People who read this forum know more about Mustangs than the service writers. When I took my Vert into the dealer and told them about the TSB and what they needed to do, they let me know that they would be the ones to determine the problem.

So after three visits they fixed the problem. Sheesh, why couldn't they believe me? :bang:

 

With me, it's all about the presentation, how you frame it...etc.. But, my dealer and service writer seem pretty down to earth as well, so that certainly helps

 

Maybe told is the wrong word. I told them that I had read that the problem was common and there was a TSB on it. That got me an out-of-bounds penalty.

 

I've pretty much given up trying to explain anything. I just bring a copy of the TSB with me and tell them this is the trouble I'm having when I give it to them.

 

The dealer service departments do not like the customers knowing more than they do.

But from their point of view, I'd imagine they get a lot of people asking for repairs to be done that are in TSBs but do not affect their car or are not really the problem.

Next time you have a problem that is described in a TSB, the best thing to do is to describe the problem almost exactly as the symptoms are laid out in the TSB. That way they should be able to find the appropriate TSB and feel good about themselves for figuring out how to fix your problem.

 

I hate it when people can't admit they're wrong or don't know something. Add that to the fact that it's concerning my Mustang (my baby) and it's makes me even madder. This also applies to salesmen.

The only way I could get some service techs to fix my Global Windows was to tell them I had a list of dealers they could call if they couldn't figure out how to do it. I honestly was only trying to be helpful, but I think it ticked this one guy off a little and he took it as a challenge because he grabbed his little computer, jumped in my car and started messing around until he fixed it. However, in my defense, if I hadn't made the guy mad, I wouldn't have gotten the car fixed.

I have my screen name for a reason. I'm obbsessed with Mustangs. I have been for over 20 years. Guess what, service guys and salesmen, I just MIGHT have picked up a little knowledge about them along the way. I've stopped arguing with them and just shake my head and walk off. (sorry, that's a little off topic, but 99% of the time, I'm right when it comes to discussing Mustangs... new or old)

I think I'll have a T-shirt made for the next time I go to a car lot. It'll say something like "I know everything about Mustangs... Just ask me." OR "Mustangs? I know more than you do so keep your mouth shut." (too subtle?)


Done with my rant. Thanks for listening.

 

Remember the two missing screws on the bell housing that were causing a rattle during cold starts................

I printed out a picture right off of someones post and took it to the dealership, told them the problem then showed them the picture.

The guy looked at me, said they'd take a look at it. Sure enough, I had two missing bolts!

Ever since then, they don't question me anymore if I come in there and tell them what's wrong.

In doing these kind of things we're actually making their job a little easier.

My dealership didn't get all butthurt but I know a lot do.

I don't get it?

 

The problem is you expect a service writer to know or care as much about Mustang's as you do And you forget that customer's with brand new 05/06 mustangs is such a TINY percentage of what they work with regularly. Not to mention all the WRONG information customer's bring to thier attention, you begin to ignore that stuff. Bring it in, tell them what the symptoms are, and go away. The tech's look at it based on the symptoms, check for TSB's and notify the service writer what needs to be done and if Ford will pay for it and they call you back. Duh.

10 years from now, any regular problems that the 05 develops will be common knowledge to them. And some(most) of the 'experts' I see online are sometimes right on ONE thing and I can find tons of things they dont know in the majority of thier other posts. Reading a TSB does not make you an 'expert'. The funny thing is, with the vast amount of crap that get stucks in my sponge brain about cars, I simply turn my car into a service writer. Granted, I will catch up with the tech with the car in the air and check it out, but I do not bark 'this is whats wrong'. Another thing I see is "THE DEALER DID NOT FIX THE PROBLEM THEY SUCK WAAAAAHHHH" comes from people TELLING the service writer THE WRONG THING that MUST be the problem!!

I liken it to the internet 'experts' that come in and shop for cars(they usually come by 20 times before they-if ever- buy anything). I always love to ask them 'hey buddy, if you are such the expert mr wizard on this vehcile-then tell me why you aren't DRIVING one yet?.'

 

The bottom line is, many dealer's emplyees are dumb and stubborn and all that jazz. But theres nothing we can do.

BTW your avatar scared the crap out of me :P

 

Well thats a 'normal' way to do it.

Believe me, we have plenty of the, ahem, what service writers call 'Cobra idots' barking crap all the time about cars they mod right into the repair shop.

 

You must work for a Ford dealership?

