I turned in mt Lariat 4x4 SCAB to the local dealer for a few things, truck has 10000 miles on it. Here's the list...


1. Seat belt constant tension almost chokes me.

2. The dreaded vibration between 52-57 MPH. The manager wants to CHARGE me to balance the tires. Face is getting hot just thinking about that.

3. Throttle response horrible, sometimes have to push the pedal half way down to get the truck moving. I'm hoping for a computer reflash.

4. Brakes squeak so bad I have to drive with the windows up. I'm waiting for the usual response, "they supposed to do that". Funny how this is the first vehicle in my entire life that does though.

Anyone wanna take bets to see what gets fixed permanently? I'll know in less than 4 hours.

 

I hate the belts being mounted in the seats. I liked the previous generation, where they were on the B-pillar on height adjustible sliders. I fidget with mine constantly.

Tire balancing, alignments, and other "adjustments" are covered for 12 months/12,000 miles. He oughta be shot for trying to charge you for a tire balance.

I think some folks got this squared away with either a reflash or the Superchip tuner. Mine kinda sucks too, but I don't like the idea of sending my PCM off for a reflash no matter how quick the turn around time is.

Mine are nice and quiet, they're just dusty as hell. I can wash the truck on a Saturday, run some errands around town Sunday, then Monday when I get ready to go to work, I already have another gray sheen on my wheels. They're still quiet though.

Let us know how it turns out.

 

I've noticed the throttle issue in my Dad's 04 S-crew. Backing into the driveway over the curb, I feel like I am flooring it to get it to go up it. Its not that steep either, my lowered SVT Contour clears with no problem!

I will tell him to check the leak too as he has the power slider, I know he mentioned reading something about leaking on another site.

 

Ok I got my $37000 pos back. Not to my surprise it came back in worse shape than when I brought it in. Here’s how the “Best Ford service in New Mexico” handled my issues.

1. Seat belt issue. Manager said seat belt was in specs. He said he would check with Ford. Sure. Nothing was done, glad you didn’t bet on that one huh.

2. Vibration issue. Dealer balanced my tires, said that fixed it. I looked around the truck before I took it back and of course they scraped the absolute crap out of my rims. I almost lost it. He said he would talk to someone about that. Upon the drive home, it still vibrated. We are 0 for 2 now, plus 2 damaged rear rims.

3. Throttle response issue. He said they were too busy to look at that even though I had an appointment and brought it in at 9:00 AM and it only takes 3 mins, which he agreed with. 0 for 3 now.

4. Brake issue. This is my favorite. Why in earth I actually though that someone could actually fix something is beyond me. Temporary insanity I guess. He said that they heard them squeal, and he has to call Ford on this. WTF is my warrantee for? It’s messed up, they have the parts, they should fix it right? Nope. They didn’t even clean them, they accentually did NOTHING. O ya accept for mess up my new rims. Par for the course I figure, 0 for 4.

I tell you fellas there must have been 37K just burning a hole in my pocket. I consider this the worst purchase I’ve ever made. Say what you want, but the best thing about paying $500 a month is enjoying not having to worry about this stuff. My truck didn’t even outlast the temp tag when I bought it. It went in for the clutch packs the third week I had it. I am so disappointed.

In summary, my truck was in better shape when I brought it in this morning than it sits right now. They fixed nothing, damaged my truck, and I know I’ll never see any new rims out of this. It seems at every turn my confidence and respect for humanity fizzles away.

 

Ty, don't feel bad. I know exactly how you feel.
Sometime things just don't go the way you would like.
If I were you, I'd start with a different dealer. Hopefully,
you'll get some better service. It's a shame that dealers
are very different. You would think that all dealers would
treat their customers very good, but that's not the case.
Sometime you just have to try them out until you find
one that you're comfortable with. I would bypass the saleman
and go straight to the sales manager or owner and let
them know exactly how I feel. I wouldn't be the
only one upset, I'd make as many other people
at that dealership upset also. I'd be a thorn in their
side. It may not do any good on your truck, but at least
someone would be suffering along with you.

