Should i be charged a diagnostic fee?
Bullitt Member
Joined: October 18, 2006
Posts: 372
Likes: 0
From: Etobicoke, Ontario Canada
My Raptor had the same issue last year. When stopped the idle would jump around and get very low. It eventually stalled on me at a light. Never had a CEL. I took it in, they checked it out, and determined that the throttle body was the issue, which was replaced. All work was done under warranty.
Cobra Member
Joined: December 4, 2011
Posts: 1,418
Likes: 3
From: Central Florida
Someone on this forum posted awhile back that a manufacturer did a dyno test with the "drop in" K&N filter...it actually lost a few HP! While 1 or 2 HP may not be a big deal for a million mile warranty filter, it was a drop none the less. May want to stick with a stock filter.
Cobra Member
Joined: December 4, 2011
Posts: 1,418
Likes: 3
From: Central Florida
How many miles do you have on the engine? Seems the dirty throttle body plate came early. They usually don't require cleaning (loopy idle) until the 45 to 50K range. You may want to look for another brand of gasoline.
NOT CURRENTLY ACTIVE ON THIS SITE! DO NOT USE PM FEATURE!
Joined: October 25, 2010
Posts: 5,279
Likes: 16
From: Dearborn, MI
Is the car still under 3/36?
If so, then there should be no charge for them checking something ... it's unfortunate that Ford doesn't pay for "No Problem Found" these days (I stopped being a Ford Service Advisor about 2 months ago and kept dealing with these NPF claims ... the Mgr was pissed when I'd try to submit a claim, would have to end up paying the tech from "shop time" or whatever she called it)
But to answer your question, NO, you should not be charged the diag fee ..... the "dirty TB" sounds like a copout for them to come up with to have a reason for the cash diag fee.
If so, then there should be no charge for them checking something ... it's unfortunate that Ford doesn't pay for "No Problem Found" these days (I stopped being a Ford Service Advisor about 2 months ago and kept dealing with these NPF claims ... the Mgr was pissed when I'd try to submit a claim, would have to end up paying the tech from "shop time" or whatever she called it)
But to answer your question, NO, you should not be charged the diag fee ..... the "dirty TB" sounds like a copout for them to come up with to have a reason for the cash diag fee.
imo: if I spend $40,000+ for the "car of my dreams," it should, realistically, not have any issues...and if it does, then the car should be repaired to the satisfaction of the purchaser. A diagnostic fee seems unreasonable if the customer has a complaint even if "nothing" is found because the owner should be a satisfied customer. C'mon, Ford, get behind your product. 50 years coming up and you're balking at the issues?
The way the diagnostic fees work at most dealers is: when you bring your vehicle in for a concern, your dealer will give a sheet to sign stating if nothing is found, or the repair is not covered under warranty, you will be responsible for $XXX diagnostic fee. They are only covered when a warrantable repair is needed/performed.
Dealerships are independently owned and operated, therefore some wave the fees until the concern is found (ex. Multiple visits needed) and they can decide if it’s under warranty or not. Normally is the dealer you purchased from. I hope this helps.
Deysha
Mach 1 Member
Joined: August 3, 2012
Posts: 609
Likes: 0
Techs get paid commission. They only get paid for the jobs they do. So you want a tech to look over your car and if he finds nothing wrong, no charge? Which equals no pay and he just wasted an hour or so for nothing. If they were paid by the hour, I'm sure it wouldn't be a problem but that's how it is.
Cobra R Member
Joined: June 17, 2010
Posts: 1,666
Likes: 0
From: Southeastern Virginia
Originally Posted by Rando
Why would a tech be commission based? Makes absolutely no sense. They'd probably be more than happy to cause problems if this were the case.
Not saying it is right or wrong, it's how my Acura mechanic (who is now an indie) explained it to me.
Legacy TMS Member
Joined: August 7, 2011
Posts: 5,246
Likes: 567
From: NC
The way it was explained to me is they get paid "book" on the work they do ("x.x hours", what the factory pays the dealer to perform the repair) and if they accomplish the task in a shorter time, then they get to split the savings with the dealer in some ratio depending on their years of service (70:30, 50:50, 30:70, etc). I think this would explain a general reluctance to spend too much time chasing a diagnostic ghost.
Not saying it is right or wrong, it's how my Acura mechanic (who is now an indie) explained it to me.
Not saying it is right or wrong, it's how my Acura mechanic (who is now an indie) explained it to me.
Thread Starter
MOTM Committee Member
Joined: April 17, 2006
Posts: 9,201
Likes: 2
From: SoCal
My Raptor had the same issue last year. When stopped the idle would jump around and get very low. It eventually stalled on me at a light. Never had a CEL. I took it in, they checked it out, and determined that the throttle body was the issue, which was replaced. All work was done under warranty.