 

One other thing, any good auto technition has by FAR a better first-fix rate then any medical professional. Not just in past experiences, my GF has a heart rate issue that 5 EXPERTS have different conclusions about now. Its from everything from a thyroid issue to needing a pacemaker! Good thing auto techs never get anything THAT wrong. Funny enough every time I ask her, each 'expert' somehow is the 'best on the east coast'- what a coincidence...You think auto tech's are somehow not quite as sharp as a customer, you should see how far off most cancer treatment doctors are.

Do you know what the hardest part about being a 'good' car salesman is? Not letting the customers turn you into a 'bad' one. In all the years I've been doing this, I have yet to meet any sales/service person as dishonest as a vast portion of the customers you meet. A car is a lot of parts, even the people that designed them do not know what problems may arise, as there are right now over 240,000 completely different drivers in them, doing 240,000 different things to 2500 components. So don't expect a miracle, at least you will never wake up with the wrong part of your body missing because of a typo. Everyone loves to bash on the dealerships, when the customers quite often REALLY deserve the bashing.

And stang nut, I know you know alot about mustangs, but do you think you can get the right part of the door mechanisim of a 2001 windstar diagnosed on the first try as wether the entire interior needs to come out or not to get to it, then a problem with a new superduty torqueshift valve body, then a knock from the ac system of a 1997 contour, then take lunch then knock out a computer program bug on a hybrid and then you get MUSTANG GUY who KNOWS why his car is making a rattle because you read it on TMS? :P

Considering that F150 alone outsells mustang nearly 10 to one every year and is a 4wd truck that often gets abused, really, how many mustangs are in for constant repairs? We have probably over 100 cars in the shop que at any given time, I think I have seen one new-gen mustang in the past month come through. I actually had no idea what it was 'in' for, it was in and out so fast I never saw it in the shop. Could of been an oil change.

 

Yea, I hang with the techs all the time in the shop(big surprise there) whenever something 'new' is up on a lift, I get to hear the self-diagnosis comments all the time. Funny enough, 2 cobras were in in the last week and got the warranties thrown out on the motors. One was for drivetrain noise and if it was covered by warranty, one of the svt guys looked at it for 2 seconds, pulley, maf, chip, offroad x, DONE. They still actually TRIED to make sure the repair to the rear was in any way, shape, or form, to be coverable by warranty, even though the shop makes half the money as a retail repair, to help out the customer. The guy is probably screaming bloody murder about how bad we suck now on some website.

 

So what do those mod's have to do with a drivetrain noise?

Dosen't the mod have to directly contribute to the fault (in this case drivetrain noise) for it to void that particular part of the warranty? I've read through the Magnusson-Moss Warranty Act a few times but it would be nice to get an inside perspective at how these particular mods could void a drivetrain warranty.

And one other thing, just cause someone has mod's done to their car doesn't particulary mean that they are out to stick it to the dealership.

 

Probably by overloading a transmission that wasn't designed or modified for so much extra power. And I'm sure with those mods that the car's been abused.


<!--QuoteBegin-kevinb120
I liken it to the internet 'experts' that come in and shop for cars(they usually come by 20 times before they-if ever- buy anything). I always love to ask them 'hey buddy, if you are such the expert mr wizard on this vehcile-then tell me why you aren't DRIVING one yet?.'[/quote]
Oh, I'm sure that'll really help you sell a car. I'm sort of guilty of that...I've been looking at cars for a while and haven't decided anything, so I'll test drive something and keep them all in my head. When I'm ready, I'll make a VERY informed decision and be happy. This isn't a meal at McDonald's, it's a $30,000 piece of machinery!

 

How common is the missing bolts on the bellhousing? Just curious, because I keep forgetting to have it looked at when I get an oil change....

 

Yes but if you add 150 hp to the stock car and the halfshafts or universals fail or get damaged.......

The 03's 'tick' issue with the bad valve guide on #8 was a big problem for a lot of people, with the entire head needing to be replaced. The dealership helped a lot of modded cars 'slide' into a VERY expensive warrantied repair, even before the TSB.

 

As I recall it was fairly common in some of the 05's that were made in late 04 and early 05. What it was, was the two lowest bolts on the bell housing cover were missing bolts, for some unknown reason, which caused the cover plate to vibrate and create a "rattle" sound during cold starts.

I'm pretty sure that Ford took care of the problem as I no longer hear of anyone having this issue.

If you don't hear a rattle on cold starts, then I don't think you have anything to worry about

 

now now, lets not start to assume things :nono:

You'll make an, well you know the saying

 

No you need to understand the type. They will tie you up on busy days too. And they are not exactly pleasant about thier 'knowledge', its borderline obnoxious. If they usually do buy something, after talking about it with you 20 times or so they take whatever final price you give them and buy it down the street for 100 bucks less. Then come up regularly and ask you questions about it.