on TDR and that simple re-flash takes care of the problem ! Well it was as if they thought I was telling them how to do their jobs!!! And I was told that TDR is not a DC sponsored website. I should of known at that time to get the hell out of there, but I stuck it out. .

Well after about an hour the service writer comes out and says its all fixed... ok heres where I get ******!!!

On the RO it says "customer complains of a delayed shift"... tech replies "after driving the vehicle I cannot replicate the problem" , but re-flashed the pcm anyway . . ???

Then the tech types up how my truck has been modified and this is PROBABLY causing the problem. He continues to say that the "amount of air into the aftermarket intake and output of exhaust changed the shift points". He then says "the turbo may have been replaced also" ( my turbo has never been touched and I am guessing he said this as it now whistles louder than stock)

WELL I was then asked to sign this and you can only guess what I told them they can do with it. !!!!!

I had the service manager come down as I was beginning to come unglued !!!! I said to the manager there I have brought alot of my gassers with dual exhaust here and it was never necessary to put into my vehicles history that they have been modified. I then told him that there alot of indefinite words like probably caused this or may have been replaced. . I said you guys are supposed to be the professionals here and are the ones that have gone to school for working on these and you cant tell , or your guessing? (HERE IT COMES) He then told me that his diesel tech was sick and that he had a non-diesel guy working on it... . Now I got that real sick feeling. :{ Needless to say I finally convinced the manager to have all that language removed from my vehicles history... . Thats all I needed is to have that in my history and then my turbo going out in 10k miles and them refusing my warranty because some jack off doesn't know what the hell he was saying... :-{}

 

[Rineholio]

CrimeFighter,



I feel for you. I stopped taking my cars to the dealer years ago unless it's a recall or something like that. A Ford dealer kept my brand new truck for three days trying to fix a fluctuating temperature guage. It would go high, then hang, and suddenly go back down. They did all this troubleshooting, put footprints on my Eddie Baur floormats, burned a quarter tank of gas, somehow bent the ashtray, and in the end said there was no problem. I told them when I first went in that the thermostat was just sticking and all they had to do was change it (used to be a mechanic). I left the next day on vacation and it was winter. Thermostat stuck OPEN (luckily) about half-way to Washington State. Not much heat for that drive. An 18 year old kid fixed it with a new thermostat at a roadside gas station for about $20 in about 40 minutes. I barely had time to eat.



My opinon: Most service centers lack talent. They can't keep up with all the changes, so they now depend on strict guidelines from a "bible" that tells them exactly how to troubleshoot when there is a problem. Then they need to get it done as quickly as possible, whether it's fixed or not. Analytical thinking is out for many mechanics. The ones who have it are worth their weight in gold, as you can see by the bills.



Try to find someone else, I guess. Good luck.



P. S. I'm not trying to say all dealers are bad, but I know far more stories like CrimeFighter's and mine, than I do success stories. I also know some of you out there are fantastic mechanics and work in dealerships. I would like to hear from the horse's mouth how stuff like this happens. How can a multi million dollar dealership with all of its trained personnel, tech equipment, and support fail so often (my perception/opinion) in fixing minor problems?

 

[fox]

Some of em' are not taught to think out side of a box. Instead, thet are taught to look for modifications and blame that issue.

It is sad that the average member here knows more and uses that to fix these trucks.

My sevice rep told me one day that the autos in these 3/4 and 1 ton trucks are all the same even with the dakotas. We swap them all the time.

I smiled, walked away laughing out loud and have not been back.



I don't understand why this happens. But, since I know better, I cannot trust this treatment. Best to avoid them.

A local chevy shop had been asking for my business. I have a couple of chevy step vans. One day I was real busy, took one of the chevy to the dealer and said the " ilde air motor" needs replaced, call me before anything else is changed.

Guess what, when I picked it up they had changed 6 items and the bill was $337!!! They 'mechanic/parts changer said you were right the idle air motor was bad. I can buy the part for $32 at napa. and change it faster than you can drink a beer.