Someone on this forum posted awhile back that a manufacturer did a dyno test with the "drop in" K&N filter...it actually lost a few HP! While 1 or 2 HP may not be a big deal for a million mile warranty filter, it was a drop none the less. May want to stick with a stock filter.
Hi guys,
The way the diagnostic fees work at most dealers is: when you bring your vehicle in for a concern, your dealer will give a sheet to sign stating if nothing is found, or the repair is not covered under warranty, you will be responsible for $XXX diagnostic fee. They are only covered when a warrantable repair is needed/performed.
Dealerships are independently owned and operated, therefore some wave the fees until the concern is found (ex. Multiple visits needed) and they can decide if it’s under warranty or not. Normally is the dealer you purchased from. I hope this helps.
Deysha
The way the diagnostic fees work at most dealers is: when you bring your vehicle in for a concern, your dealer will give a sheet to sign stating if nothing is found, or the repair is not covered under warranty, you will be responsible for $XXX diagnostic fee. They are only covered when a warrantable repair is needed/performed.
Dealerships are independently owned and operated, therefore some wave the fees until the concern is found (ex. Multiple visits needed) and they can decide if it’s under warranty or not. Normally is the dealer you purchased from. I hope this helps.
Deysha
Member
Joined: July 13, 2012
Posts: 28
Likes: 0
The way it was explained to me is they get paid "book" on the work they do ("x.x hours", what the factory pays the dealer to perform the repair) and if they accomplish the task in a shorter time, then they get to split the savings with the dealer in some ratio depending on their years of service (70:30, 50:50, 30:70, etc). I think this would explain a general reluctance to spend too much time chasing a diagnostic ghost.
Not saying it is right or wrong, it's how my Acura mechanic (who is now an indie) explained it to me.
Not saying it is right or wrong, it's how my Acura mechanic (who is now an indie) explained it to me.
A Man Just Needs Some....
Joined: April 9, 2011
Posts: 17,125
Likes: 34
From: Louisiana
Originally Posted by Viciousjay
they are screwing you around, theirs a warranty in place for the 3/36 bump to bumper for reasons! like i have one, why is it i cant get over 200 miles per tank in my car no matter how much i drive like ***** or like a animal... what are they gonna do? charge me to look at my car when they are gonna get paid form ford anyway? i think not.
Mach 1 Member
Joined: July 27, 2010
Posts: 670
Likes: 10
From: Jacksonville, FL
However, in all my years (40+ years in the automotive field one way or another) I've never heard of technicians splitting the extra pay if they get done in less than the flat rate time. If a job pays 2.5 hours, the tech gets paid that 2.5 hours (all of it) regardless of whether it takes him 1 hour or 4 hours. The dealer sure isn't going to split the shortage if the tech is slow and takes twice as long... so what makes them think they can split the bonus if he's quick. Any tech that agrees to that kind of deal is getting ripped off. Bear in mind that there is no incentive for the tech to cut corners to get done sooner because any "comebacks" are fixed by the tech at no cost.
I remember (many) years ago when I was working for a Toyota dealer, the flat rate time for installing an aftermarket air conditioner in a new car was eight hours but with experience you could do it in half that time. If lots of cars were sold with dealer installed A/C, a tech could essentially make double time (16 hours pay in an 8 hour day).
Last edited by WhiteBird00; Oct 30, 2012 at 04:31 PM.
Legacy TMS Member
Joined: August 7, 2011
Posts: 5,246
Likes: 567
From: NC
Flat rate time is an industry standard for warranty work and most dealers also use the flat rate manual for customer pay jobs as well. It allows them to quote a price for a job rather than a time-and-materials quote where they tell the customer "we'll see how long it takes and charge you accordingly". Sometimes T&M is necessary for customer pay jobs where the cause is not clear (electrical, noises, etc.) but mostly dealers try to avoid that.
However, in all my years (40+ years in the automotive field one way or another) I've never heard of technicians splitting the extra pay if they get done in less than the flat rate time. If a job pays 2.5 hours, the tech gets paid that 2.5 hours (all of it) regardless of whether it takes him 1 hour or 4 hours. The dealer sure isn't going to split the shortage if the tech is slow and takes twice as long... so what makes them think they can split the bonus if he's quick. Any tech that agrees to that kind of deal is getting ripped off. Bear in mind that there is no incentive for the tech to cut corners to get done sooner because any "comebacks" are fixed by the tech at no cost.
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The idea that the dealership would share in the extra profit.
The dealership would make more money if the tech is quicker than the job is supposed to take, since he can move on to another job.
But the splitting ... no, never heard of it.
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