Recall horror story

[cguthrie]

My wife and son moved to florida for the year while i'm in Korea. The jeep i bought her was supposed to be the dependable vehicle i bought her for when i was gone. When i get back there in jan. for a month i'm gonna drive it and see how i like it, but i still think i'm gonna call Chrysler and complain about that dealership in Vegas.

 

[DARKFLY]

Have you tried to contact the better business buro and talk with them. thats how my bro in law got a gm dealer to do work on his truck.

 

[Dr. Righteous]

Dealers? OR S A T A N?!!!??

I wouldn't take a bicycle to a dealer to get it worked on!!
They hire shade tree mechanics that are not certified on anything. If they screw up your vehicle they just fire them and hire another shade tree to replace them.
The main reason I will never own another Ford is because I was ripped off by a dealer. Bought a Bronco with a extended warranty in 1992. Had it less than a year and it had problems shifting and took it to the dealer. They called me back and said they changed the fluid and "adjusted" the transmission. The tranny failed completely a couple weeks later. BUT, when it failed it was out of warranty BY ONE DAY!! Called them back, told them the story and they said "Sorry, you are out of warranty. Can't help you!!"
In retrospect I know when they drained the fluid it was probably full of metal and they knew the tranny was about to go out. They just patched it back together because the warranty was about up. Well, ended up shelling out $1400 for a rebuilt tranny. Vowed never to buy another Ford.
Felt the warm feeling of justice because a couple years later the dealship went under amists allogations of ripping off customers.

My Dad had a '93 Chevy Silverado 4x4 that developed a vibration while they were on a trip. Suddenly it slung the driveshaft out from under it! The driveshaft was mangled and they had it towed to a Chevy dealership in the nearest town. The mechanic looked at it and said they would have to order a driveshaft and it would be a couple days.
Well, they were only a couple hundred miles from home, so Dad asked if he could put it in 4x4 and drive it home.
The mechanic said SURE, that will work fine.
Dad not knowing much about 4x4s did just that. They actually went 100 miles before the xfer case split in 2 peices from getting so hot.
I am very, very reluctant to buy a new vehicle even a Dodge/Jeep because of having to deal with Dealerships. My wife wants a new SUV, but I am telling her NO, it has to be something I can wrench on and not have to rely on a dealer.

 

[pancake]

Damn! This stuff scares me...good thing I can do most of my own work.

 

[martin]

This is what I have learned over the years owning vehicles and dealing with maintenance. The key is getting to know the dealership/garage people by name and they know who you are.

I moved to alabama and after a year took my 88 XJ took the the local Jeep dealer BUT before I went in I called and asked if they had anyone who worked there when my 88 XJ was new - it was 2001 by then.

I interviewed the guy and asked what he knew about AMC cruise control. Long story short he got it fixed, I left it with them for 2 months. I will say they tried to get me to pick it up with new parts installed but still did not operate. I told them "you can keep it till it does work".

You have to demonstrate that you are willing to do what it takes to fix the problem. My neighborhood garage who also does some things on the XJ knows that. I had the alignment checked after it got out of the body shop, the manager told the tech "no need to test drive it, he WILL bring it back if it wrong."

So it comes down to letting the people know who the person is who own's this vehicle. I also take the dealer mechanic some little debbie snacks every time I go in, you treat them nice, they will remember.

Being out of town when you have a problem that is something totally different, that the luck of the draw.

So when you have work done and it is wrong take it right back to them and say "still broke". Remember keeping a calm disposition will help lots. The tech who worked on my cruise told me later when we were talking outside wal-mart that I was calm and he was willing to keep working since I was giving him the benefit of the doubt - 2 months, 64 clock hours, 6 paid hours later it was fixed. He told me if I was yelling then it would be "we tried but could not fix it, sorry".

It painful but you have to dump the problem right back in their lap when it is not fixed. The body damage I would definetly say "that dent was not there when it came it, I'll pick it up when it is repaired to MY satisfaction.