Them I made them adjust the bill. Ain't been back since.

 

[EEngel]

Dealer

CrimeFighter,



I live about 1/2 hour from you, what dealer was it? I want to make sure I am never anywhere near his place.

 

[CrimeFighter]

Elk River Ford Dodge Jeep.

 

[EEngel]

dealer

I will make sure I stay FAR away from them.



Cambridge Motors (John Hiersh) has been good to me so far. They are pretty close to you.

 

[CrimeFighter]

Thanks, Ill give them a try next time.

 

[nkiewel]

Avoid Hopkins Town & Country Dodge too

Originally posted by CrimeFighter

Elk River Ford Dodge Jeep.

Never been there, but I would stay away from Hopkins Town & Country Dodge too. They are a bunch of crooks and their service department is awful. It took 3 visits to diagnose a bad fuel pump. They could not figure out how to adjust speedo for 315 BFGs even after I gave them the pinion ratio (service manager said that it wasn't possible), took 2 days of arguing to get the dealer to match a price I had quoted in writing from Litchfield Chrysler Center. I haven't been back in a long time now.

 

[EEngel]

Info

nkiewel,



Thanks for the info. I will add them to the crap list.

 

[doldenburg]

got my 93 at elk river. lots of issues with the servise dept. got my next vehicles elsewhere. mckays dodge,st. sloud-waitpark has always gave me real good service no mater where i bought them. 04 1/2 tommy gun-st louis

 

[nkiewel]

I've had very good luck with Lagers Mankato Dodge. Their service department has been great. They do what you ask, they have never offered me a ton of other things that I don't need, and they have fixed everything right the first time so far.

 

[catoiler]

Anybody have a hard time gettin a loan car out of the dealer when you take in for service,and it has to stay for a day or two?I'm talkin without the extended warranty. My dealer won't caugh up a loaner for nothin!The rear has to be rebuilt under warranty and i have to get my own car for there screw up.

 

[EEngel]

Dealer Loaner

Catoiler,



I had the 7/100 on my last truck and the dealer ALWAYS gave me a loaner. And since I had a truck, he almost always gave me a truck if he had one.



It's in your contract that they must provide one if keeping the truck (check yours, but mine had the clause).

 

[Scooby]

I just bought my truck and I remember a piece of paper saying specifically that they don't do loaners!

 

[JNutter]

I wish I had bought my truck from Blaine Dodge instead of Elk River. I've had poor experiences with Elk River from the start. Right off the bat, they had my truck for an extra week when they installed the exhaust brake becuase they scratched it and had to get the bed repainted (joy riding service writers?). Later when I had an engine problem they gave me and my wife different stories. They also didn't have a clue as to what an exhaust brake was or how it worked. In fact, the service writer (Tory?) was kind of rude about it and refused to look up the information. He also claimed the info I sent him on the exhaust brake never arrived when I faxed it. I had to hand deliver the information to get them to look at the exhaust brake that they charged several hundered dollars to install only a few months earlier.



Make sure you fill out that survey to reflect your experiences. They don't deserve a 5 star rating (is anyone from DC customer service monitoring the board?)



I love my truck, and it's been fine since they fixed it (at least since the second time). Heck, it pulled up to the Eisenhower tunnel at the speed limt (both directions) with a camper in the bed while pulling a Jeep on a trailer - stone stock. I can't complain about the truck at all. My only complaint is about the way the Elk River Dodge service department treated me.

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

Didn't you have some sort of engine problem too?

 

[JNutter]

html boo boo. I'll get rid of the second link before I get more fun poked at me.

 

[catoiler]

They tell me that if I did not buy the extended warranty then there is no loaner. What is the purpose of buying a new truck and having it brake because of there poor choice of parts!I called chrysler and was told the same thing. One thing about Ford they always gave a loan car!This is my third new dodge in the last 2 years and maybe my last if they keep this up!