'04 Lariat Supercrew

 

A satisfied customer tells 2 of his friends. A dissatisfied customer tells ten.

This is why the good dealers, the ones that bend over backwards and try to help their customers hate the halfass ones. Just because you had a bad experience with one dealer doesn't mean your truck is a piece of junk. I can speak for myself in that the dealer I work for generally tries to go the extra mile regardless of whether your vehicle is under warranty or not; its the people that spend their hard earned bucks to buy a Ford product that puts food on my table and clothes on my back. It'd be foolish to **** you off with substandard service.

Try another dealership.

 

Well TY i had the squeel too they didnt do anything first time it was in . When i took it back they did skim the rotors on the truck,(new machine ) and the squeel is gone brakes even feel better. With me talking to the mechanic he did say these new brake pads are harder then previous yrs and it may come back along with the rotor grooves that bothered me also. New brakes will be check the pads and change the rotors.

 

Ain't that the truth!

 

Sounds like since he verified the problem with the brakes, they should have looked at them. Probably would have advised to obtain some sprayon brake no-sqeal the way they treated you. I haven't returned my truck to any dealer (broker got my truck from a dealer far away) because of the expected bad service. I would bet when they say they will call the dealer, they already know the answer from the dealer(not good) but just want to make the motion.

 

BS !!! Dont try a new dealer. If you speak up you get what you want. I was at the dealership for a knocking noise in my DIFF which the dealer says is normal and Ford knows about it. However, he couldnt guarantee no damage was occuring.

Anyway, a guy came in with his Mustang and was asking for the dealer to look at something on his suspension. The dealer says, well we dont know how else this could have happened except for foul play. This guy was furious. I mean pissed !!! he says, "You mean to tell me I just paid 33,000 dollars for a car 6 months ago and you arent going to warranty it. I am telling you what happened to it". The dealer insisted he wasnt taking care of it. WATCH OUT !!! This guy started cursing and he had a right to. "Give me your damn name, employee #, and managers # NOW!!!". I will take this to the top if I have to and I didnt pay 33,000 f'ing dollars for you guys to $h!T on me and so on and so on.

They hooked him up right then and there. He was golden and the problem was fixed after they said it would be warrantied and taken care of.

Dude, I say you purchased a truck, go down there and tell them what they ARE GOING TO DO. I have done it before. If they damaged your rim, demand they order a new one RIGHT NOW and I want to see a receipt. You have to be an @$$hole to beat a bunch of @$$holes.

 

Its sad that we would have to demand what we want after spending so much money. Sometimes I use intimidation and take advantage of what my large size and nasty temper can get, but then I am drained of energy for the rest of the day. The difference between what a dealer should be and what it is is huge. When I had a Lexus es300 (03?,,), the dealer would pick up my car from work driving an RX model and I would drive that until the dealer delivered the repaired or updated car. I don't want to ride the cattle bus to work and those dealer vans don't take single owners often.

 

TY,


They claimed they didnt have the time to look at some things.


Make sure they fill out the service order that you brought the truck in with these problems. If they just send you on your way with no paperwork, they can claim you never approached them with the problem.


Get everything in writing. Get the service order with your complaint and their resolution to that complaint on the same service order, even if the service order says they didn't look at the problem.


Also, anytime he says "I'll talk to someone about that" get THAT in writing too. Other wise it sounds like "the check is in the mail"


Good luck. Let us know how this works out for you.

 

Hellbound,

Was this dealership next to an auto parts store and a fire dept. If so, they do suck.

Definately make some noise or go to another dealership. I had an 03 Mustang that a local serv. dept wasn't able to fix so I lemon-lawed it.

Now my 04 F150 has a dash rattle that they can't fix either, "have to call a Ford engineer". Of course when I picked up my truck they left oil/smudge marks all over the truck and looked like someone shed their hair all in it. Oh well, just bitched at the serv advisor and had them detail the truck after hours before I would leave. Now I drive about an hour out of my way for service because some serv. depts don't have a clue.

I just can't wait to move back home to Dallas where you have more than one pick of dealerships in the local area. Here they tend to relax a bit because they know that 1/2 of their customers are military and will PCS sooner are later.