The more techs we get on here like Sycoholic and fordfixer the better! I also agree..I want the repair job done properly the FIRST time.

The flat wage pay scale is terrible from what I just read above.

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2000 F-150 XLT, 4x2, 5.4L Supercab, Styleside, Black with silver two-tone, 3.55, class III towing package with heavy duty cooling package, 4 wheel disk ABS, overhead console, sliding rear window, keyless entry, dark graphite interior, in dash CD, Pendaliner bedliner, K&N air filter, rubberized undercoating, cabin filtration system, Bugflector II, 5W-30 Mobil 1, engine build 10/4/99

 

What kills me is the labor rate a dealership charges a customer and what the tech gets out of that. The going rate around here (Oklahoma City) is $65-$75 an hour for labor at a dealership ($65 an hour at Fred Jones Ford, the scum of the Earth). An independent shop charges $45-$60 an hour. Now I don't mind paying the higher rate if I got better quality service, but I don't. Out of that $65 an hour, the techs at Fred Jones get $12 an hour or less. If I was a tech with any talent or ambition, I sure wouldn't hang around any dealership around here. I can certainly appreciate good work, but greed is getting in the way of reputation.

 

Ford man -- Just curious, have you noticed any difference in the dealership experience in Oklahoma City since Ford took over (Ford Retail Collection)? Based on articles in Automotive News, Ford is taking a bath in OKC, Tulsa and Salt Lake City.

 

Yes I have! Fred Jones has always had lousy service, and they don't care, but they used to make big claims in advertising about being "pressure free." You used to be able to walk in there and look around on their lot and be totally left alone by salesmen, pick out a vehicle and take a test drive by yourself. If you didn't like what you saw, off you went, no salesman running after you or calling you a dozen times a day. Now, as soon as you walk on the lot, those worms are in your hip pocket until they can goad you into buying a car (waste of time on me). My wife and I went to LOOK at a Taurus with the 24V Duratec engine last year. Knucklehead met us out on the lot and started the hard sell. We went inside later and he tried selling us undercoating and fabric protection, too. I really wasn't interested in buying from them in the first place, they were the closest place to take a test drive. Now I make it a point not to buy anything from them, or help them in any way (they also have all of the Mazda dealerships around here).

 

Ford forced 12 dealers in the OKC area to consolidate under the Fred Jones Autocollection banner. In OKC, Ford owns 30% of this dubious enterprise and in Tulsa, they own 100%. The Tulsa area dealers also operate under Fred Jones Autocollection.

 

I wish ALL the mechanics were as honest as the guys here.

Ford Man-
Actually, it's TULSA Auto Collection. Fred Jones got out really quickly. The only remaining "local" guy is Doenges who still has his independent dealership in Bartlesville. This "collection" thing SUCKS and I hope Ford (their holding company) takes a tremendously HUGE, big d!(k in the @$$!!!!

Sorry. I really, really, hate them. Area (within 40 miles) dealers that aren't affilliated with TAC won't come down on prices because they know they are $100 cheaper than TAC. So, you either drive for a half hour to save $100, or you buy from TAC. Either way, you pay the dealerships what THEY want. This entire thing is just a scam... ask me about my shopping experience last month!

Neal

 

Yeah, Ford forced 12 dealers to consolidate under "Autocollection" into currently, 5 locations. Really left the options open there. They left Joe Cooper Ford in Midwest City intact (used to have a SUPER service department when it was Arthur Harris Ford, but they've gone down the crapper) and Reynolds Ford in Norman (another lousy service department). One of the dealerships forced into this devil's pact was Fleming Ford in Newcastle. I can't say enough good things about their service department or their service manager, Luther Dawson. As far as buying a vehicle from them, I cannot say, but they were always very thorough and professional in every way when repairing or servicing a vehicle. Not too long after they closed down, I received a post card in the mail from Luther (he had contacted all of his old customers) letting me know he'd moved to Hudiburg Ford in Purcell. I went down there to have the lug nut recall done and spoke to him; he informed me Fred Jones Ford, the SCUM OF THE EARTH had raked all of these "new" employees over that were brought in from the other dealerships. People were demoted, took paycuts and were generally just forced out (Luther was offered a position as a service advisor). At any rate, Luther walked out and took some of his Fleming techs with him to Purcell. The other techs walked out, too and have gone on to other things (Fleming had a tech specializing in brakes and suspension and another in diesels, VERY unusual for a dealer). I hope Fred Jones Ford and FoMoCo CHOKE!!!

[This message has been edited by Ford man (edited 02-18-2000).]

 

From what I've heard here, the 88 Quality Care Ford, should be called the 88 Hurry Up Care Ford. Pay for the hours you work is what it should be. I own two service companies (not auto repair) and I pay the techs 40 hrs min and if they work o/t they are paid for that too. The Techs at the local dealer are paid commisions also which really encourages dishonesty. Coupled with the fact that the Service Advisors make commisions and have never worked on cars really makes you wonder.

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99 F150 XLT Supercab Towing Package 5.4L Auto Two Tone Med Toreador Red/ Silver Power windows, locks, mirrors, driver's seat. Cruise, tilt wheel Alloys, Michelins, ARE topper Superchip / 2000 Chevy Silverado Ext cab 5.3, auto, Tow package, tilt, cruise, power windows,locks,side mirrors, alloy wheels.