One last thing when my XJ is in the shop I walk out into the service bays, talk to the tech I request every time, and watch him do the job. It all part of the "I want it done right the first time" vibe I put out.

 

[MassbayXJ]

If you are ever in the South Shore area of Massachusetts, we have an awesome Jeep dealer. It is family owned and almost everybody there drives a Jeep, Mostly Cherokees. I'd be lost without these guys(or driving an F-150). The guy I talk to there most has a '94 like mine except his is awesome. I've learned alot about good products, bad products and what is compatable from other Jeeps. The name of the dealer is Hassan Brothers Jeep in Quincy MA.

 

[Atl XJ]

Man, I hear all these aweful stories about Jeep dealers, but the one in my neighborhood could not be any nicer. Nalley Jeep in Roswell, GA. They are a 5 star too. I had to throw that in since its almost laughable. Seriously though, their parts department is awesome they always give me a discount and they fixed my XJ for free one time. I pulled up to buy a part and right when I pulled in the parking lot my upper radiator hose blew. I went inside to buy one and they did charge me for the hose, but they insisted on putting it on for free and didn't even charge me for any coolant. I was expecting for them to tell me that I needed all these repairs and try and rip me off, instead they told me it was in really good shape. I know its an easy job, but still I really didn't expect that. They also programmed my keyless entry remote for free and I didn't even but it there I bought it off Ebay. What really shocked me is i was talking with a few of the techs while they were working on my car and we started talking about the Libbys and they hate them too. But anyway, I'll stop rambling but I had to stick up for my dealer they are great.

 

[Jay Welch]

As someone said earlier in the thread, this is why I don't use shops of any kind unless absolutely necessary. Car, house, yard, tractors, lawnmowers.....doesn't matter, there's always a story afterwards if i use a shop. If you do have a good shop or parts counter person at your local parts store...treat them with the respect that you would your doctor.

I just replaced the LF wheel bearing in my 95 Corolla. Before driving any distance I wanted to be sure of the axle end nut torque as it is a 2 piece inner race and apparently the torque is very important....too tight and the bearing gets hosed, too loose and the race gets hosed. My Haynes said 159 ft lbs but I also read that Toyota revised the spec. So, I call one dealer service dept. Wicked tight says he. He then yells out to a mechanic who says "235 ft lbs". I decide to stop by another dealer on the way home from work in the XJ just to get a 3rd opinion. The service advisor says they just crank it on with the impact hammer..."Our best mechanics don't use torque wrenches for anything. They're so good they just have the right feel for the torque." I ask to speak to a mechanic. He says he doesn't think there is a torque spec for it. He was a good enough guy to look it up for me. I can see him through the window going on the computer to look it up. 15 minutes later he comes back with the spec....159 ft lbs.

Would you have anything worked on there?

My experience after almost 50 years on this earth is that the wrong person working on your vehicle can destroy it in short order. I coiuld go on and on with the few times I had to use a shop.....Speedy Muffler, AMCO Transmissions, local Plymouth (Dodge) dealer, used car dealer where I test drove the car and the slant 6 ran great but needed an "exhaust donut". We'll put one on says he. Picked the car up and it just never ran as well as when I test drove it. Turns out they must have pulled the intake and exhaust manifolds and snapped studs, gooped it up with RTV and put it back together using the remaining studs.

Good luck with your cause,
Jay in MA

 

[Hawaiian Style]

"I had the alignment checked after it got out of the body shop, the manager told the tech "no need to test drive it, he WILL bring it back if it wrong."

Huh? What kind of shop gives you a truck they haven't already test driven to ensure that it is FIXED? When I take my XJ or the Y or ZJ's in to be worked on because the job is beyond me I damn sure expect to pick them up in perfect working order.

Good help is hard to find no matter what the problem.

As far as Ford goes, I HATE them. I used to sell those piles of junk. Brand new Fords arrived with poor paint ( how do you forget to paint parts of the car????), mechanical probelms, and as soon as I sold one it seemed to haunted me forever. Damn things kept coming back broke within weeks of the sale.

JUNK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!