 

Here's a story from my post in the Relatively Clean Truck Jokes thread, that I made a LONG time ago, it seems. It's not aimed at you, fordfixer, or any techs who know their stuff in the shop, but it's on-topic.
_______

Once upon a time, in a little forest, there lived an orphaned bunny and an orphaned snake. As a surprising coincidence, both were blind from birth. One day, the bunny was hopping through the forest, and the snake was slithering through the forest, when the bunny tripped over the snake and fell down, also knocking the snake about quite a bit. "Oh, my," said the bunny. "I'm terribly sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. You see, I've been blind since birth, so I can't see where I'm going, and, in fact, since I'm also an orphan, I don't even know what I am."

"Quite okay," replied the snake. "Actually, my story is much the same as yours, as I am also blind since birth, and also never knew my mother. Tell you what, maybe I could kinda slither over you, and figure out what you are, so at least you'll have that going for you."

"Oh, that would be wonderful," said the bunny. So the snake slithered all over the bunny, and said, "Well, you're covered with soft fur, and you have really long ears, and your nose twitches, and you have a soft cottony tail. I'd say that you must be a bunny."

"Oh, thank you! thank you!" cried the bunny in obvious excitement. "Maybe I could feel you with my paw, and help you the same way you've helped me." So the bunny felt the snake all over, and said, "Well, you're scaly and slimy, and you have a forked tongue and no *****. I'd say you must be a Ford Truck Service Adviser."


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Black 2000 SC XLT short-box. 4.2 V-6, 5-speed, 3.55 Limited Slip. Side steps, CD, remote entry, FORD box liner. Add-ons: Older Windstar driver's side wiper blade (with the air scoop, because I don't slow down when it rains), back-up beeper, "f150online.com" sticker and snazzy Tweetie Bird floor mats.

My third F-series: '73 F-100, '98 F-150 and '00 F-150. Great trucks!

 

I worked at a Lincoln-Mercury dealer about nine years ago. The oil change guy was always a promotion from the lot guy. I had the recently promoted lot guy's position. there were a few techs there that made 80-100K per year, they were very good and very fast. Some of the lesser techs had started there years before as lot guys. They were all thoroughly trained and continuously updated. About half of them went to school in Orlando every three months or so for a week long course in something. If it weren't for me trying college for a while, I might still be there rewiring Lincolns by now.

It was/is a good dealership with good techs (except for the burned out tranny guy).

And the mens room was covered, I mean covered with centerfolds. Even the ceiling. It was a fun place to work.

 

Aside from giving juvenile delinquents a liberal sex education, what become of them? Do they still have a good reputation?

 

Some shop not dealers have gone to hourly pay or parts and labor % hrly is the bst that is how my shop guys are paid we pay new app. tech 10-12 an hour it is great to be able to take your time to teach them the right way that is one less fu&*kin idiot out there who is giving all mechanics a bad name. I have seen so many stupid things that other tech have done it makes you wonder why they have a job. Jusy before i left the dealership i got a come-back (3rd time) from a differant dealer the driver's side window would not go all the way down it was a power window some stupid wrench left his flash light in the bottom of the door. How could this get to a 3rd time repair??????.

NO one cared it was written off, the customer brought it to me i fixed it on my lunch for the guy for free. The guy took the flash light and the last i heard he was going to put it up the tech you know what.

The one thing that does go on and you have no control is that if you do not buy your vehicle foem that dealer ship your service is slower and poorer. I have no idea why they all get paid warranty money but if you didnt buy it there good luck i have worked in dealership in a few differant states they are all the same. they say things like well he didnt buy it make him wait or parts have to ordered when they have them in stock???

I said it before if you find a good tech keep him , thank him personaly let him know that he did a good job because they (dealerships are user ) never tell the guys or gals that just that warranty time went down.

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*2000 blk xlt f150
*5.4 4x4 3.55 ls
*sc orp pkg
*tow pkg, 17 inch wheels
*herculiner,remote start
*flowmaster, air box mod
*bfg ko's A.R.E. cap
*sony 10 disc cd player
*************************
****mods to come*********
LS for front diff
wms air tube
super chip

 

It's like I said before, I don't have a problem paying for repairs or maintenence. If the techs take pride in their work, I'll be more than willing to shell out $300 for a repair that's done right the first time, than $100 for a repair that keeps having to be made over and over because somebody doesn't have adequate training, is rushed, or just has their head up their butt. And I do appreciate good work and I let the techs know it. I always figure it's a good idea to stay on good terms with the folks who do a good job on your vehicle, which is why I didn't buy my pickup from the dealer I used to use for service and repairs. I figured if I was jerked around when buying, I might start taking a jaundiced view of the entire bunch, which would be completely unfair to the parts and service department. They had always been MORE than fair to me, bent over backwards really. As far as not getting the same quality service from a non-selling dealer, in my experience the lousy dealers in OKC are equal opportunity @$$holes. I've bought vehicles from Lucifer's family, Fred Jones Ford and been treated just as lousy as when I brought in a vehicle purchased elsewhere. On the other hand, whenever I brought in vehicles purchased from somewhere else to Luther Dawson, service manager of the former Fleming Ford and currently of Hudiburg Ford, I was treated almost as if their entire shop was there to wait on me. Really a classy bunch, can't talk up those guys enough or slam Fred Jones Ford enough.

 

Ford man:

Anytime I need a good laugh I look for a new post from you.They way you slam that dealer is hilarious.Latest was "Lucifer's Family".Keep the great lines coming...

 

Laugh? Humor? You find me funny? Am I some sort of clown for your amusement? ("Goodfellas") I swear I'm telling the truth about those guys!!